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Some interesting cookbook comparisons in this article from Stained Page News. Not Just How, But Why: Recipes That Teach, Instruction versus education, via recipe.

That just makes it easier to get the money out of that clenched fist of yours!

Thanks so much for squeezing this blog in during such a busy time. I always enjoy it and this trip was no exception. And now, you absolutely deserve a nap!

Wild Fork (probably not the WF you had in mind) sells whole Pekin ducks from Culver Duck Farms @ $4.38/lb, about the same as Culver charges on their website. Aldi periodically has whole, frozen ducks from a Canadian supplier @ $2.49/lb, also with the 12% brine that @rotuts mentioned. $2.49 Aldi salt water is a little less annoying than $7.49 Market Basket salt water 😉

Heard this new-ish book recommended today by the owner of Omnivore Books in San Francisco and thought I’d mention it here: The Whole Duck: Inspired Recipes from Chefs, Butchers, and the Family at Liberty Ducks (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) Amazon's “Look Inside” view shows a good bit of the intro but no full recipes, which sound very tasty from the table of contents listing.

Pimentón Fried Eggs with black-eyed peas, sautéed spinach and grape tomatoes The egg recipe, from Canal House Cooking Volume No. 5: The Good Life, suggests an optional addition of vinegar or lemon juice to the pimentón olive oil the eggs are fried and basted with. This is not optional. It turns the oil into a warm, smoky vinaigrette that improved everything on that plate.

Sunday Suppers at Lucques (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) is a restaurant cookbook that may not be as aspirational as you are seeking for your annual blow-out but I can highly recommend the book. It offers multi-course seasonal menus for six. Used copies are available at very modest cost so it might be worth a look. We have a thread on it here: Cooking from Sunday Suppers at Lucques.

Thanks for the reminder! Looks like they are offering the 30% off all 12 cheeses for all 12 days as they did last year instead of one per day. I much prefer that.

Welcome to eGullet, @Ratatata! I use my cookbooks for everyday cooking so not the best person to answer your question but I’m wondering if you’ve considered David Kinch's Manresa (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)?

Toast with some triple cream Le Délice de Bourgogne and cranberry sauce.

I was wondering that as well, like lemon curd. I'm sure it would be safe so you could always try and see. I know the punch of homemade mustard mellows over time but not sure what freezing does.

I’ve seen similar recipes that purport to keep a bit longer, up to 2 months for this one, but how often the jar is opened, left at room temp, dipped into with utensils that could have contacted other foods, etc. are likely as much a factor as time alone. Packing into smaller jars, opening and using just one at a time, should help with that.

On a lot of online listing sites, a job title is a required field. Edited to add that a lot of job seekers search or filter listings based on that field as well, so it can affect the applicant pool. This is of no help to the OP, but personally, I always wanted the word “Supreme” included in my job title. Thought it sounded so much better than “Director” 😉

Turkey sando Leftover turkey from Ottolenghi's turkey breast with cumin, coriander and white wine that I made the other day. Toasted bun smeared with some of the herby green sauce from that turkey recipe mixed with mayo. Cranberry sauce on the side, topped with toasted coconut. I'd warmed up the turkey and sauce and toasted the bun and it all seemed so nice and warm that I decided to leave the cranberries on the side. Next time, I'll try adding them to the sandwich.

Thanks for that breakdown on Mastodon, @IndyRob. Very good explainer. As a largely asocial individual, I don't contribute anything on Twitter but I find it a helpful tool. In particular for local public safety issues like wildfires and weather emergencies. I also follow a number of individuals I consider experts in their fields that regularly share links to source materials that I can read and assess for myself but that's kind of an added perk. If Twitter disappears, I'll miss it when there's another wildfire, earthquake, hurricane or the like affecting me or someone I know and would engage in another platform that fills that niche. Not really looking for anything else at this point but watching to see what develops.

I always check Amazon pricing on camelcamelcamel.com Interesting to see how some jump around.

I made @Dr. Teeth's Piña Colada Cranberry Sauce (his recipe above with a splash of Kōloa Kaua'i coconut rum) and toasted coconut chips to garnish. I thought it was pretty good. Brought Vivian Howard's salad with apples, Brussels sprouts, pomegranate arils in a blue cheese honey vinaigrette which was more popular than in previous years. Got 4 requests for the recipe Also made a cranberry curd tart, generally following the ATK recipe but with Dorie Greenspan's cranberry curd. I brought along garnishes to pretty it up but the dessert buffet started up while I was out of the room so it went out naked with the bowl of whipped cream on the side. Still pretty and a nice counterpoint to the pumpkin and pecan pies.

I haven't made the cranberry sauce yet and am very tempted to try this. I don't have the particular liqueurs you used but do have some Kōloa Kauaʻi Coconut Rum and could garnish with toasted coconut chips? I thought there was frozen pineapple chunks in the freezer but it was mango and I think that might be taking thing too far 🙃 On the other hand, I believe everyone else will only eat the jellied stuff so I can do whatever!

Local always has a lot going for it! I can easily buy Bordier locally don’t have much in the way of local dairy farms so I can’t be as happy as you but I’ll soldier on!

Good advice! Some excellent butters out there. I've had the butter you mention and it’s delicious. And their cheeses, too! Cultured butters like that have such great tangy flavors. For me, it's a great butter in a style different from Bordier. And my Bordier doesn’t wear socks…🙃

Kind of an alternative Thanksgiving menu for today's lunch. Bought a~ 3 lb half bone-in turkey breast at Trader Joe's and made the Marinated turkey breast with cumin, coriander and white wine from Ottolenghi, the Cookbook. It came out very moist and flavorful The extra marinade gets reduced to a green sauce with bright flavors. Here we are on the plate in the alarmingly bright noonday sun: Had this with Nik Sharma's Baked Sweet Potatoes With Maple Crème Fraîche (great recipe!) and pan-seared sugar snap peas. I kept the green sauce separate as I wasn't sure I'd like it with the turkey but it was great so I poured all out once I started eating. Too bad I didn't have the cranberry sauce ready. Could have checked the whole Thanksgiving box and skipped tomorrow!

My 2 cents: consider a saucier shape vs a saucepan - maybe you like it, maybe not. For a saucepan, consider Tramontina. the Wirecutter recommends them with an All-Clad saucier as an upgrade pick. I'm also a longtime Revere Ware user with a workhorse 3-qt saucepan. Mine came with steamer and double boiler inserts and I think I forked out a major investment of $20-25 at a Revere outlet store for my first college apartment. I still use it with those inserts on my gas cooktop but the bottom had become so warped that it was kind of useless on my portable induction burner. I decided to replace it with an All-Clad stainless 3-qt saucier (their lowest level stuff) that I ordered from homeandcooksales.com for $85. They sell factory seconds in now-and-again sales events so it may not suit your immediate need as they just closed their last November sale. No lip, spout or helper handle so it fits in the dishwasher as well as the Revere Ware. It was a very nice upgrade and I subsequently replaced my 1 qt and 2 qt Revere Ware saucepans with All-Clad sauciers and have been very happy with them. I very much like the more rounded corners for the things I tend to cook in them. I've had good experiences with several purchases from those people but $85 is still over your budget, hence my recommendation to check out the Tramontina. I don't have it but do have a nice skillet from them. Unfortunately it's not induction compatible, so check that out if it's important to you.

Yes, thanks from me, too. I love that butter! The place where I buy it usually carries the 125g bars, 250g balls and 5 kg cylinders. There was a while during the pandemic when Bordier was having staffing issues. They could make the butter but packaging was struggling to keep up so my store was just getting the 5 kg and larger sizes and repacking it in 250 g chunks. Now that I see how much hand work goes into the shaping and wrapping, that issue makes perfect sense. As I type, I’m enjoying some toast with their yuzu flavored butter and a cup of coffee:

Yep. I rarely make it for myself but it’s one of my oldest food memories. Prepared by my mom in a little Pyrex custard cup. Always a treat when there was tiny bit of still cool butter in with the warm eggs to melt in your mouth -takes me right back just thinking about it.

Gripstic has 35% off everything through the end of the month with the discount code HOLIDAY. The big handles are perhaps overpriced but so handy for big bags of pet or garden stuff.