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United States, North Carolina, Carrboro, English, Paul, Male, 56-60, All Music, All Food.

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Friday, November 01, 2002

I was watching a Netflix DVD of The Judy Garland Show yesterday, from 1964. It wasn't very good for even then. Jerry Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney ("Let's do a show!") and Judy. On the closing credits they rolled "Gold Medal Wondra Flour" and that hit a sore nerve. Can't find it anywhere anymore, granulated flour that was perfect for making sauces because it dissolved without clumping. Many Googles, no sources - but lot of recipes. Sometimes they say to substitute Pillsbury Shake & Blend Flour (in the cannister) in a pinch. I miss Wondra, where is it? 6:52:09 PM    comment []

Why would I be so happy to finally meet The Bracewells? It is because their picture was in a brochure from Southside Market & BBQ, Inc. The brochure came inside a styrofoam box, packed inside a plain cardboard box which arrived outside my door just minutes ago. The contents were still cool after a long journey from Highway 290 somewhere between Houston and Austin, Texas. Its traveling companions were a bottle of Elgin BBQ Sauce, a bottle of Elgin Hot Sauce, and 4 pounds of Elgin Sausage - the holy grail of hot sausage. Tonight, I'll finally get to taste it. I'd almost given up on the order placed 9 days ago, but that wait was very short compared to the hunger developed by years of anticipation. I'd even thought of going there, to Elgin, a pilgrimage. It was not cheap. $23.99 for the Hot Sausage Pack, $11.82 for shipping, but what is the price of fulfillment? Thank you, Grandson Bryan and Son Billy; Thank you, Owners Adrene and Ernest Bracewell! You look like sausagemakers, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. 4:50:08 PM    comment []

The duck is skinned...changing back to Salon default template to celebrate. 3:24:36 PM    comment []

My groceries from BJ's Warehouse today: 1 pound stick Battistoni Maria Pepperoni 12 6-ounce cans Contadina Tomato Paste 1500 ml Woodbridge Sauvignon Blanc 3 pounds Berkley & Jensen Thick Cut Bacon 14 ounce resealable bag Mauna Loa Dry Roasted Macadamias 16 ounce resealable bag Summer Harvest Pine Nuts 1 5.54 pound Maple Leaf Duckling with Orange Sauce Packet Yep, I finally got the duck. Bruce Aidells' Complete Sausage Book has two duck sausage recipes. The first is straight-ahead duck, a sausage geek's meaty interpretation of Duke Ellington's A-Train: most of the duck, smoked bacon, garlic, paprika, herbs, and Grand Marnier for the horn section. It is cased and cooked just before serving.The second recipe is be-bop, starting with either the first recipe or Wild Turkey Sausage with Drambuie, then red onion, green apples, Chenin Blanc, and heavy cream cooked into sauce and served over pasta. Nice ideas, but his signature sausage apple poultry sausage is more Miles Davis, a better mental starting point for this long-awaited duckling. New Age Conserve thoughts clouding my vision right now, is that good or bad? A duck, two fruits, and a nut? Then what happens to the chewy sun-dried tomatoes still hangin' out in the fridge? At least it's clear to me to use fresh ground duckling - I'd been thinking about smoking it first, but not anymore. The macadamias seem better suited for the conserve than the duck, so "Daisy" defaults to pignolias. There are two quarts of recently dried apples on my pantry shelf, dried apricots for a little color and, what the heck, some of those sun-dried tomatoes for another color. Some "julienne" bacon in there and leave out the duck skins, but the liver, sauteed with a little of the bacon, stays in. Then smoke-cook them in small-diameter casings. Look for the recipe after I'm done, there will be additions and deletions, it's still more of a game plan now. The First step is to bone the duck and grind it...  One thing is certain, the package of orange sauce will be discarded. That stuff is awful! 2:10:51 PM    comment []