You mean the whole rind? That must be delicious. I collect and freeze them, they are good for soup or sauce.
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We were in Philly for the latter part of President’s Day weekend. We had a panini-pressed breakfast sandwich from a bakery/cafe. Cheese, scrambled eggs, potato, and tomato on a poppy seed roll. I liked the combo a lot and have been making it at home on challah rolls from a local bakery. Actually, I’m pretty much panini-ing everything in sight. This morning the kid had nutella, banana, and strawberries, pressed between two hot pans (makeshift panini method.)
I’ve also been baking a lot of Japanese Cheesecakes. I can’t get them perfect yet, but they are still delicious. This week I filled it with blueberry whipped cream and topped it with a strawberry glaze.
This week I finally found the elusive 8qt oval Le Creuset Dutch Oven! This biryani just came out the oven and I am mixing it.
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Your mention of water chocolate mousse inspired me to search for various recipes in the internet. I found one that gave quantities in grams (265 g chocolate, 240 ml water), so I made it for our guests today. Everyone loved it, even me. One of the guests was a 7-year-old Hungarian girl. She hardly ate anything, but she ate the mousse and pronounced it to be “nagyon finom!” Delicious. Thanks for writing about it.
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It’s evident you made up for lost time 
. But from your vantage point you can be in many different countries in little time. My flight to Zurich was 10 hrs of flight time having to fly up and out of Dulles in Va.
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Oh I’m so glad! Can you link the recipe you used?
I had linked one to my comment, but I don’t think it was specific enough (I had some trial & error when I made it)
Now there’s an Oscar-worthy meal!
My friend has had some issues making biryani in her new LC & Staub - the rice gets overcooked (it doesn’t in her other pots) - do you adjust the process for ECI?
Yes, it’s a bit of a learning curve, even this time it wasn’t perfect. LC ECI retains heat very well. I don’t use any foil to seal it. In fact, this one was overcooked because I was scared and left it in the oven 15 minutes longer than I would in my 4.5qt LC. It was still okay at that point, but then I put it back in a warm oven to keep until serving. Completely boneheaded move. My Punjabi eaters still loved it, but at that point I definitely would’ve cringed serving it to Hyderabadis. Anyway, you have to undercook slightly and then trust in the heat retention of the LC to finish it.
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A lazy Sunday. Dinner was a long-braised Red Wine & Pomegranate Molasses beef short ribs with creamy mashed potatoes and honey-sumac roasted carrots. There was wine.
I’ll watch the Oscars. I’ve seen none of the movies, but I want to see Adam Lambert and Queen and Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper.
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Sure. Here it is:
http://cafefernando.com/the-best-chocolate-mousse-of-your-life-under-5-minutes/
Thanks again for making me aware of this technique!!
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Linda! That looks fabulous.
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Steelhead trout, smashed potatoes with rosemary butter, and bagged Caesar. Messy plating but hunger took precedence.
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Sunshine at long last!
Big ass salad: mixed greens, tomato, scallion, cucumber, radish sprouts, Cubanelle* pepper, roast chicken, croutons, hemp seeds, blood orange and feta with a balsamic vinaigrette.
- Spell check insists this should be an Annabelle pepper!
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Can’t hardly wait!
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No pics but put together a chicken mole’ tonight.
Spicy and mildly sweet.
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Sounds fantastic…! And a good reminder i need to get more hemp seeds ;))
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I’m always in awe that you put together such wonderful salads year round. Cold food just doesn’t appeal to me when it is cold and dreary. But then hot food has less appeal for me when it is warm and sunny - so I guess it balances out!
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last of the black eyed peas with Cochon bacon were pulled out of the freezer, served over toasted ciabatta , and sided by a “salad” of fresh mozz, cherry toms, and bit of cuke, with a red wine vinegar vinaigrette.
Pic of the two-foot long salami i bought on my now-weekly run to Lucca’s, our 94 years old Italian deli that’s closing in April. 
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Tofu veggie curry thing tonight, way better than previous versions since i added some lemongrass paste tonight too. Carrots, cabbage, tofu, onions, sweet potato, coconut milk, etc. Topped my bowl with a crapton of cilantro ;))
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by chance, i cleaned out the freezer today and tossed out all sorts of bibs and bobs and sauces and such. feel very cleansed.
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congrats on selling the biz! Rooting for you and your future travels! I’m all about that (I’ve got 5-6 small trips and a big one in Oct. planned this year.)
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