Peter the eater

You know, I have never had one of those famous moon cakes. Now I'm compelled to carve a press and find a recipe! I have brought my dozuki and ryoba from the studio into the kitchen. Peter Green, can you bring things like "spicy bark" freely across borders in your neck of the woods? (Are you back from Korea?) Probably a dumb question: Why would you want upside-down molds?

That, my friend, is a thing of great beauty. I'm always struck by an art object that is clearly from a single piece of material, like a totem pole or a stone carving. No mysterious extrusion, no endless source. Have you done any more in the last 15 tears?

I don't know the answer . . . but your thread title and description sucked me right in! Here we almost always do port the English way, after the meal, room temperature and ruby red, often with some seriously stinky cheese. I have had port "the French way" as it were - chilled, tawny and before the meal. Both are nice, and I think when you chill a tawny as an aperitif you can get away with spending a lot less and get good results, which is good news. BTW what's BevMo? And more importantly . . . what's it like to take a bath in pastis? Sounds like nirvana.

The concept sounds feasible, and the graphics look competent although lacking in personality, which is where the buyer comes in I guess. I imagine there will be lots of takers, but not me.

Okay, I'll go second. In 2004, I made a place in the backyard to do to some outdoor roasting. I used a bunch of discarded concrete blocks from a jobsite I was on and the cast iron bottom from a 1930 oil furnace that used to be in my basement. As you can see, its been idle the past 2 summers (corresponding to the birth of my kids). We have loaded it up with wood and with charcoal in the past to do rotisserie chicken, fish, etc. It looks a bit lonely and overgrown today:

When capitalism and architecture intersect with Pink Floyd, in a food blog from Che Guevara, I get very excited. This blog has everything! I need a cigar.

Don't resign yet, those are all excellent explanations, thank you MOF. I've seen Kellogg's Tuno and I was frightened and alarmed. Friends made me a Tofurky once and although I would do well to never see or taste one again, it will always remind me of a wonderful night and convivial memories.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, 317indy. I struck out finding a torrent, and wasn't aware free GUBA. I'm DLing now!

Okay, I'll go first. Last summer I had to juice 10 kilograms of lemons (don't ask) so I did a few the conventional way, developed some repetitive motion pain, then realized I could use my old antique-ish drill press. It worked pretty well but I don't think I'll be taking it to the patent office anytime soon.

My "exhaustive eG search" for related threads lead me to homemade bread gear, a tandoor, a proofing box and a very cool Caja China and the new ghetto smoker. I am very interested in reading and seeing to what lengths people have gone to achieve a goal in the kitchen, dining room, backyard, wherever. So here's the pitch: Do you still use that meat tenderizer that you made in high school? That salad bowl you turned in the 70’s? Maybe you’re a busy caterer who has a pimped up stand mixer, or built a custom fire pit-barbeque-smoker. Do you go to town twice a year to buy 100 lbs of yeast and some copper line . . . because you’ve replicated Hawkeye’s still from M*A*S*H? If you have built a food-related device or modified something in the name of culinary performance . . . share a picture and some words!

We get to NB several times a year and at least once to Saint John - keep posting about your ongoing battle for the armchair restaurateurs like me. Is there a site for the . . . found it!

My wife gets the magazine and we both agreed that dessert looks like a winner. Love, hate, or be different about the personality that magazine is not without merit. For instance, it never occurred to me make applesauce by first roasting the fruit with brown sugar before sending them through the food mill. The resulting sauce has a whole added dimension of gooey caramel flavour. Why didn't I think of that?

So, for all of you who are fortunate enough to live and work in Paris and environs . . . lets see some pictures! French, Asian, African, whatever can be grabbed on the fly while going from home to work or wherever.

You look like a man who really knows what he is doing. Thanks for the thread on proper threads, I am inspired to upgrade out of my bathrobe and boxer-briefs!

Chris, can you show us a picture of your cold smoker?

SV is a lot of fun to experiment with, over 1000 posts here bear that out. Question: Whats on your top ten list of foods that benefit from this technique? I had SV scallops the other day and quite frankly, I'd rather have them raw or warmed up a bit with butter or with a bit of acid (citric not lysergic). But lamb shanks is another story. What do you industry experts and home experimenters (like me) think?

At a barbecue this summer, someone was dispatched to get more hot dogs, and came back with a low fat variety that was unlike anything I had ever seen. On the grill they developed pale blisters and then caught fire. Nobody ate them, and the label actually said "not recommended for barbecue". Imagine that.

The first time I had crystallized ginger for medicinal reasons was aboard a passenger ferry to Newfoundland (14 hours across the Bay of Saint Lawrence in the North Atlantic). I am always skeptical of "non-pharmaceutical" remedies but man alive it worked! And its delicious.

Really? After several hours at 55 C it looked like warm duck blood in the bag. Mind you, my thermometer was $5 and there's no circulation in my big pot. Would you expect a leg to need more time than a breast because there is more connective tissue, sinews, etc.?

After some reflection, I believe canned veggies that I have tasted are not necessarily worse than pickled, frozen or fresh - just different. I love cans of corn, peas, asparagus, beans, etc. for the differences you can only get with the can. There is no shame in buying cans!

David Ross: your place must smell really good, I now know what to do with the big bag of pepitas. Dr J: Nice duck! What was the time & temp for the s.v.? BTW you're not really Julius Erving, are you? That would be really cool - 9 days to NBA tip off and all. Sif: Pate looks great, I love the idea of a nice veggie/grain "loaf" (every January I try to perfect my vegetarian haggis, hasn't happened yet)

I have a weakness for french fries, without which I would perish. Doritos with that super bad-breath powder is a must. Bridge mixture shows up in our house - once a month if you know what I mean. Hope you feel better with your "expanded menu"!

Thanks for those pictures. Its nice to have an authentic standard for comparison when Japan is 2500 km away.

Well, having done this once . . . I'm an expert! Yes I think breasts could be lovely done this way. I would ensure 75 C because I don't like the idea of rare bird, which is what I saw in the 60's degrees. I'll bet thickness is a major concern as well, 5 hours should get through an inch of anything. I'd consider searing afterwards on the gas grill, although the pan sear made for a nice sauce. Actually, next time I get fresh duck breasts . . . I'm making prosciutto!

Did the duck today! Two vacuum packs from the store, two fresh organic duck legs in each. Around 60 cents per leg. One pack goes straight in as-is. The other gets the juice of half an orange, a shot of olive oil, and a bit of salt. Initially, I thought the syringe would be helpful, but wound up just snipping the pouch's corner and pouring in the seasoning. Resealed the bag with my vacuum heat sealer: The bag on the left has the added juice: I cooked them for around 3 hours at 55-60 C, then discovered that would be a bit too low for fowl (perfect for rare beef). Adjusted the heat to 70-75C and let it go another 4 hours. Took them out: Ready for de-bagging: The unseasoned pair dumped out: The seasoned pair dumped out: Pan-sear in butter: On a plate with rice. I made a butter/flour/s.v. juice sauce for each (cleaned the no-stick pan in between) Results: Both ways were delicious, way better than the legs off a roast duck. My wife liked the untreated duck, which surprised me since it was a stronger, gamier taste. I preferred the citrus note and subtly softer seasoned duck. I think the acid marinade and slightly smaller size contributed to a more tender leg. Conclusion: This way is the cat's ass! I have never had better whole duck legs. Proper confit is a different food, not a fair comparison. I will absolutely do this again, 5-6 hours at 75C, seasoning poured into the pouch and re-sealed.