fifi

I am still gardening vicariously. My sister has planted the herbs and they are doing well. She is worried that the chard is leggy. She did start some white four o'clocks that I found seeds for. I am sure hoping to get a start of those for the house. Squash can be frustrating. I think there is some climatic thing about when they put on female blossoms. I remember one time I had trouble getting male blossoms at the same time the females opened. Then one morning there was a male blossom. I picked that sucker and went around pollinating the females. My sister accused me of interferring with the sex life of the squash.

Early 80's... I am on a trip to Hawaii with me, myself and I. I am on the north shore of Kauai and I stop at a place called the Sandgroper. This place was well known for the "crusty" Australian guy that ran the place. I mean, it was written up in the guides. I went in and the place was empty. Well, except for this portly gentleman at the bar, and the Australian proprietor behind it. The proprietor was this character right out of central casting with the kahki shorts and the whole bit. I sat at the bar and ordered a beer and looked at the menu and ordered a hamburger. Then, the portly gentleman struck up a conversation about his adventures around the South Pacific islands... tuning pianos. It seems that he was a "footloose" type who had an ex-wife in England that was a brewery heiress, who supported him, and a daughter on Oahu that owned a restaurant and he spent his days wandering the outer islands, tuning pianos and staying on the plantations "entertaining" the residents. (One would hope that most responsible patriarchs locked up their ladies.) Well, he tried to pick me up and I declined. But that was one weird experience being the only diner in this bizarre, deserted restaurant with these two characters.

I agree on the Silver Herradura. Actually, that is my favorite. It is just that some places use the Cuervo Especial as "top shelf". I do like the gold from time to time as it is a little different taste. That being said, the problem seems to be a place away from home that is willing to juice those troublesome little limons. Ironically, the best Margarita I have had in the US was at Frontera Grill (Rick Bayless's place) in Chicago. (Get a rope!) They do use the fresh juice from those little limes. I am still wondering how they do that in those quantities.

Scott... I thank you for this effort. Your quest reminds me of some of my more insane endeavours. One cold winter day, I obsessively sought the ingredients to make Worchestershire. (It worked, BTW. I used Emeril's recipe.) I have always thought that I found allspice in Heinz ketchup. I knew that ketchup was Indian in origin. I will have to research more on the origins, how it got to the US and how Heinz ended up "perfecting" it for mass consumption. Just to put away some of the shock and awe about the use of hydrochloric acid or lye (sodium hydroxide) to adjust pH that was mentioned upthread... The combination produces common salt and water. HCl is what is in your stomach. So, don't worry about it. (although, ingesting either, neat, is certainly NOT recommended)

I have half heartedly tried to do carnitas before but not with what I would call resounding success. Having read through this thread again, I am literally drooling and can't wait for the weekend (my cooking time). I am really intrigued with the lime and tequila approach. Nessa, do you have any suggestions for proportions? I realize that this does not have to be an exact science but, are you pretty heavy on the lime juice? (I would be.) Is there a tart note in the finished product? I would think that the tart against the fattiness would be a good thing. I am thinking of just adding a little Mexican oregano and maybe a bit of garlic but I am leaning toward keeping it simple with predominately lime and tequila. What about salt? When do you add and how much? I have been thinking about the beef. Jaymes also indicated in the original post that it is also done with chicken. I can see chicken. You can use thigh meat and fat from a big fat hen. Beef is more problematic. Just thinking here... I am leaning toward using a well marbled chuck with perhaps some added fat from some other source. I am trying to think of a cut of beef that would have the same fat ratio as the typical pork and most come up wanting. That is especially true of our leaner beef these days. (I mean... What nut would make carnitas from wagyu beef? HMMM... )

What a thoroughly enlightening course. Those tips are ingenious and I will start using some of them immediately. I don't have any real disabilities, yet, but they are good ideas anyway. The safety issues are good for everyone to think about. I did a safety program last year on outdoor cooking and cooking in general for the folks at work. I happened to stumble across a link to a report of an incident in England where a woman fell onto the open door of her dishwasher and was stabbed with a knife sticking up. That was something that I had never thought about. While my good knives don't go in the dishwasher, some cheap steak knives and rather lethal looking turning forks do. I no longer leave the dishwasher door open and am careful about how sharp things are loaded. If water has splashed on the floor, things can get slippery. And, thank you for this inspired wisdom.

I have to say that I have yet to have a really good Margarita in Texas. Now, I know I haven't had them everywhere so I am sure that I have missed some. First, my definition of "good"... This would be the classic of good tequila (don't waste great, Cuervo Especial is good enough), fresh squeezed lime juice from those little bastards that they call "limons", a dash of triple sec for flavor and to take a little of the edge off the lime juice. Shake with ice and strain into a salt rimmed glass. Note that there is no icy slush, no simple syrup, no green coloring. Now that is a Margarita. The preferrable setting for embibing is under a palapa in Akumal. But, if anyone finds one of these in the Houston area, please advise. I am very opinionated on this so any attempts at rebuttal to my above statements are futile and will not change my mind. As you might guess, I also object to any number of fruit drinks that just happen to contain tequila being called Margaritas. edit to add: If anyone finds a machine or a technique for squeezing the "little bastards", they will change the free world as we know it.

I don't take glace that far (and it is beef or chicken rather than veal). What I end up with is a glace that is like a hockey puck when chilled. I put it in those little wide mouth half cup canning jars and put it in the freezer. A tablespoon or so added to roasted or sauteed veggies is sublime. I also add it to pan sauces.

Nope... Not the aluminum pan. I have had garlic turn blue when pickling some cloves or half heads along with jalapenos. That concoction was mostly vinegar, no wine, and all in non-reactive containers. I am thinking that it has something to do with the acetic acid. I suspect that there is an acetate salt being formed that is blue but I'll be damned if I know what it is.

That sounds like a great idea, Varmint. How about fried okra for a side? (I put that in just to confuse Brooks. ) While you have the grease hot, you could fry some crawfish tails. The only thing I can think of that you will need to confirm is that none of the guests are Jewish or have shellfish allergies. Where are you going to get turtle and what recipe are you going to use? I would love to be able to duplicate Brennan's turtle soup. I am not all that sure that the recipe in one of the cookbooks is authentic. You might want to think about this recipe for Pickled Shrimp for nibbles. It isn't really Cajun but it is authentic Gulf Coast. It is absolutely awesome and you can make it a day or two ahead. Actually, that is preferred. I have had a bread pudding (I forget where) that was flavored with Pernod that was pretty awesome. (Or was the Pernod in the sauce?) How about our southern "national" corn pudding for a side for the steak? I am talking about the one that is basically a wet cornbread with creamed corn and such. I am still working on sides for the stuffed shrimp. All I can think of is French Fries which is not very helpful. Maybe a creative slaw of some kind. I like the slaws that are NOT sweet and have shrimp and Cajun seasonings. Sweet onions are available now and are great in this kind of slaw.

I had lunch at RB&B today with a friend that knows Joe well. He came out and we chatted a bit. He is indeed "hanging up the pots and pans" after so many years to do some other things. One of those things is indeed a book. He has been all over the world cooking and has a wealth of recipes and stories. He said that he has found an author to work with and it will take about a year. If that comes to pass, we will be all over that one. Then I had my last Joe Mannke duck confit and bid the lovely and comfortable place good-bye.

OH! You mean just eating cinnamon sugar by the spoonful! That is kind of different. I remember, as a very young child, hanging out in my grandmother's kitchen (actually sitting on the floor under the Duncan Phyfe dining table that was in the large room... weird child I was) eating various concoctions that she made for me. One of them was cinnamon sugar. I would lick my finger and dip it into the little bowl then lick it off. Other offerings were sugar blended into butter, cocao powder and sugar blended with butter. These were the "finger foods" of my youth.

I second the use of reduced poultry stock. I try to keep a jar of chicken stock that has been reduced to a glace and stored in a half cup wide mouthed Mason jar. It is sort of like a hockey puck since it is so concentrated. A tablespoon of that stuff stirred in gives a wonderful silky texture to the final product while adding considerable flavor.

And yet again we drift into normal cravings as opposed to incredible cravings. Sheesh.. This thread seems to have an incredible life. Remember the definition of incredible... don't like it, never eaten it, strikes from the blue. As a matter of record, the corndog and fishstick craving has not returned. I await my fate.

Whew... I was afraid to ask about Bistro Le Cep. I love that place. As much as I will miss RB&B, I say good for him. I sure hope he writes a book.

As I reflect on it, I probably should have kneaded the dumpling dough a bit more. I think I was more in "a biscuit state of mind" when handling the dough. I have never tried the flour tortilla trick. Don't discount the canned biscuit trick. They really do taste like my Aunt Minnie's.

The great Chicken Pot Pie project has been concluded, :burp: and boy is it good. Be advised, however, that you are going to be in for some serious dishwashing. But, what the hell, that is what makes for a good project. One thing I would do differently is make tougher dumplings. I like chewy sinkers in my chicken and dumplings. These were the light variety and didn't seem to hold together in the finished product. Of course, there is the possibility that I screwed it up. I said I wasn't that good with pastry. And I don't have a lot of experience with self rising flour, either. When I do this again (and I will) I will revert to my sneaky trick that I have developed for producing Aunt Minnie's sinkers... you get really cheap, grocery store brand, canned bicuits and roll them out on a well floured board. I do have to say that my pastry strips came out better than any of my usual attempts at things of the pie crust persuasion. The "dots" were a last minute inspiration from reading about dotting with butter. I was too lazy to do the lattice. Here are the pictures. Hopefully, Brooks will show up and critique. Brooks didn't say how much veggies to use for the chicken so I winged it. I tried to have as much or a bit more than I would normally use for eGCI style chicken stock. This is the chicken in the pot snuggling up to the veggies. The lovely creature was about a 5 pounder and I snacked a bit while boning it so the amount of chicken for the pie worked out. There are handfuls of basil, tarragon and parsley added as well. I had no idea how much worchestershire or Tabasco to add so I just guessed at about 4 "glugs" each. Now the :expletive deleted: dumplings. I have no idea what Brooks means by "very thin" so I was just guessing. Now the dumplings are being baptized in this marvelous broth. That was when I knew I was probably in trouble dumpling-wise. Now for layering it in the pan. I think you can see the dumpling problem. I added some fresh chopped parsley and tarragon to the top of the first layer. I am glad I did. That tarragon was a knockout. I would have added some more basil if I had had any. Ready for the oven. And it is DONE! This took about 50 minutes at 350F. And now for a taste. If I had let it cool a bit more, I think it would have held its shape a bit better but, by this time, I was tired of just smelling this thing and lost patience. This reminds me of a very good batch of chicken and dumplings masquerading as a pie. I suppose that is fittin' in the land of Mardi Gras. Get thee behind me, Atkins.

I just saw one of the dumbest things yet. Remember the pancake pan that is two sided so you can flip it? Well, the concept has now been "improved" into the Breakfast Express 3X. Same concept as the pancake pan but this has 3 round cavities for putting an egg, sausage, pancake batter, whatever. OK... that doesn't sound so bad but, on further reflection, what good is THREE? But wait! I comes with one of those counter top, whirling blade, magic choppers. Sorry, it must be so new and advanced that it isn't on a web site yet. (But I will put in a plug for the new Google eG. I usually have a hell of a time finding this thread. Yeah! Go Team! )

Ah Ha! I will gleefully submerge my dumplings through the sacred bath of chicken fat. I just strained off the broth and there is not an obscene amount of fat even though this hen was a bit of a porker. To be continued...

Hmm... For the chicken, how much of the herbs? How much salt? Now that I am snacking on the chicken, I would have probably added the herbs near the end of the stewing. I think some of the aromatics cooked off. I will recover by adding tarragon and basil to the final assembly unless MM says that is a travesty. I also think I undersalted the whole thing. Oh well, I guess that can be corrected in the final assembly. When I chunk the chicken tomorrow I will add some salt and let it sit. Details, Brooks. DETAILS! edit to add: BTW... Do you defat the broth before doing the dumplings?

I am embarking on this project. The chicken is just starting to stew as we type. Brooks is a little vague about some quantities so I am winging it on some things. I am using the tarragon, basil, parsley suggestion. Man... It is starting to smell good in here! This will not be completed until tomorrow as I am getting a late start with the chicken. In all respects, I will be following the recipe. That is, with one exception. I can't find my 9x16 to save me so I will be using a 9x9 Pyrex pan. I will have excess chicken, dumplings and pastry strips but I am sure I can figure out what to do with that. I may try to do the lattice business just because I think it will look cool. Now I have to go find the book where I saw the directions on how to do that. I am taking pictures and will post them when it is finished. That is... As long as everyone PROMISES not to make fun of my "pastry skills". sabg... lard is not scary. It is the best food in the world, as long as it is fresh. I couldn't find any fresh so I will probably go with all Crisco. I don't care for the hydrogenated stuff just on principle but it is good stuff for pastry. I know. That makes no sense because Crisco is a hydrogenated fat. It is just that I make my own but I am out right now and don't have time to make it and the pie, too. Please post along with us on this journey to the best (and weirdest sounding) pot pie in the universe.

There is a Prudhomme recipe for crawfish or shrimp in a tasso cream sauce that is to die for. The trick is, getting good tasso. I have been unsuccessful in that endeavor here in Houston and am about to just order it from Prudhomme. It is really a simple dish but I can't find my one book of his just now. I remember seeing him cook it on a Larry King intervew a few years ago and I had to try it. Absolute heaven. Of course, what wouldn't be with tasso and heavy cream.

I got an e-mail today from a friend telling me that RB&B is closing and we are trying to schedule a lunch there to tell it good-bye. I can't believe this. This is one of my all time favorite restaurants. I am devastated. Does anyone know the story? I haven't done an exhaustive search of the local media (I have been living under my infamous rock for a few weeks) but there has to be something happening. Any clues out there?

I think you are probably right. My sister has quite a collection of "local" cookbooks (from churches and such) and she didn't remember a recipe like this one either. Even though southeast and east Texas has a lot more in common with the south than the rest of Texas, it seems that this one never made it across the Sabine. I'll pass on the turkey. I'm gonna get me a whomping big roasting hen.

I think I know what my weekend project will be. I do have a couple of questions. You call for a roasting chicken. Can we assume that you mean one of those big birds, like 5 pounds or more? I am guessing that is the case since I think they have more flavor. When you say 1 1/2 cups rice, I am assuming that you mean the measure of the cooked rice, not the rice before cooking. It looks like that is what you mean but I just want to be sure. Somewhere, my education is lacking. I have never heard of a recipe like this before. What a kick in the a** for Atkins. Dumplings, rice, AND pastry! Gotta go buy some SR flour.