good stinky bad stinky

You tell me, what is good stinky versus bad stinky, its all stinky after all and boy do I like stinky.


Truffles are to me like a pig is to slop, its a stinky I can live with. Black Star Gourmet has some of the stinkiest truffles around - and thats a good thing.


Simpleness with even more simplicity- now thats a tough call, black truffle butter on whatever you want - thats a stinky to call your own!

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There is a lot of mention of Durian and as a matter of fact I have tried it!

tension so thick

This is a visual pop quiz so get out your number two pencils or your iPhone apps or whatever it is you use to cheat to get the answers. Trust me you want to. Cheating on this quiz is suggested and perhaps even rewarded because sometimes when you dont know what you are talking about you can somehow get lucky and sound like it. If you want to look around the internets to get some ideas you can start by looking at some kids beds, or you can look at some exercise equipment - I always find that by looking at physically fit people it makes me feel more physically fit or you could look at some kitchen things and imagine all the wonderful things you could cook forgetting all about being physically fit. Ok enough prepping lets get started with the quiz - please write your answers in the comments.


1- What is this?

a) a burger
b) my version of a big mac
c) my version of a quarter pounder
d) my version of a big boy


2- What kind of sauce is on this and what kind of pasta is it?

a) bechamel and spaghetti
b) alfredo and whole wheat spaghetti
c) whole wheat spaghetti and cream
d) 7 grain vermicelli and cheese


3- This is venison sausage on rye with provolone - why?

a) I needed to make someone a snack
b) its something we eat all the time
c) there were no more rolls
d) its the way everyone eats game meat




4- These cabbage rolls are also known as?

a) gawumpkis
b) galumpkis
c) gowumpkis
d) gilumpkis


5- I learned how to poach eggs from watching television - who did I learn from?

a) Julia Child
b) Jacques Pepin
c) Gordon Ramsey
d) Emeril Lagasse



6- This one is not multiple choice - what is it? (hint: cherries are usually the popular fruit for this easy to make dessert)

7- Last question: which knife set would you prefer? (I know which one I would want and it may not be the one you think)


a) Zwilling JA Henckels International Fine Edge Synergy 17 Piece Block Cutlery Set


b) Chicago Cutlery Insignia Cutlery Set - also 17 pieces.

Can you feel the tension, tension so thick you could cut it with a knife - in fact these knives, the very knives you will win. CSN Stores contacted me and asked if I wanted to make one of my readers very lucky, so in honor of you all I said yes then I spent many days looking over the thousands of products they have available and I decided that everyone needs some good knives. To forgo all the tweet me and follow me business you can get two entries right off the bat by leaving a comment with all the correct answers - one wrong answer and you are back to having only one entry, if you want to get that entry back you can by following me on twitter and tweeting: I am doing whatever I can to win this knife set (or whatever you want plus this url and hash tag) http://tinyurl.com/yjszhc8 #winknives and then come back and tell me you made the tweet in a separate comment and thats it, so you see you can potentially get three entries - simple as that. Sorry but you have to live in the US to receive it - so if you want to enter and you are from outside the USA you can still win it but you would have to have it sent to someone in the United States. Good Luck the winner will be announced after a random drawing on Tuesday April 6th - entries will be closed on midnight of the 5th.

Dont forget to tell me if you did the twitter thing because if you already follow I will have no way of knowing - it is an extra entry. PS I added #winknives hash tag so hopefully I can track them.

Disclaimer: I was not paid to do this giveaway, nor did I receive any compensation or goods. I was simply contacted regarding the opportunity to provide my lovely readers with a wonderful giveaway.

bbq in brooklyn

Where do I begin, well I will begin at the same place I left off - liquid smoke. I guess I havent told you enough how much I cant stand the stuff, in fact I am a little put off by a lot of chemicals and dont get me started on medications I refuse to take. ( I am not prescribed any but if I was I would refuse)


Since the Earth is bi-polar then it must be OK for everyone else, just kidding I am not bi-polar I am like quad-polar or septo-polar, I am so polarized I am a big circle.


Oh see - I lost track that I was talking about liquid smoke.

Smoke - its even spelled in a nauseating way like "smoque" or something and if it isnt it should be.


Where am I going with this should be obvious -


Did EVERYONE use liquid smoke because it sure tasted like it and if they didnt the ones that did ruined it for the rest in my book and if no one did then shame on me for being so damn sensitive to smoke!

It sounds like I had a bad time but I didnt it was a lot of fun to be a part of this American Institution called the "barbecue cook-off" though I think perhaps my delicate palate is no place for this kind of essence at least its no place for liquid smoke - sorry guys!


I guess this is where the polars kick in because even though I did get a little queasy I am going to follow through with this and become both a NEBS (new england bbq society) judge and a KCBS (kansas city bbq society) judge with my first class in Norwalk, CT on May 2nd.

Winners from Grillin’ on the Bay 2010
Fish
1. Blazin’ Buttz BBQ
2. Metabarbecue Girl
3. 2 Fat Pollocks
4. XX Factor
5. Pearl Lee Q’s
6. Rib’s Within
7. I Smell Smoke
8. Uncle Jed’s
9. Purple Turtle Catering
10. Beer Belly Porkers

Chicken
1. Wildwood Bbq
2. Purple Turtle Catering
3. Smokehouse Rules
4. Heavy Metal Beach Bum BBQ
5. Beer Belly Porkers
6. XX Factor
7. Rib’s Within
8. Blazin’ Buttz BBQ
9. Burnt Side Down
10. A Grill Smokes in Brooklyn

Pork Ribs
1. iQue
2. Better BBQ Bureau
3. Smoke in da Eye
4. Smokehouse Rules
5. Blazin’ Buttz BBQ
6. 2 Fat Pollocks
7. Jacked Up BBQ
8. Uncle Jed’s
9. I Smell Smoke
10. FUHGEDDABOUTIT

Chef’s Choice
1. Purple Turtle Catering
2. Ed-’Que–Cators
3. Beer Belly Porkers
4. XX Factor
5. Smokeopolis BBQ
6. Blazin’ Buttz BBQ
7. Smokehouse Rules
8. Rib’s Within
9. Ma’s Que Crew
10. Smoke in Da Eye

Best Overall
1. Blazin’ Buttz BBQ
2. Purple Turtle Catering
3. Smokehouse Rules
4. Better BBQ Bureau
5. Rib’s Within
6. Smoke in da Eye
7. Wildwood Bbq
8. Beer Belly Porkers
9. Smokeopolis BBQ
10. 2 Fat Pollocks

Brooklyn Chili Smack Down
1. Wildwood Bbq
2. The Moose is Loose BBQ
3. Virgil’s BBQ

here come da judge

Guest posting again at my home away from home. Go ahead - go check it out!


I will be part of the judging panel at this event - if you are in the area you should check it out - there will also be an OPEN chili contest so if you think your chili is the best now is the time to prove it!

here we go - escargot with garlic butter

Escargots à la Bourguignonne - whew thats a total mouthful in more ways than one. I was so excited when I saw the box from Black Star Gourmet and the first thing that caught my eye was the lovely flash of green poking out of these special little mollusks, I almost tore right into them on the spot but it was only nine in the morning.


Terroirs d' Antan escargot are plump and tasty with the garlic butter not overwhelming and the lush freshness of the parsley being sustained from the first one until the last one. Excellent little bites.


These escargot were so enjoyable as an appetizer for two I can only imagine how decadent I would feel if I had all twelve.



Check em' out!

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Truffle honey is liquid gold

Now is your chance to get a great deal on truffle honey! Stop by my shop at OpenSky and get your jar now! I have extolled the joys of this deliciousness before and you might have wondered how and where would you find this stuff? Wonder no more. In case you dont know this is Acacia honey with bits of truffle - it is still sweet but it also has the added greatness of truffle.


Truffle honey is great on chicken - I mean absolutely great! See those little flecks of truffle?



If you dont want chicken have it on fish! One taste of this unctuous nectar and you will be wanting to put it on everything - really. Hurry on over and get yours NOW!

blogfest one point oh or meatious exoticus

What do you do with pounds of delicious and exotic meats, chiles and mushrooms? You set up a blogfest is what you do. "How do you do this Dogg?" Some of you may be asking. Well you can do it by instilling confidence in those around you creating a snowball affect careful not to start an avalanche or you just invite highly motivated bloggers and let them run with it. Justin at MarxFoods has been kind enough to continually supply ChezWhat with new and unusual products that have been greatly appreciated but it was getting to a point that some of the other bloggers around needed to start sharing in the bounty. MarxFoods is more than a blog and a catalog of great ingredients, MarxFoods is also a huge supplier to the restaurant industry and it is this deep well that other inspired food bloggers should be dipping into. Enough of the back patting lets get down to the grub and the grub masters. Alphabetically the other great cooks and food bloggers were and are:

Chou at Balance,


Joanne at Eats Well With Others and


Kian from Red Cook.


Everyone had a few things to work with and, in my not so humble opinion, everyone ran the ball back from the end zone to a touch down each and everytime (if the football metaphor is no good how about they hit it out of the park or won the marathon or bowled a perfect game) insert your favorite 'victory' metaphor here! You can check in on each of their respective blogs to see what they did and I will tell you what I did.

Wild boar and Kobe beef were my main ingredients and I made a medley of the Boar and a burger from the beef. This is a wild boar chop with wild boar tenderloin and wild boar sausage served with purple mashed potatoes and mashed yams.


The tenderloin was marinated for a couple of hours in liquified mulato and ancho chiles with salt and pepper and a dash of demerara sugar.


Definitely let the "wild" look fool you because this dish was wildly out of this world.




Kobe beef sliders with roasted orange peppers and roasted garlic relish on a puff pastry "bun." Have you ever wondered how to make a burger better? Kobe beef is how!


Bite size and delicious, how can you eat just one? You dont!



Better have saved room for dessert because I made a three layer panna cotta with Tahitian vanilla beans and cream layer, mulato chiles and chocolate layer, and a blueberry layer with coconut whipped cream.


I also made an apple banana, madagascar vanilla warm rice pudding with a maple sugar caramel.

fourteen pounds of brisket

You knew it would not be long before I broke down and made way too much corned beef, in fact it wasnt even 24 hours. Nintey-nine cents a pound and enough sandwiches to feed a small militia. You see this lovely cabbage? Its a savoy cabbage and it is milder, tastier and greener than a regular old cabbage. I had mentioned promotions taking place this week but things were not going the way I wanted them to so all the goodies are going to have to wait a few more days until all the precious details get ironed out, its going to be good though - trust me.


Two loaves of Levy's seedless rye (I need to get two loaves because they are half loaves), spicy mustard mixed with horseradish and cabbage, lightly steamed. This, to me, is the ultimate way to eat a corned beef sandwich, its the only way I eat a corned beef sandwich in fact its the only way I eat about two or three in a sitting.


This is a mini half that I made for the little guy, he ate two like this. There is still half a cow left so gear up for some hash and eggs!

Fish and Chips

Check out my guest post its all about the green over at MarxFoods.


Maybe if I am lucky I will find a greatly reduced corned beef today, its not that the price kept me away from it this year in fact I dont know why I didnt have the overwhelming urge that I always have for corned beef but I do have it now; I love it on fresh rye with wilted cabbage and a good stiff mustard.


Nope none for me right now but I did have fish and chips with this lovely wild caught scarlet snapper. Jenn at Bread + Butter made fish and chips and I had to have some.


Needing a break from the boiled meat I switched to fried. Fried potatoes and fried fish what more could you want? As a kid I always thought the "chips" of fish & chips were those little crunchy bits of batter that came off the fish and I would always ask if I could have more of those and was always surprised and confused when I got loaded up with more french fries. I like my fish with malt vinegar and I eat my fries with mayo.