Jump to content

HungryChris

participating member
  • Posts

    2,897
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by HungryChris

  1. John, I sent for the DVD and we enjoyed it while the New Years day turkey was in the oven. It made us so hungry we had to break out the apps early. Very enjoyable and will inspire more than one field trip in 2011. Thanks, HC
  2. We visited the Captain Danial Packer Inne for the first time in about a year and were reminded of how much we like the little tavern. I couldn't help but say to Deb repeatedly, "Why did we stop coming here?" We used to be Sunday lunch regulars. I don't know what happened, but will be regulars again. I am certain of that. We seated ourselves at a table next to the blazing fireplace that we noted has been converted to gas, but still affords a comfortable warmth. Deb noted a sign that said "local beers are 1/2 price on Sunday" so I opted for a Mystic Bridge IPA from the Cottrell Brewing Co in Pawcatuck. It is a decent beer, but not as rich in character as a great IPA to my mind. I started off with half a dozen oysters which were great, however. Large in size, unmistakably freshly opened and glistening with briny liquor that makes my mouth water just thinking about them. Perfect specimens that disappeared quickly after a splash of lemon juice and cocktail sauce were added. They did not disappoint. We also ordered the warm and crusty bread with butter and roasted garlic on the side. It is in this very Tavern that I discovered my weakness for this offering several years ago after helping my neighbor step his mast at the nearby Fort Rachel Marina. Deb had the crab cakes with DPI's wonderful garlic mashed potatoes that we try and reproduce for holiday feasts with mixed success. I think that the butter and cream are best added by others, out of sight so as to alleviate the guilt factor from this dish. The cakes were accompanied by a spicy remoulade that quickly vanished along with them. I finished up with another of my favorite appetizers, the portabella mushroom cap filled with Alouette cheese and baked golden with a spiced bread crumb and balsamic vinegar crust. The lunch was memorable and definitely one of the better ones we have had recently. The downstairs tavern only has a few tables and a bar, but the charm is huge. HC
  3. Looking forward to getting some. I only recently realized they ended last season early. I wondered why they suddenly dissapeared from the markets. HC
  4. There was a time when we had no cafeteria here at work and we were visited by a catering truck at breakfast and lunch. He had the usual items, but occasionally had an item he called 'Spicy Ranch Chicken'. It was a breaded chicken breast fillet in a crisp bun with a soft interior sauced with ranch dressing that had been spiced up with some kind of hot sauce. He built them to order. The combination was truly wonderful. I have twice attempted to duplicate it at home with mixed success.
  5. Sizzle platters in various sizes. They are quite handy and pretty much indestructible. They make good tongs become a necessity too.
  6. I think for me it is this little slicer (I call it the poor man's mandoline). Right now, in the middle of cucumber season, I make a lot of cucumber salads. This little thing makes short work of them and the onions I put in there as well. http://www.lehmans.com/store/Kitchen___Helpers_and_Accessories___Utensils_and_Tools___Feemster_s_Famous_Vegetable_Slicer___622900?Args=
  7. Deep fried bluefish cheeks are a thing of great beauty and posses a flavor that will keep you coming back for more.
  8. Thanks Kathryn. I appreciate the heads up. I wish they were not so hard to find. I have decided to try growing them next year.
  9. Having the oyster still attached to the bottom shell is a pet peeve of mine. It does insure that he does not slide off as the waiter makes his turns, but makes for awkward maneuvers at the table to get every bit where it belongs. I am a firm believer that all the work should have been done in the kitchen so that if you are a purist you can just tip and slurp. HC
  10. What are the chances of finding shishito peppers or pimento di padrone this time of year?
  11. HungryChris

    Raw Eggs in Beer

    Through stories I have heard growing up and fellow workers I have known, eggs in beer is something I associate with shift workers who get out of work in the morning. This "breakfast" is usually taken in at a bar quite near the "gate". The first beer includes one or two raw eggs and perhaps some added spices, seasonings or condiments. With a wholesome breakfast out of the way, the beers that follow are your normal cold ones. To a shift worker, with or without the eggs, it's just their way of having a few beers after work. I don't hear much about the practice anymore, but my circle of friends has changed a bit too.
  12. I am fond of thyme, especially in making croutons and I think that Anne Burell says it well: "I don't have time for thyme." as she throws in a little bundle tied up in string to be fished out later. That works for me pretty well. HC
  13. I knew a kid in grade school named Michael. Every day he would bring a bologna sandwich on white bread and a small bag of potato chips for lunch. He would unwrap his sandwich from the wax paper and then open the bag of chips and spread the contents out over the opened, flattened bag. He would then take a bite of his sandwich followed by a chip, always starting with the smallest chip in his collection. As he proceeded he would regulate the size of his sandwich bites according to the numbers and size of his chips so that his last bite was always the largest chip in the bag. Many, many, many years later I was working at a defense plant and noticed Michael working as a temp contractor. Once I had verified that it was indeed the Michael from grade school, I brought up the subject of the bologna sandwich and bag of chips. Now keep in mind that both Michael and I were well into our 40's at the time. He told me that there had not been a day since fourth grade that he had not had a bologna sandwich on white bread for lunch and I was so dumbfounded that I never asked about the chips. HC
  14. The first thing that comes to my mind is mustard seed. For years I have wanted to be able to make my own dijon style mustard but always had to tolerate the fact that I could not get a real fine paste. This looks like it might be the solution. Care to give it a try? HC
  15. Chris, My 2 cents, as a Kenmore Elite owner with the "turbo Zone" feature: Frankly, I like it. The model I have is about 3 years old and has a fold down back rack such that you can accomodate both large (think crock pot and braising pot situations) as well as smaller applications for the "turbo zone". Some considerations: There are warnings in the literature not to wash jars with the labels still on as the paper will clog the jets. This tells me that there is no grinder feature that perhaps should be an option. I happen to be a hopeless saver of small jars for impromptu salad dressings , rubs and marinades and wish this was not an issue, but I deal with it. When you opt for the turbo zone feature, the cycle time is pretty long, something I have also grown to accept. I went with the stainless tub, but intend to be in my house for quite a while. In your case, I wouldn't. Perhaps the two things that stand out in my mind the most are these, it gets the dishes and glasses remarkably clean and it is quiet, quiet, quiet! Consumers Guide was right on in those respects. With regards to installation, I did it myself, but have done others before. Keep in mind that you are probably going to have to replace the hot water shut-off valve as part of the process so it depends on how you feel about that. HC
  16. Not too long ago there was a piece in Cooks Illustrated about crispy chicken skin. The bottom line was to dry the skin out by leaving it uncovered overnight in the fridge and using baking powder as an ingrediant in the rub. I have tried this with quite good results. There is only a bit of salt left behind by the baking powder because it breaks down in the cooking process and the skin is noticably crispier. They also mention separating the skin from the meat by runnining your fingers in between the skin and the breast meat, which I do anyway because I like to take the pieces of chicken fat that I pull out of the cavity and push them up under the breast skin to baste it as it cooks. HC
  17. We saw the movie last w/e and enjoyed it quite a bit. I know that I enjoyed it more for having read "My Life in France", but it was orverall good in my opinion, regardless. I do think that MS did a masterful job in that there were times that I could close my eyes and think it was JC speaking. It did renew my interest in MTAoFC and inspired me to go find it and start reading it again. HC
  18. I suggest Kono's Cafe at the base of Crystal Pier in PB for the sausage, egg, cheese, potato and avocado breakfast burrito with pica sauce on the side. So big, it's best shared, so good, it's unforgettable. You'll be hard pressed to try anything else. Order inside, then pick your table across the street and watch the surf as you wait for delivery. After breakfast you can take a stroll out on the pier to check the fishing and surfing action. HC
  19. FG, It's that kind of passion for life writing that kept me coming back to Fat-Guy.com from the moment I stumbled upon it, years ago. More, please! HC
  20. A caesar salad made table-side included raw eggs. HC
  21. I greatly enjoyed Julia Child's "My Life in France" and Jacques Pepin's "the Apprentice". I recently finished "Living in a Foreign Language": A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Love in Italy by Michael Tucker and enjoyed it and recommend it just about as much. This was followed by "Mediterranean Summer": A Season on France's Cote d'Azur and Italy's Costa Bella by David Shalleck with Erol Munuz. He was the chef aboard a luxury sailing yacht in the Med with very strict owners, a good food and travel read. Currently I am halfway through "A Vineyard in Tuscany": A Wine Lover's Dream by Ferenc Mate and only dream I could be so lucky! HC
  22. I love quality breads, meats and cheeses alot too, but also think that any place that you can get a great cup of soup and order a good salad and get quality greens that are as clean and fresh as if you prepared it for yourself would put you head and shoulders above most. I find it surprising how difficult it can be to find that. It is critical, I think. to be able to depend on a steady supply of fresh greens and a staff that you can count on to never send out a romain rib that is too thick or brown ended, no matter what, is part of it. HC
  23. We were recently at a champagne brunch at the Mohegan Sun. There was a pasta station where the guy would create a pasta dish in a made to order pan sauce. The inherant problem with this is that you don't get to taste the work in progress. If you were making it yourself and tasting, you know what to add. Deb had him make a lobster fra diavolo with penne pasta that I thought was remarkably good. I remember thinking though, that I would like to add a little more garlic, a pinch of crushed red pepper, a good splash of vodka, a bit of heavy cream followed by the chunks of precooked lobster meat and the cooked pasta. Now I 'm getting hungry. HC
  24. Thanks for that bloviatrix. I'll be sure and look for them next season. I now realize that the proper spelling is "Shishito" and I hope that a moderator can correct the topic line.HC Edited to say Thanks!
  25. I am not sure of the proper spelling, but My Google produced the same pepper for both shishitso and shishitsou. HC
×
×
  • Create New...