Gallimaufy

The confusing mess of everything else.  Cooking, cranes and steel mills

What makes winter time tolerable

18th Century Longcase Clock

There is some debate about the age of this clock.  One professional who serviced it dated it at 1712, however several (knowledgeable) people have commented that 1730-1740 is more likely.  While I suspect that is the case, its fun to imagine the earlier; working on a machine made when Newton was alive,  the US was yet born and Dickens birth was still a hundred years away.

This era of clocks, up until about the turn of the century had brass dials.  Just after 1800 or so they switched to painted dials.  I plan on re silvering these as they look a bit tatty.

Its not its final spot, sconce is in the way.  Trying to figure that out but first it has to survive the wife’s return.  The wife was away so it was a great time to bring home some larger objects.   A few days before a lonely Schaublin 102 leapt into the trunk and is lurking in the garage.

Pizza Night

Homemade tomato sauce, mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, sauteed garlic, fresh basil, onions, roasted artichoke hearts and spicy sausage

Snack Time!

Spaghetti Carbonara

French Onion Soup Grantinee

The classic, from scratch. 
Beyond Good!
 
 
 
Best French Onion Soup

Black & White Workshop

Not a workshop on B&W photography; My workshop in B&W.
 
I’ve always loved B&W and think the workshop affords an endless variety of textures, lines, patterns, light, contrast and movement that could make for some interesting B&W photos.  The intent isn’t workshop photography as in how to or show and tell, but rather just to see if I can create visually interesting B&W images.  If someone with no workshop interests likes a few of them, mission accomplished
 
Black and white workshop photo boring a headstock bearing Schaublin 70

Don McKay's (worlds best) Four Meat Chili

There is nothing quite as good as this chili.  A big claim but true.
 
I’ve modified Don’s recipe slightly.  Each meat gets cooked separately in a hot frying pan as do the mushrooms.  The flavour of each benefits from some searing.  Its that brownness you get on the meat that gives so much flavour….vs the grey you get from boiling/stewing it. 
 
I’ve also toned down the spices.  Don’s is HOT.  While I like the heat, not everyone here does so I make it hot enough they know they’ve got a bowl of chili, but not so hot that I’m the only one eating it.
 
The other  thing I do is make sure it cooks for at least 6 hours.  It really benefits for this.  The chili has to become one with itself as I tell my wife while maintaining a straight face
 

More food!

Seems like most of the random stuff these days is food – I’m not complaining, I get to eat it 🙂

A nice Italian Dinner with a Japanese twist; risotto with shiitake mushrooms and Italian Garlic bread (really a non tomato version of bruschetta I suppose, olive oil replaces the butter).  The key to great risotto is constant stirring as you slowly add the broth.  Its a bit foolproof if you do so.

Home made pistachio and orange biscotti for desert!

Here is a winner - Gnocchi Parisienne

French Gnocchi is made with flour not potatoes and is quite different.  Well worth trying.  The gnocchi is first poached, then baked.

This fantastic recipe is French gnocchi served with a Porcini mushroom sauce, blanched peas and asparagus and crispy Parmesan wafers

Basil is in Season.....Time for a Big Batch of Pesto

Fresh home pesto makes the store bought stuff really seem the poor cousin it is.  Lots of pine nuts (bloody expensive these days!), garlic, pecorin toscano & parmigiano reggiano cheese and some sea salt is all it takes. 

Tonight’s was with pan seared chicken, kalamat olives and sweet cherry tomatoes.  Plus, there is lots in the freezer for future meals

Steak Dinner

Pan fried beef fillet with a porcini mushroom sauce, baked potato and parmesan garlic roasted asparagus

Best Tiramisu

If it wouldn’t make you weigh 500 lbs, I’d want to eat this everyday.  Made with espresso and Kahlua

the Dungeon

the foreboding Dungeon.   

I’ve got a newer bay, clear span, high ceiling bay which is ideal….but I also have this very old section we affectionately refer to as the dungeon.  The shot with the welders is a lugger truck body upside down on a bench.

I like the dungeon, it’s a funky old building. I should rent it out for dystopian movies, put a bunch of spark generators along the edge (like hollywood idiots always seem to do) and they could film someone making madmax’s next vehicle. Parts of it are over 100 years old, wood columns in places, industrial funk.

Most Awesome Grilled Sandwich

Diced and fried lean Montreal smoked meat, black forest ham and onions on sourdough with mustard.  Homemade potatoes salad and pickles on the side.   mmmmm. 

Worlds Greatest Wood Pizza Oven

This is a product I’m bring to market.  What makes it so much better than dome style ovens is that the pizza cooks evenly as its not sitting right beside the fire.  That and the fire area is easily accessible for cleaning and firebuilding.   Its a large oven and has glass doors so double as an outdoor fireplace

We strove for a “ironworks” kind of look, something a bit retro, solid and blacksmith-ish.  We wanted a quality artisan sort of look to compliment the quality of pizza it makes!

Some more fun cooking

Beef Stroganov (correct spelling based on the man’s name) from Chef Jean Pierre.   I quite like his food, and from the videos like him. 

Also some ‘life changing fish tacos”  really good, panko breaded and baked with all the fixings.  Didn’t care for the recipe sauce so made one of lime, mayo, creme fresh and hot sauce.

The book is the Chef’s Bible, Larousse’s Gastronomique.   I’ve not been able to come with something that isn’t covered, food, technique, ingredients, theory and lots of recipes

Also shown is baked cannelloni and a gourmet mac & cheese.  The M&C is amazing, with dill, onions, cabbage and spinach. 

Larousse-Gastronomique-the-chefs-bible

Snowy Christmas 2020

Lots of rain the day before then Christmas eve we got snow.  Out for an early morning walk in the winter wonderland and snapped some photos.

A very different Christmas for sure!  Fortunately technology somewhat bridges the gap and tied family afar together

The kids organized the second annual “Reindeer Games” which we did via a 2.5 hour zoom session.  The games are a fun Christmas things and can include anything you like – Christmas trivia, family trivia, scavenger hunt, name that time, name the character and so so.  Great family fun with a Caesar or two and a roaring fire

Christian Becker balance

I was visiting a friend and came home with this beautiful Christian Becker balance. I have a couple of (more) modern ones I don’t much use, so really have about no use for this, but to me its like art and it needed to come with me. They’re not huge dollars, but are they ever neat! I thought you guys would like to see how it operates – until getting in there I didn’t appreciate the finer points of these devices

I haven’t cleaned it yet, just playing with it and marveling. Some of the interesting features are noted below.

The mahogany case looks good in the house, expecting minimal domestic objections. The front window raise like a sash and has counter weights suspended inside so you can lift it to access the trays without removing it. The cords are broken so that needs a fix but the weights are there.



On the front panel, the centre knob raises rests on each side which take the weight off the beam. All adjustments are from outside the case so you keep it close to prevent air currents from effecting the balance. You can see the conical point on the beam the fits in the cup on the rest. The cones are at the front and second support at the back is a knife edge. So, when this knob is turned the balance beam lifts off its pivot and is register in perfect position. When lowered, and agate V on the beam sits on a flat agate on the column…that’s the only contact. The two trays hang by same arrangement



There’s a nice set of weights and tweezers, the weights are never to be touched by human hands, so it goes.


Underneath each tray is a pad to arrest any motion. These are raised and lowered by centre knob…or at least a knob to be, its missing. There is fine adjustment so you can set the pads to make contact at the same leve. This helps stop setting oscillating when you lower the pads. The far left knob on the front adjusts the position of the scale under the point.


The next decimal point, 1/10’s of a gram, comes from the movable weight on the beam. What’s really neat is the little crane that is raised and lower from a knob on the right side. It is used to pick up and move this weight. In this shot you can see the weight is lifted by the ‘crane’

The wheel cover the next two decimal points takes you to a milligram. It changes the length of a precisely made gold chain suspended from one side of the balance. It, including the position of the vernier is controlled by knobs on the outside. You don’t move the vernier to measure, just to zero. The vernier measures to 1/10 of a milligram.



Lastly there is a magnetic damper that slides in and out, how much damping depends its position. This is useful as the beam with oscillate for a long before it settles.

Steel Pour


I happened to be on the floor of a customers mill when they were doing a pour. Specialty steel mill….great fun with sparks galore

Pan Seared Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce

If you don’t eat your steak with Chimichurri Sauce,  you just haven’t lived yet.

I learned this on trip Argentina a while ago.  Despite protests from the prairie provinces, Argentina is THE steak capital of the world.  Best steaks accompanied by delightful Malbecs (also their thing).  They wouldn’t think of serving them without Chimichurri

Worlds best burger with homemade triple fried fries

Fries you get at a restaurant as good as they are because they are double or triple fried.   The restaurant buys them par baked (or guess par frozen) then finish fries them.  You can get first class results at home by soaking the cut fries in cold water, followed by double or triple frying

The Big Crane

The day gig is a fabrication business, the guys really know what they are doing.  Here’s some shots of the construction and shipping it a 115′ 30 ton double box girder crane.

The hoist is built up, meaning we made it.

 

Hoisin Beef

Just delightful with carefully washed stove top rice

Falafels with Tahini sauce

Make a big batch of humus (must be from dried chip peas), tazikik and some pan fried pitas for a taste of Lebanon.  Hey, they’ve had their troubles over there, but the food is awesome!