How I Spent My Summer

It's the start brand new season here at Saucisson MAC. Fall brings a festival of sausage and charcuterie. But before we get started, I want to recap the busiest summer of my life.



Summer started in June, I cashed in some credit card miles flew to Paris. My sister had finished pastry school and had a few days before she bugged out to Africa. I landed at 09:00 got oriented bought some provisions and by 19:00 we were on a train to Berlin.







In Berlin we were recieved by my brother who whisked us off to his East bloc apartment for a Finnish breakfast.







For three days we drank beer, rode bikes and searched for the perfect döner kebab.







My brother went back to Paris with my sister and me, and we took in the sights.









I missed my family.



Back in town there was no time to rest. I did a pulled pork and sausages for the Fourth of July. I also produced a series of Hot Dog videos.







Then came Bonne Femme's family reunion, that meant smoked ham and more pulled pork







Then comes August, sweet August.

Who wants to spend two weeks in beautiful Columbus OH? I do, and throw a party to boot. But what to do? After reading a silly silly silly article in the New York Times about the hipness of Hog Butchery I decided hey, I could be hip, I could cut up a hog, I mean it's just like cutting up a chicken but bigger, right? My mom got us a pig, my family flew in from all points and we had a party.

First the pig.









Then the party.













The Cast:


Jolie


Kit


Dad


Mom


Liisa and Karhu


Bonne Femme


H


E

I am the luckiest person in the world. Thanks for a great summer.


Now Fall.

I'm curing a bacon on Twitter. You can follow along at #macbacon. Next week is Sausage Week, I will try to keep you updated on activties here and hopefully get a report from our man in Munich. I'm working on new sausage recipes, and I found some new books for you to look at. Get ready to cook, Fall is the season for sausage.



Cheers.

Roasting Coffee Beans NoCal Style

Kit from Santa Cruz (My brother)is also a long time home roaster, He sent the following note with pictures:

Looks tasty! I followed some internet thing. I drilled a hole and put a 550 cooking thermometer in mine, and roast at about 350. I usually roast for about 12 minutes at the most, and get a light roast, which is still pretty tasty.



I use a outside Coleman burner, because its too smokey for inside. It pops like popcorn too-- once early on as the outer hull breaks and once as the bean cracks (or something like that).



I cool in a screeny-colander and swirl, which helps take some of the chaff off. I need to get something to make that nice frothy coffee top though.

Thanks for writing, Where do you get your beans? I finished off the twelve ounces I roasted Friday, so I am going to roast so more today (amongst other things). I want to try going for a shorter amount of time. As for a frothy topped espresso, I can send you one old stove top units or you can look into a machine like the one I got mom, I think it does a pretty good job and it was eighty bucks at Target.

Cheers.