Basilette's Profile
Great recipes for a whole duck?
We have a nice 4-pound duck from a local farmer to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner this year. I'd love to try a fancy new recipe, but the vast majority of duck recipes are for either the breast or legs alone, not for the whole bird. I'd rather roast it whole for the sake of presentation. We've had good luck in the past with a steam-roasting method from Julia Child that makes both the legs and breast come out right, so I'm not worried about that.
Anyone have some recipes or ideas for the whole duck?
Korea House
I've been to Korea House loads of times and never noticed any problem with cleanliness. You go to this place for one thing - the chance to roast your own squid and duck on a grill in the middle of your table. It's a great place to take a group and indulge in grilled meat, a bit of sushi and veggie tempura. The sweet potato noodles, however, ARE a bit gummy and probably "too Korean" for my gringo tastes!
Where to get seafood - and know what you're getting?
I'd like to find a reliable place in town that carries seafood that comes from sustainable stock - and where the employees are knowledgeable about the product. I love my seafood, but I really want to be responsible about what I buy, and to do that, you often have to know where the fish is from, whether if was farmed or wild-caught, and what fishing methods were used. Central Market has a wide selection of fish and shellfish, but the employees there don't always know exactly where the items are from, or what fishing methods are used to harvest them. I've tried out Quality Seafood, but even there I got really discouraged by the presence of Chilean sea bass. Dude, no one should be selling that stuff. It's like eating unicorns. Anyone know of a better seafood seller in Austin?
Wines for fall
Zinfandel is the wine of choice for one of the favorite fall/winter meals at our house - homemade macaroni and cheese served with roasted beets! The first fall beets are just about ready to come out of the garden, so we'll be making this soon. Try it, it's a great way to class up mac n' cheese, and a great vegetarian meal for red wine.
Wines for fall
The fall season has officially begun, and it's finally feeling autumnal here in central Texas. I love my crisp whites and roses, but after enduring the second-hottest summer on record here, I'm ready to toss the Vinho Verde and start eating some meatier meals with more substantial wines.
What are some of your favorite wines to complement fall flavors and produce? I'm thinking apples, winter squashes, carrots and parsnips, broccoli and brussels sprouts, pumpkin, pecans, cranberries, chard and mustard greens, sunchokes, wild mushrooms, sweet potatoes ... just to name a few.
Need ideas for adjusting Mexican pork recipe
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone - I will indeed try the lower cooking temp. Sounds like the recipe I followed was a bit wonky on that. We did leave on the fat, and the meat stayed wrapped in banana leaves the whole time.
I'll be cooking this over the weekend for some visiting friends, using a 5 1/2 lb shoulder roast of feral hog meat I got from the farmers' market. It's plenty fatty. At any rate, I know the flavor will be awesome - so glad I discovered this dish!
Need ideas for adjusting Mexican pork recipe
I'm fairly new to cooking red meat - only recently started trying some locally raised stuff. Last weekend I made a Mexican pork recipe that involved rubbing chunks of pork shoulder with a spice blend and citrus juice, wrapping in banana leaves, marinating for 6 hours, then roasting for about 3 hours at 400 degrees. The texture and flavors were incredible - but the meat could have been more moist. How can I increase the moisture without dulling the flavor of the dish? Any suggestions appreciated!
Tomitillos
I like tomatillos sliced fresh on salads with Mexican flavors. If you can find a variety called "pineapple tomatillos," they have a pineappley sweetness and are especially delicious raw. You can find seeds for this variety from Cook's Garden and probably some other seed companies.
Too Much Basil
Thai basil is best for Thai/Vietnamese dishes, but standard basil is wonderful stir fried with chicken in a Chinese-style dish. Google any recipe for "basil chicken" and you'll find something. We've made it with a relatively simple, soy and chicken stock base, and used up about 5 handfuls of basil!
what to do w/fresh figs besides gobbling?
One more simple fig dessert/appetizer for you:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/warm-figs-with-feta-and-basil
This works best with black Missions. I grow Celeste figs in my backyard, which are small and green, and they were not sweet enough, so I simply added more honey and used a smaller basil leaf and smaller pieces of feta in each. Scrumptious!
Mint in recipes...what kind?
Indeed, use spearmint for everything except maybe candy or desserts. Peppermint will give you an almost toothpasty flavor (there's nothing worse than a mojito made with peppermint! agh!) I find that you can usually get away with using orange mint or pineapple mint in recipes that call for spearmint, if you like those flavors and think they will complement the recipe. For lamb chops, I'd definitely stick with spearmint. Lemon mint tends to hint at the flavor of a cough drop - save that one for hot toddies!
1995 Moet et Chandon Brut Imperial
Well, at the very least it's been stored on its side, in a small wooden box. We didn't have any special place to store wine, so we kept it on a pantry shelf. It DID endure a cross-country move in a U-Haul trailer. I guess my question is, could it get any WORSE if we hold onto it longer? It's now still in the box, in the coolest room of our house (low 70s).
1995 Moet et Chandon Brut Imperial
Hi everyone - I'm new to the wine boards, and somewhat new to wine but a very enthusiastic learner/drinker.
We have a 1995 vintage Brut Imperial from Moet et Chandon, purchased during my boyfriend's trip to Champagne during college. How long can/should we hold onto this wine? He didn't know much about wine when he bought it and just packed it away, and we rediscovered it during a recent move.
What to do with leftover duck?
Hm, Asian flavors sound good ... maybe I'll go with the soup idea. Though I know my boyfriend will INSIST on making sliders if he hears that idea.
What to do with leftover duck?
The boyfriend and I got a whole, 5-pound duck from the farmer's market on Sunday and roasted it. Delicious ... but there is a lot left. What are some entrees I can make with carved-up/shredded bits of leftover duck meat? We already made duck quesadillas, which were just eh. The lighter the better - it's too balmy here in Austin, Texas for any hearty stews or gumbos.
Any ideas?
Spiraling Toward Valentines Night
New to the boards here, hellos all around ...
The boyfriend and I ordered some heart-shaped lobster ravioli from Pasta & Co. on Kerbey Lane. Cheesy, yes, but eating at home means we can drink all the bubbly we want on the cheap. And isn't bubbly what Valentine's Day is all about?
