A Patric

Dear all, I visited the butcher, of whom I spoke above, and though he didn't know the term "caul fat," as I pointed out, he did have the right stuff waiting for me; 5 lbs. of it, in fact, and only at $0.75/lb. So, instead of paying $18.95 plus shipping for 2.5 lbs care of Niman Ranch, I only paid $3.75, plus about $3 in gas, for twice as much. Not bad! I have enough to use for my terrine and plenty left over to freeze for next time. Anyway, thanks to everyone for all of the help. Alan

Couldn't you cook the breast like a duck confit? That would certainly lead to moist, tender and flavorful (yet a bit greasy) meat. Try 180-190 for a few hours until the meat is sufficiently tender and flavorful. You could use duck fat, or if you want something more neutral, you could use canola oil. Alan

I grew up in St. Louis mostly. The number one most clearly regional St. Louis dessert that I LOVE, when done correctly, is: Gooey Butter Cake (every recipe I've ever seen includes yellow cake mix, cream cheese, butter, eggs and sugar with very little else) Aside from that, I spent 1 year in France and made a number of American things for some friends who had, either never had them, or never had good ones. The classics are the following: 1) Commissary Cookies (Chocolate-chip and pecan cookies with just enough oatmeal added to give it a bit of texture) 2) Fudge Brownies (they now have factory-made brownies in France, but they are absolutely horrible) 3) Potato-dough cinnamon rolls (although the brioche in France sometimes look like these, they taste completely different and are nowhere near as tender. I had a French chef handing out the recipe to his chef friends) 4) Doughnuts (the more like Lamar's Donuts the better--the above cinnamon roll recipe doubles for doughnuts and does a great job) 5) Bread pudding (though there is a similar French dessert, they had never had it with the "hard-sauce," a fairly heavily rum-spiked butter and brown-sugar sauce that is spooned over the top and readily melts) 6) American Apple pie (unlike the more complicated French versions, the simplicty of the American version with its clear focus on the tart-sweet apple flavor in contrast to the buttery crust always impressed people) Sincerely, Alan

Dear all, I just wanted to remind everyone of the chocolate alchemy forum: http://chocolatetalk.proboards56.com/index.cgi? When I first posted this demo that forum was only a few days old and only had a couple of members/posts. Now there are 35 members and about 300 posts covering a very wide range of chocolate making issues from tempering to refining to sugar choices, etc. At any rate, in new chocolate news, I am currently waiting on 2 lbs. of Forastero and 2 lbs. of Ocumare. I am going to do a 45% milk chocolate and a 70% bitter with these beans respectively. Though I won't chronicle every step like I did last time, I'll post any interesting findings. I am currently having chocolate making withdrawl....I need my fix. Alan

Thanks.

Where I live there is no butcher. I have to drive about 35-40 minutes just to get to this one. Alan

Never mind. I ended up driving to a pork processing/retail place about 40 minutes away and they had some pork liver. They didn't have caul fat, but I have found that online. I do have one question though. What is the difference between using caul fat to wrap a pâté as opposed to using sheets of fat from fat back? Is there a flavor difference? Alan ← Hello, Not getting an answer here I asked in the general section. They were very helpful: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=84274 Alan

Alright, I guess what I'm going to do, then, is to use thin sheets of back fat to surround the terrine top, sides, and bottom, and I will poke holes in the fat on the top so that steam can escape, and so that, when it is done, I can pour in the duck fat, as is called for by Bourdain's recipe, into the terrine. I have seen another recipe call for simply one hole in the middle of the fat through which to pour in some butter, but I think that one might get a more even spread of the fat addition throughout the pâté if there are multiple holes in the top. Does that sound reasonable? In terms of the thickness of the fat, is 1/8 of an inch a good thickness, or should I go even thinner if possible? Thanks to everyone for the help and clarification. Sincerely, Alan

Yeah, it seemed a bit odd to me that they didn't know what it is, but the company is a large supplier of pork and beef for the mid-west, so I don't think they are anything to be wary of, just a bit ignorant. They are nice though, and willing to sell me some if I can explain what it is exactly, so I'm not complaining. I just need to make sure that I know exactly, for 100% sure, what it is. So, is the final verdict that it is the webbed fat from both the intestines and the stomach? At any rate, maybe I should just try out some super thinly sliced fat back. I can get it fresh pre-cured, so there is no need for me to blanch it, and it is only $0.75/lb. But then again, I also really want to try this caul fat as it is apparently the real deal for pâté de campagne, and I am big on authenticity. I'm torn. Alan Edited after seeing Chad's post above

Hello all, I am in search of caul fat. I have found a slaughter house/retail butcher about 40 minutes from where I live. They are willing to sell me about anything that I want (that's legal) including caul fat for a pâté that I will be making but the trouble is, they don't know what caul fat is. The guy I was talking to had no clue what it was and suggested that maybe it is what he calls "leaf lard." I looked this up online and don't think that the two terms are synonymous. However, I can't find a clear definition of caul fat online. Some sources say it is the web-like fat from around the hog's stomach, and others say it is from around the intestines. I was starting to think that it could be from around the stomach or intestines, but then came across something called ruffle fat that is apparently from around the stomach. So, what exactly is caul fat? How would I explain it to this butcher, and is it easy to remove from the stomach or intestine? Would leaf lard or thinly sliced back fat achieve the same result as caul fat, or is there something special about it. Thanks in advance for any help. Alan

Never mind. I ended up driving to a pork processing/retail place about 40 minutes away and they had some pork liver. They didn't have caul fat, but I have found that online. I do have one question though. What is the difference between using caul fat to wrap a pâté as opposed to using sheets of fat from fat back? Is there a flavor difference? Alan

Hell all, I am going to make a pâté de campagne soon and the only thing that I still need is pork liver. I can't find any around where I live. Does anyone know of some sources for pork liver online? Thanks in advance, Alan

Thanks for the confirmation and the link to the recipe. I just realized that the recipe calls for pork rind and pork belly. Am I correct in thinking that pork rind is simply skin with the layer of fat attached beneath it, and if this is the case, can I just buy some pork belly with the skin still attached and cut it off in order to get pork rind? This would be easy enough as Niman Ranch sells pork belly in 8.5 lb packages which should supply plenty of skin with attached fat. Or, is there actually a product called "pork rind" that comes from a specific place on the pig, and where would I find this? Thanks again. Alan

Dear all, I just got a copy of Bourdain's Les Halles today. I finished making my confit yesterday, and am waiting for the cassole to arrive from here: http://www.claycoyote.com/store/index.cfm/...id/62/index.cfm Also, I found a useful place for hard to find pig parts: http://www.nimanranch.com/ I don't know if there is a better place or not. I am still searching for reasonably priced tarbais beans. The cassoulet making will begin in T minus 59 days. Edited to add: I still haven't made any sausages yet. Did you all decide on a good recipe? Alan

Interesting question. Well according to a Jeffrey Steingarten article in one of his two books, he thinks that most allergies may either not be real, or at least may be greatly exaggerated. Basically, he sees many food allergies as people's ways of avoiding foods that they don't like. He doesn't say that they all are, but that many of them are. For example, everyday there seem to be more people with lactose intolerance in the US, and most of them won't even touch aged cheeses under the pretext that they will get sick. Of course, aged cheeses have had all, or the vast majority of the lactose in the milk converted into different compounds by the bacteria, and thus shouldn't impact the lactose intolerant person's health. I recommend reading the article, because though he is--always--being a bit facetious, I think he is also hitting on some truth (i.e., many people have imagined allergies). However, I also think that food allergies--knowing about them and being tested for them--have become part of US culture. Everyone expects to have an allergy to something, so everyone is on the look out for their own allergies. Milk and wheat are the main foci right now. The problem is that there is a difference between an allergy to peanuts that can be life threatening, and an allergy to lactose, where eating a little will usually, except with extreme allergy, not have any noticable impact on one's health. Yet, people don't often seem to make such distinctions. With all of the above in mind, I have two, obviously just "off the top of my head," hypotheses: 1) Food allergies are part of American culture and therefore people go searching for having them, often finding them even if they don't exist, and making more out of some than they really need to. 2) Non-Americans may actually have food allergies and simply not be aware of them because, since it is not part of the culture to go looking for them, they take the effects of the allergies to be something else, i.e., eating something bad, mild cold, etc. This is especially the case because many food allergies are not life threatening and aren't clearly discernable if one isn't paying attention. Anyway, those are my thoughts. Like I said, though, they aren't scientific or anything. Also, I do not at all disparage those with true and serious food allergies. I know that they can be quite dangerous, and I would never trick someone into eating something if s/he says s/he is allergic to it; though, I might push for clarification. What it boils down to for me is: If you are allergic to it, then that leaves more for me. Alan

I ordered one this morning. I expect that it will be beautiful and functional. I'll post pics of the cassoulet when it is done (in about 2 months) Alan

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004SBH...glance&n=284507 It shows $229 for the red for me, plus free shipping. I swear that when I looked yesterday it was $159. I am starting to wonder about my memory though. Alan Edited: I'm in Missouri

Dear all, I'll be making confit de canard tomorrow and afterward will put it in a jar to age for two months. I have a pressure canner and according to USDA standards I should pressure-can the duck in the fat at 11 pounds for about 90 minutes (quart jar). However, it seems that most of you just do the normal boiling water canning. Is this correct? Would using the pressure cooking technique overcook the duck? Thanks for the feedback. Alan

I just found this: http://www.claycoyote.com/store/index.cfm/...id/62/index.cfm

Thanks for the response. I am still interested in my question about the beans (a couple posts up), and I have found something that Paula Wolfert apparently commissioned: http://www.claycoyote.com/store/index.cfm/...id/62/index.cfm If this is the case, I would like to know a bit more about it, and why it makes such a difference in the final product. It seems reasonably priced. Alan

Dear all, So I notice that most of you are using Le Creuset casseroles for the cassoulet, but I notice that Paula Wolfert pointed out that traditionally cassoulet are cooked in large glazed clay pots and that the end result is less dry for this reason. I don't have a Le Creuset or a clay pot, but I do have an unused (i.e. has just been sitting in the closet since I was given it) ceramic casserole. Do you think that this would do a good job, or should I look at investing in something else. I simply want the best tool for the job. Edited: Also, where are you getting your Tarbais beans? I have heard great things about Rancho Gordo beans and so was thinking about trying these Flageolet: http://www.ranchogordo.com/Merchant2/merch...ory_Code=DHAHB4 as a substitute. Good or bad idea? Thanks for the info. Alan

I am totally going to find a reason very soon to make Meemaw's cake. It is a must. Alan

Great idea. Here is something I was wondering, though: Could I age the sausage in a colander over a bowl before stuffing it in the casings? Bayless gives this alternate method for a sausage with no casing, but couldn't it still be used if one were going to put the meat into the casings after the aging? That might be easier for me since I don't have much space in my fridge, but I wouldn't want the flavor to be sacraficed for some unforseen reason. Any thoughts? Maybe it would be harder to pack the sausage with less liquid? Alan

Dear all, I plan on making the Tolucan Chorizo recipe (red) from Rick Bayless' Authentic Mexican today. I referenced the Diccionario Enciclopedio de la Gastronomia Mexicana by Ricardo Munoz Zurita to see if the recipe conformed to what is written there, and, at least in types of ingredients, it does almost completely. Has anyone made this recipe? Do you have any comments about its quality (I've never been unhappy with the recipes in Bayless' book)? Also, it is supposed to be aged for three days. I don't have a cool dry place in the house, so I was going to stuff the sausage and then let it age, in a collander over a bowl, for 3 days in the fridge. Does this seem like it would work? Thanks for any feedback. Alan

Maybe she meant that the different sugars have the same number of calories per gram.