fifi

I am not sure we would ever know what the difference the diet makes since deer season is only fall/winter as far as I know. Like Brooks, our deer have been mostly noshing on acorns and pecans. Probably mainly acorns. Last summer, I suggested on the garden thread, where folks were covered up with basil, that they get a lamb and feed it up. I wonder what would happen to venison if you planted your hunting lease with a bunch of herbs. Down here on the gulf coast, this is about the only time of year I have ever been able to grow any decent amount of thyme, for instance. I wonder if the buggers would eat it?

My sister has a craving for almond biscotti dipped in chocolate. She has found some to buy but they are very expensive and wants to try to make some. We have looked in our books and don't find what we are looking for. the biscotti has a distinct almond flavor and contains sliced almonds. The chocolate is very creamy with a nice melt on the tongue. Recommendations for the cocolate dip would be appreciated as well.

Holy crap! We have a new definition of food porn. Great article. I don't know how I missed it. *flap flap flap* (ladies of a certain age will know what that means )

We may ditch the apples. Nephew and most of the rest of the family don't like sweet with meat. But I might prevail. I don't think Granny Smiths would come out sweet in that mix. Worchestershire always gets his attention.

Yes. More details please. We have a pretty good set of backstraps to deal with. Okra in cornbread? GET A ROPE!

That is one of my questions. Also, I am not entirely sure how you go about loading charcoal, etc. My Weber Smokey Mountain is very convenient. I take off the upper cylinder and lid, fill the charcoal basket, sit the chimney on top and light that chacoal, dump the charcoal in the middle of the loaded basket and away we go. I am not sure I can see how to "load" a Kamodo. Also, I don't THINK there is a water pan, but perhaps you don't need that water for temperature stabilization what with the mass of the ceramic.

jsolomon... Get that gas range if you have to smuggle it in under cover of darkness. An associate of mine, who is a fine Cajun cook BTW, got talked into one of those things when he moved into his house a few years ago. He was ready to "throw it into the yard" when they had to move anyway and he got his long missed gas range. Those glass topped things are apparently not designed for anyone that really wants to cook.

You are so right, Irwin. I think we are lucky to have some places in Houston that try to get it right. I had a chance to speak with my associate's wife (owners of Gourmet Thai here, she is Thai, I haven't been there yet but it is highly rated) at a social function and we had a conversation about the right balance. She, too complained that some of her clientelle want to turn up the heat thinking that is the authenitc experience. She tries to educate, she says. (I have to get to that place. )

I just got 3 of Paula's books and just started going through them. She is "it" for Mediterranean cooking as far as I am concerned.

Welcome, Bickery. Yes, we have some pros here but we also have folks that are just interested in cooking. 21 year-old food nuts will fit right in. Hmm... There are so many discussions here on books that you could do a lot of research just here and then make up your own mind on what fits for you. It also depends on where your interests are. I am into Cajun cooking and my all time favorite for real success in the kitchen is Emeril Lagasse's Louisiana Real and Rustic. The other area of interest to me is Mexican, not Tex-Mex. My favorites are anything by Rick Bayless, Diana Kennedy or Zarela Martinez. I have probably cooked more recipes from Zarela than the others but they are all great references. Zarela's Food From My Heart is the most approachable and I have many favorites from that book that I cook again and again.

I want to learn more about Indian cooking. First step... Buy a book. We have a discussion on that here.

There is definitely individual variation. My son used to be able to eat the hottest of curries and has eaten hot peppers since he was a kid. He has had to cut back on the heat some but he thinks it is probably sensitivity to something else in the peppers since not all types (jalapenos versus cayenne for instance) affect him the same way. The number and type of flavor compounds in peppers is mind boggling. edit to add: Come to think of it, if I am going to get any upsets from peppers it will be an overabundance of green bell pepper. Go figure. It is one of the few things that will give me the burps and a very slight upset.

I can't find the report in the archives but, a few years ago, one of the medical schools here (Baylor I think) did a study on hot pepper and tummies. They actually used volunteers, some with healthy stomachs and some with ulcer problems. They would feed the subjects pure capsaicin (the hot stuff), not in food, and then take a look at the inside of the stomach with a fiber optic device. (ACK!) They didn't see any irritation of the stomach lining in either case and the subjects didn't report any discomfort. I seem to recall that other conditions, like diverticulitis, could be a problem if eating chile peppers with seeds. There was also speculation that sometimes the foods with peppers would also contain more fat than the person normally eats and that could cause some upset. But they couldn't make a case for capsaicin being an irritant to the stomach.

I am not into sushi or sashimi but I do occasionally "preserve" ginger. When my Asian market has some particularly fresh and luscious ginger, I will buy a bunch and slice it up. Then I just put it in a jar, pour rice wine vinegar over it and refrigerate. Then I have it for cooking (usually Thai curries and such) and just adjust the sour note accordingly. I do this with galangal as well since that seems to be a bit more seasonal here. Funny, but doing this often, but not always, results in the ginger turning pink. I wonder why that is. I would really be interested in any other pickling or preserving ideas since I am looking at a nice pile of some really pretty ginger that my nephew brought to me yesterday. I had bitched rather loudly about the quality of the ginger I found for braising Bambi's mother for Christmas. He also threw in some fresh cinnamon bark. Is there a recipe out there for some sort of sweet and spiced pickle or preserves?

How did I miss that? Was it on FoodTV? That William Shatner thing was awful.

I am confused. What versions do you see?

It is beginning to sound like "fly over country" has it all over SF, NY, etc.

Yeah balex... You are correct. But, I often do a tasting when making a soup or whatever. After tasting I might add a little lime juice or palm sugar. Thai cooking takes some time to get into. Once you do, it is not all that intimidating. But, having sweet prevail is just wrong.

What I have learned from my friend, that learned from excellent Thai cooks and restauranteurs, is that it is all about the balance between "hot, sweet, sour, salty". If you stray too far in any direction you have missed the point.

Sweet BBQ sauce? GET A ROPE! Actually, BBQ sauce is not a big deal here. I can't put my finger on a typical "south Texas" sauce like you can the Carolinas for instance. A worthy beef brisket needs no sauce.

A copper parrot?

Hmmm... that is an interesting point. Yes, we are used to chile heat, pretty much. But I don't think that is what is going on. We just have a very diverse population and access to a lot of good ingredients. Well, at least the restaurants do. (My rants about the lack of farmer's markets here is well known.) But our Thai food is not just about heat. They seem to get the balance right. Well, at least to me. I haven't run into "sweet" here at all.

What is it about Houston? Our Thai restaurants are typically owned by Thai nationals. A work associate of mine is married to a lady from Thailand and they own a restaurant, Thai Gourmet I think, on Richmond. Thai Seafood that I previously mentioned is owned by a Thai family. The same is true of Thai Pepper, an early Thai institution here. Are we just lucky? Houston is an amazingly diverse city. Maybe we are lucky.

You are confirming my impression of her from television. She is the kind of person that I would just like to hug. Thanks for the tip. "A Taste of India" sounds exactly like what I am looking for.

Here in Houston, I have not encountered the excessive sweetness that I have heard discussed for Thai in your parts. We have a truly excellent place here in the bay area (Galveston Bay) called Thai Seafood. It is not a cheap place but they achieve the right balance of flavors and is always highly rated. I have never been to Thailand but was introduced to Thai cuisine many years ago in Honolulu at Keo's. Keo's was, at the time, judged to be one of the best Thai restaurants in the world. That is the standard that I judge against, right or wrong. The one thing I haven't found here are the delightful little deep fried spring rolls that are served to be wrapped in a lettuce leaf with a mint or basil leaf, a slice of cucumber, and hot peanut sauce. I used to travel to the PNW fairly often and didn't go to any Thai places just because I had heard from some of my well traveled friends that most of them sucked because of too much sugar. I have a very good friend that learned Thai cuisine from a Thai family in a previous home town. Her dishes are fabulous and do not suffer from sweetness but have just the right balance. Maybe someone should start a discussion in your local press about excessive sweetness. I am trying to get that going here about the pervasive practice of screwing up foie gras with sweet glop. But, that is another rant.