Duvel

Aaaaargh... I need to find cheap plane tickets to Israel. That looks so good !

There are, actually ... And I am in the quite fortunate situation that I can get pretty much whatever I want either in or around my house (which explains my healthy physique). Today I was just feeling like junk food (which does agree with my gastrointestinal system), and I am happy to return to the more refined tastes tomorrow 😉

Sometimes it just has to be ... especially after rough, completely disappointing day where you can’t drag yourself to finish prepping the sous vide duck breast with five spice that you dropped into the waterbath just some hours ago ... So - without any further apologies or remorse - a McRib. Yep. I have spoken!

Strong flour refers to the variety used for bread making, so high protein flour. The German type 550 I use qualifies as that. Using strong flour is a scone seems counterintuitive to me, as you want a crumbly texture, and not a well developed one. I‘d assume mixing would then be very short and baking follows quickly after (hence the baking powder ?) ...

Thanks, @heidih! The dough is a straightforward yeast dough: 500 g strong flour 310 g warm milk 8 g salt 10 g sugar 20 g molten butter Instant yeast

We spend the afternoon hiking in the vineyards around my town. I prepared some Zwiebelkuchen and carried a few bottles of the local wine (Weissburgunder Kabinett) to accompany it. The kids enjoyed fresh smoked sausages ... After some extensive exercise we came home to duck legs (SV, then broiled), red & green cabbage and Knödel. A hearty red from Rioja to go with the meat ... Plenty of Schnapps followed, and I lost track of counting, taking pictures and worrying about Corona ... 😉

I had the fermented bean curd one twice while living in Hong Kong and need to admit that from all the ines I sampled, this one actually was the most palatable ...

Not with that attitude 😜

@Kim Shook: that’s just my standard pizza dough, rolled out a bit thinner, brushed liberally with olive oil and cooked on the griddle pan ...

This weekend’s project: Gyros (as correctly predicted by @Kim Shook 😉). This is the Greek variety, made from pork, not the US version, made from ground beef/lamb. That‘s next weeks project ... Pork neck, sliced thinly, and marinated with plenty of garlic, onion, spices, oil and vinegar. Nicely skewered and ready to slowly rotate to perfection ... Unfortunatey, 10 min in, the gas bottle ran out if propane 😪. Sunday - no shops open for gas bottles ... Disaster. But(t) ... the skewer just fit into my oven. Of course no rotation, and only limited option with hot air circulation to crisp up the meat after internal temperature reached 69 oC - well, beggars can’t be choosers ! Gyros actually turned out fine - not perfect, but taste was pretty great, some extra crisp parts, some tender ones, and all plenty juicy. Served Greek style with Meze, cabbage salad & homemade pita, brushed with olive oil and grilled ... Very, very good ! στην υγειά μας

Maybe in the US 😉 In Germany its a thing for quite some years now (after all, the original is a German product, which also explains the interesting name). All my neighbors have one, either the original or a copy (heck, even Aldi sells them for less that 200 bucks). There are gas and electric versions available, too ... But noone I know would ever consider using a beefer indoors.

That was my original target - weekend is coming 😉

Do you know the episode of Mr. Bean, where he orders “steak tartare” and the waiters asks him specifically “steak tartare” and he answers “yes, steak !” ? If you know exactly what you order - especially in the context of the restaurant you are in - there is no doubt about the responsibility for your food choice. If you don’t know about dish and preparation, I feel it is up to you to ask your waiter about it. If the dish comes out very different to what you know of the dish and what have been explained to you, you may start to argue about whether you have been served inadequate food. Elsewise, you need to pay for what you have received.

No pricking - all “natural release” 😉 I deposited some butter under the chicken skin, which - together with the dry rub - enriched the potatoes additionally. Chicken turned out good, but those potatoes ...

Got a new toy ... it is amazing how much satisfaction one can derive from a slowly rotating metal stick. Family unanimously agreed that the potatoes were the best thing ever ...

Came home. Got dinner request for Schnitzel with Bratkartoffeln. Had not a single ingredient in my home (excoet for salt & flour) ... 🙄 A supermarket visit (and some cooking time) later family was happy !

Not necessarily. Often (fatty) fish is briefly cured with salt/sugar, sometimes kombu, before served as sashimi ...

Have you ever had Kohlrabi salad with apple ? Its very common here and at least for me the best way to eat Kohlrabi (which I truly disliked whem cooked) ... https://www.gutekueche.at/kohlrabisalat-mit-aepfel-rezept-15362

Cauliflower leek soup (with heavy cream) ...

Probably somehow like this ...

That looks nice - care to share the recipe ?

Its from Alessi ... https://www.amazon.de/Alessi-Behälter-thermoplastischem-Spachtel-Edelstahl/dp/B002R2N1N2/ref=asc_df_B002R2N1N2/?tag=googshopde-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=215018291403&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13746478360801782560&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9042024&hvtargid=pla-393986974078&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

We use this one. Because my wife loves it ... “the knife fits so nicely” I hate it. Just a bit too high for the butter compartment in the fridge (because of that knife sticking out) and the knife is tiny. YMMV I guess ...

Introducing: the McFibrous ! A hefty slice of fried Lo Bak Go, topped with Manchego & cole slaw, a generous helping of Okonomiyaki sauce, served on a brioche bun. Contains a week’s requirement of dietary fibre, cleaning out both your gastrointestinal system AND your fridge ...

I am sure as soon as you switch to horse fat, your method will yield fries that any Belgian would be happy to be served ...