Dr. Teeth

The guests in question are Maryland natives and so mostly eat blue crab. Or similar. I’m originally from Boston, so I think crab is what people eat when there’s no more lobster

Only 10 diners. But traditions being what they are, it would be nice to be able to easily scale it up and down. ive done some things with a Mornay sauce before, including crab pizza. Got tired of struggling with the pizza oven on the back porch in December. Legal used to do a seafood casserole in a jack Mornay with sherry. Theirs usually had scallops, but I liked the idea of being flexible on the seafood. Bought some ceramic crab shells (which are a thing in Maryland or were in the 60’s) but they were a bit small for what I was thinking. I think they were usually for crab imperial edit: spellchecker

Seven Fishes time again. Literally my favorite food day of the year. Basic format for me is cold apps, hot apps and then a seated dinner, usually just pasta and a salad. Goal is for folks to be about 60% full before they sit down. I used to do a baked fish course after pasta, but folks were usually just full (We do a lot of apps) Plan for this year: Smoked Oysters (every year) Seafood Salad w/ shrimp, squid, scungilli (every year) Cocktail Shrimp (every year) Some sort of smoked fish on bread thing (wife makes, I stay out of the way) hot apps: Baked stuffed clams ( every year) Grilled Octopus (guests are bringing) Elusive second hot app. ceasar salad stuffed squid (oldest sons pasta choice) Looking for help with the second hot app. I’ve tried a fair number of things over the years. Crab dip, mushroom caps stuffed with crab, salt cod brandade. Nothing has really felt right. We have a couple of picky eaters among our guests, but they will both eat anything with crab in it and I feel the need to have everyone get enough to eat. Ideal would be both having seafood and being recognizable as Italian, but I can be flexible to an extent. If possible, I’d rather not fry anything ( too last minute and messy)

Thank you, sir. Murrays Cheese is also running a 25% off sale.

I’m aware I may be coming off as a bit dopey, but 25% off is a real sale then? That’s not just where the prices hang out?

Looking to buy another falk copper pan. Copper pans has them at 25% off. Frankly I’ve been stalking and waiting for a sale for years, so long that I forgot the what I was looking for after taking a break. Is 25% a real sale or is this the standard discount? Sorry for the very peculiar question.

I don’t consider my children to be guests.

Love all the pictures. Learn so much from you folks on this thread. Kerala or BTByrd, if at some point you would summarize your experience into a list of favorites, I’d be in your debt. Not to derail, but Trader Joe’s Trout has been one of my daily drivers following a suggestion from BlueDolphin. Last visit, they were gone and there was no tag in the isle where the trout should have been. A bit worried as I had noticed the price had jumped quite a bit in the last 6 months and I know Trader Joe’s will move on from a product when the numbers don’t make sense. Trout missing around you folks too? And any recommendations for a substitute product?

Dishes I’m most proud of, recipes I am most careful to teach the kids are those that turn food destined for the garbage bin into dinner: fried rice, Mac and cheese, quiche, vegetable curries, vegetable stir frys. I scrape a bit too. Experiment with cocktails involving alcohol poured into jelly/jam jars with small amounts remaining. Too many years as a starving college student, research assistant, med student, resident.

It’s not about there being two starches, it’s about guests choosing two starches on the menu, and frankly not from a list of choices. But as I said, it’s best for me not to give my annoyance any oxygen. Both your starches sound great.

A smoked turkey, having switched from a roasted turkey to ham and then a smoked turkey following a badly timed stove death a few years back, I’m never going back to roast or fried turkey. Wife’s niece requested mashed potato and then asked to make a stuffing as well (I have complicated feelings it’s best not give too much oxygen to about guests requesting two starches) Making Mac and cheese with oldest son, sweet potato with the youngest son and two cranberry sauces. Probably going to do Copes creamed corn with the leftovers. We do a brunch for 25 on one of the mornings following the Thanksgiving before everyone goes home

As Rotus said, it doesn’t do very well as it ages. Even bought from a respectable fish market, it can be very oily and fishy. Fresh caught it can be a revelation. Legal seafood, before Jasper White was brought in to ruin the menu, used to serve it broiled with a mustard sauce. I’ve tried to copy it myself, 2/3 brown mustard, 1/3 soy sauce and a bit of olive oil comes fairly close

Me as well. Not even close. I’ve tried a number of fancy ones, but I find I rather like Penzeys

Don’t mean to interrupt your flow, it’s a fascinating thread, but I thought sculpins were ray finned fish. That doesn’t seem to be one. Are you sure your identification is accurate?

Thanks for the prompt response. Need to confirm with Mrs Dr Teeth before I commit.

Are there still openings? And uhh, is there a minimum skill/experience level? I know nothing about chocolate.

Haven’t been to Chang Chang, but have eaten at a number of Peter Changs other places. He’s been a sort of local darling for a while, and deservedly so, his food is usually elegant and fun at the same time. Not a lot else near me. Maybe I could get tot the two in Philadelphia or the one in Somerville when I go to see my parents.

I bought as well, with largely the same logic

Welcome. Great to meet you. Look forward to your contributions.

Due to a desire to cook fish twice a week (falling short) I recently added Hank Shaw’s Hook, Line and Supper and Josh Niland’s The Whole Fish. Hook, Line and Supper is a favorite. Unique, deals with fish prep, storage, cooking at all levels. Recipes tend to be simple and fun. Uses all varieties of fish and is adaptable. I like it enough to have already gifted a copy to a friend. The Whole Fish is one of a few cookbooks I’ve bought (and I probably have 300-500, it’s best not to know exactly) that I’d be just as happy donating or giving away. It’s very chefy (which is not in itself a bad thing) with a lot of ideas for aging fish. He’s also Australian (again, really not in itself a bad thing) and cooks with fish I can’t get and aren’t familiar with. l’m aware this is a me thing, not about his ability or the book. With ideas like aging fish, I’m less comfortable making substitutions blindly and require some more hand holding. Maybe it’s a great book, but not for me.

I mostly cook greens. Yes, in pork fat on your recommendation. Is it commonly used with greens? If so, any in particular?

Before we move on from this ingredient I had a few questions. I bought a canister of the tototle brand from Amazon after reading the Turkey and the Wolf cookbook where Mason Hereford uses it a number of ways as a “secret ingredient” - granules, as mentioned by an earlier poster. Anyway, I’m not bothered by the ingredient list and Hereford uses it a number of ways where “good old chicken stock,” really isn’t a substitute. I also assume given how often it’s referenced in videos on Chinese cooking that I’ve eaten a fair amount of it in takeout without knowing it. If I,m trying to recreate those dishes I’m happy to use it rather than substitute. But it’s a large canister. And large canisters that don’t get used irritate Mrs Dr Teeth. You reference its use in stir fry. Any more specifics on how to incorporate it?

DARTO pans is offering a limited run of their carbon steel pans in higher gauge steel than usual. Not a sale, but their pans tend to be rather inexpensive and well regarded.

Me too. By request of our guests. Otherwise wings. Guests are bringing queso dip and pizza I think. First year in a long time I’m not really sure who I want to win. Mostly just looking forward to the ads and halftime show (my middle son putting on a wing eating symposium, not Usher)

I put beans in the freezer routinely. In all honesty, there is probably some small decrement in quality compared to the ones that just go straight into the grinder, more pronounced in lighter roasts than in darker ones (to my palate, in my experience). I’ve found that placing them in a vacuum seal ( food saver, nothing fancy) mitigates this somewhat as does a shorter stay in the freezer. Also, to the extent it makes a difference, I use a drip coffee machine. If you’re really into coffee and use a French press, a pour over or frankly just have a better palate you may notice it more. Or less, I dunno.