# Anyone Interested in Learning Technique With Me?



## mr drinky (Jan 18, 2012)

Ok, first of all I am talking about cooking technique in general and not exclusively cutting technique. 

Also, I am not provoking the pro chefs out there, but mostly the amateurs among us (though both are welcomed). Stefan started a thread about a cookbook recipe challenge which I have diligently kept up, but part of me would like to downgrade the weekly demand to a monthly one. Sorry.

Today I just received Pepin's Complete Techniques cookbook and was wondering if anyone was interested in learning technique -- month by month. One technique per month.

I'm suggesting anything: sauces, hydrocolloids, meringue, cheese, butter, tournee of whatever...anything. Something basic. If you are interested, reply...if not, I will continue drinking my bottle of wine and do it on my own.

Anyhow...one of the best days of my cooking life was the day I learned to make my own butter from cream. It was the best butter ever...until I tried beurre Bordier that is...but that is another story.

If 12 people are interested, then we can all pick a technique. More are welcome. Show of hands.

k.


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## unkajonet (Jan 18, 2012)

Hmmm...when are you thinking of starting?


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## mr drinky (Jan 18, 2012)

Feb.


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## rahimlee54 (Jan 18, 2012)

I'd be up for it.


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## unkajonet (Jan 18, 2012)

Maybe...how is the book? I just got "burned" by a cookbook (0 for 3 of their recipes), and am looking to jump into something else...


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## tk59 (Jan 18, 2012)

I'd be up for this. I need a little inspiration.


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## mr drinky (Jan 18, 2012)

unkajonet said:


> Maybe...how is the book? I just got "burned" by a cookbook (0 for 3 of their recipes), and am looking to jump into something else...



I haven't checked it out much yet -- only had it a handful of hours, but it does have a boat load of technique I would never use and a lot of others I could see using.

k.


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## sachem allison (Jan 18, 2012)

It's Jacque Pepin what do you think? Of course it's good. I have been very fortunate in my career to cook for him several times and with him once and he is the man. a true chef in every sense of the word. That book is a classic and one of the very first books to bring the Technique aspect of French cooking to America.


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## unkajonet (Jan 18, 2012)

I meant no offense :scared2:

I actually love his show on pbs. I was just wondering if it transferred to his books...


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## tk59 (Jan 18, 2012)

No sense trying to save face, unka. The damage is done.


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## sachem allison (Jan 18, 2012)

i'm not offended, Julia and him are the only two celebrity chefs that I have met or cooked for that I really adore and respect. Unfortunately Julia is gone.The books are much more technical than a regular cookbook. Jacque well tell you its all about technique and experience over a recipe. He told me once that you should never follow a recipe exactly because everyone's palette is different. The recipe is a guide at best. change ingredients if something fresher can be found, or better quality. Be flexible . Like you said many recipes do not translate well. The reason for that is that most of us chefs don't go by recipes, we go by taste and experience and that makes writing a cookbook very difficult.


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## Lucretia (Jan 18, 2012)

Interested, time allowing. How are you thinking about doing this? Working strictly from the Pepin book, or picking a technique to work on, and then everyone can use their various references and report back on how things went for them--what worked, what didn't. I just put a hold on "Complete Techniques" at the library, but no telling when I'll get my spot in the queue. In the meantime, I've got other books that could be used. If we're all using/discussing different books, we might each find a helpful tidbit and benefit from multiple sources. Just a thought.


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## Lucretia (Jan 18, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> Anyhow...one of the best days of my cooking life was the day I learned to make my own butter from cream. It was the best butter ever...until I tried beurre Bordier that is...but that is another story.
> k.



I remember the first experience with making butter from cream--it was in brownies (you know, pre-girl scouts.) The troop leaders put cream in a mason jar and each little girl got to take a stint shaking it. We then ate the butter we'd made on matzoh crackers. It made enough of an impression that I still remember after more decades than I want to mention...


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## jm2hill (Jan 18, 2012)

I'm in. love learning new things!


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## mr drinky (Jan 18, 2012)

Lucretia said:


> How are you thinking about doing this? Working strictly from the Pepin book, or picking a technique to work on, and then everyone can use their various references and report back on how things went for them--what worked, what didn't.



That was pretty much how I saw it. Everyone who's in can throw in suggestions from any source, and in the end we choose twelve. Then a new thread is started and all who have the time can work on it that month and report back success, failure or whatever.

Here are some ideas I am tossing around.

* David Chang's 5:10 soft-boilded eggs
* Corn Tortillas
* A Souffle 
* Croissants (or a baguette)
* Potatoes Gaufrettes (waffled potatoe fries)
* A compound butter roll 



Lucretia said:


> I remember the first experience with making butter from cream--it was in brownies (you know, pre-girl scouts.) The troop leaders put cream in a mason jar and each little girl got to take a stint shaking it. We then ate the butter we'd made on matzoh crackers. It made enough of an impression that I still remember after more decades than I want to mention...



As for the butter in the jar thing. I still make mine that way, but now that I have a kitchen aid mixer, I might upgrade 

k.


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## unkajonet (Jan 18, 2012)

Why not? Count me in.


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## lowercasebill (Jan 18, 2012)

i am interested!
i made thomas keller's _Ad Hoc at Home_ chicken soup saturday night.. good but took too much time. lots of left over stock so i made italian wedding soup with matzo balls with that ... good stuff. the big plus is i can now make a quenelle!!


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## DeepCSweede (Jan 18, 2012)

I am interested. I have been experimenting with several cookbooks lately, in addition to trying a few new Venison Recipes from several of my "Game / Venison" cookbooks. My wife and I also started experimenting with Quinoa this week.


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## EdipisReks (Jan 18, 2012)

i'm interested.


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## bikehunter (Jan 18, 2012)

unkajonet said:


> Maybe...how is the book? I just got "burned" by a cookbook (0 for 3 of their recipes), and am looking to jump into something else...



Save yourself a lot of pain and aggrivation and get the DVD version. Some of these techniques I can't imagine learning by written instructions alone, without watching it done by Jacques. I got mine from the library and copied it. Watch it over and over. Jacques deboning a chicken is a sight to behold...doesn't mean you'll do it right the first time...or the second...or third. ;-)


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## mr drinky (Jan 18, 2012)

bikehunter said:


> Some of these techniques I can't imagine learning by written instructions alone, without watching it done by Jacques.



I can see that. I also paged through the whole thing this morning and there is a heavy emphasis on the decorative food arts. The French love carving those flowers and animals onto food. I would guess that there are 200+ pages of this. 

As for some other food projects I've been wanting to try:
* ricotta cheese
* beef jerky (using Alton's box fan method)
* quick, small batch stock (Pepin)
* pita/flat bread
* preserved lemons
* tea smoking meats (oven or grill)
* vinegar from leftover wine

k.


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## bikehunter (Jan 18, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> I can see that. I also paged through the whole thing this morning and there is a heavy emphasis on the decorative food arts. The French love carving those flowers and animals onto food. I would guess that there are 200+ pages of this.
> k.



Exactly. I don't have a problem with the recipes (well...not much anyhow) , but if you can make butter or tomato roses, a sugar cage, or an apple swan, by reading text and looking at pictures... without seeing the master actually doing it...my hat is off to you. ;-)


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## Pabloz (Jan 18, 2012)

I'd like to...gotta get the book first...I could do the pita thing from memory.

PZ


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## mr drinky (Jan 18, 2012)

lowercasebill said:


> i am interested!
> i made thomas keller's _Ad Hoc at Home_ chicken soup saturday night.. good but took too much time. lots of left over stock so i made italian wedding soup with matzo balls with that ... good stuff. the big plus is i can now make a quenelle!!



yep, that Keller soups is labor intensive, but it was that recipe that got me thinking about this. There was so much technique crammed into one soup: his blanching technique, quenelles, stock, making a roux, and his parchment lids. 

k.


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## bikehunter (Jan 18, 2012)

The Keller soup recipe made my eyes glaze over.


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## mr drinky (Jan 18, 2012)

Pabloz said:


> I'd like to...gotta get the book first...I could do the pita thing from memory.
> 
> PZ



Just a note, most of the ideas I have thrown out so far are not in the Pepin book, so it isn't a necessary purchase.

k.


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## rahimlee54 (Jan 18, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> yep, that Keller soups is labor intensive, but it was that recipe that got me thinking about this. There was so much technique crammed into one soup: his blanching technique, quenelles, stock, making a roux, and his parchment lids.
> 
> k.



The soup was excellent, not bad since I spread it out over 2 days. Had to make the stock for it though since I was out, which was a little annoying. I am in for buying a book or no, the Ppepin book is only 16.50 on amazon currently. In case anyone didn't have a chance to look.


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## sw2geeks (Jan 18, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> I can see that. I also paged through the whole thing this morning and there is a heavy emphasis on the decorative food arts. The French love carving those flowers and animals onto food. I would guess that there are 200+ pages of this.
> 
> As for some other food projects I've been wanting to try:
> * ricotta cheese
> ...



Those sound like fun! Although I have always been a little scared of Alton's meat fan. I think I will stick to my smoker for jerky :biggrin:


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## Eamon Burke (Jan 18, 2012)

I'd be in as long as I don't have to buy a copy. Definitely.


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## Eamon Burke (Jan 18, 2012)

Btw, this is how I cook. This week, I'm trying saurkraut


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## mano (Jan 18, 2012)

I'm in! For xmas I was given Ruhman's Twenty. I'm also a huge fan of Pepin.

Really looking forward to this.

So, each month someone new will present a new recipe/technique?

I like videos so we can see how it's actually done (or done incorrectly).


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## DeepCSweede (Jan 18, 2012)

Several I would like to try
Paella - Ripert
Coq Au Vin - Ripert or Pepin
Duck Pate - Pepin


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## DeepCSweede (Jan 18, 2012)

johndoughy said:


> Btw, this is how I cook. This week, I'm trying saurkraut



Are you using a crock? That is one of my dad's favorite memories of his grandmother - getting in trouble sneaking saurkraut out of the crock while it was still fermenting. I would like to try Kimchi sometime.


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## ejd53 (Jan 18, 2012)

I'd like to try.


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## Johnny.B.Good (Jan 18, 2012)

I'm not sure I can keep up with most of the better home chefs here, much less the professionals, but I'm interested in playing along. I have a small collection of cookbooks (including Pepin's "Complete Techniques" and a few new ones purchased after reading Stefan's "favorite cookbook" thread here) and could use some motivation to crack into them and try new things.


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## apicius9 (Jan 18, 2012)

DeepCSweede said:


> Are you using a crock? That is one of my dad's favorite memories of his grandmother - getting in trouble sneaking saurkraut out of the crock while it was still fermenting. I would like to try Kimchi sometime.



That sounds familiar, my grandma also yelled after me when I did that 

I'm not even keeping up with the thread I started, so I am not sure how much of a regular participant I could be, but some of these projects have been on my list also, like different types of stock, preserved lemons (or limes?). Need to make a bit of lemon-lime curd also, still haven't canned any tuna etc. Just what is 'leftover wine'?  The other thing is baking a few of the basics - just a classic baguette, a whole grain loaf, and maybe some flat bread variation like naan is probably all I need. BTW, I do have the Pepin book. Not that I really used it, so far... Less interested in carving animals out of carrots...

Other than that, I envy Son for having met these two giants (Child and Pepin). I usually learn more in the 25 minutes of their showabout cooking and respect than in a whole day of the food network. Diners, dives and dumps, anybody? 

O.k., I guess I'm in for selected projects but may have to woodwork at other times. Or write job applications.

Stefan


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## Cadillac J (Jan 18, 2012)

Very cool idea, I think it sounds like fun.

How is this going to work exactly? We all pick a technique--practice by fire--then share results/stories?


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## SpikeC (Jan 18, 2012)

I already got started with the ballotine, aka KKF signature dish, but I'm up for more! I'm thinking tamales would be a good project to perfect!


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## mr drinky (Jan 18, 2012)

Great, it sounds as if there are enough players. I think I counted around 16. 

I was thinking that whoever wants to participate can suggest some dishes/techniques if they want to add to the list. You can also add as time goes on too so don't worry if you remember something later. Then based upon the order of replying a person chooses something from the list each month.

I know people are busy and some people might not have the requisite cooking tools, so don't worry about skipping something. Also, if someone has already done the item before, s/he is more than welcome to stand on the sidelines and just share their know-how. Pictures and video are welcome, but not necessary. 

No book buying is required, so please share any source you might be considering or a person can just search the web to find their own source of inspiration -- there are many ways to do most of these things. 

So send your suggestions of techniques to try and I will generate the list tomorrow along with participants. 

k.


EDIT: Also, since there are more than 12, we could have two selections for the first months and people could choose which one they want to do (or do both as I probably will).


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## jm2hill (Jan 18, 2012)

I'll do anything and everything so long as there are some instructions I'm super excited!


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## Eamon Burke (Jan 18, 2012)

Here's some things that are on my "I've always wanted to master that" list:
Tempering Chocolate
Wellington(beef, pork, lamb, whatever)
Crepes
Kimchi
Cakes(just to the point of being able to make different kinds of cakes without measuring things, which is totally possible)
Fresh Pasta
Homemade Sausage(one of the few bucolic things we did not do as children)
Cheese(or yogurt for that matter)
Pizza crust(my wife is great at this)
sleeping enough


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## apicius9 (Jan 18, 2012)

I'll add a few, including some I mentioned above:

preserved lemons
canning tuna in quality oil
baking baguette
baking whole grain bread
naan
making my own hot sauce (preferably so that it keeps a while in the fridge)
lemon/lime/seville orange/passion fruit curd
canning/preserving roasted red peppers in oil - or vinegar? (no idea how/if that works, I just love them and would love to have them at hand)
chutneys

love the chocolate tempering (and making truffles...) and sausage idea, but that fits neither with my current climate nor with my weight loss plans 

Stefan


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## don (Jan 19, 2012)

Great idea. I'm game.


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## Ontravelling (Jan 19, 2012)

I'm in too, sounds like fun.


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## Andrew H (Jan 19, 2012)

Clearly no one is interested in learning technique with you. 

I'm in. :viking:


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## Marko Tsourkan (Jan 19, 2012)

I am in, when time allows. 

M


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## WildBoar (Jan 19, 2012)

I'm in. Got to dig up the 'wish list' at home. Off the top of my head, I know cinnamon rolls and cassoulet are on it. Would like to attempt confit at some point. Would not mind learning a pate or two in order to get bonus points form the wife (i.e., credits towrds buying more knives :cool2


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## mr drinky (Jan 19, 2012)

Ok, I have tried to cull the names of members and what they would like to prepare out of the posts. Forgive me if I have forgotten anything or left anyone off. Just post or PM me if there are any mistakes. And since there are more than 12 people, I am thinking of taking Cadillac J's idea and for the first month and a half (Jan/Feb) and making it a free-for-all. People can choose anything off the list to try and the first ten to report results will get to pick a monthly technique starting in March. 

Those participating (so far):
mr drinky (me)
unkajonet
rahimlee54
tk59
Lucretia
jm2hill
lowercasebill
DeepCSweede
EdipisReks
Pabloz
sw2geeks
johndoughy
mano
ejd53
Johnny.B.Good
apicius9
Cadillac J
SpikeC
don
Ontravelling
Andrew H
Marko Tsourkan
WildBoar

** sachem allison and bikehunter commented, but didn't say they were in. Just let me know if you are taking part.

Also, a special welcome to KKF newcomers: don and Ontravelling.

Now for the list of techniques to choose from (which can be added to at any time really).

* making vinegar from wine
* making hot sauce
* making a chutney
* canning/preserving roasted red peppers
* making kimchi
* making preserved lemons (or limes)
* canning tuna in oil
* making quick/small batch stock (Pepin)
* making a compound butter roll (with homemade butter)
* making cheese (or yogurt) 
* making a curd (lemon/lime/seville orange/passion fruit)
* tempering chocolate
* making cinnamon rolls
* making Wellington (beef, pork,or lamb)
* making homemade sausage
* making beef jerky (using Alton's box fan method or make-shift oven dehydrator)
* tea smoking meats (oven or grill)
* making fresh pasta
* making homemade corn tortillas
* making tamales
* making paella (Ripert)
* making coq au vin (Ripert or Pepin)
* making duck pate or terrine (Pepin)
* making duck confit
* making a souffle (sweet or savory)
* making a cassoulet
* making crepes
* baking croissants, baguette, or whole grain loaf
* baking flat bread (pita or naan)
* making pizza crust
* achieving cake baking familiarity (being able to make different kinds of cakes without measuring)
* making David Chang's 5:10 soft-boilded eggs
* making potatoes gaufrettes (waffled potatoe fries)


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## sachem allison (Jan 19, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> Ok, I have tried to cull the names of members and what they would like to prepare out of the posts. Forgive me if I have forgotten anything or left anyone off. Just post or PM me if there are any mistakes. And since there are more than 12 people, I am thinking of taking Cadillac J's idea and for the first month and a half (Jan/Feb) and making it a free-for-all. People can choose anything off the list to try and the first ten to report results will get to pick a monthly technique starting in March.
> 
> Those participating (so far):
> mr drinky (me)
> ...


I wish I could, but way to busy right now maybe the next go around.


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## SpikeC (Jan 19, 2012)

Just out of curiosity, what techniques would you like to learn/improve on?


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## GlassEye (Jan 19, 2012)

You can add me to that list. Some I already know, some I don't, bread baking has been pretty high on my list lately.


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## mr drinky (Jan 19, 2012)

SpikeC said:


> Just out of curiosity, what techniques would you like to learn/improve on?



My top five (in no order) would be:

* Pizza crust
* Preserved Lemons
* Vinegar
* A souffle (oatmeal)
* And Chang's 5:10 eggs

I'll probably do the souffle first. I've done kimchi, fresh pasta, bread, confit, cheese and hot sauce. Though there are endless variations on these, and I will probably take a crack at most of them again.

k.


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## Johnny.B.Good (Jan 19, 2012)

Learning to bake fresh bread is high on my list as well. It was my late grandfather's specialty, and sadly, none of us ever thought to have him write down how he did it before he died (I assumed my grandmother would have it, but she doesn't). I purchased "The Bread Bible" (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0393057941/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20) in hopes of figuring out how my grandfather did it, but have yet to begin experimenting.

Homemade pizza dough would be fun too.


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## SpikeC (Jan 19, 2012)

I have a good pizza dough recipe from the Italian government!


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## Eamon Burke (Jan 19, 2012)

It's citrus season, and several people have said they wanted to try preserving fruits, so I say we start with that! 

Let's pickle some Lemons! And Limes! And Yuzu! And Pomelos(whoever has the big jar)!


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## mr drinky (Jan 20, 2012)

johndoughy said:


> It's citrus season, and several people have said they wanted to try preserving fruits, so I say we start with that!
> 
> Let's pickle some Lemons! And Limes! And Yuzu! And Pomelos(whoever has the big jar)!



Sounds good to me. I also have a tree full of calamondins that I will preserve. I know that I have two different lemon preserve recipes on file and I also an Indian lime pickle that looked really good. I'll scan and post them tomorrow sometime. 

k.


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## mhlee (Jan 20, 2012)

I'm a little late to the party but would like to participate as well as time allows. 

Looking forward to this!


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## don (Jan 20, 2012)

Johnny.B.Good: Since you're in the Bay Area, SFBI's weekend Baguette at Home course is well worth it. I've been baking bread for the past year using a lodge combo cooker with very good results. Limited shapes, but you don't have to fuss with trying to generate steam in a home oven.


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## mr drinky (Jan 20, 2012)

Ok, through February there will be an unofficial preserved citrus theme (which I will be doing), but you can still choose anything from the list if preserves aren't your thing. First ten with reportable results get naming rights for the next months though.

I need others to force me to do things outside my box, so I am bowing out of choosing. (It doesn't mean I won't be doing things on the side though) 

k.


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## ColinCB (Jan 20, 2012)

I'm in!

I really want to try some new things out and maybe this will help!

Those preserved lemons sound like a good idea as well.


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## Johnny.B.Good (Jan 21, 2012)

don said:


> Johnny.B.Good: Since you're in the Bay Area, SFBI's weekend Baguette at Home course is well worth it. I've been baking bread for the past year using a lodge combo cooker with very good results. Limited shapes, but you don't have to fuss with trying to generate steam in a home oven.



Cool, thanks Don. I bookmarked the link and will look into it. I love bread fresh out of the oven and must learn to do it.


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## Johnny.B.Good (Jan 21, 2012)

I don't know anything about pickling/preserves. I went to a dinner party tonight in celebration of my grandmother's 101st birthday (pretty incredible lady) and one of the appetizers served during cocktail hour was pickled green beans. They were really delicious. May need to figure that out...


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## mr drinky (Jan 21, 2012)

So here are a couple citrus preserves/pickle recipes for those who want to try them out. 

Indian Pickled Limes

Moroccan Styled Preserved Lemons

k.


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## sachem allison (Jan 21, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> Sounds good to me. I also have a tree full of calamondins that I will preserve. I know that I have two different lemon preserve recipes on file and I also an Indian lime pickle that looked really good. I'll scan and post them tomorrow sometime.
> 
> k.


love me some calamondins! like eating a sour ball


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## Eamon Burke (Jan 21, 2012)

Wow these are easy recipes. We've got carrots we feed to our daughter that are like that.

Good thing they are so easy! I'll probably do 3-4 different kinds.


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## SpikeC (Jan 21, 2012)

And then there is this:

http://www.pepperfool.com/recipes/canned/thai_pickled.html


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## Eamon Burke (Jan 21, 2012)

So it seems there really is no tricks to preserving citrus--you just put them in a jar with salt and wait. Flavor however you like, and add water if they are going to be dry.

That's good. Maybe I'll try doing a riff on a South Texas fruit cup topping--_Chile-Sal-Limon_.


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## The Edge (Jan 21, 2012)

I wouldn't mind joining in on some of these. Was going to work on sauces this year, and picked up "Sauces" by James Peterson. Coincidentally, I believe it has instructions on preserving lemons that I've been meaning to try out as well. 
On a side note, for pizza crust, I usually use a recipe from King Arthur Flour that starts out with a Poolish, though I can't remember exactly which one it is. Would be interesting if others had tried it in comparison to other recipes, and how it stacks up.


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## mr drinky (Jan 21, 2012)

It seems so. I have another recipe for lemons that uses more spices, and that is the one I am going to use. Btw, in the Momofuku cookbook by David Chang, he has a chapter on pickling and gives a basic salt and vinegar recipe that can be applied to almost anything. I've been intrigued by his pickled mustard seeds (ripped off from Colicchio) , cantaloupe, fennel, and shiitakes. 

k.


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## Eamon Burke (Jan 22, 2012)

I had a good afternoon!

Here's the fruits I went with:





The right is Meyer Lemons, blanched and wedged, de-seeded and salted. I used RealSalt sea salt for all of these.
The middle is Mexican Key Limes, halved, deseeded and salted. These are going to get some Guajillo Chile powder in a week.
The left is my "Quats". Kumquats, Limequats, and Madarinquats. They are all cut and de-seeded, except for the kumquats. I also sugared this batch in addition to salting it.
The bottom is my Shigefusa, my buddy for cooking fun. I should name it.

I'm not sure if these are going to give up enough liquid to cover themselves, but I'll deal with that tomorrow.


Also, I got my Sauerkraut going today. I don't have a ceramic crock, or money. So I borrowed some stuff from work(because the resto supply store is closed today). Thankfully, a 1gal lid fits inside an 2gal container closely.




It's shredded, but not super fine, with the hearts still in it--I want it to cruch!. It got sea salt and Juniper berries. It's not giving up tons of water yet, despite being beat up. 

I put the crock from my small electric crock pot on top, with rocks in it. The towel is to keep dust and bugs out, but this a city apartment, and I don't trust the roaches--so it got taped.





In the meantime, I picked up some Bubbie's pickles and sauerkraut today.

Can't wait to see what you guys are doing!


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## mr drinky (Jan 22, 2012)

Dang nice job, and I just started another post right when you did this one. Unfortunately, I didn't take any action photos. I'll post some jar photos in a bit (once I find my camera)

k.


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## Eamon Burke (Jan 22, 2012)

It's all good I'll copypasta.


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## apicius9 (Jan 28, 2012)

Here is my first project. I am psyched! Coudn't have come out better for the first attempt. 





More details in the no knead bread thread here: http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/4780-No-knead-bread?p=76321#post76321

Stefan


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## unkajonet (Jan 28, 2012)

That's a mighty fine looking piece o' bread you got there, Stefan.


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## Andrew H (Jan 28, 2012)

Boule!
Looks great, Stefan.


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## apicius9 (Feb 1, 2012)

o.k., a colleague just brought over a dozen Meyer lemons fresh and ripe from his tree, time for preserved lemons. I looked at the recipes again and decided I really prefer the clean lemon flavor, so I won't do one that adds all kinds of spices. I'll add white Hawaiian salt, just to stay local. What I was wondering, I have seen recipes that called for blanching the lemons and others didn't. So, what do I gain or lose by blanching? I have also usually seen the lemons cut into segments that were still held together, but separate wedges seems much more practical - any thoughts on that?

Stefan


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## Eamon Burke (Feb 1, 2012)

Ha! I just did all those things.

I forgot to report.

The limes were cut into quarters and not separated, but I think this is mostly for presentation. It didn't affect how they cured, especially since you pack salt in the cuts.

The Lemons were blanched, and they had a much softer rind, and therefore getting through the bitter part was a lot easier going.

Mine all got pretty dang gone bitter, almost too bitter to enjoy, except for the quats, which had sugar in them.

And then they grew mold. :crytissue:

Oh well, at least I got to taste them. You guys let me know if they get less bitter with time, I might try again! At least I have my Sauerkraut to comfort me, the brine got cloudy last couple days! I snuck a few pieces and like where it's going.


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## mr drinky (Feb 1, 2012)

I don't think blanching meyer lemons is necessary IMO. They already have a thin skin. I only tried my blanched ones so far and either I got the salt wrong when I halved the recipe or something else went wrong but my meyer lemons were REALLY SALTY. Maybe the lemons were tart enough to cut the salt either. Regardless, I would consider cutting the salt when using meyer lemons. 

I also bought some preserved lemons commercially a while back and they were pretty much whole with just some incisions in them. I don't think I would cut the lemons up into smaller pieces next time -- though it did make them easer to stuff in the jar. Unless that is you get those really thick skinned regular lemons. 

k.


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## mr drinky (Feb 1, 2012)

apicius9 said:


> Here is my first project. I am psyched! Coudn't have come out better for the first attempt.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Btw, that bread looks AMAZING. 

k.


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## Deckhand (Feb 2, 2012)

Currently reading, "on food and cooking, the professional chef, and the making of a chef." It's sounds fun. I will join. I have been wanting to get a tortilla press and make some tortillas. Also, some bouillabaisse in my new staub bouillabaisse pot.


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## Deckhand (Feb 2, 2012)

apicius9 said:


> Here is my first project. I am psyched! Coudn't have come out better for the first attempt.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The bread looks awesome that is on my list. Read a post last week on adding the sourdough, making the hatch marks, and using a pottery cover to make it turn out better.


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## dbesed (Feb 5, 2012)

This is my first try at making souffle and i never had it before . It puffed up beautiful, the only problem was that the center wasnt quite set. I followed the recipe time, so now im not sure, if it should be that way or do i need it to bake a little more?


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## sachem allison (Feb 6, 2012)

The center of a souffle shouldn't be set. That is the sauce for the souffle. you never want your souffle completely dry. if you have ever eaten a chocolate lava or molten cake you have eaten a souffle.


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## dbesed (Feb 6, 2012)

Than it was how it should be


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## mr drinky (Feb 6, 2012)

I think I am going to do the souffle thing next. I had an oatmeal souffle about 10 years ago that I still crave -- but I will probably try a couple different ones out. 

k.


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## Deckhand (Feb 6, 2012)

Lol my parents had a Julia Child cookbook with her autograph and loved to cook. They worked really hard on a Grand Marnier cognac souffle. My grandma came by an tasted it. She said it tasted kind of like perfume, but proceeded to eat the whole thing.


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## dbesed (Feb 6, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> I think I am going to do the souffle thing next. I had an oatmeal souffle about 10 years ago that I still crave -- but I will probably try a couple different ones out.
> 
> k.



Recipe please for the oatmeal one


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## Lucretia (Feb 6, 2012)

We had a winter storm that messed up our schedule, so instead of citrus pickles I'm working on pizza crust.

Started on the pizza crust a few days ago. We've made our own pizza for years, starting with the old Chef Boyardee kit when we graduated from college. Eventually graduated to making our own crust, but it wasn't where we wanted it to be--more like a crispy pretzel outside and soft inside, although the flavor was good. About a year ago, stumbled across Varsono's pizza http://www.varasanos.com/PizzaRecipe.htm with some great information on making crust, and things have improved mightily. The use of a poolish has really helped the flavor, and the texture is more of a good chew rather than crunchy.

Here's the poolish after sitting overnight--2 cups flour, 2 cups water, 1/4 tsp yeast:






We're still messing around with ingredients--different flours, yeasts, adding oatmeal, etc.--and haven't found the perfect crust yet. But we're moving in the right direction--for our taste. We like a lot of sauce and ingredients, and only have a regular oven, so no fancy little wood fired pies for us.

Usually make a triple batch, and throw the extras in the freezer for later use. I think this batch had too much high protein flour and got a little over-kneaded. It's not as smooth as I'd like it, but we'll see how it comes out tonite....here is it fresh out of the mixer. It's been sitting in the refrigerator for a few days---about to go take it out to come up to temp for baking.


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## Lucretia (Feb 7, 2012)

Pizza Pizza! Not the best ever, but not half bad. This is the style we like--gloppy and gooey. This is a knife and fork pizza rather than one you'd pick up to eat. The dough would probably work with a more classic lighter style, too. Next time I'll probably replace some of the high-protein flour with AP flour. It was a bit of a fight to spread the dough. Alot of spread/shrink/wait/repeat. This time I used Fleischmann's instant yeast--I think I like the flavor of SAF better. And I should have brushed some olive oil on the crust. The sauce also needed to reduce some more. Guess we'll just have to eat another round...:hungry2: I really like the holes in the crust. It's light and chewy rather than crispy and pretzel-like. The 3 days in the refrigerator really adds to the flavor, but it's not sour at all.

The finished product:





Really like the hole structure in this crust: 





Ready to eat!


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## Johnny.B.Good (Feb 7, 2012)

That looks delicious Lucretia.

De-lic-ious.


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## PierreRodrigue (Feb 7, 2012)

Have you tried the Fleischmann's pizza yeast, it adds a more typical "pizza crust" flavor if that makes sense. I have a couple crust and sauce recipes I have gathered if any one is interested.


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## DeepCSweede (Feb 7, 2012)

Please share - That is on my list of things to learn.
Thanks Pierre

Eric


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## Johnny.B.Good (Feb 7, 2012)

DeepCSweede said:


> Please share - That is on my list of things to learn.



+1


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## don (Feb 7, 2012)

I'm on day 2 of preserved lemons, and things are looking okay. Pictures aren't that impressive, maybe I'll post after day 5 after I top off with olive oil.

Need to make pizza too, been many years since we've made homemade pizza. Will do that next. Then oatmeal souffle. Thanks for all the ideas.


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## Deckhand (Feb 7, 2012)

PierreRodrigue said:


> Have you tried the Fleischmann's pizza yeast, it adds a more typical "pizza crust" flavor if that makes sense. I have a couple crust and sauce recipes I have gathered if any one is interested.


+2


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## PierreRodrigue (Feb 7, 2012)

Now, by no means am I sure this is a Chicago style sauce, nor am I saying this is the best crust out there, but I do use both recipes often, and myself and family really enjoy both. I hope you guys do as well.


Pizza Crust
&#12288;
Ingredients
2 tablespoons sugar 
1 tablespoon kosher salt 
1 tablespoon pure olive oil 
3/4 cup warm water 
2 cups bread flour (for bread machines) 
1 teaspoon instant yeast 
2 teaspoons olive oil 
Olive oil, for the pizza crust 
Flour, for dusting the pizza peel 
Toppings:
1 1/2 ounces pizza sauce 
1/2 teaspoon each chopped fresh herbs such as thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, for example 
A combination of 3 grated cheeses such as mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and provolone 
Directions
Place the sugar, salt, olive oil, water, 1 cup of flour, yeast, and remaining cup of flour into the mixer's work bowl. 
Using the paddle attachment, start the mixer on low and mix until the dough just comes together, forming a ball. Lube the hook attachment with cooking spray. Attach the hook to the mixer and knead for 15 minutes on medium speed. 
Tear off a small piece of dough and flatten into a disc. Stretch the dough until thin. Hold it up to the light and look to see if the baker's windowpane, or taut membrane, has formed. If the dough tears before it forms, knead the dough for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. 
Roll the pizza dough into a smooth ball on the countertop. Place into a stainless steel or glass bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the bowl and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours. 
Place the pizza stone or tile onto the bottom of a cold oven and turn the oven to its highest temperature, about 500 degrees F. If the oven has coils on the oven floor, place the tile onto the lowest rack of the oven. 
Split the pizza dough into 2 equal parts using a knife or a dough scraper. Flatten into a disk onto the countertop and then fold the dough into a ball. 
Wet hands barely with water and rub them onto the countertop to dampen the surface. Roll the dough on the surface until it tightens. Cover one ball with a tea towel and rest for 30 minutes. 
Repeat the steps with the other piece of dough. If not baking the remaining pizza immediately, spray the inside of a ziptop bag with cooking spray and place the dough ball into the bag. Refrigerate for up to 6 days. 
Sprinkle the flour onto the peel and place the dough onto the peel. Using your hands, form a lip around the edges of the pizza. Stretch the dough into a round disc, rotating after each stretch. Toss the dough in the air if you dare. Shake the pizza on the peel to be sure that it will slide onto the pizza stone or tile. (Dress and bake the pizza immediately for a crisp crust or rest the dough for 30 minutes if you want a chewy texture.) 
Brush the rim of the pizza with olive oil. Spread the pizza sauce evenly onto the pizza. Sprinkle the herbs onto the pizza and top with the cheese. 
Slide the pizza onto the tile and bake for 7 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. Rest for 3 minutes before slicing



Chicago Style Pizza Sauce
Ingredients
1 cn Tomato sauce; (28 oz.) 
OR
1 16 ounce can of sauce with 
1 cn (6 0z) tomato paste 
6 oz Water; (or less for thicker 
SEASONINGS
1/2 ts Salt; (optional) 
1/2 ts Garlic powder 
2 ts Italian seasoning
2 ts Fennel seed 
2 ts Onion powder 
1 tb Sugar 
Instructions
Mix all the ingredients and allow to set for at least 30 minutes before use. The Fennel Seed is a key to the flavor!! Fresh herbs in season replace the Italian seasoning. Finely minced fresh onion can replace the onion powder. If you like, you can omit the salt and add a few chopped anchovy fillets or 2 teaspoons of anchovy paste.


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## PierreRodrigue (Feb 7, 2012)

Now this might not be the best place to put this but there were a few people trying no knead breads, check out this link... there are a few different recipes and techniques for artisan breads.

http://www.fornobravo.com/PDF/hearth_bread.pdf


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## Lucretia (Feb 7, 2012)

I've become a member of the Cult of Frozen Tomatoes. During the summer I hit the farmers' market and buy up crates of tomatoes. The beefsteaks and canning tomatoes get blanched, peeled, cored, and tossed into quart and gallon size bags in the freezer. The romas get split, drizzled with olive oil and salt, and dried in a 200 degree F convection oven for 7 or 8 hours--they're still fairly soft, but dry. Then they get put into small bags and into the freezer. For soups or stews I'll use canned tomatoes, but I love the fresh taste of the frozen ones in a tomato sauce. We like a little sweetness to the sauce and have used sugar in the past, but this last batch I used fennel bulb, some sweet onion, and carrot instead--it came out a little better. This sauce can be used on pizza, or add meatballs, sausage, or whatever makes you happy and have it with pasta.

~ 1 gallon frozen or fresh summer tomatoes, or equivalent canned
~ 1/2-1 cup dried tomatoes or 1 sm can tomato paste
1 bulb fennel, coarsely chopped (include stems and leaves)-
1/4-1/2 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped
A couple carrots, coarsely chopped
Fresh garlic--several cloves--as much as you like--you got it, coarsely chopped
Large bunch fresh basil. Remove large perfect leaves and set aside. Break the stems and remaining leaves into pieces
organo to taste--not a lot
salt to taste 
pepper to taste
fennel seed to taste
~ 1 Tbsp worchestershire sauce, to taste
The secret ingredient--chili sesame oil--a tablespoon or so, to taste
olive oil

Saute the onions and carrots in olive oil until they start to soften. Add the garlic and fennel bulb (include the leaves and stems). Saute a little more. Add your tomatos, paste, and basil stems, salt, pepper, fennel seed, worchestershire and chili oil (everything except the basil leaves). Puree it with an immersion blender, and cook it about a half and hour over medium heat or until it reaches a good sauce consistency. Adjust seasonings. Add the whole basil leaves and cook a few minutes more.

This makes more than you need for a pizza, but bag the remains and toss it back in the freezer. Then all you have to do it pull it out for more pizza, spaghetti, etc.


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## Lucretia (Feb 7, 2012)

PierreRodrigue said:


> Have you tried the Fleischmann's pizza yeast, it adds a more typical "pizza crust" flavor if that makes sense. I have a couple crust and sauce recipes I have gathered if any one is interested.


 
It got a good review at thefreshloaf.com, too. I'll have to look for it. I mail-order yeast by the pound so I don't usually look at the display at the grocery.


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## Eamon Burke (Feb 7, 2012)

I was unaware there were people out there not using Fleishmann's without trying. Crazy! I thought it was the Hunt's Cannned Tomatoes of yeast.


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## Lucretia (Feb 8, 2012)

:laugh: Lots of memories of Fleischmann's and pizza dough. Dad used to make pizza about once every 18 months or so. Seems like the Fleischmann's came with 3 packets/box. Mom didn't bake much at all, so when dad went to make pizza, he'd pull out this nasty, dust-encrusted, out of date package of yeast (that was stored directly above the stove, no less) then throw an absolute fit when his crust didn't rise. Mom would have to run out and buy more, and then the rest of it would go right back up above the stove to go through the same exercise the next time there was a pizza attempt.

These days my favorite yeast is SAF Red instant yeast. Really dependable stuff, and good flavor.


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## Eamon Burke (Feb 8, 2012)

Lucretia said:


> :laugh: Lots of memories of Fleischmann's and pizza dough. Dad used to make pizza about once every 18 months or so. Seems like the Fleischmann's came with 3 packets/box. Mom didn't bake much at all, so when dad went to make pizza, he'd pull out this nasty, dust-encrusted, out of date package of yeast (that was stored directly above the stove, no less) then throw an absolute fit when his crust didn't rise. Mom would have to run out and buy more, and then the rest of it would go right back up above the stove to go through the same exercise the next time there was a pizza attempt.



HA! Boy do I know that story. Nice one.


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## Tristan (Feb 9, 2012)

I think this thread is amazing! Can we have 2 themes of the month? That way we are more streamlined into helping each other. I'm skipping pickling, but I'll definitely start breads, which is the unofficial hit of the month! Pictures to come after this weekend's foray...


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## don (Feb 10, 2012)

Since we're also doing bread, here's something I made last weekend - 100% whole wheat.












The lemon preserve is going well. One more day and I top with olive oil for storage. Hurray, preserved lemons.


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## The Edge (Feb 10, 2012)

That bread looks amazing, but I think we need a recipe to go with it!


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## don (Feb 10, 2012)

Thanks!

Here's the recipe, which is 1/2 the amount of Peter Reinhart's no knead 100% whole wheat hearth bread with minor variations. Stefan's bread inspired me to make a whole wheat bread.

Recipe for 2 personal size boules, I use a Lodge Combo Cooker.

Ingredients:

397 grams of King Arther white wheat flour (that's the wheat available in my supermarket)
7 grams of salt
5 grams of instant yeast
5 grams of malt powder (totally optional, my addition)
15 grams of agave nector (or honey)
15 grams of olive oil
312 grams of warm water (95 degrees F)

Advance (30 minutes total, 15 minutes active):

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl.
Combine warm water, agave hector and oil in a bowl, and mix.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix.
Mix until dough comes together and there are no dry clumps. 
Cover in plastic and let rest for 10 minutes.
With your hands or a rubber scraper, stretch and fold the dough while in the bowl.
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Store in fridge at least overnight.

Baking Day (2 hours total, 15 minutes active):

Take the dough out of the fridge.
Slightly dust the top of the dough in the bowl and dust the work surface.
Transfer the dough to the work surface so that the floured dough rests against the floured surface.
Degas the dough by lifting underneath the dough and stretching it slightly and making it larger in diameter.
Cut the dough in half. You can make both immediately, or simply bake one and return the other 1/2 to the fridge (folding to a round beforehand)
With the dough you plan on baking, form a boule and dust the top lightly with flour.
If you have a proofing basket, dust it with flour, and place the dough so seam side is up. Cover with plastic wrap.
You&#8217;ll want the final rise to be 1.5 hours or when the dough has risen 1.5x the original size.
45 minutes before baking time, place the combo cooker in the oven and set to 500 degrees.
After the final rise, carefully invert the proofing basket onto a peel.
Score the dough.
Take out the combo cooker, and place the dough in the shallow pan. Cover with the deeper pot and return to the oven.
Lower the over to 450 degrees.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Uncover the combo cooker, and bake for 10 more minutes.
After 30 minutes of total baking, take the bread out of the oven and rest a wire rack. Internal temp should be 210 degrees F.


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## Eamon Burke (Feb 10, 2012)

Harvested the kraut! It's uber mild, but hopefully my wife won't eat it all before I get back home.

That breadlooks perfect.


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## DeepCSweede (Feb 10, 2012)

BurkeCutlery said:


> Harvested the kraut! It's uber mild, but hopefully my wife won't eat it all before I get back home.
> 
> That breadlooks perfect.



I was actually going to ask you about the Kraut today. Hopefully your wife will save you some. Mild sounds good.


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## Andrew H (Feb 10, 2012)

397 grams of flour, 312 grams of water. Are you a scientist by chance?


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## Deckhand (Feb 10, 2012)

BurkeCutlery said:


> Harvested the kraut! It's uber mild, but hopefully my wife won't eat it all before I get back home.
> 
> That breadlooks perfect.



After watching you. I need try try this. I have a weakness for good Reuben's. Would be better with my own kraut.


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## don (Feb 10, 2012)

Andrew H said:


> 397 grams of flour, 312 grams of water. Are you a scientist by chance?



Hahaha, nope. After many many inconsistent breads using Cup measurement, I switched over to weighing. Kicking myself for not moving over sooner. They always say that baking is more like a science, I just didn't 100% embrace it. Now, I'm firmly in the weigh everything camp.



BurkeCutlery said:


> Harvested the kraut! It's uber mild, but hopefully my wife won't eat it all before I get back home.



I wanted to pickle more. I feel like 2012, pickles are going to be very popular.


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## Lucretia (Feb 10, 2012)

don said:


> Hahaha, nope. After many many inconsistent breads using Cup measurement, I switched over to weighing. Kicking myself for not moving over sooner. They always say that baking is more like a science, I just didn't 100% embrace it. Now, I'm firmly in the weigh everything camp..



Funny how things work. I was a scientist for a couple of decades, and use cup/tsp/tbsp measurements and go by look/feel. The bread might not be perfectly consistent, but it's pretty close and allows for experimentation. Maybe I just got all the precision out of my system. Now it's more fun just to play around with it.


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## don (Feb 10, 2012)

double post.


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## mr drinky (Feb 10, 2012)

Tristan said:


> I think this thread is amazing! Can we have 2 themes of the month? That way we are more streamlined into helping each other. I'm skipping pickling, but I'll definitely start breads, which is the unofficial hit of the month! Pictures to come after this weekend's foray...



Tristan, you are more than welcome to take part. And I think we should make the other techniques for the rest of Feb and March: Bread and Pizza Crust. Lucretia's crust and Stefan and Don's boule are making my mouth water. 

k.


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## don (Feb 10, 2012)

Lucretia said:


> Funny how things work. I was a scientist for a couple of decades, and use cup/tsp/tbsp measurements and go by look/feel. The bread might not be perfectly consistent, but it's pretty close and allows for experimentation. Maybe I just got all the precision out of my system. Now it's more fun just to play around with it.



Agreed that once you get a baseline, then you can experiment. My baseline was a complete mess, so I was just scratching my head. Now that I have a system in place, I can tweak. And feel better about the tweaks. 

Yeah, it's all about comfort. I'm not selling my food, so 100% consistency is not that important. Most of my experiments, friends and family will eat. If it's really too much, I have a bread loving dog.


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## WildBoar (Feb 11, 2012)

We had a little pizza party last night. I think we made 6 different ones, but only remnants of 4 were left at the end for the photo shoot.


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## SpikeC (Feb 11, 2012)

Thems are some purrty remnants, boy-howdy!!


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## mr drinky (Feb 11, 2012)

I have to do pizza next. Great work.

k.


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## Johnny.B.Good (Feb 11, 2012)

That pizza looks amazing.

I'm going shopping for supplies today (stone and peel).


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## slowtyper (Feb 11, 2012)

I haven't been following the thread, but I will be. Just bought 24 meyer lemons. Never had one in my life...


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## slowtyper (Feb 14, 2012)

Okay forgive me if this is a dumb question but its not immediate to me...about preserving meyer lemons and such.

Say I am using the following recipe as a guide


> * 4 large (about 6 ounces each) lemons (preferably thin-skinned), scrubbed
> * 2/3 cup coarse salt
> * 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 5 large lemons)
> * olive oil
> ...



So it says you use about 4 lemons cut into 1/8s and the juice of 5 lemons...but what do you do with the rinds of the 5 lemons that you juiced? If you are just going for the rind after all is said and done, why wouldn't you add those to the preserve as well?


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## DeepCSweede (Feb 20, 2012)

Ok. After a month of 80 hour work weeks, new foster kids, travelling and preparing a flat at one of my duplex properties for a new tenant. I finally got two hours to myself on Sunday and instead of taking a nap which I sorely needed, I decided to try Pierre's recipe for cinnamon rolls. Now I am no baker by any means and that became apparent by the finished product. I believe that I used too much flour in rolling out the roll and also probably didn't go as thin as I should have. I probably should have rolled it a little tighter and put them in a pan where they could have grown into each other. I also cooked it for about 2-3 minutes more than I should have. They turned out just slightly drier than they should have. The finished product was actually very crumbly like a good southern biscuit and tasty. Due to the dryness I decided to make a cream cheese frosting which really turned it into a hit with my new 3 year old foster boy. I didn't get any decent pictures, so nothing to share but my happiness that I finally got to do something. I am hoping this weekend I will have enough time to do the hot pickled mexican style carrots, onions and peppers.


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## DeepCSweede (Feb 20, 2012)

Ok. After a month of 80 hour work weeks, new foster kids, travelling and preparing a flat at one of my duplex properties for a new tenant. I finally got two hours to myself on Sunday and instead of taking a nap which I sorely needed, I decided to try Pierre's recipe for cinnamon rolls. Now I am no baker by any means and that became apparent by the finished product. I believe that I used too much flour in rolling out the roll and also probably didn't go as thin as I should have. I probably should have rolled it a little tighter and put them in a pan where they could have grown into each other. I also cooked it for about 2-3 minutes more than I should have. They turned out just slightly dry and the finished product was actually very crumbly like a good southern biscuit and very tasty. Due to the slight dryness I decided to make a cream cheese frosting which really turned it into a hit with my new 3 year old foster boy. I didn't get any decent pictures, so nothing to share but my happiness that I finally got to do something. Thank you Pierre for sharing the recipe.

I am hoping this weekend I will have enough time to do the hot pickled mexican style carrots, onions and peppers.


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## PierreRodrigue (Feb 20, 2012)

If I understood correctly... you only need a dusting on the counter, just enough to stop it from sticking. Roll out to about 1/4" even thinner if your willing. Depending on which you use, margerine and butter will change the texture. You want to roll it relatively snug. Not tight enough so it will tear. Leave at least 1/2" between each roll, and the sides of the pan. Watch the time in the oven, those 2-3 mins, make a big difference to the retained moisture. Mine are quite moist, as I tend to go a minute or two short on time. I used to use a tooth pick to check for doneness, now I go by color and smell!


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## dragonlord (Feb 26, 2012)

Perfect pizza crust recipie is the same as a basic white bread recipie. 

500grams strong white bread flour
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried ready to use yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
275ml hand hot water

If you're using a stand food mixer keep back about 1 cup of flour for later.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and add the oil to water.

Hand instructions 
Next make a well in the Center of the flour.
Slowly incorporate the water into the flour until the a soft dough forms. (this may not take all the water)
Kneed on a floured surface for 5 minutes

Machine instructions
Slowly add the water with the machine on a low speed (1 or 2 on a kitchen aid)
Once all the water has been added, start adding the reserved flour back until the dough is cleaning the sides of the bowl.
Leave to run for 5 minutes to kneed.

Joint instructions

Leave in the bowl covered with clingfilm in a warm place until the dough has risen to double it's size.

For thin crust pizza bases, divide the dough into 4 kneed them into balls and cover with greased clingfilm or a damp teatowel
Once they have again doubled in size they are ready for use.

For thick crust, roll out the dough to fit your pan (should be about 9" across), oil the pan (don't forget the sides), a tip to check if it is oiled properly, hold it up to the light at an angle and rotate the pan, any un oiled spots should be easy to see. Prick the base with a fork all over and add the base to the pan. Wait for the base to double in height. Then follow the below instructions.

Pre-heat the oven as hot as you can make it, and roll each base out as thin as you can without tearing it. Prick it all over with a fork, add your tomato base, cheese and toppings (remember that with toppings, less is more if you want a crisly base) and put on a stone or baking tray at the top of the oven for about 5 minutes or the crust is cooked. Serve immediately.


Splunge (tomato sauce) - this is the name we used for this when I worked in an Italian pizzeria 

1 tin peeled plum tomatoes ( drained)
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon garlic purée
1 teaspoon tomatoe purée
1 teaspoon mixed herbs or Italian seasoning
1 pinch of salt

Add the tomatoes and purées to a food processor, and blend. Pour into a bowl, add herbs, onion and salt. Leave for a few hours.

You'll only need about 1 tablespoon or less per pizza.


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## dragonlord (Feb 26, 2012)

Btw, count me in from next month


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## mr drinky (Apr 6, 2012)

Ok, I am bumping this thread. I must admit that I have been remiss in my duties and feel like a forum d-bag -- but oh well... When you are gone from home for 6 of 8 weeks, cooking gets tough. 

Anyhow, tonight I made pizza dough and my own homemade pizza. This has been a goal of mine for years, and I still want to perfect the dough process so I always have dough in the fridge ready to go. 

The results (though not really round) were amazing. I actually feel like crap right now because I couldn't stop eating.

So I used this recipe from The Fresh Loaf for my dough. I also read through some chowhound posts and took their tip to reduce the tomato sauce more towards a paste to avoid the soggy middle. It worked very nicely. I used some organic tomato paste and then drained and pulsed some san marzano tomatoes to add a bit of chunk to the sauce, and reduced it. For the sauce I also added some Rancho Gordo oregano and garlic powder. 

The first pizza had spicy Italian sausage, caramelized onions, and yellow bell peppers with a cheese mix. This was my favorite. My daughter did three-cheese pizza, and my second one was tomato, feta, basil and some yellow bell pepper. 

There are some things that change a person, and this might be one of them. Frozen pizza will probably be in the past (except when in-laws come). 

k.


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## Johnny.B.Good (Apr 6, 2012)

Killer.

I have to do this.


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## don (Apr 6, 2012)

Ah, pizza would be great this weekend. Thanks for posting.

I also have lots of preserved lemons. What has everyone been using it with?


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## Eamon Burke (Apr 6, 2012)

Ah, homemade stone baked pizza. How I yearn for thee! We used to meet, right here in my house, once a week. Then we moved to a home with a gas oven, oh, the anticipation!

But alas, it was for naught! My wife is now off of gluten, casein, lactose, and eggs. *hangs head* The pizza in my life is covered by a dark cloud.


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## mr drinky (Apr 6, 2012)

don said:


> I also have lots of preserved lemons. What has everyone been using it with?



I'm a bit scared to taste mine until I have my will and testament finalized. Should be in three weeks  Mine look a bit scary and my first taste was way too salty. I think I got the proportions wrong. 

stop...

Ok, I just tried them. They are ok, but they were too salty. In the past I have used preserved lemons with green beens. Mine are too salty. The calamondins I pickled are better in that they still are mostly acid zing and not salt, but they are so delicate that they are like a mushy orange ball of citrus salt. I can always add it to a vinaigrette I guess and just reduce the salt. 

k.


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## SpikeC (Apr 6, 2012)

BurkeCutlery said:


> Ah, homemade stone baked pizza. How I yearn for thee! We used to meet, right here in my house, once a week. Then we moved to a home with a gas oven, oh, the anticipation!
> 
> But alas, it was for naught! My wife is now off of gluten, casein, lactose, and eggs. *hangs head* The pizza in my life is covered by a dark cloud.



This is indeed a sad account. I am trying a reduced gluten regimen, but the thought of no pizza is unacceptable!


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## Eamon Burke (Apr 6, 2012)

It hurts physically.


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## mr drinky (Apr 6, 2012)

My wife's side of the family has celiac disease and about half of them cannot eat gluten. A couple of nights ago we went out with one of them and she was able to order a gluten free pizza at a pizza place. I trust that Eamon can figure out a work around on this one.

k.


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## sachem allison (Apr 6, 2012)

BurkeCutlery said:


> Ah, homemade stone baked pizza. How I yearn for thee! We used to meet, right here in my house, once a week. Then we moved to a home with a gas oven, oh, the anticipation!
> 
> But alas, it was for naught! My wife is now off of gluten, casein, lactose, and eggs. *hangs head* The pizza in my life is covered by a dark cloud.


 Eamon,
Go to www.glutenfreegirl.com it will save your life with the pizza cravings and all the other recipes there. Life doesn't have to suck for you and the wife. give it a try the recipes are simple and damn good for the most part. you won't miss a thing.
son


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## slowtyper (Apr 6, 2012)

I also have 3 large mason jars filled with preserved meyer lemons. I have no idea what to do with them....


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## mr drinky (Apr 6, 2012)

slowtyper said:


> I also have 3 large mason jars filled with preserved meyer lemons. I have no idea what to do with them....



Anything that calls for citrus zest is good for preserved lemons. I've even added it to scrambled eggs, and often use it with green veggies like green beans and edamame. 

k.


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## tk59 (Apr 7, 2012)

BurkeCutlery said:


> ...But alas, it was for naught! My wife is now off of gluten, casein, lactose, and eggs. *hangs head* The pizza in my life is covered by a dark cloud.


My daughter is sensitive to milk... I feel your pain.


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## WildBoar (Apr 12, 2012)

I can't take credit for these -- my wife made them a little while back:


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## Johnny.B.Good (Apr 15, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> So I used this recipe from The Fresh Loaf for my dough. I also read through some chowhound posts and took their tip to reduce the tomato sauce more towards a paste to avoid the soggy middle. It worked very nicely. I used some organic tomato paste and then drained and pulsed some san marzano tomatoes to add a bit of chunk to the sauce, and reduced it. For the sauce I also added some Rancho Gordo oregano and garlic powder.



I think I'll give this a try soon. I was watching "America's Test Kitchen" this morning on PBS and they did a NY style thin crust pizza. So now I'm in the mood and your pictures are motivating me.

Couple quick questions about the dough recipe you used: 
1) Sugar or honey?
2) Table salt or kosher salt?
3) How did you proof the dough? At room temperature on the counter top or in the refrigerator? What did you put the dough in and how long did you wait?


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## mr drinky (Apr 15, 2012)

Johnny.B.Good said:


> Couple quick questions about the dough recipe you used:
> 1) Sugar or honey?
> 2) Table salt or kosher salt?
> 3) How did you proof the dough? At room temperature on the counter top or in the refrigerator? What did you put the dough in and how long did you wait?



** honey **
** table **
** I proofed all of them on the counter and then put two of the portions in the fridge. I found that the loaves from the fridge (after initial proofing on the counter) were easier to form. **

** I did the zip bag thing. I just divided the dough in four and sprayed some cooking spray in the bag to proof/store **

BTW, my next step is making some no kneed dough so I can have daily bread in the morning. I am (right now) looking at the book: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and will try this early in the week. This week I will do a general bread, but next week I want to do their pizza dough. The idea is that you make a big batch, keep it in the fridge, and just break off what you need each day. The pizza dough lasts for 12 days in the fridge. That would be cool. 

k.


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## Johnny.B.Good (Apr 15, 2012)

Thanks Karring.

I'll give it a shot and let everyone know how it turns out.


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## mr drinky (Apr 19, 2012)

So the next thing I tried was no-knead bread from that book, Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. I like it, and it's nice to just have bread dough in the fridge to make a fresh loaf every other day. After this batch is done, I am going to do their pizza dough recipe, so I can have pizza dough at the ready.

After my dough, I am going to do egg stuff. I saw Thomas Keller's way of poaching eggs recently in a food magazine, and David Chang's 5:10 soft-boiled eggs have long appealed to me.

k.


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## Lucretia (Jun 8, 2012)

Planning to try ballotine tonight, and the bones are out of the chicken, but I can't find my :curse: butcher's twine to tie it up. Going to have to use skewers instead, so it probably won't be pretty. Deboning the chicken was pretty straightforward. There's a dandy Jacques Pepin video that shows step by step how to do it. 




Thinking maybe some garlic, leek, breadcrumbs, mushrooms, and tarragon for the stuffing.

Film at 11.


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## sachem allison (Jun 8, 2012)

beautiful work!


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## SpikeC (Jun 8, 2012)

The Ballottine is the Official KKF Chicken, you know..............


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## Lucretia (Jun 9, 2012)

Thanks, Son! Well, that was a learning experience. Some notes for next time--first, make sure you have butcher's twine. And if you don't, make sure your skewer is shorter than your roasting pan (oops!)

​


Looks pretty inside, although it was a little over done.

​

Nothing that can't be fixed with some pan drippings, potatoes roasted under the chicken, and some broccolini sauteed with olive oil & garlic.

​

For two people, it might be more trouble than it's worth, and I think I prefer the flavor of the meat cooked on the bone. The stuffing ended up being a mix of vidalia sweet onions sweated in butter and browned, mushrooms, garlic, crumbs from a homemade loaf of bread, tarragon, a little dijon mustard, some sherry, S&P, and some spinach for color. I'd make the stuffing again and just put in under the skin on a whole bird. For a dinner party or for serving several people, I might try a ballotine again. For 2, I'd just get some chicken breast quarters & bone & stuff them. Really glad I tried it--it was fun, and much less difficult than expected.


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## Lucretia (Jun 9, 2012)

There was one other problem I had with this dish--it kept reminding me of a Hitchcock short story that scared the bejeezus out of me when I was a kid--don't rememer the details, but the victim had his bones devoured by a monster while he was still alive--the punch line was his wife had stepped on jellyfish when she was a kid, but they'd never called her name...

The boneless blob of chicken was kinda creepy!


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## birdeye (Jun 9, 2012)

This round seems to be almost at it's end, but if there's still room in the club I'd be interested in joining.


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## mano (Jun 9, 2012)

Lucretia, that looks great! Nice improvising with skewers.

Check out these links:

http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/899-Chicken-Galantine-Ballotine?p=10586&highlight=#post10586

http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/1018-Ballotine!!?p=12732&highlight=#post12732


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## sachem allison (Jun 9, 2012)

Lucretia said:


> Thanks, Son! Well, that was a learning experience. Some notes for next time--first, make sure you have butcher's twine. And if you don't, make sure your skewer is shorter than your roasting pan (oops!)
> 
> View attachment 7740​
> looks yummy,
> ...



looks yummy


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## mr drinky (Jun 9, 2012)

Lucretia said:


> The boneless blob of chicken was kinda creepy!



Creepiness aside, that looks amazing. Well done.

With pictures like this and an underused honesuki in my drawer, I'm going to have to get on the ball. What are some other chicken techniques? I guess grilled chicken paillard would be another option.

k.


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