Archives Under "food" (RSS)
A Tasting for Carlyle
15 October 2007 | carlyle, dessert, food, tasting | 1 Response
This week I did a tasting for Carlyle restaurant in Northwest Portland. When I met with the owner Bruce Goldberg I fell in love with Carlyle’s expansive kitchen and cozy, Gotham-esque dining room. I really wanted this position, so I challenged myself to come up with some intersting flavors and presentations. The Irish Car Bomb was a no-brainer choice, as everyone I mentioned the idea to couldn’t wait to try it. Continuing with the deconstruction-nostalgia trend, I really wanted to try a play on the flavors of peanut butter and jelly. I came up with the PB&J Creme Brulee Duo, and served it with vanilla tuiles to symbolize the white bread. Lastly, I wanted to do something a little outrageous, but also nailing that comfort food niche. Stuffed Butter Poached Pears Wrapped in Brioche were born, Thanks Charlie. Figs, candied walnuts, and marscapone made up the filling, and it went out with a Creme Fraiche Sherbet.
Why I Work in Fancy Restaurants
12 October 2007 | delicious, fenouil, food, food porn | No Responses
Cooking for a living can be a really tough job. The hours are long, pay is low, and the prep monotonous. If you work for a good house, however, the rewards can be…delicious. Pictured above is a typical daily diet for me while I’m at work. On the left, was my lunch of grilled salmon with fingerling potatoes, spinach and yellow pepper salad, and some kind of rich butter sauce which I slurped up to fast to define. On the right, dinner, a mid-rare Kobe tri-tip with grilled asparagus and “Kobe Sauce, ” which is made from two kinds of stock and reduced with some kind of wine. Sure, I don’t eat like this everyday, and when I do, I usually have to scarf it down over a garbage pail as I’m running to pull something from the oven. But hey, I eat well. The free coffee is also a perk.
Small Restaurant, Smaller Industry
7 October 2007 | 503, beer, delicious, food | 1 Response
Yesterday I played stagiaire at a new restaurant south of Portland called (Five-O-Three.) Upon arriving in West Linn (after the 30 minute drive from No-Po) and checking the place out, I felt like I was back in The Pearl. When I met the Chef I immediately recognized him as a guy I worked with breifly at Fenouil. It’s a small industry, man….everybody knows everbody it seems!! He’s looking for someone to come in and write a dessert menu, and take ownership of the pastry segment of the business, essentially a pastry chef. So I busted out Charlie’s cream cheese dough and made a Red Pear Tart Tatin with a Blackberry Coulis. They seemed to enjoy it, and the chef asked me if I wanted to have a beer and eat. Of course!! So I had a couple Mirror Ponds while he fed me Tuna Tartare with House Made Old Bay Potato Chips, Slow Cooked Halibut with Andouille Sausage, Gnocci, Manila Clams & Orange Reduction, and Braised Beef Short Ribs with Horseradish Crust, O.C. farms Spinach and Potato Galette. As I was finishing that, I also tasted the Oregon Truffle and Gruyere Mac & Cheese, and that’s when I started to feel a little full. The Halibut was one of the best preparations of said fish that I have had, and The Mac & Cheese was one of those dishes that you think about, and have to drive and get it. I now have more on this blog about the restaurant then they do on thier website, I hope they offer me a job.
Kobe Beef…Demystified
28 September 2007 | beer, delicious, fat, food, food porn | 2 Responses
For years, I’ve been hearing bits and pieces of the Kobe beef process, and finally decided to find out for myself what is actually going on. Kobe Beef comes from a breed of cattle called Wagyu, ranched exclusively until recently in Kobe, Japan. Wagyu cows are now raised in parts of America and Australia because the land and grain are cheaper than in Japan. This type of cow is genetically predisposed to intense marbling, and the strict Kobe style of raising them produces a higher percentage of oleaginous unsaturated fat than any other in the world. Kobe beef cattle are fed expensive grains, japanese beer, and purportedly rubbed down with sake. They are fed beer to stimulate appetite in the hot summer months, and continue the fattening up process. The cows recieve frequent massages as well, to simulate the exercise the don’t get in thier very restricted living conditions. What does this all mean to you faithful readers? Simply put: YUM.
Hunting Mushrooms with Dr. Cèpe Manatarka
22 September 2007 | food, mountain, shrooms | No Responses
One would find many glorious specimens of wild mushrooms near Mirror Lake, if one knew where to look. Any young clean porcinis should be harvested, cleaned and sauteed in butter immediately. When hiking local mountains, be sure to search for this famous fungi, but beware, many poisonous species lurk in the decaying trees as well. As a general rule, if you don’t recognize it, don’t eat it. Nature has a way of saying “Don’t Eat Me!!” visually, which is profoundly exemplified in the picture here. Look like a bristling crustacean? Don’t eat it!!
I’m Drawing in the Basement…
17 September 2007 | broken arm, butter, dog, food, photoshop, web comic | No Responses
If there’s one good thing that has come out of this broken arm, it has been learning Photoshop. The past few weeks I’ve spent countless sunny hours sucking up this program like a blood starved creature of the night. When I wasn’t drawing or compositing, I’ve been reading web comics, which inspired me to start drawing my own. Now I have another way to express my love of food; by chronicling the misadventures of a hero whose head is made of butter. I’ve posted the second page here on mrjeffmccarthy.com for my loyal readers to enjoy. Maybe one day I’ll enough content to start another site exclusively for all my cool drawings. With this cast coming off on Wedsnesday, and me hopefully going back to work, I’ll only be able to play around with the computer alot less.
I can make this with one arm…literally.
5 September 2007 | broken arm, food, pictures | No Responses
I NEED to COOK!!! So what better dish to pull out but my Mom’s Baked Ziti. Why? Because I can do it with one arm, okay? I’ve seen this recipe put together so many times I can do it in my sleep. My mom used to do this on Sundays after church, and it’s probably one of the first things I tried to make on my own after toast. It’s evolved over the years to include penne instead of ziti, fresh tomatoes melted into the mozzerella on top, and enough cheese to kill a…well…it’s got a retarted amount of cheese. I also used pre-fab alfredo and marinara sauces to make the meat sauce. C’mon I got a broken arm, okay? Don’t try and tell me you don’t use that much butter on your bread, either. Salad and bread purchased at New Seasons.
Late Night Blue Cheese Burgers
2 September 2007 | delicious, food, old blue, pictures | No Responses
Old Blue firin’ up some burgers from New Seasons. Boy Howdy!
Simpsonize!!
2 September 2007 | broken arm, food, jeff, photoshop | No Responses
The level of energy that goes into something like this is just staggering. Burger King and our favorite show ever have teamed up to show everybody just how easy it is to get in your head. A friend of mine told me he had recieved an email with a drawing of himself, as a Simpsons character. He was a little freaked out. Most of us probably mentally or verbally reference The Simpsons two or three times a week. It’s a true cutural icon. And now you can be more American than you ever dreamed! Simpsonize!!
Personally, I was a little dissapointed in my Simpsons doppelganger, but I did come to a stark realization. They will get you. The combination of media that screams at you everywhere, everyday, is futile to ignore. And nothing is sacred. If they wanted you to…you would eat a greasy egg in a dirty ashtray, the whole time thinking about Mickey Mouse. Clearly, when the machines take over, it will be advertising that is used to control us.
The World is Your Hamburger…
30 August 2007 | broken arm, delicious, food, people, photoshop | No Responses
Once again in ultimate boredom, learning the intricate ways of Photoshop, I’ve brought forth the ultimate image! Mmmmm……Earth…