Ahhh, my hero.

Well, I have missed this report. I took all of the Christmas holiday off to go out and taste things and gather more fuel and inspiration for this little project. Right now, we are on the train from Scotland to London. The holidays are over and we took an entire day just to remain still before boarding this train. Just now, I am munching on good old potato chips and couldn't be more content. I got the new Tom Waits bio 'Lowside of the Road-A Life of Tom Waits' for Christmas (thanks M). I am even more inspired by TW now than I have been. So, I put the big man on the headphones and sunk into the details of a hero of mine. I start to think, a hero? Is that right? Yeah, that's right. First I've got the lyrics, those words that roll over me and remind me of lives I have lived and those I will never live. I feel a sort of dreamy peace drift in and take me off the train and into a late night world where clever prose and funny, but hokey, dirty jokes stuffed with entendre and brimming with ennui and pleasure together. Wow, TW, you get me feeling hopeful and romantic.

What have we been cooking and eating though? I was away from the stove for most of the holiday but I watched, photographed and partook at every opportunity. I am still a little hazy on all of the details of our trip to Glasgow as many days were spent meeting and having impromptu cocktails with many of the denizens of the West End. The last few days before the New Year were a near constant party with many locations to hit. The relative quiet of walking or traveling from one party to the next was often just an opportunity to run into another Glaswegian doing the same. From there, a list of the planned events would be shared and gone over for an opportunity to see the other later.

This is the first try for dough. Although it looks nearly perfect, the dough was not good. But, do not fear...

This year, I swore to do more cooking than last year. I did that, just slightly. This year I made bread dough from some of G's leftover dough. G made Christmas dinner and added some Momofuku touches this year with the mini apple kimchi salad and baby pork buns. We left London on the 5:40 am train on Christmas Eve so we didn't have much room for error but, error moved in and made itself at home. The train was a little late but, no mind. We got into Glasgow incident free (if you've heard the story of last year's train ride you will understand) and to the house in a cab with our 6 bags (3 large, 3 small, all bursting) then we headed out to the Waitrose grocery store on Byres Road. It was jam packed with insane, last minute shoppers like us. G instantly went into his grocery mode which is run through the aisles and last one to checkout gets a glowering look. (We actually got into an argument yesterday about our different grocery shopping 'styles'. So, I will say only that) I was trying to find baking ingredients which proved a little more difficult especially with so many people buying all of the typically seasonal spice flavors up. The shelves were a wasteland of knocked over jars and picked over non-essentials. As usual, I was the last one to check out. Then followed what I have endearingly termed 'the forced march with baggage'. It seems I can't visit Glasgow without this occurrence.

Onto the buns, G made up the dough from a mix, not hopeful to begin with and although in the photo they look like perfect little buns, they were a bit tough. We had bought flour and yeast, etc and he decided to try it again on Christmas day. My dough for fried dough on Christmas morning also failed and we were both bummed. But, with Christmas morning came great surprises, especially for G, as he got a pile of gifts to rival any 7 year old in town. He got a fantastic food processor and dough making became an easier task. So, G started in on making his amuse bouche. The pork belly came out to it's fatty succulent self and those tiny sandwiches were way too small for the appetite that they inspired.

Top view of mini pork bun, notice the lovely fresh pickle and the way the pattern plays off the bun.

Crispy pork belly and an appropriately fluffy bun

I know that's the point but, it must be pointed out. G also made the exciting apple and kimchi salad. We brought the kimchi and the smoked bacon up from London ourselves. We got the apples, labne and rocket(arugula) in Glasgow. If you haven't had this at Momofuku make it. It is easy and involves simple prep and little cooking. It isn't difficult to find kimchi in NYC but, in the UK it is a little more of a challenge and for the second batch G went to the Korean restaurant in Glasgow and bought a serving of the stuff from a bewildered Korean man who had to make up a price for it.

Another top view, the apples are hidden by the tasty bacon.

The apples and kimchi are tossed together and dresses with maple labne.

The sweetness of the apples and the pickled cabbage mix together and deliver a punch to your taste buds. The creamy, sweet labne, like my hero, Tom, this dish mixes all of the best of the deep and peppers the sweetness of life to mind bending results.