KennethT

I've never done it, but I'd think kholrabi would make a good som tum.

I've never had the congee in NYC - only on the plane on EVA. Interestingly enough, I think on EVA they use some kind of stock (probably pork) rather than water because it has a lot of flavor. And they put some slivered ginger on top... it looked like gruel, but definitely didn't taste like it.

I've never seen a brown congee before... then again, my congee experience is quite limited to basically hwat is served for breakfast on EVA airlines. Do you know if it's commonly done that way?

The steak looks beautiful! Too bad there's that vile green weed on the plate... hehehe.... How were the tannins on the nebbiolo?

IMO, insects are only good to eat after being deep fried and salted

My first stab at a traditional West Sumatran rendang - in this case duck rendang. I've never had a rendang like this - unlike the Malay/Singaporean versions which are common in NY, this one doesn't have many spices like cinnamon or star anise, or any form of sugar for that matter - no palm sugar, no sweet soy sauce, nothing - it just has cloves, and a curry paste made from chili, shallot, galangal, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, turmeric leaves (which I can't find anywhere so I used a couple bay leaves) and candlenuts... and a crap ton of coconut milk. It then cooks for like 4-5 hours until it is dry, like wet sand.... the coconut milk has morphed and taste/smells a little like chocolate. It is incredibly addictive, and I'm happy to say that it was worth the huge amount of effort involved. It's also really rich - that one bowl has enough for 3-4 people.

4 more duck legs confit - 175 for 12 hrs. Chilling in ice water now.

Gorgeous skin. What did you rub it with?

It's like $20 on Lodge's site, but they're on back order....

I don't need it desperately - so I put my email on their website so they can email me when it's back in stock.

Do you mind taking a photo of your 2 handled 10" pan? I can't seem to find it...

Did you have that for Champagne Day?

I can't find turmeric leaves anywhere to make rendang the typical West Sumatran way.... sigh... maybe I need to grow something else now?

Thyme would be a good addition... as is some black pepper. But I usually don't like to flavor the duck before it goes in the bag because I like to save the duck jelly that results. I can use it for more things if I don't pre-flavor it.

salted. will cook 2 packs tomorrow...

temp/time?

I actually made some last week or so - when I brought my first batch of legs home, I froze 3 packs and salted overnight and then SV'd 2 packs at 144F for 12 hours then chilled and refrigerated. One was turned into duck noodles and the other was then finished in the CSO at 250F steam bake for like 30 minutes then put on top of par boiled potatoes to convection bake at 425 until brown and crispy. Unfortunately both my wife and I forgot to take photos... Also unfortunately, the precook at 144 barely rendered any fat and wasn't quite as tender as I wanted it to be so I have to reconsider my technique. Maybe I'll go for a higher more common confit texture SV at like 180F for a while and then crisp in the oven. I used to do that all the time and it always worked out ok. But I was looking for more of a tender and juicy duck (like the duck legs come out with peking duck or cantonese roast duck) rather than the kind of stringy confit texture so I'm always looking for a new way to do it.

picked up 5 more pairs of duck legs for $5 a pair. Duck rendang will be on the menu tomorrow....

My typical sauce for orzo was garlic simmered in olive oil with a splash of white wine, and some of the pasta cooking water.. not very saucy, but it kept the orzo from sticking together into a giant block. The texture was more like a risotto than a pasta with sauce

Your last method is how I've done it. I use basmati rice, which is cooked via boiling rather than steaming. I parboil the rice until it is about75% done, then drain well and layer the pot with rice, spices and the marinated meat - BUT, I don't braise the meat first - I put the meat in raw. After the layering is done, I seal the top and cook on the stovetop - this steams the rice and meat the rest of the way... I didn't use this recipe, but the technique is similar: https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/hyderabadi-biryani-recipe/

I'm not @liuzhou but I used to make orzo quite often. I would always cook in boiling salted water - usually about a minute less than the package recommends for al dente. Then I'd cook for about a minute in the sauce and plate - so basically I treat it like any other pasta.

Raised beds are good to improve drainage - especially if you live in an area with a low water table

That is some crazy weather! Is that common in your part of the country to have such wild swings??

How do you do your faux confit?

@dtremit This may be the winner!