Guilty Pleasures #1 - Kobe Beef Fat

i'm going to start off nice and easy with this whole blog thing, and write about something secret, intimate, startling, revealing, and hmmm...is decadent the word?  all of us, have our little midnight cravings, go to the drive-thru alone, eat something in the fridge that, we know we probably shouldn't have.

guilty pleasures (sigh)

you'll notice that the title of this post is "Guilty Pleasures - #1".  this is because i have more than one; some are old favorites, others will NEVER be eaten again (but it was so good at the time), and because i'm sure there will be new ones.  so, #1 is going to be my most recent guilty pleasure.  once we get to know each other better, i'll share others ;P.

now, i work in a fine dining restaurant, and because of this, i get access to some high grade produce.  one of the stations i work has, as part of the tasting menu, kobe beef short rib (salivary glands reacting).  first we season, sear, then sous vide, let it cool in the bags with all its lovely jus as it's weighed down so they form perfect meat rectangles that are then cut into perfect squares.  when i cut the squares, there is inevitable "trim" that can't be used, either because it's not the right angle, or because it's just too much fat....

fat

sweet, sweet fat

the stuff that dreams are made

ahem, now where was i?  oh yes, well, the trim is usually thrown away, but now and then, i've taken some home and indulged in an after work meal of thinly sliced kobe beef fat, steamed rice, green onion, sambal, and mushrooms.  throw in a little soy, maybe a soft boiled egg (if i'm feeling fancy) and you have quite the meal.

you may think, BEEF FAT AND RICE?  WTF? but you must understand where i'm coming from (see "inaugural post" for more details).

fat is the key flavor to everything i love to eat.  if you're like me, you know the joys of licking the plate clean after the foie gras has been finished, eating lardons straight from the pan, the joy of pommes frites that have been cooked in duck fat, the heaven that is triple cream cheeses.  

if you're still a little hesitant, think of those crispy slices of bacon with their juicy fat/pork ratio, buttered toast in all it's simplicity when that hot lusciousness floods into your mouth, and of course, those highly marbled cuts of beef used for grilling that are so flavorful and succulent because the fat slowly melts as the meat cooks.  

i think i am melting at this moment.   

so, with my guilty pleasure #1, i am getting straight to the point, cutting out the meat and going straight for the fat.  other fat adventures you can try for yourself are the lardo pizza at pizzeria mozza in los angeles, the cheese store of beverly hills, and any good japanese restaurant that is willing to serve kobe beef sashimi style (melt in your mouth). if that's too much, try some

 otoro or chutoro (fatty tuna).

okay, need too sleep now.  maybe my next post will be about work.  that's a whole can of worms right there (and not the fatty kind, boo).

-I