phatj

Duck Leg Confit Potstickers Serves 4 as Appetizer. These are seriously decadent potstickers. I devised this recipe as part of a Duck Three Ways dinner wherein over the course of three days I dismantled a whole duck using various parts for various things, including rendering fat, making stock and confiting the legs. If you're super-ambitious and do it my way, you'll have duck stock and duck fat on hand as this recipe calls for; otherwise, substitute chicken stock and peanut oil or whatever you have on hand. 2 confited duck legs, bones discarded and meat shredded 2 c sliced shiitake caps 1/2 c sliced scallions splash fish sauce 1 tsp grated fresh ginger 1 tsp grated fresh garlic pinch Five Spice powder pot sticker wrappers 3 c duck stock 3 T duck fat 1. Saute shiitakes in duck fat over high heat until most liquid has evaporated and they are beginning to brown. Meanwhile, reduce about 1 C duck stock in a small saucepan over medium heat until it's almost syrupy in consistency and tastes sweet. Also, warm a couple of cups of unreduced duck stock over low heat in another saucepan. 2. Combine mushrooms, duck meat, scallions, fish sauce, ginger, garlic and Five Spice powder in a bowl. 3. Place a teaspoon or so of the duck mixture in the center of a potsticker wrapper; wet half of the edge with water and seal, pinching and pleating one side. If you prepare more potstickers than you're going to want to eat, they can be frozen on cookie sheets then put into freezer bags for later. 4. When all potstickers are sealed, heat a flat-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, melt enough duck fat to thinly cover the bottom, then add the potstickers. 5. Cook undisturbed until the bottoms are browned, 3-5 minutes, then enough unreduced duck stock to cover the bottom of the pan about 1/2 inch deep and cover the pan. 6. Cook until most liquid is absorbed, then uncover and cook until remaining liquid evaporates. While potstickers are cooking, make a dipping sauce by combining the reduced duck stock 1:1 with soy sauce, then adding a little rice vinegar, brown sugar (if the duck stock isn't sweet enough), and sesame oil. Serve potstickers immediately when done. Keywords: Hors d'oeuvre, Appetizer, Intermediate, Duck, Dinner, Chinese ( RG2052 )

I stand corrected.

Onion confit?

Another distinct disadvantage of non-stick roasting pans is that they're not safe for high-temp roasting, as the non-stick coating tends to break down and release bad news into the air, not to mention into your food.

The cooking suggestions made by others seem fine to me, so let me address your other question. The taste of goose is really quite surprising if you've never had it before. It's actually more suggestive of good beef like prime rib than it is like other poultry.

Quinoa Salad Serves 10 as Salad. I created this recipe to bring to a "healthy barbecue" hosted by my trainer. The salad is vegan-friendly, but I brought along lemon-pepper grilled chicken for carnivores to add if desired. Quinoa -- cook in advance and chill 1-1/2 c uncooked quinoa (I prefer the regular as opposed to red) 3 c water 1 T cumin powder 1 T minced or pressed fresh garlic 1 tsp salt Vegetables & Dressing 1 red bell pepper, seeded & diced 1 medium red onion, peeled & diced 1 c yellow corn (fresh or frozen) 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds & pith removed, minced (or more to taste) 1 T minced or pressed fresh garlic 2 T minced fresh cilantro 2 T minced fresh parsley 1 T extra-virgin olive oil juice & minced zest of one lime 1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper lime wedges 1. At least a couple hours in advance, stir uncooked quinoa, cumin, garlic & salt into water in a saucepan. Cover & bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer undisturbed for 15 minutes. Remove from heat & chill. 2. In a large bowl, combine vegetables & chilled quinoa and set aside. 3. In a small bowl, mix minced pepper, herbs, garlic, oil, lime juice & zest and black pepper; stir into quinoa-vegetable mixture. 4. Chill salad for an hour or so to let flavors meld. Serve with lime wedges. Keywords: Salad, Vegan, Easy, Latin American ( RG2043 )

Nothing says love like Kevlar gloves.

Homemade guacamole may not be difficult, but it takes a whole lot longer than twisting the lid on a jar. That said, I'll only make my own, because it's so vastly superior to the supermarket variety.

I used super-reduced duck stock as a component of a dipping sauce for pot stickers made with duck leg confit. Best dipping sauce ever. On the other hand, I made soup with the rest of the stock, but it was a bit bland.

"Black iron" appears to be just carbon steel. Steel is neither a good conductor, nor is it heavy enough in this case to retain enough heat to provide even heating over the cooking surface. I think you would need a commercial range for these to really be a good option for day-to-day cooking. However, their versatility for oven use, and perhaps camping, combined with their low price makes them attractive nonetheless.

My mom had those Pyrex custard cups. They were great. I see they also make 10-oz ones; I think I might pick up a set of each. My prep bowls now are a mixed bag of a couple different kinds of nesting stainless bowls, small ceramic ramekins, soup bowls doing double duty, a few large glass bowls, etc. ad nauseam.

The commercials are enough to make me steer clear.

I'm munching my first-ever Honeycrisp right now, having never heard of them before seeing this thread a couple of days ago. Pretty good flavor, but too wet.

That would be worth a try, especially if you have a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. It would take some experimentation with temperature. On the other hand, it would probably be worth trying as a normal saute. Probably wouldn't be as intense, though.

My cream of mushroom soup definitely has the "wow" factor. I devised the recipe to go into a from-scratch green bean casserole. It was way too mushroomy for that purpose, but was terrific on its own. Recipe here: http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r1889.html

Another vote for Grandma Utz's here. I posted as much on the Salty Snacks thread months ago, not knowing this thread existed.

I don't know if this is horrific enough for this thread, but it's the worst looking food of which I have a photograph.

Herbed & Buttered Egg Noodles Serves 6 as Side. This is my favorite thing to serve as a base for dishes such as Stroganoff and Goulash, and it's one of my favorite things all by itself. 5 qt water 1/4 c table salt 1 lb medium egg noodles 4 T butter 1 T garlic, minced or pressed 1 T fresh parsley, minced 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1. In 8 qt stockpot, bring water to a boil, then add salt. Cook noodles according to package directions, or slightly al dente. 2. While noodles are cooking, melt butter in the microwave (~30 seconds on high). Stir in garlic, parsley and pepper and microwave for about 15 seconds more. 3. Drain noodles, then return to pot. Add butter/herb mixture to noodles and stir well to combine. Serve hot. Keywords: Side, Vegetarian, Easy, Pasta ( RG2032 )

Yikes. Those things are nasty. A guy I knew in college (who may or may not be known on certain internet fora as "phatj") once crushed one of those and snorted it like coke. It hurt -- A LOT. Or so I heard. Anyway, I've definitely hit the chocolate chips for a sweet fix. Leftover frosting on any available medium (including salty Triscuits, recently). The buttered tortillas with brown sugar mentioned earlier are excellent.

That handle looks pretty sturdy. I think maybe over time it might come loose, but I wouldn't worry about it breaking. Too bad that doesn't come with a lid.

Might as well throw in my $0.02 -- the cheapo piece that I referred to when I started this thread is still going strong. No further enamel damage, even though I have not been especially gentle with it, using metal utensils at times without thinking. It's one of my favorite pieces of cookware. The weight is the only thing that keeps me from using it more.

Curried Chicken Stew with Tomatoes and Rice This was a recipe I came up with using on-hand ingredients, and it was fantastic. I made it with store-bought curry powder because I discovered when I started that I was out of my homemade powder and didn't want to take the time to toast & grind spices. 1 T Ghee/clarified butter, or regular butter, or neutral vegetable oil 2 c sliced onion 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper salt freshly ground black pepper 2 c chopped cooked chicken 1 c diced tomato 1 T minced or pressed garlic 2 T curry powder 2 T flour 3 c chicken stock 1 c plain yogurt 1/2 c buttermilk 2 c halved cherry or grape tomatoes 2 c cooked rice Fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips Scallions, thinly sliced 1. Heat ghee/oil in a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium-high heat; add sliced onion and season with crushed red pepper, salt & black pepper. Sauté over high heat for a couple of minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and sweat, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and most liquid has evaporated, ~10 minutes. 2. Increase heat to medium-high, add chopped chicken and sauté until heated through; add diced tomato, garlic and curry powder (and other spices if applicable) and sauté until tomato pieces begin to break down, ~5 minutes. 3. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. 4. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer; reduce heat to medium-low and cook undisturbed for ~15 minutes. 5. Add yogurt, buttermilk, tomatoes and rice; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for ~5 minutes. 6. Serve garnished with basil and scallions. Keywords: Main Dish, Soup, Intermediate, Chicken, Hot and Spicy ( RG2023 )

I avoid the personal space invasions in the checkout line by standing in front of my cart. I find it easier to unload the cart this way, too. Peeves of mine include: Not being able to find plastic bags in produce and meat department; Meat packages leaking blood, with no paper towels, let alone antibacterial wipes in sight (or sometimes, they have paper towels but no trash to deposit them in after using).

Tzatziki! It's especially nice if you don't want to spoil the healthiness of fresh veggies with a fatty dip. 32-oz plain yogurt (non-fat is fine) 2-3 cucumbers, seeds scooped out, cut into chunks, then whizzed in a blender with about a cup of water until finely chopped A bunch of minced fresh dill weed Minced or pressed garlic and fresh ground black pepper to taste 1 T EVOO Strain the excess water out of the blended cucumber, then stir into yogurt and strain through a cheesecloth for at least an hour. Stir in remaining ingredients and refrigerate for an hour or so to let flavors meld. I've also added minced onion and tomato at times; both are nice additions.

Shroomy Beef Stroganoff Serves 8 as Main Dish. This is my bastardized version of Beef Stroganoff. This is a pretty time-consuming recipe, but it was the best Stroganoff I've made. 2 T EVOO 3 lb beef chuck roast, whole kosher salt cracked black pepper 1 large yellow onion, cut into eighths 3 ribs celery, cut into chunks 2 carrots, cut into chunks 10 cloves garlic, peeled & crushed 5 sprigs fresh thyme 1 T Worcestershire sauce dash liquid smoke c beef stock, or as needed 2 lb yellow onions, halved & sliced into half-rings 1 lb mushrooms (pref. cremini, shiitake or other wild), sliced 2 T thyme leaves, minced 5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted in hot beef stock 1 pt sour cream 4 T corn starch In a 7-qt dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. While oil is heating, rub both sides of roast with kosher salt & cracked pepper. Brown roast on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Add carrots, celery, onion chunks, crushed garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, Worcestershire & liquid smoke. Add beef stock to halfway up side of roast. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, turning over once, at least two hours, but preferably three or four. Remove roast and set on cutting board to cool. Strain vegetables from dutch oven, reserving liquid. Skim about 2 T of fat from reserved liquid and return to dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions & sliced mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and saute until beginning to brown, then turn heat to medium-low, cover and sweat, stirring occasionally, until onions & mushrooms have given up their moisture, 15 minutes or so. Stir in minced thyme & garlic. While cooking onions & mushrooms, pull roast into bite-sized pieces. Strain porcini through a paper towel or coffee filter, reserving liquid. Mince porcini. Stir beef pieces, minced porcini & reconstituting liquid into onion & mushroom mixture. Skim remaining fat from cooking broth and discard. Add all but 1/4 c broth back to pot and simmer five minutes. Stir corn starch into remaining broth & add to pot along with sour cream. Stir to combine, then simmer about five minutes or until thickened. Serve over egg noodles (tossed with butter, minced fresh parsley, minced garlic & freshly ground black pepper is my preference). Keywords: Main Dish, Beef, Intermediate, Dinner, Eastern Euro/Russian ( RG2009 )