phlawless

So the night was a blast, and I honestly don't want to eat pasta for quite some time...everything was wonderful, I think the porcini and truffle with fettuccini was my favorite: always a sucker for shrooms. I'm not sure if I'll get around to posting recipes, honestly I didn't really use any except for the consomme, but if there is interest I'll do my best to remember! Thanks to Varmint for organizing it all, and pass along more thanks to your in-laws for being such gracious hosts to our motley crew!

nice mise Random alias...

I don't really care for their shakes, but the burgers are damn good. Just like Varmint said, with ice berg lettuce and an insipid tomato, regardless of the time of year. But that's the way I like them, basically a vehicle for condiments. And I'm probably one of the few here who doesn't enjoy my ground meat rare; it's a texture thing.

I'm going low brow here: shrimp burger at Seafood Restaurant/Farmer's Market Hamburger Steak Junior, Char Grill

eggs over easy, saltines, hot pepper relish reuben, extra kraut, add onions fake tan (malibu rum, diet coke, lime wedge) fritos tossed in texas pete fritos crumbled into onion dip and eaten with a spoon crack four eggs onto frozen pizza, bake

We had an '85 Chateau Magnol that my guests had been saving. The evening ended with prunes, armanac, and almond madeleines.

My oven temp is somewhat unreliable, and it could have been running too high. I'm assuming adding a bit of stock to the leftovers won't hurt it, right?

I have to admit, it was effing amazing! I had never had it before, and it was much better than expected. The only complaint I had was that it was a tad dry, I had a hard time getting a crust, and left it in a little long which caused a bit too much evaporation. But I'm so glad I didn't skimp on the ingredients, especially the flageolets. Once I figure out how, I'll post photos. Thanks for all your helpful advice!

next time you reach the bottom of your bag (seeds, stems, schwag) make a batch of green chile pumpkin bread...saute remnants in butter, put through sieve and bake into mini muffins. Great way to gauge your intake without over doing it. We had a pumpkin carving party and served these...you can only imagine.

I guess I should have started this last week-end... One thing to know is that I'm a pastry chef, and breaking down whole ducks is not something I'm accustomed to; though I see them do it on the other side quite often. Not to mention, my boning knives have seen sharper times.

Honestly, if I knew how labor intensive this was going to be, I might have thought twice about it. And it's not just the prep: I've been driving around a 30 mile radius all afternoon obtaining necessary pork products (Wolfert: I decided on your cassoulet de toulouse recipe). And that's not including the duck/duck fat. Thankfully a good friend owns a restaurant and they happen to roast whole ducks a few times a week, so I was able to get all I needed from them. I'm having a hard time finding the pork skin (in North Carolina...can you believe it??). Can I substite salt pork?

would the glaze affect the liquid level? i.e. more evaporation with unglazed?

I read through those threads, very helpful. Any opinions about the lamb Julia recommends?

should the earthenware pot be glazed or not?

So I'm going to make my first cassoulet this week-end, to serve on Sunday night. I'm using Julia Child's recipe in Mastering the Art as a guide line but would like some advice and some questions answered. First, must this be made in an earthenware pot? The one I have is not large enough, though I do have 2 old Puritan roasters: one cast iron and the other cast aluminum. Can I use one of these or should I borrow? Are flageolets worth the price? The store I found them at doesn't have that high of turnover on their dry goods, so I can't be guaranteed how fresh they are, and they were 8 bucks for 1/2 a pound. I also live in an area where these are hard to come by. Luckily, this shop does have a very good charcuterie department, and they are making sausage appropriate for the cassoulet (they just happen to be having a sausage tasting this week-end!), so that is taken care of. Now, do I go with duck confit? Julia says after all is said and done, the texture and flavor are very similiar to pork loin, and since duck fat is used elsewhere in the recipe, that it's not worth the trouble. What about lamb shoulder? or the pork loin? or pork confit? I know there are numerous variations on this classic, but I'd like some input on what others have succeeded with. And, I'd also love some wine recommendations...

I must admit that this dinner will be an exception...I try and stay away from refined foods: flour, sugar, corn syrup, etc. I can't wait for the treat!

what about munchies before? I can bring some bagna cauda.

eggs

I was under the impression that dough will be made at Varmint's (or inlaws) house, and all who are participating bring their sauces/fillings either partially or totally made. Varmint, am I wrong on this?

It's nice to hear good feedback, thanks Chops.

so I can't guarentee how long these will be on, but this is what I recommend: Warm Mushroom and Frisee salad Twice Baked Grits Souffle with confit foie gras Pan Roasted Lamb Loin with Butternut Couscous and of course anything else will be fantastic, these are just my favorites

another thought: should those supplying a course bring an approriate wine?

The dessert menu will be changing dramatically by the week-end. Most of those will be on for at least a week. My recommendations are in order as follows: earl grey creme brulee with snickerdoodles ( I adore custard) apple crisp with toasted oat streusal and vanilla sour cream ice cream (fantastic IC) buttermilk blue cheese turnover with oven roasted grapes and candied almonds (VERY rich, but yummy) these are my favorites, along with the sherbets (grapefruit and chocolate) as for the savory side, that will be changing as well, and I only know of a few. A new sweetbreads will come on tomorrow, which they always do really well. the pork is really nice, but mainly for the toasted corn maque choux and served with turnip greens for apps, the fried oysters are a favorite, as is the foie. I'll know more tomorrow.

I can give you some dessert suggestions...

okay, so I know I'm going to sound like a dummy, but what exactly is a 'blog' and what does tagged mean?