I, too, was waiting to learn how to reliably separate the girls from the boys because I love the coral. A seafood merchant once told that female lobsters had more "feathery" swimmerets while male lobsters were more barb-like. And I have usually gotten lobsters with coral. But I live in Minneapolis, so what do I know?

Caroline, can't wait to put this together. But I am stymied. I thought French lentils were green Puy lentils and I see the recipe calls for French black lentils which I thought were beluga lentils. Please advise; which ones did you use? Texture matters here and I want to get it right. Many thanks!

Gotta hurry up and make this so I can poach some eggs in this and serve it over some toasted ciabatta...

More Kenji Grill-ology! May have been there/done that, but never with the insight and Science Guy eye behind it. And I pick up as much from the post-chatter and K L-A's responses as from the actual write up. So, thanks to all.

Here is what I have learned having done this type of approach before (and having a husband who is kraut adverse. I know...): Pop those brats/sausages in your Foodsaver bags, vaccuum seal them, and slip them into the sous vide--beer cooler or regular--(thank you, Kenji) for about one hour before taking them to the grill. I promise you the difference in taste is stunning on my Johnsonville Brat control batches. What I have learned from this post is to set the sous vide for 144 to get to the optimal 150 post grill time. None of the juices leach out into a cooking medium and it's noticeable in the first bite.

No reason not to have the veggie mix smoking on the grill in advance and the cooked brats can perch on top when done.

Oops--forgot to rate what I ate...

OK, in the spirit of Karnivore Kenji, I used about 1/2 C chilled duck fat per 3/4 # drummies (I agree; flats are my favorite, but I didn't want to by a three pound tray of wings. Sealed 'er up with the Foodsaver, set the sous vide for 210, and let them go for an hour. Took the wings out (and why did the bag get puffy?), snipped off the edge, drained off as much fat/liquid as I could, and parked them in the fridge two days ago.

I am set for 5:45 this afternoon with my "dirty" oil, Franks, celery and napkins. Here is a question: would a very light dusting of corn starch be out of order?

Because this is one of his recipes, I am going to save my fingers and just pre-five star this. Thank you, yet again, Kenji!

AlanAllen, thank you! I had the same question. Also, the write up mentions: " into the pot go the usual chicken soup suspects: onion, carrot", but no carrot is listed in the recipe. Guess I'll match the onion and celery proportions.

What a fantastic change-up from Anglo-Christmas overload. Chicken skin on or off? And it it's supposed to be on, would it ruin the flavors to skip the skin? (Resolutions and all...)

Kenji, could I use the caramelization technique (water+sugar cooked to caramel and a pinch of baking soda with the onions) you taught us in your French Onion Dip treatise? Come to think of it, that dip could be pretty darn good on New Year's Eve, as well...

Thanks to you, I made the most successful latkes I ever attempted and here's how I know--even the first batch was perfect. I did cheat (I am ducking now) and used bagged, pre-grated potatoes, and the oxidation issue was fixed. I still squeezed them out, however. I used a whole egg, added finely chopped parsley and chives, some white pepper, and didn't mix until the oil was ready. (And I made sure some of the oil was "dirty".) I did change up one thing: I used shallots and chopped them in the mini-prep with a quarter of the shredded potatoes until mealy but not pureed.

Mix, shape, fry, turning only once, and done. Yes, I did make my own applesauce and the fragrance of cinnamon filled the kitchen. You are right, there, too. Ahhhh....

Kenji, I'm all in. Was going to do this conventionally anyway, but since it will be our Christmas Day meal, I am following the Master. I have been using your sous vide recipes and have never been disappointed. You find a way to coax the very best out of each ingredient you select. I am in your debt.

Let a slice mellow to room temp, lightly covered. Slice across the grain. Assume one perfect Colorado peach, sliced thinly. Place prosciutto on peach. Tiniest dot of buckwheat honey. Place on tongue. Mine.

We roasted another turkey today just to get what we need to make this stunning soup.