Second Course

Let’s take another bite of elephant (the mountain of subjects for the Feeder piling up). our first gulp was some pesky shrimp, the nice sparkling Calvet of Bordeaux, and Duck Donuts…

MFO finally thought I could break quarantine a bit yesterday morning:  leave the house for the car, stay there, tour the Farmer’s Markets (A quest for spring strawberries, mostly) and come home again to jail….er, the digs.

 

With CORVID still a risk (except to a major political figure who is taking medicine that most credible scientific organizations consider dangerous) MFO and I are still taking all the same measures as when the virus was(?) in full swing.

Anyway, we started out at the “BAE” Farmer's market just up the street from us, but the traffic person said they had no strawberries in that location and suggested we go down to the “Home Grown” Market (red barn) at Hermanville and Rte. 235.  They, like the other open air markets have “pivoted” (how many times have you heard that word lately?  Ad nauseam) to a drive through model.  It has been quite a hit here as evidenced by the line of autos waiting to get in…

  

It took us about 25 minutes from the back of that line creeping along following the signs

Till we got to the “traffic handlers”.  There are two lines, one way, an inner and outer circle

And the first vendor booth - which had volunteers that would come to your car with a “menu” board saying what they had.  You tell them, they go get it, bring it back to you and you creep on…

Finally, at almost the last vendor (Flower of the Forest Farm) DID have the sought after little bundle of spring time sweetness

  

They come at a fairly dear in price

Yes, that is five bucks (American) for a PINT of berries.  But by golly, they are good.

We also got some WAG (Willie Goddard) meats, locally raised and butchered.

Elasped time to make the circuit – approximately one hour and 15 minutes…

Buy Local

Speaking of Meats

I splurged on some Double R Ranch pork chops.  They are in cahoots with Snake River Farms (who happen to supply Thomas Keller), and decided to grill it on the Ninja.  A lovely piece of pork

Hey Feeder! What’s that doo-dad next to it?   Well,  it’s another “gadget” I got called a “Meater”.  Basically it is a probe you stick in the meat you’re cooking

And you tell it what target internal temperature you want, and it will tell you when to pull the item and let it rest while residual cooking raises it to the desired temperature.  It also tells you (via Bluetooth to your clever phone) what the ambient temperature is inside the cooking chamber.  It is pretty slick.

Here’s the finished chop (from the Ninja)

I don’t remember what temp I asked for.  probably 160 or so. 

I also used it on a Snake River Farms Filet

I think I set it for medium rare maybe 120 something.

The display looks like

Showing the internal temp was still 108, target was 125, and it was 500 inside the Ninja. 

I pulled it when it told me to, but overshot the target

Still a learning process

I also used it on a SRF strip steak

BUT… nearing the end of the cooking time, all of a sudden my phone started screaming “REMOVE MEATER AT ONCE OR DAMAGE MAY OCCUR” with flashing red screen.  Which I did. 

It occurred to me that the Ninja has a fairly small interior, and the heating element is in the top.  If the “ambient” end is too close, it may cause problems

Sill a learning process.

And lastly, the most perfect food…. CHEESE

Well, maybe that’s enough of the elephant for today.  If I get going on the “Fromage” I would go on and on, making this too long..

What’s left of the elephant is making a pizza, and that perfect food

Which (cleverly) leaves a little room for a (personal) rant and comment.

Rant: For some reason (maybe obvious) with the COVID restrictions in place, people are looking inward and cooking more, and a lot of emphasis being placed on Baking. Cooking magazines feature articles on "Perfect biscuits every time", and a lot of bread recipes.  Now, as most readers should be painfully aware, I am a devotee of "classic" foods.  I know I may be in the minority here, but i don't get the fascination with "Sour Dough".  I have never liked it, and it's first name says it all to me.  On and on about "Starter" recipes, chef so and so's perfect recipe for starter, or even for sale on the web.  Why take a perfectly prepared (not easily come by) baguette and turn it "sour".  I don't get it. Sorry, not for me.

Comment on Take out:  my idol, Tom Sietsema is soldering on with his off and on columns in the (Wednesday) Post Food section, and in the weekly Magazine generally about "take out" .  I think I've mentioned (gripe) that he doesn't mess around with outlets that are generally unavailable to us (especially SOMD).  This week's column (May 24) is entitled "Takeout, as offered by the city's top toques" meaning Starred Chefs, such as Frank Ruta (the decorated former White House chef who won a James Beard award at Palena and opened Mirabelle to rave reviews in 2017, is returning to work in D.C)

"we play to our strengths and do what we can".  To be fair, Dinner and salads adn entrees $14 to $30. Delivery can be by Caviar.

It would be nice to be in a market where most of the carryouts are from chains, with nice exceptions like the Ruddy Group, and Cow & Fish.

Next time

Be safe, don’t be sucked in by the “lets open everything up”  kiss your neighbor!  Throw out the masks!  Go to a belly to belly packed bar! Take a dose of the Hydrochloric acid or whatever it is..All is well!

And don’t worry yet about

DFD