Illegitimate Sun

It’s common knowledge that I’ve moved to a frozen wasteland where I know no one. My none work hours are spent in futile quest for joy and warmth.

Because of this, I’ve decided to break the laws of man and god.

I’m curing my own meats in my little one-bedroom apartment.

Helping me is the book Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing.

I’ve already made bacon following a variation of their recipe from the New York Times. This bacon has been the hit on both sides of the U.S. / Canadian border.

It was now time for something more complex.

Read on for how I made the splender you see before you.

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Thanks for visiting my website.

I’m glad you stopped by.  This website is updated randomly, so I apologize for the lack of content. Please feel free to browse, I’m especially proud of some of the pictures in the Galleries

Amy and I have used IKEA extensively in her apartment.

Our biggest additions are three double-wide GORM bookcases, one of which has been hacked to serve as an open liquor cabinet / pantry.

Here’s a picture of one of our bookcases and I put up the liquor cabinet one next week.

Have you ever wondered how much meat you can get from a roasted pig’s head?

Neither have I.

But, I happened to find out. It all began with a trip to our favorite Asian grocery store…
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One of the differences that stand out while I visit Canada is the usage of British English.

Canadians use certain constructions that are unique to their British heritage. These are phrases that are not used in American English.

The one that stands out every time it cross my ears is the phrase “to hospital.” An example would be, “He was taken to hospital for treatment.”

In American English, we would throw in an article to create the phrase, “to the hospital.”

It’s a small, but constant reminder that I’m visiting another country.

I ate the best steak of my life last night.

Even better, I cooked the best steak I’ve ever eaten.

I found another bargain at T&T Grocery Store. I found two filet mignon steaks for $3.

I prepared them following a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen. You can read the recipe here. There’s also a video on Youtube telling you the recipe.

I often rely on recicpe’s from America’s Test Kitchen. Their thorough testing and incredibly helpful tips may make the preparation a little more complex, but the results are always worth it.

For this dish, I simmered cracked peppercorns in olive oil, mixed that with salt, and marinated the steaks for an hour. Then I seared both sides of the steak and finished them to our preferred state in the oven. (Amy likes hers well-done. I’m a medium-rare guy myself.)

The steaks turned out tender and buttery. The pepper complemented the taste of the steak and eat morsel seemed to collapse in a wave of flavor when you took a bite.

I cannot recommend this recipe enough for those who want to cook the perfect steak.