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Hi,

I concur with MHays --- I can't wait, either!

Helen and I are going to try to transport everything in the cooler that has been heated up to keep the food warm. If it works as hoped, then we don't need oven space. If it doesn't quite, then we will need to warm it a bit.

Regards,

A bit last minute here . . . but I'm also bringing, to accompany the conchinita pibil:

Very Hot Habanero Salsa:

3/4 c. orange juice, from about 2-3 oranges
3/4 c. lime juice, from about 8-9 limes
2 c. minced white onion
1-2 t. Mexican oregano
1 t. salt
2 T. minced, seeded habaneros (about 4 peppers)
Cilantro, finely chopped (optional)

Juice the oranges and limes, preferably using electric juicer. Strain the juice into a bowl. Mix in the onion, oregano, salt, habaneros and cilantro, if using. Let stand at least an hour to let flavors develop.

Zuni Cafe's Pickled Red Onions:

1 lb. red onions
3 c. distilled white vinegar
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 cinnamon stick
A few whole cloves
A few allspice berries
A small dried chile (I use arbol)
A star anise pod (optional)
2 bay leaves
A few black peppercorns

For the brine: Combine vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, chile, star anise (if using), bay leaves, and peppercorns in 4-qt. saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 3 minutes (until the sugar is dissolved and the flavors start to infuse the brine). Turn off the heat and let stand to allow the flavors to infuse the brine.

For the onions: Slice 3/8" thick. Separate the rings. (I do this while the brine is infusing. In total, I let the brine infuse off the heat for 1/2 - 1 hour.)

After about 1/2-1 hour, uncover brine and bring to a boil over high heat. Add 1/3 of onion and stir under. (They will turn hot pink.) After about 20 seconds, or when the brine comes back up to a light simmer, stir them again and slide the pot off the heat. Remove the onions with slotted spoon and spread on a sheet pan. [This portion is tedious, but ensures that the onions stay crunchy.] Move the pot back onto the heat, and repeat this process with the remaining two batches of onions.

When the onions have cooled, repeat the entire process two more times (!), again in three batches, making sure that the onions have cooled in between on the sheet pan. [Make sure you always add 1/3 of the onions and pull them as soon as the brine comes up to a light simmer.] After the third round, while the onions are cooling on the sheet pan, thoroughly chill the brine (you can do this in the refrigerator). When it is chilled, add the onions to the brine. (A cool brine ensures that the onions won't continue to cook and get mushy.) Store in a lidded jar in the refrigerator, where they will keep indefinitely. Serving suggestion: "Age" 1 day in refrigerator before serving.

OK, due to a culinary mishap I am switching my recipe at the last minute to the Marinated salmon

The beer still looks good, gonna do 1/2 and 1/2 Tsing Tao and Modelo for variety.

My fiance left the house a couple of hours ago because the fumes from 15 pounds of sliced onions proved too much. When she gets back, she'll have to contend with anchovy redolence. If she calls off the wedding, I blame LTH.

If it's any consolation to you, the fingers on my left hand are burning off from mincing those habaneros, which I tried to handle as little as possible.

I use a fork to hold chilies for cutting. I used to do disposable gloves but the fork is better since I'm too likely to forget and raise a gloved hand to my eyes.

Right now, I'm trying to figure out how I got ham glaze in my hair. The largest ham I ever cooked in my life is now cooling in my kitchen. I sure hope folks are hungry!

I'm so thrilled at the way this party has come together ... and we haven't even started eating yet. Looking forward to seeing and tasting and hearing about your cooking experiences.

I am so looking forward to tonight. I might need the oven for a warm up but that should do it. I may just try to finish so close to the start time that I might not need it.

If the Figs are online, I'm wondering if there will be enough stovetop space and an available pot for me to cook off my pasta before assembling the mac & cheese and putting it in the oven (I'll bring the cheese sauce already completed).

The second food item we're bringing is a very quick (but usually crowd-pleasing) Kalamata Olive Dip:

2 pounds cream cheese
1 pound whole, pitted kalamata olives
3/4 pound whole, pitted black olives
1 C whole Greek yogurt

Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese until soft. Add olives and beat until they are broken up and well integrated. Add yogurt and mix well by hand. Serve with pita chips, crackers or other breadstuffs. Can be made ahead and stored refrigerated.

=R=

I'm relieved that I am not the only one having culinary mishaps. Will share my adventure at the LTH feast.
Looking forward to seeing everyone in a few hours.

Jyoti

If this is possible, then I could cook my pasta there, too. Otherwise I hope my method of transfer works.

Regards,

i'm extremely disappointed to report that i'm sick and won't be attending the potluck, which i'm sure will be fabulous. cookiemonster has kindly agreed to pick up and deliver the hazelnut torte i made last night. if anyone is interested, i followed the recipe exactly except that i used 2-9'' square pans instead of 1-10" round pan. i layered the cake with my favorite chocolate whipped cream frosting. and decorated it with hazelnuts and white chocolate discs brushed with edible 24k.gold dust. the frosting recipe follows:

CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING-enough to frost and fill a 9" -2layercake
2/3cup whole milk
6oz.semi or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 to 2-1/2cups heavy cream
2t. gelatin
2T.dark rum
4oz. mini marshmallows
( opt)for this hazelnut torte i added 3T. ground hazelnuts

put the gelatin in a small bowl and add rum and a few tablespoons of the milk. stir, and let sit 5 minutes. meanwhile heat the rest of the milk in small heavy saucepan. when bubbles form on the edges, add marshmallows on low heat and stir briskly till they melt into the milk. add the gelatin mixture and stir and cook 2 minutes. off heat, add chocolate and stir till relatively smooth. let cool to room temperature but don't chill or it'll be too stiff to successfully fold into the whipped cream. (very important). when cool, whip cream till stiff peaks form. gently fold in the chocolate mixture. use right away or refrigerate till needed. keep frosted cake refrigerated till ready to serve.

Almost had a really bad one, myself - after my first last-minute trip to the grocery store, I discovered that the yogurt I'd bought for the masala curry sauce was vanilla-flavored (fortunately, before dumping it in) I had other yogurt on hand, so not a disaster. Now, if my meatloaf would just get up to temp, I'll be on my way.

I suppose this question is too late - but I'm bringing serving utensils under the assumption they're needed?

Tremendous thanks to LAZ, Cathy, the Figs, and all who contributed to this blast of an event. I would have needed a few more hours and another stomach or two to try everything, but dozens of items I did sample were delicious. Among the most memorable tastes for me were Your Pal Will's Cochinita Pibil, courtesy today of aschie30, the simple, refreshing, and palate cleansing Yogurt Panna Cotta brought by LTH relative newcomer EaterLover, and the balanced flavor sensation that was the goi ga that jygach brought, recipe courtesy of Ramon. Oh, and I loved gastro gnome's butter braised radishes, which were a subtle, sweet metamorphosis from peppery radishes in their raw state.

It was great to make the acquaintance of a number of new folks whom I hope to see again soon.

I left 2 quarts of mint ice cream in the Fig freezer - I hope someone puts them to good use

Yes, this preparation seemed an excellent way to use the radishes in my garden, which seem to be all pulpy at the center.

Lovely to see everyone, and as always, lovely to meet new folks! All of the food was terrific, I made a very disciplined effort and thought I tried everything, but alas - forgot to grab the okra on the way out, so got everything but that one. C2's lovely pastrami was a real highlight for me, as was LAZ's lovely assortment of drinks and the enormous ham, terrific salads and pastas...too much to describe. Now I can say I've eaten kangaroo and bacon ice cream! Thanks, everybody for your hard work - and thanks to the FIGs for opening up their doors and their kitchen - hope to see all of you again soon!

Wanted to relay my taste sensation moment: as I put Kennyz's sorrel ice cream in my mouth, I was instantly transported back in time - not to a reminder of my mother's cooking - but to one of my childhood peculiarities: I had a fascination for Native Americans and Pioneers and tried to taste plants (OK, weeds) that I found had been a part of their diet, one of which was wood sorrel, which is probably growing in the cracks in your sidewalk right now. The taste was unmistakeable! The ice cream was very good, one of the few dishes I had seconds of, the flavor improved by the excellent chocolate.

Thanks to everyone who made this such a great event--especially these three

Ronnie Suburban was taking photos, but I'm quite sure he missed this one (note the hat).


Here's Lucas Suburban checking out the molasses and bacon ice cream (note that wonderful panna cotta in the foreground).

Sorry you missed Cynthia's Nubian okra, Mhays. It was terrific.

A shot of part of the crowd as the party was winding down. FigMolly & FigJustin even provided take-out containers. .

More photos here.

Wow! What a dinner!

I'll post more comments later, but just now I want to express delighted thanks to everyone who attended and brought all of those delicious dishes. You made this event a joy. It really exceeded my wildest imaginings.

I didn't taste a single thing I didn't like. (Well, maybe the raicilla.)

Special thanks to figmolly and figjustin, who were so generous with their space, their equipment and their time. (Justin even stepped in to carve my ham!) I also personally owe huge thanks to Cathy2, who went above and beyond to make this event happen. (By the way, it was her idea to provide take-out containers, sparked by a magnanimous practice of the suburbans, who supplied the foam boxes. So those of you having lunch on LTH tomorrow know whom to thank.)

Thanks, also, to everyone who pitched in to help out, with special nods to GreenFish, who made the spiffy food ID cards, and Mr. Mhays, who washed all those dishes!

I'm so sorry Rene G and justjoan were laid up and unable to attend. Joan, it was lovely of you to send the cake anyway.

Given everybody's excited chatter, I doubt many people noted the background music, but if you did you can thank RheS, who besides various other support efforts, fought balky technology to make disks from my playlists of food tunes, which I had fun putting together to match the menu.

While I'm being grateful, thanks, as well to everyone who has shared their recipes here on LTHForum, making this event possible.

I'm looking forward to seeing the photos of the food and reading your commentary on your cooking experiences -- especially those of you who were brave enough to try other people's recipes. Please post your tweaks, suggestions, triumphs and failures.

Here's to the next thousand LTH recipes!

With so many cameras there, mine stayed in my pocket. But it was a fantastic event - thanks to LAZ, the ever-organized C2, and the FIGs. I'm not going to comment on the food, because I'm sure I'd miss something - suffice it to say everything was great. But [cliché alert!] it was the company that really made the evening.

It was also fun drinking a beer in the back with Hammond and watching everyone else clean up.

What a wonderful evening!
Thank you LAZ and Cathy for organizing, and a very special thank you to figmolly and figjustin for sharing their space and for being such warm and generous hosts.
The food, as expected, was extraordinary and the company even more wonderful. Kennyz your mint icecream was a taste revelation with the fresh mint flavors really shining through. It may well inspire me to pull out my icecream maker!

Jyoti

I will echo the thanks given above to LAZ & Cathy2 for brainstorming and organizing this great event, to the FIGs, Molly & Justin, for generously offering their space and kitchen to all of us cooks, to GreenFish for creating the neat little tabletents, and RheS for working the door and providing the music. A very special thanks goes to Mr. Mhays, who washed my dishes! (I apologize if I'm forgetting anybody else.)

It was quite exhilarating to walk in and see the kitchen crowded and all ovens and several burners fired up. There was such a flurry of food preparation - it was nice to be amongst people who really like to cook. I didn't get to try everything, but amongst my favorites were Kennyz's mint ice cream (and I HATE mint ice cream), jygach's version of Ramon's Goi Ga and LAZ's glazed ham (and I don't really like ham that much). I also really appreciated the bourbon dressing on LAZ's Derby Day salad, as prepared by gastro gnome, and the tenderness of ronnie_suburban's take on Bridgestone's petite but flavorful Swedish Meatballs (as anyone who prepares those little meatballs around the holidays knows, they tend to dry out pretty quickly).

Again, great idea and a fun time.

Spoken like a guy!

Oh, I suppose I ought to have a go at the meatloaf recipe, may as well do it now! I started with this recipe on Epicurious, as I was looking for something with mushrooms (a search of the index yeilded meatloaf recipes involving a smoker, which sounds terrific, but which I lack.) I altered it approximately as follows:

Meatloaf for a crowd: (you guys tell me how many it serves!)
1 small onion
1/2 pound mushrooms
1 medium red bell pepper
3 large garlic cloves
1 tbsp fat (I used some from my drippings can)
4 pounds ground beef (I used Bossy, so I don't know specifics as to what cuts are in there, original recipe specifies chuck)
1/2 pound ground pork
1/4 pound ground lamb
1 cup panko
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs, mostly parsley leaves - I also added lemon basil and marjoram
2 teaspoons salt

Place a baker's cooling rack on a cookie sheet, cover with greased parchment: poke holes in the parchment to help fat to escape. Mince vegetables (I used a food processor) and saute in fat over moderate heat, stirring, until juices render and evaporate. Cool slightly. Transfer vegetables to a bowl and add remaining ingredients, stirring until just combined well; keep your meat loose. Form your mixture (trying not to pack it; keeping it loose helps the rendered fat escape) into an oblong loaf about 4" tall on the prepared parchment-covered pan.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, and then lower the heat to 350 for 60 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted in center registers 160°F. Let meat loaf stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve meat loaf with masala curry sauce.

I decided ground lamb was necessary to complement the curry sauce, but didn't find any at my local grocery store, so I bought a couple of blade chops, cut the meat off the bones and into cubes, froze it slightly to firm it up and ran it through my food processor - I was fairly pleased with the results.

I also wanted to mention my favorite part of these events - catching up with people. It's more fun at an LTH event, because you may not have seen that person for days, or months, or years - or, for that matter, ever before - but yet there's this history we all share. It's an amazing thing.

And LAZ, thanks for bringing back the pimento-cheese thread - I didn't think to click the link until just now, I'd forgotten how much fun that one was!

I echo the praise and gratitude of others. Given how many things I tried, I'm amazed to note the number of things people are raving about that I did miss. Just too many choices, and all of them great.

As for the okra casserole, I owe you the recipe. I just brought this back from Egypt. We'd spent a day visiting a Nubian village, in the south of Egypt. (Nubia used to exist between Aswan and Khartoum, but it has been absorbed by Egypt in the north and Sudan in the south.) We visited a number of families, shopped in the Nubian market, and then headed to Nubia House for lunch. Among the dishes offered was an okra casserole. We actually encountered a number of different okra casseroles, as okra is one of the most popular veggies in Egypt, but while we were still in Aswan, we got a cooking lesson in how to prepare the version favored by a local chef.

A couple of notes: stock/bouillon cubes may seem like a short cut, but they are very authentic, as Nubia, and most of rural Egypt, is kind of thin on refrigeration in the home. Even as we shopped in the market for ingredients, shop keepers would ask, "do you need stock cubes?" as they couldn't imagine cooking without them. As for the oil, corn oil or ghee would be the most commonly used. I used a combination of olive oil and unsalted butter -- because corn oil is just not that good for you. Frozen okra is commonly used, as the growing season is short (and often the farms are far away). Homes may not have refrigerators, but shops do. However, this can be made with a couple of pounds of fresh okra, but be sure to trim the cap of the okra. Finally, the chef said the sliced lemon was optional, but I find it adds such a lovely, bright note that I don't really think it is optional -- but it can be left out without affecting authenticity, if you dislike citrus.

Tagen Okra (Okra Casserole)
Serves 14–16
2 Tbs. oil, ghee, or combination
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 large onions, chopped
4 large tomatoes, chopped (s/b about 4 cups)
2 large green peppers, chopped
2 1-lb. packages frozen okra
3 Tbs. tomato paste
2 chicken stock cubes
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, or to taste
1 lemon, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

In a large (8 quarts is good) casserole dish, heat the oil and fry the onion and garlic until brown. Add the green pepper and tomato and stir. Add the okra, tomato paste, stock cubes, red pepper, and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add water to cover ingredients. Cover the casserole and place in the oven. Bake for 45–50 minutes.

Remove casserole from oven. Place lemon slices on top of okra. Serve hot.

We had so much fun at the event and were thrilled to accommodate all of the great LTHers and their food. Thanks to C2 and LAZ for coordinating everything so well. And a tremendous thanks to all who helped clean up - special shouts out to Mr. Mhays and his dishwashing prowess, felix who also pitched in on the dishes, C2 who made sure everyone was doing their part and doing at least 3x her own part (I know, I know, it's just so you can use the space again ), and Lucas Suburban who was the first step in our chair stacking assembly line (and took all of the super-sweet pops off my hands).

I didn't quite get to try everything (and really liked everything I did try), but some of my favorites were Cynthia's okra casserole (sorry Mhays...you shouldn't have missed this), Ramon's Goi Ga prepared by jygach (the chopping was worth it), Terrasini's spicy cucumber (did she even eat? all I saw was a camera in her hands), and wustlmike's panela and molasses ice cream (but I certainly won't scoff at KennyZ's leftover peppermint that I just found in my freezer). I found the summer lemon soda that Cathy2 provided very refreshing too (and it didn't leave me feeling nearly as bad as the tequila did at the last event.)

I really enjoyed the dish I prepared too (is it too gauche to label it a favorite?). Having never cooked green mangos before I was skeptical leaving the skin on, but they proved delicious and almost more vegetable like. Thanks, sazerac!

BTW - we have a couple items that were left (I may add more once everything gets back in place). During the week, Justin and I are usually around so give us a call (773-793-1035) and stop by:

One wooden barrette
One white plastic slotted pasta scoop

I really intended to take pictures, too, but I didn't even take one. I hope those who did will post them. It would be great if we can have a photo of every dish.

I will add links to the photos to the recipe listings in the index.

Also, once everybody gets done posting photos and the alterations/tweaks/variations of the recipes they made, I'll post a comprehensive listing here.

Is anyone missing a knife?

One left behind at Fig went home with me because we thought we knew whose it was, but we were mistaken.

A big thanks to everyone who contributed to this wonderful feast, especially the organizers and The Figs for generously allowing us to use their space. As others have posted, the food was terrific but it's the people who make LTHForum and its events truly special. This was no exception. On that note, I wanted to throw some people pics onto the thread right away. I do also have some food pics and will try to post them soon but given the spirit of this event, posting the food pics first almost feels like burying the lead . . .


David Hammond peddles his wares



Stevez prepares his Macaroni & Cheese



jygach seems startled by the paparazzi



gastro gnome and figjustin attack the prep



Cathy2 carves her homemade pastrami



figmolly shows off her platter of sazerac's meen moilee



G Wiv plates up Bridgestone's legendary Laxpudding



Happy LTH'ers



More happy LTH'ers



Hey, it's a party!



Kennyz and wustlmike's guest (iirc) prep the dessert table



A shot from in the crowd of the rush to the dessert table



That's all folks (for now, anyway) . . .

=R=

I loved almost everything, but one of best parts was being able to sample the dishes LTHers have written about. And especially gratifying for me was that two people actually prepared my recipes! It was so much fun to see and taste how they turned out.

Gastro gnome and GreenFish, how did you find the experience of making these dishes?

I did talk to gastro gnome a bit about the Derby Day salad. He had thought the pecans would be more candied. Actually, they don't wind up as sugary as the kind that are dipped in egg white; they're meant to be toasty, nutty and just a little sweet; these were just right. GG, I meant to ask -- did you add extra bourbon to the dressing?

GreenFish, I thought your take on the Moroccan carrot slaw was perfect. As I wrote in my original post, it doesn't show off as an impressive dish, but it's colorful, flavorful and refreshing, so it plays a good supporting role on a buffet.

Meanwhile, I have detailed my experiences in making waderoberts' hominy casserole here. If you tried this dish, I'm curious to know what you thought of it. (Be honest. While I believe I executed it well, I don't have anything personal vested in the recipe and Wade doesn't seem to have posted here in over a year.) If you didn't try it, why not? And if there's anyone out there who's tried a hominy casserole before, how did this one compare?