KennethT

We definitely need a "drool" button... "delicious" just doesn't quite cut it!

@lindagBeautiful. And take it from me, 4 months delay due to Covid isn't that bad... we bought our apartment over a year ago and we were only allowed to start renovations in September, and hopefully they'll be done in another month or so!

Is it still covered by the warranty since it's been discontinued?

Interesting - I had assumed that congee was Cantonese

Sorry - I'm confused - is my attitude good or bad?

We decided to have a heavier lunch than normal since we have an appointment to get our flu shots later this afternoon and I never know how I'm going to feel afterwards - sometimes I feel under the weather for the next day or so. So who says you can't travel right now? We were transported to Burgundy and Sonoma simultaneously today - duck confit with duck fat potatoes, green salad with shallot, sherry vinegar and Dijon mustard and an incredible 2011 Belle Glos Taylor Lane pinot noir - which if you hadn't seen the bottle could be easily mistaken for a high end Burgundy. The duck was cooked SV at 175F for about 12+ hours a week or so ago then reheated in the CSO.

@Kim Shook that char siu looks fantastic!

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....