australia

fremantle-  breakfast.

the first tangible item i paid for in australia

$10 is pretty steep. but everything in australia is fucking expensive. i just have to deal.

fairly decent brekkie (that’s australian for breakfast). the eggs were good and had just the right amount of runny-ness.  i didn’t even have to ask for sunny side up- they just do it automatically.

then there is the bacon. it’s not bad. however, it’s not american bacon, my bacon.

but again, i just have to deal.

ugh

yes, still alive. no, still not posting.

here’s the deal: in june i moved from, what became, my home in northern california back to my, original, home in southern california. the cooking that was such a way of life, and escape, fell off the radar. at least doing new things fell off the radar. then i found out i got into veterinary school in australia. as in koalas and kangaroos, australia. then my turtle died and my cat ran away. my dog is still alive and will be accompanying me on my journey across the pacific.

i will start cooking new things again- but it wont be for a while. all of my stuff is packed in boxes, and i won’t see it for a long time.

so in the mean time i’m going to try to post pictures of things i’ve eaten. it takes much less skill than actually cooking; however, it’s all i can do.

i love breakfast

this was the last meal i ate at my old apartment in davis. the bowl- it was my grandmothers. it’s going with me. along with my great-grandmother’s wooden spoon (not pictured).

it’s a bird. it’s a plane. no, it’s three birds. it’s a turducken!

this was, without a doubt, the most difficult thing i have ever cooked. nothing has taken more time, money, planning and prep.

was it worth it?

oh yeah.

no words. just emotions.

for those that don’t know, a turducken is a chicken stuffed inside of a duck, which is then stuffed inside of a turkey. between each bird is a layer of stuffing. the type of stuffing varies by region and chef.

for the past coupe of years i’ve had great success brining turkeys on thanksgiving. i decided it was time for a change. but what else? frying was an option; however, i wasn’t up to buying the equipment. i have no idea how i came to the idea of making a turducken, but when it came it stuck. i had to make one.

the process took days.

monday night- make cornbread, dry french bread in oven, dry cornbread in oven

tuesday night- debone turkey, make brine

wednesday morning- drop turkey in brine

wednesday night- make stuffings, debone duck and chicken, rinse turkey, assemble turducken

thursday morning (4:30am)- place in oven

thursday 1:30pm- carve and eat

deboning poulty (duck)

these following pictures are only to give an idea (or refresher) on how to debone a bird. they are blurry, and do not give enough instruction to be used as a stand-alone guide. there are some great videos out there that show the process. maybe i’ll make one one day.

as for tools, you need a small sharp knife- like a boning or paring knife. if you can get your hands on one- i suggest a scalpel (like the kind used in surgery). the blade is small and really, really sharp. i think they do better jobs than knives in this situation. i prefer a #10 blade.

ready? here we go:

make an incision along the backbone. carefully cut the breast meat from the rib cage

locate the hip joint

release the joint

tease the meat from the humerus and remove

tease the meat from the femur and tibia and remove

all done

now you could have your butcher debone your birds for you, but i think if your are going to make a turducken, you might as well do everything.

so what do you need?

ingredients

~20lb turkey- i always brine my turkeys (i use alton brown’s recipe as a guidline), though this is not required

~7lb duck

~4lb chicken

stuffing – i used two types- cornbread and french bread that i made myself. i don’t have a recipe. you will need several cups of each.

twine

assembly

unfortunately many of these pictures are blurry too. my brother is a really crappy cameraman.

start with the chicken

roll up

use a skwerer to secure

done

cover duck with stuffing (cornbread)

place stuffed chicken on top and roll duck over chicken

secure duck with a second skewer (a second paor of hands is helpful)

almost there

second brid is done! now remove the skewer from the chicken

cover turkey with stuffing and place "ducken" on top

bring the sides of the turkey together and secure with cotton twine

i used an interrepted suture to close the bird

unfortunately the skin began to rip and there was a lot of ducken to cover. so my brother had to put the camera down and hold the sides together while i closed

remember the turducken is upside down while being swen shut. place the roasting pan over the turducken and then flip very carefuly.

by this point in the evening it was 12:30 am. after researching i decided on a cooking time and temp: 225 for 8 hours. as i didn’t want it to be done at 9 am, i planned on starting cooking at 4:30 am. i had 4 hours to go. i covered the turducken and put it in the fridge. i opted not to take a 4 hour nap and instead watched “the boondock saints”

i really like that movie. it isn’t great. but i like it. perhaps i’ll explore it in another blog of mine.

by the time 4:00 am rolled around i heated the oven to 500F. Once it was heated i placed the bird(s) in the oven and cooked them (it?) for 30 minutes. i then reduced the temp and placed my trusty electronic thermometer into the thickest part of the monster and went to bed.

8 hours later i was greeted with this.

isn't it wonderful?

was it good?

i was told to make “backup turkey” as turducken is an acquired taste. there was no acquiring of any tastes. i was very pleased with how it tasted. one thing to note is that the duck skin needs to be removed before eating as it’s kinda chewy and gross. and watch out for gristle too. but still a very good meal. or four. there is a lot of meat here, so be sure to invite your friends.

i do prefer the taste and texture to the birds separately cooked.  i mean, can you really beat crispy duck? no. no you cannot. but as i ate turducken for the last 3 days i didn’t get tired of it. i would eat it again if it was offered to me.

will you make it again?

that’s a damn fine question.

he lives!

there were plans to show you how to properly de-bone a chicken, but then my assistant had to bail, so i only got one shot:

that's one sorry excuse for a photo shoot

but fear not, there is always a grander scheme. my reason for getting the chicken was to brush up on my de-boning skills as it’s just not something i do often.

thanksgiving is coming up, as i’m sure you know. and i have the problem of outdoing myself every year. this year will be no different. i will have to de-bone, and stuff, three different birds in one day. yes, that’s right- i’m making one…

i’m excited.

are you?

breakfast

as you already know i love breakfast. it’s the best, most delicious meal of the day. but one thing i abhor about breakfast is the gamut of ready-made foodstuffs clogging america’s freezers. frozen waffles are bad enough, but frozen pancakes?! what the hell is that? they taste like garbage and have the texture of drywall.

and don’t get me started on pancakes in a can.

but speaking of pancakes, let me show you some:

aren't they wonderful?

the following recipe is from my hero, alton brown. yes, i copied it directly from the food network website.

“Instant” Pancake Mix

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Combine all of the ingredients in a lidded container. Shake to mix.

Use the mix within 3 months.

Instant Pancakes

• 2 eggs, separated
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 cups “Instant” Pancake Mix, recipe above
• 1 stick butter, for greasing the pan
• 2 cups fresh fruit such as blueberries, if desired

Heat an electric griddle or frying pan to 350 degrees F. Heat oven to 200 degrees F.

Whisk together the egg whites and the buttermilk in a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the melted butter.

Combine the buttermilk mixture with the egg yolk mixture in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until thoroughly combined. Pour the liquid ingredients on top of the pancake mix. Using a whisk, mix the batter just enough to bring it together. Don’t try to work all the lumps out.

Check to see that the griddle is hot by placing a few drops of water onto to the griddle. The griddle is ready if the water dances across the surface.

Lightly butter the griddle. Wipe off thoroughly with a paper towel. (No butter should be visible.)

Gently ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle and sprinkle on fruit if desired. When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the griddle-side of the cake is golden, gently flip the pancakes. Continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the pancake is set.

Serve immediately or remove to a towel-lined baking sheet and cover with a towel. Hold in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes.

Yield: 12 pancakes

until next sunday...