I_call_the_duck

Aargh. Forgot the Farmers Market opened today. Such a great excuse to get up early-ish and get my lazy butt over to the other side of town. Matt, looks like you brought back a nice haul. Tell me more about the flatbread thingie. And it does look like the pot pies went up in price. I think the large were $17 each.

I've searched high and low for anything that even comes close to San Crispino's pompelmo rosa, and Grom's is the BEST I've had here in the States.

I think it was 925 Race. I happened to like the chicken feet, but then again, I had the advantage of seeing and enjoying them in that state since I was a wee lass. The XLB weren't as good as those at Dim Sum Garden. The skin was a little thicker, the broth not as rich. The spare ribs and the shui mai (which were overstuffed with pork and then topped with shrimp) were tasty, but not stellar. Those trotters rocked!! I think philadining missed the scallion pancake and a bun. Good, but not memorable. Oh, and service was very nice, but on the slow side.

^^hee. But yeah, darn those LaBan lemmings. Too bad DSG doesn't line their steamers with cabbage. The cabbage is pretty tasty, especially if it's the beneficiary of an unfortunate dumpling accident. Sorry I missed it. I was still hungry, too.

I agree with Katie that the caramels are indeed amazing. Now I must try those bacon-infused ones. Congrats to the Gordons on a great article! It was such a pleasant surprise to see it in the paper yesterday morning.

Sharon O’Connor’s recipe is only slightly different than the one in the Balthazar Cookbook. I made the version from the Balthazar Cookbook last week. divalasvegas, I used Trader Joe's Three-buck Chuck ($3 because we bought it in NY), and chicken stock instead of veal since that's what we had in the house. Come to think of it, the port also came from Trader Joe's. I'm my worst critic, and I have to say that it's the best thing I've ever made. I usually think of ways to improve recipes, but this one needs no tweaking. I'm sure it would have been much better with a higher-quality wine, homemade veal stock or even beef stock, but it was still amazing. Mr. Duck loves my cooking, but in the seven years that we've known each other, this is the only time he was worried that he wouldn't get his share of the leftovers!

OK, I wants me some Dung-Po Rou. Was the duck fried? And what was the stuff under it? Me wants some of that too.

Wow! Looks like you guys had a great time. I'm constantly amazed at the amount of food you two can eat in a day. Looking forward to your Taiwan photos.

^^Tough one, Sony. Last Thanksgiving, my sister (the take-out queen) was hovering over my shoulder while I was trying to drain a not-very heavy pot of potatoes into the sink. I had to tell her to back off. I don’t even appreciate her big-sister tendency to watch over her little sister, since I’m 40, not four. Mom's house has a galley kitchen, and it gets pretty crowded with the actual cooks and the hangers-on. My BILs have the tendency to just stand there and stare (while sneaking tastes) while we're busy cooking, taking things out of the oven, whatever. And their kids are running through whining about being hungry. Luckily, my kitchen at home is big enough for Mr. Duck and myself to work at the same time, especially after the renovations and the addition of more counterspace. Here, I don’t mind hangers-on since they could just sit at the counter or in the corner without getting in my way. *sigh*

What an amazing accomplishment. Congratulations, Dejah!!

Dejah, Kudos to you for undertaking this amazing project!! I can't wait to see the rest. I hope you take photos during the event as well.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

I have an Acme Safety Grater!! It belonged to Mr. Duck's mom, who used it to make latkes. That does that thing really work? It kind of scares me.

sheetz, I finally got the recipe for fat gaos using Bisquick from Mom. Right in time to test drive it before CNY. Fat gaos 1c flour 1c bisquick 1c brown sugar 1c water 1t vanilla or almond extract 1t baking powder Put everything in a bowl. Mix well (I think she uses a hand beater). Fill lined cupcake tins ¾ full. Steam 25 minutes.

"Tobacco" in the description always turns me off. Blech!

Hmm...never had it with beef before. I generally use (hand-chopped) pork with water chestnuts and duck liver laap cherng, dash in a little dark soy, sesame oil, and cornstarch, and top with sliced ginger. I generally just fold in the condiments while chopping, and transfer the entire thing directly from the chopping board to the dish. My dad used to make two versions: one with dried duck liver (until they stopped selling it so he reverted to the laap cherng), and another with ham. I haven't tried the latter yet. I think we tried doing it in the food processor once, and it was disasterous. We probably let it go too long, so we never tried again. I find it very soothing hand chopping, so I prefer it that way.

Kalustyan's?

^^I did think it was funny. But I guess I sad not in the boo-hoo sense but more in the sorry/unfortunate sense.

^whew! Thanks for clearing that up, raji.

^^raji, Vino on 27th? Changed ownership?! We were just there a few weeks ago, and had a nice chat with Charles. IIRC, they do have sake, but only one or two varieties.

I think if it's the norm and known to the customer beforehand, it's not that objectionable. Here in the US, for years we've been paying a per person tea charge when we have dim sum. In Italy, where tipping is generally not done, you pay a cover charge for bread and service, regardless if you eat the bread. You pay more for a cup of coffee if you sit at a table as opposed to standing at the bar. Just the way things are done there. But they charge for peanuts and wasabi peas? Can't I just bring my own and not pay the mandatory charge? annachan, we've been known to bring the (unopened) bottles of soda home, since we paid for them anyway!

Another link with pictures I find it sad that the woman posted a photo on her blog instead of contacting management of the error.

I passed by a shop in the East Village 9th Street (between 1st and 2nd aves.) that looked like it just sold sake. We were late for our next appointment so we didn't stop in, but it looked like a really nice store.

Welcom back, Ah Leung! Wow, those 21 days seemed to fly by. Thanks for taking us along for the ride.