Dave the Cook

We had a bottle of this last night with a creamy mushroom soup (really unpleasant to look at, but tasty nonetheless). According to the distributor, this should not be a great match They suggest that heartier dishes like steak and beef casseroles (whatever those are) are good accompaniments. We were very happy to pair it with the soup. As for that Kono sauvignon blanc: at a recent wine tasting, I made our host (a sommelier from a local restaurant) very angry when I pointed out that the Kono we were sampling was available at TJs for nine bucks. The event organizers sell the wines we taste, and the Kono was listed at $21. Making my announcement sent several fellow tasters to their phones to check the TJ site. Turns out whatever deal TJ's made did not include Atlanta, because three stores near us don't have it. But Total Wine has it for $13.

I do believe it. It's a step up from the fried bologna sandwiches I made when I was a kid.

Having lived in the south for 55+ years, I knew most of this. But for someone wanting a balanced introduction to barbecue, this is an excellent article. (I admit to never having heard about the Memphis infatuation with smoked bologna, though.)

Toby himself flagged Eliot (and that passage), but he also invoked Bernard De Voto: Link here.

What is that based on? Potatoes are not especially moist -- 80% is not high relative to fruits and vegetables like greens. Consulting the Michigan State University Extension, we find that "Potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions and dry garlic prefer cool, dry conditions . . . (t)hey actually don’t need to be refrigerated at all.

I recommend his blog. It's not just funny; it's also informative. But there's more right her on eG. Waaaaay back in 2003, David -- already an established writer -- contributed a short course to the eG Culinary Institute on food writing. That, and the associated Q&A are both well worth perusing.

Sweet! I don't have one, but I've had my eye on it for a while. I'm really interested in your experiences with it.

I am sure I won't be alone in nominating TJ's Unexpected Cheddar as a go-to for several of us.

Bread pudding is, traditionally, a sweet dish. However, savory versions do exist. In our collection, I found: Spinach-shiitake bread pudding Bread Pudding With Artichokes, Cheddar and Scallions Mushroom Bread Pudding and then, just to throw another wrench in the works, I stumbled across Croque Monsieur Strata Strata with Spinach and Gruyère Strata With Mushrooms and Chard That last recipe, which I got from the New York Times, includes a paraphrase from Martha Rose Shulman where she calls strata "savory bread puddings." So I suppose that often the difference is often just the vessel in which the dish is prepared? I'm not sure what is meant by "homogenized" here, but it's essentially what I thought. I kind of still do. Yes. Every recipe I listed above, as well as every other recipe I came across, at a minimum called for three things: bread, eggs and dairy. The last two create a custard that is used to moisten the (usually stale or dried) bread and make it adhere to itself. Sometimes wine and/or stock is included.

I'm impressed with your fortitude and your inventiveness. What's the difference, if any, between a panade and a bread pudding?

Your voyages are exciting and inspiring. It's heartening to know that there will be a next time.

Seriously? The LCBO is ripping you off in a more offensive manner than usual. https://www.totalwine.com/wine/white-wine/pinot-grigio-pinot-gris/c/000052?&pageSize=24&aty=1,0,0,1&instock=1

Bota also boxes a dry riesling that's well-regarded by peeps who usually review much more expensive wines. We belong to Naked Wines, too, and are also fans of Arabella. One wine of theirs that we have yet to try but is in my basket, is their pinotage. This is a grape that's not found much outside of RSA. We tried another pinotage at a wine tasting a few weeks ago. If you can get a sample, try it with one of those Superburgers you like, especially if you can grill it outdoors.

Before Google Maps, there was MapQuest, an application that let you "design" a personalized route from Point A to Point B, then print a map out, along with turn-by-turn directions. We used it on a trip from Salt Lake City to a family reunion in Montana. At one point in the trip, following MapQuest instructions, we took a left turn, drove for about 45 minutes and ended up at the place where we'd made the original left turn, having completely and pointlessly circumnavigated a decently-sized lake. Of course, all those problems disappeared (not really) a few years later, with the advent of the early GPS nav systems, one of which directed us through a shopping center parking lot on out way to a Denver restaurant. (Corroboration by the late great Steven Shaw here.) Also, what's "prairie bread"?

The recipe does look good, and since it's based on a Thomas Keller dish, I'm not surprised it's socks-knocking. But this idea of flaming off the alcohol because it "cooks" the proteins is kind of BS. I assume this is based on the recipe in ad hoc at home. In that version, there's no mention burning off the alcohol at all. It's probably a refinement (?) introduced between book publication and the creation of the Keller Masterclass featuring the dish. It is true that alcohol can "cook" (which is another way of saying that it denatures) proteins. For this to happen, you need alcohol in a concentration of 20% to 50%. In the video, the cook uses a 50/50 combination of red wine and port. Most red wine is 12 - 15% alcohol; port is 18 - 20%. That combination (which is not in the Keller recipe; that calls for just red wine) is not going to get you to 20% alcohol. Anyway, guess what else denatures proteins. Cooking. So it's going to happen anyway. But now I want short ribs. Headed to the bank to take out a loan.