Duvel

The meat was marinated (salt, bit of vinegar, garlic, spices) and was nice and tender.

That is correct. @rotuts asked whether the cuts change much in the course of the whole piece, and from my view - despite being comprised of several distinct muscles - the resulting steaks are pretty similar, with the remark the ones closer to the head have a bit more connective tissue …

It makes me wonder what those shops/vendors do with that cut if they don’t sell it as such …

I am not quite sure. As far as I know the pig has two collars, and they are separated left and right of the spinal cord …

A whole collar (as sold here) looks like this … It is more or less uniform; the „head“ end has a bit more connective tissue than the „body“ end, but it doesn’t matter much.

Collar steaks (German: Nackensteak) are by far the most popular cut for grilling/BBQ in Germany. You can get them in any shop that sells meat in literally dozens of marinates and of course also au nature. The whole collar is equally ubiquitous ...

Lazy dinner: Nackensteakbrötchen … Grilled pork collar, salad, dijonnaise, pickles on a fresh wheat roll.

Thanks, @Baron d'Apcher. So, you‘d make the distinction that pâtés are assembled raw and binding occurs via the cooking process, while terrines are assembled from already cooked ingredients and binding does happen via the gelatine-rich juices ?

Yeap, that’s the one …

The „duo“ was a a combination of two cuts. A piece of probably tenderloin (medium, super tender) and two kind of spring rolls, filled with braised cheek. Served with a super rich demi-glace type of sauce. The restaurant is open at all times. It consists of a large dining room in the second floor for a-la-carte lunch or dinner and plenty of rooms for private functions (doubling as meeting rooms for business during the day). I had booked a room for 10 in the top floor, and picked above menu. At night, the large dining room is open to the public and the food is pretty good. Wine is even better (the company I work for operates one of the largest wine shops in Germany, conveniently located just next to restaurant).

Business dinner at our company‘s restaurant … Lecker !

So … which one will you make ? 😉

Pâtés & Terrines What can be more inviting than a slice of a carefully balanced, well spiced and rich pâté, perhaps with a fresh tart side salad and a warm crusty bread? Well, you’ll soon be in for exactly that treat: welcome to eGullet Cook-Off #89 - Pâtés & Terrines! Although at first glance* a bit more technical & complex than our previous wings topic, it offers plenty of space to explore and experiment: from a simple pâté de campagne to a foie gras-centered pâté en croute with a delectable pasty shell and a jellied Sauterne cover. There has been a longstanding topic on terrines with spectacular entries in the past, so we felt it would be more than justified to open the topic up for a spirited exchange in the course of our popular Cook-Offs. Typically something rather enjoyed in a restaurant setting (where these time-consuming, yet economical preparations have undergone a renaissance due to the nose-to-tail movement) or as a treat from your deli or traditional butcher, pâtés and terrines are surprisingly not difficult to prepare. They make – however – usually more than two servings, so maybe the upcoming Easter holidays could help to encourage you to give it a try and surprise your family and friends** … There are many definitions of what makes a pâté a pâté, and how and why terrines are different. I am happy to discuss with you the intricacies of these, but for setting a non-threatening starting point I’d like to think of both as a fancy meatloaf or maybe an oversized sausage (in a funky rectangular shape perhaps) with interesting, maybe surprising additions (such as liver, offal, nuts, dried and alcohol-soaked fruits), herbs, liquors and spices (quatre épice anyone?). What kind of meat do you prefer? The world is your oyster, and beside all types of game, domestic animals, poultry and fowl, fish & seafood (including said oyster) can be used as well. Do you like a smooth texture or a coarser product, maybe with inlays ? You can shape your loaf into animal shapes, wrap it in bacon, fatback or puff pastry perhaps and glaze it with any gelled liquid you fancy. I can already see your minds starting to get creative … Rabbit terrine from the Rabbit Cook-Off. So break out your books and magazines, peruse your favourite websites and maybe even show off tried & trusted family recipes and show us what you are capable of – if you can get ground meat and have an oven*** I’ll repeat my mantra: there is really no excuse this time 😊 See the complete eG Cook-Off Index here: https://forums.egullet.org/topic/143994-egullet-recipe-cook-off-index/ —- * well – having seen how much work can be put into a humble chicken wing, only at first glance. ** they make a terrific presents as well. *** or sous-vide setup, or …

While I can’t recommend any brasserie in NYC, I think you might need a bit more than just gigot d‘agneau to start comparing preparation techniques. Gigot d‘agneau refers primarily to a leg of lamb, so a cut of meat and not a dish per se. You can start by checking different preparations of this cut: grilled, braised, confit, SV’ed, … You may look into different chef‘s ideas what to do with leg of lamb (a modern classic would be Thomas Keller‘s Bouchon version). You can - of course - eat your way through all the brasseries in NYC (which I would admire). But to get an overview maybe do a bit of research first which type of preparation for gigot d’agneau you‘d like to compare to the one you‘ve experienced at Abidjan, and then … enjoy ?! Or create your own version ? Good luck !

Now … this I‘d like to learn 🙏

Little one had a sleepover guest, so Pizza & Movie night was moved to Saturday evening. Needed to keep things simple as the guest was a bit “unadventurous” concerning toppings … Salami … ”Triple A”: anchovies, artichokes and asiago cheese. Could have been great with Provolone, but then it wouldn’t sound as good. Raw state shot, as pizza loading produced a significant dent in the round shape. This is the parents pizza … Margherita pizza with a lovely buffalo mozzarella. Enjoyed while watching Pokemon for the XXth time 🤔

Leftovers. Still pretty good - must be the butter 😉 …

Classic German SchniPoSa* night - this time with a bit of help in the preparation … The Schnitzel … The (commercial oven) fries … Salad and mushroom cream sauce (the latter for the Schnitzel 😉) … A good way to start the weekend ! —- Schnitzel, Pommes Frites & Salad

Little one brought a friend home after school, so I made spaghetti with meatballs. The friend obviously liked them a lot and when he told my son that, little one answered “Because my father uses butter” … I would have pointed out the De Cecco spaghettini, the Mutti crushed tomatoes, the Spanish anchovies in the sauce, the fresh basil or the copious amounts on Parmigiano and fresh herbs in the meatballs, but obviously it was just the butter I fried the garlic in … 😜

Definitely bread …

A German dinner: minimal heating required 🤗 Weisswurst, Bratwurstschnecke, Brezel and Brötchen. Straightforward, yet delicious …

Catalan braised rabbit legs & meatballs, with wild mushrooms and (completely untraditional, yet requested by my wife) farfalle … Tastes much better than it looks 🤗

Nope, sorry … that for the breakfast thread then. You don’t expect us to wait for 6h, do you ?!

I really don’t care at all for anything sweet* … —- * And it was Peaky Blinders, not Gilmore Girls 😎

Made a lovely & sensible salad - fresh greens, avocado, goat cheese, pine nuts, balsamic cream … Two hours and one Sake Martini later I boiled up some commercial pork Pelmeni, dressed them in the usual kewpie/chili crisp/Sichuan peppercorn oil combo and had then while watching Peaky Blinders … 🤗