Peter the eater
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Posts posted by Peter the eater
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Lo and behold . . .
This recipe comes from Boularderie Island, Cape Breton (where Petra plucked my turkeys last fall!) and possibly from the Outer Hebrides before that. "More of a biscuit than a cookie" says it's author.
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Yesterday's Sunday night dinner was a roast leg of lamb. I bought a whole fresh leg from a nearby farm, took the shank off and boned the thigh. Coarsely chopped garlic, crunchy salt, rosemary and olive oil was applied to the inner side and the whole thing was rolled and tied. The 4 lb roast went in for 2.5 hrs at 350F. Served with pan sauce, gooseberry compote and mint jelly. And a biscuit (that looks like a small head of roasted cauliflower) and a salad.
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In our family "Fat Archies" would never have raisins and were not quite as puffy as the ones shown above. The biggest difference between a fat archie and a regular molasses coookie made by my mama was that the fat archies were made with the bacon grease that was saved in a cup on the stove. When there was enough Mama would make her fat archies for us. I can still taste them now
although I haven't had a cookie made with bacon grease in 25 years or more.Those ones sound very delish. Have you any idea where the name "Fat Archies" comes from?
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. . . . There's a new Canadian regional cookbook out (can't remember the author) and she referred to a NS puffy molasses cookie as a Fat Archie. She also said they were often spread with butter. . . . Have you ever heard this cookie referred to as a Fat Archie?
Yes indeed. In my world, such as it is, a Fat Archie is a big molasses cookie with cinnamon and usually raisins. I think I've always assumed that it was a broader-reaching phenomenon like the Whoopie Pie but now I'm not so sure.
I believe you are referring to Anita Stewart's new book - haven't got it yet but I will because she's quite awesome.
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There are lots of gooseberries around here this time of year - these ones were ripe but still tart and $2 a pint:
I made a 1:2 sugar:water syrup, snipped the tips of the berries and simmered them for a half hour. I got a thick red compote perfect for ice cream, toast, or in this case grilled pork loin, served with brie cremini caps, roasted new potatoes and greens from my garden :
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All the seafood was super fresh - this is by far the most important part. I broke down the flesh into rather small pieces which makes for consistent and total marination plus it gives you a chance to inspect for things that don't belong.
Are there fish or shellfish for which the ceviche treatment isn't enough to make the food safe? I'm thinking particularly of parasites, but also diseases.
Yes, I think there must be plenty of seafood that if you eat it uncooked, well, then you might get into trouble. I'm not energetic enough right now to provide supporting evidence but it's my belief that virtually all seafood parasites that I'm going to come across at my market are completely harmless to humans if ingested alive. If you trust your vendor that it's fresh and handled probably then you're probably okay.
At my Loblaws (Atlantic SuperStore) I've found visible parasites in fresh cod, monkfish and halibut. I just cut them out and cook. For ceviche, I figure if I thinly slice the flesh I'll catch any freeloaders even without a light table.
I'm sure there are some-well established regulations for sashimi restaurants. That would be interesting to know.
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I'll have to take a look at those other fruity ales you mentioned. And that Oatmeal Stout sounds like it would be right up my alley. Did you buy them at the liquor stores? Hopefully I'll be able to find some when I am back in Moncton.
All three were purchased a large NSLC. MCAuslan is only now starting to get it's product into the stores here - the Oatmeal Stout wasn't in the NSLC, I can only find it at the specialty store in Halifax.
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Shuzbot! I used to get Gabriel Byrne, much dishier.
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As a high school student in Brampton, Ontario in the 1980's my grade ten girlfriend's grandmother made me a desert that I still remember - cashews and pistachios and other stuff from a shallow pan. Tasted better than it smelt.
Pretty sure she called it "burfi" which sounds much more palatable than "barfi". Surely they're the same thing.
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I'll start shaving fennel on my next one just to irritate everybody.
Hey . . . I'd eat that!
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Oops, forgot to post the obligatory Peter the Eater and Calipoutine team photo:
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Randi and Robin arrived for lunch and we had five lobster sandwiches to taste and compare:
a. Subway's Lobster sandwich ($8.49 plus tax)
b. McDonald's McLobster sandwich ($5.99 plus tax)
and then three made by me for my guests, all with fresh chunky lobster meat cooked this morning and involving a white top-split hot dog bun:
c. toasted bun, meat mixed with melted garlic butter
d. toasted bun, meat mixed with Hellman's mayonnaise with naked lettuce (iceberg)
e. fresh bun, meat mixed with melted garlic butter, Hellman's mayonnaise and finely chopped celery
The Subway product was a 6" Italian white bread sandwich with mayo and lettuce, plus the lobster meat. I asked the "sandwich artist" for nutritional info but he looked alarmed and suggested the internet. He did show me the bag containing frozen lobster meat from the back room, and he changed his gloves twice while putting it together in front of me! The Subway website is very annoying and I don't think I can get the info unless I fill out a dozen fields to register - no thanks.
McDonald's also had no data to give me, but they proudly said it's 100% Atlantic Canadian lobster meat. I get to McDonald's maybe two or three times a year and it's usually a pleasant experience, very clean with a sense of corporate pride.
The 0.913 kg lobster this morning, after 17 minutes of steam:
McDonald's on the left, Subway on the right:
Contestant c:
Contestant d:
Contestant e:
Uh-oh, in all the excitement that comes with good company and good food - and my sweet 3 yr old daughter puking blueberries on the kitchen floor - I didn't get a shot.
And the results . . .
The numbers are ranks, 1 is best and 5 is worst. Randi abstained from the Subway product, and I now understand why.
It's no surprise that freshly steamed lobster meat that literally grew up across the street is going to jerk one out of the park every time when compared to fast food. I'm prepared to say that the Subway sandwich was twice as bad as the McDonald's product and this is further compounded by the price point. I'm not saying either was actually unpleasant to eat, just that I'll stick to the other items that they do well.
What did I learn? Freezing, shipping, processing and packaging lobster meat the way these chains do is still not enough to remove all virtue. If I were at an event catered with these products I think I'd still go in and sample. If nothing else, I'd be reminded of how transcendental lobster can be when done right.
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wait...mcdonalds has LOBSTER ROLLS???!!
Officially it's called a McLobster.
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Chad, I’m continuing to enjoy your book in a big way. When I first picked it up, I was on my way to a family camping trip so I brought it along for the tent and fireside reading. I believe I was frightening people with my outbursts of laughter as I read your clever words, my face and your dust jacket half lit by flickering embers!
Like any good reference book, I think this one can be enjoyed while read in any order. I haven’t seen mention, but I’d like to hear what thoughts you have on crescent-shaped ulu style knives. I have one from Northern Ontario and I use it all the time – not to scrape hides but to chop herbs and slice pizzas, and more. I’ve never sharpened it but it needs it. I imagine these are a whole category of knife that warrants discussion.
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There's been some good Society discussions about lobsters and lobster rolls, like this one and this one.
There are also some strong opinions about what a lobster roll should be from the Society cooks, chefs, foodies, Yankees, New Englanders, Old Englanders, and the rest.
I'm not in search of perfection but I'm looking forward to lunch tomorrow. I'll be joined by the energetic and enterprising Calipoutine in my home kitchen for some lobster roll making and tasting. Randi's been touring around my province for a week and has graciously accepted my invitation to participate in a casual and purely non-scientific taste test.
I think we'll have five or six entries, most will be made from the 1 kg guy above looking defiant amongst the buns and mayonnaise, but we'll also have Subway's and McDonald's offerings. Some questions remain. Garlic? Lettuce? Celery?
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Thanks Adam for shedding light on the term hodge podge, and also for bringing to my attention The Art and Mystery of Food. I've enjoyed your posts for years now, particularly where seafood is involved, but never got around to clicking your link.
I've posted an excerpt from that book put together by Marie Nightingale at the bottom of post #47 talking about spruce beer. You're right it's an excellent resource and it came out ahead of the pack when there was nothing like it around.I think that food history in Nova Scotia is really interesting. I have a book called "Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens" which gives a good account of some of the food traditions of the region. A lot of the recipes (like the hodge podge) have a very 18th century feel to them.
Check out post #4 upthread.Can you still get "Solomon Gundy" cured herring in Nova Scotia? -
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One of my favourite summer beers is from the Pumphouse Brewery, which is located in my hometown of Moncton, NB. Their Blueberry Ale is quite tasty and I'm looking forward to having a few while sitting on their patio on a hot, summer day when I'm back there next week. I'm not usually a fan of ale beers and am more of a dark/stout beer drinker. But the Blueberry Ale is an exception for me.
Indeed, the Pumphouse Blueberry Ale is a standout for me, as you can see from the photo we keep a few fruity ales around this time of year. Garrison's Raspberry Wheat and St. Abroise Apricot Ales are also excellent summer sippers. The latter is from McAuslan Brewery in Montreal which is why it didn't make my top local ten list. They also make an Oatmeal Stout which is out of this world! A chocolaty black pour with molasses and coffee notes . . . a head of light tan and tenacious lacing . . . mmmmmm.
I can only wonder what spruce beer tastes like, or if one can dry out the spent ingredients for firewood.
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Halifax is loaded with great dining options as members have mentioned above. Chives is always excellent, Chefs Flinn and Lewis do great work with local fresh stuff - and I think they're adding a take-out. Oddly enough I've never made it to Jane's on the Common even though a close colleague designed the interior, so I can only say I hear good things.
The best and most up to date guide for Halifax dining that I've seen is from The Coast (click) magazine's free guide called Food & Drink Halifax. I think it's still in the newspaper boxes around the city, and it's free.
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If you drive to Peggy's Cove you'll go right by my house! It's a sight worth seeing but it's really just a lighthouse and a small fishing village with one restaurant. It's quite crowded there in the summer months - they usually get 750,000 visitors per year.In Halifax, we are renting a car. Right now we are torn between taking a drive to Peggy's Cove or going to Lunenburg.Lunenburg is a bit farther but there's lots more there in the food department, plus it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site with lots to see and do.
Would that be Donelda's Puffin Boat Tour or the Bird Island Tour? I hear they're both good. For well-priced good seafood I like The Lobster Galley in St. Anne's.And in Sydney, we are driving up to Big Bras d'Or to go on a bird watching boat tour. -
Great serving idea. Did the grapefruit and dill play nicely together?
Thanks Chris, I think the dill and grapefruit were fully compatible. I think it's best to have a least some allium in the mix - garlic, red onion, scallion, chive, whatever.
Some guests were quite hesitant to slam back an ounce of raw fish never mind what herbs and citrus were used! We got a few converts that day.
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I've been thinking about beer . . .
Every country in every region around the globe seems to have a variant. Off the top of my head, I can think of a dozen or so Nova Scotian breweries. Some are better than others, here's a list of my faves:
7. John Shippey's Brewing Company
9. Moosehead
Numbers 9 and 10 are actually in New Brunswick but they're close enough. All of these places have at least some excellent products - personally I like the microbrews the best, and I rarely buy the same beer two times in a row.
For the hardcore traditionalists, consider spruce beer:
"Take 7 pounds of good spruce and boil it until the bark comes off. Take the wood out and add 3 gallons of molasses and boil again scumming frequently. Cool, then add a pint of yeast and mix well. Put it in a barrel and let it work for three days, keep filling it up as it works out. Bung with a tent peg to give it a vent now and then. Use in 2 or 3 days."
- paraphrased T.H. Raddall's 1949 work "Halifax, Warden of the North".
A more practical approach from Marie Nightingale's 1970 book "Out of Old Nova Scotia's Kitchens" :
"Dissolve 1.5 c sugar in a 1 qt of boiling water. Add 3 qt cold water and 1 tsp vanilla. Sprinkle on 5 packages of dry yeast and combine. Lastly add 2-3 tbsp spruce extract. Cover and set in a warm place to ferment for 12-16 hrs. Remove scum and bottle. Keep in a cool place."
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I knew there was a ceviche cook-off around here somewhere!
Yesterday afternoon we had a backyard birthday party with around thirty people and I served an icy tray of ceviche shooters:
The night before, I mixed sashimi grade tuna, sea scallops and salmon in grapefruit/lime juice with zest. I added a little salt, sugar and cayenne pepper to taste as well as chopped dill.
All the seafood was super fresh - this is by far the most important part. I broke down the flesh into rather small pieces which makes for consistent and total marination plus it gives you a chance to inspect for things that don't belong.
The grapefruit juice was fine but I think I'll omit the zest next time, too bitter. Some onions or shallots would have been good in the mix. The photo doesn't quite show it but the trio of seafood colors looked great - purple tuna, orange salmon and white scallops.
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Silence of the Lambs
I'm trying to remember ANY food that seemed palatable---there was the fava/Chianti mention which is now practically a bumper-sticker, then the tray in the open-air-barred cell, and a lovely FBI cake---plus whatever unspeakable detritus was on Bill's cluttered stove.
I've read it---autographed by the author (also had dinner with his Mom several times---she has never seen it or read one of his books) ---and have seen it a few times, but cannot imagine thinking of it as a "food" movie.
Thomas Harris is a hell of a story teller, did his mom order anything unusual for lunch?
I agree the Hannibal movies are hardly about food but there are plenty culinary references to amuse and disturb. I finally saw Hannibal Rising a few weeks ago - not without problems but definitely a flick I'd recommend. One mark of a good film is how long it stays with you - there are some powerful scenes from Hannibal Rising that are still haunting my memory. And there's also the talk of ortolans.
Leg of Lamb
in Cooking
Posted
As you well know, lamb is a beautiful thing!
What I like about this preparation is that you get a crunchy brown shell on the outside with the meat getting a bit more pink as you get nearer the centre, and then BAM! the sharp garlic and rosemary is waiting for you.
We had cold lamb sandwiches for lunch today - the brown pan sauce (okay, it's gravy) spreads like peanut butter after a night in the fridge.
I find the frozen lamb from down under is good, but I just know I could pick out the fresh local stuff in a blind taste test - it's as much a texture thing as it is a flavour thing.