Mayhaw Man

Hungry C, Do you know anyone carrying locally grown Meyer Lemons? I suppose that I could drive down to Belle Chasse this weekend and find some, but would be much easier to buy them in town. I am going to make a HUGE batch of Lemoncello for holiday gifts. I did a small one last year and it was remarkably well received, so I though I would give it another shot. I have a good source for them (Treme grown Meyer Lemons) but it's pretty limited in terms of amount.

Breaking news.... You're faithful reporter has just concocted some satsuma gelato. It doesn't suck. Film at 11.

Bought a huge bag of them at Rouse's yesterday afternoon. They're delicious. As always. Had a salad with butter lettuce, toasted pecans, and satsumas. Had a delicious drink made with Meyer's dark, satusuma juice, and Reagan's orange bitters garnished with a maraschino. Had satsumas and coffee for breakfast Satsuma updates to follow as appropriate For now, I'm Brooks Hamaker, your Eye on Satsuma Reporter, reporting from Kville.

I like Blue Plate, but I think that it's mainly because no one ever tries to hurry you and I can just sit and happily read the newspaper for as long as I like. As far as something to do besides August, I have recently eaten at both Bayona and Herbsaint and they were both very good, though I would give the nod to Herbsaint if I had to vote right now.

Chris does not work lunch as the hotel bar is only open in the evenings, if I am not mistaken. Just call the front desk at the Pere Marquette. They should be able to run down the info for you.

Oh, I know that I should leave this alone, but I can't. Sorry. Marlena, In my part of the South a "Squirrel Farm" is an oft used euphemism for a mental hospital, which, not so coincidentally, are also called "nut houses" as that is where squirrels would be expected to congregate. Good luck on your search. I like the slingshot/ballbearing combo, but, well, that's just me.

Coupla things, the first not having anything to do with spoilage- You should have waited to put the shrimp in until just before you served. They cook in a minute or two and they will be much more enjoyable if they aren't overcooked moosh. Unlike here, you pay alot for them, so they should be treated with care. Now, for the gumbo, as said above, you should have broken it up into seperate containers. I usually use some half hotel pans that I have if I need to break something down and cool it quickly. Also, you should not ever seal gumbo, or any soup, while hot and stick it in the fridge. It holds in the heat even more and slows down the cooling process and raises the chances for trouble. As for serving tonight, I (and this is just me-I am not a food scientist-just a cook) would probably make sure that it was heated all the way through to almost boiling, turn it to a low simmer, keep it there for a while, and feel confident that I had killed anything that might be growing in it (and there probably isn't anything anyway, but it's better to be safe than sorry).

Lunch twice in the last week. As always, it was PERFECTLY what I expected, and, as I have since I was 7 (more than a year ago-less than 40), I enjoyed it immensely. "Bring on the eggplant and the powdered sugar. Oh, and, a bunch of those Sazeracs on ice. We'll let you know what we need next. Thanks." Memorize that script. You might have a much better experience, even on Friday lunch, as a complete neophyte. I love the place. It's what it is. Not a damned thing wrong with that. Perhaps...probably...it's not.

I did learn something last time that might be helpful, at least if the power is only out for a couple of days. Take what's left in your freeze and BAG in really thick trash bags. If it doesn't thaw, so much the better, but, if it does turn into goo, you can just throw the bags away and you won't have a giant mess. Of course, after K, I never even opened up the deep freeze or the ice box. Just wrapped them in duct tape and put them on the curb. Yuck.

Deschutes Brewpub might mostly be a busman's holiday for me, but I do like the place. Great beer, good food. What's not to like?

I make biscuits pretty regularly. Like this: 2 cups a.p. flour 1 tbls. baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 tbls. sugar (you can skip it, but I like it) 1/3 cup FROZEN, SALTED butter (you can also use lard, or shortening, but better is better 1 cup buttermilk (I use 1/2 milk, 1/2 yogurt, as often as not) SIFT dry ingredients into a large bowl (sifting makes them much lighter and mixes the ingredients-which is important, as after this, the less handling the better) GRATE the frozen butter through the large holes on a grater (do a little at a time and mix into the flour for good, even distribution). Cold is good. It also helps if your flour came out of the freezer. Add 1/2 the milk and mix Add the other 1/2 of the milk and mix til it's all sticking together Dump onto a floured surface (I use one of these, that is probably 50 years old-I love this thing. Can't reccomend it highly enough) and roll until it will form a ball-just enough-less smooshing is better. At this point, you can roll out (I usually do them a bit thin, like 3/4 of an inch, but these make great giant biscuits, as well), but I normally put the doughball into a stainless bowl, cover loosely with saran wrap, and refrigerate for an hour or so. I get a much fluffier biscuit that way. Cut with biscuit cutter straight down-DO NOT TWIST CUTTER-and bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness, at 425F. Eat. I'll try and take some pictures of the process tonight, but it's pretty straighforward, I think. After a few go rounds, they get to be second nature and take all of 5 minutes to put together.

Good Lord, Man! There are twelve step programs that might be able to help you, if you really want the help. Actually, that Pappy VanWinkles old ass rye takes bourbon to the mat, every time. I love an old fashioned or a Sazerac made outta that stuff.

I had a "College Boy Blog" day with my own soon to be college boy, yesterday (though, much to my entire family's dismay, he is on his way to Baton Rouge, thanks to the Stelly Plan and a not very well thought out arrangement made, years ago, with his parents and grandparents ). Hansen's, Parkway, and the Saints game were all part of the day, and all of them were great, though the Saints, as they do most of the time, managed to perform just well enough to blow yet another game. Had the highly underrated ham and cheese poboy at Parkway. I love that thing. It's a big, giant greasy mess of pork and cheese nirvana. Most people can't break away from roast beef or seafood, but I promise this is a fine choice if you intend on not needing another bite of food for about a week. It's a helluva big sammich.

Actually, I did go with my usual, but let's get it right. I had a Cream of Almond with a topping of condensed milk. While topping off with Condensed milk may be a fine example of "Gilding the Lily" it's awfully tasty. If this rain stops, I think that I may pass by this afternoon for another one.

That Whole Food is pretty amazing. The building is an old streetcar/bus barn that was converted, not too long before the storm, into a Whole Foods. There was a major neighborhood upheaval concerning parking and traffic, mostly justified, but several years later, I would say that it has worked out rather well for everyone concerned. That neighborhood has some of the highest property values in Post K NOLA, and while much of that has to do with the fact that it didn't flood (it's very near the river, aka The Isle of Denial), it also has not a little to do with the fact that, as compared to the rest of the city, there are three good grocery shopping areas (4 if you count Langenstein's) within a very short distance. They did a very nice, very architecturally respectful, job with the place and it's huge, as compared to many other WF's around the country. I used to live about a half block behind it and, all night long, you would hear the speakers calling out bus numbers and orders. I promise you that having a relatively quiet, clean neighbor like a giant, expensive grocery store beats the hell out of constantly hearing, "498, pull forward for fuel" at top volume at 3 in the morning.

I have a DLC-8E that is, for sure, 25 years old (it was a wedding gift-the machine lasted longer than the marriage, so I'm hanging on to it with both hands), that I love. I have replaced every part on the thing, excepting the motor, several times over the years. Happily, they are mostly available still, but last time I needed a bowl top, I had to buy it off of e-bay, though I now understand that they are still making them. I'm with you. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'll run it til it dies. Used it last night, as a matter of fact. I especially like the way that the buttons are set up and also the fact that the motor seems to be completely indestructible.

I use half milk/half yogurt with a whack of vinegar in the mix all of the time, for just about everything. It works, and no one ever complains with their mouth full. So it must be ok

I always knew that you were a genius, Todd. Also, Nick Spitzer of American Routes radio, a nationally broadcast, New Orleans based, radio program recently featured an updated broadcast that he had done a few years back. Just scroll down to the Aug 6 link and click on Hansen's to listen. It's a nice piece.

Hansen's gets a website. While, for most businesses, this might not seem like such a big deal, Hansen's is happily stuck in a loop that might as well be in 1948. It's just one more thing that makes it a unique and tasty part of our city. There are some really interesting/funny photographs on there and also some, that if you happen to have been eating the things for a long time (in my case, since I was 3 or 4, which would be more than 10 years ago and less than a hundred ), it's a nice snapshot in time. Plus, it's a public posting of Ashley's hours and that's a handy thing. Snobliz.com

Sorry about that. It was Straya and I knew it. Unfortunately, as I live just around the corner, I got used to looking at it as the abandoned and really, really annoying Cheesecake Bistro. Happily for the neighborhood, it's open again, as is the hotel, so it looks like there is life in the middle of the block. I wish they would head down the street to the old Copeland's at St Chuck and Nap. That place drives me crazy. I was just there thirty minutes ago buying a paper from the guy on the corner that is always there on Sundays and, as usual, it looks worse than it did last time I looked at it. It's been three years, almost, and the place didn't even flood. Time to sell or rehab. Please.

I spent the evening enjoying a very good meal in a very good restaurant in New Orleans. My host took pictures of every dish, as he had never been there. He was using a very nice, very efficient camera, and did not take more than two pictures of each item. There was no plate passing (I actually am a little annoyed by this and in some cases, really annoyed), and he had asked the person who seated us for a table across the room, as the light was much better on the table. He did not use a flash, he was not annoying, to me or the other guests and, when someone is as smooth as this with a camera, I am not annoyed in the least. I look forward to seeing the photos. I had one dish that, in particular, I would like to take a crack at (though, honestly, in this one particular case, I really don't need to do anything but ask the chef how she made it-she will gladly tell me), and I find that visual aids are nice when making multi ingredient fare. That being said, I have been in situations where the photographer was so determined to photo every last thing that it cut into the meal and the other best part of a good night out, the conversation. So, I suppose, it's just like everything else-if you know what you are doing, things work better and people are happier. Just for the record, I don't think that it's really wrong, and will be the first to admit that sometimes I am glad to see the photos, but it has to be done pretty discreetly and without annoying other diners in the room or, for that matter, your own tablemates.

You are thinking of Copeland's ← Actually he's thinking of Cheescake Bistro and the hotel that is on top of that. The building, for many years, was the home of the New Orleans Mercedes-Benz Dealership. It provided for some great entertainment, as Rice and Copeland battled it out in the Picayune with full page "fyymf" tastelesness.

Wal Mart almost always has them. I got some quarts and some pints about a week ago at the Wally World on Tchop.

Axe, and ye shall receive... Brooksie's Tomato and Basil Pie It's pretty swell. Addictive, actually. Enjoy. ← Oh that sounds fantastic. ← Ditto! But one question. Brooks -- the recipe says to add the cheeses, but the only cheese I saw mentioned was mozz. Do you just use the mozz or do you add anything else? Thanks ← Just the mozz. It's funny. I'm making this tomorrow to feed some folks for an early breakfast before they go down to slay dragons at the Great American Seafood Cookoff. Got some great tomatoes today and paid a stupid amount of money for some fresh cheese. Looking forward to it. Figs and cream, tomato pie, serious coffee, and biscuits. Hard to beat that. The figs are always iffy, though. The damned grackels are eating my giant fig out of house and home. Living in NOLA, shotgun firing is discouraged, but I'm just about ready to break the rules. My pellet gun just can't get the job done fast enough. I hate those birds.

I don't understand. That machine is designed to run with salted ice. With the exception of the metal container in the middle (the one that holds the mix) none of that should be put in the freezer, especially the motor. If you really wanted to, after you have frozen the cream, you could remove the motor and put the whole thing, ice and all, in the freezer, but I can't really see any advantage to that. I usually repack in plastic containers, covering the surface with saran before I put on the lid, and then put it into my freezer. Hope this helps.