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Varmint

eGullet Society staff emeritus
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Everything posted by Varmint

  1. Looks like the externship is about in place. Sounds like a time to organize a get-together at Colorado Kitchen! As always, thanks for the updates, Rochelle.
  2. Traditional tomato soup with traditional pesto Traditional Roast turkey Traditional rare prime rib Traditional dressing (with some non-traditional rye bread added) Traditional mashed potatoes (with roasted garlic) Traditional gravy Traditional green beans Traditional corn pudding Traditional cranberry-orange relish Traditional homemade pickles (from my Late Grandma Varmint) Traditional dinner rolls Traditional pumpkin pie Traditional apple pie Traditional bourbon pecan pie If I deviate much from any of these, I will be removed from the family, even though I'll make everything but the soup.
  3. Suvir- I've used both the Kitchen Aid attachment and the standard Atlas roller with the motor (as well as with the crank, but not any more!). I don't think you'll find an appreciable difference. With the Atlas/motor combo, you needn't find a spot to secure it to the counter -- the motor obviates the need to secure it. One benefit of the mixer attachment is that the rollers will be higher off the counter, which is helpful to separate the strands of the pasta, particularly if you're dealing with long sheets. In the end, either option will make fine sheets of pasta. Now it's just a matter of technique and ingredients! All semolina or add some finely milled durum, too? Egg? Olive oil? Tomato/spinach/squid ink? We also cheat by making the dough in a food processor to get it started. Much simpler and quicker than the egg in a well method (although not traditional). You just need to be careful not to overmix it, or it could get gummier than you'd like. Have fun.
  4. Suvir- You may also want to consider getting a motor for your Atlas. Here's a link to the first site I found from Google: http://www.kitchenetc.com/Products.cfm?sku=000579537 We enjoy the crank, but the motor (although quite noisy) has made it so much easier for us to make homemade pasta on a regular basis. My wife can have a batch of pasta made and cooked before I can put together even the simplest of sauces. Having your hands free make it so much simpler.
  5. First, there is absolutely no consensus regarding the best barbecue in North Carolina. There will be peace in the Middle East before folks agree on the "best" NC Q. Pete Jones' Skylight Inn in Ayden is one of the best barbecue joints in North Carolina, and it is in a very tacky building situated next to a field of collard greens. Hard to beat that. However, they only serve sandwiches, and they don't serve sweet tea, which is sacrilege in NC! Wilber's is my personal favorite. It's in Goldsboro and is a bit of a hike (probably 45 minutes as well from I-95). It's worth a trip, however. Bob Garner, a local food writer, just published a book of his 100 favorite barbecue restaurants in North Carolina. Here's the list. Bob Garner's List I'd be happy to add lots of details, as I've eaten at dozens of NC places, but I've got to run. You might want to check out this thread: http://forums.egullet.org/ibf/index.php?ac...c211d4715f1f257
  6. Varmint

    Dinner! 2002

    Monkey bread is on our family's "heavy rotation" for weekend breakfasts. All the L'il Varmints can help make it, even the 2 year old! It's very, very easy to do.
  7. Varmint

    Mead

    I know little to nothing about mead, but I recall one meal at Gramercy Tavern with Fat Guy where they served us mead. We were quite startled but pleasantly surprise with how well it went with the food. Damn, I just wish I could recall the details of the mead (and the food that they paired it with). So long ago, so few neurons remaining.
  8. A little cheese is good, too. As is a soft-cooked egg. And scallions. And country ham. And mushrooms. MY GOD, grits are the ultimate food!!!!
  9. Rachel, that story kind of reminds me of how everyone in my extended family eats mashed potatoes the same way (and probably many others). If we have gravy, of course we form the well in the center, which acts as the holding reservoir for the gravy. We eat from the outside of the pile, dipping forkfuls of potato into the gravy. The objective is to avoid breaking the dam. If we don't have gravy and just have butter, we create the same well, but then we cover it the well. Yes, we entomb our butter. We then slowly try to eat from one side until we hit the gusher of now molten butter. I know this isn't unique or even unusual, but it's tradition!
  10. Man, porcupine meatballs were a staple. The secret sauce was nothing more than Campbell's Tomato Soup. Ugh. She always served these with boiled potatoes. My mom would always eat saltine crackers crumbled in a glass of milk when she had an upset stomach. Ick.
  11. What was your family food culture when you were growing up? Food was of average importance in our immediate family, but was far more important with my grandparents. My grandmother canned everything and anything that grew. Some of my earliest food memories involved going to pick berries, or making hard candy for Christmas, or cooking fresh-caught fish -- all of them with my grandmother. She made the entire experience enjoyable and enlightening. My parents viewed themselves as gourmets, although that certainly wasn't the case. We did beef fondue a lot, and if we ate after 7:00, my dad would always say, "We're eating when the rich people eat." It was very middle class. Lots of cube steak, pork chops, ham, pot roast. No ethnic food in our house. I didn't have Mexican or Chinese food until I went to college in 1981. Yowza. Was meal time important? I don't recall it being all that important, but we were generally expected to eat as a family. All six of us were usually together. We often ate an early dinner on Sundays, around 3. I think that was so we could cram in another snack at 6:30 or so. Was cooking important? As I mentioned above, it was very important to my grandmother. I still have dozens of jars of her jelly (several eGulleteers received jars as gifts a couple of months ago). Recipe swapping was very important to my mother and grandmother. What were the penalties for putting elbows on the table? Elbows weren't the big issue. Making unnecessary noise (i.e., lips smacking, clanking your teeth with your fork) was grounds for immediate dismissal from the table. It was a pet peeve of my grandfather, then my mother, and now me. I have one child who tends to smack his lips. It drives me bonkers. Who cooked in the family? Mom did the day to day cooking. Dad did the grilling and would occasionally do a special item, like beer braised roast, or a caesar-like dressing made in a blender. Were restaurant meals common, or for special occassions? They were for special occasions. We ate out fairly often, but when we did, it was a big deal. My parents always wanted to impress us kids with restaurants (which they still try to do -- it's quite fun now, as my parents are quite picky eaters these days). I remember two of my brothers and I would try to order the most expensive items on the menu, whereas my one brother would meekly ask my dad, "Do you have enough money so I could order a hamburger?" Of course, this is the brother who is about to file for personal bankruptcy for the second time! Did children have a "kiddy table" when guests were over? Only if there were lots of guests that warranted a second table. That always sucked -- not because I was with other kids. It was because it always involved uncomfortable chairs and a very wobbly card table. When did you get that first sip of wine? My parents always gave us wine glasses that they filled with sparkling grape juice (followed after dinner with candy cigarettes, of course). However, dad would always let us have a sip of wine when I was about 7 or 8 -- usually something like Riunite or Cold Duck. This wine was so sweet that it really wasn't that different from the sparkling grape juice. We lived in the middle of nowhere in Pennsylvania, so there wasn't any decent wine available. Was there a pre-meal prayer? Only on special meals for holidays. Was there a rotating menu (e.g., meatloaf every Thursday)? Not usually, but during Lent, it was fairly predictable. Macaroni and cheese on Fridays. How much of your family culture is being replicated in your present-day family life? Things are much more hectic, and we rarely eat as a family during the week. Our kids go to bed so early (7:30), that they eat dinner at 5:00. No way in hell I can get home at that time. Plus, I have no desire to eat Mrs. Varmint's cooking. Not good. Not good at all. During the weekends, we eat as a family. I cook, but we also go over to my in-laws fairly frequently. Grandma Varmint is quite a good cook (and she has a kick-ass kitchen), so I'm always up for that. We go out fairly often, but not to anything very exotic. We have 4 children, ages 8 to 2, so fine dining isn't part of the equation at this moment. The L'il Varmints like to cook, particularly the 7 year old girl and the 4 year old boy. They helped me make dessert for a small dinner party I had on Saturday.
  12. Varmint

    Dinner! 2002

    On Saturday we had a few friends. I bastardized a few local dishes and added twists on fairly common (and overkilled) standards: Green tomato and jalapeno soup with crab, creme fraiche and country ham cracklings. Pan roasted duck breasts with riesling and shallot sauce, served on pumpkin & wild mushroom risotto (someone mentioned this risotto a couple of days ago) Your standard molten chocolate cake with a caramel truffle buried inside (surprise), served with homemade coffee and egg nog ice cream.
  13. Somebody help me with this bacon candy thing. I saw the rough guide for making it, but what is the final texture? Crispy/crunchy? Chewy? How's the salty and smokey go with the sweet? Details, please!
  14. Our firm is having its annual pot-luck "Fall Feast" next week. I've been assigned to bring an appetizer. Folks, I hate these things, because I have to figure out something that I can make the evening before that can be served at room temperature (or colder -- we have refrigerators to keep things cold but only microwaves to warm them up). Plus, there will be about 100 people there (no, I only have to make enought to feed 30 or so in appetizer portions). I have absolutely no desire to think about what to make, so I'm begging y'all to help me with ideas for a decent pot luck appetizer.
  15. I generally cook my beans in advance and use the cooking liquid as my base. Sometimes, I'll cook with stock, but I generally use water with a ham bone in it (along with a bay leaf). However, I often want pasta e fagioli NOW, so I'll used canned beans. The canned beans are much softer and result in a mushier soup. Good, but not the same.
  16. Prosciutto isn't necessary, and it's flavor would probably be overwhelmed. I often use a good ham bone for flavor. Some will also add the pancetta. In fact, I honestly believe the purest form of pasta e fagioli may not have even had any meat in it. I just think any type of bean soup is better with ham or bacon. Jaymes, you'll see these as the major variables: liquid (water, beef stock, chicken stock); beans (cranberry, cannellini, kidney, etc); meat (some put beef in their soup); pasta type; seasonings (I like rosemary in mine, whereas others believe that would be sacrilege); other ingredients (+/- tomatoes, carrots, etc.). Have fun and experiment.
  17. Lots of cured pork, excellent EVOO and parmesan reggiano as condiments, and add cooked pasta only when you're about to serve. Actually, this is one of the simplest soups to make, and there are a boatload of variations to it, all based on personal preferences. I probably make it differently every time, so I'll let others chime in on specifics.
  18. Sorry to deviate from the thread, Basildog, but have you posted a recipe for your sticky toffee pudding yet? It sounds ridiculously decadent, and I'd love to say I learned how to make it from this British chef I know.
  19. Sentiments from a non-New Yorker who is unable to attend.
  20. Varmint

    Roasting Turkey

    Jim- I'm very proud of you for sticky with tradition. This is the one meal of the year where I don't deviate too much from the norm. Your menu is quite similar to the ones you'll find on a lot of tables across the country. Sounds good to me (although I have started adding roasted garlic to the taters).
  21. Varmint

    Roasting Turkey

    Get the biggest one you can and brine the hell out of it. Seriously, with that many people, you need a mongo bird, particularly if there's any expectation of leftovers. Moreover, I cannot overemphasize how much difference brining makes. Adding some apple cider or other sugar to the brining solution also helps to brown the bird. If you're going to stuff it, follow the Cooks Illustrated method by heating your stuffing before filling it.
  22. Varmint

    Krispy Kreme

    Krispy Kremes down here in their motherland of North Carolina give away free donuts to elementary students -- one donut for every "A" they get on their report cards. The two older L'il Varmints are treating dear old dad this weekend, as they got their report cards yesterday. Who said studying didn't pay off?? And if they didn't get that many A's, that's nothing that a little white-out and creative copying couldn't fix.
  23. Is this based on comparative taste tests? How does one get the mule to stand still?
  24. Genny Creams, also known as "Sweet Creams" or "Screamers" (for what they did to your intestinal tract. I was always partial to Little Kings Cream Ale in the 7 ounce bottles. My best friend and I had to pound a case of those before we hit the town back in my college/grad school days.
  25. Thanks for the great report, Zebster. Glad that you had such a fine dining experience. Plus, you didn't really want to go to the French Laundry anyhow, now did you?
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