curls

@Smithy I have made the Italian Beef from @JAZ’s Super Easy Instant Pot cookbook and really liked it. I did need to cook it a bit longer than the 45 minutes stated in the recipe to get all of the chuck roast fork tender but the dish is very tasty. We had it for dinner with wide egg noodles and leftovers will most likely be used in tacos and grain bowls.

Wow Kim that is a lot for a month let alone one week. Perhaps you can delegate some of this to others. Wishing you all the best memories of your mother.

Welcome Patrick T. The Ankarsrum is a great mixer, I hope that you are happy with your purchase! I found that the best way to learn how to use it is to watch videos from the company and dealers. Definitely share your bakes and ask questions. There are a few folks on eGullet that have this mixer.

Thank you so much for all this detail! Definitely helps me think thru the process. Yes, I definitely want the tongue, hanging tender, and skirt that Fauquiers Finest lists as organ meats. I see that they list the tail as well and I'm guessing that is what is used in ox tail soup (which I have enjoyed a time or too -- just haven't cooked it myself). The other organs (liver, heart, kidneys, sweetbreads) I don't want to let go to waste but I have no experience cooking them (I do love chicken livers) and I don't think that my friend has cooked with these either. Thanks for letting me know that the marrow bones are from the shank. I think that I will go with "osso bucco" cut and enjoy the marrow with the meat. Probably easier to deal with it this way then trying to get canoe cut marrow bones from this steer. I plan to discuss the cut sheet with my friend and see how we can each get what we want out of this 1/2 steer. Our processing date is in mid May so it will be awhile before I get to pick up the beef. @kayband @donk79 how do you transport your beef from the processor/farmer to your home? Lots of coolers or just boxes? When I pick it up, the beef will be frozen and vacuum packed.

@kayb and @donk79 thank you so much! I did not realize that round steaks could be used for Rouladen or braciole. I have not cooked either but have fond memories of the Rouladen my Omas used to make. I'll definitely see if I can get some round steaks from this cow. Hopefully my husband will like rouladen too (he tends to like steaks much more than braised beef). I have been buying meats and eggs from the Whiffletree Farm store for a few years. Nice people and good products. Since you are nearby, I definitely recommend that you visit them. Yes, I want to minimize the amount of ground beef and maximize the steaks. I will not be going thru a half steer -- I am splitting the half steer with a friend. Not sure how long it will take us to get thru a quarter steer but we're going to find out. Also hoping that my friend and I will be in agreement about how to have the cow processed (or at least come to some good trades and compromises). The grocery store meat prices keep going up and if we're going to keep eating beef, I would prefer to lock in the price for a year (or so) and to support a local farm.

Link to the cut sheet http://www.fauquiersfinest.com/ckfinder/userfiles/files/ff_beef_master_09_29.pdf How would you get your cow processed?

Thank you! I'm working with Whiffletree Farm in Warrenton. I'll definitely add to this when I have more information. This is the information that the farm includes on their website https://whiffletreefarmva.com/whole-and-half-animal-sales

No I am not butchering it myself. I am purchasing the cow from a local farm and they will be taking it to their USDA approved processor. I'll have an appointment with the farmer to go over the cut sheet and they will relay this information to their processor. Since I haven't seen the cut sheet yet, I don't know what options are available but I do know that I don't want to let marrow bones go to waste.

I just put down a deposit for a half cow. Will be splitting the beef with a friend. This is our first time doing this. Any advice, lessons learned, recipes? Which bones contain marrow? Is it easy to cut these in half yourself or best to have the processor do this? Any favorite recipes for the organ meats? I know what to do with liver and tongue but don’t know about heart, etc..

Interesting. I have several molded pieces filled with ganache that last for 2+ months. They still taste good & look good. I wouldn't sell them to anyone but test pieces that past the look & sniff tests do get consumed by my husband and me. I tell customers to enjoy, no preservatives, consume within two weeks.

I used to make a potato empanada recipe from one of the Moosewood cookbooks that freezes well. I would bake, cool, and freeze. Other items that freeze well: egg rolls, spanakopita, chicken pot pie filling, bread, sous vide meats, shredded beef/chicken/pork bbq, enchiladas.

@CanadianHomeChef congratulations on the anti griddle! Sorry that I don’t really have any suggestions for you but I’m having fun watching your experiments. The one thing that popped in as an idea is to make chocolate bird nests for Easter or Spring. You could use them to serve ice cream or other sweets. Lots of cool chocolate decor can supposedly be made if you pour it on a cold surface. video of making chocolate nests https://youtu.be/vhlOgL8OSIE

I’m also a fan of TikiDoc’s cream scone recipe!

@shain thank you very much for sharing your trip with us. When you went on that hike, did you go with a guide or are trails so well marked that visitors can go hiking on their own?

@Katie Meadow too bad about the pecan kringle. What are your favorite items at Trader Joes?

I vacuum seal my boxes of chocolates before they go to the fridge-then-freezer. Works great. I just try to get most of the extra air out. Trick is to cancel the vacuum and start sealing before the box starts to deform. So if your vacuum sealer has a cancel & seal button you should be all set to experiment with freezing your bon bons. I recommend that you get Peter Greweling’s chocolates & confections book, it is a great reference for scientific information, process, and recipes. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0470424419/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_WEYKCQZJWPAYM3DN9N5J

Found this video from Eater about Dan Richer at Razza. https://youtu.be/CuBxs1eW0u0

@Bernie back from the eGCI vault… sauces. Images are gone but one can always request that they be restored. Bechamel and other cream sauces… And a recipe for bechamel

For small quantities of hollandaise I use this one yolk recipe from @jackal10

Found out that there is a nearby Fresh Market that regularly stocks them. Unfortunately when I was there the were sold out. Will check again in a week or two.

Last night I raided our freezer for some chicken livers that I purchased from a local farm. Livers are in the fridge defrosting and I’m planning to make a small batch of chopped liver this weekend. Curious to see what I have when they defrost; my first time with chicken livers from this farm. I like a lot of their other proteins.

If Kerry said it, it must be true. @Chocolot I'll be watching for your appearance.

Thank you @Anna N and @Kim Shook. I'm glad to know that they are still widely available! I'll widen my local search.

Has anyone seen After Eight mints recently? Apparently Nestle has not discontinued them but any store nearby that lists them is showing that they are out of stock. They usually appear in the local grocery stores around the winter holidays but I don’t think I have seen them in the last 3 years. Not sure if this is pandemic related, local distribution issue, or something else.

Looking forward to seeing her on the show! So far I really like it.