Smithy

I believe they were Blenheims, as @Margaret Pilgrim notes above. I agree they were "just apricots" but my sister and I have commented on the change and loss many times. The backyard trees that still survived when we were visiting (12 years ago now) were Blenheims, and they had the quality and flavor we remembered.

This brought me up short in the grocery store today.

Big ol' dinner salad. I'm leaving town for most of the week and had hoped, in vain, to use up my fresh baby spring greens and other vegetables because they won't survive until I get back. Can't do it. I still have another salad's worth of the greens as well as a bunch of broccoli, shredded cabbage, and cauliflower. So it goes. It's my fault for noshing on a rotisserie chicken this week and neglecting those vegetables. But... this is a pretty good salad. The baby greens, a bunch of tomatoes, several spoonsful of Mild Giardiniera (that's gone well past its best-by date) and chunks of gruyere laid the base. I unearthed some smoked pancetta from my freezer, (purchased at a favorite local store last winter), cooked it until it was crisp and the fat was rendered. Added the crisp pancetta to the salad base, then went to work on browning the pork tenderloin I'd sous-vided back here. (Thanks for the advice on browning, all you who weighed in. It did make a difference.) After I did that I added the jus from the bag -- which promptly curdled -- so I added a bunch of red wine vinegar to whisk it up and clean the cast-iron skillet. That became the basis of the salad dressing, aside from the olive oil from the giardiniera. Oh, and a few chunks of the pork tenderloin went onto the salad. That's how I know the browning helped. But. It's really good, and it's really too much. Maybe the rest will be breakfast tomorrow, before I head out!

Your looks quite nice -- oozy, almost like a runny cheese. I'd be impressed to see that at any gathering. That said, I'll also say its moment has already passed for me. I made it once. It didn't look as good as yours, but it came out well enough for me to realize that the burnt caramel top is the point. I'm not fond of caramel (burnt or otherwise). But I'm glad I tried it! Once. 🙂

I've never heard of Steak-ums. But I've never lived near, much less in, Philly. The griddle does look like a lot of fun. I've seen them in various campgrounds and rather lusted after them. As it happens, my camping setup wouldn't allow me to carry one around, and I have a fine multi-fuel grill / smoker on the deck here at home. The Blackstone doesn't have a place in my current lifestyle, but I can ogle. Keep the posts coming, for our vicarious enjoyment! And maybe to help someone else decide to buy!

Truly, it's been a labor of love and a glimpse into a country and its regions that many of us on this forum are unlikely to experience firsthand. And if I, personally, am ever offered "dragon and phoenix" I'll jump at the chance! Thank you.

Do you peel them after roasting?

Mega-kudos to you! I like the photos, but I'm just a piker. This "like" and comment, given its source? Major!

I cut a couple of slices from that sous-vided corned beef last night, something around 3/8" thick (not that I was measuring) and wedged them between a couple of slices of bread, along with cheese and condiments, for a Reuben sandwich. I didn't bother taking a picture last night -- everyone's seen my grilled sandwiches already -- but it was pretty good. I learned a couple of things, though. 1. A proper Reuben needs thinner slices. These were single slices, laid next to each other to cover the bread. Thinner slices, piled atop each other, would have had a nicer mouth-feel. 2. Before I tried this corned beef, I tried the one I'd written about here, that had been sitting in its original package for a couple of months past its best-by date. I really don't like it. As a matter of fact, even the dog didn't like it! So...these things do have a shelf life more or less in line with the label. (I also think for my tastes the brand isn't the best, but now I know that timing matters.)

Let's revive this topic about culinary growth and learning! @Duvel's recent adventures in Austria, and specifically Tyrol (or Tirol, to him), reminds me of a "my first" treat. My best friend and I backpacked around Europe in the summer of 1980, and made friends with a woman about our age during a stay at a youth hostel. She invited us to her family's inn for a few days. Schlickeralm, well up into the Alps, was at that time of year a green and pastoral delight. I don't remember where-all Angelika took us during our stay; I don't even remember much about what we ate. Except breakfast. They had their own cows, which produced their own milk and no doubt cheese. I had never had fresh, unpasteurized, unseparated milk before. What a revelation! I'm not usually a milk-drinker, but this stuff was delicious. Creamy. Warm. Flavorful. Wonderful on müsli. Wonderful on its own. Whenever I think of fresh milk, I think of those green, green meadows, lovely mountains, and that rich sunshine and even richer milk. What a happy memory. 🙂

Today, David made me laugh aloud. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you his essay: The Mohel of Mollusks I wish I could write like that. I'll have to check his blog more often!

Hello and welcome! That's a lovely photo you've put up there. We have Help articles, and at the bottom of this post you'll find a link to the answer to your question. That said, you can always ask a host (I am one) by Personal Messenger when you have a question about how to do things or where to post. While I was writing this, @pastrygirl beat me to the punch (thanks, pastrygirl!) but I'm still going to point out the existence of the Help articles. You can reach them at the top of any pages, where there's a tab that reads "Help".

Very cleverly written, @liuzhou. Thanks for the giggles!

@rotuts well yes to the S.F. Bay Area vibe. When I was growing up, that was upscale. In fact, when someone said they were going to "The City", they meant San Francisco. If they were going to Los Angeles or its environs, they said they were going "Down South". It might have been my sister, who lived a year or three in Sunnyvale after getting married, who put me onto the Sunset cookbooks. She cranked out some very nice meals during those early years. (She still does. It just doesn't seem so exotic now.)

Out here in the Minnesota woods, I keep thinking about all the bears that are now out of hibernation. It's difficult enough to keep them away without wearing an attractant!