Varmint

And is this much different than the quasi-Peruvian techniqe espoused by Nobu Matsuhisa, where he puts a layer of aromatics on fish and then pours very hot oil over the fish? This only partially cooks the fish, and just on the outside, but it's quite good.

You should check out Wisconsin next time! They may be fat, but they're fat and happy!!!

Stefanyb to the rescue! I was only commenting on the paste, not the dish itself.

First, it should not be bitter. It should be slightly sweet and nutty. There shouldn't be any whole seed, as it is a smooth paste. It has the feel of fresh ground peanut butter (not the standard, supermarket emulsified stuff). You need to stir it up, as the oil separates.

Are you sure you have decent tahini? The tahini I use is rarely bitter.

By the way, is there an accepted term in eGullet for those "average Joes and Janes" that doesn't come off as elitist? I'll pose that in another thread.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard that comment, along with "So when are you going to open your own restaurant?" . . . .

It's a fairly standard trick these days, and someone told me that it was even hilighted in a recent Gourmet, but I often make two different tomato soups, one using yellow tomatoes and one using red. I usually add a hot yellow pepper to the yellow tomato soup. Using two ladles, concurrently add each color of soup to the bowl on opposite sides. Top with a pesto, reduced cream with garlic, or something else to add a bit more of contrasting color and flavor. For the average Joe and Jane, it comes off as being dramatic, but it's incredibly simple.

Duke's was started in Greenville, SC and is still made there, but is now owned by a Richmond-based company, I believe. There's no sugar in Duke's, they don't use egg whites as filler, and they still use a flavorful cider vinegar. Check out the Duke's website: http://www.dukesmayo.com/ind.shtm

Thanks, Toby. I remember talking to Bill before his death, and I recall that he generally made his biscuits with butter. But then, I certainly have been wrong before.

I believe Bill Neal of Crooks Corner, Fearrington, and La Residence fame (and author of "Bill Neal's Southern Cooking", one of the best resources) made his biscuits with butter.

One important thing to do is to use very warm plates, as this dish can cool down quite a bit when you're mixing with the tomatoes.

I sort of followed the recipe from this site: http://www.lacooks.com/071801.html However, I used another egg yolk and before chilling I put the mixture through a food mill -- I wanted the flavor of the figs without big chunks. The blackberry sauce was just a simple cooked sauce with a touch of sugar, pureed, and strained.

Listen to what kpurvis has to say, as you know what happens when Southerners get rankled a bit.

The problem with Hardees' biscuits, just like most of the southern chains', is with the crumb. These biscuits are very cake-like, without any noticeable layering. They're quite yummy, and I eat my fair share of them, but I truly want a biscuit that has discernable layers. That's one of the reasons I do fold or "knead" my dough. You may sacrifice a bit for tenderness, but you make up for that with the final texture.

Remember, FAAN only stated the percentage or persons with allergies. Has anyone found a study or claim that discusses all chronic and repeatable (including allergies, intolerances, etc.) food-related problems? I agree with you, FG, that the number of people claiming to have allergies or intolerances is higher than what could be scientifically proven. But I think that there should be other categories of problems. I don't claim to be "allergic" or "intolerant" to oysters, but I sure as hell won't eat them anymore. Finally, I'd really be interested to see what the percentage of people claiming they have food related problems in Southern California vs. Wisconsin. I've always said that thin people seem to have more food problems than thin people, and the folks in Milwaukee are generally fatter than the ones you see in LA. It seems people in the Midwest just like to eat their food. They don't look at it as a problem.

Beer -- It's not just for breakfast anymore.

FG- First, how was that 2.5% determined? Was it a poll? Was it based on reports to physicians? I'm too lazy to find out the methodology of that study. I agree with you that many people categorize a single bad reaction to a food as it being an allergy. I also believe that people who develop a stomachache after eating a meal all too often attribute it to food poisoning. Regardless, I think people tend to attach labels to a bad outcome without understanding the underlying etiology. I am guilty of that. I have eaten oysters four times in my life. The first was when I was in my teens, and I had no reaction. Early on in college, I had an oyster stew. I got violently ill -- major projectile vomiting. I stayed away from oysters for about 5 years. I had some fried oysters. Repeat illness. Then, about 11 years ago, before I was about to get married, my best man promised to take me out to "get me sick." Within 10 minutes of sucking down a raw oyster, I was doubled over in pain. He got me sick, all right. Am I allergic to oysters? Am I intolerant? Am I just unlucky to get 3 bad oysters in a row? Beats the hell out of me, but I'm not ready to eat an oyster again, despite how good they taste. Thus, is that 2.5% figure legitimate? You, of all people, are incredibly suspicious of statistics and epidemiologic studies, so it's important to make sure that the numbers you're citing are verifiable and correct.

One of my friends from graduate school told me this great story about her father, who was indeed allergic to crabmeat (i.e., anaphylaxis was imminent shortly after consumption). Anyhow, he was attending some high-fallutin' function in upstate NY, where attendees paid something in the order of $200 a head. He really wasn't paying that much attention to his food, and he started eating what was on his plate. After swallowing a couple of bites, he called over a waiter and asked him what the dish was. The waiter told him it was a lump crabmeat-based dish. My friend's father informed the waiter to call an ambulance, as he had failed to bring an epinephrine pin with him and that without treatment, he could have a full blown reaction in a matter of minutes. Strangely enough, after 5, 10, 20 minutes, nothing happened. No adverse reaction at all. The lawsuit against the caterer for using fake crabmeat settled quickly, I believe.

Keep experimenting, Malawry. Everyone has their "ideal" form of a particular food, so adjust the liquids; use more buttermilk and less cream; use cake flour and add the baking powder; use other types of fat. At least you know you're heading down the right path. Now, it's just a matter of fine-tuning it.

I made a fig ice cream with a blackberry sauce yesterday. The fig flavor was quite subtle, despite using nearly two quarts of figs, and cooking them down with brown sugar and a touch of cinnamon. It was a scrumptious dessert nevertheless, and it's worth a try if you still have plenty of figs available.

The free form biscuits you describe are not all that unusual in a southern kitchen. The only problem with them (if you consider this a problem), is that they don't rise in a totally vertical fashion. That is, by not cutting them, they won't form that cylinder that Malawry was seeking. I often do these types of free form biscuits when I want a more rustic look. However, I still want butter in the dough!

And, of course, they talk louder -- just like they do when talking to someone who doesn't speak English very well.

Several of us (Malawry, Edemuth) are planning a DC eGullet dinner for Sunday, September 29. The plans haven't been finalized, but let us know if you'd like to join us. Everything but the date is wide open (although, let's stay away from those beefeaters' havens for Malawry's sake).

Oh, there's variations of this biscuit that you can make. If you're doing a cobbler, I'll do the same recipe, but add a bit of sugar to the mix. This is also what I use for shortcake (I often make one mongo biscuit for the shortcake). Another option that I often make for the L'il Varmints is to add sugar and cinnamon to the dough, and then add a bit more before each fold during the kneading process. This gets the cinnamon and sugar to incorporate between the "layers" of the biscuit. I then make a simple icing to drizzle on the top. The kids love it -- although it's by no means a classic biscuit.