seven percent

Utah's snow is some of the driest snow around, containing only 7% water.  That makes for a FUN time.  By comparison, Sierra Cement (as they call the snow in the Sierras) contains about 12% water on average.

Snowbird

Long awaited snow finally arrived while I waitlisted for Robot and Frank at the Eccles Theater at Sundance

calm after the storm at Deer Valley 

SLC

Who knew it was such a happening place?

It's that time of year again, when Lobergs converge on Park City for the Sundance Film Festival.  This year, I flew out 1 week early over MLK weekend to snowboard with some other friends.  Now, as we're midweek, I'm working remotely and staying at Hotel Monaco for FREE! with my friend, who is attending the Outdoor Retailer Show.  I took a break and read some of my usual blogs, only to find that The Lil Bee is also in SLC for the Alt Design Summit.

Sundance starts tonight!

Busy busy place.

I have a few days to experience SLC, and so far, it seems that it's winning for cheap eats.  And Mexican at that!?

As featured on Diners, Drivers & Dives

7 different mole sauces

enchiladas suizas with poblano mole

pasta night

K & E came over for pasta night this weekend so that K could teach all of us how to make homemade fresh pasta.  It was a much lengthier process than anticipated, but the result was so much better than P and my previous attempts.  It was soft, smooth, and delicate, yet the noodles were able to stay together.  You work out the guns too during the mixing and kneading process - I'm always looking for new ways to pump up my ginormous guns.

We learned a few interesting things along the way.

• "00" flour, or doppio zero - this does not refer to the amount of protein in the flour.  "0" flour also exists, so how do you have doubly absent protein?  I googled it.  The number refers to how well refined or sifted the flour is.  "00" is the most refined you can get - talcum powder soft.  It does not indicate the amount of protein.  In fact, high protein "00" exists!
• The kneading process and the resting period for the dough are both very important.  We knew it had something to do with gluten, but weren't exactly sure what happened.  I googled it.  The kneading process creates the gluten structure, and the more you knead, the more the gluten cross-links.  The resting period allows the gluten to relax so that the dough won't be stiff.
• The definition of "gamey."  I have never understood what a "gamey" taste is.  I know that things like lamb, venison, and veal are considered to have a gamey taste, but I can't put my finger on what that is.  To me, each meat tastes like what it tastes like.  Lamb tastes like lamb.  Lamb tastes nothing like venison.  Venison tastes like liver.  Is liver gamey?  

Here were some descriptions that we came up with.

1. Gamey is derived from game meat.  Meats that are considered game are gamey. - This seems to be true in what people describe as gamey, but it still has to connect to a TASTE. So, see #2.
2. Game meat has more muscle and dark meat, so gamier meats have that more (delicious) (my words) dark meat flavor.  So by comparison, a wild turkey is gamier than a farmed turkey.  Dark meat chicken is gamier than white meat chicken.

I then googled it, of course.

This was posted by Grape Stomper (hunter, processes own meats, loves cooking) on Yahoo! Answers:

Young deer are more tender by nature, and require no aging (Meat is only properly aged when it is hung in a temperature controlled room for at least ten days), that is unless it ran a great distance between being wounded and death. This causes the deer to expend all its glycogen reserves, and when this happens, the pH levels of the meat will increase, spreading a bacterial growth. When the deer is wounded and becomes frightened, there is a release of adrenalin, the chain reaction that follows causes the deer’s muscles to be flooded with blood. This sudden rush causes a build up of metabolic waste, and this build up is one of the reasons for a strong gamey taste.

Metabolic waste!  Except I don't know what metabolic waste tastes like.  This description makes sense with #2 somewhat since it is dependent on the musculature and the nature of the animal at the time of the, you know, passing.  It also makes some sense because it addresses the variability in wild meat.  Depending on where you get your meat, and which day, the same type of meat can be gamier on 1 day vs another.

Another description was that gamey meat has a zing to it.  I can get on board with this one.  I still think that say lamb has a different zing than other gamey meats, but if I consider the word "spicy," each spicy dish tastes different, but they're still all considered spicy.

You guys, it's sciiiii-eeence.

holiday play

P's college friends who live in LA came to visit us in the Bay Area over the holidays.  They brought their 2 rambunctious kiddos.  Can. Not. Be. Still. Blurry. Kids. Must. Have. FUN!

THE FRENCH LAUNDRY

Wedding gift from Sister!  This experience would have otherwise NEVER in my ENTIRE LIFE EVER transpired.  What a wonderful 2-day side trip to Yountville.  In addition to FL, we spent time at the spa, using as many products as possible, and went on a picturesque bike ride through the wineries.  We fed some cows along the way, mooooo!, and I also tried to coax some horses with my dancing to come say hi, but for some reason they weren't interested.

Oysters and Pearls - Sabayon of pearl tapioca with Glacier Bay oysters and white sturgeon caviar **FAVORITE**

Moulard Duck "Foie Gras Au Torchon" - Sicilian pistachio "mousse," navel orange, oxalis and honey-glazed cranberries (Course 2, option 1, my choice)

Salad of Hawaiian Hearts of Palm - Ruby red grapefruit, petite radish, finger lime, young ginger, cashew, and cilantro (Course 2, option 2, P's choice)

Grilled Pave of Australian Hiramasa - French Laundry garden bok choy, Asian pear, chili and kanzuri

Beets and Leeks - Maine lobster tail "Pochee au Beurre Doux," King Richard leeks, "Pommes Maxim's" and red beet essence. **FAVORITE**  Notice how there's no mention of the juicy lobster in the name of this dish.

Tete de Chochon - Serrano ham, mustard pods, frisee and "sauce Gribiche"

[ahem, fixed white balance]

Elysian Fields Farm Lamb Saddle - Lamb bacon, "cassoulet" of winter pole beans, garlic puree and thyme jus.  That little small piece off to the right was to die for.  I absent-mindedly ate it first since it was "conveniently" cut into a bite-size piece already.  Should have saved for last!

Truffled Brie - Brioche, mission fig, celery branch, Piedmont hazelnuts and black Perigord truffle.  We saw this celery in the garden!  Fat short stalks, lots of leaves.

Sour Cherry Sorbet - Coconut "petit beurre" and vanilla "soda"

Alpaco Mousse Au Chocolat - Spice pudding, "panna cotta," fuyu persimmon, and Marcona almond "glacee"

From bottom right, clockwise: Meyer lemon, salted caramel, hazelnut crunch, rum ginger, peanut butter and jelly chocolates

Coffee and Doughnuts - Homemade doughnut holes with cinnamon, semi freddo, semifrozen mousse and espresso extract

AMAZEBALLS.  So delicious I wish I could drink it everyday.

So many quotes in this menu.  Thank goodness the waitress went over it in tremendous detail and the servers repeated what they were serving us during each course.  60% of this meal was taken from the French Laundry garden, which was beautiful.  They had a chicken coop (chickens were so fluffy, furry, and QUIET!) and their own APIARY.  YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT.

This 9-course meal took 4 hours, and I enjoyed every minute of it.  FL was essentially the pinnacle of restaurants for me.  What am I supposed to do now?!

xmas menu

Sister got me the Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 II lens for xmas. We had fun times over the break, with lots of photographing of foods and blue steel looks.

xmas menu included:
squash soup (pureed caramelized onion, pear, carrots, butternut squash, topped with pork belly croutons)
crab salad
prime rib
yorkshire pudding

scalloped potatoes with cauliflower
stuffed mushrooms with prosciutto
green beans with pine nuts
burnt almond cake

My mom did a tremendous job in thinking about the menu, and everything turned out so deliciously well. I felt I was pretty reasonable with all the holiday foods this year until I got home, and then I felt like I did nothing but eat.  I guess that's what home is for!