KennethT

Was that salmon a salmon cake that was sliced? If so, how was it done?

Have you tried Katie's Best chicken thighs? You can get them on Fresh Direct... I'd be curious as to your thoughts, compared with Cooks Venture

adding some toasted sticky rice powder to your dressing will make a huge difference. Also easy to do...

Nice Champagne selections! What type of crab claws are those?

Those ducks look amazing.... if you like mashed potatoes with Yukons, try some fingerlings sometime - I think they're even better, but they're a pita to peel because they're so small.

Did you post your haul from Wu's?

Yes, I think Nyetimber is the best of the English sparklers. Whereas most can be thin, very acidic and linear, Nyetimber always manages to get good ripeness on the fruit which gives a great weight to the mouthfeel and it's always well balanced and rounded. I first had one maybe 10-12 years ago when a friend poured it blind for a few of us. We all thought it was a high quality Champagne.

Singapore style chicken curry with homemade roti prata... I think this has become my death row meal! Crumb shot of the prata:

I do have a large bag (although it keeps getting smaller) of MSG, and I was thinking about it, but the final dish is already extremely savory - I feel like it needs some lift. I have also considered the fact that the ground chicken rather than pork or beef could be the culprit... I told my wife, for the sake of science, that we needed to try it with ground pork from Chinatown (who will make it from fatty pork rather than lean pork like my local supermarket) instead the chicken one time... for research purposes of course...

Probably my wife's favorite dish of all time, mapo tofu.... Usually we order it in from our local Sichuan place about once a week, but today, I made this for her.... This one was made with garlic chives since I had them around, but I usually make them with leeks. It's really tasty, but never quite tastes like the ones we order in - maybe someone can help me diagnose the issue? I first make a chili oil with some dried chillies, then reserve. Add a bit more oil and some freshly ground sichuan peppercorns. Then a big handful of chopped ginger, then a big handful of chopped garlic. I add maybe 4 oz ground chicken meat (trying to be healthy) and breakup to brown, then about a small handful of chopped pixian doubanjiang and maybe 1-2 T of chopped dou chi. That's stir fried for a few minutes until I see the doubanjiang get a big darker then add 1C homemade chicken stock then simmer for a few minutes while I prep the tofu. Add cornstarch slurry to get the right consistency, plus a little extra salt and a touch of sugar. Then slide in the tofu and simmer for a few more minutes. Finally throw in the garlic chives and mix around for a little bit and plate. Am I missing anything? Or maybe it's the brand of doubanjiang I'm using?

Oh yeah... a couple months ago, when prepping for a colonoscopy, my gastro recommended having a really big greasy breakfast the morning of starting the prep. I interpreted that to mean only one thing - Popeyes! But, my local branch doesn't open until noon, and I needed to have it at like 6AM. I got it the day before and then refrigerated it. Reheated it (and the biscuits) in the CSO worked perfectly... Love this oven!

Wow, that Ruin a must have been especial! Love old Rioja!

Looks good, but keep them away from me!!!

Thanks. To be honest, we just Coravined a glass and put the rest back in the wine fridge. We tried it about a year ago and it was much more closed. I think it's starting to come into its own now but I can't wait to try it again on a few more years!

Wishing everyone a happy New Year and end to 2020!!! Duck confit and potatoes, salad with sherry vinegar and a nice Burgundy

My wife loves Mexican food - but nothing very spicy.... so I made this for her, red chile chicken tacos. Chicken was cooked in a sauce made from rehydrated ancho chiles, plus 1 or 2 dried chipotle (not in adobo) defanged, some fire roasted tomato, sweated onion/garlic, mexican oregano, cumin and chicken stock. Added bonus - I have enough sauce leftover for at least one more meal!

I've been in the mood for a good curry puff - sort of like a SE Asian samosa... then again, a good samosa would hit the spot also!

I agree - I always "toast" the tomato paste. Usually I'll saute the onions/garlic, then bank them around the sides of the pan while I toast the paste in the middle of the pan in a little oil. Once it's most of the way there, I'll mix it all together and let it go a little longer till the paste is done, then start incorporating liquids.

That's sad. I had met him once at the Big Apple BBQ (back before the lines became ridiculous, even with the Fast Pass)... he seemed like a nice guy, and he sure did know his stuff. His ribs were fantastic.

Thai shrimp stir fry, pad goong nam prik pao

This was a relative express Bolognese - tomato was in 2 forms -a little paste and then some Rao's marinara sauce...

Spaghetti with ground bison and dried porcini sauce. Kinda sorta like a Bolognese... kinda.

Can we come over? Black sesame buns are my wife's favorite dessert! Yours look great. @heidihThat choux looks really good, but not enough black sesame.... hehe

ha!! But you're right - I had forgotten how small the kitchen was - we haven't been there in quite a while...

ladybugs go where the food is. If you have plenty of aphids, just scatter around and they will find them. It's actually better to release a small amount of ladybugs every once in a while rather than waiting until you have a large amount for them to eat. By that time, it's hard for the plants to bounce back as quickly. If you take care of it early, the ladybugs will scatter and disappear once they're gone, but it's hard to take care of an infestation once it really gets going.