Mexican Eggs

I spent a week in Mexico a week back or so. While there, leading youth, who were leading other youth (blind leading blind etc.), I made nice with the kitchen staff. The head kitchen staff, who I'm told through a translater makes the best salsa in all of Ensenada, and perhaps Mexico, and is also well known for her mastery of understatements, made me a jar of their salsa. It is magnificent. I made huevos rancheros with it. It was good. Real good.

We Gave the Gift of Camp

I spent the week in Mexico with the youth from my church, we stayed at ranch just south of Ensenada called, Rancho Agua Viva. We gave the gift of camp to about 250 Mexican youths. The team of American youth I lead learned valuable lessons about perspective and culture, and the Mexican youths learned about the bible and the love of God. All in all it was a good week.

Charcuterie 2.0 Cheese Edition

Cheese. Two days ago I had a charcuterie Saturday with my good friend Christopher Curtis. We ventured to our new favorite place and procured a variety of cured meats and cheeses. We came across a variety fine cheese. And while I lack the cheese ethos to make a fine argument between the distinction of these cheese beyond their colors, textures, and their nutty and tangy notes, I can tell you with certainty that gaining that background, will be a delight. My two favorite cheese were the Humbolt Fog, a very pleasent goats milk cheese, tangy and light, and the tomme, which is that funky cave aged looking cheese, semi soft and... well... funky.

Chimney Steak

40 days dry aged bone-in rib eye steak, Cypress sea salt, and coarse ground pepper, these pure, natural ingredients come together even before the chimney steak process begins. Clean hardwood charcoal, burning red hot in a charcoal chimney rests inches above the seasoned steak for less than five minutes on each side. Finished with a fine dust of truffle salt, carved and served medium rare, this is steak at its best.

Riders Club - Burger

I have great love for all things sandwich. This week I was lucky enough that my friend Paul took me to The Riders Club, to enjoy a delicious burger. The Riders Club offers custom burgers made of coarsely ground, well seasoned beef, with very nice bun and a variety of options. I chose bacon, an egg over easy, and Havarti cheese. No single component of the burger beacons for acknowledgement, instead it is the culmination of its individual parts that make this burger one of the best burgers in Orange County. Their pickles, pickled beets, and house made chips are nice too. And they have good beer.

Sandwich Saturday 3.0

The grilled cheese sandwich, an American classic. I astounds me how few people make a proper grilled cheese. So many times I have been told to expect grilled cheese and been offered instead cold cheese between burned bread. Above you see some beautifully grilled cheese, buttered with rich English butter, muddled with a clove of garlic and a dash sea salt, and filled with gooey, melted white american cheese.

Charcuterie

Charcuterie, French for a butcher or deli. Charcuterie also refers to a particularly decadent cuisine which is focused on the enjoyment of cured meats paired with bread and cheese. Above you see an assortment of fine meats enjoyed by myself and my dear friend Christopher. From left to right you have procutto de parma, bresola, jamon iberico, guanciale, and serrano jamon. Each meat cured and sliced paper thin held its own unique texture and flavor. Most memorable among them the precious jamon imberico. Perhaps the most rich, savory, and incredibly intense meat to ever pass my lips, jamon imberico has forever impacted the way that I will taste.