Text 19068, 99 rader
Skriven 2014-11-07 22:58:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: last of picnic 235
==========================
One effect of being idle in the hospital is that I've had
time to at least look at and ponder the things I ought to
have written months ago, including this end of the picnic
report, which is sketchier than it would have been if I'd
finished it in a timely manner. I have the excuse of having
the computer go kaflooey, making me lose my mail and my
notes for June (the picnic month). Also, in the next few weeks
expect a proliferation of oldish trip reports, which there's
no real importance in either posting or replying to, only
some of you have expressed interest (perhaps not in the
concentration they will be coming in, but you get what you get).

==
Saturday started off with a hearty breakfast of sausage and eggs,
which I paid not the greatest attention to, as I had other things
on my mind, mainly duck, of which I am a great booster.

I made duck breast with soy-orange glaze, cooked rare and
sliced on the diagonal - a wonderful dish even when made as
I did in haste and inexactitude.

The skin, of which duck has a lot, and it's delicious,
became cracklings and hoisin sandwiches, which I think went
over pretty well.

I put up duck legs for confit - lots of salt, a few herbs,
leave overnight or longer (the longer the better, up to
a point).

We'd promised to fix Dave Drum's baked chicken and potatoes
(recipe has been posted here), and a bunch of us collaborated
and turned out a respectable version, which went down well.

As the Drumster was not able to attend in person, I took it
on myself to provide the nasty technicolor alcohol of the
picnic in the form of a nip of Kinky Blue berry liqueur -
this was neither particularly kinky nor particularly berry,
though it was blue enough. Tasted sort of like acidy alcoholic
Jell-O, insignificant, but the nip cost less than a buck.

==
Sunday was the main picnic day.

Steve started us off with expertly turned out omelets from
a flat griddle, and then we went on to gluttonize in the
manner to which we have become accustomed.

The Shipps' red beans and rice was better than most that I've
had in New Orleans, because of their careful long cooking and
refusal to stint on quality ingredients. After all, we're not
in this to save money, are we. I could eat their Cajun food
all day.

Not so my duck confit with lentils, as the confit was owing
to my miscalculation insufficiently preprepared and thus very
salty. It's supposed to be salty, but not this salty. Later
on I went to Ian's, and we discussed this issue; he said that
in latter days he has learned to pretreat his confit by
steaming; the texture suffers, but the flavor becomes
exponentially more tolerable.

Chicken cracklings and hoisin sandwiches were an almost
reprise of the previous dish. I love these things and could
eat these as well all day.

A tasting of cheap Canadian whiskies, just for the halibut.
McAdam (2 years old) - harsh, tasted of rubbing alcohol

Ellington (4 years old) - pleasantly woody, pronounced
alcohol, would be okay in a mixed drink or to spike nog
or something

Ellington reserve (8 years old) - perhaps better than the
above, perhaps not; a little more smooth, but still with
undue amounts of alcohol. I think the 4 was the favorite
among those who tasted.

Smoked proteinous things:

pastrami - this was delicious if a little salty; I ate
mostly the fat cap, as is my wont;

pork shoulder - better than most commercial versions,
as it was both full-flavored, not too salty, and juicy;

Emmenthal and Muenster - I think these were expertly done,
but I have my doubts about the latter, which I found a
little milky and a little rubbery at the same time.

==
Monday was copious leftovers and the wrapping it up and
saying "until next time" day. We said our goodbyes
reluctantly but not particularly sadly; there was some
discussion, inconclusive, about what to do next year.


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