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Rosemary's in the West Village: More Than a Pretty Face

Turns out I mean the cavatelli dish... maybe it always looks like that? Anyway, I stand by the statement that it is unpleasant in appearance.

Rosemary's in the West Village: More Than a Pretty Face

The angle of that picture of the orecchiette dish could not have been worse. It looks like a plate of squirming, uncooked, slimy mealworms or maggots on a plate of peas. I know that the orecchiette are kind of flattened out and look little to nothing like worms, but from that side-on shot the picture is hilariously unappetizing.

AHT Giveaway: Case of Pat LaFrieda Burgers

I'd like to try one of the good White Mana (sp?) burgers. I still remember reading the article that compared the two diners and wishing I could give it a shot.

AHT Giveaway: Case of Pat LaFrieda Burgers

Eat them... oh... eh... cook them, then eat them.

AHT Giveaway: Case of Pat LaFrieda Burgers

Trying the sliders from one of the various "ultimate slider" recipes here on SE. So different from my regular thick grilled burgers, but oh so good.

AHT Giveaway: Case of Pat LaFrieda Burgers

Trying the sliders from one of the various "ultimate slider" recipes here on SE. So different from my regular thick grilled burgers, but oh so good.

Memorial Day Grilling Giveaway: Win This Delicious Cap of Ribeye

Vegetables are transformed by the grill. Don't get me wrong, I love to grill a good piece of meat, but a good piece of meat can be prepared nicely on a hot pan in a way that veggies can't.

Cook the Book: 'A Girl and Her Pig'

Super Bowl Giveaway: 10-Pound Box of Pat LaFrieda Sliders

Babysitting my niece and nephew... maybe with a football game playing in the background.

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Southside Market Sausage, Chicken, and Steaks

Rib Shack, Saginaw, MI

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: The Sriracha Lover's Ultimate Gift Pack

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Korin Knife

8" Global. My only (relatively) expensive knife.

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Southside Market Sausage, Chicken, and Steaks

Rib Shack, Saginaw, MI

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Zingerman's Praise the Lard Gift Box

I like shoulder. Carnitas were a revelation for me.

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: The Sriracha Lover's Ultimate Gift Pack

Rice. Rice is good with sriracha.

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Korin Knife

I have one Global 8" chef's knife I got for Christmas a couple years ago. Definitely my favorite.

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Southside Market Sausage, Chicken, and Steaks

Rib Shack, Saginaw, MI

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Zingerman's Praise the Lard Gift Box

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: La Quercia's Cured Meat Experience

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Filet Mignon Roast from Pat LaFrieda Meats

Ribeye here, though I don't hate on filet like so many other beefeaters.

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Zingerman's Praise the Lard Gift Box

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: La Quercia's Cured Meat Experience

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Zingerman's Praise the Lard Gift Box

I cooked a pork loin with a sugary, mustardy coating in the oven about five years ago. It was a completely random, no-recipe thing, but the coating caramelized on the outside and the pork was delicious and succulent. To this day I've not been able to duplicate it.

Giveaway: Win a Free All-Natural Bell & Evans Turkey from Pat LaFrieda

I'm dying to confit up some turkey gizzards. Mmmm....

Cook the Book: 'Ruhlman's Twenty'

proper seasoning

Leg of Lamb

I was thinking of cooking a leg of lamb this weekend, and I remembered Kenji's post for the perfect prime rib here:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/12/perfect-prime-rib-beef-recipe.html

Since the post is old, I don't imagine it is regularly checked in on. Do those here at talk think that this method would work well with a whole roasted leg of lamb? If so, at what temperature would I remove it? Various places seem to suggest med rare lamb should be cooked to around 145 degrees, so would I pull the lamb at 140, or something slightly lower like 135?

Hot Pan - How Hot?

I like to cook. It is a favorite hobby of mine and my family members typically enjoy my food. However, I have a question. I often hear the importance of searing meats on a "hot pan." On cooking shows, in blogs, and in demos this seems to suggest an "as hot as you can get it" pan. From experience, as well as watching said demos and cooking shows, I know this can't really be what is meant. If I let a pan heat up on my (electric) stovetop over high heat for more than a five minutes or so it becomes so hot that water instantaneously spatters and become steam, foods scorch and smoke, and on occasion oils spontaneously burst into flame. This is obviously too hot and makes for a smoky kitchen. Of note, I don't think there's really any sort of "shut off" for my stove on high heat. I've forgotten a cast iron pan on the stove for drying only to find the entire thing (including the handle) glowing some time (probably an hour or more) later.

Realistically, what sorts of temperatures am I looking for in a "hot pan?" What are the signs to look for when the pan is ready but won't completely wreck my apartment with smoke. I've had only moderate success in searing pieces of beef or pork, and little to no success with properly browning fish or poultry (which inevitably either burns or does not brown).

What to do with a naked goose

So I had Sunday dinner all planned out. I would use Kenji's recently posted Peking Duck recipe to work magic on a wild goose which has been sitting in my freezer for several months. Imagine my surprise when I unwrapped the foul fowl to find it apparently unsuitable for roasting.

The poor bird has no skin. I suppose the hunter who killed it (my dad) didn't feel like plucking it and just peeled the skin right off like he would with a deer. Now I have a decidedly naked goose thawing in my fridge. Should I wrap it in bacon and roast it anyway? Grind it up into sausage? Buy a whole chicken and steal its skin to let my goose wear like a jacket? I'm open to suggestions.

Traverse City, MI Recommendations

My wife and I are taking a long weekend in Traverse City, Michigan this weekend and were looking for dining recommendations. We'd like to visit Cook's House and Trattoria Stella for dinner, which are apparently the fine dining restaurants of choice there. I was wondering if anyone knew of some less well-known gems for breakfast and lunch in particular.

Ribeye

My local grocery store has Choice Ribeyes (whole roasts and cut steaks) at a huge markdown right now. I was thinking of buying one of the big roasts for around $80. They will slice it as well. If I want "thick" steakhouse style steaks, about how thick should I have it sliced? Also, in general, does that sound like a decent deal? Would it be best to have it sliced, or should I just roast it whole? I really don't know enough people to feed a 14lb piece of meat. Thanks for you help.

Homemade Deli-Style Meats

Does anyone here at Talk know if there's a way to reproduce small-batches of deli-style meats at home? I'm talking more things like turkey and ham which must be processed to end up in those uniform oval tubes. I know recipes for cured meats like salami can be found relatively easily while roast beef, corned beef, and pastrami I assume are typically cut from a whole piece of meat rather than being heavily processed. I'm not opposed to grinding up food in a food processor and adding copious amounts of salt and liquids as necessary to bind it, but previous attempts have always resulted in an end product that is spongy and airy rather than dense and reasonably meaty. I really like deli meats, but they are typically prohibitively expensive and if I buy them in any sort of volume I invariably end up letting some of it go to waste due to spoilage.

Black Bottom Peanut Butter Mousse Pie

This is my new favorite expression of the chocolate and peanut butter combination. The chocolate layer, which is not quite a ganache but not quite a pudding, complements the light, airy peanut butter mousse perfectly. The graham cracker crust provides a crunchy contrast, and the whole thing feels very adult. Or maybe, more accurately: adult, with a nod to childhood. More

Sauced: Blueberry Ketchup

Escaping the thought of ketchup as a singular tomato-based sauce led to this blueberry ketchup. It has the familiar sweet and tangy flavor but with a bright fruitiness that opens the door to a wide variety of uses. "Blueberry ketchup?!" you say. (We can hear you.) Try it as a dip for sweet potato fries or spread on some grilled pork chops. More

Dulces: Flan de Caramelo (Caramel Flan)

I resisted writing about flan for a long time. "How stereotypical!" I thought. After the eye roll followed performance anxiety. There's an overwhelming amount of bad flan made, served, and somehow eaten every day. Bad flan, riddled with deep dimples, like a bad case of cellulite. Bad flan, undercooked and slippery, like a strange serpentine sea creature swimming down your throat. Good flan should have slight jiggle, but more along the lines of a trainer-tightened posterior than a waterbed. Good flan is minimalist and sleek, like an expensive silk blouse. More

Dear AHT: How to Make a Palindrome Burger

We recently received this email in the AHT inbox from British burger lover Andrew Whitehurst, a visual effects artist who lives and works in London. In his words: "I'm probably the most English person you could meet, as I have a love of cricket and bitter beer, but I do adore Americana and the hamburger, the United States' greatest contribution to gastronomy." Andrew's adoration in a slider-poor city inspired him to make the Palindrome Burger, a full-sized burger with slider-like texture and flavor whose ingredients read the same top to bottom as bottom to top: bread, cheese, patty, onion, pickle, onion, patty, cheese, and bread. Check out the slideshow to see how he makes the burgers, and read his email below for more on his love of sliders! More

Pie of the Week: French Silk Chocolate

French. Silk. Chocolate. Pie. These are four of the sexiest words in the English language, and sexy is the best single word I can think of to describe this decadent, classic dessert. Perhaps it's the way that billows of whipped cream and flirtatious chocolate curls coyly reveal just a hint of the luscious chocolate filling that lies beneath. Or the smooth, unctuous chocolate filling that eases the fork down into a flaky all-butter crust. More

The Food Lab: The Science of Pie Dough

If there's one thing that instills fear into the hearts and minds of American cooks, it's pie crust. I know. At one time, I was one of those people. Pie crusts were the Mumm-ra to my Lion-O, and it was all because they were a mystery to me. What makes them flaky? What makes them tender? And most importantly, how come mine used to come out like pliant pieces of leather instead of buttery and delicious? More

Cookie Monster: Nutella Dream Cookies

How did these cookies get their name? First, because chocolate-chocolate chip hazelnut cookies filled with chocolate-hazelnut spread must be a Nutella lover's dream. And second, because these over-the-top confections are the kind of thing that I dream about after spending too much time grazing food blogs just before bed. (I wake up hungry but it's better than watching the news.) More

The Food Lab: Reconsidering The Lobster (and Hot Buttered Lobster Rolls!)

Last week we took a look at New England-style lobster rolls. The cold, mayo-based lobster salad variety, that is. For most people, that's what a lobster roll is and always will be. But there are certain pockets of the population, mostly in Connecticut, that prefer their lobster rolls hot and buttered. In addition to a delicious recipe for that, we'll pause to read the late David Foster Wallace's essay "Consider The Lobster," and reflect upon lobster-killing ethics. More

Wicked Good Lobster Rolls

A lobster roll consists of chunks of tender, sweet, cooked lobster meat barely napped in a thin coating of mayonnaise, all stuffed into a top-split, white-bread hot dog bun lightly toasted in butter. How do you make the best of such a simple creation? As with many things, it all comes down to attention to detail. Perfect selection and treatment of ingredients, balance, and above all, the ability to restrain yourself from over thinking. It's just a lobster roll, right? More

The Food Lab: Wicked Good Lobster Rolls

A lobster roll consists of chunks of tender, sweet, cooked lobster meat barely napped in a thin coating of mayonnaise, all stuffed into a top-split, white-bread hot dog bun lightly toasted in butter. How do you make the best of such a simple creation? As with many things, it all comes down to attention to detail. Perfect selection and treatment of ingredients, balance, and above all, the ability to restrain yourself from over thinking. It's just a lobster roll, right? More

How to Grill Skirt Steak

Skirt is the steak of the gods. Anyone who doesn't agree just hasn't had it properly cooked. Luckily, preparing it to heavenly results is well within reach for anyone with a grill. Here are tips for grilling, slicing, and serving perfect skirt steak. More

The Nasty Bits: Deep-Frying Brains

We're talking pork brains here, though they could just as easily be lamb or calf brains. A brain is a brain, and while I admit there are slight differences in taste and softness, you're dealing with an organ that is primarily composed of fat—and tastes like it. When it comes to preparing brains, deep-frying them is about as classic as it gets. More

Deep Fried Pickles with Old Bay and Buttermilk

Deep fried pickles are the perfect snack. They're crispy, savory, and sour enough to keep you paying attention to what you're doing. They're also perfect vehicles for all the flavors of Old Bay. These require little embellishment: some mayo and hot sauce for dipping, and, of course, a cold beer. More

Chocolate + Water = Mousse?

You're never, ever, under any circumstances to mix water with chocolate, right? The water will cause the fat molecules in the chocolate to seize and clump up, and your chocolate is no good to anyone anymore. Right? Well, kinda. Here's how to make a mousse with just chocolate and water. More

Homemade Bagels, à la Jo Goldenberg

[Photographs: Adam Kuban] This is my go-to recipe for homemade bagels. It's adapted from Bernard Clayton's Complete Book of Breads. Clayton, in turn, got the recipe from the folks at the now-defunct Jo Goldenberg's, the famous Jewish restaurant and delicatessen... More

Video: How to Cook and Eat an Entire Duck

Cooking duck is a great gateway experience to the full-on nose-to-tail eating. All of the parts are delicious and easy to prepare, it just takes a little time. Watch this video to see ducks turned into sausage, pate, rillette, stock, prosciutto, and confit. More

How to Make Potato Gnocchi

Though the whole process of making potato gnocchi from scratch may sound a little daunting, once you get rolling, it's really not hard and is actually kind of fun. Check out the slideshow tutorial to see how easy it is to make light, tender, and delicious homemade gnocchi. And then take a look at a few suggestions for simple sauces to go with them. More