fifi

I was going to suggest the Mexican theme but ludja beat me to it. When a bunch of us get together for a cooking party this is one of the favorites. It is diverse enough to satisfy many tastes, including vegetarian if you have any of those in the group. There are opportunities to make things ahead (shrimp enescabeche) or have them do it (salsas). There are also opportunities for lots of different cooking techniques (grilling, frying). We like to serve sangria and usually make more than one type, including one with white wine. I would also recommend Bayless.

A supposedly pretty good Italian place here in Houston is named Crappito's. What were they thinking?

For Mother's Day, I was treated to a wonderful lunch at a Greek restaurant here in Houston that I had been meaning to try. My son came in from Chicago (surprise!) and we had a wonderful time. My nephew, the lawyer, knows the proprietor so we were able to get a table. The lunch of grilled snapper was incredible. But to get back to topic... Here I wouldn't have thought of ordering anything "on the side". The menu said that they served their "house salad" with no options for dressing. Boy was I glad I did that. That was the most incredible salad I have had in a long time. If I had gone with the "on the side" custom of many of my friends, I would have missed a perfectly tossed and dressed salad with an incredible dressing of feta enhanced vinagrette. I will go back to this place just to order a bucket of that salad. Moral of the story... I will trust the restaurant (the first time out, anyway) and go for their specialties when it comes to salads and dressings and decide from there. This decision to stay with the standard was certainly a winner. I guess that my bottom line is that, as a first choice, I will trust the chef and not ask to alter the offering.

Wowser! That looks like some really fresh garlic. I have never seen it like that here... I mean with the green tops still on. But then, southeast Texas is not exactly a garlic growing area. I have gotten purple garlic like that where the cloves were still almost that juicy. But these are over the top. From the photo, it looks like the outer skin and individual clove husks haven't had a chance to dry yet. How easy are they to peel?

Dave, that is the first discussion of New New that has made me want to get it. I just wasn't that interested in that style of cooking, much preferring the "rustic" home cooking style to creole chic. Does he discuss the culinary origins in any depth?

I just got back from braving the crowds at the Art Car parade downtown. There, along the bayou, but WAY out of reach were some elderberries with huge and dense masses of flowers. I haven't had those elderberry flower fritters in years. *heavy sigh*

The last batch I found was on the backside (bayside) of Galveston Island at San Luis Pass. I have also found it in the dunes on the beach side.

Former FDA food microbiologist here. Hear hear SKinCA. I don't even get "the tourista" when I go to Mexico anymore. Most of that is just unfamiliar common bugs that we don't have immunity to. This paranoia over mayonaise is unwarranted. The acidity and salt actuallly retard the growth of any salmonella that may have been introduced by the one in many thousands of potentially contaminated egg yolks. Paranoia over cutting boards is also overblown. A wood board, well scrubbed after cutting chicken, will be just fine. The plastic ones are more of a problem and should be sanitized in a dishwasher. Plastic is not a good thing for cutting boards. I routinely wipe down my kitchen surfaces, incuding refrigerator handles and faucet handles, with a disinfectant (Con-San) and just keep going. No one has ever gotten food poisoning from my kitchen. (Well, except me. using the "wet hand" to eat some tempura shrimp while doing the cooking. Long story.) I seem to get food poisoning about twice a year but always from restaurants. I think it is a curse from all of those bugs I autoclaved at FDA so many years ago. (Yes, that crab meat cocktail is risky but what the hell.) edit to add: I see that my fellow SSB Dave has also weighed in on the mayo question. He is absolutely right. Leaving it "out" for a while is actually safer.

I have a "hardware" question. Exactly what kind of equipment are you using? Can you rent the fryer set-ups? I mean, we do fried turkeys with a big pot on a big propane burner. But, I am thinking that a party like this would need two fry pots, one for sweet and one for savory. (Can you guess that I am starting to plan a fry party? )

I have seen photos on Discovery Channel or somesuch about the molting lobsters hiding out in their caves. All crustaceans go through a "soft shell" stage so I don't think there is any reason to think that soft shell lobsters are too improbable. I think the question is "How do you catch them in the act?"

Hmmm... That technique has possibilities. Has anyone ever tried frying a lobster? We need a reality check here.

I don't know if this is really true but I am just going on "scientific" deduction. There are many stories of lobsters "screaming" while being steamed. This is said to be due to steam escaping from small breaches in the connective tissue between the segments and such. Now, if I take that scenario to a quick dip in 375F oil, that means that the same steam will be produced very rapidly. A KABOOM may be a distinct possibility. I am not sure about this. It just seems logical. A soft shell crab doesn't have the firm exoskeleton to form a potential steam bomb.

The more I read this thread the better this idea sounds. It reminds me of the tempura parties from many years ago. I am thinking that one of these shindigs would be like a tempura-party-on-steroids. I remember now that we actually did almost the same thing one year while frying turkeys. After the 12th turkey we were getting a little punchy. While the oil was still bubbling, someone decided that we should fry that ubiquitous tray of crudites that someone brought. That was one crudite tray in the history of mankind that actually got eaten.

Can you visualize an exploding crustacean? Might be kind of spectacular, actually. Sort of like the finale at a fireworks display.

I just enjoy looking at the shiny black build-up on the outside of my ancient pan. It reminds me of patent leather shoes. I would never dream of removing it. That would be like cutting down a 300 year old oak tree.

I thought this was just another pig roasting thread but it has me rolling in the floor and gasping. First the transport problem can possibly be solved with this approach. Maybe you can convince her of the wisdom of the bathtub by having enough candles sitting around to give piggy's bath a bit of ambience. We are doing a luau for my sister's birthday at the end of June. Not being anxious to dig a big pit (it would fill with water) and build a roaring fire (the firemen frown on that sort of thing in the burbs), we are going to order one. I can't wait to see how this finally works out. Pictures, please.

Uh... would you be out there crabbing in that weather? Seriously, we do usually have crab lines out and the kids are fishing and crabbing. Anything caught gets fried or boiled. That flounder was caught just about time to go home so it found its way to a home broiler.

My most favorite thing in the world is the gunk in the bottom of the roasting pan after doing a pork roast or a chicken. I steal some of the "gunk" while trying to conceal my stealth prior to deglazing the pan. One of these days, I am going to get a good baguette, roast a chicken, throw the chicken in the yard and just "deglaze" that pan into my mouth.

DATELINE... Chicago, May, 2204 Stardust Trotter has recently revived some real classics in her new restaurant. The famous chef, and the youngest in a long line from the restaurant dynasty, has researched ancient databases and has found some of the true classics to serve. She says of an odd salsa made with mangoes... "salsa is the perfect counterpoint to the salmon, all tart and bright and fruity to the fatty rich crispy smoky fish." I think it may have to hang around a while to become a classic. Mango salsa may have that kind of legs.

You could also lie and say that they are an exotic strain of black artichoke grown only in the Himalayas and fertilized by the dung of the rare singing yak.

Toddle off to beddy-bye thinking I had hit the off button on the crock pot. How do you clean beef brisket/garlic/ginger charcoal out of a crock pot?

heh heh Only on eGullet!

Sorry. That is our shorthand for Jack Daniel's black label bourbon.

Oh dear... This could require another 5 pages of thread. Those are good questions, though. I wonder how that would work out? Someone needs to try it. Dried tomatoes might be an idea so that you aren't adding even more water to get rid of. Or... Maybe not. You just cook it longer.

Since you brought up ceviche, you might want to take a look at this recipe for Pickled Shrimp. It is fairly neat to eat and is always a hit. You could adjust the seasoning to a more Latin approach and it would still be very good. It is definitely a "prepare ahead" dish. Actually, I don't find ceviche that messy if it is drained off before serving.