Duvel

Actually, the kale ("Grünkohl") is the main dish here. The secret is to harvest it after the first time the ground was frozen, so usually around November. The damage done to the kale during freezing will cause the plant to break down some of the glycosides, making the kale more sweet and a bit more pungent, which is then offset by a long boiling period (about two hours). Smoked pork products, onions and caraway seeds are added to harmonize the flavour. Grünkohl is by no means easy to digest - basically fiber and fat. That's why you need to accompany it by heavily hopped beer and strong alcohols. So, JoNorvelle, if you want to get great beer at my household you better eat your Grünkohl

Family dinner in rural northern Germany: Grünkohl mit Bregenwurst (Kale with "head" sausage). Kale boiled into submission with onions, pork belly and caraway. Cured & smoked pork sausage with a very high fat content (and according to legend a significant amount of brain, but I doubt it). Potatoes because it's rural northern Germany. Beer. Lots and lots of beer. Typically there would be "Korn" (40% caraway-spiced grain alcohol) with it or at least afterwards, but I am so heavily jetlagged I head to bed directly ...

No chef here either, just a home cook with too little time on his hands. Alas, here we go: 1) What is your favourite restaurant (apart from your own) I believe that was 41degrees by the brothers Adria in Barcelona. I enjoyed the playfulness, the quality, the service (only 16 seatings, one waiter per person) and the wine pairings. And yes, the fact that the menu was actually 41 courses. 2) What is your most important ingredient in the kitchen, and why? Salt and oil/fat. Salt is obvious, but the choice of oil/fat more often than not pushes the food into a certain direction. Think goose fat for potatoes, chicken schmaltz for finishing soups, olive oil on bread, sesame & chili oil on cold starters ... 3) What tool is most important in your kitchen, and why? Knives, hands down. I can do with crappy pans (as long as I have a gas range), but I need a good pair of knifes to "shape" my food . And maybe a microplane grater. 4) Which restaurant, anywhere, is your dream destination to dine? I always wanted o go to El Bulli in Roses, but it has sadly closed down. Now maybe the French Laundry (during a week of wine tasting in Napa) ... 5) What trend do you see becoming popular in restaurants in the next year? Here in Hong Kong it's regional (rather than national) food - think not going to an Italian place, but one that features the cuisine of the Emilia Romana, or Uttar Pradesh dishes rather than "Indian". Consumers might be getting more conscious about the distinctions, and I think in the West this happens too, e.g. Hunanese rather than generic "Chinese" ... 6) What trend would you most like to see go away? Wagyu this and that, when a "normal" breed would yield the same results. It has become a fancy item on virtually every menu here - and granted, for some items it works out nicely - but a braised Wagyu cheek in red wine reduction tastes exactly like a "regular" one and costs a third.

Lunch at my favourite Sichuan place in Causeway Bay, HK, called "Yu" ... "Man and wife lung slices" - mixed boiled & sliced intestines in a Sichuan chili oil marinade. "Dan Dan Mian" - thin noodles with minced meat, fermented veggies and enough Sichuan pepper to get the feeling of the Khmer Rouge camping in your mouth. Fantastic food, super casual place, 12$. I am such a happy guy after that ...

Temperature have finally dropped below 15 oC here in Hong Kong ... a welcome excuse to have Oden. Invited a couple of friends, prepared some "Japanese" starters and then all-you-could-possibly-eat Oden. And copious amounts of Sake (not pictured). We'll having the leftovers probably until Christmas

After a chase through Tokyo metropolitan area, combining taxi, train and several sprints I managed to arrive at Narita airport just in time to catch the red-eye (read: last) flight to Hong Kong. At the gate realizing its delayed by 35 min. Off to the really lousy lounge to lower the stress level pre-flight with "one" G&T. Anticipating a mediocre in-flight meal and hungry after "one" G&T I decided to have a mini cup noodle. And - being creative (read: ravenous hungry after "one" G&T) - I pioneered the first instant Kotteri (thick soup) instant cup noodle by dissolving a pack of cream cheese into the soup. Pretty good - umami, rich & gloriously fatty ... Of course trying this sober might result in a different verdict but for tonight I am a happy camper

It seems that a home-made package combining junk food and a copy of Modernist Bread is highly suspicious to the folks at Homeland Security. Especially when carefully packed in cardboard and nicely secured with layers of packing tape. I initially thought it was the hot sauces that ticked the officer in charge off, but it turned out that MB was the culprit (note to @Modernist Cuisine Team: I noted there are still some gaps between the wrapped book and the outer cardboard layer - please put some chocolate mints for officer on duty in there for international customers). On the positive side, they re-wrapped it more or less well and I can start to enjoy the read once I have overcome the 14h time difference ...

I finally made it home. Of course I had to depart on the only day it snowed in Baton Rouge, and everything was cancelled or delayed. Despite all attempts of American airlines to prevent me to get home I managed to get rerouted through Dallas and LA and made it home after a 28h journey with only half a day overall lost ... Thanks again for all you suggestions. Here are the spoils of war, curtesy of Amazon prime and Walmart 24h (so no farmers market produce or artisanal cheeses):

One tiny request more: since I have been know to drink the occasional alcoholic beverage - what would make a nice liquor to bring home ?

Dear all, thank you all so much for the great suggestions - I am quite happy following most of them and have started ordering a couple of things online (as I might not have the time for extensive shopping trips). I will post a full list and of course a picture of the spoils of war in due course ... And in the meantime - feel free to keep suggesting: I think I still have a couple of kg left in the check-in luggage

Not an issue ... I usually do a week trip with only hand luggage, so I potentially have two large suitcases with 32 kg each on top of that

I am about to embark on my first business trip to the US in (what feels like) ages. Naturally, I will use the opportunity to sample at least a bit of the local cuisine - in this case around Baton Rouge in Luisiana - but I am also interested in bringing some souvenirs home. This should be easy - given that I elsewise travel exclusively in Asia, with the odd Europe trip thrown in... However, I am not overly familiar with the food culture in the US and I find it tricky to think of things I really "need" to buy because they are either tricky to source here or I want to sample them for the first time. So far - basically only triggered by this forum - I have on my list: - Inner Beauty hot sauce - Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuit mix - a copy of Modernist Bread - Peanut butter M&Ms Any other "random" recommendations for interesting products I want to bring home to Hong Kong ?

Well done, @catdaddy!!!

In the voice of Count Count (from Sesame Street): Six (6) French fries - hahahahaha ...

It doesn't ... I've tried

I feel your frustration as I strongly dislike overcooked cheese on a pizza myself. After doctueingnaround with pizza stones and positions the only satisfying solution I found for me isnto cook the pizza without cheese on full blast (like you describe) to nearly 80% done (lowest shelf or bottom, preheated to max). Then take it out for a sec, put the cheese on (together with no-cook items) and back in for the last minute or so. Works with any cheese (especially semi-dried mozz with some tasty additions). No burning. Bit of work, but I also found that the minute or so the pizza is out of the oven it releases a bit of moisture and at least in my view comes out a bit more crispy. Please keep us posted on your solution

Changing planes in Xi'an ... there is a nice Muslim restaurant (with a bit tacky decor) in the domestic Terminal. Light lunch comprised of "Chinese hamburger" Roujiaomou (as often praised by @liuzhou) and dumplings in sour broth. A nice snack between two annoying 3-4 h flights ...

Dinner in a small non-descript place run by a Hui family in Xinjiang province, China. My colleagues took me there to sample the beef soup with meatballs, but the whole dinner turned out excellent. Peanuts, starch jelly in spicy vinegar, home made fermented cabbage with lemon juice, super-beefy soup with potato noodles and their famous meatballs, chicken with green sichuan peppercorn oil, chunks of boiled beef bones to gnaw on, tiger salad, mantou. And as I had still one hour to kill before my flight, some herbal liquor. Tasty ...

Well done, @Anna N! And the screaming* hot lid of a cast enamel pot is also a particular friend of my hand ------ * literally

Sorry, but I can't fully get the issue (maybe cultural and /or language): your MILs turkey was cooked and then left to cool for 5 hours ? And usually to do that you have to remove the stuffing (bread ?) ? Why does that mean it is unsafe to eat ?

This is no different to most locations I know in Germany, Belgium and France. Aldi's strategy is not to compete with supermarkets on a full level. They pick their products in a very clever way while at the same time piggy back on the infrastructure provided by the larger supermarkets/shopping centres that attracts customers to travel far in the first place. And given the success the had so far, there must be something to it ...

I have no first hand experience, but the first thing that popped in my head was a salty panna cotta with "maghreb"-type flavourings (woody/resin) and dried fruits on top. Bit of a tangine flavor profile, but milky ... I do like your camel caramel idea

Well, then you are in for a treat https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laksa

So true. But also helps with handling the dough ...

Normally, I stretch by hand into a disc, followed by some gentle stretches with a rolling pin to thin out evenly while preventing too much deflation. Works pretty well ...