Smithy

Yes, unless she's relocated since her most recent Foodblog.

On we went, through a larger display of TABASCOTM in popular culture. They had recipes from celebrity chefs, and a large mural of chefs who've been involved in the promotion of the sauce. I'd intended to include a picture of it to see how well the rest of you did at identifying them, but the picture didn't come out. We got a kick out of this poster: By this time we'd completed the tour and worked up a powerful appetite. Of course there was a restaurant to help us with that problem. The menu inside: We had had a preview of the menu from this chicken-wire menu outside the door. So many! I've included closeups of our final dish choices. Pirogue sampler for me, red beans and sausage for him. Note the sampler of the bottled products at every table. We had a fine time sampling and comparing them. Of course there's a gift shop. OF COURSE I had to add to my condiment creep and trailer overload. Thanks to the lunch sampler, I knew what I wanted. To my surprise, he didn't even want a bottle of those that he'd preferred. That's all right. I bought these, my favorites, and a package of seeds for a gardening friend: The special reserve sauce is fermented 8 years instead of 3. I thought it had a more complex and slightly mellower flavor. As I paid, the checkout clerk announced that folks who make a purchase get a lagniappe, and she added to our bag. We rolled home by a route almost as circuitous as the original, stopping to buy more shrimp at a place I spotted along the way, and stopping at a grocery store for a few things. We admired far more groceries than we bought. This is the first time I've seen rabbit for sale at a grocery store. I didn't buy any. There was still no room in the refrigerator.

We're hunkered down in a wind and dust storm right now; it's a good time to backtrack to an earlier stop. Palmetto Island State Park, in the heart of Louisiana's Cajun country, is a nice new state park set up for RV's as well as tent-camping and backpacking folks. There are paths through the (very dense) palmettos with signs to help one learn how to distinguish poison ivy from Virginia creeper. They have a Dutch Oven cooking festival every month that we still haven't managed to hit, but someday we may make it. We walked into the registration station. "How many nights?" asked the registrar. We answered as one voice: "One," said my darling. "Three," said I. We looked at each other. Apparently he hadn't registered my discussion about a side trip I wanted to make. We compromised at two. We set out the next day, our destination only 10 or 15 miles as the crow flies but 30 miles away by road due to the low land, rivers and channels that jigsaw the land. Our GPS took us around Robin Hood's barn, supposedly by the most direct route - which then required considerable backtracking due to road closures. The benefit was that we saw interesting scenery along the way: sugar cane fields in every possible stage of cultivation or harvest, and a lot of water. Shallow waters abounded with herons and egrets. 45 road miles later we arrived at our destination. The factory tours are self-guided. You walk at your own pace, see what you want to see for as long as you want to look, and snap as many photos as you wish. (You can pay for a guided tour with a docent, but we chose not to.) The tour begins with a museum that gives the history of the company and the McIlhenny family. It also gives an overview of process, from cultivation through the bottling. I did not know before this trip that the peppers in question are grown in multiple countries on small farms. The company states that they work with their farmers to ensure sustainable practices and fair prices. In the bottom image above, the worker is holding a red stick that is used as the ripeness gauge for the tabasco peppers. We saw that color a lot - even in a room with one wall painted that particular red. TABASCOTM sauce has 3 ingredients as shown here: salt, vinegar, and pepper mash. Time, the process and the equipment take care of the rest. In addition to family information and artifacts, they had amusing cultural displays. The next stop is the greenhouse, where more information is given about the peppers that they cultivate for their sauces. One distinguishing characteristic of the tabasco pepper is that the fruits grow upward...or so the sign said. It looked to us as though some drooped slightly, but they didn't hang down the way the habañeros and jalapeños did. The cooperage had a fascinating short video with one of their coopers explaining his work, and with a number of barrels on display. I've forgotten the source of their white oak barrels, but the barrels are disassembled, scraped inside, and then rebanded with stainless steel rings instead of the original metal (zinc? tin?) bands before being put to use for the TABASCOTM process. The peppers are mashed. (I think salt is added at this point, but I may be misremembering.) The mash is put in barrels to ferment - for 3 years, for the basic sauce. The barrel tops are covered with a couple of inches of salt to keep out impurities, and the barrels are stored by lot in a fermentation building. The building is closed with a grate that allows air to pass through freely while keeping out unauthorized visitors. I think the powerful odor would keep out most visitors, but the local bears might find it appealing. After the necessary aging, and after quality control tests, the fermented mash is strained and added to mixing vats with vinegar and perhaps salt. The vat batches are checked for quality, and the mix sits and brews for some weeks before being bottled. This was the stage at which the operation became clearly quite high-tech: with speed control and temperature control and very careful sanitation control. As someone who used to work in industrial process control I loved being able to see so much, at my leisure. This is the view of the vats from the ground floor. From upstairs, you can see the open vats with controllers, piping, and workers going about their business along catwalks. You can also press a button to turn on a fan so you can smell the room. The aroma is much more mellow than in the fermentation area. The bottling plant looks efficient and well-controlled. There were 4 lines running 4 different sauce products. Machines did the bottling and process monitoring, and humans monitored the equipment. At one point some bottles went awry - it wasn't clear to us what happened - and a worker rounded them up off the belt for, we were told, rebottling the sauce in question. (I don't know whether I believe that, but it's the answer we were given.) The monitoring and quality control were impressive. I was just as impressed by the company's apparent interest in worker safety and esprit de corp. Those workers were kept informed about what they were making, how well they were making it, and where the product was going. In addition, safety notices abounded. My former employer had a motto: "Whatever you do, do it safely. Someone expects you home tonight." This plant had that feel. If it was all only PR, they made a convincing show of it. The last stage of quality control is a tasting panel that convenes every few weeks and samples the product. I'm trying to imagine doing that, year in and year out: first, whether my taste buds could survive and second, keeping a taste-standard in mind. It would be like perfect pitch for the taste buds. I couldn't do that. Apparently some people can. This post is already long. I'll finish in another installment.

I am always interested in finding more uses for dates, @David Ross. Whether or not you decide to make that vinegar and date sauce, would you share it, or at least describe it?

Shelby, I think you've just inspired me to trot out the pasta maker. That looks really good.

Aren't there drop-off programs for the hides? In Minnesota we have drop-off boxes set up so hunters who don't want the hides can donate them (preferably rolled and wrapped neatly). The hides are tanned and used for leather; the proceeds go for some charitable organization. (Hides for Habitat? I've forgotten.)

My extended family has essentially abandoned roast turkey and ham in favor of prime rib, with the question of how it should be cooked. One family branch gives it a good salt/herb rub and barbecues it over a hot gas grill; another branch smokes it. Either way we get a good, hot, brown crust on the outside and plenty of rare meat inside, to everyone's groaning delight. The question came up this year about branching out a bit. The duck posts above have me really jonesing for duck. If I could lay my hands on some I'd be happy to roast it for another night's family feast. How much duck should I acquire - if I can - for, say, 10 people?

Shelby, how you make me wish I'd found room for an Instant Pot in our trailer! That pork looks wonderful with its accompaniments. The rifle deer season is already over in Minnesota, but hunting by other means (bow, for sure, maybe black powder?) went at least through Thanksgiving. I think it's interesting that your season is so much later than ours. Are your hunters using rifles? There's been commentary in other topics about the backstrap. I do hope you and your hunters find time to do something wonderful with it in this blog, so readers can see what they're missing.

Thanksgiving Dinner yesterday was the kitchen challenge I'd been expecting. Just as last year, I baked 2 different types of bread (soft dinner rolls, and sourdough rosemary loaf and rolls). They occupied the dining table during the rise. For the first time, I trotted out the new heavy-duty double pan I'd bought on a whim from Sur La Table last summer. See it in the lower right of that cabinet? See how much has to be moved to get to it? But get it out we did. It was the perfect size for what I needed. There aren't many pictures. I was too busy working out where to put things, stepping around things, stepping around animals, and making or receiving telephone greetings. The dinner was scalloped corn, prime rib with roasted potatoes, green beans with bacon, and the above-mentioned bread. I took @Anna N's advice about final formation, as well as watching and testing more carefully for the final rise. The advice was very helpful. Happy Thanksgiving (wishing it a day late), everyone.

Do you have a link to the recipe in question? This sounds like something I'd like to try.

I finally found time to try one of the many recipes I've had bookmarked: Crawfish Samosas. I love samosas. I've never made them, but I love to eat them. Here was my chance, while I had time and was traveling in seafood country. As with all the recipes, this offers clear instructions. First, make the dipping sauce from red bell peppers: cut to lay flat, broil, peel, then blend with olive oil and a touch of salt. As with most or all the recipes, this offers substitutions. That's good, because I didn't have crawfish but I did have tiny peeled shrimp. I didn't have samosa wrappers, but I was able to find eggroll wrappers at a grocery store. I took one other liberty with the recipe: the goat cheese I had, left over (unopened) from a dinner party over a month ago, contained dill and a decided bleuish funk. I substituted grated parmesan cheese for half of the goat cheese. I have no photo of the eggroll-wrapping procedure; I barely had enough hands without adding a camera to the mix. I had trouble controlling the oil temperature; judging by the color of the rolls, I may have overcooked them slightly. Still, we liked this very much...enough so that it was dinner for two of us, with leftovers. I will do it again, but try to do it when I have a deep fryer or a bodacious exhaust hood, or can fry outside. This dinner photo shows just how much value there is to a food stylist and a good photographer. It looks much better in the book - but even without the professional look it's well worth cooking.

You are an eeevil woman!

I want to report on collard greens, okra and adventures in frying. I more or less followed the instructions of my two advisors from Jerry Lee's grocery store to cook those collard greens. I washed the leaves, drained them but didn't shake them dry, and put the damp leaves in a pan filmed with olive oil. To that I added a few okra (saving most for other purposes), some chunks of the seasoning meat that I'd rinsed but not soaked, and a touch of salt and pepper. I cooked it all over gentle heat, letting the greens wilt and soften. There may have been a touch of vinegar added, but I can't remember for sure. We liked the greens and would do them again. Without the okra. The okra wasn't slimy as I'd expected, but didn't really add anything either. The seasoning meat was good in the greens, but I'll have to work to find something else to do with it: on its own, it had a very strong, not very good flavor. Maybe I need to soak it, per @rotuts' instructions, rather than a simple rinse. As for frying: well, I've written before about how much I hate doing it. I work myself into a tizzy even at the idea, but my darling loves fried shrimp beyond almost any other food. There was also okra to be fried, per @kayb's suggestion. I steeled myself to the ordeal. I discovered that okra, dusted with cornmeal, is quite pretty: prettier, I think, than before it's coated or after it's fried. Here's just one of many work-in-progress photos. Most of us have seen food being fried, but I like the geometry of this picture. Despite the colossal mess, the dinner was good enough that I did it again a few nights later. (I now know that it's the *underside* of the cabinets that gets the worst of the spatter.) With okra again, to finish the last of my purchase. I don't know that we'd go out of our way for okra, but we'd certainly eat it again. It's a bit like cucumber, a bit like green pepper, a bit like its own personality, and we may don't even know if this was good-quality okra. It isn't at all like the nasty, slimy stuff called "bamya" that we've eaten in Egypt. I never did get around to telling my darling that yes, he'd had okra before. He wouldn't have touched it. Thanks for the tips, folks. Our horizons and waistlines are expanding.

I think Porthos is referring to this post.

@pastryani, you may find this topic useful: Cast iron: seasoning, care and restoration

The nan-e barberi looks wonderful. Aside from the mess, @Anna N, was the m'smen also a success? Thanks for pointing out that website.

The food all looks good. (Nice sunset photo, too!) What can you tell us about Pollo ala Brasa? What seasonings do they use? The chicken portraits in that place crack me up. Is that restaurant a chain, or a one-off?

Lovely, inspiring, and delectable. Thank you for taking us along!

That is beautiful, @blue_dolphin. I love stuffed squash, but this filling is more intricate than I usually make. I'll be sure to try it.

Our last dinner in Gautier was at the Tiki Restaurant, Lounge and Marina. This waterfront place is slightly inland from Huck's Cove and seems always to have expensive boats in its marina slips. I don't know whether the slips are for transient boat traffic or residents. Probably a bit of both. The Tiki was washed away in some storm or other - earlier than Katrina, I think - but has been rebuilt beautifully. Photos and memorabilia document the original and celebrate the rebuilt version. This photo doesn't do justice to the intricate knotwork in this commemorative piece. I used to do macramé. I have an idea of just how much loving care went into making it. The atmosphere is quieter and more genteel, I'd say, than at Huck's Cove. There's a bar and deck downstairs; maybe that's where the rowdy folks go. We wandered in, unaware that it was "all you can eat snow crab" night until we saw huge platters of crab legs being delivered to nearby tables. After marveling for a time I went to one table of 8 and asked whether I could take a picture of the spread. They obliged cheerfully, all being careful to lean back out of the picture. (I hadn't asked them to do that, but they apparently didn't want to be documented with the extensive spread. ) I like crab well enough, but didn't consider it when I spied Oysters Rockefeller on the menu. I ordered a half dozen as an appetizer, then discovered that my darling wouldn't touch them. Oysters don't turn his crank, and cooked spinach didn't help make the case for him. Nope, he wouldn't try even one. Too bad! More for me! We drank our beers, ate salads and slaw and, in my case, oysters, and marveled at the steady train of crab being delivered to the party table. Here's another helping being delivered. I didn't count, but I suspect each diner put away two platters' worth. Not bad, for $25/person. I'm in no position to cry 'gluttony' at them, however. The oysters would have been plenty for me, but there was grouper. I considered trying catfish again, but I love well-fried grouper. In a nod to healthful choices, I chose grilled vegetables. The vegetables and the fish were excellent. His favorite: fried shrimp. I gave him my hushpuppy. He liked it all. The proprieter, a lovely and elegantly dressed woman, came by to see how we were doing. Through her we learned about the crab deal - a regular Tuesday special. She is a member of the family that built the business, and apparently the sole owner now. She cares about how well the business does, cares about her customers, and was pleased that I wanted to write about the place and post photos. But no, she didn't want her photo to be here. I realized much later that she was in the background of the "additional crab serving" picture above. It's a good picture of her, but a deal's a deal. Let's hear it for photo editing programs that can fade out the background. We groaned our way out the door, admired the table of 8 who were still going strong, admired the moon, and made our way back to the Princessmobile.

I got around to cooking one of those packages' worth of beets last night. These beets had been packed with butter and dill, then cooked sous vide until tender - more than an hour. (I have the time and temperature written down somewhere, if anyone's interested.) Since they cooled they've been stored in the refrigerator with no apparent ill effect. That's pretty good for something packed on 16 September, over 2 months ago. After I'd bought the bucket of beets and cooked them several ways, my darling informed me that he wasn't "much of a beet person". Last night he looked askance at me when I hauled out this package. I told him I had a new idea. He assured me that he doesn't actively dislike them, he just doesn't particularly like them. (We have this conversation often: when I protest something as he does, it means that I really don't like it. He assures me that he doesn't mean it that way, but it just doesn't turn his crank. So I cook something the way I really like it, and we have The Conversation again. Lather, rinse repeat.) I sauteed these in olive oil until they caramelized slightly. Sorry for the poor photo quality. We couldn't tell that dill had been packed with them, but the sweetness and the buttery flavor came through beautifully. Better than in this picture. Not only am I forgiven; he's decided he likes beets after all. At least, when they're cooked this way.

Impressive! I've been anxiously awaiting mine to arrive. It's supposed to arrive tomorrow, unless the winter storms delay it by a day. Unfortunately it's scheduled to arrive at home, and I'm traveling for the next few months. :-( I really wish they'd kept the original schedule, in which they promised an October delivery.

I don't know whether Yukon Gold is a specific breed or a trademark, but I've had much the same results from other 'midway' yellowish potatoes. Offhand the only breed I can think of is Klondike Gold. (Sounds like 'Pyrex' vs. 'Fire King', doesn't it?) I call it 'midway' because it's midway between the waxy end (red potatoes) and the starchy end (russets).

@Plado, welcome to eGullet! Please feel free to contribute to and revive this topic. Many members have joined since the last post, and may well be interested in joining the conversation. What are some of your favorite curries from this book? Do you have any particularly fine turns of phrase from the entertaining writing that you'd like to share?

I agree with the above: you can never have too many outlets! Check the reviews on that microwave convection oven to see how effective users think it is. We had one in our last trailer (I think it was a GE but don't remember the model) and it took a long time to come up to temperature - and used huge amounts of electricity. On the other hand, it DID allow me to have a second oven going when I needed it. I can't tell from the drawings: does that range hood exhaust to the outside? If not, what would it take to make it exhaust outside? Recirculating hoods are barely better than nothing. Edit: I also agree about the pull-out shelves for the undercounter cabinets. We paid extra for those and think it's money very well spent.