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

[Chris Amirault]

Doesn't someone around here have large plastic containers on shelves for particular items? That seems a smart idea.

[robirdstx]

I don't have big plastic containers, but I do have four gallon size ziploc bags that hold smaller items: one for nuts, one for dried mushrooms, one for specialty flours and seeds, and one for misc. stuff and fresh produce like ginger, thyme, parsley, tomato paste and herb butters.

[ambra]

Missed this post:

RE: Dessert snafu. While I'm not surprised that you would try something for the first time for the eG Foodblog, I am surprised that you would try something for the first time meant to be served to a lot of guests!

I do that all the time! I feel like it's part of the fun, serving something new for everyone. Life on the edge, Mitch, life on the edge....

Oh, I do it too. We still (well, others do) get a laugh from the less than successful assortment of desserts I've made over time. Like the Italian bread pudding that was impossibly dry or, or, or...

BTW, I loved my late (sniff, sniff) Char Broil barbecue. The one I had was built like a tank.

I made two things this year I've never made for 16 people, thankfully, all went well!

Doesn't someone around here have large plastic containers on shelves for particular items? That seems a smart idea.

I do this. I bought the containers at the restaurant supply. They came with color tabs and a place to write and wipe dates, contents etc. Except I do this for dry storage. I try to rotate my freezer at least every three months.

I am loving the blog, inspired me to make daube and tortillas!

Edited December 26, 2010 by ambra (log)

[Genkinaonna]

Thanks for taking us along on your culinary ride, Chris! I've been reading your posts in between cooking and dodging children...you've affirmed my deep desire for both a vacuum sealer and sous vide machine...now if I could just find an extra thirty or so square feet to put all the extra stuff...

Merry Belated Christmas!

[Darienne]

Doesn't someone around here have large plastic containers on shelves for particular items? That seems a smart idea.

We have squared-off plastic pails with flat lids...empty muffin mix, etc, pails from local businesses which either give away or sell the empty pails. These are each filled with one type of item and I have a matching schema tacked to the oil tank which abuts the freezer.

It's a chest freezer and SOMETHING has to go on top of SOMETHING. The price to pay here. It's working pretty well though.

(Have to admit we just bought a second second-hand chest freezer in the garage and moved ALL the dog food into it. Makes freezer #1 more of a delight to work with.)

[Merridith]

I don't have big plastic containers, but I do have four gallon size ziploc bags that hold smaller items: one for nuts, one for dried mushrooms, one for specialty flours and seeds, and one for misc. stuff and fresh produce like ginger, thyme, parsley, tomato paste and herb butters.

I do the ziploc method & I mark notes on the vac pacs inside. I have taken to vac packing (food saver, nothing fancy) these little bits and pieces because they tend to sit around for a long time before I get inspired for their use. By using the food saver, they keep for much longer. Also, I have different shelves and drawers in my freezer and I try to keep things together - such as frozen veggies, all in one area; different demi-glaces in another, etc. You end up with lots of bits and pieces when you cure meat so I have tons of little packages of smoked pig skin, bacon scraps, guanciale scraps, etc. I also like to save the bag juices from my SV experiments, if I don't use them for a sauce for the meat I just cooked. I have the bag juice from some pulled pork just waiting for a good winter gumbo or maybe a cajun style shrimp dish? I am terrible at keeping lists, spread sheets, etc.

[Chris Amirault]

Thanks, ambra and Genkinaonna!

Merridith, that's exactly what I mean: lots of little thises and thats for SVS experiments. As for cajun food, well, as you'll see in a sec, we're thinking along the same lines!

[Chris Amirault]

Hot cocoa for the kiddo and father-in-law:

Only the best cocoaware:

[Chris Amirault]

It's a red bean and rice kind of day. Put the other half of that ham stock in a stockpot with these home-smoked hocks:

Trinity, thyme, marjoram, bay, white & black pepper, cayenne, and some ham leftover from the stuffed onions (garlic not pictured):

Had the beans soak a little while I was doing prep:

Here's one of the ways I keep track of things in the freezer. When the roll of tasso gets low, it's time to make more:

[Chris Amirault]

Light lunch:

[Fat Guy]

Did you say you soaked the beans while you were doing prep? Is there any benefit to such a short soak?

[Chris Amirault]

I intended an overnight soak; turned out they soaked for about an hour, during which I went from "make it tomorrow" to "egad, it's a blizzard outside." As we know, there's no need to soak 'em.

[Fat Guy]

My current thinking on soaking, upon re-reading McGee after discussion with slkinsey, is that it's not a question of being a total waste of time but rather a choice about the desired final texture of the beans. No-soak = you get gradations of texture like al dente pasta. Soak = uniformly soft throughout. That's why I was wondering about the short soak you did. I'm thinking of cooking some beans today myself.

I've lost track of the spaetzle. What happened or will happen there?

[LindaK]

What did you get? I grabbed some shrimp on sale to have with tortillas, a piece of sockeye salmon to cure and smoke, a bunch of brussels sprouts on sale, and the standard issue milk and eggs -- extra of those so I could take another crack at that ice cream!

Lots of vegetables--various greens and broccoli rabe, as well as root veggies like carrots, potatoes, parnips--plus eggs and bread. We're all getting tired of the rich nibbles--cheeses, salumeri, etc. and craving vegetables. I have a whole chicken defrosting and, best of all, a really big piece of salt cod soaking.

[Chris Amirault]

I've lost track of the spaetzle. What happened or will happen there?

Perhaps later in the foodblog, now that I have a few eggs around.

I have a whole chicken defrosting and, best of all, a really big piece of salt cod soaking.

Ooh, interesting idea.... What are you going to do with it?

[LindaK]

I have a whole chicken defrosting and, best of all, a really big piece of salt cod soaking.

Ooh, interesting idea.... What are you going to do with it?

I assume you're asking about the salt cod, not the nice-but-ordinary chicken.

Brandade for sure, but there is so much of it, I think I'll have plenty for experimentation. Santa gave me a copy of David Leite's the New Portuguese Table, which is filled with salt cod porn.

[Chris Amirault]

Ice cream base update. Here's the bag in the SVS:

Strained and cooling in our "three season room." One of the benefits to cooking during a New England blizzard is that you have insta-walkins:

[Chris Amirault]

Just made a toddy for my mother-in-law, who helped Andrea put up some Christmas lights during the blizzard. I'd say that deserves a pretty good toddy, wouldn't you?

2 oz Redbreast Irish whiskey

1/2 oz smoked pineapple syrup

1 oz demerara syrup

slice of lemon, seeded

Put syrups and lemon slice into mug and pour a few ounces of boiling water over them; stir to dissolve the syrups. Add the whiskey and top with a few scrapes of nutmeg.

Working on a little project here that I'll be sharing later today if all goes well.

[kayb]

I want those tortillas. Now I want a tortilla press, never mind I have NO room in my kitchen.

[Chris Amirault]

Crashing early: several days of early to rise, late to bed cooking is catching up with me. More tomorrow!

[Shelby]

A few shots of food equipment in the capacious garage. You saw the freezer up topic. Here's my beloved Bradley smoker ($250 at this eGullet friendly Amazon link -- yeesh!), sitting on a stainless steel rolling cart that I found at a yard sale:

I'm glad it's close to Valentine's Day because I just fell hopelessly in love with your Bradley smoker.

--on a side note, I hope all signed up with we-care.com...it is so simple...I did my main shopping on Amazon, so I hope it did some good for EG!---(ps. i have no affiliation with egullet, just my 2 cents )

[robirdstx]

Crashing early: several days of early to rise, late to bed cooking is catching up with me. More tomorrow!

Get some well deserved rest. Thank you for a wonderful blog.

[Pierogi]

Crashing early: several days of early to rise, late to bed cooking is catching up with me. More tomorrow!

I'd say you more than deserve a long winter's nap ! And a medal of valor for blogging through that intense cooking extravaganza that was your Christmas ! Kudos, Chris, I have so thoroughly enjoyed this, and am waiting eagerly for the rest.

[Chris Amirault]

Thanks, everyone!

A few shots of food equipment in the capacious garage. You saw the freezer up topic. Here's my beloved Bradley smoker ($250 at this eGullet friendly Amazon link -- yeesh!), sitting on a stainless steel rolling cart that I found at a yard sale:

I'm glad it's close to Valentine's Day because I just fell hopelessly in love with your Bradley smoker.

--on a side note, I hope all signed up with we-care.com...it is so simple...I did my main shopping on Amazon, so I hope it did some good for EG!---(ps. i have no affiliation with egullet, just my 2 cents )

You're right about We-Care.com and connecting to Amazon.com through this eGullet-friendly link, Shelby: both are easy and both allow you to give to the Society without paying a cent! We also appreciate your being a society donor, another great way to give back. I hope that everyone who has enjoyed this foodblog so far -- and there is more to come! -- considers giving in one way or another.

After all, we all have an affiliation with the eGullet Society in one way or another. If you post, you're a member. And if you are just reading? Well, as a non-profit, public organization, the Society serves its mission of expanding knowledge about the world of food and drink for everyone. All of the managers and hosts are volunteers, giving their time and effort to a cause that they love.

Giving back, I should say. I have learned so much from everyone on eG Forums, from eG Cook-Offs to the eGCI to the Daily Gullet to thousands of informative eG Forums topics. Spending a week sharing my holiday with you and volunteering behind the scenes on routine maintenance and special projects are a small way for me to say thanks to you and the Society both.

And with that, let's get back to the foodblog!

[Chris Amirault]

I'm up in the middle of the night, unfortunately. Bebe's got a cough, and I am on Robitussin duty tonight; once I got her back to sleep, and I couldn't do the same. So I'm sipping a rich, heady mug of my favorite tea of the moment, an Assam Sree Sibbari Estate SFTGFOP -- that's "Special Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe" for those new to tea lingo like me -- from TeaSource.

Everything I learned about tea came from the eG Forums Coffee & Tea forum. Like cocktails, tea rewards careful preparation yet not necessarily supremely expensive ingredients. Save for that Intelligensia coffee I mentioned up-topic, I rarely get my caffeine fix away from home or office these days, and though the teas I use from places like TeaSource and Greg Glancy at Norbu Tea cost more than Lipton or Tazo, they cost a whole lot less than a cup of joe from Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts.