Tahoe Crawfish
Keep Tahoe blue by eating great tasting food. Works for me. Introduced around the beginning of the 20th century, there are hundreds of millions of crawfish in Lake Tahoe. Considered an invasive species, they pollute the crystalline water which, ironically, is the reason why they are world class crawfish. They have a cleaner taste than creole mudbugs, and are wonderful by themselves or in a gumbo. Easy to catch, just go down to a local pier with a small trap and some bait and wait a few hours. After emptying the trap a few times over a day or two you should have enough to make a meal. Some of the details: As for bait, almost anything will work. Hot dogs, chicken, bacon, salmon heads. Crawfish are not picky. Some folks like to protect the bait so that the crawfish do not run off with it (yes, they can escape), and to make sure it gets spread around. A couple of ideas are to use a can of tuna with some holes pierced in it, and to protect food in an old sock. Where to place the trap. A convenient place is suggested as you want to be able to empty it several times over a 24 hr period. five to fifteen feet works great during the summer months when the crawfish come up from deeper water. Just off a pier or in an spot easily accessible by kayak works well. Keeping them alive. As you start collecting the crawfish, you do not want the ones you catch first to die before you have collected enough for a meal. In a confusing turn, a bucket of water will not work. The crawfish will use up the air in the water and suffocate. A wet towel or newspaper placed on top of them in a cold environment is an option, or using a bait bucket left in the lake so that the water can change out. Cooking them. Heavily salt the water and boil them for ten to fifteen minutes. That’s basic. For more of an experience, add crawfish boil mix, potatoes, corn, and beans to the water at appropriate intervals so that everything is done at the same time. Drain with a colander and dump onto a table covered by newspaper. Interactive eating always screams party and this is no different. Add a beach, beer and no shoes and this is about as good as it...
Read MoreMorel Hunting
Let Morels Inspire You! Fear of food often revolves around the unknown, should you try it, or step away in disgust? Foraging for mushrooms is another fear entirely. Lack of desire to try lutefisk, is very different from not wanting to eat something that can make me sick, give unwanted hallucinations, or worse. So I hear the ghost of Julia Child telling everyone to be fearless, but mushrooming requires enough hesitation for some to at least require a guide. Many are willing to do it, but unlike most foodie adventures, not going to do it out of a book. They just need to find someone with enough experience to not make them skeptical. Around the Tahoe region, luckily, guides are not too hard to find. Being near hippy and morel country has its advantages. Part of the thing with morels is they tend to show up in the spring after a fire in the summer or fall. So last years fire which filled the Tahoe Basin with smoke, and burned a fair amount of acreage, is a good place to look. The fire area is amazingly close to Tahoe as the eagle flies, which is to say it takes a long time to get to by road. The trip to the search area is a mix of gold, fish, and mushrooms. Entertaining on all fronts, it is rural, and takes you through California gold country, over the American river filled with prospectors and trout fisherman, and for us, a stop by a half filled reservoir at the base of a large burnt out hill. From there it is all about climbing up the hill, and a willingness to go farther than the last person. Quickly it becomes a fantastic easter egg hunt for gown ups. To prepare for the trip, I quickly looked over some background info on mushrooms. The topic quickly becomes deep and confusing, with scientific jargon only a masochist can enjoy, and descriptions which require a new vocabulary to understand. Looking for the morels simplified the process. You are not going out and trying to identify different mushrooms, which is a difficult task for the uninitiated. Instead you are only looking just for morels, with their very distinct pattern, they are easy to find once you train your eyes. Better yet, the one mushroom you can confuse them with is easy to identify. Morels have a hollow stem. Their fake does not. Simple. Easy to not mess up. Once you do start to find them amongst the the forrest floor, they start popping up everywhere. The hunt is on. Morels have a dusky smell and a rich mushroom flavor packed with umami. Try them roasted or sautéed, on pizza, steak, pasta, chicken, salad or just about anything. The rewards for the adventure come long before the meal, with fun time to be had on the journey and the search for the rare delicacy. Once you have your morels, handle them carefully (they are delicate), and wash them. Then wash them again, and again, and again. Grainy morels are a giant bummer, and it does take several baths...
Read MoreThimbleberries
Rarely cultivated commercially, thimbleberries thrive in the Bear Creek Valley and are an excellent introduction to foraging for young and old. Look for thimbleberries in areas which are shady, moist and cool. Similar to raspberries, the name is self descriptive, as thimbleberries are a shape of a little thimble. The berries are delicate and tart, and can be eaten raw or made into a jam, although collecting enough for jam is difficult as they are usually shoved in a mouth as soon as they are collected. Ripening towards the end of summer/beginning of fall, thimbleberry season is a highlight for those who live among...
Read MoreSalt Crusted Striped Sea Bass
So easy it barely qualifies as a kitchen project, make whole fish in a salt crust and enjoy the fantastic ta-da moment with your guests. Put herbs and lemon in the cavity of a whole fish, and pack in a wet sand like mixture of kosher salt, egg whites and water. Bake in the oven for a half hour or so (depending on the size of your fish), and then cut off the top of the salt pack. Inside, the fish’s skin has protected the fish from the salt, so once the skin and meat is removed, the fish is slightly briny, like the ocean, and tender from the bones and...
Read More“Kobe” Style Beef: The Legacy of the Delicacy
The cold winters in Tahoe coupled with a long day of skiing makes one yearn for warmth and richness of comfort food. The above picture was the perfect antidote to this particle evening: “Kobe”-styled burger. Sizzling, browning, caramelizing, and crisping, a warm, nostalgic smell of cooked meat fills the air. Just as the onions were sweetening and the roll toasting, the burger was ready. Plated between a Truckee Sourdough Ciabatta roll: Champagne garlic mustard, ketchup, lettuce, caramelized onions, and sautéed mushrooms all layer atop of juicy, “Kobe” style patty. The first bite, flavors start to dance across the palate. Soaking it all in, we are in a state of pure bliss and looking forward to the next bite. Kobe beef originated from Tajima cows in Japan, a strain of Wagyu cattle. Their meat was known to be tender, fatty, and well marbleized in texture. The United States have created their own “Kobe” style by cross breeding Angus with Wagyu cattle. All the same qualities remain, the difference is darker meat color and bolder flavor....
Read MoreA Dash of Cabernet
Cabernet Sauvignon is a wine known for having big fruit flavors, complexity, and pairing perfectly with heavy, meaty dishes. With earthy notes and a subtle smokiness, why not be able to pair it with lighter dishes too? Cabernet Salt is wonderful compliment to heirloom tomatoes, soft cheese, or sprinkle a pinch into a salad. It may seem intimidating, but it is quite simple to make at home. Boil a bottle of Cabernet in a medium saucepan. Simmer and stir until a tablespoon amount of thick-but not syrupy- liquid is left. Add a cup (or more) of Fleur de Sel salt until all the liquid is absorbed. Place on a parchment paper on a baking sheet and let dry for two days. And voila!...
Read More