rps

While Nancy and I lived in London (2000 - 2002) we got in the habit of watching the Brit cooking shows. I won't rant on how bad most Brit tv was. Just trust me when I say the cooking shows were the best option. After we came back home, for a while we continued the habit with American shows. This was 2003 - 2004 -> before Guy Fierri, before cake wars, before the black box shows that require you to use caramel corn. Of those we watched, we treated Emeril as the comic relief. We would sit and laugh at the mistakes and the way his words slurred as the show went on. Having defamed him, I will now admit that the recipe I use the most frequently from any of those shows came from his show. One night he featured what I have since learned was a riff on a James Beard recipe ... Horseradish Cole Slaw. I just finished making a batch for the side to tonight's ribs. I figured some of you might want to have this recipe. Check it out: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/horseradish-coleslaw-recipe.html

Two racks of baby backs, well covered in home made magic dust, just went into the hickory smoke. My mouth is watering already.

You know, the idea that a young man will use it makes me feel very good.

Want large bluegills? Google "Lindy Rig." Use half night crawlers and slow drag (.4 -.5 mph) across points in the 10 to 25 foot depth range. Do not be surprised if you score a bonus walleye.

Everybody and their aunt has a meatloaf recipe. Alton Brown, Pioneer Woman, my Aunt Patsy ... I usually throw a few things together and don't worry too much. However, I wanted to combine a few tricks I've picked up from different sources and use them all in a definitive meat loaf. Ingredients: 2.5 pounds Boston blend ground meat (60% beef, 40% pork) 1 large onion diced fine a stalk of celery diced very fine a carrot diced very fine 4 large button mushrooms diced very fine 2 cloves garlic minced 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon Old Bay 1 teaspoon Cavenders Greek seasoning 1 large egg beaten 1/4 cup plain yoghurt large splash Worcestershire sauce 1 cup panko 1 Tablespoon olive oil First Loaf Paint and Wrap: 1 or 2 Tablespoons Yellow mustard 6 strips thin sliced bacon Second Loaf Paint: 1/2 cup ketchup 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1 rounded Tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon dry mustard sriracha or Franks Hot Sauce to taste Method Do your vegetable dicing or throw it in a food processor and pulse until diced fine (don't make a paste!) Gently saute the vegetables in the olive oil until translucent. Add half the Old Bay, Cavenders, salt, and pepper as they sweat. Allow the vegetables to cool to room temp and place in a large bowl. Add the panko and mix. Combine the yoghurt, Worcestorshire sauce, Franks, and the beaten egg and mix. Add that to the vegetables and panko. Add the ground meat and mix without compacting the mixture. I use my bare hands because my fingers can break apart the lumps as I mix. Season with the remaining Old Bay and Cavenders.Put a piece of parchment on a tray pan and place the meat mixture in the middle. Gently shape a rectangle loaf without pressing the meat tightly together.Use a pastry brush to paint the outside of the loaf with yellow mustard. Lay the bacon strips side by side over the loaf and tuck the ends in. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake 30 minutes. Paint the exterior with the second loaf paint and bake until done, approximately 30 minutes more. Remove from the oven and paint the loaf once more and rest 15 minutes before slicing.

smallmouth!

I put in around noon on Tuesday the 16th. The first two hours I targeted walleye with a nightcrawler on a harness behind a bottom bouncer. I fished a proven area in water from 12 feet to 25 feet deep. All I caught were small bass. Then, for an hour, I trolled a Reef Runner at the 20 foot level through tree and brush tops. I had seen some fish suspended in trees at that level. Again, no joy. Because it was overcast and raining, I decided to try top water fishing. I found a pattern of laydowns at the back end of creeks and long pockets. Caught 11 this size: I ended on a good note with this one:

I put in today around noon. I found greenish water with 3 to 4 feet of visibility and a surface temp of 82. Most, but not all of the floaters are off the lake. Still need to keep your eyes open.

You go Jim!

I've been gone for a bit. To reinsert myself in this thread I will give you a peek of the pot roast I prepared last night and put in the slow cooker today. Imagine the smells in the house.

Fair enough. However, my point was that the menu guy had gone too far. They served parsnip bread - no gluten, but so sweet and such a weak crumb that it was, at best, a tea cake.

Actually, I can see him chasing the egg yolk through the crooks and nannies with his toast.

Trust me. I would rather be home. Between the food at the assisted care unit where Nancy's mother resides and the restaurant (See my review in the Eateries forum) from last night, I am ready to cook my own. The only culinary high point was a lunch stop at a place called the Beach Plum on Highway 1. They had a killer fried clams basket with great fries.

Tonight my wife and I joined her brother and his wife for a meal at a fine dining establishment in Portsmouth, N.H. I realize few of you will ever have occasion to eat out in Portsmouth and do not need to be warned away. However, the experience illustrates several common problems I see in the food business. My comments are based upon two visits to the place as we ate there last year with the same couple. It is one of their favorite places. The pluses: Very nice location in historic Portsmouth down in the seaside section called strawberry bank. The place is a house (two stories) converted for food service with a nice patio al fresco area and a handsome bar as you walk in. Hardwood walls and booth predominate and the seating was comfortable. The wine, beer, and spirits list was broad but not overwhelming and the prices fair. Both times our hosts reserved the table that looks into the open kitchen, and frankly I enjoy that. The staff seemed well coordinated and productive in a small kitchen and courses seemed to go out on time and without holding under heat lamps. The appetizer list looked very good and had a broad range. Both times out group chose the charcuterie platter and I must admit it was excellent. Headcheese, rabbit terrine, wild boar sausage, duck pastrami, two different Italian imported sausages, coarse ground mustard, fruity and onion pickles and compotes, and three excellent cheeses. That offering alone would be a reason to revisit. Sadly, it was downhill from there. The downsides: The person that designed the menu has fallen victim to the "experimental, gluten free, and politically correct bug." The choices included ginger whipped carrots, edamame and zucchini fries, quinoa littered everywhere, whipped Peruvian purple potatoes, and more than one entree labeled gluten free. Oddly, honey and agave were considered good things for vegetables. The meats looked good - duck, hanger steak, chicken three ways (roasted, confit, and sausage), and lamb sirloin. The only real potatoes on the menu came with the chicken and were called potatoes mille-feuille. Ok a thousand layers; I knew what that meant; a variety of scalloped potatoes also called Potatoes Dauphinoise. I ordered the chicken. The presentation, as with all the dishes served to the table, was exquisite. The food was basically inedible. Instead of the traditional dairy and cheese to bind the very thinly sliced potatoes, the chef had used pure butter and plenty of salt. The layers slithered apart sideways when pressed with the fork. The chicken breast was way over-seasoned with salt and pepper. For anyone to put too much salt on a dish for me to like it means they rolled it in the Great Salt Lake desert. The sausage was over-spiced with what tasted to be simple cayenne. Please, if you are going to kick it up, please use something with flavor - chipotle, or serrano, or sriracha - something other than cayenne. The confit leg wasn't bad but was the size of a cornish hen leg. The piece d' resistance? Someone had strewn the plate with sweet glazed beet cubes. Do you have any idea how bad sweet glazed beets are? And way old cafeteria fare too. I was unwilling to embarrass our hosts. I did not send the meal back. I ate over half of it. Right now, my stomach is reminding me the good manners need to have a limit. By the way, the delightful entree I describe was $22. Rant ended. I give Mombo of Portsmouth 1 star and suggest you leave after the charcuterie plate that earned them that one star.

Flatheads have a yellowish strip up along the back. I was taught, if you do not remove it, you get the taste of the bottom.

Go back and re read the trolling article I wrote. You will notice I refer to trolling suspended walleye in tree tops. Channel edges. They usually wait until later in the summer, but fish can't read scripts.

I don't have much of a sweet tooth. Sometimes a custard or flan and that's about it. From time to time Nancy makes killer cookies. Once a year we do a Boston Cream Pie.

Fantastic start!

Roast Chicken with Dressing and Root Vegetables on a Tray Nancy and I are leaving town next week. I am sure we will visit some rather nice places to eat, and the food served at her mother’s assisted living center is really quite good. Nonetheless, I thought I would prepare a “Sunday Dinner” type meal this evening. The process requires several steps, but none are difficult, and the concept is wonderful for a multiple person or multiple-family meal. You bring a single tray to the table and then pass the sauce. You will need: 1 or 2 whole chickens Sufficient root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, onions, or any combination) to feed the number of diners 1 or more bags of stuffing crumbs 2 or three slices of bread, toasted and cubed Onion, celery, sweet bell pepper, parsley, chives, sage, butter 1 quart low sodium chicken broth Butter One batch of Queso (I have previously posted Queso) One half sheet (jelly roll) pan with parchment paper insert Chicken Prep: Watch this video and do the same thing to your chicken(s): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-8tMEwBnSA Dressing Prep: Combine the dressing crumbs and the toasted bread cubes in a large bowl. Add minced chives, sage, and parsley. Roast the chicken backbone, any wing tips, and the keel bone in a sauté pan with half an onion, a stalk of celery, and a carrot in a 375 oven until the edges brown darkly. Remove the hot pan and add 3 cups of the chicken broth. Warning! The broth will steam, pop, and boil when it hits the hot pan. Set the pan on low heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add 3 Tablespoons of butter and allow it to melt. Add the quick stock to the dressing and mix well. You want the dressing to be very moist but not soggy. If more liquid is needed, add broth. Vegetable Prep: Peel the vegetables and cut into chunks that equal about two bites. Any smaller and they tend to over roast. Place them in a baggy and add a minced garlic and a Tablespoon or two of olive oil and salt and pepper. Shake the bag well to coat the vegetables. Let the vegetables hang out in the bag until time for the oven. Roasting: Preheat the oven to 375. Spoon the dressing to the center of the parchment lined tray and spread it into a rectangle about the size of the butterflied chicken and about an inch thick. Place the chicken, skin side up, in the center of the dressing. Scatter the vegetables around the dressing. Spray or brush the chicken with melted butter or olive oil and salt and pepper the skin well. Place the tray on the center rack and roast 45 to 60 minutes until an instant read thermometer insert deep in the thigh, but not touching the bone, reads 165. Remove from the oven and cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes before carving on the tray so that all the juices escape into the dressing. When you are done:

Your wish is my command. That's saffron cous cous on the side and some home made tartar sauce drizzled over it.

I caught walleye today and I will celebrate by making fishburgers! What you see is the four tail parts of the four fillets, diced in 1/4 inch cubes. To that I have added 3/4 cup of panko, 1 teaspoon Old Bay, salt and pepper, 3 green onions chopped in small rings, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, and 1 egg. After mixing, I used a ring cutter to form the burger and then I chill it to firm it up before pan frying.

For the wife and I I will use the four tail pieces from the fillets to make fishburgers. The nice tubular parts of the fillets will be frozen to save for guests.

I went out at 8:30 AM and hunted walleye until 2:00 PM. I reported water conditions in another post. I found five walleye on sand/gravel flat banks on inside bends, but near deeper water. I used a night crawler spinner rig of my own design and fished it at 1 to 1.2 mph. The fish were just outside the flooded brush in 10 to 15 feet of water. Two were legal, 18.5 and 21 inches. Short of giving you the GPS coordinates that is all the information.

I went out of Holiday Island today and found green semi clear water with about 4 feet of visibility. I also found much debris between Holiday Island and Stubblefield Branch. Mulch, fist size wood knots, whiskey bottles, and an occasional boat killer. I strongly advise against night fishing until this sorts out and keep your eyes peeled in the day time. Water temp 75.