Mom Pony's typical cookout menu might include a selection of:
1. corn on the cob -- butter-sugar corn, boiled, not grilled, since we are New England Ponies.
2. burgers -- patties shaped and grilled over charcoal, on kaiser rolls, a selection of condiments (relish, mustard, ketchup) and fixings (crisp lettuce and fresh tomato slices, possibly some pickles) available on a tray at the table for diners to select on their own.
3. a salad -- her classic cookout salad is shredded carrots and raisins with just enough mayo to stick them together, though she has been known to make pasta salads now and then. The pasta salads don't follow Slate's rules, but they tend to be pretty tasty anyway, and it's clear that they're a side dish, not the main event. Alternatively, a potato salad from her Julia Child cookbook.
4. homemade lemonade -- made with squeezed lemons and sugar syrup, not granulated sugar. This gives the drink a smoother texture and a more even distribution of sweetness. If Mom Pony is feeling especially extravagant, she'll send a daughter out into the back yard to cut some mint and then make mint sugar syrup for the lemonade.
5. sometimes shish kebabs -- fresh veggies sliced, meat marinated for hours beforehand.
6. sometimes seafood -- we're not especially kosher at home (I keep it more than the Pony Parents do, and I'm not all that strict about it), so scallops and shrimp might feature. The only issue with that is that I'm allergic to shrimp and Little Sister Pony doesn't like scallops, so Mom Pony always has to remember who gets what seafood. For a really extravagant summer party, lobster!
7. Crudites with the Pony family curry chutney dip are always a hit at garden parties and other events.
8. Dessert might be a fruit pie, or it might be ice cream, or smores if it's That Kind of Party, or we might decide to go out.
Not only does Mom Pony not give classes, her response when I asked for one of her classic cookouts was, "Sure, honey. Um . . . what should I make? I don't know how to do this!"
To which Dad Pony (who was on the extension) and I replied, "Of course you know how to do cookouts! You've been doing cookouts in this house for twenty-seven years, you know what a backyard hamburger cookout involves! That's what we want!"
I guess the secret is in really fresh, high-quality meats, breads, and vegetables, and then in not doing too much to them other than applying heat and letting people season their food to suit themselves.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rosecarmine
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-06 05:43 pm (UTC)1. corn on the cob -- butter-sugar corn, boiled, not grilled, since we are New England Ponies.
2. burgers -- patties shaped and grilled over charcoal, on kaiser rolls, a selection of condiments (relish, mustard, ketchup) and fixings (crisp lettuce and fresh tomato slices, possibly some pickles) available on a tray at the table for diners to select on their own.
3. a salad -- her classic cookout salad is shredded carrots and raisins with just enough mayo to stick them together, though she has been known to make pasta salads now and then. The pasta salads don't follow Slate's rules, but they tend to be pretty tasty anyway, and it's clear that they're a side dish, not the main event. Alternatively, a potato salad from her Julia Child cookbook.
4. homemade lemonade -- made with squeezed lemons and sugar syrup, not granulated sugar. This gives the drink a smoother texture and a more even distribution of sweetness. If Mom Pony is feeling especially extravagant, she'll send a daughter out into the back yard to cut some mint and then make mint sugar syrup for the lemonade.
5. sometimes shish kebabs -- fresh veggies sliced, meat marinated for hours beforehand.
6. sometimes seafood -- we're not especially kosher at home (I keep it more than the Pony Parents do, and I'm not all that strict about it), so scallops and shrimp might feature. The only issue with that is that I'm allergic to shrimp and Little Sister Pony doesn't like scallops, so Mom Pony always has to remember who gets what seafood. For a really extravagant summer party, lobster!
7. Crudites with the Pony family curry chutney dip are always a hit at garden parties and other events.
8. Dessert might be a fruit pie, or it might be ice cream, or smores if it's That Kind of Party, or we might decide to go out.
Not only does Mom Pony not give classes, her response when I asked for one of her classic cookouts was, "Sure, honey. Um . . . what should I make? I don't know how to do this!"
To which Dad Pony (who was on the extension) and I replied, "Of course you know how to do cookouts! You've been doing cookouts in this house for twenty-seven years, you know what a backyard hamburger cookout involves! That's what we want!"
I guess the secret is in really fresh, high-quality meats, breads, and vegetables, and then in not doing too much to them other than applying heat and letting people season their food to suit themselves.