Thanks to some disruption in the supply chain, I was unable to buy any of Just Cured’s usual organic, sustainable Scottish salmon this week. I also may not be able to get any next week as well. This is just one of the minor inconveniences associated with using a specialty agricultural product — things like this will happen from time to time. I am still trying to get to the full explanation.
As a result, supplies of our basic product may be spotty for the next week or two. If you are in the habit of visiting, or a mood to visit, Luken’s for a Just Cured fix, drop me an email to see what is available, and I will be happy to put whatever we have aside for you.
Also thanks to that disruption, I decided to experiment a bit with a wild salmon. I obtained a quantity of wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon. If you are not familiar with sockeye salmon, it is a much smaller fish than Atlantic or Pacific King salmon and has a distinctive bright red color. The texture of the fish is a bit softer as well. It may very well be my favorite type of salmon; I wish it were available year round.
I cured these small fish very quickly today and will give them an equally quick smoke tomorrow. I have a supply of cherry sawdust and am seriously considering using that lighter smoke on these fish — but I also don’t want to introduce too many variables and will probably opt to use my traditional oak.
Starting on Thursday afternoon, Luken’s will have available Just Cured’s first production of smoked wild salmon. The whole sides averaged right at 1 pound per side. As a result, we will be selling the the sockeye by the whole side with skin on and unsliced. The price for the smoked wild sockeye will be $30 per pound.
I encourage you not to fret about buying an unsliced side. The sides will skin very easily, and I think this fish will be fantastic cut into thicker than normal slices and served with simple garnishes.
If you want to reserve a side or two, just drop me an email.
To whet your appetite, here is a not-very-good (my iPhone was all I had with me today)
picture of three sides of sockeye after their cure:
I have observed that the two requirements for a kaffee klatsch are good conversation, usually featuring a healthy dose of gossip, and pastry. Interestingly, actual coffee is optional.
And so, each Saturday at Findlay Market, I observe a group of men slightly older than I am get together to review the week’s events. During the colder months, they gather at the small tables inside the main Market House. The rest of the time, they sit outside along the south side of the Market. Some days the group is small, perhaps three or four. Other times, the gang approaches a dozen. I have noticed a correlation between the size of the gathering and the pastry offering. When the group is small, the men buy their own pastries from one of the Market vendors. When one of their number supplies the pastry, the group expands. Rarely is there even a single cup of coffee on the table.
When I first walked past their table yesterday morning, I suspected a large turnout — someone brought a large box of offerings from Servatii’s. True to form, when I next approached them, the group had grown to ten tackling the issues du jour.
Their conversations range from the global to the local, from the effect of the devalued dollar on the price of oil to the condition of a nearby building. Not surprisingly in this season, national and local politics play a prominent role in their discussions. This week, there was a great deal of interest in some intrigue or another in the county government.
It is clear that these men have been friends for decades or longer. They speak with an easy banter formed only after years of familiarity. Their words are punctuated with snippets and code that are incomprehensible to an outsider. They have progressed beyond finishing each others’ sentences; they start thoughts for each other.
As is the case on many Saturdays, yesterday I accepted their entreaties and stopped a couple of times to chat for a few minutes. One day I will unlock their code and understand both the obvious and the subtle in their conversations. Until then, I will appreciate their offers of inclusion and stop by from time to time.
Enjoy the coffee-optional times guys. I wonder, does smoked salmon go with sweet breakfast pastries?
Thank you Val and Cincinnati Locavore for the terrific profile of Just Cured and me and review of Just Cured’s smoked salmon.
You can read the piece here.
And Val, I would have gladly given you a second taste of the salmon last month. Seconds were available to all simply for the asking.
As I previously reported, Just Cured, along with approximately 20 restaurants and other food producers, participated in the 7 Days for SIDS Father’s Day Brunch on Sunday. Rather than give you my impressions of the day, I’ll simply share a couple of photos taken by my brother in law Drew and hope some of the guests stop by and comment.
The Dish:
Just Cured smoked salmon with crispy potatoes, Indian Hill scrambled eggs, crËme fraÓche, Kentucky caviar and chives.
The Crew and the Station:
Thanks again gang.
A friend sent me a copy of a poem the other night. It is something that she reads to her toddler son and occasionally reads for herself when she is troubled.
I immediately recalled the poem. It appeared in a collection of children’s poetry we had at home when I was young. I read this poem often as a child, but had not run across it in decades. As I read, I realized that I had forgotten not only the poem, but also some of the message. Reading it a few times slowly helped erase some of the troubles tossing in the back of my mind.
The poem is If –, by Rudyard Kipling.
Late notice, I know; but this is late breaking news for Just Cured.
Each year, the Homearama home show sponsors an evening to benefit 7 Days for SIDS. This year, that night is tonight, Wednesday, June 11. Area chefs will be doing cooking demonstrations from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the kitchens of the show homes. In addition, they will be providing samples of their food to Homearama patrons as they walk through those kitchens. Whole Foods is a co-sponsor of the evening this year and is providing food products for the chefs.
Long story short, Whole Foods provided Jean-Robert de Cavel (Jean-Robert at Pigall’s) scottish salmon similar to the salmon I am using. He decided it would be fun to do something with smoked salmon and asked Just Cured to custom smoke the salmon.
Jean-Robert likes his salmon with a bit more pronounced smoke flavor than I am shooting for with Just Cured’s salmon. So, I am smoking his fish about 25% longer than our regular product. I will be interested in tasting the difference.
If you are looking for something fun to do tonight, visit Homearama, eat some wonderful food and support one of the best causes in the area. Oh, and pick up a Just Cured business card at Jean-Robert’s home for the evening.
A young friend called this morning and opened the conversation with this question: “Can I have someone charged with abusing smoked salmon?”
After taking the heat I have for my satire on the enforcement of traffic laws, I was extremely reluctant to pursue this conversation. In the end, however, I just had to know what was on his mind. And so, I replied:
“Well, if you can’t and if the smoked salmon involved was Just Cured, you should be so permitted. What were the circumstances?”
It seems that young friend and a pal had a craving for smoked salmon and bagels as their Saturday lunch (probably breakfast for them considering their ages and their Friday night festivities). Off they went on a quest to buy bagels, followed by a stop at Findlay Market for some Just Cured smoked salmon. They went back to young friend’s apartment and polished off his half pound of salmon. They decided to save the pal’s half pound for Sunday breakfast at pal’s place — after a quiet Saturday night.
Pal carefully transported his smoked salmon home and tucked the tidy package into his refrigerator. Over the course of the evening, pal remarked to young friend several times how much he was looking forward to smoked salmon and a schmear two days in a row.
Upon his awakening Sunday morning, my young friend was greeted by the flotsam and jetsam of a night of carousing and debauching by pal’s roomie and his posse. Scattered among the detritus of a night of hard partying were bodies in various states of consciousness and dress.
As he turned into the kitchen, young friend eyed a skillet containing the congealed mess of someone’s attempt at wee hour cookery. When he removed the pan from the cold stove, young friend noticed grains of rice, bits of vegetable, some sorry excuse for a sauce and bits of protein that looked suspiciously like . . . .
And yes, there in the garbage can was a square of butcher paper still bearing Kevin Luken’s scrawled “Just Cured Smoked Salmon.”
When pal awoke some time later, he confronted roomie and his buddies. No one admitted to the late night cooking. Further, no one recalled another’s cooking or anyone’s eating the slop that became of pal’s Sunday breakfast.
Some mysteries are meant to remain so, I suppose.
At least my young friend will not have to wait long for his next smoked salmon fix — and that salmon will be on me. You see, he foolishly volunteered to assist me at the 7 Days for SIDS brunch on Sunday. I will, however, make him work for his tastes.
I am not sure which it was, but late last week, I got the urge to play around with something other than salmon.
So, Thursday and Friday, in conjunction with the Luken stand, I made a large batch of duck confit. It is available for purchase at the Luken stand while the supply lasts. The duck confit comes two legs and thighs to a package, and each package runs about $10.
I have been making this confit for nearly twenty years, and I hope to make it a permanent part of the Just Cured line. For the time being, I think we will sell it only at Findlay Market and only when I feel like making it or when someone orders some.
The Just Cured duck confit has a cure of salt, pepper, thyme, marjoram, bay leaf, juniper berries and allspice. Of course, after the cure, I slowly cook the legs and thighs in duck fat.
Most people think of duck confit as a fall or winter dish. I also find it to be a perfect hot weather food. As it is already fully cooked, simply shred some duck confit over a salad of early summer greens and toss with your favorite vinaigrette. If you are feeling particularly French, top your salad with a poached egg. Serve with a lightly chilled red or rosÈ wine.
Please join me and more than 20 top restaurant chefs and other food producers for brunch on Father’s Day, June 15 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This brunch is now a Cincinnati tradition, but with a new location — the Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State. For more information, visit 7Days for SIDS. You may purchase tickets online here.
7 Days is a great cause and very important to me. It is fitting that I am posting this reminder today. The memory I recall in this post occurred precisely six years ago, to this hour.
I hope to see you there!
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