Thanksgiving 2009 minus day 4

Posted by ntsc at 11/23/2009 2:07 PM
Categories: thanksgiving terrine candy bacon smoking

Sunday was simple, I had a short list.

  • Coffee
  • Feed the cat
  • Bagel with lox spread
  • Marylin's Toffee
  • Pralines
  • Smoke the bacon
  • Country Terrine
  • Duck Pate
  • Eat Dinner
  • Feed the cat

Some of those items I'm quite experienced at; coffee, bagel, feed the cat and the country terrine. I've even gotten Ruhlman to eat that terrine.

 

I've smoked a couple of sides of bacon in the past, but I have never attempted to bone a duck, especially with the added requirement that I not cut through the skin, just remove the duck from the intact skin.

I've never made either of the candys at all. My only attempt at candy have been chocolate truffles. OK I've burned a couple of things.

This then is the story of that list.

 Now coffee is simple and you may note, to the cat's disgust it is above feeding the cat. And you don't need a picture of a cat dish with food.

So we start with Marylin's Toffee. The recipe can be found on the second page of this thread toward the bottom.

 

Above is the mise, 1 pound of butter, 2 cups of sugar, slivered almonds, 12 oz of semi-sweet chocolate, water, salt and 2 cups of pecans, which will be Cusinarted.

 

Toast the pecans first, a few minutes - until they start to release an aroma - in the oven at about 350.

Melt the butter over medium heat.

 

Slowly add the sugar, stiring contantly.

At the correct time add the pecans and bring to the hard crack 310-320 point.

Then pour onto buttered foil on a half sheet spread smooth, pour on the melted chocolate and add the almonds.

Wait until cool and break into bite sized pieces.

By the way, go look at the recipe, it has a lot more detail including the amount of water and sugar. I've had Marilyn's Toffee made personally by Marilyn, and it is good. I expect this to go over well with the younger crowd.

I don't have pictures of the pralines, essentially it is dark brown sugar and lots of pecans. Melt the sugar, add the pecans and bring to about 230. Pour on to buttered foil on half sheet. You can make nice sanddollar shaped candies, but I need this as an ingrediant for a cheese cake on day minus 2, so I didn't. Don't think this will be a problem with the left overs, do you?

 Now on to the Country Terrine, first I need one large onion chopped.

The above isn't quite large enough, so I will to 3 halves.

Cut the onion in two, from pole to pole and trim off the stem end, leave the root end on it.

Cut the onion, not quite cutting into root end, from pole to pole, as if lines of longitude.

 

Now cut lines of latitude, starting at the stem end and working to the root end. The root holds the uncut part together, but each cut forms onion diced as finely as you would like.

(to be continued with pictures).

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