fifi

Hollandaise is just about perfect. That is probably why it is so popular with artichokes. It is one of those matches made in heaven. I say go for the hollandaise and cut back somewhere else if you must. After all, how much hollandaise can you actually consume eating an artichoke? It can't be that bad if you put it into perspective . . . Wait! Strike that! I was just remembering my son eating artichokes with hollandaise. Actually, some of the yogurt combos sound really good.

Long soaking in any high pH solution can attack ceramics like the enamel. If you add any heat to that you can get into trouble with etching. I would suggest that you splash some bleach, about a quarter cup or so, in a cold pot, then add cold tap water up to the level you need to treat the stain. The stain is normally gone in 15 minutes or so and then I rinse it. I have been doing this for years.

Bemoaning the fact that I never got around to planting my herb pots, it does occur to me that this time of year, rosemary in various forms is everywhere in the garden centers. They have cute little Christmas tree shapes, topiaries, baskets and all kinds of established plants. These would make great gifts for cooking friends or, in my case, for me!!! I seem to use rosemary more for fall and winter dishes than at other times of the year. Maybe that is because rosemary survives in our Texas gardens long after the basils and many other herbs are gone so that is what I have traditionally had growing. I am currently noodling on a chicken and rosemary stew concept.

For five pounds of onions, I have been using a stick of butter and a half cup of olive oil. It seems to come out like I like it. You could just scale back a bit for three pounds but you don't have to be too precise about this. The purist approach the first time around is probably a good thing. Add a little salt. I use about a half teaspoon for the five pounds.

Here is the rule of thumb: sweet onions = not so sweet confit strong onions = sweet confit If sweetness is what you want in the finished product, get the strongest onions you can find. My complaint about this batch being too sweet is probably due to using very strong white onions. Previously I have used all yellow onions. I am now thinking of taking lovebenton0's approach and blending. I really don't want my finished product to be very sweet. If "sweet" onions are available I may blend some with the strong onions so a few Vidalias or 1015s may not be a waste if you don't want a sweet confit. Regarding "the rule," I would predict that there will be all kinds of annoying variations in between. Like the water content varies, I think managing sweetness will be a crap shoot unless you can do a thousand batches, tasting the raw onions then the confit, and can store that knowledge in your "flavor brain."

Here we go with the rosemary confit. Here is where I started: 5 pounds of onions after trimming 1 stick of butter 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup chicken stock concentrate 1/2 tsp kosher salt a wad of rosemary Take a look at the onions. For one thing I sliced them a little larger than I have in the past. Also note all of those separate onion layers. Those were mighty strange onions. As I was slicing them they literally flew apart like a cut rubber band. This is what I did with the rosemary to capture the leaves. You can also get an idea how much I used. I did say I was going over the top. After about four hours in the crockpot on high with the cover on, this is what I had. I added in the rosemary, took the lid off and turned the pot to low. After about ten hours, it was starting to get there and noticed the hot spots I mentioned above so I moved it to my little LC and into a 200 F oven. I took the rosemary out when I did this as I figured that it had done all it was going to do. About three more hours in the oven and this is how it ended up. I took this batch a bit darker than I have in the past because it was annoyingly sweet at first. I have a feeling that those onions were fairly old or had been cured to a lower water content. Perhaps that explains the springing apart that I saw when I sliced them. They also didn't have as much water to get rid of as I have seen before. What you see in the third picture is all the liquid they ever gave up. They must have been very strong as well and that may have contributed to the sweetness. I was concerned that the rosemary may have been too much. It really wasn't. There is a nice background rosemary flavor and aroma but there is no doubt that this is onion confit. Being a strong and sturdy herb, I added it at hour four. I would wait quite a bit longer for leafier, tenderer herbs I think. I also think that for the next batch I am going with the Le Creuset in the oven all the way. (I am not having a lot of luck with crock pots lately. I was better off with the old wimpy pot.) I am also wondering if the oven method will cut the time like it does for dried beans and paprika chicken.

Oddly enough, when I did it with bacon I found it disappointing. I used the bacon itself and the texture wasn't all that great so I am sure that added to my disappointment. From the flavor aspect, I kind of felt like the flavors were at war with each other or something strange like that. Using the bacon fat alone may be a whole different thing. I say try it. It isn't like it is a big investment.

The rosemary confit isn't done yet. I am having to switch gears and move it out of the crockpot and into the Le Creuset and the oven. When it got cooked way down overnight, there wasn't enough mass in the crockpot and a couple of hot spots developed. So as to keep the caramelization even, I have opted to move it. I still think this crockpot runs hotter than it should. It is fine for usual crockpot recipes but that flaw seems to show up with confit. Patience is a virtue!

Why is it that when a bunch of us ladies get together we turn the clock whacko? Bacon at 3:00 am, mangos at sunrise. Then we did breakfast tacos at noon. Maybe it is just because WE CAN! And, like the 3:00 am bacon, it just tastes better somehow.

Great idea. My racks fit inside the pans but what you picture here would work as well. Maybe I can get to a BB&B in Chicago. I called my local one and they don't have them.

I am thinking of selling my first born for a bucket of duck fat. I am 5 hours into the current confit experiment. The rosemary "packets" went in at about hour 3 when the onions had yukked out their juice. The crockpot was turned to low and the lid removed for now.

I usually cook "by the book" the first time around, unless there is something that I just have to mess with. I agree with you about the carrot. I am pretty sparing of carrot in chicken pot pie because of the sweetness. A little is ok but a lot is distracting. I like peas in there.

Fifi, can you say why you don't rinse the pozole/hominy? Thx! ← The residual starch adds some thickening. When I had it at the restaurant, it was beef from the brisket left over from the day before. I have done it with chicken as well. I have never had it with cabrito but I would think that would be just as good.

Nope. I mean the wire racks that just fit the pan. I use them a lot because I do my bacon in the oven a pound at a time. But I do have a buddy looking for just what you linked to. Thanks.

"O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" (Thank you, Lewis Carroll.) I found a little half cup jar of chicken glace de viande in the freezer. The rosemary onion confit is on. Pictures to follow. Interestingly, when I was slicing the white onions, the layers seemed to literally spring apart. I don't know that I have seen this phenomenon to this extent before. I wonder if that means that these onions are particularly dry or wet? I guess we shall see.

So is climbing mango trees.

Guys don't "get it." How about a ripe mango munch sitting in the sand on the beach in Akumal, watching the sun come up, after watching Beaches on the satellite TV? The mangos came from the tree in the backyard. It was a communal effort to reach the ripe ones.

Oh dear. This thread may go on forever. Judith, I am thinking of doing a rosemary confit. I will schlep some of it to Chicago to accompany the pork roast for Christmas dinner. Andie brings up a good point about adding the herbs later in the process. When making the chicken and stock for Mayhaw Man's chicken pie, I found that the herbs added at the beginning lost a lot of their punch with the long simmering. The question is, when is the optimum time to add them? I would think that you could get away with adding rosemary sooner than you could something like cinnamon basil. (Oh my, that sounds good.) Also, would you tie them up in cheesecloth so that you don't have all of those leaves in there? That might be more of an issue with rosemary than with basil, for instance. Now I am thinking mint onion confit would be a killer with lamb. What a rif on the traditional mint jelly! We may be on to something here, ladies. edit to add: Andie, I have passed your excellent suggestion on to my sister. If the nephew gets a feral hog on the next trip, they are likely to have that for Christmas. The sage and pepper combo sounds wonderful. I like the idea of the shallots as well. I am wondering if lemon balm would serve in place of the sumac. She has some of that growing as well as the sage.

Jaymes, you have reminded me of one of my favorites. I have copied it here. When RecipeGullet comes back up, it is captured there. Barbeque Posole This is one of those recipes that is definitely more than the sum of its parts. I had something very like this in a restaurant in Queretaro in central Mexico and went nuts. They use up the barbecue from the day before to make this. With my lousy Spanish, I got what I could out of the cook and tried it. This is damn close. Posole as a general term is a Mexican stew made with hominy. This one makes great use of left over barbecue, whatever kind as long as it is good smoked stuff. (Beef brisket and pork are the favorites.) This recipe is really the basics. You can add whatever you like, more and different kinds of peppers or other seasonings to your taste. I suggest you start with the basic and add from there. The amounts are approximate. No need to get too serious about this. I don’t think you can mess it up. It is really amazingly delicious and great on a cold night. 2 T lard, bacon fat or cooking oil 1 large onion, coarsely chopped 4 garlic cloves, chopped 4 c coarsely chopped or shredded barbeque meat 4 c beer, broth or water - enough to cover the meat 2 14 oz cans hominy, drained but not rinsed 2 4.5 oz cans diced green chiles 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano, or more to taste Heat oil and saute onions until they just start to brown. Add garlic and cook for about 2 more minutes. Add the meat. Add liquid until well covered. Simmer slowly for about 30 minutes. Add the hominy and green chiles. Add the oregano, crushing between your fingers. (The cook seemed to think that the oregano was VERY important.) Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. It is important that you don’t add salt and pepper until this point as it depends on what the barbecue has on it. Best to taste first. Simmer about another 15 minutes. Serve with some or all of the following condiments for the diner to add as desired: fresh lime wedges for spritzing, chopped radish, chopped white onion, chopped fresh chiles, shredded cheese, crumbled queso fresca, sour cream, chopped cilantro, shredded cabbage. I have served this over traditional frying pan corn bread (not sweet) and gotten rave reviews. A crisp salad with orange or mango is a great side dish.

Thanks for the split pea recipe, Chufi. That is a favorite rif on a traditional recipe that I like to do from time to time . . . taking one of the ingredients and going outlandish. In this case, it is the pork. I would have never thought of using pork ribs. That is just brilliant. I have never used celeriac, either. I am definitely going to try this. Ummmm . . . I love split pea soup. One question about the salt pork, do you dice it? Do you rinse it to remove some of the salt? Thanks for the pictures. They are lovely.

Judith, you have me thinking about confit again. (I still have a little in the fridge but I need to replenish.) Looking at your fresh bay and thyme is what got to me. Sometimes I will take a simple recipe and play with it by going way over the top with one of the components, to the point that it becomes a whole different thing. I am thinking about the herbs we add to our simple confit. What if you added a whole bunch to the point that you have an "herb" confit. In all of my versions so far the bay and thyme were only there as a background note. What if you took a strong herb like rosemary, added a whole bunch of it and called it "rosemary confit"? I am "thinking aloud" here and just wondering what ya'll think.

Also, if you don't have enough fat in there to transmit the heat evenly you are going to get into trouble. I don't think you can make a low fat onion confit.

Thank you for the lovely report. How true that is. My closest friends are the ones that are comfortable with being silent.

Keep going. Put the cooker on high and take the lid off. How much turkey stock did you use? I don't think any of us have used stock. You really don't want to add more liquid. You are really trying to get rid of water at the same time that the sugars in the onion are caramelizing. I added glace de viande which really isn't much liquid. But, I have done it without, since I am out of it, and the results were still very good. You said "some" butter. Maybe you don't have enough fat. For six or so really big onions, enough to fill the crockpot to the top, I use one stick of butter and a half cup of olive oil.

I agree with you on the magnetic strip, Susan. Unfortunately, the new kitchen doesn't have any logical place to put it. I know that sounds strange but I, for the most part, don't have upper cabinets with the splash space in between. I have windows. And, the knives should really be near the prep area on the island. After that little discussion that I linked to, that dishwasher safe thing is starting to look good. Oops. Edit to provide an update: Today I made the trip to the restaurant supply. I was able to score everything on my list for the goody boxes with only one dissappointment. They no longer carry the cooling racks for the half sheet pans. But I did find racks for the quarter sheet pans. I got those for the kids and two for myself. I guess that is some compensation. I picked up those wine pouring thingies when I stopped at Spec's for some wine to bring to a friend's tomorrow so they have another little goody. I have the proper sized boxes and packing bubbles in house courtesy of my last purchases of wine glasses from Amazon. Now I just have to get wrapping.