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Food Thread: Salad Again? But Now With Added Chicken Guts!

I have railed against the concept of a salad being anything other than a nice palate cleanser or a pleasant way to end a meal. It's rabbit food, and isn't fit for human consumption as anything other than a secondary part of the meal.

Except... those are perfectly prepared and sautéed chicken livers in a nice mix of lettuce greens, dressed with a perfectly made vinaigrette. It's hard to get upset about being served rabbit food when one is shoveling it into one's face as fast as possible!

The chicken livers were cooked just enough to change their texture, but not long enough to dry them out and make them fell like you are eating a piece of chalk. Just delicious! And surprisingly difficult to pull off. I have tried, and while I can come close, it takes a sure hand at the sauté station to do it correctly.

But, they are also cheap, so trying this at home is not a bad idea. Worst case you are out a few bucks worth of chicken guts. Best case? Yum...Yum...Yum!

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The champagne industry is an odd thing. They are very careful to position their products as luxury items, but the vast majority of their production is what is called "non-vintage champagne" which, while relatively expensive, is nowhere near the price of their true luxury item: vintage champagne.

For the purpose of this discussion I am referring to the French product as defined in French law. Sure, there is sparkling wine made in other places, and some of it is quite good, but the very top of the heap is French. Yeah... I hate writing that as much as you hate reading it, but the Frogs know what they are doing!

They make a ton of mass-market champagne that costs between about $30 and $80. That's a lot of money for a single bottle of wine. Is it worth it? That's your call. Some of them are pretty generic, and some of them are very, very good. The nice thing about these wines is that they are amazingly consistent. They taste the same year after year, so when you find one you like, you are set! They blend multiple years to get that consistency, and that is the difference between the mass-market stuff and "vintage." Well, vintage champagne is also aged longer, but the big difference is that it comes from one particular year, which imparts unique characteristics. The industry doesn't declare a vintage year every year, because the weather in the region is pretty nasty, so they don't always get enough grapes that are ripe enough to make good champagne.

But when they do, it is revelatory. There is something amazing about a fine vintage, but there is also something unique, which makes them even more exciting.

I am not suggesting that you go out and get a second mortgage and buy verticals of Dom Perignon and Billecart-Salmon and Philliponnat.

But if you have the opportunity to share a bottle with some good friends, it is an experience that may change the way you see wine. They are exciting to taste, make an evening festive, and are unlike even the finest non-vintage champagnes.

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Yeah, that's not the most attractive loaf of bread I have ever baked, but it was fun to try, and I think I will keep at it until I get what I want. Plain old loaf pan breads are great for getting regular slices for things like grilled cheese or just a ham and cheese sandwich. But my bread-making for years has been focused on creating a great crust and crumb, which is of less importance in a sandwich bread. And... I used my regular sourdough recipe, which is absolutely not well-suited to a loaf pan!

On the plus side, it sure did taste good. On the minus side? It didn't rise as much as I wanted, thus the squat look. But I will endeavor to persevere!

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Suckling pig? Really? Yup!

Of course it was boned and then rolled with herbs and such, then roasted in a rotisserie. It was perfectly cooked, but I would have chosen a less assertive blend of herbs. There was too much lemon zest on the surface, which made me question the chef's ancestry!

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I don't know why the Brits call their cask ales ""bitter." They aren't even close to being bitter, and certainly nothing like some of the ales in America that taste like they are made from hops and Angostura.

This one was particularly delicious and so far from the idea of "bitter" that I wonder whether the name is some odd holdover from a few hundred years ago.

Regardless, it was delicious and creamy and full of flavor and depth, but not alcoholic at all! 4% means that you can have a couple of pints without falling down, and to me that is a fine thing.

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I saw that a a famous Parisian department store with a massive food court that sells everything from simple sandwiches to grilled steaks to several varieties of Spanish cured hams (the best in the world. Sorry Prosciutto!), to ready-to-cook foods. I found that really interesting. Why not add some unctuous and rich duck liver to a chunk of duck breast? It makes sense, since the breast meat is relatively lean.

Of course adding foie gras to pretty much anything will improve your state of affairs. Maybe not breakfast cereal, but I would plop a small bit of it on a steak, or an omelet, or a burger!

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What the hell happened to all the vegetables? And send me garlic that isn't grown in heavy metals and human waste in China, well-marbled hanger steaks and elk chops to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.

Who are those poor deluded souls We know who shake their Manhattans! These are the same people who drink fine bourbon with coke, and probably shake red wine with ice too.

$1,200 for a bottle of bourbon is just stupid, insulting, and a ghastly affront to most people's palates and wallets. I think the sweet spot is $40-$60 for excellent and interesting bottles, and bumping that to $100 gets you an incremental improvement in quality, but nothing mind-blowing. More than that and I think you are paying for hype and rarity, which may look good in your liquor cabinet, but doesn't translate to more quality in the bottle.

The problem...or the solution...is to buy lots of bourbon, take tasting notes, and eventually arrive at your favorites! It should take forty of fifty years, but it is worth it!