"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?
"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."
VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, VIRGINIA, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, VIRGINIA, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Elements Affecting Taste and Texture
(Updated Jan 18, 2010 at 4:30 pm PST)
Dozens of important elements affect the taste and texture of steak. Some of the important elements include the following:
SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.
The short link to this blog is http://bit.ly/6jrEkT
Dozens of important elements affect the taste and texture of steak. Some of the important elements include the following:
- Breed or hybrid of the cattle (e.g. Angus, Limousin, Texas Longhorn, Wagyu etc.).
- Sex of the cattle (e.g. steer).
- Age of the cattle at castration (e.g. castrated at birth or later).
- Growth of cattle (e.g. whether born in the Spring and weaned in the Fall).
- Climate where the cattle are raised (e.g. Midwestern plains).
- Terrain where the cattle are raised (e.g. California Central Valley).
- Feed of the cattle at each stage of their lives (e.g. , including the types of grasses, grains and other food.
- Physical care and exercise of the cattle at each stage of their lives.
- Health care and treatment of the cattle at each stage of their lives, including the administration of antibiotics, vaccines, hormones and other drugs and medicine.
- Age of the cattle at slaughter.
- Grade of the cattle, if graded by the USDA.
- Marbling score of the beef, if scored by the USDA between the 12th and 13th rib.
- Brand of the beef, if branded (e.g. Certified Angus Beef).
- Aging method and time, if applicable (e.g. 28-day dry aged).
- Cut of the steak (rib, strip, tenderloin, etc).
- Thickness of the cut.
- Trimming method (i.e. how much fat is removed before cooking).
- Seasoning before cooking (i.e. which, how much and how long before cooking are seasonings applied to the cut before cooking).
- Cooking method (e.g., grilled over live coals, cooked over a gas grill, cooked in a Montegue oven, etc.).
- Temperature of cooking at the steak level.
- Time of cooking.
- Actions during cooking (e.g. flipping, covering with a lid, basting and similar steps).
- Resting time and method after cooking (e.g. placing in 150F oven for 5 minutes).
- Seasoning after cooking (i.e. which, how much and how long after cooking are seasonings and other ingredients applied.
- Slicing of the steak (where, when and how is the steak sliced).
- Seasoning at the table (e.g. sea salts).
SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.
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Monday, December 14, 2009
Steakhouse Reviews: Goodman - Best Steak in London?
At SteakPerfection, we research, study and try to discover and to share with our friends the best steaks in the world. Today we learned that one of the very best steaks in London may be found at Goodman.
Named after the legendary jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman, this London restaurant is located just off Regent Street near Oxford Circus. Goodman offers a New York strip steak which meets the three most important requirements for a great steak:
(1) USDA Prime Grade;
(2) Dry aged 28 days on premises; and
(3) Grilled over live coals.
These three elements alone may elevate Goodman to one of the best steakhouses anywhere, and the quality of its steaks may rival its London competitors, Maze Grill, Gaucho and Sophie’s.
Goodman contact info:
Address: 26 Maddox Street, London W1S 1QH
Phone: 020 7499 3776
Website:
Executive Chef: John Cadieux
In 2003, the original Goodman was founded in Russia Mikhail Zelman. There are now nine branches in Russia, one in Ukraine, and this newest branch in London.
SteakPerfection welcomes your views and reviews!
SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.
The short link to this blog is http://bit.ly/6LWTjF
Named after the legendary jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman, this London restaurant is located just off Regent Street near Oxford Circus. Goodman offers a New York strip steak which meets the three most important requirements for a great steak:
(1) USDA Prime Grade;
(2) Dry aged 28 days on premises; and
(3) Grilled over live coals.
These three elements alone may elevate Goodman to one of the best steakhouses anywhere, and the quality of its steaks may rival its London competitors, Maze Grill, Gaucho and Sophie’s.
Goodman contact info:
Address: 26 Maddox Street, London W1S 1QH
Phone: 020 7499 3776
Website:
Executive Chef: John Cadieux
In 2003, the original Goodman was founded in Russia Mikhail Zelman. There are now nine branches in Russia, one in Ukraine, and this newest branch in London.
SteakPerfection welcomes your views and reviews!
SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Twitter.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Facebook.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Blog.
Click here for our Steak Perfection LinkedIn.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Wave.
Click here for our Steak Perfection website.
The short link to this blog is http://bit.ly/6LWTjF
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Dry Aging Secret #6
Dry Aging Secret #6: Sides of beef today are rarely dry-aged.
Beef carcasses today are rarely dry-aged. The best cuts of meat on a side of beef will not be visible and thus are not exposed to the air during aging in a meat locker. This means that it takes much longer to age the best cuts in a whole side of beef. Moreover, aging an entire side of beef wastes money, because only a fraction of the meat will benefit from aging.
For these reasons, sides of beef today are rarely aged in tact. Instead, the sides of beef are cut into primal and sub-primal portions, such as the short loin, and the dry-aging method is reserved for only the best sub-primals. Most butchers “break” carcasses into primal portions (like the entire Top Loin) or, even more commonly, into sub-primal portions (like the bone-in Top Loin).
SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.
A short link to this blog is http://bit.ly/4R92RY
Beef carcasses today are rarely dry-aged. The best cuts of meat on a side of beef will not be visible and thus are not exposed to the air during aging in a meat locker. This means that it takes much longer to age the best cuts in a whole side of beef. Moreover, aging an entire side of beef wastes money, because only a fraction of the meat will benefit from aging.
For these reasons, sides of beef today are rarely aged in tact. Instead, the sides of beef are cut into primal and sub-primal portions, such as the short loin, and the dry-aging method is reserved for only the best sub-primals. Most butchers “break” carcasses into primal portions (like the entire Top Loin) or, even more commonly, into sub-primal portions (like the bone-in Top Loin).
SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Twitter.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Facebook.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Blog.
Click here for our Steak Perfection LinkedIn.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Wave.
Click here for our Steak Perfection website.
A short link to this blog is http://bit.ly/4R92RY
Monday, December 7, 2009
Salt: A Steak's Third Layer
Contemporary cuisine teaches that each individual dish of great food should have three distinct layers of flavor: the dominant flavor, a complementary subdominant favor, and a third flavor "echo".
To attain SteakPerfection, the steak master creates three layers of flavor.
A prime-grade, abundantly-marbled, dry-aged, charcoal-grilled top-loin (New York cut) steak, perfectly trimmed and cooked, will have the three flavor profiles. The dominant flavor is beef, which evolves from the steak's quality and aging. The complementary subdominant flavor arises in the crust, which is imbued with the rich smoke flavors from live coals (e.g. mesquite, apple, red oak, etc.). The steak attains perfection only with a addition of a third layer of flavor. For a great steak, the third layer is a great salt -- a "finishing salt", which accompanies the steak in the small side-dish and which the diner pinches and adds to each bite.
There are many great finishing salts in the world. The best are the sea salts from the different nations and oceans of the world. Each sea salt has a unique chemical composition, which in turn add a different flavor echo.
Black Sea Salt, also called Sanchal, has a very powerful flavor profile. It is harvested in the Black Sea and produced in Turkey and is popular in South Asia and especially in North India. Its unique blend of minerals produces a sulfur-like flavor, which the lighter sea salts of Europe lack. On a great steak, the strong flavor profile of Black Sea Sale adds an intriguing and interesting third layer.
Pink Sea Salt from Hawaii receives its distinct color (more burnt sienna than pink or red) from the iron oxide present in the famous Hawaiian Red Clay. The very large salt crystals carry a strong earthiness flavor which complements a great steak, adding depth and complexity.
Halen Môn Sea Salt is harvested in Wales from the fresh Atlantic waters that surround the Isle of Anglesey - or Ynys Môn (pronounced 'un-iss mon'), as it is known in Welsh. The Halen Môn Sea Salt has very few mineral complexities, so its crystals are particularly white and its texture is very crunchy. Its unique flavor echoes sweetness, which enhances the great steak.
There are more than a dozen other great sea salts. But the greatest Sea Salt of all is indubitably "Fleur de Sel de Guérande" (the "flower of the sea from the City of Guérande"). Guérande lies on the coast of Brittany, where sea salt has been harvested since the Roman Empire. There exists the perfect combination of sun, wind, and lowland marshes, where evaporation intensifies the flavors of the nutrient-rich and trace-mineral-rich waters of the Bay of Biscay. The area includes the world's three most prominent areas for sea salt: Ile de Ré, Ile Noirmoutier, and Guérande, where the flavor complexities add an indescribably flavorful echo to the perfect steak.
For a particularly memorable occasion, each guest may be offered a variety of fine sea salts, served in a small, open container with three or four sections for the three or four sea salts. Each guest may pinch a sampling from one of the sea salts to sprinkle on a bite. The variety of sea salts will introduce the guest to the subtle echoes added by the different sea salts, which enhance SteakPerfection.
SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.
A short link to this blog is http://bit.ly/7eMFkZ
To attain SteakPerfection, the steak master creates three layers of flavor.
A prime-grade, abundantly-marbled, dry-aged, charcoal-grilled top-loin (New York cut) steak, perfectly trimmed and cooked, will have the three flavor profiles. The dominant flavor is beef, which evolves from the steak's quality and aging. The complementary subdominant flavor arises in the crust, which is imbued with the rich smoke flavors from live coals (e.g. mesquite, apple, red oak, etc.). The steak attains perfection only with a addition of a third layer of flavor. For a great steak, the third layer is a great salt -- a "finishing salt", which accompanies the steak in the small side-dish and which the diner pinches and adds to each bite.
There are many great finishing salts in the world. The best are the sea salts from the different nations and oceans of the world. Each sea salt has a unique chemical composition, which in turn add a different flavor echo.
Black Sea Salt, also called Sanchal, has a very powerful flavor profile. It is harvested in the Black Sea and produced in Turkey and is popular in South Asia and especially in North India. Its unique blend of minerals produces a sulfur-like flavor, which the lighter sea salts of Europe lack. On a great steak, the strong flavor profile of Black Sea Sale adds an intriguing and interesting third layer.
Pink Sea Salt from Hawaii receives its distinct color (more burnt sienna than pink or red) from the iron oxide present in the famous Hawaiian Red Clay. The very large salt crystals carry a strong earthiness flavor which complements a great steak, adding depth and complexity.
Halen Môn Sea Salt is harvested in Wales from the fresh Atlantic waters that surround the Isle of Anglesey - or Ynys Môn (pronounced 'un-iss mon'), as it is known in Welsh. The Halen Môn Sea Salt has very few mineral complexities, so its crystals are particularly white and its texture is very crunchy. Its unique flavor echoes sweetness, which enhances the great steak.
There are more than a dozen other great sea salts. But the greatest Sea Salt of all is indubitably "Fleur de Sel de Guérande" (the "flower of the sea from the City of Guérande"). Guérande lies on the coast of Brittany, where sea salt has been harvested since the Roman Empire. There exists the perfect combination of sun, wind, and lowland marshes, where evaporation intensifies the flavors of the nutrient-rich and trace-mineral-rich waters of the Bay of Biscay. The area includes the world's three most prominent areas for sea salt: Ile de Ré, Ile Noirmoutier, and Guérande, where the flavor complexities add an indescribably flavorful echo to the perfect steak.
For a particularly memorable occasion, each guest may be offered a variety of fine sea salts, served in a small, open container with three or four sections for the three or four sea salts. Each guest may pinch a sampling from one of the sea salts to sprinkle on a bite. The variety of sea salts will introduce the guest to the subtle echoes added by the different sea salts, which enhance SteakPerfection.
SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Twitter.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Facebook.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Blog.
Click here for our Steak Perfection LinkedIn.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Wave.
Click here for our Steak Perfection website.
A short link to this blog is http://bit.ly/7eMFkZ
Sunday, December 6, 2009
In Praise of: Chris Raines and the New “Public Intellectual”
If you’ve read this blog for more than two minutes, you know that I’m all in favor of informed discussion and debate, which means I’m all in favor of what are usually dismissed as “scholars.”
You know: those pointy-head types who spend inordinate amounts of time studying a subject so that when they open their mouths to discuss their subject, what comes out is substance rather than fluff.
However, I adore scholars who then make the effort to share what they know with the rest of us. (The alternative being to remain closeted in their university offices, sharing knowledge only with other scholars.)
People like that used to be called “public intellectuals,” but I think of them as benefactors. Or saints, depending on my mood.
Anyway, that’s why I’m a fan of Chris Raines.
Chris is a professor in the Department of Dairy and Animal Science at Penn State. He’s the model of a new kind of scholar: one who is not afraid of blogs, Twitter, and, gasp, making connections with ordinary people like me.
His blog, Meat Is Neat, epitomizes what scholars can (and, in my opinion, should) be doing with their expertise: sharing it in simple language that non-experts like me can understand.
A prime example (no pun intended) is his recent entry on e-coli and grass-fed beef. If you have any interest in the current debate about food, food safety, and environmentalism, you should take a gander. (Hoof it over there? Paw through it?)
Chris is also a master of what Twitter can and should be. He’s there as @iTweetMeat.
Enjoy!
The foregoing is copyright 2009 by Maureen Ogle, historian and author. It was published originally at Maureen Ogle's Blog and is reprinted here with the permission of Maureen Ogle.
SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.
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Click here for our Steak Perfection Blog.
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Saturday, December 5, 2009
Trim: Ordering Steak at Restaurants
I had lunch on Saturday at a restaurant in Studio City, California. The restaurant has an excellent reputation for good and sometimes great food. I ordered a top loin (aka New York, strip, strip-loin) steak.
I did not expect SteakPerfection, but I did look forward to enjoying the rich, beefy taste of a well-cooked steak.
I was disappointed: my steak had not been trimmed of fat.
Top loin (New York, strip) steaks have a layer of fat that surrounds the meat. Before cooking, a steak master carefully trims off the fat layer. Why? For two important reasons.
First, when an untrimmed steak is cooked, the fat layer browns like the rest of the steak. That means that the fat is not readily visible to the guest, so the guest invariably bites into a piece of fat.
Second, cooked fat tastes bad - very bad. The taste of cooked fat spoils the taste of fine steak, so steak masters never cook a steak until it has been trimmed of the layer of fat.
Unfortunately, most restaurants today, including some expensive steakhouses, fail to trim their steaks.
The solution: when ordering steak at a new restaurant or steakhouse, ask the server specifically to make sure that the chef trims off the fat layer before cooking.
SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.
A short link to this blog is http://bit.ly/6V2vxc
I did not expect SteakPerfection, but I did look forward to enjoying the rich, beefy taste of a well-cooked steak.
I was disappointed: my steak had not been trimmed of fat.
Top loin (New York, strip) steaks have a layer of fat that surrounds the meat. Before cooking, a steak master carefully trims off the fat layer. Why? For two important reasons.
First, when an untrimmed steak is cooked, the fat layer browns like the rest of the steak. That means that the fat is not readily visible to the guest, so the guest invariably bites into a piece of fat.
Second, cooked fat tastes bad - very bad. The taste of cooked fat spoils the taste of fine steak, so steak masters never cook a steak until it has been trimmed of the layer of fat.
Unfortunately, most restaurants today, including some expensive steakhouses, fail to trim their steaks.
The solution: when ordering steak at a new restaurant or steakhouse, ask the server specifically to make sure that the chef trims off the fat layer before cooking.
SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Twitter.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Facebook.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Blog.
Click here for our Steak Perfection LinkedIn.
Click here for our Steak Perfection website.
A short link to this blog is http://bit.ly/6V2vxc
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