eG Foodblog: Chris Amirault (2010) - Holidays in Rhode Island

[Chris Amirault]

For my money, one of the greatest single posts in the history of eG Forums was written by Charles, aka busboy. You can, and should, read it here.

I think of it often, especially since the move into a house with a dishwasher that's ok on the top shelf --

-- but, due to a host of design issues, requires a nearly empty bottom shelf:

Thus someone is left, most nights, with this:

When it's my turn... well, try as I might, it turns out I'm no Thich Nhat Hanh, so I can't quite channel the Buddha while washing dishes mindfully no matter how hard I try. (And I do try.) But, with the help of some J.M VSOP rhum, I find I can regularly channel Charles.

Cheers, busboy.

[Peter the eater]

Of the many wonderful things that the Sous Vide Supreme does in my life, defrosting rapidly is among them. I just toss in the bag, wait a few minutes, and presto:

Very clever.

It's on my xmas list. Does it get used for mixology?

[Chris Amirault]

Not yet, Peter. Any ideas?

I'm hoping each night to feature an interesting cocktail, and "interesting" is what many people have said, in an attempt to be polite, when tasting this one. It's from one of my favorite cocktail books, which is sadly out of print after fewer than 300 copies were published: the Rogue cocktail book by Kirk & Maks, a couple of far-reaching bartenders who went whole hog, manifesto and all, in pursuit of libation perfection. You can read my rather breathless take on the book here.

In that post/rant/soapbox speech, I mention "lobster cocktails," a phrase I feel like I heard somewhere but can't trace back to its source. Lobster cocktails are the sorts of surprisingly, miraculously delicious drinks that, when you read the recipe, you cannot possibly believe that someone would drink, let alone enjoy.

I offer you tonight's beverage, the lobster cocktail par excellence, the 2 to 2:

1 1/2 oz Aperol

1 oz absinthe (Leopold Bros.)

1 oz lemon

1/4 oz gum syrup

dash orange bitters (half Regan's, half Fee's)

egg white

Layer upon layer unfolds beneath a deceptively smooth meringue. Not everyone will like this intense mouthful, which looks like pink cotton candy but hides all sorts of razor blades. Indeed, some here find it vile.

Me? I think it's one of the best drinks of the year.

ETA: Here's a great recipe from Tri2Cook for gum/gomme syrup. This is my take on that basic recipe.

[Chris Amirault]

So: day one is a wrap. I will share a couple of projects tomorrow involving the Sous Vide Supreme and the Ultra Pride grinder. We've got nixtamal preparation, a pancake and bacon breakfast, another shop or three, lots of stock prep, beef marinading, and who knows what else in store for tomorrow.

It's been great to spend the day with everyone! For now, good night.

[David Ross]

The beef for the Daube look fabulous, all that wonderful marbling. Is it Prime grade?

I do like Gruyere in Gougere's, but you might also want to try a batch with Bleu Cheese. It's a wonderful combination of salty, tangy Bleu with the puffy little Gougere pastry.

[kayb]

Chris, I made your posole last night; as always, it was wonderful! Can't wait to learn all about your French Christmas dinner. Thoroughly enjoyed your first day!

[Merridith]

For my money, one of the greatest single posts in the history of eG Forums was written by Charles, aka busboy. You can, and should, read it here.

Thanks Chris for pointing out that wonderful post from busboy and thank you for enriching my day. I truly had fun following you on day one. What a lovely holiday gift. See you tomorrow!

[C. sapidus]

Chris, I am exhausted just reading about your exploits so far. Kudos! Looking forward to the rest of the week.

I used to have the same Chicago Cutlery boning knife, but a guest sustained a rather impressive cut when helping to carve a holiday turkey. Greasy fingers, the blade hitting bone unexpectedly, and the lack of a stop on the handle can be bad news.

I now use a Tojiro honesuki (chicken boning knife), and find it quite effective.

[Pierogi]

Holy Ka-moley (or should that be Ka-mole???), Chris. Talk about hitting the ground running. What a day, and what an adventure this will be. Way looking forward to the holiday dinners, and the cocktail extravaganzas. It was you & eje on these boards that got me interested in something more than a "Tanquery martini, up, with an olive, not too dry" (though there's not a thing wrong with that...) for my cocktail repetoire. I thank you, although my bank account isn't too happy with my new tastes for creme de violette, Cynar and Luxardo....

[Anna N]

Correction

I have been advised that this post incorrectly attributes the origin of the Vacuvin pineapple corer/slicer. Though an earlier edition of the gadget was indeed purchased at a yard sale for a buck, the item shown in the photograph was, in fact, a gift -- from my terrific mother-in-law. This fact has been pointed out to me by my loving wife.

Ahem.

So, in the spirit of honesty and familial harmony, I issue this correction.

Back to the foodblog.

I was also gifted with one of these but so far haven't bought a pineapple to put it through its paces. Must rectify that soon.

[Mjx]

Tonight's shopping excursion.

. . . .

Here's the haul: red and yellow onions, eggs, coffee, carrots, garlic, and celeriac from the farmers market:

[]

And from the Chinese American market, pork bellies and shoulder, snacks, gai lan, and... a spaetzle maker???

[]

I'm currently in a country where it's difficult to find many fairly straightforward ingredients (e.g. molasses, Triple Sec), and my very simply planned Christmas dinner is proving a bit of a logistical nightmare, so I am feeling deeply, deeply envious of your access to all this great stuff; your dinner is definitely going to be amazing.

Well then: I'm off for a final, hopeful, hunting and gathering expedition to try to find those last, missing items I need, or reasonable substitutes/replacements.

Happy whichever-holiday-you-celebrate, all!

[Chris Amirault]

Morning! I'm a bit bleary-eyed: Bebe (the 5 year old) was up coughing at 2a and I was the night nurse. Getting started, slowly....

The beef for the Daube look fabulous, all that wonderful marbling. Is it Prime grade?

Nope: standard issue Whole Foods choice. This animal was from a farm in NH, I believe.

[Chris Amirault]

Glad to hear you liked the posole, kayb! Corn is about to make a prominent entrance....

Thanks for the propers, Merridith and C. sapidus. I've learned quite a bit from both of you -- in the Sous Vide Supreme and the Cooking with Cradle of Flavor topics. Hope I can give something back.

I now use a Tojiro honesuki (chicken boning knife), and find it quite effective.

Ojisan mentioned that over in the poultry breakdown topic. Perhaps an up-and-coming addition to my small Japanese knife collection on this wooden block (Wusthof cleaver is hanging)?

Glad you like the cocktails, Pierogi -- and, Anna, I'll be interested to see what you think. Gotta get that angle just right....

Finally: Mjx, from one equipment hunter to another, I wish you good luck and every success.

Breakfast up next.

[Fat Guy]

It seems the plan is already locked in, so perhaps this is just piling on, but I too support spaetzle as the choice here. Also, I should add, I did not create the spaetzle we had at that pig event. I just sauteed the spaetzle someone else had fabricated. Which raises a relevant point: there are many ways to serve spaetzle, including straight up, tossed with various things, cooked right in with a stew/soup/whatever, and sauteed.

[Chris Amirault]

Given that it will be served as the starch with the daube, how do you think it should be prepared?

[Chris Amirault]

Given my inability to find the right cornmeal at the store, I decided to see if my Ultra Pride wet/dry grinder was up to the task of milling corn.

Here's what the coarse grind corn meal looked like at the start:

Into the UP:

30 minutes later:

I stopped there -- fine enough for pancakes, surely. And it gives you a sense of what this awesome machine can do.

[Fat Guy]

Given that it will be served as the starch with the daube, how do you think it should be prepared?

I'd argue for Dorie's herbed spaetzle recipe. Finely chopped herbs in the dough and the spaetzle are sauteed with mushrooms. Here's the recipe as it ran in Bon App, though I'm sure I've seen it in one of her books too.

But if you want to make your life easier, just boil plain spaetzle and toss in a bowl with butter.

[Chris Amirault]

Now that the mill is done: breakfast!

Here's the family recipe book:

I long ago pledged my allegiance to the eGullet Kitchen Scale Manifesto, and have learned that using the scale is not only more accurate but, given the tare function, much easier.

The flour is stored in built-in containers that have a sifter attached to the bottom:

I was able to hoosegow the little kiddo into sous chef duty this morning:

Here's the Therador rangetop ready and waiting (and dirty -- getting cleaned today):

That Lodge cast iron grill/griddle is a relatively new member of the family that has taken some getting used to, but I now use it regularly for pancakes and tortillas, as well as finishing off steaks and chops with the grill side:

Bacon into the Thermador at 375F:

And out. You can see the uneven temp in the oven -- the dark pieces were near the back and front walls -- despite turning and moving slices. I didn't let it warm up with a pizza stone in it, and it shows:

Finally, the morning beverage was a surprise early Xmas gift from my wife Andrea!

My first homemade cup of French press coffee in years and years. Didn't botch it too badly.

Breakfast at the counter, surveying the day ahead.

[vice]

Here's the Therador rangetop ready and waiting (and dirty -- getting cleaned today):

I think you're way too hard on yourself--that's downright sparkling compared to mine. Do tell what Ong had to say about gougeres when you've got a minute. I think we're going to pass some around before the big meal, too. For a number of years, I've used a recipe that I think started out as Keller's from TFL. I'm always game to change things up though.

And thanks for bringing Busboy's post to our attention. Great read. It actually made this tyke fancy a wife and house and all the other trappings of responsible adulthood that come with.

[Chris Amirault]

Off to do some shopping at the local grocery megamart and Whole Foods. Now that I have TapaTalk I will give you updates as needed!

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

[Kent Wang]

Chris, you have more gadgets (especially the big ones) than anyone I know of on this forum.

[Chris Amirault]

I think that andisenji wins that title, hands down.

I wonder, though, if I have so many more as others around here or elsewhere. I am a pretty careful researcher before I buy something, and with few exceptions, I use the stuff regularly. When I snoop through friends' houses, digging through their closets and so on (always with permission, of course), I see a lot of stuff that doesn't get much use. The equipment you'll see in this foodblog ain't buried under bean bag chairs and unregifted Foreman grills.

[Chris Hennes]

Kent, you have apparently never met andiesenji! She's the queen collector around here.

[Chris Amirault]

Back from shopping, and hoping that I've reached that most special of holiday moments for the home cook: realizing you don't have to leave the house again until after service.

[Chris Amirault]

Sorry for the double post. (Hennes and I are the same person.)