dondford

I will be in the Bath ME area next week and love whole belly clams. Please recommend places in the Bath area for good fried whole belly clams. Thanking you in advance for your assistance. Don

Does anyone know of a restaurant that serves whole belly clams in Atlanta or a seafood market that sells them? Thanks, D

I had a good garlic crop this year and wanted to store some in oil in the fridge; I have done this in the past with no problem. I have read several warning lately about the danger of botulism using this method. I see minced garlic in oil in the grocery store and assume they use some type pf preservative. I am wondering if adding a pinch of pink salt may be a good idea. What do you guys think. Don

I recall reading a biscuit recipe that called for no measuring tools; all the measurements were “handful”. “one finger pinch”, “two finger pinch”, etc. I cannot locate this recipe. Have any of you seen such a recipe. Thanks for any assistance. Don

I need to take a Banana Pudding to a party but are short on time. If I cooked the pudding the night before or the morning before the party would it keep ok in the fridge. How about putting it together but not brown the meringue just before serving?? Any help appreciated. D

Nantahala Outdoor Center http://www.noc.com/resort_dining.html- Not in Robbinsville, but a "must see" while in the area. Take US 28 south to the intersection of hwy 19, take a left and head down into the Natahala Gorge. The road will follow the Nantahala River for 6-7 miles to the NOC. Several restaurants and even a wine and beer shop. The Nantahala Village http://www.nvnc.com/ is a few mile future up the mountain and also has a nice restaurant with great food. Enjoy the area. D

I forgot to mention; I have a gallon of Vanilla Extract working also; same question for the beans I will strain out of the extract. maybe an idea for the extract beans and sugar beans used together. D

I have made 10 lbs. of Vanilla Sugar for Christmas gifts and will sift out the split and scrapped beans out in a couple of weeks. The last time I checked the beans were all sugary. I hate to throw these beans away. Anyone have any ideas for a use for these sugared split Vanilla Beans? Thanks, Don

I wife and I went to one of our favorite restaurants the other night. We normally receive good service there but that night was terrible; everything went wrong. The wait service was very slow and poor, the bar drinks was off and orders mixed up and the steaks was over cooked. I did call the manager over and complained to him; but I am wondering how to handle the tip in the case of poor wait service. I normally tip at least 20 % and in the cases where the bar or kitchen service is sub-par, but the wait service is good I reason the waiter has noting to do with the poor service and tip them normally. But the question is how to tip poor wait service; I was inclined to leave nada, but did leave around 15%. What say you? Don

Check out the link to "dogs with natural casing" the Forum inserted in your post. Now that's too funny; I just hope your future customers don't see it. Good luck with your Brew Pub. Don

That's what I'm talking about, thanks. I will do this test and report back. Don

Thax

Has anyone taken cheap grocery store Balsamic Vinegar and reduced it for a more real Balsamic Vinegar taste? Is it worth the effort. Don

[quote= Without even taking a breath he said "juniper."

Gwan - cha - lay. Thanks! I will pick up my pork belly and jowl today. I will make my second batch of Pancetta with the belly (I have become addicted to the stuff) and my first Guanciale with the jowl. Yours looks great and I'm sure it will turn out great. D

Thanks, Guys. One more question. How us Guanciale pronounced?? D

Bud: Thanks for the recipe; it is more complete in the instructions than the Babbo recipe. it also doesn't address whether or not top remove the skin from the jowl. Both recipes address removing the glands. this recipe refers to them as "tiny bubbles". Is it a problem seeing them all and really important to remove them all? Don

I have scored some hog jowl and want to try my hand at Guanciale; I plan to using the Babbo recipe. I do have one question: do I remove the skin first before salting? I had good luck with my first Pancetta and I removed the skin from it. Any help, please. Don

Speaking of Chicken Skin I have discovered the most wonderful snack food.. Kims Chicken Cracking (the Deep South version of Gribenes)! They are made in Clarksdale, MS by a Chinese guy. They are not distributed in my part of the country, but every couple of months I call them at 662-627-2389 and order a case. They don't take Credit Card orders, but you can pay via PayPal. Give them a try, you may like me, become addicted. Don

Your Swimming Scallops look very similar to the Bay or Calico Scallops we pick up in St. Joseph Bay in the panhandle of Fla. Next time I'm down there I am going to simply take the "bull by the horns" wade out, pick some up, shuck one and eat the whole thing raw and see what happens. What's the worse that can happen. Don

"Guts and all"? I had a couple dozen oysters on the half shell for lunch and they were great; I guess I was eating "guts and all". D

Sumac lemonade is made from the red berry clusters found on live Sumac bushes. Pull the entire clusters off, wash as little as possible (the more you wash them, or if picked after a rain the weaker the tea will be). Seep in water and sweeten to taste. Good luck. Don

The only part of the scallops, either Bay or Sea Scallops, found in the markets that I have seen was only the white adductor muscle. I am referring to the whole body of the scallop, including the adductor muscle. I guess it may a little like Clam Strips vs Whole Clams including the Belly D

I have never seen a recipe or heard mention of eating whole Scallops; Oysters, Clam and Mussels are all eaten whole either cooked or raw. Why not Scallops? D

Yes, I rinsed it pretty well, but only enough to get most of the curing mix off. I did not soak it, but rolled after I had air dried it awhile. Don