the cod cheeks guide

yes - it's the name of this "blog", yet there is little to no mention of what a cod cheek is, or how to cook it. i was looking at some of the log files for the site (yes, i know this makes me a geek) and noticed that a good chunk of people where arriving here from various search engines after entering searches on how to cook cod cheeks. i think it's only fair to actualy have some info on cod cheeks on a blog named after the little fish nuggets of goodness.

so here's the skinny, cod cheeks are. . . .cheeks from a cod. i know, sort of anti-climactic. i don't see them at the market very often in san francisco, but when i do, i buy them, and most fish mongers will order them for you. they are considered a delicacy, and are quite tasty. surprisingly, there isn't a lot out there about them, but i did run across this article from the pittsburgh post-gazette that gives a pretty good description and history, but when you get right down to it, they are still the cheeks from a cod, plain and simple.

so how do you cook these little guys? pretty much anyway you want - the closest thing i can compare them to is a scallop, so if you have a great scallop recipe, you can substitute cod cheeks, and be in good shape. i've also done some poking around and found some good recipes that i'll list below with some thoughts. hopefully, if you're looking for a way to prepare your cod cheeks, this will help to begin to quench your thirst for knowledge – there are thousands of recipes out there, and this is just a taste. also, if you run across a recipe not listed here and want to share it, send it my way - it just wouldn't be right for a food blog named after cod cheeks not to be the ultimate resource, would it?

• cod cheeks with parsley shallot sauce: seems like a simple, yet classic preparation.
  
• cod cheeks with madeira sauce: another simple recipe - madeira can be substituted with white wine.
  
• cod cheeks with spiced cauliflower puree, langoustines and chorizo: this one just looks likes its going to be really good, spicy, and fun to make.
  
• curried cod cheeks: the indian take on cod cheeks.
  
• garlic seared cod cheeks with sautéed carrots and asparagus on coriander cous cous: there's a lot going on this recipe, and all of it looks good.
  

and finally, for those of you who just returned from a long day of cod fishing, and just want to know how to get those little buggers out of the fish, this was the best i could find.

ok, writing about these things has given me a pretty big craving. . . next step is to make all these recipes in the cod cheeks test kitchen. . .stay tuned.

you know who I am talking about

you're eating dinner at a 'white tablecloth' establishment, something you do once, or maybe twice a month, and you notice another diner sour-faced and complaining throughout a meal that you, in your humble opinion, think is just fine. you know who I'm talking about - and you are mortified and embarrassed for them, feel bad for the waiter, and say to your partner, 'if i ever get like that, shoot me.' apparently nobody told nora ephron's 3rd husband that it was now his responsibility, and she published this whiny little number in the times last week.

i have a feeling if the waiter ignored her throughout the meal she would complain about that too. . . for more not so subtle discourse on the article, you can check out the e-gullet forum dedicated to it.

in an undisclosed location. . .

i've got imagine a gathering of all the food journalists in the country has to be shrouded in secrecy akin to the meeting of the skulls at yale or those 12 guys who secretly run the world. apparently not though - they meet in charlotte. . . but in an undisclosed location (i've been to charlotte - trust me, it wouldn't be hard to spot the big group of food buffs).

that has to be the holy grail for a restaurant owner or chef - find out where the meeting is, and just roam the halls, taking pictures with your camera phone and acting nonchalant. .i have to believe a picture of michael bauer goes for $10k on e-bay.

Good (Dutch) Pancakes are Hard to Find (in SF)

I've been chowing down pancakes since moving to SF in a hunt for the best! So far there is a two way fight between Ellas Restaurant and Mama's on Washington Square. In a duel to the death Mama's probably comes out on top.

Sears Fine Foods, a longtime SF locals swedish pancake favorite, has satiated my basic fried flour desires but doesn't come close to delivering the knockout punches of say Norma's in NYC, The Original Pancake House in Oak Park, Ill, Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans, LA, or Du-Pars in LA, CA. Sure, that's some stiff competition but hey...

I recently heard that Cafe Bean was supposed to have some tasty Dutch Pancakes (yum) so I thought I'd give them a try.

Six, outdoor, 2-top tables welcomed me on a rare beautiful Sunday morning visit in September. A mix of hostel and coffeeshop "the bean" was reminiscent of many a oversee's backpacking adventure. The internet kiosk only highlighted the "Lonely Planet" recommendation vibe. And, the Japanese tourists rocking Neighborhood and Supreme gear waiting for HUT (the hipster sneaker shop next door) to open added that last dollop of passport-itis.

I ordered a Double Cappuccino and Sugar Dutch Pancakes.




Total came to $8.41 (USD). "It takes about 10 minutes for Dutch Pancakes to cook and there are a few ahead of you now," I was told by the friendly guy at the counter. You can checkout their menu here and here.

A few minutes into the NYTimes the Cappuccino arrived. It was OK: so-so foam, decent beans, the big problem was that the milk was just your average hormone grocery store gunk. I've been spoiled by the good stuff. Not BAD at a restaurant is a good thing in my book though. I noticed they had a decent machine (and it was a Cafe after all) so I gave it a try. Note: normally I skip coffee of any form in restuarants as there's nothing I dislike more than paying to have something simple prepared horribly. I suppose this was half-a-strike against them early on.

Fiffteen minutes later or so the show arrived: a single fried pancake wonder with powdered sugar, a heart attack of butter and three slices of lemon to add that last acidic punch. My first major gripe was with the syrup: Real Maple Syrup it was not. The Pancakes were about 2mm thick, fried almost to death, and bubbling with small air pockets on both sides. I could sense the forthcoming bellyache of fried buttery, corn syrup, enriched flour flavors starting to attack my gastro system. None of this stopped me from eating every last bite but it was not a place I see myself returning to or recommending to friends.

All in all I had a nice morning dining outside. Glad I gave it a try. Despite the bad reviews listed on Yelp the service was totally OK. My issues with the place are that I just don't like bellyaches and sub-par ingredients that are fried to bring out a taste of flavor. If it was my place I'd step it up a few notches because they don't really have that much competition here in the city, then again, this is a hostel vibe after all and for that it's pretty good.

all the beer and soda in the world!!

ran across this article in the ny times this past sunday. for the soda or beer connoisseur, this seems the place to go - or if you've traveled somewhere and wish you could have that "melon-flavored japanese soda with a marble in the bottle" again, this is your place. on a side note - can you imagine someone in the states bottling soda with a marble in the bottle??

cod cheeks test kitchen: red pepper bisque

i get a weekly email newsletter from cuesa (the center for urban education about sustainable agriculture)about the goings on of the farmers market at the ferry building in san francisco that usually includes a few great recipes that i never try. i decided this week to try out the recipe for red pepper bisque - you can find the recipe here. there is not much to say about the making of it as it was incredibly easy and turned out delicious (and i forget to take a picture, doh!). my testers agreed it was pretty good, and like the kick it got from adding a little extra cayenne pepper. i also used some home made chicken stock that had been waiting it's turn diligently in the freezer, and i think that made a big difference. it was great for a foggy san francisco evening, and then next night, after a bit of reduction, did double duty as a sauce for a pork tenderloin. . . me likes to reuse things in the kitchen!

the meal was followed by some crispy cornish game hens, but we'll talk about those a bit later. . .

food magazines

i've been spending some of my time lately on Egullet which has become my new favorite site. it has a massive amount of information, and an amazing forum that covers pretty much any cooking topic imagined.

i ran across this thread today about all the cooking magazines out there, and on the first page, about halfway down, is a pretty comprehensive list of almost every food magazine out there. if you are like me and can probably only handle 4-5 magazine subscriptions a month, this gives you a lot to choose from. my choice would be to subscribe to all of them. . .well, maybe only half. . .

no god, no! not the goose liver! nooooo!

gawker has a "great moments in journalism" section, and picked up on a great article by a "food critic" for the indianapolis star. the reason i put food critic in quotes will become evident. . . to read the entire article, you actually have to buy it, since it has been archived (and i am assuming the indianaopolis star has people banging down the door for their old articles). the fine r points of the review by donna hale are as follows:

"The menu is limited, which I think is always a good sign. Too many restaurants offer too many items, and that sometimes means a sacrifice of quality for quantity.

The menu has many words in French, my undergraduate minor. But it's been a while, so I asked a waitress for a few interpretations. It's lucky I did. Otherwise I might have accidentally ordered goose liver pate as an appetizer."

um, yeah - i really am at a loss for words here. plus, i have been known to start blogging in french at any moment, and if donna hale ever reads this post, i wouldn't want here to get confused and think i was saying how wonderful i think she is.

click here to see the gawker post.