tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890305940978477252024-03-14T02:21:27.096-07:00Charcuterie SundaysGrant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-5553874953491525762010-03-24T07:22:00.000-07:002010-03-24T07:29:14.664-07:00Holy cats fur!Grant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-64221386612323859682010-03-23T23:12:00.000-07:002010-03-23T23:26:03.660-07:00I dont really have much to say about this one...Grant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-89967787952539160862010-03-23T22:46:00.000-07:002010-03-23T22:59:07.623-07:00Perfect CapicolloSometimes. It just doesnt get better then this.This is a monster cap off a berkshire from Fred at perth pork.This guy hung for about 4 months and had a beautiful 5 spice added to the cure and the aroma makes me salivate everytime i smell it.Using good pork makes a world of difference. The fat in this is incredible. Luckily i have about 40 more still hanging.Grant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-20184825673166681452010-03-23T22:14:00.001-07:002010-03-23T22:45:47.565-07:00LarzoThis is Larzo. Yes i've made this word up. And you know what, im gonna copyright it. Right here, right now. March 24th 2010. Larzo. Blam!(<-kitchen slang) I've always disliked Lonzino, Lonzo, Lonza, Lomo, cured pork loin.I've cured it numerous amounts of times and have never really fallen in love with it. Theres always something that has been missing. Its always very blah to me, regardless of theGrant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-81202599076379720122010-03-23T21:28:00.000-07:002010-03-24T07:14:20.157-07:00New WebsiteWell its been a while...Perhaps i should rename this blog "Its been a while..."Moving on, The Black Hoof and Hoof cafe are finally getting a website.Yes i know, its about freakin' time.What kind of restaurant in a major metropolitan city doesn't have a website? The only one i can think of is our restaurant. But the time has come and i feel good about this one.You see this isn't the first time Grant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-56110234536348742922010-02-23T07:33:00.000-08:002010-02-23T08:29:00.389-08:00Sweetbreads: In search of the perfect imperfectionIn my experience, sweetbreads are one of the hardest offal to deal with. Heart is pretty consistent, brains no problem, livers are liver, and pretty much everything else is pretty consistent. Sweetbreads however are always different. No matter what supplier your getting them from or how much your paying your only guarantee is that they will be different everytime even the same batch will have itsGrant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-50539421148549409802010-02-23T06:56:00.000-08:002010-02-23T07:31:37.628-08:00Cocoa nib, Hazelnut and Cayenne SalamiCurrently our most anticipated salami at the moment, how could these flavors not be great?!? We are always trying to think of new combinations which isn't as easy as it may seem. There are tons of things one could throw into the mix but its important to show a bit of restraint and ease into new transitions. Different ingredients react in different ways. Why does dill hold its colour after months Grant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-83020939207719697872010-02-17T21:19:00.000-08:002010-02-19T06:33:15.266-08:00Branden "Newest guy but not quite new anymore" OlsonSometimes, You just gotta let loose.... Branden has recently fallin head over heels for the song "blind" by Hercules and love affair. He has also been working 7 days a week for a month now (his choice) and sometimes one must take a break from making salamu and really let loose, drop all inhibitions and act a fool. People, this is BRANDEN OLSON!Enjoy!And please crank the volume!(ps.. i told you i Grant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-8587391844435796922010-01-27T20:28:00.000-08:002010-01-27T20:50:14.037-08:00Suckling Pig Summer SausageWe've never used suckling pig in a salami before but when we had some extra pieces we didn't have any particular use for we thought why not? It has such a distinctive flavour and since we had the hay from the farm it comes from we decided to smoke it with its own hay. Summer sausage is a pretty quick process. Grind and mix your meat. Ferment for several days (in this case, only 1 day so we didn'tGrant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-20644898438650709702010-01-27T20:07:00.000-08:002010-01-27T20:28:03.602-08:00Recycled SalamiWe go through a lot of cured meats at the Black Hoof and now the cafe. We only use so much of these cured bits of flavor in soups, sauces, ragu's etc.... so we need to find another use for them. A couple months ago i diced up some prosciutto ends and folded them into a genoa salami and not only did it turn out extremely well, it also gave it an amazing richness that you can only get from a cured Grant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-23166624214694078692010-01-26T07:31:00.000-08:002010-01-26T07:42:35.889-08:00Smoked PlantainMy newest addiction! We made plantain for the Haitian fundraiser. The concept of the smoking was very last minute. Everything in the kitchen should always have the chance to see a smoker and this time we stumbled upon something great! Not sure it has been done before but it is fantastic! We finish it with a little chili lime salt/sugar mixture. Depending on how smoky you want it you can score theGrant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-33715121469884233392010-01-26T06:44:00.000-08:002010-01-26T07:21:53.045-08:00Making Blood SausageBlood sausage is a messy job, And can get even messier in a cramped kitchen with four guys prepping around you, but despite what many people might think, its actually very easy to make once you have all the key ingredients. The basic ingredients are blood, cream, bread, onions, back fat, and spices. We have made it numerous times and we have always had an issue of the diced back fat (which gets Grant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-51534881405824857292010-01-25T06:47:00.000-08:002010-01-25T06:53:03.857-08:00I Gave Up Pimpin' for This?A new present. Now Everytime Thoshon is in the juice and discouraged, he can look at this magnet and say to himself "I gave up pimpin' for this?"Grant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-29355954350685022322010-01-19T22:34:00.000-08:002010-01-25T07:00:56.969-08:00New Shots of the Curing FacilityWent up to the facility today to drop some stuff off and pick up a few new things that were ready, as you can see with all the pictures lately, i gotmyself a new camera!Here's just some various salami.A whole wack load of little guysThis is Alfredo Santangelo standing in front of a few of his proscuits!Some Capicollo's and soprassattaBison Blueberry, ive been out for a while and im sure this Grant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-17316410837686023582010-01-19T22:08:00.000-08:002010-01-19T22:15:07.902-08:00Current State of the FridgeJust a few random shots in the fridge. Busloads of slaw, marinating pork, brining chicken legs, beans,......Better have this all cleared out by tomorrow or else Geoff's gonna have a fit!!!!Grant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-30534881159882507402010-01-19T17:43:00.000-08:002010-01-19T22:06:33.899-08:00Haitian FundraiserI dont really know Hatian food, infact no one in the kitchen today knew Haitian food. But were throwing a big fundraiser for the victims of the earthquake tomorrow and the BH's always ready to work hard on our days off for a good cause. Colin's leading the brigade. He was up early getting 80 lbs of chicken, tons of cabbage for slaw, 2 cases of plantain, and we just had a shipment of beautiful Grant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-35360105853993109102010-01-19T07:20:00.000-08:002010-01-19T07:39:06.969-08:00Black Hoof PigsNot the Actual Black hoofed pig from spain, but these two ladies are now owned by the Black Hoof and we are raising them up to be the first two of our future breeders. I have yet to find time to bring the staff up to meet them, so we have yet to finalize their names, but the ones i like the best are "Brunch and Dinner". Crude i know, but we dont plan on cooking these ones so i guess it makes it Grant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-30107903188705137292010-01-19T06:33:00.000-08:002010-01-19T07:06:16.446-08:00Kitchen staff #3This is Mike "agnolotti" Angeloni. He's probably the best looking of the kitchen bunch with his italian boyish looks and he's also the hoofs baker, pastry chef and pasta maker. He's spent the last few years at Splendido working under David Lee and although he's only in his early 20's, he is sure to make an impact on toronto's food scene one day soon. Like most italians, his food approach is to Grant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-46793269393999158892010-01-15T23:23:00.000-08:002010-01-19T07:07:19.141-08:00Kitchen staff #2So this is Colin "C-Dub" Tooke, i dont even know what a Dub is but thats what we call him. He's my main man at the hoof. He takes care of everything if im not there and i know i can trust any part of my restaurant with him. He also just bought a loft right beside me, infact his bedroom wall is mine.... weird i know... but sometimes he'll walk my dog when im too tired... so i guess if works out Grant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-66714930883037055442010-01-15T23:08:00.000-08:002010-01-15T23:16:00.861-08:00Re: New Guy BrandenBranden just overcooked several hundred dollars worth of foie parfait tonight. He just became my least favorite new employee.... and now we're fucked for parfait tomorrow.... this incident will be the butt of our jokes for ATLEAST a week. Most chef's might get super mad. For me, the two lobes of foie, kilo of turkey livers, and a 100 bucks worth of booze is worth the ridiculing he is about to Grant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-36444066948185329642010-01-13T19:38:00.000-08:002010-01-19T07:07:35.846-08:00Kitchen Staff part 1The thing that makes the hoof so special is its staff. I often look at the crew at both restaurants and think to myself, where else can you find such a wide range of talented cooks in one place who just dont cook food, but live food. You can find anyone of our cooks, on there day off cooking in one of the hoof's kitchen, not because they were told to, not because they have too, (and definately Grant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-85235671684704133942010-01-13T18:58:00.000-08:002010-01-13T19:38:08.532-08:00its been a while.....againSo long, i thought this blog may have expired.... or if it hadn't, perhaps i would have forgot my password.Lucky for me, and perhaps for anyone who decided to steal my wallet, all my passwords are the same. Life lately has been hectic, opening a second restaurant took a lot out of me, so much that at certain points throughout the process i thought i was going to totally lose my shit. I was faced Grant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-91008938682594516002009-08-25T22:19:00.000-07:002009-08-25T22:48:22.089-07:00Anything for a buckThe frustration of the garbage strike was too much to blog about as it was happening, now that its over and i no longer have a pile of maggot filled bags to deal with i feel i can write about the joyful time we had. It all began with the construction across the street. We had a large construction bin going for rubble, so when the strike began we didn't sweat it too much. We had our garbage Grant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-40523462688890850032009-08-25T21:51:00.000-07:002009-08-25T22:17:48.736-07:0048 hour TrotterSo the idea of eating a trotter in its entirety seemed like a beautiful thing. What could bring you closer to an animal then simmering away its foot in a porky stock for 48 hours with the idea of eating bone and all. Well folks, let me save you some time and excitement and describe what its like. Picture taking a piece of drywall off the floor, dipping it in some water to dampen it a bit, then Grant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189030594097847725.post-48962275439209293002009-08-25T21:40:00.000-07:002009-08-25T21:51:14.949-07:00Its been a whileI wont bore any of you for my reason of absence, i told you already, when the vibe to write is there i take advantage of it, when its not, its not. Lifes been busy, running a restaurant is a full time job, but often feels like a few full time jobs. We've been busing stocking up our selection of preserves over the last month, this time for two restaurants and were busy playing around with new menuGrant van Gamerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296653270527166199noreply@blogger.com1