bavila

I will say unabashedly that I am a better cook than all but one of my immediate circle of friends. Even my husband the non-cook has some anxiety about how well a dish will turn out -- though neither of us give too much thought to the status of origin of our food. Ok, well, maybe we brag a bit about our CSA produce and our beyond-organic meats, but that's a greener-than-thou issue. Here on the boards, though, I cower in my unworthiness to be surrounded by such culinary prowess. There. I admit it. You all scare me.

Busboy -- dude, I am so there. We in the metro area may hold your feet to the fire on this one. Oh, and (assuming you were the one who moved it) let me know when you move my thread, will 'ya? I usually pay little attention to people reporting a restaurant to have "the best crabcakes" cuz they are usually people whose culinary opinion I don't respect otherwise. What does that tell us? And if mediocre restaurants with mediocre cakes are the ones getting talked about, does that mean it's just a dish I'd like better in a home kitchen (like Busboy's...)? I actually like a little fresh corn with my crab, maybe because one of my favorite things in the world is crab and corn bisque. Otherwise, I'd vote for the purist route.

Maybe it takes a non-native of Maryland to pose the question, what is the big deal about crabcakes? And more specifically, why the great argument over who has "the best" crabcake? There's no great mystery to the ingredients (lots of crab! big hunks of lumpmeat! no breadcrumbs!) or the technique (broiled, fried, or if your lucky, grilled). I could see having a strong preference for a crab source -- Maryland or Carolinas or the Gulf -- but most people don't seem to know or care the source of their favorite crabcake purveyor's crab. So why do Marylanders rant and rave about their favorite crabcakes? Are there deeper (or more shallow) issues here? And just for argument's sake, my favorite crabcake of all time was a grilled Dungeness crabcake served with a bit of mango jalapeno chutney in Poulsbo, Washington. (are these fightin' words? )

Yes! Thank you!

Can anyone here help me find a post (or poster) with a gorgeous rhubarb upside down cake? It looked like a tile mosaic with rhubarb sliced into little rectangles. It may have been in the Dinner thread, but that's a lot of pages to muck through. The post was earlier this year. Thanks!

My hometown, Lafayette, Louisiana had pelicans (the state bird). When I lived in Norfolk, Virginia it was mermaids. I worked in Washington, DC and there were donkeys and elephants (symbols of our two major political parties for those outside the US). I honestly can't remember if there have been any here. If there were I suppose they'd be either crabs or sailboats. Maybe blue herons. Of all these, the donkeys and elephants were my favorites.

Really... and can you believe they're boiling crawfish at Windsor Court? It just seems wrong, somehow. Shipping a large batch of crawfish for a meal works great, (though my usual source Cajun Grocer is on shit list right now -- they told me they were sending me seasoning with the 100 pounds I ordered last week, didn't send any, and now are giving me grief about reimbursing me for the seasoning I had to run around town for an hour before 50 people showed up at my house. Grrrrrr.).

Here's an email I received this morning from a friend. I too am unconvinced that pick-your-own is particularly economical for my uses, but it is a fun experience. Hi. For more than 20 years I've enjoyed going, on Memorial Day Saturday, out to the strawberry U-pick on Mt. Airy Road in Davidsonville. Not expecting to be out there by 8:30 tomorrow morning as you sometimes have to be (and wanting to vary from tradition), I went this afternoon (sorry I didn't manage to coordinate with anyone to go). I've never seen a crop like this! Ripe berries and those that would be ripe by the time I got home were clustered together on nearly every plant. I picked just a few feet of the row and my box was full. I'd finished before I knew it. This farm has hours every day this weekend (I don't remember Sunday hours in the past) and the tape on its phone doesn't even say "until picked out," although I'm sure the fields will be picked out before the announced closing time (at least on Saturday). But this isn't a year when you have to be there before 8:30 Saturday or you'll be out of luck. So if you were thinking of going, or if you weren't but it sounds like fun now that I mention it, this is a good time to plan a trip to a U-pick. This one's announced hours are 8 to 2 through Monday and back to 9 to 5 on Tuesday. (Great for kids, no pets allowed in the field.) If it's getting late or it's into next week, you might want to call and listen to the taped message to make sure you're not too late. The tape at either of these numbers should say it's Mt. Airy U-Pick and the Hopkins residence: (410) 798-1862 (410) 798-0838 Happy spring edging into summer, however you're spending the weekend!

That's funny. I can't believe I haven't heard that before. And speaking of lobsters, is the "lobster crisis" over yet? I haven't been following this lately...

Oh my. What an understatement. Anyway. Back to topic. eGullet member Marcelle Bienvenu coauthored a book on this subject, "Stir the Pot". (how do I add one of those flamingo colored tags here?) Since I don't see that anyone else has addressed the crawfish question, I'll answer. They are freshwater crustaceans closely related to and resembling lobsters. And $6.99 a pound for boiled then frozen whole crawfish is a ludicrous price, IMO, though that's probably what the market bears in a vast area that doesn't have a local source. I just ordered some live from crawfish last week from Louisiana that was overnighted for $3.40 (American) a pound including shipping. So Peter, how'd your culinary interests and talents develop? And kudos to you for feeding your kids what you eat.

Bump! We'll be in Nags Head the first week of August, so I thought I'd renew this thread for any recent developments. Any specific BBQ recs? Thanks!

Who says toddlers want Pirate Booty? They want fiddleheads!

Hi Peter, As a Cajun born and bred in Louisiana, I'm eager to see all of Acadia that you can show us. As a mother of two small children, I'm wondering how in the world you keep yours away from those glass canisters on the butcher block.

I admit some reluctance in telling you this, but you're wrong about the eggs. Arrowhead Farm (guy in a straw hat with a mustache on the side that's away from both Riva Rd. and Harry S. Truman Blvd.) sells eggs for $2.25 a dozen. I'm reluctant to publicize this because sometimes last summer he'd run out before I got to him. Though this spring I haven't had any problem, and he told me he has more birds this year than last. He has no sign up for the eggs, and you won't see them cuz they're in a cooler. I'm just hoping for strawberries in case I can't get out to pick soon. ETA: The herbalist had some really cool sprout mixes a couple of weeks ago and said she should have them until it gets "too hot". One was grains (amaranth, wheat, etc.), another greens (arugula and co.), and a third was legumes (chickpeas and friends). I think she said there was a fourth that she didn't have on hand, but I may be wrong. Another new item this year is pretty good bread boules, $4-5 each, sold by a vendor positioned between the two shelters.

Another reason to be homesick this time of year. I'm so glad Ashley's carrying on.

You rock, DTBarton! I suppose a google search might have turned that up for me, but I will add this to my list of lamentations about not having a lifestyle that supports listening to NPR. I'd still love to read more...Mayhaw Man? Varmint? Phlawless? You out there? Hell, Chufi's probably ventured into Fannie Flagg-dom too. I must also consider who is green tomato-worthy as they will still be in short supply locally for a few months....

My parents flew in from Louisiana last night with half a dozen green tomatoes from their garden. My dad lamented, "You'll just have to force ripen them." And I said, "No way, I want to fry those puppies!" I don't, however, have a foolproof method or recipe. When I've made them in the past, it seems the batter doesn't want to stick (that was a cornmeal batter I believe), and the tomatoes are either too mushy or too hard. Does anyone have the ultimate fried green tomatoes receipt? I'd love to reproduce the Upperline (New Orleans) version with shrimp remoulade. Any insiders' secrets?

I'm going to say sweetbreads! They scare me too.

Well, I found this interview from NPR/Living on Earth regarding a seafood company in Maine that had started a compost business of sorts. Seems the chitin was actually desirable as a bug repellant (not sure what bugs yet), and it was mixed with sawdust for a carbon source to balance the nitrogen. Maybe I'll just need a good carbon source to mix in -- good thing I've got at least a dozen mature trees on my property and a pile of leaves still hanging around from the fall. To avoid the stink, I think my friend's mom has just buried the shells so they weren't exposed to open air. Not sure how that worked out for her. I'd definitely need to keep them away from the kids. Will keep you all abreast of my findings...

Hey y'all, Getting ready for our annual boil in the midst of lots of spring gardening, which has me wondering, wouldn't those leftover shells make excellent compost? Anyone do this? Any tips? My dad seems to think I'd need to rinse them out, but that doesn't seem necessary to me. Thanks!

Thanks for letting us know, cheese. I'll have to see how much French I can summon from my memory. And it's good to see the word "paque" in print. I've paqued eggs all my life (quite successfully, I might add) but never known how to spell it.

I understand this criticism, and have read it before. However, my mind must be wired similarly to Kafka's because it works for me! She also runs down basic prep (including microwave instructions, as she is a proponent of microwave cooking), canning, storing, etc. These are at the end of the book, which to me is easier if I just want to know how long to steam kabocha rather than find a full-fledged recipe. You should try to check these books out from your library and try them on for size. The ones you renew three times are worth buying.

Anyone know if Bat is still kickin'? I happily look forward to standing in a long line to get in on my next visit.

To add a wrinkle, parents have been asked to bring foods that are "organic or local". I'm guessing that excludes food coloring. My latest thought is to make cupcakes iced in vanilla and chocolate frosting and arranging them to look like a globe/map. Am I insane? I also thought about doing something with the four elements, but that may be a bit too abstract for 3-4 year olds.

Vegetable love by Barbara Kafka has been great for me. Looking forward to putting some more miles on it soon. Good topic. Interesting, though that one has to look so specifically for cookbooks that focus on produce, isn't it? Most are so protein-centric. A reflection of our diet, I suppose.