fifi

Ummmm... My great-aunt Minnie's version. homemade vanilla pudding, heavy on the eggs and vanilla. The bananas ripe but still firm. Let it set until the Nabisco Vanilla Wafers achieve the proper texture (sort of soft) and the banana flavor infuses. Then she makes her incomparable meringue (the same one she uses on her lemon pies) and bungs it into the oven for a toast. Me and my dad are in heaven. He was a Vanilla Wafer freak. Haven't had a really good one in years.

Malt. Lots of malt. Cold cold ice cream. Real milk. YUM. Ice flakes should form.

Since I started traveling more in Europe, I have adopted the European style because it just makes more sense. All of that swapping just seems silly. But... old habits die hard. I am in my schizophrenic phase right now. I catch myself doing the swap. Tell your kids to say something like... "Oh, We were taught the European way." Said with an appropriate air of superiority and worldliness of course.

If your parents are also in the Houston area, there is a place up 59 north I think. I saw their stuff at one of the home shows and was really surprised at the quality for the money. (If I can find the literature in this mess, I will PM you.) Of course, you also have Kruse on 34th street that does the really classy smoker, grill, burner set-ups. Most of these places provide components for building into brick or whatever. Follow an old tradition and "let your fingers do the walking"... through the yellow pages. I think some of the higher end "patio builders" here are also starting to feature outside kitchen designs in their offerings. Pictures... We want pictures.

Sounds good so far. Now I am wondering how the Le Creuset enameled cast iron differs in performance from the traditional ceramic models.

Hey... Some decisions can't be rushed. I have been curious about these as well. They sure look romantic. Being a Le Creuset fan I have been tempted more than once. I would like to hear more about how they cook differently than other methods. I like braising for a lot of things so that is a fit.

Oooooo... cook for me... That is almost too good to believe. I will be lurking on the site. It is now in my list of favorites for the house. I can see it now on my patio under the pecan and oak tree. The property is on Galveston Bay. Smoke a trout anyone???

My mother's (and father's) ghost has probably had a few laughs in the past few years. I do the stock thing and I agree that it is really very little real effort. I have even gotten to the point of preparing glace. But the wierdest thing I ever did was make Worchestershire sauce. I was burning off excess vacation during the Christmas holidays, the weather was gross and I was bored. While reading my favorite recipe book, I stumbled onto a recipe. Determined to try it, I started assembling ingredients. I had to go three places to find the fresh horseradish root. The whole thing was very involved. The house smelled like Lea & Perrins (not really a bad thing) and it really was good. Would I do it again... probably not. But it was fun. Hmmm... How do you make mustard?

Oh WOW!!! I was thinking of getting a new and bigger smoker for the new house. You know... maybe one from Kruse. Now I am beginning to wonder. Not only are those things gorgeous but I'll bet that big hunk of ceramic can really hold a steady temperature. I think I am in love. I couldn't find a list of dealers, though. (Maybe I was too busy gawking to take a good look.) The nagging problem... Why haven't I seen these before?

I posted a posole (a kind of stew that contains posole, hominy) recipe that uses leftover BBQ. I got the recipe in Mexico. It is fabulous.

I have to admit that the trial of roasting peppers in strips under the broiler versus the other methods was done with red bell peppers. (Some of my food friends and I did do a side by side test.) Now, they are relatively tasteless as compared to poblanos, jalepenos or other peppers. I am willing to concede that peppers that have a lot of flavor notes that are dependent upon the capsaisins in the membrane will benefit from roasting whole. Plain old red bell peppers... the only difference we could see was the taste of the charring if it was done on the grill.

Light? I dunno. Sounds good but I was going to substitute heavy cream for the half and half.

OMG that sounds good. I am still in love with my LeCreuset gratin pan. I can't wait to try this.

If you don't mind me asking, what exactly did you add to the recipe? I would not mind giving it a try this week.

It doesn't seem to happen. I have done them all kinds of ways (gas flame, blow torch, grill) and I can't tell the difference, well... except that the grill does lend that nice charcoal flavor. You do have to get them really close to the heat source to char the skin before they yuk out any juice or over cook.

This is a really cool idea for when I would be grilling. Can't wait to try it. And so environmentally friendly, use of waste heat you know. I use a chimney already. I'll bet it helps the flavor, nice charcoal and no lighter fluid. Here is what I do when I get a bunch of peppers... I go ahead and quarter them, removing the stem and seeds. If they are strange shaped, I may cut them into six strips. The idea is to get them as flat as possible. I then spread them out skin side up on a baking sheet and run them under the broiler, as close as I can get to the heat. (Like you... want to get charring without over cooking. I can't wait to get the new stove with the high BTU broiler.) Dump them in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, wait a few minutes them peel and store. I usually store them in jars with a little olive oil. If I really have a lot, I will freeze some. I know they won't have the best texture after freezing but they are fine for some recipes.

On the north side of Kauii, about in the middle of Hanalei, there is this fish taco joint that you shouldn't miss. Sashimi grade tuna for tacos. But then... that is all the poor guy could get.

That wedge of iceberg lettuce with blue cheese dressing is making a come back. Hard as hell to eat, though. I always feel like is is going to skitter of the plate and land in someone's lap when I cut into it.

I don't usually post to this thread but I have to today because, after a lot of attempts, I have finally arrived at the fricassee that I was looking for. I wanted a chicken fricassee that tastes like Brennan's turtle soup. I started with Emeril's beef fricassee (from Louisiana Real and Rustic, one of the most delicious recipes on the planet) because the method and direction seemed right. Then I added elements I have seen in the turtle soup recipe (that may not be the true one) and... finally... EUREKA! It might get tweaked but it is damn close. I am threatening to do it with pork next. Served over white rice with endive salad with orange sections and a simple vinegrette.

I would be bored. It is ambitious but that kind of perseverance does not occur in the ordinary human.

Just noticed this post and was sampling my sister's Mexican Mint Marigold... whatever last weekend. I have a hard time telling the difference from tarragon. In fact, we have pretty much given up trying to grow tarragon here in Houston. The taste may vary by growing conditions so that may explain different folks reaction to it. But then, I am not a super taster either. We just use it as a direct substitute for tarragon.

Thanks... I thoroughly enjoyed your post. And I am also consumed with jealousy. Just kidding. I think it is great that you really went for it. ACK... My Amex card is itching.

In one of the threads recently, I described a method for rendering lard that gives you three products. There is the light colored with little flavor, great for baking. The second product is more of a yellow color and is great for savory cooking. The third is the bottom of the pot with little browny bits left after you have removed the "cracklins" (eat yourself or share with VERY good firends). That bottom of the pot stuff is called asiento and is used as a topping or a spread on tortillas. YUM! Avoid the white stuff on the shelf. It has been hydrogentated and is nasty tasting, lousy texture and it is bad for you... unlike lovely, lovely fresh lard. I will do a search and see if I can find that thread.

As to the ice in the lid routine... Go to the previous thread that Tommy linked to in one of his posts. (I don't know how to do that yet.) On the second page of that thread, I reported on a highly scientific, perfectly controlled experiment. I did it in the oven. I never did see anywhere, here or in the LeCreuset site, if they mean to do this in the oven or on the stovetop. Maybe I missed something.

Aaaaahhh... Chinese starch glop. I get your point. Fluorescent red sweet and sour starch glop... GAG!