[eG Cook-Off 55: Shrimp & Grits]

I've never made Shrimp and Grits. Don't know why because I've always thought it looked and sounded like a delicious dish. Regarding the shrimp, does it matter what size of shrimp you use? For the shrimp and grits cooks out there, do you notice a difference in the dish in terms of texture or flavor if you use small shrimp as opposed to the more larger sizes? Finally, is it acceptable to grill the shrimp on an outdoor barbecue grill to get some char on them before combining them with the grits?

The great thing about shrimp and grits is that it is a fairly flexible combination and almost any variation will come out pretty tasty.

In terms of size I usually use 25-30 shrimp which seems to work well, but I'm not sure different sizes would make too big of a difference. I think any shrimp size between 20-30 would work well. I've never tried grilling the shrimp for shrimp and grits, but why not. The only potential drawback is the smokiness of grilled shrimp may overpower the mildly sweet and nutty flavor of the grits. I think I'll try grilling the next time I make shrimp and grits!

[eG Cook-Off 55: Shrimp & Grits]

My standard shrimp & grits methodology is almost identical to BadRabbit's and seems to be one of the more common preparations here in Georgia. The red pepper and tomatoes provide a nice balance of sweetness and acidity.

For the grits I like to simmer equal parts whole milk and chicken stock with some garlic and fresh thyme and then use this liquid to cook the grits. I generally finish the grits with some butter or cream and maybe some freshly grated parm. I'm not sure what others do, but I typically season grits at the end of cooking -- when I season at the beginning they tend to get too salty at the end.

Last, the use of stone ground grits (as opposed to quick/instant grits) can't be overemphasized. As a transplanted midwesterner, I used to hate grits until I was exposed to real stone ground grits when I moved south about 16 years ago. As others have noted, Anson Mills produce great stone ground grits.

[Is Basting Nonsense?]

I can't go through the book to find it right now, but its discussion of wet-bulb and dry-bulb (that is to say, your oven's) temperatures makes you realize the importance of the former to cooking and, correspondingly, the lower importance of oven temperature. So my guess is that opening the oven briefly affects the item being cooked in a pretty negligible way, if at all.

No fair quoting a book I have on pre-order! Seriously, thanks for sharing this, I can't wait to get my copy.

[Is Basting Nonsense?]

I love roasting and braising, but with one exception I don't baste anything. For poultry especially, basting seems to do more far more harm than good, at least when I do it. My one exception is that I do like to finish thick steaks by basting in butter in an iron skillet just before resting and serving.

[Foods you miss from the 1970s]

As a kid in the 70's living in small farm towns I wasn't exactly exposed to the best the 70's had to offer. There are probably more foods from the 70s that I never want to see again than I miss -- surely I'm not the only person who remembers choking down a tuna salad jello mold.

Still, I do miss a few things. No one seems to make London Broil anymore -- it's still my favorite use of flank steak. I also remember cod being relatively inexpensive, plentiful and tasty, even in the midwest.

[Favorite Napa & Sonoma Wineries]

Depending on the length of your stay in Napa/Sonoma, you may want to consider a day trip to visit some of the wineries in El Dorado County (it's about 2 1/2 hours east of Napa). At the time I visited these wineries (1997 - 2002) I found them to provide a more rustic laid-back experience than the more popular Napa/Sonoma wineries. The country is also a bit more scenic as it's right in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada range. At least at that time, I don't recall ever paying for a wine tasting and again if memory serves me right at several of the wineries (I believe Boeger, Latchum and Lava Cap) I remember spending an hour or two talking wine with the owners. It's possible that some of these places are now "big time" like their Napa/Sonoma brethren.

Sorry for being off-topic but wanted to throw another idea out there.