rstagg

Thanks for the replies Carolyn, therippa. Would fresh kielbasa be a reasonable substitute for the sausage? I have some bigger stoneware pieces, like the big Le Creuset covered casserole, but I was concerned that a dish like this would be too shallow. Is the apparent depth/geometry of the classic cassole important, or would a moderately (4-5") deep stone casserole do better than the much deeper cast iron? Carolyn, I'll pour over your links some - thanks. I did a search in the Cooking and Cookbooks forum, didn't think to check the regional forums.

So I'm tackling Paula Wolfert's cassoulet de Toulouse in the coming week after having great success with culinary bear's confit instructions. I have a few questions for the initiated: 1) Since I'm not prepared to put out $100+ for a cassole yet, any suggestions as to a decent substitute? Is a L-C dutch oven sufficient, or is cast iron undesirable? 2) In the excellent and well-known-here "Cooking of South West France", Wolfert mentions pork fat "ever-so-slightly rancid" - I've never heard rancidity referred to as a desirable trait - what gives? 3) Ham hocks - smoked or not? Anyone here that sells them, sells them smoked. I can procure them unsmoked from a butcher friend, but I'm not sure which is called for. 4) Acceptable substitute for Toulouse sausage, assuming I don't break down and make my own? Thanks!

Kenneth, Toweringpine's thoughts are spot-on. A couple more - CFM ratings are always nominal - the actual amount of air that a hood/exhaust/fan will move is affected by a large number of variables: Ductwork turns, diameter, lengths and topology, filters, make-up air, etc. A window exhaust, if it's directly venting outside, would move a lot of air, but not it's nominal (3400cfm) amount if there's a filter or baffle. The filter slows the air. It will never be as efficient in removing odor as a hood simply due to location - hot fumes rising into the hood give lots of natural advantage over downdraft, etc. A displaced vent will allow vapors to migrate into the room, no matter how many cfm you move. Lastly, *most* residential HVAC guys I've run across won't touch a serious home exhaust solution, in terms of make-up air - and you need it with that much flow. I think it's a dirty little secret of the industry - most wouldn't think twice about installing a 1000+ cfm unit for you, and wouldn't even mention that you're not getting even close to that rated cfm without make-up air. Just think about sucking the air out of an empty plastic bottle - harder and harder as the bottle compresses - now think about it if you poke a hole in the other end.

Anne McCaffrey writes about food and drink almost obsessively in her work.

I read about this all the time, but I've yet to have it happen to me. I don't know why this is. It's a great weeknight dinner! If it weren't so hot in Texas, I'd make it tonight. Unfortunately, my oven tends to heat the whole kitchen/living room at my house. ← Funny coincidence - I just did this (the Keller recipe) two weeks in a row. First time, a little smoke. Second time, tons of smoke! I think the vaporized chicken grease on the oven interior from the last time smoked off. Need to remember to wipe the inside of the oven out after doing this. Delicious chicken though - a minimum of six-hour brine is an absolute must. I've never been able to get the breast and legs both moist-tender until I tried this (brine + high heat). It is a perfect weeknight meal - brine in the morning, pull it and throw it in the oven in the evening. A little glace with the drippings, and bob's your uncle.

Agreed times 10. One of the few things I've posted about on EG. As for foods I *don't* like, I have a confession to make. One that before now only my wife was aware of. Despite me famously - in my modest circles - claiming that there's no food I don't like (and I've tried many things), I CANNOT choke down Uni. I really want to like it, but I had a bad experience and I'm afraid now. The one time I've had it, it was at the sushi restaurant we frequent on a weekly basis. The owners are very kind and very Japanese, and their fish is always fresh. Well, a couple of years ago I decided I was going to start eating Uni. I stuffed the piece into my mouth, and immediately started gagging. Wife says it's a look she's not seen on my face before or since. After swallowing one bite with great difficulty, and nearly vomiting, I as discretely as possible put the remainder in my napkin. And not wanting to shame the owner and further embarrass myself, I made my wife carry it out in her then brand-new Louis Vuitton bag. She's still not quite forgiven me.

How about salsa verde, or gremolata? I don't think ossobucco would be the same without the one-two parsley-lemon punch.

I've never seen such nice butts in one place. I use the Bradley for the first several hours, and do the majority of my cooking in the gas oven at under 200, with good results. I generally do this with brisket, too. I was wondering, though, for those that pull from the smoker before finishing - why is dry-heat roasting seemingly the only 'finish' process I see? Has anyone tried smoking to develop the bark in the smoker, and then braising the butt to finish? Would the braise dissipate the smoke flavor too much? I would think finishing with a braise could yield a particularly tender butt. I'm a relative n00b to smoking, but after a search of eG and elsewhere I couldn't find any references to this method. Perhaps it's just totally unnecessary.

Success! Ended up having a great time on Saturday. Seared the 3/4" slices of foie gras frais in cast iron, accompanied by homemade brioche crostini and blackberry compote. Friends brought a nicely botrytised '00 Sauternes. I was a little unsure of how hot to get the pan for the sear, so I went the hotter route - had the range on 'kill'. I think this ended up being a bit too hot - each side would sear to almost black in about 5 seconds, and was still pretty cold in the middle. I adjusted the heat for the latter pieces, and it was nicely browned, molten in the middle. Oddly, the first piece I did which I kept in the pan *way* too long, was almost black on the outside, but still quite edible. Although it looked carbonized, it didn't have a burnt taste at all. Is this because of the high fat/low solids content of the liver? Thanks to all for helping through this confidence-building exercise. On to torchon!

Wow, thanks for all the thoughtful replies. 'Some really nice ideas there - and mostly I just needed some hand-holding to build confidence. I am going to do a sear rather than a terrine - I think my range and hood are up to the task. We're serving six (plus a very precocious child who might try some), so I don't think I'll have too much left over for Carolyn's suggestion. Another time perhaps. I have brioche going through a first rise right now, just have to figure out a sauce. Preferably something done ahead so I can concentrate on the liver; a compote like Busboy mentioned might do the trick. markk - thanks for the link. 'Looks like you have a nice website of food-porn. Already bookmarked for some nice reading later. To answer your question - yes, I've eaten foie a number, actually an embarrassing number, of times, in all of its wonderful and varied forms. And I eat it whenever possible - I can't *not* order it if it's on the menu. 'Just never had the guts (yuk yuk) to prepare it myself. Ryan

Hi All - Long time reader, first time poster. Let me first say 'thanks' to everyone for the years of great advice. Countless hours on the couch pouring over old threads. I have a Parisian-expat friend coming over with his family for dinner on Saturday. I'm cooking the foie, he's providing a nice bottle of Sauternes he brought back from home when visiting over xmas. So now I sit with a nice 1.5lbs lobe from HVFG. What to do? I've read just about every post related to this topic on eG, as well as all the usual suspects in the cookbook collection. Keller's seared w/ brioche in the French Laundry cookbook intrigues me, but I'm still a bit gun-shy about accidentally melting a fairly expensive piece of liver w/ the oven finishing. I'm just indecisive. So what's the best preparation for a neophyte? I gather that I don't have to devein for a searing, but is it suggested? How to slice - do I cut on the 'bias'? (does foie have a directionality like a beef cut?) What's anyone's favorite accompaniment? Sorry for the verbose first post.