Recipe
4Isaan duck laab
Duck leg mince rendered dry in its own fat, dressed off the heat with fish sauce and lime. No sugar anywhere — this is the Isaan/Lao register, not the central…
CelebrationOccasionMade for an occasion that justifies the effort or the expense.MainCourseThe centrepiece of a meal, carrying most of its substance.dry-toastingisaan+6 Louisiana-style crayfish boil for fifty, using Berlin’s invasive crayfish
A crayfish boil scaled for 50 people, built around the Louisiana crayfish that have become invasive in Berlin’s waterways. Includes where to actually get them.
BoilingTechniqueCooking in liquid at a full rolling boil, around 100°C. Fast and agitating — it emulsifies and breaks things apart.CajunCuisineLouisiana country cooking from French-speaking Acadian settlers. Built on a dark roux and the "holy trinity" of onion, celery and green pepper, and usually cooked down in one pot.MainCourseThe centrepiece of a meal, carrying most of its substance.PartyOccasionScales to a crowd and holds up on a table without needing to be served hot to order.+4 A refrigerator pickle in a 1:1 vinegar and water brine. Ready in a day, keeps two months.
CondimentCourseServed alongside rather than in a dish — added by the eater, to taste, at the table.CrispTextureFractures cleanly under the tooth with an audible snap.MexicanCuisineMesoamerican cooking built on nixtamalised corn, dried and fresh chillies, and toasted aromatics ground into sauces.PicklingTechniqueSubmerging in an acidic liquid. As a technique this is about the brine ratio, aromatics and steep time.+3 rev 6
Six batches of working out a wash and a dredge
The current specification: a 10 kg batch with 321.7 g of wash and a dredge sized for coverage rather than by ratio alone.
ChewyTextureResists the bite and needs working. In dried meat this is a target, set by how far the drying was taken.CuringPreservationPreserving with salt, and often nitrite, which both draws out water and directly inhibits bacteria — notably Clostridium botulinum.Dry-curingTechniquePacking in salt, and usually nitrite, to draw out water and make the meat inhospitable to spoilage organisms before drying.Drying boxEquipmentAn enclosed cabinet with a fan and often a low heat source, holding steady airflow and humidity for curing meat.+5 Preparation
1Preparation
A 48–72 hour reduction, done properly
Classical demi-glace with a dual-bone foundation, triple clarification and a staged reduction. A preparation other recipes pull in rather than a dish.
China capEquipmentA rigid cone-shaped metal strainer with perforated holes. Coarser than a chinois; used to strain stocks and to press solids through with a ladle.FrenchCuisineThe codified European tradition of stocks, mother sauces and precise knife work — the source of most professional kitchen vocabulary.RoastingTechniqueDry heat, usually uncovered and at higher temperature than baking, to brown a surface while the interior cooks through.SauceCourseA liquid or emulsion built to dress something else. Unlike a condiment it is usually applied in the kitchen, not at the table.+4 Research
1Research
Research on why Wellingtons fail and what the techniques that fix them are actually doing — octagonal searing, duxelles dehydration, layered moisture barriers…
BritishCuisineCooking of the British Isles: roasts, pies, puddings and preserves, built around long oven heat and a strong preserving tradition.CelebrationOccasionMade for an occasion that justifies the effort or the expense.MainCourseThe centrepiece of a meal, carrying most of its substance.SearingTechniqueBrief contact with a very hot surface to drive the Maillard reaction. It browns, it does not "seal in juices".+2