Friday we drove west through a little snow to Kingston, with a stop for poutine before I arrived at Doug's place. Doug, Tom, Derek, James, Kevin, and (by Skype from Norway) Rob warmed up with Lost Cities, Carcassonne and Dominion, then had a roleplaying session for StarGate SG21. They'd made military unit patches for the SG21 team, and I picked one up (actually I got Doug's, as "mine" hadn't made it to Kingston) . The stereotypical gamer survives on pizza and Chinese food, but Doug can definitely cook. I'm learning his technique for poached eggs, although my results thus far don't measure up to his standards.
Saturday night I took a train back to Montreal; on Sunday the planes back to Norfolk were packed but on schedule. Diana stayed a few extra days and will be arriving tonight. Meanwhile My Wife's Dog has pulled down the curtains for the deck door, as a way of expressing her anxiety over Diana not being back.
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3 comments:
The Canadians were all glad to see you, even me and I (one would think) should know better! *grin*
You didn't comment on what you thought of poutine, even the relatively fast-food version of it...
The 'gourmet' versions with bacon, Montreal smoked meat, hot dogs, or other fancy ingredients are supposedly quite good (if you like poutine).
I'm more a 'chili fries' sort of guy. Fries with a good sweet chili piled on them and a bit of grated cheddar can be quite heavenly, combining protiens from beans and red meat, great spices, antioxidant chili peppers, a bit of dairy and your wonderful starches in the form of well made french fries.
For me, it's the cheese curds that prevent me from enjoying poutine. That and the gravy which was not meant to be served with cheese IMO. I vividly remember the horrors of the smell of the local cheese factory when I was younger and rural (and they hadn't all been sold up or went out of business). They made good cheese, but Dad's description of curds and the smell of them always turned me off.
Doug can cook, no doubt; He was a chef for quite a few years at Canadian Pacific hotels like the CP Prince Edward and the Jasper Lodge. He ran a chocolate kitchen at one point. And he likes to eat healthier than most when given the chance.
The trick with the poached eggs is 1) a little vinegar in the water and 2) a slow swirl (spoon or spatula)... not too fast, not too slow. Getting that right takes a bit of practice. Then either crack your egg and gently pour in or pour the egg into a small bowl and gently transfer the egg into the slowly rotating warm water.
If the rotation is too fast, the egg will stretch out and you may end up with the yolk trailing the white which generally means by the time the white is cooked, the yoke is hard. If the rotation is too slow or you omit the vinegar, when you crack the egg into the boiling water (or transfer it to same from bowl), you may find the egg sort of disintegrates. The gentle swirl (somehow) seems to maintain the egg's integrity and keep the components together... IF you get just the right speed.
Then the next part is getting a feel for the done-ness. That's either a timer thing or an eyeball thing and I still haven't got it perfected.
But the end result (remember to lift the egg out with a slotted spoon and try to drain as much water as possible for the sake of the toast) server on toast with some back bacon or ham and maybe a bit of cheese and some spices and garnish is an absolutely smashing breakfast - hearty, warm, and attractive when plated.
"even me and I (one would think) should know better!"
Kinda like evil--you know you shouldn't, but you do anyway.
As for the poutine, I'd have it again, although I'd prefer chili and cheddar if that were available.
As for Doug's Poached Eggs, they're something to aspire to. My last attempt had the white trailing around the yoke, which would be great if I were trying to evoke a spiral galaxy.
I had that last time too. Try a slower swirl next time.
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