[anthonysummers]

Roast rib of beef cooked just rare, from my master butcher on the high street.

Just the right amount of fat to lean.

Roasted on its own with nothing added ony salt and pepper.

OOOOHHHHHH its making my mouth water just thinking about it.

[mudbug]

Originally Posted by chrose

...name the one item that you have tasted in your life that to you was the ultimate in taste, for whatever reason. Then describe why . I realize that it is difficult to choose just one when many may be tied. But you are being forced to choose one.

Precisely why when I post similar questions, I open it to a total of three.

For me it's a good crawfish boil (hence the username).

Why?
I absolutely love Louisana Cajun Crawfish. Not a drop of anything edible goes to waste. I once received 15 pounds as a gift, ate them everyday for a week and a half (three hours per sitting - no joke) and never got sick of them.

LOL!

Why three hours per sitting? It doesn't take that long to pinch the tails and suck the heads you say?

Because I savor every single drop of anything edible and prefer to enjoy the flavor as long as possible. I found that by sucking the heads, it actually wastes much of the edible portion, leaving it inside the head. Those with the orange roe are saved for last to end the meal on a high note as they to me, are equivalent to a well aged wine opened at it's optimum time for the perfect complexity of flavors.

Here's the way I eat them, gently separate the tail from the head so that much of the roe remains with the tail. Gently separate the shell of the head/body so as to expose the upper torso insides, and not forgetting any of the lining along the inner part of the shell. Gently pull out the organs so that they remain in tact and savour all but the black sack and any "bone".

Next, the end of the tail, pull the shell off around it so as to keep the entire tail intact. Out of all parts that are edible, to me the tail (which most people eat) has the least amount of inherent flavor is is my least favorite - relatively speaking. Then, any leg parts which are large enough to retain any meat. Gently snap them in half to get that leg meat out in one piece.

Finally, the portion of the tail that was mostly inside the upper torso of the body, retaining surrounding roe and the most tender meat.... yuummmm.

Lastly, second only to the roe, the claw meat. Crack the center of the claw trying again to keep it in one piece. All this while trying not to let a single drop of precious juice go to waste. Big pink claws are saved for the final bite if they are deemed worthy enough to hold the title, otherwise they are consumed before the roe in order to save the best for last.

I know, sounds meticulous and time consuming. It is. But I guarantee you it is thoroughly enjoyed to the last drop. And most people agree that I take the appreciation of crawfish to an entirely whole new level. I have yet to meet anyone who savors them as much as I do.

I'll state my other two: abalone and siu yook (crispy skin pork) Cantonese fire roasted pork.

Divine.

[MikeLM]

Pete-
You remembered correctly- it was certainly smoked over alderwood. That's the only acceptable wood in the PNW and AK. You can order alder chips quite reasonably at
http://www.luhrjensen.com/

They also have lots of good smoker/BBQ items.

Mike

[diane]

Ruling out the roast port and gravy with crackling that large men would kill small children for, made by my grandmother, is hard. So is schnapper smoked on the beach. Alas, much that is magnificent must quietly disolve from memory at the recollection of a ....mud crab.

The restaurant was next door to the Versace Hotel in Queensland, Australia. But the prices bore no resemblance. We had spent the afternoon in the Crown Towers swimming pool, and hot pool. A fellow came in, quite upsetting our solitary enjoyment. Don't talk to him I warned my husband, he looks like a chatterer. We retreated to the hot pool, he followed. It was probably the most enjoyable couple of hours I have spent in a long long time. And since. He was a most amazing man. A joy, a gift, a natural speaker. So much for my instant opinion.

At some time during that time I said I would like to try Morton Bay Bugs. No, no, he cried. They are not the best at this time, you must eat mud crab at this time of the year. So I did.

After the tidying of the bodies, we lauched forth to the resto. Plain place. They had an enormous tank with the various sea creatures toodling around. I was asked to pick one. But my feet were suddenly cold and I told them to pick. Our table was sited to look straight down into the water, and the fishes were swimming around. My crab arrived, ambulated by a very sweet young man who who started the cracking off for me. The crab was draped over a large plate with its appendages spilling over.

I started off somewhat diffidently with this monster, but it didn't take long to become abanded to the thrill of the feast. It was undoubtedly the finest meat I have ever eaten. The tenderness strangley firm, the sweetness evident in the most haunting way, the smell of the sea from meat and shell a confirmation of its fresh excellence. I explored every leg, and had fun moving the shell to make meat obtrude and vanish. Anatomical circus. I was very very mean, I gave my husband a mere taste and scoffed the lot myself. I can be magnificently selfish at times.

The sweet young man turned up now and then to see how I was doing, since I was clearly a novice, and sent me off cracking and eating yet again.

There is no doubt that that was the most marvelous meal I have ever had.

[GmeNGrmetSales]

Suet Pudding - My grandmother used to make this once a year just after Christmas dinner was over and cleaned up, she would sneak into the kitchen and start preparing this wonderful pudding in an old double boiler on the stove. The smell of sweet raisins, permiated the house and we always accompanied the pudding with homemade vanilla ice cream with some sort of a rum syrup over the whole thing - one never got as much as one wanted - there were to many of us and only one of her.

[chrose]

Originally Posted by diane

I started off somewhat diffidently with this monster, but it didn't take long to become abanded to the thrill of the feast. It was undoubtedly the finest meat I have ever eaten. The tenderness strangley firm, the sweetness evident in the most haunting way, the smell of the sea from meat and shell a confirmation of its fresh excellence. I explored every leg, and had fun moving the shell to make meat obtrude and vanish. Anatomical circus. I was very very mean, I gave my husband a mere taste and scoffed the lot myself. I can be magnificently selfish at times.

Brilliant!

[diane]

My daughter makes our Christmas pud. in October. The recipe from Thelma, her Great Aunt. Thel got it from the Australian Womans Weekly in about '75, so it is not an old recipe. We get more involved with the Brandy than they did, but it seems very successful each year. It might be of interest to someone.