Peter the eater

We served: Fresh home-made Cheese home-made bread from a mix of wheat and barley flours "Roasted Ox" (Beef roasted with carrots, celery and onions) Honey Mustard Sauce Poached Salmon Norse Porridge - made from barley, fresh peas & milk (really good!) Dried-fruit custard tart Home-grown Apple-sauce and Mock Mead (a spiced honey drink) because it was a "dry" site That all sounds so good, and nutritious. I've been thinking on this feast so long now, I'm of the mind that whatever gets cooked and eaten -- it's got to be outdoors. In a backyard or theatre tailgate, no roof. No garbage cans either, just a communal green bin.

I agree. That goes for almost any lean & gamey meat. So how do you do the 5 hour version? I don't own a gun but I'm very happy to have good friends that do, and like me, they enjoy bartering. Sometimes it's a basement poker game, either way there's no GST. Right know I'm doing Venison Stew from The Silver Pallette for the first time. I skipped the part where you burn off the gin (I just can't bring myself to do that to Blue Sapphire) and I don't have any chicken livers handy, and no juniper berries, but other than that . . .

I had a black epoxy resin cutting board for about ten years before it wore out. It was actually the cut-out for a stainless steel sink that was going into a new laboratory in Langley, BC. I was an intern architect at the time an asked the subcontractor for the piece, since it was headed for the trash. It eventually got quite scratched up, plus it was black - hard to see dark foods sometimes. For most (not all) labs it's the countertop of choice because it's chemically inert and can handle a good range of temperature. For a school like in the case above it's a good choice because it gets a little bit of everything usage-wise. These counters often come with a marine edge -- a raised edge to prevent spills from pouring onto the floor. I wouldn't like this feature in my own kitchen. Last time I checked, which was a long time ago, epoxy resin countertops are very expensive.

These are strange times, my fridge is in unfamiliar territory. Lobster and tenderloin is unusually affordable these days.

This brings up an interesting question to me as I occasionally cook for gluten intolerant friends: What other grains CAN you make a roux with? Does rice flour work outside the microwave? (white or bown?) What about corn or potato or amaranth or chickpea? I'm sure that wheat is the best but are there acceptable alternatives? ← My trials were far from scientific, but I agree it's worth investigating. The white rice flour turned into something like wallpaper paste. I think corn starch worked. Also, my microwave results are not as consistent as they are with old school roux. Sometimes an explosive boil in the microwave makes a big mess, or a Ghostbusteresque slime.

Heidi: Eggplant parma has big obscenity potential, especially with the bread you describe. johnnyd: I'm back in Shad Bay after New Year's. Octaveman: I know you're in that photo. Lilija: breaded chicken, pepperoni, prosciutto -- together at last. RD: I like them both.

I got an answer: Ungraded beef is white cow meat at which time there is no Canadian grading system therefore it must be labeled by Canadian Inspection Agency standards as ungraded or unclassified. Ungraded product offers a very similar eating experience to Grade AA meat for cuts like tenderloin. This product is often used in the foodservice industry. ← I've been obsessed with these tenderloins for 2 weeks now, so I went back and got a small one. I also got the $4.99 12" chef's knife, it weighs 150g less than my 10" Grohman but WOW it cuts -- and it's over $100 less. The beef is extremely tender, but would lose to a AAA beef tenderloin in a taste/flavor test.

I've never seen so many lobster trucks around -- they're everywhere. A guy from down the South Shore (3 hours away) set up in the WalMart parking lot charging a mere $4/lb. I could resist no longer and got 2 X 1.5 lb for $12 CAD. Made an obscene sandwich.

After four hours of Christmas shopping we finally made it home, tired and hungry. Once the kids were fed, I asked my wife a question . . . PtE: So what should we have? Wife: A sandwich. PtE: What kind of sandwich? Wife: A good one. With lots of stuff. PtE: What kind of stuff? Wife: You figure it out, something unusual. Something obscenely good. PtE: You want an obscene sandwich? Wife: Yes I do. Beef tenderloin and lobster tail on toasted light rye, with port & morel "mayo", and homemade bacon chips with horseradish sauce.

I never thought to google it. I came across this technique by accident in my own kitchen. I enjoy making roux the traditional way, so I rarely use this novel approach. I've tried it with a few different flours types -- rice was a disaster, all-purpose white is best. The flour has to go on top of the oil, and it works better with a broad and shallow container -- so the layers are thinner.

I could mistake homemade roux for storebought, but if a skilled Cajun elder made it before my eyes I'm sure it would just be better. No time to make a roux? Try my method, faster than a cowboy whitewash: 1. put 1/4 cup water in a glass jar 2. add 1/8 cup canola oil 3. dump 2 or 3 tablespoons flour 4. microwave on high for 20 - 45 seconds, depending on your magnetron 5. shake/stir

I made salmon sausages last summer. Fresh farmed Atlantic salmon trimmings seasoned with dill, stuffed in collagen casings. They were a six out of ten.

Finally, the date has been set for the 23rd of January. Limited North American release. On that Friday, I'll have 30 confirmed snacker/drinkers before the 7:30 show. Another guy has the bar -- it'll be tea, coffee, mead and very strong Danish beer. I've got dibs on a crude (but foodsafe) iron cauldron to be used for the stew. I can also get giant turkey wings and drums, which could make for some oversized (and therefore amusing) finger foods.

When I was a twenty-year-old rube, my (Commerce student) roommate made BMWs -- baloney and Miracle Whip sandwiches. Served on a Wonder Bread hamburger bun. If we were lucky, they'd be PC -- with a slice of processed cheese. I tried to re-create the experience recently and it really, really sucked.

I can assure you I grow more cynical and surly each winter, but it's been such a popular format -- I hate to tinker with a hit. I'll need at least three fortified eggnogs before I fill in the blanks.

It's almost that time of year again. The eGullet Society has a solid tradition of sharing culinary resolutions for the upcoming year. I ask you to fill in the following blanks (which I have swiped from 2 years ago with permission from Pontormo) . . . In 2009, I will eat_________________ I will make_______________ I will find________________ I will learn_______________ I will teach_______________ I will read________________ As always, please feel free to ignore or add blanks.

You didn't mention elk, so I wouldn't have guessed Alberta. What happens to the hide? Alberta actually. No. One deer would never last an entire year. We got through 4-5 a year and this year we got a moose so that will replace more than a couple of deer. Since I've got this one labeled and put in a special spot in the freezer I will only be posting pics and recipes from this specific deer here. Since he was so cleanly killed (I personally hate the word harvested) nearly all of the usable parts are there to be cooked. ←

Do all the G of M shrimp make it to shore whole and unfrozen? When I go to the market for Northern shrimp, it's often coming from a year-round off-shore harvester. The fishing takes place way up north (between Labrador and Greenland) "on muddy bottoms with an otter trawl fitted with a Nordmore grate". I'm not totally sure what that looks like, but it's meant to minimize by-catch and habitat destruction. It's delicious, and Clearwater's pdf says it's sustainable.

What a great surprise to find the start of a fascinating topic. Do you really think such fine looking deer will last a whole year? If we had digital cameras a thousand years ago, there would pictures like your first one -- excited youngsters posing with pride. So, I'm assuming US . . . are you in Minnesota?

How big are they? The shrimp, that is.

Copper pots lined with tin alloy! More easily gouged with a steel edge than non-stick, in my experience.

I'd love to try kangaroo. Is it a common item in the stores and restaurants of Sydney (Australia, that is, not Nova Scotia)?

You're screwed! Just kidding. In my house we have lamb steaks almost as much as beef, usually in the form of loin, rib or shoulder chops. I think they'd be awesome the way you describe. The most significant difference I can think of is doneness -- good beef is delightful at the blue/rare stage whereas lamb, not so much. Medium rare to medium for lamb is ideal IMO.

Why do you prefer the females? Do you taste a difference? ← The females contain the coral or unfertilized roe. It is great stuff to use in sauces and dips or -- as I most commonly eat it -- simply picked from the cooked lobster, mashed with a little butter, salt and pepper and spread on toast. Then again, I use all the green tamale and the white fat too. Stuck in Alberta till summer, the best price I will get is about 9.99 at the Asian markets. ← Right -- I love the roe as well. I misunderstood and thought there was a suggestion of better meat from the female, which would be news to me. $9.99/lb is not so bad, surely less than a year ago?

The grocery stores in Halifax are $7.99/lb. The fish markets are a buck less, and there are plenty of roadside trucks offering $4.99/lb.