took a small hike through the woods with a very old shotgun in the fog today in search of wild fowl to adorn the table tommorow.

I guess I'll have to have at it again early tommorow if I want that satisfaction...

Gook luck everyone on your poultry adventures!

peace, love, and understanding

chef dave

holiday recipe #2: easy blu cheese dip

you need a food processor, or a good beer buzz, a whisk and a steel bowl.

.25 lbs blu cheese (gorgonzola is fine, fancy is overkill here, although maytag blu is USA!)

1 small container sour cream

1 cup mayo

buttermilk

s+p

combine everything except the buttermilk in the processor and hit the button. add the butter milk slowly until you have something that resembles your conception of blu cheese dip.
then add s+p to taste. odds are you'll be adding a little bit more pepper.

lemon juice and fresh parsley show you care here but are still uneeded. you should definitely have some deep fried around and cheap beer.

and you should make pancakes with the leftover buttermilk. awesome if you have'nt!

cheers

holiday recipe #1: buffalo turkey breast



you need a rather large deep fryer for this. if you are lucky enough to have recieved one of these seemingly useless devices, this is it's secret purpose. the key here is slow and low, get the meat nice and crispy. I recommend about 325, and if you are lucky enough to have recieved a pointless meat-fork/thermometer, this is a great time to whip it out also. this will allow you to slightly remove the breast from the oil with tongs and sneak a temp. I pull mine at about 140 degrees and drain it on a cookie drying rack, then finish it in a 400 degree oven until it gets about 160 degrees inside. it will "carry" or keep cooking for a few minutes and get to a nice safe 165 degrees. Plainville turkey breast is awesome for this and you can get it at alot of NY supermarkets. Its a great natural product, and as a former chef of the central NY region, i especially love it.



now the fun part.



get a nice bottle of franks red hot and dump it into a small sauce pan. cube up a stick of butter. when the hot sauce comes to a nice bubbling simmer, whisk in the butter slowly, one piece at a time. at this point you can add what ever other evil things you want, cayenne, dave's insanity sauce, a few drops of that secret hot stuff in a vial in the back of the cabinet, whatever. My suggestion is to do two sauces, and divide the breast in halves, hot and mild.



take the breast or separate halves and put them into a large stainless bowl. Pour the hotsauce over it and toss gently over a few minutes, making sure that both sides get a good basting.



them, remove, slice and serve with extra sauce poured over the top. don't forget the important stuff: blue cheese dressing and celery sticks. and plenty of paper towels.

recommended beverages: hennepin ale (ommegang brewery, cooperstown NY), or a good riesling (dr.frank's fingerlakes NY is perfect)

extra foodie option : you guessed it, brine it first. keep it simple here, though, its a deep fried turkey breast not duck confit

smaller but just as fun: deep fried turkey legs.

even more fun: legs and the breast.

have fun and happy holidays. remember to have a fire extinguisher at hand. safety first, wine second.

New definition of afternoon delight

Making French fries for you family in the middle of the day:

Local kinnebec potatoes the size of my kids head sliced into perfect 3/8" fries
tossed in a steel pan with some olive oil til they are golden.

toss with your wife's secret gomasio.

serve with 1/2C soy, 1/2 C heinz dash of hot sauce stirred well.

and mayo.

this says "I Love You" louder than any words.

have a great day today.

apple sauce

great tip when making apple sauce:

making applesauce is a time-honored recipe-less activity that involves alot of apples, kids, adults, and stirring.

And oh yeah, a whole bunch of apple peels and cores.

Do not, I repeat DO NOT throw these away.

No, I did'nt batter and fry them. I simply covered them in water and gently simmered them for about an hour. Then I let the whole thing steep (very important ) overnight in my fridge. Strain into a highball glass, add your favorite bourbon, throw some ice and a lemon in there and you are stylin.

I call it the "johnny appleseed".

Cheers!

New sandwich:

Bacon, egg and cheese on a seeded roll with a buffalo cheeseburger and grilled onions.

Did'nt even need ketchup.

Love that organic local bison. wowee.

And that was breakfast.

The summer here in the catskills is continually showing me these days that nature, like a chef, should and always will out do itself. There are times when I look out the back door and see the haze in the air full of lucious twilight, dragonflies, and birds of every imaginable type swirling like dancers to an eternal beat...or is that just the DJ Tiesto talking? I am truly a blessed person to be able to practice my craft surrounded by unimaginable greatness. See you in the mountains...

Blessings

Hoping everyone had as great of a may day weekend as I did.
Growth, reckless abandon, youth, and the passage of time.
Take a picnic as soon as you can. Kepp doing this.\
Stop cooking food, and just eat it for a while.
Remember This when you start cooking again...
With Love,

Chef David

The sun has come

With today being the eve of earth day, I have begun to see so many advertisements for "green" living, eco-freindly, and organic lifestyle products in all the papers and periodicals here, even in the mountain region. It makes me smile, because people up here have always been living this way, in harmony with the earth, for generations, Thats what brought my family here, and why I continue to live, work, and raise my family here. Although the winter is hard, the spring brings a promise of something new to all of us, and perhaps something green to eat (or red or yellow).
As a chef, nothing brings me more joy than a farm stand. I can feel the energy within each piece of produce, the seeding, the growing, the harvest, the transport, the exchange, and finally, I add my piece to the story with a little olive oil, basil, garlic and sea salt and cracked black pepper. If I could get anything to the president right now, it would be these cooking items. With them, we could all get a little closer to some "green" living. To me, the true green revolution is about change. And as we can see all around us, especially now, this takes time and patience, the very parts of the balence that we are now seeking to replace. So stop reading this, and go plant something somewhere. Today is the day to excercise the act of creation. Then do it again....

Easter Bunnies...

The best thing to do on the monday morning after easter sunday is to bite the head off a chocolate bunny. It's my favorite part, I have to say, after years of devilish chocolate indulgences.

Sping is coming, believe it

went out to get the mail and was thinking of snowboarding today, lifts are closed but a short hike and the mountain is mine all mine, april boarding is amazing, great for the tan (and the legs)
I believe that REAL sping is on the way, but mother earth is asking us all to remember what we learned this winter, and to carry it with us as we gallop into higher temps...
I learned this winter that chicken under a brick is'nt something you should just do once and a while. More like twice a week. Great recipe, Love to share it...

Day after Easter

This year, we had an authentic easter dinner at a chefs house....
four cheese vegetarian lasagna, chicken cutlets, vegetarian meatballs in spicy yogurt sauce, white bean antipasta, and fresh vanilla pudding on shortcake for dessert.
Ham is cool, but I like cooking it in the summer while we're all outside and then PICNIC that thing with a tall pitcher of ginger lemonade and some rye bread, fresh cheese, and some stone ground mustard. And yes, I put cloves and pineapples on my ham when I roast it. Does'nt everyone?

the truth about meatloaf

the truth about meatloaf is, that no meatloaf will ever be as good as your mothers.
and if your mother never made you meatloaf, go ask her to.
chances are, it will be the best meatloaf you've ever had.
as a great chef once said:
"nothin says good lovin like meatloaf in the oven"