chezcherie

love the updated avatar, tanabutler! i was at boule on friday, but nothing survived long enough to photograph! the fleur de sel caramels were swoon-able.

double-fennel mussels. (with fennel and pastis.)

that would be fun! i wanna play....

i have a lightweight cooling rack that just fits on a sheetpan. i place that on top of the puff, and it doesn't even need to be sprayed or buttered. it sometimes leaves a slight "grid" impression on the puff, but that either looks cool or is masked with powdered sugar or cocoa. yes, egullet rocks.

most seem to require a waiver relinquishing rights once you get through some of the elimination rounds. (the cooking light one is one of those--finalists complete a form doing so.) your mileage may vary.

oh, how i want a ticket for that trip!

Well you're in luck! There is now a Hooters near the wharf, if you are looking for some wings. In the mood for Mexican food? Try Chevy's in the Embarcadero Center #2. How about a hamburger? We have some of the finest McDonald's stores around! Brooks, feel free to contact me for more recommendations. I have plenty. ← and starbucks--don't forget them! the hotel we stayed in last time literally had TWO starbucks across the street. i wonder how customers choose between them?

i'm pretty sure cameras are banned. is that naive of me? i mean, i know there are camera phones (and shoe phones---yes, i watched "Get Smart"), but i've never seen anyone taking photos there, tho it would be very handy.

when we roast a pig, we inject it with a mojo solution 24 hours before we light the coals. i am extremely needle-phobic (have actually fainted at the mere sight of a hypodermic), but that thing is soooooo oversized that it makes me laugh. can't even imagine that coming towards me.

i'll be there sun/mon.

ny son is turning 20 next week. (silent weeping--"HOW is this possible?!") he is not a planner...not a thinker-ahead, as is the case with many his age. last month, maybe 5 weeks before the day, he asked me if i would get him a pig for his birthday. he wants to throw himself a pig roast. he has been dreaming of borrowing the caja china and roastin' him some pork. i really love him. piercings and dreadlocks and all, he has a good heart, and loves him some pig. that's his first one. the next one is being delivered tomorrow. happy birthday, kiddo!

if they ate the others, how about augmenting the plain with the flavors they liked--maple syrup, brown sugar, dehydrated apple specks? would they go for that?

i say, if they sit at the table, they share in splitting the bill.

huuuu-ooof. that was my first reaction when i read the title. the sound of the wind being knocked out of me. then it occurred to me that that is my new favorite oxymoron. "extra foie gras"...it would make an excellent band name, too. sear it and schmear it, man. om hazelnut bread, in my personal daydream. if you have any pomegranates around, they are gorgeous with foie gras. i made a salad over the hols with a drizzle of pomegranate vinaigrette and a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds. delicious and gorgeous.

did i read somewhere that "santoku" means "does three things" or somesuch?

"shorthanding it to "amuse," however is a huge pet peeve, similar to Bourdain's degradation of "mise en place" to "meez." " we can't say meez??! i think i have saved three years with that verbal shorthand.

i'm almost afraid to ask how you found out...?

surfas carries all.

surfas is in culver city, 10-15 minutes from downtown l.a. it's got a lot of great specialty food stuff, as well as really good prices on bakeware and other cooks' goodies. i love surfas.

mmmm, fried bread taste test....i can do that. and look, it's breakfast time! good suggestion--thanks!

hmmmm... i was trying out a method (barbara kafka's?) where the duck is first poached in stock (that's why there was a considerable fat layer to salvage), then roasted in a hot oven for a brief period (about 30 min)---do you think that fat is still overheated? it is very creamy pale yellow. not browned. thanks for your experienced response!

yup, me too. great start to a great year, i hope! i have some somewhat elderly confit in the back of the outside fridge (vintage 8/04?) and it is covered with a nice thick fat layer, so with what came from roasting this duck, rendering fat, and skimming from the stock, there's plenty for a new batch. off to the duck market on monday for a new batch of confit. made a pleasant duck ragu with some of the roast duck meat, to serve over spinach pasta made with the new kitchenaid pasta roller from santa. mmmm, duck ragu. happy new year!

it took me a few days to get the hang of my wusthof santoku. as you point out, it is disconcertingly light at first. in addition, i found the lack of "rock" (due to the relatively straight blade) awkward also. but i gave it a 3 day "test drive" and it is now my "go to" knife, unless i am chopping through duck bones (as i was today, with my trusty-and-deadly $12 carbon steel cleaver from the asian market.) i do find that the divots help keep slices from clinging to the blade. so, i guess it grew on me.

is the fat that rises to the top of duck stock considered "rendered?" do i need to do anything else to it before i use it for confit? (i have some other duck fat, but don't want to waste this!)

our family just made a contribution to doctors without borders for use in this disaster of unimaginable proportions. i really appreciate the discussion here, which helped make a choice as to where our $$ could be best used. prayers go out to all affected by this mounting crisis.