Shiraz night was a long time coming as one of our regular attendees collects the stuff. What I found in doing my usual homework is that from a critic-score perspective [for what that’s worth], there is superb value here – and your money can buy mid-90s scores vastly more easily than with other varietals from elsewhere in the world. Our … Read More
Calf Moose Hunt 2009
We’re going to remember the 2009 season for a long time, for the absolute opposite reasons we’ll long remember 2006. On my 2006 hunt, we saw 67 moose in two days – which was remarkable. This year, in two days, we saw 2 moose. Two. Just under 3% of the action we had only 3 years ago. Our best guess … Read More
Thanksgiving 2009
Sometimes family from out of town that you rarely get to see are suddenly in town. And sometimes they’re very dear friends that just happen to be family. And sometimes it’s coincidentally their 20th anniversary. And sometimes this happens at thanksgiving. What’s one to do? 5lbs of BC Prawns 3 ways 2005 Leon Beyer Riesling Reserve, Alsace Herb and Garlic … Read More
A Blissful Evening of Food and Wine
Excuse: 2 day seminar, attended by myself and a good friend who enjoys food and wine. Result: 8 courses paired to 4 beverages, 1 hangover. This wasn’t my first time with a menu of this scope, or wines of this caliber – but something – perhaps the reprieve of boredom from sitting through sessions on our butts all day – … Read More
Living on the Edge: Spaghetti & Meatballs
Yeah. Posting about spaghetti and meatballs again. I don’t know what it is. I’m such a huge fan of this dish, it’s a little embarrassing. Because it seems ridiculous to post a recipe for spaghetti and meatballs, I’m going to. This one reads a bit odd, but the flavors and textures make sense in the dish. Ingredients 1 pack ground … Read More
Jerky Day.
Jerky day. I actually can’t remember the last time I made jerky, but sadly, I think it’s been over a year. Why? Sometimes, I’m just not that smart, what can I say. But I got inspired by my moose-bacon, and was driven to do another cured and smoked game product right away. So I’ve got 5lbs of calf moose and … Read More
Mmm, smoke – I could almost eat my jacket
I’ve posted often enough about bacon to skip the details. Short story: the last batch was awesome, and it’s all gone. So out came another slab of belly. And what’s this…hog jowl? Hm. And is that a pack of calf moose belly? After a week of curing, they were smoked with apple and hickory. Man, I love hickory. For some … Read More
Calf Moose Hunt 2008 – First Morning
We got lucky to get permission on an exceptional piece of land yesterday. We then got lucky again this morning that we found 5 moose on it – two sets being cow-calf. Populations are drastically down, thanks to a hard winter and deep snow a couple years ago – so this was some luck indeed. The second cow and calf, … Read More
Asian-Braised Calf Moose Neck
A couple days ago, I watched Alton Brown’s ‘Good Eats’ episode on stewing while a neck cut sat in my fridge, awaiting some creativity. For optimal stews, AB suggests braising the meat in larger pieces, then adding them to the stew – cooking the meats at 250 F for 4 hrs in a tightly sealed vessel with little liquid, relying … Read More
I missed you: Moose with Mashed Garden Veg and Saskatoon
My waterskiing background has long made me a huge fan of summer, and a significant hater of anything non-summer. But if there’s one thing that’s a good reason to not like summer, this dish is it. Our hot weather streak finally broke, and having many burners firing is no longer banned – in fact it’s a comforting thing. After a … Read More