Recently by Philip Dorwart

Because of my newish status of fatherhood I have had to alter my dining experiences. Generally that means my dining is now relegated to the casual/neighborhood experience. This realm is fraught with many service foibles, but one stands out to me more than others and confounds me to no end.

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A few weeks ago my father-in-law, Bryan, asked if I would make head cheese for him because he would have the head from a pig he was buying from a friend. Being the good boy and having a penchant for the stuff, I agreed. Later that week, Bryan called me all atwitter asking if I would meet him in Alexandria so he could drop-off the pig heads with me. I said heads, what do you mean heads? I thought you bought one pig? He began to hem and haw a bit and relayed to me that when he told the boys that his son-in-law was making head cheese the boys all chipped in their pork melons so I could make cheese for them as well! Again, not wanting to be a heel, I said I would come to his house and make the head cheese, in his heated garage.

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The sandwich revolution has begun in my home. I consider myself a sandwich freak with little outlet for satiation short of going to Be’Wiched everyday. So, I have realized what better place to get a great wholesome sandwich that at my own home. I love banh mi but have always been underwhelmed by the versions you find sitting on the counters of so many Vietnamese delis and pho shops.

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After discovering the White Russian a few months ago ... I know, I know. Yes, I am a Big Lebowski fan, but I just assumed it was a mediocre drink, enjoyed by old ladies and girl-drink drunk drinkers … it's not.

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As I wrote a few weeks ago, I was able to harvest three deer from our farm property in Wadena, Minn. This year I wanted to make jerky with 40 pounds of the meat that I would normally process into sausage and the like. I am not really a jerky guy, I don’t really know what that means beyond that I never buy the stuff … even though I do enjoy eating it. Maybe it’s because of the price per ounce or maybe it’s because I don’t find the store-bought product to be that satisfying … too soft, lacking chew, and not enough jerk. The cure and seasonings are really easy and leave a lot of room for self-expression.

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Generally this time of year brings out the comfort food cook in all of us. But I am already burned out on squash, roasts, and stews. I have been craving a new type of solace for the gloomy days in the way of food, something completely different that will warm my core but also excite my taste buds. I have found my new nookie-blankie in the way of kimchi soup. 

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I am lucky enough to live near Everett’s Food and Meats on 38^th Street and Cedar Avenue in south Minneapolis. It’s lucky because they have a great meat counter with actual butchers … yes, I said butchers. This little store is really an old-school butcher shop with a good smattering of groceries.

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I did not grow up a hunter. In my youth we fished, boated, camped, and played in the woods daily but that was the entirety of my outdoors endeavors. But since my wife and I bought our farm five years ago, I started seeing our land as a bounty to be preserved and harvested from. We preserve the natural landscape by leaving most of our land alone, and we harvest the garden that we tend all summer and then some of the wildlife that the natural landscape provides.

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Bache-Gabrielsen (pronounced BAKA) has been making Cognac for more than 100 years. Yet, until recently, it has never been available in the United States. It is, however, the most purchased brand of Cognac in Norway…of all places.

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One more round in the saga of American Kobe (Wagyu) beef, its culinary validity, and the premium price tag it commands. Recently, I sampled burger patties sent from Snake River Farms in Boise, Idaho. 

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