STIR THE POTS

The butcher!

When in need of a bratwurst, a smokey ham, some leberwurst where do I go? I live in Sunnyside and I can't fly to Schaller Webers on the upper eastside of Manhattan, don't have to, I have Sunnyside Meat Market!  During the black out in Queens I was in need of some nourishment while baking pretzels in the humid conditions and decided to meander over to my friend Johnny's butcher shop to get myself a bratwurst to make currywurst to go with brezel and brotchen I cooked up! When I first found the shop some years back when I moved into the neighborhood  and while taking bread classes I would drop off a loaf of bread for his mom, a fair exchange a sausage for a bread, good old fashioned trading! Johnny makes great stuff, recently I tried a lamb prosciutto, and he even custom made some French Saucisson for me with hazelnuts, I lent him a sausage book and he tries new ones to educate his customers palates.When your in the neighborhood go in and try his varied selection of homemade sausages and smoked meats, brings you back to the old country!

A class with levain and Jeffrey

This past weekend I visited Norwich Vermont, home of The King Arthur flour baking company and Master baker Jeffrey Hamelman. since interviewing Jeffrey and having  previously met him at a bbga function where I had him sign my book, I promised myself to go and try some of his classes, my efforts at learning bread were good so far but I felt the need to get some more answers and see the man in action! "Bread rules, people drool!" Jeffrey reminded us as we loaded bread that was maturing before our eyes, "which is ready, the levain or the seeded boules?" We learned the differences in technique as well as timing, slashing but most of all to respecting the primary element, the bread! Thanks again to Jeffrey for inspiring, my fellow classmates, and King Arthur for having a great teacher and operation!