Duvel

You know that things expand, when they get hot, right ? Think popcorn …

Little one is spending a week with his grandparents and for the adults version of Pizza & Movie Night we just had „freezer raid“ snacks … Enjoyed with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo … Noomi Rapace is still my #1 Lisbeth 🤗

Can you precook the roulade sous vide, then chill and prep with the cold cooked roulade ?

Could be the whiskey highball talking, but I‘d come around for that in an instant 🤗 …

I drove my parents and little one up to the coast line (Baltic sea) for a week of holiday with my fathers car, and returned by train to my hometown. That has the advantage that I had ta stopover in Hamburg, so … A hot (and surprisingly strong) Grog ! Followed by the unusual, yet very delicious Labskaus, a stew made from beef, potatoes and red beets, served with fried eggs & pickled herring ! Yum 🤗

I am not sure whether it’s the weather, the stress at work, the global economy or the baggage retrieval system they‘ve got at Heathrow, but every night I come home I am craving comfort food. In a lucky coincidence I am the only one who cooks at home, so … Bratwurst, Rotkohl & buttery mashed potatoes, served with onion gravy and a cold Jever. No complaints 🤗

Just saw this: it this an Ice Age collectors item ? Maybe Sid the sloth hidden behind the wine bottle, too ?

Schlachtefest - the time of the year when pigs turn into various delectable meat products. Right now, everything pork is on offer, so I got a decent pork knuckle for less than 5€ … Tried a new cooking method, that produced a super tender knuckle with at least a bit of a crunchy skin … Served with (commercial) potato dumplings, a killer sauce (courtesy of said cooking method) and a „German“ salad … And the best beer in the world ! No complaints 🤗

What is an European wiener ?

Traditional Flammkuchen is based on a very thin dough (with our without yeast), that is topped with a light smear of crème fraiche, raw onions and bacon. It’s cooked in a very hot oven (think >250 oC) in 1-2 minutes. It often has a bit of char on the edges and the onions. Zwiebelkuchen has often a yeasted dough, sometimes a sourdough or even a shortcrust base, thicker with high edges. Filling is slightly cooked onions with lardons, suspended in a caraway/nutmeg-scented cream & egg mixture and often topped with cheese. It is baked in a medium oven for 25-35 min, depending on thickness. It is similar to a quiche.

After a leisurely afternoon hiking around and within the lovely city of Heidelberg … … we stopped at a nearby vineyard, got a 2L refill of our trusted plastic canister and enjoyed freshly made Zwiebelkuchen & new wine at home, chased by some caraway Schnaps to calm down our very active bellies 🤭

I don’t know about Bob, but uncle Duvel could support …

My shepard's pies usually not meatloaf-y, but more of a thick minced meat stew (inclusing all veggies), topped with those mashed potatoes. Is this a particular style or family recipe ?

Why should there be cheese ? It is individually blanched cubes of salmon, broccoli florets and edamame. Placed in a buttered form and topped with said bechamel (butter, flour, milk infused with a dashi sachet and smoked mackerel bits), then broiled. Yeap - it was very good.

Broccoli, edamame and salmon filet bake with “fishy”* bechamel sauce … —- * thanks to infusing the milk with the unusable parts of yesterday’s smoked mackerel and a sachet of dried bonito flakes …

“Chowder” with fresh mussels, smoked mackerel, potatoes, carrots, celery and wakame …

Very nice - I find that a bit smoother than the Master‘s Select. In any case, neat is a great choice 🤗

Smart choice ! Which expression did you get ?

Kind of easy peasy pan-asian leftover DIY noodle soup dinner … Friday’s duck phở stock with rice noodles as a base. Duck leg meat, 5 min eggs, champignons, cilantro, shuǐ jiǎo with chicken & green onion, roasted shallots, hoisin sauce. Chili crisp not pictured. Not sure why I had to plate everything separately, at the end everyone wanted all the options so every bowl looked like this 😉 No complaints 🤗

Thank you both - I was under the impression that you need to “add” oil somewhere, but I take it you merely toss whatever you have in it before it goes into the gadget. That’s easy enough then (and more basic than I anticipated 😉) …

So it has come to this: with the constant mentioning of air fryers here on eG and some intense discussions at home I am almost ready to purchase an air fryer. Have picked my model, got a decent price and am ready to order, but ... Which fats can I use ? Which options do I have to use solide (animal) fats ? As an example: can I fry my fries in some (self-rendered) duck fat ? Can I use clarified butter for those mini veal Schnitzel I am envisioning ? Or is it "canola oil or bust" ? Any (postive) first hand experience would be much appreciated and likely lead to an immediate purchase ....

For new wine in the region it is. They basically have a tap in their fermentation tanks and you bring (or buy) a small canister (a can ?) of 2-5 L and get your fill. Your choice: red or white, young or more alcoholic, always with suspended yeast and very much alive. The effect on your digestion system could be described as if the Khmer Rouge invaded your lower intestines. But boy (or girl, or any other gender) - it is delicious 🤗

Pizza & movie night … With my parents still at our place we tweaked the whole thing … got a 2L can of new wine from a local wineyard and shared the dough between two pizzas and two Flammkuchen. First pizza was sausage & mushroom, and never had a chance to be photographed. Second was a classic Flammkuchen (creme fraiche, onions, bacon), followed by a pizza with Gorgonzola and mushrooms, and finally a Flammkuchen with roasted pumpkin (and onion, and bits of bacon). All enjoyed while sipping new wine & watching Asterix and the big fight …

Some souvenirs (gifted to me) from my wife’s recent conference trip to Madeira 🤗

Ganz herzlichen Glückwunsch*, Shelby 🥳 —- * before this post gets moderated - it says “A very happy birthday”