fifi

Here is the gospel according to Lodge. I use Crisco or lard.

As a stocking stuffer gift last Christmas, my son gave me a little jar of honey from Pitcairn Island of all places. It was actually shipped to him from there. We got a kick out of the postage. The jar had a picture of a passion flower on the label but I have no idea if that is the actual source. (It was really good, too.) There is a local "wildflower" honey that comes from Alvin, Texas. It is sold in our local Kroger stores of all places. It is wonderfully floral. My all time favorite is a very dark honey that my dad used to collect at a certain season when he kept bees along White Oak Bayou when I was a kid. I have no idea the plant origin of it but it was really good. Perhaps my memory is skewed but I have yet to find its equal.

One year I did a variation on the dip to more of a Southwest thing. I didn't measure and just tasted as I went while adding things to the sour cream. I remember ancho chile powder, ground cumin, diced pickled jalapeno, garlic, onion, I forget what else. The ancho made it a pretty color. Actually, if the turkey frier is going, the whole thing usually gets dumped in there. Then our crowd will actually eat it.

I have a hard time getting tired of chili as well. It sounds like you are about to develop a heck of a "Chili Cassoulet." Once you get it like you like it, you WILL put it in RecipeGullet, won't you?

I have to say that I like Dave's idea better. Smoking first and cooking later would probably disperse the smoke flavor better. After smoking, I would consider doing it in a LC with the lid on. You could still do the molasses glaze. The Nephew really likes that glaze for venison.

Interesting. It appears that the Calphalon roaster is tri-ply like the All-Clad used to be. Sur la Table has one like that as well for about the same price. That being said . . . I am darn curious about using the big LC oval. Yes, I know that the high sides fly in the face of conventional wisdom. But then, I always enjoy flying in the face of Conventional Wisdom, Known Truths, Established Doctrine and several other folk with whom I have made acquaintance. What I am wondering is if the big heat sink and geometry might help getting the thighs cooked a bit faster and therefore even out the cooking times between white and dark meat. Then I get curious about how the thing will brown. I am hoping that Richard takes one for the team and gives it a try. Not much risk. It is just a damnable turkey after all.

Hayull, Honey! Polenta is jes that fancy Eye-talian word fur grits.

Acquisition by Heinz may have something to do with it if they changed the process. Maybe the aging time changed. From my homemade experiement of 5 years ago, I can definitely say that the stuff changed over the 5 years. It was stored in the pantry, not the fridge. But, I never have put L&P in the fridge. I think Dave is correct. Some of the flavor components, like anchovies, don't hold up long. What I am getting at is that perhaps the stuff could change due to changes in the process, having nothing to do with the formula. It would take a long time to tinker with the formula. But I did go ahead and read the company history on their web site just out of curiosity. They have been bought before. But, I can't imagine a company changing something that has such a long history and loyal following. But then . . . There was that New Coke thing, wasn't there.

I consulted the nephew. He says you have to figure out some way to cook it low and slow with wet heat for a long time. He actually has pressure cooked it (with seasonings) and then put it on the pit for an hour or so of smoking. You could wrap it in foil, with bacon and other stuff in there to moisten it, cook it in the smoker, then remove the foil for a bit. Depending on the deer, he removes the fat because of risk of gaminess. That may not be a problem with your deer, though. He likes to use a mollases glaze with plenty of black pepper and some paprika when you finish it in the smoker. He says that makes for a lovely mahogany glaze and a nice presentation.

I found the jar of Emeril's recipe. Remember, it has been "lost" for 5 years. It was almost jelled. I shook it up, glared at it, squinted at it, walked around it, walked off for a while. About two hours later, I swept the cobwebs away, girded my loins and opened it. I tasted it. I didn't die. At least not yet. I will say that it tastes sweeter than I remember. I don't remember sweet. I remember it tasting closer to L&P. I would have noticed sweet and went yuk and put a note in the book to cut the syrups back. Unfortunately, I am actually out of L&P at the moment. I will get some tomorrow.

Here is an idea . . . Select a likely power tool. Cut up those lovely shanks for braising. Venison shanks sound good to me. Wrap the rest, throw in the freezer and contemplate what to do as you sip your wine at the resort this weekend. That is some gorgeous hunks-o-bambi. I am jealous.

Cooking would definitely reduce the enzyme activity in that the heat would inactivate them. The addition of salt could definitely enhance the taste in a different way. I guess I go back to the practice of salting watermelon here in the southern US. It does seem to enhance the sweetness. Maybe it is just the interaction of salty/sweet that the Thai cuisine takes such good advantage of.

Oh Good Grief! I have spent quite a bit of time in Amsterdam and The Hague and I have never found such a treasure as this on Dutch cooking. And, believe me, I have looked. I mean treasure in the truest sense of the word. I can't thank you enough.

Tremor, I think you are right in your assumptions. Do remember that when I was a kid we are talking about the early 60s. Suggestions, please.

Dave . . . I think you are on the right track. I agree about adding the cayenne. That should put the heat balance just about right. I am grooving on what I have learned from Prudhomme on the blending of the various chile heat characteristics. The man is a genius at that.

My son in Chicago raves about The Spice House. I think he goes there just to inhale.

I wouldn't be surprised if the growing conditions and soil have something to do with it. I can guarantee you that the pineapples that we get here aren't allowed to ripen properly. They wouldn't ship worth a darn. The best I have had was from a roadside stand and looked like they were ready for the compost heap.

There probably is something in individual body chemistry going on. Look at the variation in reaction to the musk melon family like honeydews. And, there are some of us that think cilantro tastes like soap, or worse. Anyway, funny story . . . We were checked into a really high floor of one of the high rises in Waikiki for a night before an early morning flight. On the inside of the toilet lid, there was a list of things, with pictures, NOT to flush. There were the usual latex suspects and . . . pineapple parts!

We officially hate you. No kidding. There is nothing like a correctly ripened pineapple, is there? I don't suffer from any ill effects. But then, I don't really chow down on fresh pineapple unless I am in Hawaii and can get really great ones from a roadside stand. Then I kind of pig out. If I would have any bad effects, it would be then. I guess I am lucky. But, I will try the brining thing. I am mainly interested in the flavor. I do like salt on my watermelon from time to time.

Good point. But then there is something satisfying about scraping all of that goodness off of the pan. I get to lick the spoon, too. I have tried to brown meat in my heavy aluminum non-stick saute pan and I just don't get the same amount of crusty goodies, on the meat pieces or in the pan. I finally gave it up and started using my really big Calphalon fry pan that gives me a lot of room and great fond. I can't say that I persevered at trying to make the non-stick work. Yeah . . . I am with Dave. I think this new, promising thermodynamic miracle is dubious at best. But I will still be willing to take one for the team and try it if I can get a cheap pan.

I really have to mention the tamales. One year, we read an article by Jean Andrews (the pepper lady) in some magazine about her family tradition of a tamale turkey. First, you insert, from the inside, some hot peppers into the meaty parts. She used chile pequins. Then you put tamales into the cavity and line the bottom of the roasting pan with tamales. Oh . . . the tamales are shucked first. Then you oil and salt the turkey and bake as normal. The best part is the tamales in the bottom of the pan that shlurp up the drippings. As I recall, I ate tamales and ignored the turkey.

Now I am glad I missed it. I have friends in Austin and was planning on making one of the events next year. I really would have liked to make this one. It does sound like they got slammed. Hopefully, we will bump this up next year and see if they have gone for plan B.

Ditto here on the oven temps. I am an engineering/lab geek and I went so far as to use a certified lab thermometer. I have never been able to braise at the higher temperatures, either.

According to McGee . . . pineapples do not sweeten or improve in flavor once picked. That explains the difference in flavor from here to there. If left on the plant longer, more sugar is produced as well. Being a tropical fruit, they don't produce starch for energy storage so there isn't anything to convert to sugar later. Also, the prevalent protein digesting enzyme in pineapple is bromelain. If not deactivated by heat, it can break down the structure of gelatin to mess up your jello mold. Also, it can break down the casein in milk products producing a bitter tasting mess. Canned pineapple is probably the only option for those purposes. Perhaps some people are more sensitive to this enzyme than others. For instance, my son can't eat much honeydew melon because it makes his throat itch. The enzymes in various fruits may affect the proteins and polysacharrides in the mouth and throat differently. I am a bit puzzled as to how a salt solution would affect the activity of an enzyme. Enzymes are proteins. Proteins are denatured, not changed in chemical structure but changed in the shape of the molecule, typically by heat or acid. I really can't find a case for salt solution. Osmosis isn't at work here because the enzymes are discreet molecules, unlike cells which have a semipermeable membrane. Further, I am not sure how the salt would get inside the unbroken cells in the pineapple chunk without soaking for quite a while. I am not saying brine can't affect the enzyme, I am just having a hard time finding a case for denaturing by that means. However, addition of salt to egg mixtures for instance can change the protein enough to change the texture, so McGee says. Perhaps that is what is going on. Or, perhaps the salt causes more saliva production so that the irritant is in contact with the tissue for less time or in reduced concentration. I dunno . . . these things are fascinating to me. But if I had trouble eating fresh pineapple and brining my pineapple would make it edible for me, I would brine my pineapple!

I just use really hot water and a plastic scrubber thing. I don't get a greasy smelling build up. I suppose a quick dip in the dish soap wouldn't hurt. I just haven't found it necessary.