Category Archives: Cooking

Here you’ll find everything about cooking that isn’t actually a recipe. Tips, techniques, gripes, whatever.

Food Porn: Akimono Sushi Roll (Monkfish Liver)

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Burnt My Fingers

I found fresh monkfish liver, AKA akimono or “the foie gras of the sea”, at my local fishmonger for $12.95 a pound. That’s not much more than calf’s liver! So it was time to bring some home and do some experimentation … Continue reading →

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(Pork) Belly of the Beast

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Burnt My Fingers

I have been messing around with pork belly, which is readily available at my new local market. You can’t go wrong with this stuff. I followed David Chang’s simple method in the Momofuku Cookbook: rub it with a salt/sugar cure, … Continue reading →

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Why bakers steam their bread (and how you can too)

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Burnt My Fingers

One of the differences between home and professional bakers is that commercial bakeries have ovens which release copious quantities of steam on demand. I got a lesson this week in why steam is important, when I took a Sourdough Rye … Continue reading →

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A talk with Duncan Werner, inventor of SideKIC

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Burnt My Fingers

While in San Francisco last month for the Fancy Food Show, I sat down with Duncan Werner, inventor of the ICA Kitchen SideKIC. This is a gadget that combines three of the four requirements for sous vide cooking: a heating … Continue reading →

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My first Sous Vide

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Burnt My Fingers

I had a snarky comment at the top of my “Buy This” page about “no sous vide here” and Chef Ron Cooke called me on it during our interview at Querencia at Barton Creek. Sous vide is, he points out, … Continue reading →

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Recipe: Real Texas Chili

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Burnt My Fingers

[Spoiler Alert: real Texas chili contains no beans.] Frank X. Tolbert was a columnist who worked with my father at the Dallas Morning News. Later he opened a chain of chili parlors and became a celebrity judge at chili cook-offs. … Continue reading →

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Recipe: Fennel Pollen Shortbread

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Burnt My Fingers

Third of my 3 holiday bakes. Buttery, salty, with a complex taste from the fennel pollen. Adapted from this recipe which in turn attributes it to Kir Jensen, operator of a Portland food truck. Makes about 4 dozen shortbreads. Ingredients: 2 c … Continue reading →

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Recipe: Christina Tosi’s Corn Cookies

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Burnt My Fingers

Second of my 3 holiday bakes. The lively Christina Tosi, pastry chef at Momofuku Milk Bar, has generously shared the recipe for her should-be-illegal corn cookies. (I suspect she actually uses even more butter than this, however.) Freeze dried corn … Continue reading →

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What’s the best flour for baking bread?

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Burnt My Fingers

What’s the best flour? In this post I will tell you. But you will have to sit through a bit of a windup first, even though I’m simplifying. I am not going to talk about stone ground flours or specialty … Continue reading →

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The meat I eat

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Burnt My Fingers

If you have been reading Burnt My Fingers for awhile, you know I am a cheap son of a bitch. I rarely pay a premium for some fancy grade or brand name when I am fairly certain a less expensive … Continue reading →

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