My favorite “Communist”

My brother in law Bobby is a special guy and he has been in a really different type of Supper Club for years.

My wife Susan used to get upset when I jokingly referred to Bobby as “my favorite communist”. When I told him the story he countered with “I am really more of a Marxist”. The beauty of Bobby is that he is one of those genuine liberals that really walks the walk.

Bobby’s socialist roots go back to being a political science major in the 1960’s. I think he was head of the SDS at the University of New Hampshire back in 1968. The guy has some liberal “Cred”.

Now while he has a socialist background he also understands capitalism better than most. When PC’s first came out back in the 70’s/80’s he was teaching high school math and he started a software company to develop school administration programs. He says that I told him to “Cash Cow” the business and started investing in condominiums. I don’t remember telling him to cash out the business, but I do regret not investing in the condos with him. He wound up owning 269 condos that he bought mostly at distress sales from banks. He also set up a company to manage over 400 condos.

In 2006 just before the housing crash he decided to sell the condos. (Perfect timing) The piece that makes Bobby special is that he GAVE the condo management company to the employees. Lots of folks will talk a liberal bent but this guy walks the walk. He sort of combines the best of capitalism with the best of socialism. This reminds me of the old Joke:

A farmer from Maine goes to Boston and hears a lecture on socialism. He goes back to his buddies in Maine and announces that: “I am a socialist”. To which his friends queried:

You mean if you had two houses you would give one away? To which our new socialist replied: “Yup”
You mean if you had two cars you would give one away? Again he replied: “Yup!”
You mean if you had two cows you would give one away? To which he replied: “Well that is not fair, you know I have two cows”

As unique as Bobby’s story is, his Supper Club is unique as well. For years he and his wife have gotten together once a month with another couple for dinner. They alternate between each other homes and enjoy socializing over a meal. The tough part is that Bobby is a good cook and goes to great lengths to serve something special. He has been known to make some amazing vegan dishes

Check out the recipe for grilled eggplant with tomato concassé

The other couple consistently serves similar pasta dishes. This dichotomy does present a bit of friction, but the Supper Club continued on for years.

I guess the moral of the story is that with both people and Supper Clubs – all types can be very successful.

The Time And Temperature Trap

The one question I always get asked is: How long do I need to cook it? While most chefs struggle with this question, it is one that you have to answer for supper clubs.

The answer to the how long to cook question is that it depends. There are all kinds of variables that come into play:

How hot is the grill, oven or pan?
How thick is the meat or whatever you are cooking
Was the item being cooked brought to room temperature before cooking?
Was the oven or grill repeatedly opened?
How many times was something turned on the grill or pan?

Even though time and temperature are not the best determinant of whether something is cooked correctly they are the easiest to follow and the most asked for. In my book: “Impromptu Friday Nights – A Guide to Supper Clubs” time and temperature ranges are provided as an indicator. I believe in the three keys outlined in my blog on how to cook the perfect steak.

Instant and external read Thermometers
Touch (How firm is the meat, the firmer the more well done)
Cut a little slice

With all of the above said, there had been a long-standing traditions in the Kenny family. The Prime Rib of Beef was always overcooked and whoever said grace would break out in tears. Today if there are any tears to be shed it isn’t because the beef is over done. The use of an external read thermometer and a little experience has ensured that the beef will be the perfect medium rare every time.

I am a fan of the Paula Dean Roast NEVER OPEN OVEN DOOR method.

Check it out:

It combines time temperature and an external read thermometer. The external read thermometer takes the guess-work out of the process. It also reduces the anxiety that not being able to open the oven door can create.

Experience also comes into play. What a lot of recipes don’t tell you is that meat will continue to cook after it is taken out of the oven. The best example is beef tenderloin. Many recipes call for it to be cooked to 130 degrees for medium rare. If you take it out of the oven at 130 degrees it will continue to cook to 145 degrees and a miserable well done.

Experience comes from practice. Whenever I write a supper club menu I test it first. We once had a supper club menu that called for a beef tenderloin to be cooked to 135 degrees for medium rare. The person who wrote the menu got the recipe from a well known source. If you take a tenderloin out of the oven at 135 you will get well done shoe leather. I was left with a dilemma. Say nothing and let some really good expensive beef be turned to shoe leather or say something and insult the person that wrote the menu. I tried to be diplomatic. The good news is that the tenderloins were cooked perfectly. The bad news is the person who I corrected thinks I am a jerk. She is probably right.

Cooking to temperature is a definite supper club challenge. A little practice and using thermometers really helps.

If you enjoy this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and be on the look out for my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs due out from Morgan James Publishing on January 30, 2018.If you enjoy this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and be on the look out for my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs due out from Morgan James Publishing on January 30, 2018.

Hero Recipes

Hero recipes are the ones that people keep coming back for. Gorgonzola Stuffed Shrimp Wrapped in Bacon is one that my supper club guys fight over and the wives ask for the recipe time and again.

Check out the recipe:

Think about it. It has all the basic food groups, shrimp bacon and cheese. Throw in the fact that it has lots of flavor from the grill/roasting process. Top it off with the addition of bacon, and everyone knows that if you add bacon to anything people will like it.

The great thing about Hero Recipes is that brands have been built around them. I worked at the old General Foods and the story is that their recipe for Germans Sweet Chocolate cake was the most asked for recipe in the history of General Foods. As a General Foods alumnus (The joke at Kraft was that on my tombstone it will say “He knew Coconut”) I can tell you that this recipe was a key driver behind the retail sales of Baker’s Chocolate and Baker’s Coconut. Given that the history of both these brands goes back to the 1800’s it really says something.

Check Out the Recipe

So now that I have written this book about supper clubs, maybe my recipe for Gorgonzola Stuffed Shrimp Wrapped in Bacon will propel the sales of my book “Impromptu Friday Nights – A Guide to Supper Clubs”. That would be great, but the book isn’t really about recipes. It is about how to organize a supper club and enjoy socializing over a meal.