A Few Of My Favorite Things…
Anymore, my favorite dinners happen at home. I’ve been on a comfort food streak like you wouldn’t believe. A good bar-b-que may be hard to find in Seattle, but not at my house.
1. Trappistes Rochefort 10 - No, not the 8. This beer goes to 11… percent. Rich, dark, figgy and nutty fruit, soft spice. Serve at basement temp.
2. corn on the cob - finished on the grill with cardamom butter
3. bar-b-que pork ribs - cooked allllllllll day
4. Dick Head Sausage Co. BBQ sauce - Dick Head was my neighbor growing up. (explains a lot) This contraband sauce is a bit Kansas City, with a little Texas tang. It is one of the best I’ve ever had. But you can’t buy it. My second favorite is Jack’s Bar-B-Que in Nashville. Lest you think I’m one of those dick heads that only talks about things you can’t find, buy four bottles of Jack’s sauce, and get a free hand rub.
5. Tellicherry peppercorns - Not black pepper, a special kind. It has more aroma and depth, worth the extra $1.00/lb.
6. Vignalta herbed sea salt - They use fresh herbs in the blend, so the oils get all absorbed by the salt. Also one of my favorite Northern Italian wineries.
7. Lurpak Danish butter - Not that expensive–I’ve tasted too many fancy butters to be proud of it. This one is what I buy habitually–for the balance of its flavor, availability, and value.
8. Red Stripe - Of cheap ass swilling beers, this is my favorite. Yes, the packaging has 45% to do with it.
All finished with an Oreo coffee ice cream cone from Husky Deli in West Seattle. They make their own, and walking to this store at night to join the crowd for ice cream is a powerful anti-aging regimen.
August 24th, 2006 at 10:50 am
I amy a tellicherry pepper convert, too. Nice picks, the Lurpak doesn’t have as much butterfat content as most luxury butters. That’s why it’s so much cheaper.
August 24th, 2006 at 4:43 pm
Look out - the Rochefort 10 is 11.3% abv.
And subject of one of my all-time favorite drinking notes. From Tim Webb, author of the “Good Beer Guide to Belgium”:
“A deep, dark, potent, warming cosmic meltdown of a forcefully contemplative brew, begging to be the last of the evening.’
August 29th, 2006 at 9:02 am
You actually sold me Vignalta sea salt over a year ago. I now buy 3 jars every time I see it because I’m so very scared what would happen if I ran out. Only you would pair fine Italian sea salt with Dick Head BBQ sauce.
August 30th, 2006 at 1:33 pm
If you like swillin’ beers with great packaging, check out Session lager by Full Sail. Stubby bottle w/ rock/paper/scissors bottlecap. Adorable! Yes, I called it adorable; I have no life.