Since I’ve decided to abandon my Range Rover as a platform for travel and stick with the Cherokee, I’m taking all opportunities to strengthen her up. Adding a winch to the front isn’t the easiest of things with the unibody Cherokee. Since there’s no frame, the only way to add one is on an aftermarket winch bumper. There are a few choices out there, I decided to go with an OR-Fab tube front winch bumper. The main reason being weight savings. The only other bumper I considered was an ARB, but it’s almost twice the weight.

First I removed all of the front clip:

And yes, there’s some stuff hanging down that’s going to be moved. Here you can see where my old tow hook brackets mounted. One tug and they bent:

While I was taking care of this, I decided to add a additional transmission cooler to the system. With our travel plans for the future, and the addition of a trailer, it made sense. I mounted it in front of the condenser, towards the side where the mechanical fan is:

Here you can see where I plumbed it into the return line to the transmission:

Continued in part 2..

Popularity: 12% [?]

Hi everyone!!!
I’ve not been around for awhile, that’s what happens when you go to France to make a record ( January 08) get back, help open and become exec pastry chef of a new restaurant, a gastropub actually, but more about that later.

Some new literature pastry wise is about and I thought people might want to check it out.

I just bought the new P.H. book, “Macarons” and think it’s amazing…
Firstly, it’s the definitive book, it has to be, on the macaron, the French meringue cookie that’s the vehicle for so much exploration flavor wise and maybe even as a plated dessert inside two cookie shells.

I still don’t have PH10, I was waiting for it to be published in one of those twin language editions ( I’m pretty sure that won’t be happening ) so the exposure to all of his flavor profiles, some that I don’t think got into ’10, are mindblowing.

From “Exceptions” like Foie Gras, Chocolate & Fig to some of his newest like Wasabi and Grapefruit. All of his classic and signature flavors are featured, in addition to a chapter on some of his creations that were created for clients such as Paris Match, in that classic French magazines red, black and white color of it’s logo as well as the perfumerie L’ Occitane in a ‘mac that features Pink Peppercorns and Mandarine.

Many pages of beautifully shot black and white ‘how to’ pictures, over twenty of them, and the always superb color photography of Bernhard Winklemann make this a must have!
Even if it stays in a French language edition only.
With Christophe Michalak and his Los Angeles collaboration with Koumetz Paulette, the ‘mac might be getting ready to explode on the US scene like cupcakes did.
‘Herme’s ” Macaron” could certainly help anyone have an “upper hand?

At only twenty six euro or, all of the fantastic pics and info, I couldn’t refuse.
Can you?

The other big news, Big News , is that after more then 12 years, / Partner/Creative Director /Pastry Chef of the world famous Spanish three star restaurant, El Bulli, is finally following up his 90′s masterpiece (and out of print ), “Los Postres de El Bulli”!
Alberto Adria is readying the release of his new book “NATURA” and it promises to have as big an influence if not bigger then “Los Postres” did.

If you don’t believe me, check out our most recent “Featured Chef” Luca Lacalamita.
He staged at El Bulli in the not too distant past and he has some interesting advance words on what promises to be a great addition to any pastry library.
How can you miss?
It’s in Spanish AND English too!

Popularity: 3% [?]