Varmint

I was actually able to find fresh jumbo lump crabmeat for 21 bucks a pound, so that made me happy. We made 48 mini-crabcakes out of 3 pounds of crab, so that's, what about a $1.30 each? For the champagne cocktails, we used a nonvintage Castellblanch Brut Cava from Spain. We drank a lot of 2003 Leverano Rose before dinner -- very crisp. For the crabcakes, we had a 2002 Four Vines Naked Chardonnay. This chardonnay came nowhere close to any oak but still had plenty of richness. It worked well. We actually served a red wine with the gumbo, a 2002 L'Oc de la Bouysse Rouge (mostly grenache, but the other grape boldened it). We served a white wine from the same winery for the fish and maque choux. I was not memorable (and neither is the name). With the beef, we had a 2000 Sequoia Grove Cab. It was a good choice for the price (about 23 bucks per bottle). With dessert, a 1976 Smith Woodhouse Colheita Port. This was a bit too caramelly and rich. It went pretty well with the dessert, but I think a high acid wine would have been better. Grappa, limoncello and aquavit came out after dinner. Ugh.

I'm still recovering from Friday's party. We served 24 people, and each individual helped in preparing at least one dish. We also managed to go through 30 bottles of wine, so the photography is not great, and got worse as the dinner progressed. Okra, just for Mayhaw Man. Here's some of my mise. I did most of the prepwork, so the guests could have the ingredients ready for them to add to a dish. They had fairly basic recipes from which to work, too, as I wanted them to get a feel for cooking. Some gator bites. These were marinated in lemon, orange, jalapeno and salt and then quickly pan cooked. I forgot the skewers, so they didn't hit the grill. Grilled jumbo shrimp that were brined in beer, "spices", and worcestershire. Three types of grilled boudin: pork, spicy pork, and gator. I served these with 3 different kinds of mustard. The boudin, gator and shrimp were hors d'ouevres. Simple pan-fried crabcakes with a spicy remoulade. This worked very well and showed folks that it's better to go simple with the crab. Shrimp and andouille gumbo served with extra crunchy fried okra. Adding the fried okra as "croutons" was something I thought might work, and it kicked ass. I intentionally overseasoned the okra just a bit, but it was perfect for the gumbo. The okra didn't get soggy and retained its crunch -- I added a bit of semolina to the cornmeal. By the way, I chose not to serve the gumbo with rice, as the meal was heavy enough as it was. Fried okra. You just can't get enough okra, can you? Roasted catfish with a piquant crawfish maque choux. This was actually too rich, as the crawfish and corn was so sweet and rich, you lost the flavor of the fish. Plus, we were starting to get a little silly in the kitchen. Grilled London broil with fried green tomato and marchand de vin. The sauce was fantastic. This dish worked quite well, particularly with the amount of tasso and veal stock I used! Peachy bananas foster, semi-melted. This was fine -- just a standard, classic dessert. It melted way too quickly, however, which shouldn't be a surprise when you make it for 24 people. The peaches were a nice touch. We did different champagne cocktails, but in the end, many folks just wanted the champagne straight or wine.

Damn! I have tons of homemade limoncello. Why not a limoncello champagne cocktail, with a touch of mint???? Yeah!

One other redeeming thing about CFA is their kids' meals: typically, the "toy" is a book chock full o' interesting facts about animals, space, Greek history or something relatively educational. No plastic toy from the latest unsuccessful Disney tie-in!

Y'all, you can send me your okra, chocolate and caramel any time you like. I'll send you my address if you'd like! Good discussion, by the way. I'm only 40, and I'll gladly let someone convince me to enjoy things I don't like (although, I can't name one).

Thanks, beans! This event most definitely puts the clerks at ease, because they are involved in making the dinner. And I've seen them all drink! Maybe I'll task one of them to be the champagne cocktail maker!

But did you like the pickle???

God, I always love a tall weiss beer (or 4) in the summer. So many different choices!

There's actually a short blurb in today's Raleigh News & Observer about Van Eure, owner of the Angus Barn.

They'll accomodate just about any request you might have. They're very, very good at taking care of the customer, so if you don't like the way something looks on the menu, ask them to do it differently.

In preparation for my "Gulf Coast Interactive Dinner," I asked if there was a champagne cocktail that could be representative of the New Orleans or Gulf Coast style. Any suggestions, as I'd like to serve something light before dinner?

Any champagne cocktails that'd do the trick?

Oh. Well, then, why not Seattle and Vancouver? I live in Seattle... and while I have nothing against Vancouver, I want to go somewhere new... Although the Okanagon Valley may be a possibility... I quit.

Oh. Well, then, why not Seattle and Vancouver?

This is an absolute no brainer. You can get the cosmopolitan life, small towns, cheap eats, incredible scenery -- all within a few hours drive. May I join you???

Wow, that's a lot of great eating and better reporting. Thanks a ton for sharing with us. I do need to get down to Atlanta, and soon!

The dinner is on Friday, and I'm just now getting around to finalizing the menu, all based on what Brooks is able to find: Hors D’ouevres Marinated Grilled Gator Tails Assorted Grilled Louisiana Sausages West Indies Salad Grilled Shrimp Cocktail First Course Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes with Spicy Remoulade "Soup" Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo Fish Course Roasted Lemonfish with Piquant Crawfish Maque Choux Meat Course Grilled Flank Steak with Marchand de Vin and Crispy Fried Green Tomatoes Dessert Peachy Bananas Foster I'm trying to sort out the wine pairings on this. Any suggestions would be appreciated. What's a classic, light NOLA-ish cocktail we can do for pre-dinner?

That wouldn't surprise me, as Scott Howell has used his smokers at the Durham Q-Shack to smoke salmon and other items for use at Nana's. As far as Pops is concerned, it's my understanding that Scott let that one go some time ago.

We made some tamarind margaritas back in November for our Mexican Feast. I can't remember the recipe, but they were damn good. Of course, a mojito is a mighty fine summer drink. For non-alcoholic drinks, the Daily News had a pretty good piece on refreshing tropical drinks.

No, no, no, you misunderstood me, Brooks. When I said, "tear up", I meant that I got pissed off and tore up all that was around me. Actually, Mrs. Varmint is the one who teaches everyone how to kick some ass.

This might be the second or third time that I've read something on eGullet that actually made me tear up. Thanks, Brooks. You're someone who definitely "gets it."

But I'm glad he's in Raleigh, as we need more help from a literary standpoint than Charleston or most any other SC town! I'd love to join in the discussion with some depth, but work is currently preventing that from occurring. I believe we'd be remiss if we didn't bring up Gullah cuisine. Is that not quite common in SC?

I've been too busy to check the site the past few days, and I can't believe I missed out on this. Strong work, Chad. Butts are the best, and you've got a might fine one. The slashing is a joke, as the sauce doesn't have much effect. You need to start trying other types of wood. Oak works quite well, but get some pecan or fruit tree wood. You'll notice the difference. Congratulations, as you're no longer a butt virgin. Ugh. Sorry.

Let us see the pits (in action, of course) and woodpiles before we offer our initial reactions. If up to snuff, only then will we move on to issues of taste!!!!

However, compared to bergerka, you didn't have any chance but to look a bit, er, ah, full-bodied!!!