Is Alton Brown the new Julia Child? Or is that blasphemy? All I know is that my little mention of how much I love Alton has prompted people to stop me on the street, whisper in my ear at a wedding and buy me beers at the bar. Vanessa Whittemore sent an e-mail about Alton's method for roasting small amounts of green chile. “It caught my attention because I have very wimpy tastebuds and a little chile goes a very long way with me,” Vanessa wrote. “Therefore, even though I love the smell of roasting chiles, there’s no reason for me to buy a whole sack since that would probably last for the entire rest of my natural life and possibly into the next one. Alton Brown showed how you can roast just a couple at a time. Take one of those metal vegetable steamers found in almost every kitchen, lay the sides out as flat as you can get them and place directly over the burner on a gas stove (electric won’t work). Put a couple or three chiles on the steamer and turn up the flame. I think he said about five minutes per side would work. Voila! (is there a Spanish counterpart for Voila!?) You have a small amount of roasted green chile.” So, Alton, Vanessa seems nice and all? But remember, you're marrying me.
