David Ross

D'Artagnan sometimes does have wild Scottish hare available but if I remember, it's usually in the Fall. Darn expensive but for the a deep flavor, it's delicious.

that's actually a good idea.

I'll be doing a fried rabbit served with grits. Not exactly sure of the sauce. I thought about red eye gravy, but I think that might overpower the rabbit. I might do some sort of a take on a gravy based on gumbo flavors or something. Any ideas?

My first attempt at making tuilles. I was working on a new ice cream sundae recipe and wanted something crisp to go with the ice cream, but I didn't want to just add the old standby wafer cookie. For a first try it went pretty good. I was suprised how much the cookies spread while baking, so had to adjust for the second batch. But oh my how addictive these are. I made some for a friend recovering from knee surgery, and she and her husband had to fight over the last one! Macadamia Nut Tuilles- ¼ cup unsalted butter ½ cup chopped macadamia nuts ½ cup granulated sugar 1 small egg ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract ½ tsp. salt -Heat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat. -In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and cook until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes. -Combine the macadamia nuts, sugar, egg, vanilla and salt in a bowl and mix to combine. Pour in the butter and continue to mix to make a batter. -Drop the batter by teaspoons on the parchment. Make sure you give space between the cookie batter as the tuilles will expand to about 3" during baking. Bake the tuilles until they turn golden, about 6-7 minutes. -Bring the tuilles out of the oven and let them cool on the parchment for 3 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

Yikes ham banana roll! But I love the first names of the Associate Editors. My Grandmothers were Mildred and Edna.

I wondered the same things about the lemons. A number of the recipes call for lemon juice. They would have been put on board in either Chicago, Minneapolis or the few smal commissaries along the route, and of course shipped up there from probably California or another warm State.

I think I would add carrots and potatoes, and peas, to this pie if I made it today. I prefer just a top crust, so I think I would add puff pastry to the top. What I really liked in the recipe was how they cooked the rabbit in water then took the meat off the bones and saved the broth. I would add some herbs and spices to the water to make a more flavorful broth, but I like the idea of it.

I'll be off to the store tommorrow to buy another rabbit for my next dish. In the meantime, look at what I came across, a recipe for rabbit that was served on the Northern Pacific Railroad passenger trains. I'm an avid fan on passenger trains from the 1930's-1960's, with a focus on dining on the trains. The book, "Dining Car Line to the Pacific," by William McKenzie, is a history of dining onboard the Northern Pacific. The best known passenger train of the line was the North Coast Limited that traveled between Chicago. For years the railroad had their own dairy and egg farm in Carnation, WA, and the commissary in Minneapolis was where all the provisions were kept along with the thousands of pieces of china, silver and linens that were placed on the dining cars. Last week I was just going through the book to look at some recipes, and what do I find? A recipe for Baked Rabbit Pie! What's interesting is that we think of a pie, or pot pie, as a meat fillng with a crust baked on top. In this recipe, the rabbit filling is poured into a baked bottom pie shell and then covered with a baked "pastry" crust. I wonder if it was a pie shell crust on the bottom and puff "pastry" on the top? But I was pretty pleased to see that rabbit was such a standard back in the day that it was featured on a dining car menu. Butcher Shop at the Minneapolis Commissary- The Northern Pacific was famous for the "Great Big Baked Potato," a huge Idaho Russet, and their holiday fruitcakes. The Great Big Baked Potato was advertised in newspapers, on billboards and delivery trucks. Passengers were able to purchase fruitcakes onboard to take home for Christmas. In fact, I still use the Great Northern Fruitcake recipe today as one of about 4 different fruitcakes I make. In those days, the food was all prepared onboard in the tiny kitchen in the dining car. This wasn't the prepared and microwaved food served on airlines and some trains today. This is the rabbit recipe: Baked Rabbit Pie- 1 large rabbit, cut in pieces 2 cups water 3 tbsp butter 1/4 cup chopped onion 2 parsley sprigs 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms 4 tbsp flour 1/4 cup white wine 1/8 tsp pepper 1/8 tsp salt dash ground nutmeg 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 pie shell, 9-inch, baked 1 pastry cover, 7-inch, baked -In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, place rabbit and water. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and cook for 30 minutes. Drain rabbit, reserving 1 cup broth. Remove rabbit from bones and cut in small pieces. -In same saucepan, melt butter, add cut-up rabbit. Saute rabbit for 5 minutes. Add onion, parsley and mushrooms, saute 5 minutes onger. -Stir in flour. Add wine, 1 cup reserved broth, pepper, salt and nutmeg. Cook for 30 minutes or until rabbit is tender. Stir in lemon juice. Pour into prepared pie shell and top with pastry cover. Makes one 9-ince pie. -Variation: Cook small amounts of carrots and potatoes separately, add during last 5 minutes.

Thanks I forgot to check there and had actually forgotten about them.

Another one of my former employees sent me this little booklet and it's very rare indeed. "Oysters and Fish by Thomas J. Murrey, 1888." Hardcover and only measuring 4" x 6" it's in remarkable condition for its age. The book is dedicated to "The Inventor of the "Sheldon Close-Top Gas-Stove...Who spend the best part of his life solving the perplexed problem of Economy in Fuel and Labor for our homes, and to those gentlemen connected with gas companies, who assisted and encourage him, this little work is most respectfully dedicated by the Author." Mr. Thomas was also the author of Fifty Soups, Fifty Salads, Breakfast Dainties, Puddings and Dainty Desserts, The Book of Entrees, Cookery for Invalids (also in my collection), Practical Carving, Luncheon and Valuable Cooking Recipes." American home cooks were quite busy in the kitchen in 1888. These are the categories in the booklet- Oysters Cooked Oysters, including a recipe for "Trip with Oysters" Clams Scallops Mussels Lobster Oysters and Crabs Shrimps Prawns Crayfish Salmon, including recipes for Salmon in Jelly, Salmon German Style and Salmon a la-Italienne Codfish Brook Trout Miscellaneous, including recipes for Fricassed Eels, Pan Bass with Anchovy Butter and Broiled Sheeps Head The only illustrations are on the cover, the recipes and information inside the booklet just plain text. There are a few pencil scribbles on a couple of pages as if a child drew on the book, but what a treasure this one is. This is what Mr. Murrey says about Oysters-"A Barrel of Oysters-Persons living away from the city are advisted to purchase oysters by the barrel. If kept with the deep shell down, and in a cool place, they will live a long time. The novice is likely to bruise fingers in vain attempts to open them; but, like carving, the opening of oysters should be part of a man's education. Then there is the charm of roasting the oysters in the old-fashioned fire place. Here the novice may burn a finger or two, but then it's fun for the youngsters."

Wow that looks good on a bed of grits. I may have to change my thinking of what I plan to make next.

Thanks I knew you would have suggestions.

Has anyone ever fried rabbit? I was thinking about maybe doing a version of Szechuan Crispy Beef but using rabbit in place of the beef. What do you think?

Yes 4H too. I found a local Facebook group that discusses both rabbits as pets but also for meat. They have been great in giving me local sources and the group is open to those of us who cook with rabbit, those who keep them as pets and those who breed rabbits.

The juniper was very light, but present. Next time I might use a little gin somewhere along the way to accent the juniper flavor. My family probably wouldn't eat this and say the rabbit was "gamey." It wasn't. I've had wild venison and it can get very gamey tasting. That's why I like the reference to slight grass and hay. I'm now convinced to prepare rabbit as a regular rotation at home. By the way, the serving dish is something I bought years ago at a Mexican market. I spotted in on the shelf and thought it would accent the rabbit and give it a sort of French countryside look. And the rabbit, the next day, was still delicious.

I used a combination of two recipes, including the one for Mustard Rabbit that @blue_dolphin mentioned, then my own twists to give the dish some flavors of the Pacific Northwest, Braised Rabbit with Apples, Mustard and Cream. It actually took more time to photograph and write-up the recipe than it did to braise it. The rabbit was marinated overnight with onions, garlic, salt, peppercorns, juniper berries that I noticed on the spice rack, mustard seeds, thyme and sage. Then on day two seasoned and dusted with flour, then browned in a Le Creuset Dutch Oven. I added an apple brandy made by Clear Creek Distillery of Hood River, Oregon. Originally they branded it as Calvados, but then the French got wind of it and the name had to be changed to simply apple brandy. It's made with apples from Central Washington. Then some Washington apple cider. The rabbit only needed 40 minutes in the oven. I took the rabbit and pearl onions out of the pot then reduced the braising liquid, stirred in cream and mustard. Thank you for the suggestions on when to add the mustard and cream. It thickened the sauce without curdling and added that mustard punch at the end. I didn't probably need to, but I checked the rabbit with a thermometer and it was at 158. So tender and delicious, a little like chicken thighs but with a hint of grass and hay. For Marinating the Rabbit- 1 rabbit, cut into 8 pieces 2 tbsp. olive oil 2 tsp. Kosher salt 1 tbsp. black peppercorns 1 tbsp. crushed juniper berries 1 tsp. mustard seeds 4 cloves garlic, crushed 1/2 yellow onion, chopped 2 sprigs fresh sage 3 sprigs fresh thyme For Braising the Rabbit- 1 tsp. each salt and black pepper 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 tbsp. olive oil 1/2 cup apple brandy substitute brandy 1 cup apple cider 1 tbsp. each chopped fresh sage and thyme 12 oz. pearl onions 1 Granny Smith appled, peeled, cored and cut into chunks 2 tbsp. butter 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard fresh thyme for garnish fresh sage for garnish Marinate the Rabbit- -Place the rabbit pieces in a baking dish. Drizzle with the olive oil, then sprinkle with salt. Add the black peppercorns, juniper berries and mustard seeds around the pieces of rabbit. Add the garlic, onion, sage and thyme. Cover the dish and refrigerate the rabbit and marinate overnight. Braise the Rabbit- -Heat the oven to 400. Rinse off the rabbit pieces and discard the spices, herbs, garlic and onions. Season the rabbit with salt and pepper, then dust with flour, shaking off the excess. -Add the olive oil to a Dutch Oven over medium heat, then add the rabbit pieces. Brown the rabbit pieces on all sides, about 4 minutes. Pour in the apple brandy and apple cider, then add the pearl onions. Cover the Dutch oven and braise the rabbit for 45 minutes. Check the rabbit, it should register 160 on a meat thermometer. -While the rabbit is in the oven, caramelize the apples. Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the apples. Saute the apples on all sides until golden, about 5 minutes. -Bring the rabbit out of the oven. Place the rabbit pieces and pearl onions in a serving dish and tent with foil to keep warm. Place the Dutch Oven over medium-high heat on the stove and reduce the braising liquid for 10 minutes. Stir in the cream and mustard and continue to cook the sauce for 5 minutes until it thickens. -Pour the sauce over the rabbit and pearl onions then garnish with fresh thyme and sage.

Yes, probably but I'm not sure how much. They are really sweet. Some friends and family love as much sugar as possible, I can go with less sugar in baked goods.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwiches with Dulce de Leche Buttercream-Careful, these are really sweet and I myself can only eat one, ok maybe two. For the cookies- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1 cup, (2 sticks) softened butter 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup brown sugar 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 2 cups milk chocolate chips 1 cup flaked, sweetened coconut 1 cup chopped walnuts For the dulce de leche buttercream- 1 cup, (2sticks) softened butter 1 13.4 oz. can dulce de leche caramel 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract 5-6 cups powdered sugar 8 oz. melted milk chocolate chips 1/4-1/3 cup milk For the cookies- Heat the oven to 375. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. In the bowl of a mixer, add the butter, granulated and brown sugar and vanilla and beat on medium speed until creamy. Add the eggs and continue to beat until the ingredients are combined. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and beat slowly until combined. Add the coconut, milk chocolate chips and nuts and continue to beat on slow speed until combined. Scoop out portions of cookie dough and drop onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes or until the cookies start to turn golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and place on a rack to cool while you make the buttercream. For the dulce de leche buttercream- Place the butter, dulche de leche and vanilla in a mixer bowl and slowly beat to create a smooth mixture. With mixer running, slowly add the powdered sugar until the buttercream is a spreadable consistency. Add enough milk as needed to make the buttercream smooth. To assemble the cookie sandwiches, place a cookie, top-side down, on the counter. Pipe or spoon some of the buttercream in the center of the cookie. Place another cookie on top, this time top-side up. The cookies can be stored in a covered container at either room temperature or in the fridge. You can freeze extra cookies and buttercream.

I love Winco. The have an amazing bulk foods section with dozens of choices. There must be at least 10 different flours, and the dried fruit section is amazing. They also have goat in the frozen section, along with the biggest pork belly in town and whole legs of lamb. The store is often criticized by locals compared to the other chains, mainly because they think it is a store for low income shoppers. They have some low prices, but I go there for the incredible selection. Also the only supermarket other than the Asian stores that sell frozen, large, head-on prawns.

I also add a little Fruit Fresh to the water when I boil asparagus and green beans to also set the color.

It's a subject probably worth of hours of discussion. In terms of all the blather and noise of most food blogs today, (little in terms of actually talking about food, ingredients and cooking techniques,) I'm one of the fiercest critics. Skads of nothing of substance, some photos, catchy/kitschy wording, and way down at the end the recipe. There are many "food bloggers" who pay for stock photos and portray them as their own dishes, equally despicable. However, in terms of my experience at least, which is limited, it's about content and targeting the right audience. There is a large demographic of folks who want more than the latest crazy cupcake of the moment. Like ingredients, flavors, textures and recipes they can craft at home. That's risen greatly during the pandemic as more and more have realized they have a kitchen with a stove in their home. And then ads and products within each recipe, (rather than an ad for a peloton inserted into a red velvet cake post), dial into that audience. As far as economics, I happen to think good, original, informative content is what targets a specific audience and yes, Google notices in terms of revenue and stats. One comparison I make is to the years I taught at a local kitchen store. It's a family owned business that's been open almost 50 years. Think of the first Williams-Sonoma stores. They sell everything from an apple peeler to $3,000 espresso machines and Mauviel French Cooper Cookware. There is a large, open display kitchen where classes are held. Some of our most popular classes were French Mother Sauces, Indian Curries, Thai Green Curry and one time a whole Mahi Mahi we had flown in from Hawaii. A specific demographic of folks who are looking for knowledge, fun and learning about new techniques and ingredients and will pay for it. They may pop into Walmart for Tupperware, but they know that the Japanese knife sold at the store will last a lifetime. So while many blogs are trying to reach a mass market, (and the bloggers are addicted to following the inner wiring of Google), they're also competing in a big fish pond. The kitchen store and classes, (and blogs targeting a that audience), can also flourish and profit. If that all makes sense.

Yes should be tommorrow. I'm combining two recipes and the ideas I've got.

The rabbit weighed 3 lbs., and once unwrapped it looked like a nice big one. Cost $20.38, so more than the local rabbit at $7, that I would have to drive 3 hours to and from to purchase. Online plus shipping would have been close to $60. I cut the rabbit into 8 pieces, the big back legs, cut the loin/saddle into 4 pieces. The bigger pieces on the right in the photo are the back part of the loin. Then the front legs and base of the neck that was kindly left on the rabbit. The spices are garlic, peppercorns, sage and thyme, and mustard seeds. Then I remembered one of my favorite spices for game, juniper berries. Reminds me of the wild juniper berries my Grandmother used to collect on her ranch in Oregon and used in a venison stew. Drizzled with a little olive oil and sprinkled with salt, I'll let it marinate overnight.

The rabbit is thawing today, then tommorrow will be a day of marinating, then braising on Monday. This is the rabbit from a local supermarket. It's just wrapped in plastic and had the price label on it, so that tells me they might get it locally. I didn't ask the people at the meat counter. If it was imported, it would have to be labeled as such, but regardless, I'm hoping this will be a good braise.

This is the pizza dough recipe I use most of the time, For the Pizza Dough- 4 1/2 tsp. dry yeast 1/4 cup warm water 1/4 tsp. sugar 1 cup ale, warmed 1 tsp. salt 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil -Add the dry yeast, warm water and sugar in a small bowl and stir. Let the yeast bubble and "bloom," about 5 minutes. -Pour the yeast mixture into the base of a mixer and add the warm ale. With the mixture fit with the dough hook, add the salt and slowly add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. As the dough starts to come together during mixing, slowly pour in the olive oil. -Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and put the dough into the bowl. Toss the dough to coat with the oil, then loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place about 2 hours or until doubled in size. -Shape and add your pizza toppings then bake