Duvel

Affirmative. I think that “pumpernickel” in the States is mostly perceived as a flavor (and I get the idea behind that, see below). German pumpernickel is a very specific bread, essentially cracked whole rye (with bran), soaked then pressed into a loaf and steamed for the better part of a day. The result is a brick, with savory caramel overtones and a very, very hearty consistency (the latter is essentially the off-putting part for me). The flavor profile isn’t that bad and something you can transfer to other items, e.g. by using toasted rye flour, caramel, chocolate powder, … Maybe I should give these hybrids a go, but why waste one of the very few and wholeheartedly felt food aversions that I have 🤗 (that being said I’d have one of your bagels in an instant)

I just read the recipe. Maybe I am missing something, but you can just do the searing in a non-stick pan, and then do the braise part with the veggies in the Le Creuset (w/ baking paper, if this is the point where it “sticks”) …

Would a piece of baking paper at the bottom of the Le Creuset fix the issue ..?

I hear you - Soto Ayam was one the choices I gave them, while the final one was Kotteri Tori Ramen (like Tenkaippin). I supplied them with pictures and short descriptions, and after conversation over dinner I think they chose Pho because it didn’t contain egg (which seemingly they had plenty for breakfast during their holiday). My wife and son would have gone for the Ramen while I was actually also thinking Pho or Soto Ayam because I wanted something spicy …

My parents are stopping by on their way back from their Palatinate holiday. Temperatures have dropped significantly in the last two days, so when I asked them what they would like to have for dinner both requested “chicken soup, maybe Asian” … I gave a few options and my mom chose Phở Gà. I prepared about 4 L of aromatic stock over the course of the morning and made some SV chicken breast as inlay (plus rice noodles, spring onion and bean sprouts). Herbs & everything else for tweaking the soup was served separately. It was quite a success. My fathers had thirds and asked to take some of the remaining stock home 😊

The other day I purchased a nice slab of pork belly to make Dong Po Rou. Unfortunately, a mixture of mid-morning hunger pangs and a general and enduring laziness got the better of me. I found myself scoring and salting that pork belly and making roasted pork belly with Knödel & mango Sauerkraut in between two virtual meetings … It definitely helped with the hunger, but accentuated my laziness. I almost fell asleep during the 14.00h call 🙄

Yes, you fry the chicken and everything else afterwards in that oil. It’s a one-pot preparation 😉

Not to derail this thread, but what you are describing is (also) basically the characteristics of a cooked, cooled and reheated pie, no ? Is that part of the equation ?

Does it have to in a classic NYC pie ? I had very few authentic ones …

Yes - I think it is a common technique, especially for the group of “red-braised” dishes to intensify the color. As the sugar doesn’t dissolve in the oil you can nicely watch the process …

Sure. I use this recipe as a base, with a few tweaks: Chop up ~600 g boneless chicken thighs or about 1 kg of bone-in chicken parts. Heat a big good gluck of neutral oil, add 1 tbsp sugar and caramelize. Once nicely brown, add all the chicken plus half a tbsp of salt, some MSG and a couple of peeled ginger slices. Fry for a minute, then add a tbsp of Doubanjiang. Fry briefly, then add cassia bark, two large star anise (or three small), one cracked black cardamom pod and 1 heaped tbsp of Sichuan peppercorns. Add 200 ml unsalted chicken stock and about 400 g of large potato cubes and cook for 30 min at low heat. You want a lazy simmer … After 30 min add 3-4 chopped up spring onions and a few chilies (dried facing heaven ones if available) Cook for 15 min more and add 6-8 whole peeled garlic cloves. At this point I adjust the saltiness. Potatoes should be soft by now. After about 15 more minutes you can add some sliced bell pepper or some fried aubergine slices. I do if have either of them - in that case I let the cook for maybe 10 min more until reasonably softened … Enjoy !

Thanks, I missed that. My version is a bit different when it comes to the details, but all in all we agree on Da Pan Ji …

While reading the news about the eruption of Aso-san (on which I stood exactly three years ago), I got a bit sentimental, reminiscing our time in Asia. Then, I spend a great amount of time traveling to Xinjiang, northwestern China. While the visits were of course professional, I enjoyed the local cuisine a lot - next to the ubiquitous lamb skewers especially a dish called Da Pan Ji (大盘鸡, or big plate chicken), an ultrasavoury chicken stew with plenty of Sichuan pepper and other spices, served usually with hand-pulled laghman noodles (for which a commercial product had to fill in). That’s what I wanted - no: needed - for tonight … I was a huge success. The flavors were there, the smell, the consistency of the meat (even though I used thigh off the bone). And most importantly my family liked it. It‘ll make a return soon …

And I was surprised eGullet has a Twitter feed … thanks for pointing that out 👍

So no need to buy the Oxford companion then … Lucky you 😉 And in the tradition of my rural ancestors you owe me half the price of the book that I just saved you. I‘ll be over next year for sure for a business trip and will accept it in form of a shot at a decent place, like the Dead Rabbit 🤗

Very true … But let me tell you from someone who loves pizza and desperately needs a few months on low carb (weightwise): after a month of no grain-based carbohydrates, a cauliflower crust „pizza“ tastes just right …

Nice! Now this looks like a decent Fischfrikadelle, and I am always looking for some varieties for my regular rotation: would you mind sharing your ratios ?

Why … warum … pourquoi … doshite ..?! Why make something great taste like something a bunch of desperate Germans have invented to shorten their miserable life in the mud-drenched sugar beet fields of southern Lower Saxony ? Growing up on that stuff I am truly curious on what the sea change has done to Pumpernickel, that even cooks I admire (such as @liamsaunt and @Chris Hennes) feel like making, eating (and liking 😱) it …

It‘ll teach you 101 way to drink your sherry while holding up your pinky. For all other ethanol-infused activities you‘ll need to wait for @nathanm …

Ahhh … the ever so popular rare steak cleanse. In Germany we do the Schnitzel & french fry cleanse, but the basic idea is the same 🤗

DOMS and a full day at work got the better of me today, but nothing that a Mettbrötchen and a hot bath couldn’t fix* … *one after the other.

Since we are going with the classics … Charming Oysters I cry, My Masters come buy, So plump and so fresh So sweet in their Flesh, No Colchester Oyster, Is sweeter and moister, Your Stomach they settle, And rouse up your Mettle, They’ll make you a Dad Of a Lass or a Lad; And Madam your Wife They’ll please to the Life; Be she barren, be she old, Be she Slut, or be she Scold, Eat my Oysters, and lie near her, She’ll be fruitful, never fear her. Jonathan Swift

That’s a lovely idea ! Also your red kuri rolls look very fluffy & delicious … care to share your recipe ?

That photograph was the farewell gift of my team when I left. It was made to order by a known photographer and fits exactly the wall above a Chinese cabinet I purchased even before we went to HK. It centers Jardine House, where my office was … sweet memories 🤗 Right now, you are facing 3 weeks of hotel quarantine if you decide to go. And not in the good hotels. We would love to visit our friends over there, but not under these conditions. Let’s hope for better times soon 🤞