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(For 4 people)
TIME: 15 minutes preparation, 3 hours cooking

One 5-pound duck
1 tablespoon crushed Thai or other fiery dried chile
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup Scuppernong or other top-quality slip-skin grape preserves
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sorghum molasses, cane syrup, molasses or honey

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

2. Trim the duck of any excess skin around the neck cavity. Rinse it inside and out with cold running water and dry thoroughly, inside and out, with two changes of paper towels. With a sharp paring knife, cut six 1/4-inch vents in the skin of the breast and two 1/4-inch vents in the skin of each leg to allow excess fat to drain during roasting. In a small bowl, mix the crushed chiles with the salt and pepper. Sprinkle the duck breast legs and cavity with 1 tablespoon of the mixture. Position the duck breast down on a rack rack in a roasting pan and season the back with 1 teaspoon of the mixture.

3. Roast the duck on the middle rack for 1 hour, then remove it from the oven. It will have drained some fat into the pan, and the skin will have lost some of its pallor. With a sharp paring knife, cut 5 or 6 vents in the skin of the back. Turn the duck breast side up, and return it to the oven. Roast until the skin of the breast begins to take on a golden-brown hue, about 1 hour.

4. Remove the duck from the oven and increase the temperature to 375 degrees. Lift the duck (still breast side up on the rack) from the pan and place on a baking sheet. Pour off the fat from the roasting pan and return the duck (still on the rack) to the pan. Place the preserves in a small bowl and whisk in the vinegar and sorghum until blended. Baste the breast and legs generously with the preserves mixture and sprinkle the glazed skin with a few generous pinches of the chile seasoning. Return the duck to the oven and roast for 1 hour more, basting every 15 minutes with the syrup mixture and following each basting with a couple pinches of the chile mixture, until the skin has achieved a deep reddish brown, lacquered appearance.

5. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and let the duck rest 15 minutes before carving and serving.

(Serves eight to ten as a starter)

14 pig’s ears, cleaned and any remaining hair shaved off with a Bic razor, then brined for at least 3 days
3 pig’s trotters, cleaned
2 onions peeled
2 carrots, peeled
2 sticks of celery
1 head of garlic
1 bundle of parsley, thyme and rosemary
2 bay leaves
peppercorns
enough very light chicken stock to cover the above ingredients

Remove the ears from the brine, rinse thoroughly and soak in fresh water for a half a day. Final ear procedure: you need to flatten them, so when they turn into funnels split them open with a knife.

Place all the ingredients in a pot and cover with the chicken stock, then lid on pot and into a medium oven for 4 hours. After 3 hours, take a look; remember you want a totally submissive texture, but also that there is the cartilage in the ear, which will never give in.

When done, remove from the oven. Carefully take out the ears and layer them in a terrine mould or bread tin lined with cling film. Strain the liquor off the vegetables and trotters into a clean pan. Place on the hob and simmer until reduced to the point where it will still cover the ears. Check for seasoning–remember it is going to be served cold, which always dulls the flavor.

Pour the reduced liquid over the ears. Cut a bit of cardboard to fit in your mold, cover it with cling film and place on top of your juicy ears. Apply weights to it–tins of tomato etc. Allow to cool, then leave in the fridge overnight. Next day it is ready to eat.

Turn the pressed pig’s ears out of the container and slice very thinly with a very sharp knife. What you should have now is thin slivers of joyous piggy jelly, within which there is a beautiful weave of ear. When you bite into it, you should have that splendid textural moment of the give of the jelly and the slightest crunch of the ear cartilage. Serve with cornichons.

(Serves 4)

4 pork chops (loin or sirloin, depending on your appetite)
1 very large, or 2 normal, whole heads of garlic
A little olive oil
Scant 1 cup white wine or strong hard cider
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Release all the cloves from the garlic bulb(s) but do not peel them, as the skin will protect the flesh from burning. Instead, crush them lightly with the blade of a knife.

Place an ovenproof dish, big enough to hold the chops, in the oven as you heat it to 425˚F. Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan and add all the garlic cloves. Fry for a few minutes, then add the chops. Brown the chops on one side for just a minute, then on the other, seasoning them with salt and pepper as they brown. Remove from the pan with tongs and arrange in the preheated dish, with the fatty, bony end bits poking up into the air. The idea is that these bits will get crisp as the meaty ends braise in the pan juices. Remove the garlic cloves from the pan with a slotted spoon and scatter them over the chops.

Now return the pan to the heat and deglaze with the wine or cider, allowing it to bubble and reduce by half. Tip the contents of the pan over the chops, season well and return the dish to the oven.

Roast the chops for 15 to 20 minutes, basting them with the pan juices halfway through cooking, if you like. When they are done, the meat of the chops should be cooked through and the thinner, fattier ends lovely and crisp. The garlic cloves, though perhaps a little blackened on the outside, should be sweet and tender in the middle, and the pan juices will make an excellent gravy.

Serve each chop with a few whole garlic cloves, a couple of spoonfuls of the pan juices, some mashed potatoes, and steamed leafy greens.
Variations

The pan-to-oven method is a particularly neat and successful way of cooking all chops–lamb and veal as well as pork. Whatever herbs or flavorings you use (and you can marinate the chops first if you like), add a little wine or stock as they go into the oven, and the resulting juices can always be rustled up into a simple sauce. A couple of specific suggestions:

Veal with Lemon and Capers: Marinate veal chops with pared lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon juice, thyme, and a little olive oil for a couple of hours. Then add a wine glass of water and the juice of 1/2 lemon as the chops go into the oven. Use the juices to make a simple sauce, adding a few capers and finishing with a little cream.

Lamb with Garlic and Anchovies: Using lamb chops, proceed exactly as for the pork chops above, but add 3 or 4 anchovies with the garlic and pan juices when the chops go in the oven.

For the Duck breast
1 Muscovy duck breast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
2 sprigs rosemary
salt and pepper

In an iron skillet, place the oil and butter and let the butter dissolve. Put the rosemary in the pan and when it is dissolved but not hot, place the duck breast skin side down in the pan. Put the skillet on a low heat and cook it slowly for about 30 minutes. This should render out the fat in the breast while cooking the meat by pushing the fat up into the meat and giving it flavor. It will become a dark crispy brown. When it is done turn it over and remove from the heat but leave the breast in the skillet for another 5 minutes so it slowly warms the rest of the meat. Then set aside and rest for another 10 minutes

For the Chestnut Puree
1 cups frozen peeled chestnuts
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 cups chicken stock or water
3 table spoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
salt/pepper/nutmeg to taste

Place the olive oil and onions in a pan an sweat the onions, when they are glossed a little add the chestnuts and cook while moving for another 2 minutes. Deglaze with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and the lower to a simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the chestnuts are very soft. Then remove from heat. Put the mixture in a blender but remove half a cup of the water. Add the honey and seasonings and blend until very smooth. Add the reserved liquid if you want it a little thinner. When you have the consistency you like, continue blending and slowly add the extra virgin olive oil in a thin stream. Remove from blender.

To finish, place a dollop of the chestnut puree on the plate and fan slices of the duck right on top. Sprinkle some seas salt and extra virgin olive oil on top.

(Serves 2)

Mustard Pork Chops

2 pork chops, about 1 lb total weight
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 teaspoons garlic oil
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup hard cider

1. Cut the fat off the chops, and then bash them briefly but brutally with a rolling pin between two pieces of plastic wrap to make them thinner.

2. Heat the oil in a pan, and then cook the chops over a moderately high heat for about 5 minutes per side. Remove them to a warmed plate.

3. Pour the cider into the pan, still over the heat, to deglaze the pan. Let it bubble away for a minute or so, then add the mustard and stir in the cream.

4. Let the sauce continue cooking for a few minutes before pouring over each plated pork chop. If you’re having gnocchi with, make sure you turn them in the pan to absorb any spare juices before adding them to your plates.

Double Chocolate Cherry Torte

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour, sifted
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 12-ounce package frozen unsweetened cherries, thawed, drained and patted dry
1 6-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, blend together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, vanilla, and eggs and mix until well combined.

Spread the batter in the pan. Distribute the cherries evenly over the top and sprinkle the chocolate chips all over.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted near the middle of the cake comes out clean. Run a knife around the inside of the pan, and allow the cake to cool for about 15 minutes before removing the sides of the pan.

Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

This very simple chili is made withย chicken and ham but ground beef could be substituted for the chicken and or ham if desired. The recipe was based on a number of (edible) experiments in an attempt to match a particular commercial chili originating in Texas. This brand is so popular that I am told that some people who have moved out of the area ordered cases of cans of it shipped to their new residences. I believe the “”magic”" ingredient that makes this dish stand out is the use of refried beans in place of pinto beans. Because of the high starch content, the refried beans help thicken this dish and also hel spread the marvelous flavor. It’s so easy to make, I don’t see any reason to buy commercial canned chili, not that I have anything against it. How long has it been since you ate “”a steamin’ hot bowl of X brand chili”" Ah -that’s too long. Try this one, I think you will like it. To find 600 plus other free recipes visit my website. Hope you’ll like the website too!

Crockpot Chili

16 oz. ham, cooked, diced
2 cps chicken, cooked, diced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cps, yellow onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cp chicken stock (or water)
(1) 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
3 cps refried beans, cooked
2 tbsp brown sugar

Instructions:

1 – Combine all the ingredients in the crock pot and cook on high for 5 hours

Comment – This chili can be made with some sauted ground beef if desired. The taste is great either way. Hope you like it!

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Life is incomplete without tasting the boiled crawfish. That is why we go down the south just to taste that enjoyable lasting delicious taste if we do not find it in our near market. In the same manner, there is important equipment that we should have to perfectly get that delicious boiled crawfish.ย  We call it cooking pots โ€“ crawfish pots to be specific. There are some who believe that it is the essential equipment in your kitchen. Logically, it is because it holds the food we prepare for our family. Without this, you cannot cook well your food or the crawfish. Though it is hard to trace its history because of less available archaeological evidence we are very lucky to have it available in the market in different types and sizes.
This pot could be made out of cast iron, aluminum, stainless steel, clay, copper and magnalite. Among of these the most common are aluminum stock pots and stainless steel stock pots. Aluminum stock pots can easily get heat so there is no need to use more energy in putting up fire on it. In the moment that you want to cook it with light heat then it is feasible. It is light to carry even with thick walls and bottoms. It will surely last long if this is cleaned well everyday. On the other hand, stainless steel stock pots remain its beautiful appearance for a long time without effort. For it resist corrosion and discoloration. In the market you will find stainless steel made stock pot is expensive compared to aluminum stock pots.
That is how they differ according to their physical and chemical attributes. You can see how big they differ from each other but most of the time they just got the same in pot sizes. Both of them had small sizes and large size pots. Of course, you can cook plenty goodies in a large pots and other way with the small ones. Therefore, their value to you depends on the amount of goodies you are going to cook. According to the experts of crawfish cooking a 30-35lbs load of goodies can be put in a 60qt. crawfish pot then additional of 10lbs would be fit to 80 qt. Then 45 lbs to 60 lbs is good for 100qt. In case you have 60lbs plus load then you should put it to 120qt.
In terms of prices, we all know that their prices differ also depending on their brand names. Some brands are really expensive but not really on that perfect quality or either way around. There are others cheaper than others but still won’t serve you for a long time. There are other brands not too expensive but got incomparable quality. A partner in boiling crawfish that will last for a very long time.
Like any other equipment it varies in different sizes like small, medium or large.ย  Sure, they have differences but it is only you who can decide which of these two known crawfish pots that will best serve you and help you in your kitchen.