Peter the eater

Um . . . the "heat gun" link above refers to a Pentagon report on US Air Force missiles. I imagine you are talking about a somewhat less powerful tool.

Is this the same place Anthony Bourdain "pigged out" while doing his No Reservations show in Quebec?

I am a big fan of the Julia Child technique from "The Way to Cook": steam bird breast up for an hour, braise in oven for an hour, uncover and roast in oven until crispy brown. It works well for geese and ducks although the bigger and fattier birds need more cooking time. In my experience, wild ducks can be very lean and may require no steaming at all whereas the grocery store geese seem to be the fattiest and may get two hours of gentle steaming.

Handsome meals everyone! Here are a few of my own: some good stuff from our garden (zuke, spuds, escarole, parsley, chard, sage): went well with a grilled ribeye: and steamed clams: and today a T-bone with eggplant and cheesy mushroom cap:

Fantastic photos! I have to get me some huitlacoche - apparently it translates to "Raven feces".

This is a very cool blog. I want to go to Spain more than ever, having almost made it twice, both times thwarted by something. I see J-A had a paella on night. Since your passion for food and for Spain is so obviously large, can you describe your ideal paella for us? I have a feeling I have never had the real thing, only lame-o wannabes.

I look forward to seeing some photos of your seminal duck dish as I am a major lover of (eating) ducks. Anatinophiles rule!

I have always thought of myself as more of a "pumpkin eater" although, like Anthony Bourdain's great fear, I will likely return in a future life as an edible mammal.

You're not making it with say, fish from Lake Ontario right? Given that most (if not all) of our available ocean fish has been frozen at some point, I wouldn't be that worried over the parasites. However, cod isn't exactly a species that I'd choose for this either. I have a mental image of a beautifully prepared Lake Ontario coho salmon ceviche in a crystal goblet . . . with a two foot lamprey still attached. I have had great meals at home by "cooking" raw seafood in an "acid bath" although I don't think I have ever tried it with fresh water fish. I generally slice the stuff super thin so I would probably see most parasites if they are present.

Thanks Che. Would you add extra lipid like bacon strips on top or baste with oil? I assume your rabbit is uncovered during the slow roast? Incidentally, your avatar reminds me (among other things) of how much I used to love a good cigar.

That looks lovely, thanks. I assume 4-6 rabbit legs means 4-6 hind legs? I sometimes forget that those downunder are seasonally opposite to me, do rabbits have a season? I like the idea of steaming a whole rabbit, then easily removing the slightly cooled meat for use in a stew-like dish. This has worked well for small chickens and birds whose anatomy is unfamiliar to me or are simply bone-ridden. And the steaming water has concentrated flavour. Has anybody done this sort of thing? Maybe a store-bought rabbit is too lean for this approach, one that works better on fatty foods like pork ribs and waterfowl?

While shopping for groceries today I was feeling a bit reckless, there was a trace of swagger in the way I pushed the cart with my two melon-eating kids facing me. And then I saw something unusual - a 2 kg (4.5 lb) organic rabbit, all wrapped up in plastic without any fur or innards. And it was half price (around four bucks, that sealed the deal) so I scooped up the juicy pink carcass and brought it home. Now I need to come up with a meal plan in the next 48 hours (according to the label) or it must be sent to the scary freezer in the cellar. Around here the strategy seems be to be "make a pie" which sounds okay, but surely there are other ways to elevate this creature to something a little more special. I don't want my rodent to freeze! Over the years I have eaten and/or seen a few nice rabbit dishes featuring things like olives or prunes, but as best as I can remember I have never cooked one. I'm looking for ideas. . . time is running out.

I rarely if ever peel the mushroom caps. The gills on big mushrooms like portobellos, IMO, can be a little bitter and most certainly affect the colour of food if mixed in with other stuff.

Personally, I think this is a positive evolution in grocery shopping. I'm afraid I would feel compelled to start sampling everything, or maybe go "turkey bowling" in the aisles. Only then would I consider "hustling up the floozies". Our liquor stores occasionally serve food, like when the Captain Morgan Rum guy comes to town, so why not?

Check out Bon Appetit, July 1997. The cover shows a grilled pizza just as described above, grill one side then flip and add pre-cooked toppings. Grilled on a pizza is one of the greatest uses for eggplant, in my estimation.

Nice job JD, as usual! I have been vacationing "without internet" for the last few weeks and was thrilled to get a full dose foodblog from Maine, start to finish in a single sitting. Fantastic! Each summer I "rent" a full season of 24 (starring Canadians Keifer Sutherland and Elisha Cuthbert) and try to watch the whole thing in real-time, though I have not actually done it yet. This egFoodblog was equally dramatic and entertaining but no where near as exhausting.

That's very funny, I too have the same sack o' limes, although not quite that low a price. I panicked and froze the lot of them, so I'll be following this thread with interest..

Jaimie Oliver's butane stove is no better nor worse than the near identical alternatives, just pricier. And the case it comes in is crap. I use the George Foreman grill for the few things it does well: chicken with skin, grilled cheese sandwiches and salmon trimmings. I had a Martha Stewart non-stick pot that had a lifetime guarantee. It lasted two years.

I go through phases when it comes to burgers. Currently, I like a good smear of peanut butter (the "just peanuts" kind) and some hot peppers. Oooooh baby!

Faced with a dearth of zukes last year I made stock. It sucked. We sometimes have the blossoms battered and fried, and I have pickled them. AFAIC, the best way is grilled with oil and salt.

Wow, the recent posts here have been outstanding. You all are to be congratulated! We had a birthday party in the backyard for my two year old twins yesterday. Some of the food got photographed. . . white wine sangria for big people and lemonade for little people: some nori rolls with avocado, carrot, red pepper, wasabi from powder and home-made pickled ginger (because I read what was in the grocery store's product): pulled pork sandwiches: cantaloupe wrapped in proscuitto salami: steamed littleneck clams with cracked black pepper and olive oil (on escarole from my garden): and of course chocolate and vanilla cupcakes: There was much rejoicing.

Kent, your commentary is fascinating and the images stellar! I'm nominating you to do another eG foodblog from Shanghai when you get settled there. I have seen quite a bit of rural Texas but nothing south of Dallas, so now I'm hankering to get back and see the Gulf coast first hand. What kind of seafood came off those boats?

According to my four seconds of online research, that building is in Kansas City, Missouri. What's a CSA box?

LMF, this picture set off a major Pavlovian response for me. I love a lamb shoulder whole or in chop form. Those morels look very appealing - where they fresh? I have only ever seen them dry in the stores. One day I'd love to go foraging for them, under experienced supervision. If I tried on my own I would probably wind up hallucinating or in a coma.

I can't believe I have never seen this thread before. I pick up weird stuff almost every weekend at yard sales - I take the kids while wife plays soccer. This way I get to make unilateral decisions. Here's some recent finds: That's two marble rounds for $0.50, a folding steel steamer for $0.25, and a $1 aluminium segmented pan. Plus an old wood plane for me and a xylophone for the kids. Total spent = $4.75