Author: Norm King

Sous Vide: The Quarantine Series, Part 7: Oregon Lamb Shoulder Flap

Sous Vide: The Quarantine Series, Part 7: Oregon Lamb Shoulder Flap

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What’s the French word for flap? NickyUSA is a specialty meat broker that I call when I get a hankering for foie gras and other specialty proteins. They’ve been having a “fire sale” to move excess inventory accumulated as a result of the food industry-crippling quarantine.  Oregon lamb wasn’t one of the discounted items, but I couldn’t resist picking up some racks on a recent trip down to the warehouse. Racks of lamb in the retail market are usually from New Zealand or Australia, perfectly good product. The foreign producers minimize weight based shipping costs by trimming and “Frenching” the racks before...

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Sous Vide: The Quarantine Series, Part 6: Maui Nui Venison Tenderloin

Sous Vide: The Quarantine Series, Part 6: Maui Nui Venison Tenderloin

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Above: Lipavi C15 container, N15 polycarbonate racks. Lipavi C15L lid. Introduction, literally Deer are not indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands. Hong Kong gifted eight Indian Axis deer to King Kamehameha V in the late 19th century, whereupon they were set free in Molokai. They flourished. Now there are about 50,000. Twelve more were released into the wild on Lanai in 1920, and now there are about 20,000. Nine deer were introduced into the wild on Maui in in the 1950’s, and now there about 40,000. Axis deer have no natural enemies on the islands and they are very prolific. Sounds...

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Sous Vide: The Quarantine Series, Part 5: Meaty Prime Rib Bones

Sous Vide: The Quarantine Series, Part 5: Meaty Prime Rib Bones

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The Cooped Up Chronicles Above: Lipavi C15 container, N15 polycarbonate racks. Lipavi C15L lid. Many of my readers know that pre-existing mobility issues make it difficult for me to get out much. These days I don’t go out at all. One would think I had more time on my hands than most people. By contrast, I accomplish things much more slowly than I did not so long ago. The only thing worse than slowing down is coming to a full stop. I usually feel like I’m working as hard and as fast as I can, but if the Chef Norm...

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Sous Vide: Butternut Squash “Bacon,” Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich

Sous Vide: Butternut Squash “Bacon,” Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich

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Reason to celebrate (for vegetarians) Ingredients: Butternut squash, barrel end, peeled and cut in half lengthwise, 12 0z/425 g. Spray vegetable oil, as needed. Kosher salt, pinches as needed. Herbs, a bit as needed. Maple syrup, pancake syrup, OR corn syrup, a few drops. Liquid smoke, as needed (optional). Tomato, 4 thin slices. Lettuce, Iceberg, enough to make a sandwich. Mayonnaise, enough to make a sandwich, d’oh. Bread, two slices. Equipment needed: Non-stick cookie sheet (I use a silicone mat). Oven or smoker. Toaster (optional). Procedure: Remove the bulb end from the Butternut squash and set aside. Peel the...

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Butternut garlic aioli (eggless)

Butternut garlic aioli (eggless)

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Ingredients: Lemon juice 1/2 cup. Garlic 1 head, peeled. Butternut squash (sv processed), 6 oz/175 g. Sodium alginate, 1 teaspoon. Optional. Sodium alginate is a modernist thickening agent derived from a certain Japanese seaweed. It does not require cooking. Kosher salt, 1 Tablespoon. Sugar, 2 Tablespoons. EVOO (or vegetable oil) 2 cups. Method: Put all the ingredients except the EVOO in a blender and process until smooth. Give it some time, sodium alginate is slow to dissolve. Drizzle in the olive or vegetable oil. Refrigerate in squirt...

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Sous Vide: The Quarantine Series, Part 4; Vegetables and Starches

Sous Vide: The Quarantine Series, Part 4; Vegetables and Starches

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Cooped up There is no debate that shelter in place directives have changed our daily routines. I finally found out what color my wife’s hair really is. You can’t, or daren’t go to the store as often as you used to. This makes it hard to keep fresh produce around. That’s right, some people really do eat that stuff. Sous vide technology provides an alternative to the hum drum of frozen and canned vegetables. Greens do not like sous vide–asparagus, legumes, leafies, crucifers all emit gasses when exposed to heat that must be allowed to escape during the cooking...

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