goin' down South

Some people know I’m on the “Editorial Board” of the St. Mary’s County Historical Society’s quarterly newsletter we call: “The Chronicles”.   I am mostly dead weight, being thrown in with a bunch of folks who have lived here for years and years and hence have lived a lot of history for this county, gaining several interesting stories and experiences along the way.  Only arriving in ’96 I am considered far from a being a “County Boy”.  So my knowledge is derived from a keen interest in our history and from rubbing off the County Archivist, i.e., MFO. So my role is mostly relegated to punctuation, sentence structure and helping with the flow of a given story.

Part of my responsibility should be to produce a “Story” for inclusion in the Chronicles.  One of the editors suggested I do something on food, a subject with which I have some degree of knowledge and familiarity.  SO years ago I thought I would do something like “The evolution of fine dining in St Mary’s county”.  I’ve done a couple of interviews of local long time restaurateurs.  Question is: how far back should I go?  I think it should begin with plantations (like Sotterley) and the enslaved people who were living there.  Many brought with them the foodways of their country of origin where they were forced into slavery, and adapted them to what was available in this country.  With just a little bit of poetic liberty, you soon find yourself with recipes for things like “Fried Green Tomatoes” which I decided to try.  

Step one, obtain some!   Fortunately, I have a friend with an extensive garden which produces a lot of tomatoes and of course they go green before turning into red.

AResized Green tomatoes wcm t6s 200823 

I selected one to begin

Sliced it up

(fairly thick as the recipe specified)

And did the Mise en Place for the batter, etc.

And even decided to “kick it up a notch”

Got out the fryer

 got the oil to the specified temperature

and fried them and served along side local corn

They were pretty good.   I think they’re done for the season.

Well what does one drink with/for a classic southern dish????\  To borrow a phrase from the Gorilla… Of Course!!!

An interesting aside, thrown in here. I purchased this rather expensive bottle of Absinthe (substitute).  If you read many cocktail recipes that call for that ingredient of Herbsaint, most of them want you to either use miniscule amounts or: “spritz or rinse the inside of an iced cocktail glass with the Absinthe (or Herbsaint), Remove the ice from the glass and coat the glass with the Herbsaint, then discard”..  the darn bottle costs a lot, and so you are literally throwing your money away. 

So…

• 1 cube sugar
• 3 dashes bitters
• 1 1/2 to 3 ounces of Rye whiskey  (to taste)
• 1/4 ounce absinthe
• Garnish: lemon twist

Rinse a chilled cocktail glass with the Absinthe and discard

Muddle the sugar cube with the bitters

Add whiskey and stir

Gently squeeze the lemon twist over the drink to release its essence.

Serve

Enjoy, ya’ll and with COVID who cares about

DFD

Did you know that IHOP is gone?? i didn't

disaster preparedness

Attention!!

A word about preparedness for tropical storms and the like.  It is important that you make sure you have survival equipment, so you can “weather the storm”.

The main posting will be about Paris, and guess what? Food! I might just wait until Iasisaissias passes…  Meanwhile here are the minimum essential supplies you should have at your fingertips

Please be sure you have ample amounts to last you a few days if necessary.  Be safe.

Finally

Jul 24 blue cheese and COVID

As you might remember I have a series of exercises for my pulmonary issues.  One of those is “Marching in Place” which, while self-explanatory from a physical aspect, also describes The Feeder’s mood.  Just don’t have much enthusiasm for doing much which translates to the dark periods of the Bottom Feeder. In response to dozens, well, a few, well, one inquiry I’ve had about the Bottom Feeder lately. Here’s a little catch up. 

So…..bucking that….starting out with a little “foodie humor”!

Caption: "then, when I get a little money, I said I'm never eating off the ground again

William Wordsworth should have been here

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

 well there was a little friend upstream a ways:

One of the things you can do while remaining in “quarantine” is eat.. to sort of modify one of FOJTE’s favorite sayings: “Living well is the best revenge” (at which he is quite accomplished); to which I would change to “Eating well ain’t bad either”.  Lately I have been on a kick for the world’s best (okay, I used the word) food which IMHO is cheese.  Further I am concentrating on the “Bleu” varieties. And “Variety “is a good word.  If you google “Blue Cheese”, it throws a list at you of over 40 cheeses (from Wikipidia). Most of the cheese reference sources includes them in lists of “country of origin; Milk Type; Type (fresh, soft, semi-soft, semi-hard, and so forth).  You name the category, there’s likely to be a blue cheese in there somewhere.

So far, (some are not cheap!) I have sampled:

Shropshire; Seles Sur Cher; bleu de Auvergne; Cambozola Black Label; Point Reyes Original, and Rogue Creamery “caveman”. Some are distinctive, some are not

Shropshire “Blue”

Seles Sur Cher

Cambozola Black Label

And “not”

When it comes to taste, the lines kind of blur.  While all taste like what most people would call: “Bleu Cheese”; You would have to line them up and go from one to another.  Subtle differences exist in texture, “sharpness” (for want of a better word).  For me, I quite enjoy Point Reyes Original, it has nice balance, not too “Crumbly” (i.e., spreads easily).  MFO currently likes the Rogue Creamery product.

Anyway, it’s a task of love and we’ve just scratched the surface.  A worthwhile journey (as resources permit!)

And lastly, for the heck of it (and why I love food and restaurants) I include a photo of a lovely spot, part of the L’Auberge Chez Francois near Great Falls:

  Jacques’ Brasserie and serves such classic dishes as Lobster Thermidor:  Mr. Sietsema: “The kitchen does right by the classic, featured as a Friday special.  Its recipient tastes sweet poached lobster, cognac and cream and more than the cheeses used to finish the dish, which is rich without beinggloppy”.  Sigh…

Okay, one of these days, I may be able to DFD
Be safe

Pass the _____ please!

 Apologies for the delay, the SpaceX stuff captured my attention and brought back shades of my former life.  Did i ever mention wrote the program for docking of the Gemini/Agena?  Flight test stuff…

Yup, the end of the elephant (we won’t say which) has arrived.  The last lingering subject is one that is dear to my heart.  Some say it’s the most perfect food (we won’t mention Foie Gras)… Fromage, сыр, Käse; Formaggio, queso, cáis, TUpi, ost, juusto, 奶酪,  Just about any language you would like to pick has a word for…CHEESE!

A big reason for this is there is such a a whole universe of flavors, textures, consistencies, colors, changing all of these with age. It starts with one thing…milk.  Cow, Sheep, Goats, Water Buffalo (huh?), or combinations of all.  These are used either raw or pasteurized, each giving distinct qualities to the cheese.  We won’t go into the process, but it is fairly simple andeach step can change the characteristic of the cheese.  C’mon Feeder we didn’t just fall off the turnip truck, we know a lot of this.

Okay, okay, I love cheese. Not all cheese, but most probably my fascination was spawned and nurtured on our French Country Waterways barge cruises on the canals of France. 

And in looking for that cover shot from FCW has gotten me all nostalgic..

..........You know what?  Let’s let the general subject of cheese age a bit more, and look back some 7 years.   FOJTE has a saying “Living well is the best revenge” and we had lots of “revenge”.  The focus of the trip aside from seeing the lovely French countryside was excellent food and wine, and of course (to tie it back to the subject) Cheeses.  It was highlighted in the meals

A typical menu (all in French, as it should be)

Note the 4^th course is Fromage and the wines are two whites (Vins Blanc) and one Red (Vin Rouge) and oenophiles might note there are two Grand Cru’s and a Premier Cru with hallowed names like Corton Charlemagne, and Charmes Chambertin which we couldn’t afford today.  Every meal was prepared by the on-board chef, who explained each course.  He turned out lovely food in a kitchen the size of a closet.  Great talent.

At the end of the trip, they gave us a list of the Wines and cheeses served

along with a copy of all the bottle  labels from the wines

At least two of the three cheeses was served with every lunch and dinner, that’s around maybe some 30 cheeses, with never a repeat.  There was always a little “speech” about each one, country of origin, milk, characteristics and so forth. 

I had a little book which I kept over several trips,

noting in the margin which cheeses we had when, like the Bleu de Auvergne from a Tuesday dinner

Anyway it was a wonderful (and educational experience).  We “did” two more trips with them, and never suffered from the “You can’t go home again” syndrome.  And I didn’t even mention the three star restaurants that were on the itinerary.  One of those still ranks as number one on my life list of meals.

Speaking of books, I found a more up to date one that is worth having if you want a good cheese reference.

MFO recently found another that I have to read

(illustrations are by the same chap who did “Winnie the Pooh”, and “Wind in the Willows”).  

It was originally published in 1937 and has changed nothing since that edition.  At that time, English Cheeses were much maligned, and this was an attempt to point out the fine points.  Of course the first cheese that comes to mind from England is Cheddar (named for the town in Southwestern England, near Bath).

I hate to delve into “what’s your favorite cheese” but I am increasingly intrigued in “blue” cheeses.  Again there is a remarkable variety available.  It’s one of those things where you either love it, or don’t.  I have a friend who definitely DOES NOT enjoy it.

I think I have mentioned that I have begun to patronize Murray’s, a New York cheese monger.  They have a pretty good selection of the blue veined stuff.  I gave them an order a few weeks ago for some Point Reyes Original Blue.  I did check the little box that said something about “may we substitute a similar cheese if we are out of your selection?”  well, what I got was

Darn it I thought, but it turned out to be very good.  Forced expanding horizons. Currently Murray’s offers 14 varieties (while supplies last) of blue cheese, some (e.g. Jasper Hill Farm Bridgeman Blue) costing as much as $40/Lb.  Not sure I’ll try that yet…Anyway, if you order a half pound there are some savings available.   Not sure where I’ll go next, Shropshire Blue interests me..  anyway enjoy the journey!

Speaking (briefly, I hope) of books David Allen Sibley, a noted author, illustrator, photographer, and birder has published a new volume “What it’s like to be a bird”. 

His (2000) “Sibley guide to Birds” from the National Audubon Society is still considered (by many) to be the standard bird ID guidebook.  So when this new book (What it’s like..) came along, I figured WTH I’ll try it.

Turned out to be not only a good source of bird information, but what was really a wonderful surprise was the beautiful drawings contained in it.  Even if you’re not a “birder” it is a lovely book for your collection.  Might even be eligible for “coffee table" status

Okay we’ll put a rind on the cheese, and thank you for your indulgence.  I enjoyed my trip down memory lane (canals?) in France. 

Take care, be safe and get ready to

DFD

Second Course

Let’s take another bite of elephant (the mountain of subjects for the Feeder piling up). our first gulp was some pesky shrimp, the nice sparkling Calvet of Bordeaux, and Duck Donuts…

MFO finally thought I could break quarantine a bit yesterday morning:  leave the house for the car, stay there, tour the Farmer’s Markets (A quest for spring strawberries, mostly) and come home again to jail….er, the digs.

 

With CORVID still a risk (except to a major political figure who is taking medicine that most credible scientific organizations consider dangerous) MFO and I are still taking all the same measures as when the virus was(?) in full swing.

Anyway, we started out at the “BAE” Farmer's market just up the street from us, but the traffic person said they had no strawberries in that location and suggested we go down to the “Home Grown” Market (red barn) at Hermanville and Rte. 235.  They, like the other open air markets have “pivoted” (how many times have you heard that word lately?  Ad nauseam) to a drive through model.  It has been quite a hit here as evidenced by the line of autos waiting to get in…

  

It took us about 25 minutes from the back of that line creeping along following the signs

Till we got to the “traffic handlers”.  There are two lines, one way, an inner and outer circle

And the first vendor booth - which had volunteers that would come to your car with a “menu” board saying what they had.  You tell them, they go get it, bring it back to you and you creep on…

Finally, at almost the last vendor (Flower of the Forest Farm) DID have the sought after little bundle of spring time sweetness

  

They come at a fairly dear in price

Yes, that is five bucks (American) for a PINT of berries.  But by golly, they are good.

We also got some WAG (Willie Goddard) meats, locally raised and butchered.

Elasped time to make the circuit – approximately one hour and 15 minutes…

Buy Local

Speaking of Meats

I splurged on some Double R Ranch pork chops.  They are in cahoots with Snake River Farms (who happen to supply Thomas Keller), and decided to grill it on the Ninja.  A lovely piece of pork

Hey Feeder! What’s that doo-dad next to it?   Well,  it’s another “gadget” I got called a “Meater”.  Basically it is a probe you stick in the meat you’re cooking

And you tell it what target internal temperature you want, and it will tell you when to pull the item and let it rest while residual cooking raises it to the desired temperature.  It also tells you (via Bluetooth to your clever phone) what the ambient temperature is inside the cooking chamber.  It is pretty slick.

Here’s the finished chop (from the Ninja)

I don’t remember what temp I asked for.  probably 160 or so. 

I also used it on a Snake River Farms Filet

I think I set it for medium rare maybe 120 something.

The display looks like

Showing the internal temp was still 108, target was 125, and it was 500 inside the Ninja. 

I pulled it when it told me to, but overshot the target

Still a learning process

I also used it on a SRF strip steak

BUT… nearing the end of the cooking time, all of a sudden my phone started screaming “REMOVE MEATER AT ONCE OR DAMAGE MAY OCCUR” with flashing red screen.  Which I did. 

It occurred to me that the Ninja has a fairly small interior, and the heating element is in the top.  If the “ambient” end is too close, it may cause problems

Sill a learning process.

And lastly, the most perfect food…. CHEESE

Well, maybe that’s enough of the elephant for today.  If I get going on the “Fromage” I would go on and on, making this too long..

What’s left of the elephant is making a pizza, and that perfect food

Which (cleverly) leaves a little room for a (personal) rant and comment.

Rant: For some reason (maybe obvious) with the COVID restrictions in place, people are looking inward and cooking more, and a lot of emphasis being placed on Baking. Cooking magazines feature articles on "Perfect biscuits every time", and a lot of bread recipes.  Now, as most readers should be painfully aware, I am a devotee of "classic" foods.  I know I may be in the minority here, but i don't get the fascination with "Sour Dough".  I have never liked it, and it's first name says it all to me.  On and on about "Starter" recipes, chef so and so's perfect recipe for starter, or even for sale on the web.  Why take a perfectly prepared (not easily come by) baguette and turn it "sour".  I don't get it. Sorry, not for me.

Comment on Take out:  my idol, Tom Sietsema is soldering on with his off and on columns in the (Wednesday) Post Food section, and in the weekly Magazine generally about "take out" .  I think I've mentioned (gripe) that he doesn't mess around with outlets that are generally unavailable to us (especially SOMD).  This week's column (May 24) is entitled "Takeout, as offered by the city's top toques" meaning Starred Chefs, such as Frank Ruta (the decorated former White House chef who won a James Beard award at Palena and opened Mirabelle to rave reviews in 2017, is returning to work in D.C)

"we play to our strengths and do what we can".  To be fair, Dinner and salads adn entrees $14 to $30. Delivery can be by Caviar.

It would be nice to be in a market where most of the carryouts are from chains, with nice exceptions like the Ruddy Group, and Cow & Fish.

Next time

Be safe, don’t be sucked in by the “lets open everything up”  kiss your neighbor!  Throw out the masks!  Go to a belly to belly packed bar! Take a dose of the Hydrochloric acid or whatever it is..All is well!

And don’t worry yet about

DFD