RSVP regrets and This I Believe from Brent

Unfortunately, we got regrets from Brent and Ai this year. New baby, or some lame excuse like that. ;-) But he had a lovely message to pass on:

==========

Dave -

... a "this I believe" via satellite starting with:

I believe I missed some awesome smoked trout

I believe Kev has the free time to teach Tarun how to play guitar and Tarun has the time to learn.

I believe Po was correct that expired acetaminophen works just fine, I use it all the time.

I believe baby formula should be considered hazardous to your health, just read the label...

Photos of years past

So I dug through my hard drive and found all the photos (aka evidence) of years past. The intent is to have a slideshow going on the screen downstairs during the lunch. But as a teaser, here are some of my favourite (sometimes embarrassing ones). Don't feel bummed if none of your exploits have made it to this short list - your humiliation will come later.

Ahh, starting them young

Get your drunk on sweetheart!

I'm a big mean monster. Wait til I'm the MC and you don't have a performance!

Caught!

Wow, Daniel, you gotta lose a few pounds.

I think she liked it.

Wow that cabin needed some lighting, eh?

The preggers chicks. I don't think that was the year of the naked digger.

She's just looking for her binkie. But Luke is hitting the booze.

Po's balls of meat.

Who is that man? What's in his hand? And, um, Sara, why is your face in his crotch?

Makes my liver weak just looking at this photo.

Rockin' rockin' fish

Oooh, that was good. Really really good. Beyond what I was expecting.

So the secret is the temperature. Really low, like never above 200F, and then a long long smoke, like for about 2+ hours.

The trout I think I'm going to make into some sort of creamy spread I can put on toast points that you can have with your champagne.

The mackerel will be a course of it's own, on bread with maybe scrambled egg and chopped chives?

But it all depends on what Sun Fat has on the day before Jule Frokost!

... dave

Smoking the fish - a test drive

I've always loved smoked fish, but never really like the loss of control by going over to the Russian deli, or getting the frozen smoked eel from Nordic House. So I headed over to Sun Fat on Mission, picked up some trout and some mackerel and decided to give it a go.

I found a "Smoker" device online for for my weber - it just segregates the coals over to one side and has access ports for pouring in more wood chips. It also has a water receptacle so that you can keep it moist in there and also it helps as a gauge

for the temperature.

Then I prepped the fish (damn bones!)

Put the fish in!

The ideal temp:

It should be done in a couple hours. Maybe less. I'll post again once we've had a chance to taste it! It'll be good with the champagne we're starting tonight with!

... dave

Menu changes - the inspiration

The menu for Jule Frokost at the Forer/Whiteside house is sort of like the menu at Delfina (except not Italian) and Gary Danko (except not as precious) and La Taqueria (except not Mexican) - it NEVER CHANGES. Well, I'm putting an end to that. I am seriously determined to mix things up this year.

The little balls of meat will remain, but they'll likely be in a sauce. (Sorry, Po - but I'll leave some unsauced ones in the kitchen for you!). There will be some smoked fish, but I'm going to smoke it myself. And dare I say, we might be 86ing the Gravlax. Oh, the sky is falling!

So the menu for a Danish Jule Frokost is pretty set in tradition, start with herring, move on to a smoked then cured fish, take a break, then eat lots of meat. But as I do more and more research, there are variations on the dishes I've made in the past. Get ready to be surprised!

The above picture is a snapshot of some of the cookbooks I've been going to for inspiration and research. My favourite so far is The Scandinavian Cookbook, which is really just Danish food (damn marketers), and is written by a fabulous Danish chef I had the pleasure of meeting last month and Omnivore Books.

... dave

akvavit!

Ahh, one of the joys of Jule Frokost - Akvavit - grain spirit flavoured with either caraway or with fennel (raw and seed). But in the past I've always bought it. Well, phouey to that too!
I did a test run in September, and think that now is the time to start the batches for Dec 5.
Is your mouth watering? Your liver aching? ;-)
... dave

"Volunteering"

So I'm constantly told (usually by my dear wife) that Jule Frokost is "too big" or "too much work for you, Dave". Then there are the arguments presented that I should do less courses, or less fancy ("who cares if the silverware is polished?!"). Well to that I say Phewwie! Why not recruit some paid and unpaid (mostly unpaid) labour instead!? So I've got a waiter/dishwasher lined up, and Amelia to look after the kids, and I'm working on getting the cleaner to come first thing Sunday morning and deal with the disaster scene.
But I'm also roping in some of the attendees to do some "volunteering". I'm hoping that by being part of the "work-force" that it will make the event even more memorable. Here's what I have so far:
Gordon and Yvette - design and print name cards and menus. They're so talented ya know.
Daniel and Tarun - sherpas for the libations (, etc.) for the march up Bernal
Janelle and Smitty - showing up on time ;-)
Kitty - flowers
Sara - seating arrangement. She pretty well does this for a living, ya know.

I have a number of other tasks, so duck when you see me!
- Rounding up chairs (Thursday or Friday)
- Moving furniture to make room for tables (Thursday)
- Sorting out food for kids (Joe/Kate, you up for this?)
- Setting the table (Friday)
- Glass cleaning and polishing (Thursday or Friday)

More later. I've got to get back to planning.

... dave

Menu changes - herring

I'm still working though it all, but I'm hoping for a number of menu changes for this year. Don't worry, Po, the little balls of meat will still be there, but they'll be a little different, I hope.

One of the traditional Danish dishes I've always wanted to serve is Staegte Sild - floured and fried herring that is then marinated. But to do this you need fresh or frozen herring and the only types of herring that are available in the US is either smoked, brined, salted, or marinated. I've spent hours so far trying to find fresh or frozen from a supplier. I even got Jim to contact his friend Joel who owns a HUGE fish business in Atlanta, and even he can't get them. I found one supplier, but it was minimum order of 10 metric tonnes!

So keep your fingers crossed. I love Staegte Sild and I'm sure you all will too.

... dave

We're a month away from Jule Frokost 2009!

Hello all,

I had so much fun creating the blog for the Pig Fest this summer that I thought I'd do one for the upcoming Forer/Whiteside Jule Frokost. I'll be documenting all the prep and planning, including the recipe testing, the akvavit test samples, and all the other activities that lead up to this event.

Keep your eyes peeled for updates!

... dave