TdeV

These are the beans of which Rancho Gordo is sold out. (I am planning to make Cassoulet. Grrr.) https://www.ranchogordo.com/collections/out-of-stock-beans

@Shel_B, I have several of these copper diffuser plates: 2 @ 6", 1 @ 8", and 1 @ 10". We have a very large All Clad pan (11" or 12") which never gets properly heated because our largest gas burner only shoots a flame with a diameter a bit larger than 5". Our most common use for this pan is frying eggplant slices dipped in egg and breadcrumbs. Without the diffuser, the eggplant has to get moved around very frequently. My other use for the diffuser plates is in the Anova Steam Oven when making baguettes. One 10" plate and two 6" plates make a terrifiic baking stone. Oh, and I have a friend with an 8 quart cast iron Dutch oven. The diffuser plate is good enough to get the contents of the Dutch oven good and toasty! Edited to add: I don't touch the plates until they've cooled down. They don't need any cleaning. They stack nicely above my fridge.

I have milk in my tea. Regularly leave the cup around. Often takes sips from it when cold.

Thanks to all the helpful suggestions, I warmed some panettone under a damp paper towel in the microwave. The resulting panettone was so light and airy, it just disappeared. Vanished! I'm thinking I need another piece just to made sure that I actually got some.

This looks delightful! And, as it so happens, I have a bunch of chestnuts. I'm very intrigued by your crème de marrons. Do you have a recipe?

Hmm, no culinary schools around here. Sadly, it looks like my wallet is safe too.

@ElsieD, where?

@ElsieD, did you order the feast online?

How many meals was this spread from Le Cordon Bleu? Looks like enough for New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, maybe even New Year's week! What were the tastes like?

I read that the popularity of smoking pot was reducing wine consumption in general. I can possibly find the source of such info if folks want me to look.

Not to lose sight of my question . . . Could you tell me how I inquire from a bacon purveyor about the level of smoke in their bacon? If I ask "is it smoky" or "how smoky is it" or "is additonal smoke flavouring added", the answer is surely to be coloured by the vendor's personal tastes and other pressures.

Me too.

I meant to write that "You'd never know it by the percentage of red in my wine consumption" but it's much funnier in the original post. 🙄

You'd never know it by my red wine consumption. 😁

I'm no longer tolerant of heavy smoke, especially added smoke flavouring. When I lived in California I used to be able to choose between two bacons at the meat counter. One had a pronounced smoke flavour and the other didn't. Do anyone know of a quality bacon with a very low smoke flavour? What is Broadbent's Premium Country Ham flavour, @rotuts?

Went to the website to see, turns out they've got a 15% Xmas discount sale going on now. https://combustion.inc/

I'm looking at the online sale prices on d'Artagnan, particularly Cassoulet. But that would have to be for a dinner later in the month. @JeanneCake's lobster dip looks good for tomorrow! Edited to add: We are only 2 in the house. Could we eat the entire dish for a meal?

So, inquiring minds want to know about the apple cake with sambuca. 😁

@AlaMoi, it looks delicious! But I had to laugh.

@RWood, I have a farmer friend who has a great fondness for tractors. How I would love to take him that bûche! Edited to add: He's 91 in a nursing home, so this is not a real request. But I shall take him the photo!

@lindag, thanks. I really want a Paradice 9 because of it's small footprint, but I'm worried it won't do what I want . . . And I want the disc peeler too. Go ahead, call me Nervous Nelly.

I'm in the midwest, @Shelby, and wonder about my ability to get fresh seafood. (I used to live in SF Bay area, so Cioppino was rediculously easy). I did recently get two lobster tail which were easy to do in the Anova steam oven. But Cioppino, I'm going to buy some today. Thanks!

In that case, how small were the onion and garlic chopped?

Wow, @Shelby ! That's a beautiful spread. I'm filled up just lookin'. Do you make your own Cioppino? Got a recipe?

I think there's only one dice size on the Paradice 9, Elsie.