The Flavor Democracy

“What happens in Sacramento…” Never mind, it doesn’t have the same ring as the more familiar tag line, however I do have a few secrets. Like this one… Pork filets mignons were dressed with an Indian pimento based spice blend, a Cabernet powder/herb/spice blend, ground cinnamon, and an appropriate portion of black truffle infused sea… Continue reading More weekend shenanigans

  Smoked pork tri-tips… brined for 10 hours with pink Himalayan salt, lemon grass, aromatics (star anise, juniper berries, cloves, ‘red’ pepper corns, coriander seeds, gochugaru flakes, ground cloves, smoked black pepper), cider vinegar, sliced red onion, sliced garlic, whiskey smoked salt, and lemon zest. I smoked the meat for approx 30+ min at 400°,… Continue reading Smoke’um if you got’um

As I departed from my usual Sunday sojourn to the California Growers’ Market (beneath the Rt. 50 viaduct) I noticed a high volume of foot traffic at the intersection of Broadway (parallel to ‘X’ street) and 5th Streets. I assumed, correctly, it was coming from the ‘other’ Farmers’ Market – sometimes referred to as the… Continue reading Broadway [Sunday] Farmers’ Market – it’s more than an after thought…

The tomatoes are amazing this year! They are both plentiful and flavorful. The wet winter and reasonably dry spring got the growing season off to a great start. The 100 degree summer days/weeks we’ve suffered don’t look like they’re having an adverse impact on the quality of the fruit. (Sac Midtown Farmers’ Market)

A pleasant start to the weekend. The ‘Fleur de Mer’ is from one of my favorite appelations for rosé wines, the Côtes de Provence – wild strawberry, melon, and lavender aromas. Very similar on the palate with the addition of citrus and a bit of minerality. Served up with a couple of distinctly different cheeses: Toma –… Continue reading Kicking off the kicking back…