CR Johnson

It seems like only yesterday I sat down to write a blog entry about Shane's death. Yet, here I am again, stupefied as I try to write about the death of another Tahoe friend who died in the mountains. The Squaw community just can't seem to catch a break. Maybe that's because Squaw is just such a rad place that daring, big-dreaming people congregate there, and occasionally daring, big-dreaming people lose their lives pursuing what they love.

CR Johnson died yesterday while skiing at Squaw Valley. It's senseless.

My heart breaks for his sister Kahlil and his girlfriend Jami. I remember a dinner at Kahlil's house last spring. CR had nothing but compliments for his sister's vegetable stir fry and fresh lime margaritas. Jami didn't join us because she wasn't feeling well; the thoughtful CR made her a plate of leftovers to bring home. At the time, I was still in a back brace, and CR wanted to know everything about my recovery: how I was feeling, how my rehab was going, how I felt when I saw snow falling outside. As an athlete who had recovered from a coma back in 2005, CR easily could have turned the conversation into "Well, when I was in a coma, or what happened to me was..." but he didn't. He asked me about me, and he listened to my answer, a rare response from anyone these days, let alone a professional athlete. He always greeted me by name, whether at physical therapy or on the ski hill. He smiled broadly, and often. He hugged people.

The first time I met Jami was at physical therapy. She and CR had come in because her ankle was bothering her. I was stretching my back out, but from my inverted prone position I could see the lemon meringue pie Jami made for the physical therapists. They bickered for the next two hours about who got a bigger slice or who took the last piece.

I wish I could make a pie for Jami today. Would it bring CR back? Never. Will this blog change the sorrow that Kahlil or Jami or all of us feel? Probably not, but I can hope.

CR, you were cool as shit. You will be missed.

Tip of the Day: Spoon-scrape Ginger

A staple ingredient of many Asian cuisines, ginger is a funny looking root. It's knobby, gnarled and dirty, but you gotta love its pungent aroma. Sliced or grated fresh ginger makes a flavorful addition to a stir-fry or a soup, to name a few of its varied uses.

Beforehand, it's best to peel its tough, light brown skin. Since most of the flavor of the root is concentrated just below the skin, use a spoon to scrape the skin off, rather than a peeler or a small paring knife. A peeler or a knife will remove the skin better, yes- but most of the flavor too. Wash the ginger root well, and then scrape its surface with a teaspoon. It will be plenty clean AND will retain its signature spicy-sweet taste.

Try this recipe for ginger stir fry from Food and Wine Magazine or
this hearty carrot ginger soup, a favorite of mine at Soupa in Squaw Valley Village.

Tip of the Day: Mushrooms

Yesterday in class, we tried tens of different mushrooms: Shiitakes, pompoms, oyster mushrooms, white buttons, Portobellos, and hen-of-the-woods, to name a few. I had never been wild about mushrooms before, mostly because they seem gross when you grab them from the refrigerator drawer. The cap surface can be slimy, greyish, and spotted- in other words, unappetizing. That's why I almost never buy them. Yesterday, we learned there is a better way to store mushrooms, and I think I'm changing my fungi-phobic ways.

Take mushrooms out of the plastic bag and wrap them in damp paper towel. (This storage method is the best way to keep fresh herbs like cilantro, basil, or Italian parsley, too.) Mushrooms grow from decomposing matter to begin with, so it's best to keep them out of the bag, where moisture and condensation can collect on the bag surface and encourage spoiling and mold growth on the mushroom surface. When you do want to use the mushrooms, just wipe them clean with the moist paper towel and give them a quick rinse in cold water. Never submerge mushrooms in water or leave them soaking because their fibrous tissue will soak up moisture and make them mushy and flabby.


With all these varieties of mushrooms to choose from, I will definitely be eating (and properly keeping!) more fungi in the future.

Here my friend Nisha does her best Vanna White impression with my new favorite kind of mushroom, the Maitake mushroom, also known in the west as Hen-of-the-Woods. It looks like coral, but when cooked, it has an earthy, almost meaty taste and a slightly crunchy texture. DELICIOUS!

How to Poach-Fry Eggs

Wait, what? A poached-fried egg? That's right, my two favorite preparations of eggs all wrapped up in one. Our chef instructor, Patrick Clark (formerly of California Cafe at Stanford and The Cliff House in San Francisco, to name a few local establishments- he knows his stuff), casually mentioned something about a poached-fried egg he used to top hot vegetable appetizers.

The recipe-less instructions were: "You poach an egg, but then stop it in an ice bath, then once it's cold, pat it dry on a paper towel. Brush it with egg whites, roll in bread crumbs and drop it in pretty hot oil for a minute or so. You'll have a crispy, golden crunchy outer layer with a soft, still liquid yolk inside. It's the best egg you'll ever have." I was intrigued.

Saturday afternoon was cold and rainy, and I needed to do something, anything to raise my spirits. How about some good ol' fashioned comfort food? I decided to try this poached-fried egg to see if it was all that Chef Clark cracked it up to be.

First you poach the eggs. The first time I tried this out, I dropped the eggs straight into water with a little vinegar, but the second time I used an egg poacher with little cups.

Either way works fine.

While the eggs poached, I set up the ice water, which stops the cooking process and keeps the yolk liquid. Make sure your egg is solid enough that it won't break apart as you scoop it out; the little sucker has to withstand not only the ice bath but the breadcrumb roll as well. At 3:00-3:30, the eggs were perfect. I removed the eggs from heat and place them directly into the ice water bath.


If you're preparing other things with the poached-fried eggs, this juncture is a good time to get those items going. The eggs can just hang out in the ice bath until you're ready to use them. In fact, many breakfast restaurants will poach eggs before service and then quickly reheat them in hot water to order. That way, eggs Benedict doesn't take thirty minutes.

Once the eggs cooled fully, I pulled them from the ice bath and let them dry on a paper towel. Be gentle, these babies need TLC! I patted them dry, and then coated them with slightly whisked egg whites.



I rolled them in bread crumbs (if you don't have bread crumbs, they're easy to make, just crush up slices of toast) and used a strainer spoon to drop them into three inches of hot canola oil (not smoking hot, but starting to make that popping sound hot).


I left the battered eggs in the oil for a little longer than a minute; they should be light brown with a dark golden crispy skin when removed. Rest the eggs on paper towel.


When you do break the crunchy eggs open- over a Brussel sprout salad like Chef Clark served at the Cliff House, or over a wilted spinach salad like I had this weekend- the piping hot but still miraculously soft egg will spill liquid yolk onto your dish, acting as flavorful protein-filled dressing.


Though this method is time consuming, it's hands-down worth it. The second time (yes, they're that good, I made deep fried eggs twice in one weekend) was easier than the first, and my conversation with Chef Clark today confirmed that a few attempts is all it takes to master this preparation. I'm hooked; they're insane!

Here's my mom at the dinner table, about to enjoy the chopped spinach topped with the poached-fried egg:


I'll close with my father's favorite photo. Thanks Pop for documenting the event!

Tip of the Day: Get Rid of Garlic Breath

You're on a date and you want the garlic rolls. Or you're grabbing lunch and the garlic bruschetta sounds delicious. The only catch: garlic breath. Garlic's funky effect on breath will ruin the post-date smooch or the close-quarters afternoon meeting. What can you do if you don't have Listerine, a tooth brush, mint floss and a whole pack of Doublemint gum in your pocket?

Eat an apple after garlic consumption. Apples contain a browning enzyme that transforms the offensive garlic thiols (the garlic compound chemically related to skunk spray, no wonder it's so awful) into odorless molecules. While many raw fruits and vegetables contain this browning enzyme, apples contain the highest quantities of it; consider how apples will turn brown almost immediately after they're sliced.

So grab an apple for dessert; not only is it a healthy choice, but everyone within a ten foot radius will thank you. (And your date might actually kiss you!)