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Owtahear

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Posts posted by Owtahear

  1. On ‎1‎/‎6‎/‎2021 at 10:51 AM, David Ross said:

    This morning I woke up to another cold, dark, wet day and thought, "what would be a good recipe to make this week?"  Then I remembered my duck confit.  I can find frozen duck hindquarters at one of the local supermarkets, but the Asian market sells them fresh and for a fraction of the price of supermarket duck.  Served with a preserved lemon and orange salad.  I make my own preserved lemons so I'll search for and post that recipe. 

    Crispy Duck Confit Skin.JPG

     

    For the Duck Confit-

    4 duck hindquarters

    1/4 cup. Kosher salt

    1 tbsp. juniper berries, crushed

    3 sprigs fresh rosemary

    3 sprigs fresh thyme

    6 garlic cloves, crushed

    2 bay leaves

    1 tsp. black pepper

     

    For the Preserved Lemon, Mandarin and Red Onion Salad-

    2 tsp. thinly sliced preserved lemon peel

    1 tbsp. orange juice

    1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

    1 orange, peeled and cut in segments substitute canned mandarin orange segments

    1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

    2 cups mixed baby salad greens

    black pepper to taste

     

    Step One, Salting and Curing the Duck-

    Place the duck hindquarters in a glass casserole dish. Sprinkle the duck on both sides with the Kosher salt. Place the rosemary, thyme, garlic cloves and bay leaves under and on top of the duck. Sprinkle the juniper berries on top of the duck.

    Cover the dish and place it in the fridge. Let the duck sit in the cure in the fridge for 2-3 days before cooking.

     

    Step Two, Slow-Cooking the Duck Confit-

    Heat the oven to 200. Remove the duck from the fridge and brush off the spices and extra salt. Heat the dutch oven over medium heat on the stovetop and melt the fat. Place the duck in the fat in the dutch oven. The fat should completely cover the duck. Cover the pot and place the duck in the oven and let it cook low and slow for 4 hours.

    Remove the duck from the oven. Let it cool, then place the duck and fat in the dutch oven, covered, in the fridge for to cure for 3 weeks before serving. This step is important for the duck to reach maximum flavor.

     

    Heating the Duck Confit and Making the Salad-

    Heat the oven to broil. Bring the dutch oven out of the fridge. Place it over medium heat on the stovetop to melt the fat. When the fat is melted, gently remove the duck and place it on the cookie rack over a baking sheet. Broil the duck in the oven until the skin is golden and crisp, 5-6 minutes.

     

    In a bowl add the preserved lemon, orange juice, and olive oil and whisk to combine. Add the orange segments, sliced red onions, and mixed baby greens and toss with the dressing. Season with black pepper.

    Place one of the crispy duck confit on a serving plate. Serve some of the salad next to the duck. Serve with a crusty French baguette.

    I love making my own confit.   I found one way, I put chopsticks on the bottom of the dish, but the legs on it, then cover it with fat.  After it is done, there is usually a little of aspic like jell from the leg that is absolutely the best tasting thing in the world.  

    • Like 2
  2. Decide in small, immediate family Christmas dinner.   

     

    Ordered Aged Standing Rib Roast from Pat Lafrieda.

    Fondant Potatoes (or my take)

    Green Beans Almadine (family tradition)

    Going old school with Wedge Salad

    Gruyere and Black Pepper popovers on a take of Yorkshire Pudding

    Au Jus of course

    Fresh Horseradish sauce

     

    Assorted Hors D'oeuvres  Such as Shrimp Cocktail, Oysters, Cheeses..

     

    I am going completely old school here.  No Modernist Cuisine.    Reaching back to the roots........

    • Like 8
  3. Well, we were going to skip family dinner because of COVID, but it is immediate family and everyone is local and it is not big (7 people) so I just ordered a Prime, 30 Day Aged Prime Rib Roast from Pat LaFrieda.   It was down to them and Flannery, but I went with LaFrieda.    I am so excited.  

     

    • Like 1
  4. 2 hours ago, weinoo said:

    I am suspect about some of this stuff - web site doesn't tell me enough, and where are the other cuts of the lamb?

    D'artagnan used to carry Salt Marsh Lamb, and it was a favorite, but they don't appear to have it now - maybe only in the spring.

    That's a great question.   But if you are also familiar with Elysian Farms Lamb, that IS Pure Bred.  I live in Pittsburgh, they are just 40 miles south of the city so I actually visited.  That is the legit lamb supplier for places like the French Laundary,  etc....     But yes, you are right, I often wondered about the oft cuts such as ribs, shanks, kidneys, etc...

    • Like 1
  5. Yes, that's exactly it.    I am not ordering seafood from Bill and Ted's Excellent Seafood.  Browne, Honolulu, Harbor, are all used by top chefs and seafood purveyors across the country.  Besides most of the fish I am ordering is fresh.  And then I cut, vacuum seal and freeze.   I trust the oysters or scallops I am getting from the aforementioned places much more than I would a local fish market because I am 500 miles inland, and that seafood market, even if it is excellent in reputation is merely a "middle man" and I am ordering from the same places they are.  

     

    Yeah, D'Artagnan is the go to place for duck, but I usually can get that at an upper end market near me.   But definitely want to try their Green Circle chicken.

     

    I have ordered canned seafood from La Tienda and other Spanish goodies and as a matter of fact just ordered a tapas gift basket for my Brother and Sister in Law.

     

    Thanks for the info.

  6. 1 hour ago, Paul Bacino said:

    Sea Food:

     

    Use Farm-2-Market

    Catalina Seafood Co.

     

    Meat:

     

    I use Flannery Beef

     

     

    Cheers

    Thanks.  I definitely plan to try Flannery and I have looked at some of the seafood online at Catalina but have yet to purchase any.

    • Like 1
  7. For seafood, especially since limited in restaurant eating out, and being inland, I have used the following sources over the past year.

    Browne Trading Co in Portland, ME for all kinds of fish, uni, caviar if you are splurging, scallops (Hey, if it is good enough for Eric Ripert, it is good enough for me)

    Harbor Fish Market in Portland, ME for mostly lobster and oyster

    (I know these two because of numerous visits to Portland accompanied by a large cooler

    Honolulu Fish Company (just awesome source for sushi quality Tuna and Salmon

    Vital Choice for Alaskan fish such as King Salmon and halibut

     

    Meat

    Pat Lafrieda's for some awesome dry aged prime ribeyes

    Porter and York for various, pork, beef and lamb cuts

    Pure Bred Lamb for obviously lamb (hey if it is good enough for Thomas Keller, it is good enough for me) and also live close enough here that I actually can pick it up.

    I am planning to try a few others, the shame is, because of the Pandemic, I am not having my traditional Standing Rib Roast this year (not taking the chance after I hosted Thanksgiving where my niece contacted Covid the very next week (all of us quarantined now well past the 14 days with no issues) but that was too close a call to take another chance, so likely I will get a thick ribeye or small roast. 

     

    But do you guys order provisions online and if so where and how do you like??

     

     

    • Like 1
  8. 3 hours ago, liuzhou said:

    Fish and chips with a difference.

     

    These are known as 黄尾鱼 (huáng wěi yú) here. It translates as Yellow Tail Fish. Yeah I see that. But the same name applies to hundreds of species, so I don't know what they are - but I like 'em'.

     

    20200827_191707.thumb.jpg.7004798c6f6c88edfe09d1e62a60a6b1.jpg

    'Cleaned' and drying before frying. Once dry, they were salted and black peppered inside and out, then shallow fried.

     

    20200827_201720.thumb.jpg.87b5ab4a3c53240ee90c25a8a7b205e3.jpg

     

    They are a slightly oily fish and not for bone-haters (China isn't for bone-haters).

     

    From eating a lot of sushi......kinda looks like what is called a "butterfish" which is really good flavored fish.

  9. Gotta love this time of year.   Last night for dinner.

    Fresh corn on the cob.

    Sliced fresh garden tomatoes with olive oil and basil on top 

    Fried zucchini silver dollars.

     

    That's it.  I am not even vegan, but this time of year combo of the heat and fresh produce makes it an occasional treat.

    • Like 6
    • Delicious 1
  10. 2 hours ago, Smithy said:

     

    Can you (or anyone else) explain this, please? I haven't run across this bit of information before, and I'd like a chemical explanation.

    Yeah, that's a great question.  I have been using bottled water, because I read that regular tap water contains chlorines and they essentially help kill the natural yeasts.  So been using just your Evian water or other purified water.    Also, how important is temperature, I have been storing it at around 75 degrees, but that maybe too cool for the water, and I should warm it up to ~100 degrees?

     

    That is interesting about whole wheat, and that the "shards" are prevalent never thinking that they would break glutens but essentially act as little needles that effectively would degas the CO2 building in the starter.  

     

    Interesting, thanks for the help.  I am in the Northeast and these 95 degree days (relentless) have not motivated to make bread, but my next venture is to do a Sicilian style sheet pizza.    

  11. Whoever was the original of posting the zucchini carpaccio recipe I have to give you all the kudos for the idea.   So I copied it.   I also had some nice Bluefin tuna flown in from Maine, made a carpaccio with that also.    

     

    Zucchini from my garden, salted, then tossed with lemon rind, lemon juice, sea salt, EVO (a really nice brand), pignoli, shaved reggiano and basil from the garden.   It was fantastic.  Genius combo and again kudos to originally posted it.  The key is....is to get a bite of everything because it just works so well together.

     

    As for the Bluefin tuna, I got from Browne and Trading Co in Portland, sliced it into carpaccio, then drizzled with EVO, lemon, sea salt, cracked pepper, capers and sunflower seeds.

     

     

     

     

    IMG_3301.jpg

    IMG_3302.jpg

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    IMG_3304.jpg

    • Like 11
    • Delicious 2
  12. 3 hours ago, curls said:

    Seriously! My answer is nothing. Jeesh.

    No.  I did make pizza dough, but also used dry yeast in the recipe.   I am just wondering for the overall health of the starter.    Unfortunately with the 95 degree heat here in the northeast, I am in no rush to make bread.

     

    But my next two projects are:

     

    Sicilian dough style pizza   and.....as we are now reaching tomato season, a really good crusty loaf of bread to make Pan Tomate.   I just don't want to get all excited and ready and then go for it and nothing happens with the rise.   I have been babying the starter between organic, local whole wheat flour organic white AP flour.  Evian water.  I may have had my water not warm enough.   But it is plenty hot here so the starter is seeing consistent 75-80 degree temps.

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