Text 11722, 114 rader
Skriven 2008-08-08 05:27:04 av Michael Loo (1:18/200.0)
Ärende: picnic day 738
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Picnic food.

Boiled peanuts (Shenk) - these had gone for a day or so in
the crockpot. The texture wasn't to her liking, but I thought
it was fine, the peanuts melting in the mouth to a smooth
texture and pea soup taste. As we are all getting older and
need someone to keep an eye on our sodium, she cut the salt
down in half; I liked them done this way.

Reubens (Janis) - very tasty, apparently a family favorite;
I of course would have preferred fatty brisket, but these were
made with healthy round (what is it with these lovelies keeping
an eye on our diets?). The dressing was rather spunky, enhanced
with some kind of horseradish I think and a "squizzle" of Asian
hot sauce, sriracha or the like.

Smoked turkey (Shipps) - not oversmoked, not oversalted. Nice
balance. I of course went for the thigh meat and the skin but
did sample the white meat, which was moist and tender but
still not my thing.

Lasagne (Hafflys) - a very plain lasagne, no mozz, no meat,
relatively little herb in the sauce; it seemed fine, though, the
milligram or two I tried (I will generally not waste pills on
ricotta, unless it's in a pot de creme or other dessert such as
I often make when forced to cook at a party), and I understand
that under the care of Matt and Alana the leftovers did not last
long; it went well with

braciole (Hafflys) - round steak wrapped around stuffing
(Ruth used whole wheat breadcrumbs; I would have used white
for texture, and more seasoning, maybe even an onion, but then
I didn't have an Italian mother-in-law looking over my shoulder
when I learned to make this dish) - I had a couple slices; and

meatballs (Hafflys) - good, but rather healthy-tasting, as
the beef was lean and the turkey was leaner; I'd have used
ground chuck and cholesterol be darned; also would use white
breadcrumbs.

Dashi and miso soups (Shenk) - I tasted both, and they were
authentic, but I thought, with Italian food?, and didn't have
more than a spoonful of each. Anyhow, I am not a soup person.

Boiled taro (Shenk) - what can I say. It was good, in an
elemental get-those-calories way. If we had been hungry,
I'd have restewed them with soy and garlic and some meat
presence or perhaps made hash-brownish substance out of them.
She suggests making cream soup (very fusion), for the haoles.
I wouldn't, preferring a more present presence.

Pork roast (me, ingredients from Janis) - someone had asked
for Chinese roast, so I marinated a nice loin roast in, h'm,
rice wine, hoisin, garlic (lots), ginger, cinnamon (a little),
cumin (a little), and soy; then it went onto Shenk's rotisserie,
where it went round for 1 hr 25 (cut down 15 or 20 from what it
would normally be, but I like pink pork, and as this was from an
organically and sustainably raised pig, I felt no danger of
ingesting trichinae, heavy metals, pesticides, hormones, or bad
karma and felt free to cook it a little pink). I think it came
out well, especially the cracklings - I trimmed off the outer
sheet and cut it up and let people fight for it; then the fat
cap got sliced and rendered, sort of like bacon. It had to
have been decent - even the porkophobe Stephen said he liked it.

Baby bok choy with potatoes (Shenk) - cooked on top of the
rotisserie using the rising heat. I thought these were too lean;
should maybe have basted them with some of the pig fat.

Weyerbacher Old Heathen imperial stout (I showed the label to
the Hafflys, who were not impressed) had lovely coffee and
chocolate flavors along with the maltiness and hops; it went
nicely with the food.

Dogfish Head India Brown Ale - if I'd closed my eyes, I'd have
thought it a Belgian ale (I don't like most Belgians, but the
brown ales are classic); and in fact it was very similar to the

Corsendonk brune that I tasted side by side with it - both
rich and molassesy, moderate hopping, medium to heavy body. Both
had that fine effervescence that I don't care for.

Dessert:

Tiramisu (Janis) was pretty classic, which is no surprise as
Janis is Sicilian by origin. Mine may not be as good as hers,
and I like mine a lot.

Pecan pie (Shipps) - this went under the title of sugar pie
with pecans, and I have no idea what the difference is. It too
was classic, and as I love pecan pie I courted disaster by
having three (smallish) slices.

Of course there was a durian (Shenk). It was medium ripe by the
time it had been hung out for a day - beginning to smell like
onions and rotten eggs and farts and sewage - but had not yet
begun to split so had to be cleaved apart. It received mixed
reviews. Janis and Ron's daughter had shown up with her brood
(Alex, o shoot I forgot, and Drew) and the lovely redhead Kristen;
there are pictures extant of her trying a bite ... heh heh heh.
Some nondurianophiles were converted, and the hard core also ate
our fill. Still there was half a fruit left, out of which I
threatened to make a cheesecake next day. It was deemed, though,
that keeping the rest of the fruit in the fridge overnight would
ruin the appliance, so it was multiply wrapped and consigned to
the bin.

And so another wonderful picnic day passed ...


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