News from the west, my friends: Wherefore the Double-Double?, "A family feud has left In-N-Out Burger, that iconic Western enterprise, at a crossroads. Will it still be ours if its bright yellow arrow points east?" I hate to read such things, but if there's a possibility that In-N-Out will be coming east, I rejoice! Some days I miss the hills of Marin. Some days I miss my misty morning runs in Golden Gate Park. But many days I miss my trips to In-N-Out and their delicious fries, and tasty burgers (which often I got as "grilled cheese", everything but the burger.) Oh how I'd love to see that yellow arrow pointing at me here in New York!

The New York Times has a look at one of my favorite culinary techniques, confit, in Florence Fabricant's article, By Fat Transformed: The Confit, in All Its Splendor. Chef David Kinch of Manresa in Los Gatos, CA says,

"I once had chicken livers confit in a small bistro in the north of Italy and couldn't forget them," he said. "They were smooth, like ganache, or good foie gras. You can spread them on toast."

To achieve this consistency, his technique is unusual. After carefully trimming the livers, Mr. Kinch lets them soak in milk overnight, a French technique that makes them less bitter. To cook them, he places them in clarified butter in a saucepan, enough to cover the livers completely. A sprig of thyme or a bay leaf can add a subtle dimension.

Hmmm…this sounds like something I might have to try here at home. I love confit of anything, but especially of duck. I almost always order it in Paris when I see it on the menu, and am rarely disappointed. I haven't gotten into the confiting of vegetables as much as meat though, and in general it seems the word has been applied quite liberally by American chefs to various preparations. A stricter definition (some might say the only definition) from Larousse Gastronomique:

A piece of pok, goose, duck or turkey cooked in its own fat and stored in a pot, covered in the same fat to preserve it.

Or as a chef I worked with once said, "There's no such thing as onion confit! An onion doesn't have fat, so you can't cook it in its own fat!" Well, right or wrong, when something's cooked long and slow so that it's amazingly tender and rich, whether animal or vegetable, I call that delicious!

The other day I wrote about eating less fish, Less fish and more cow in my belly, and I decided I'd try and eat more salmon. Canned wild salmon seemed like a good idea for lunch, and so I began dreaming of the salmon sandwiches I'd create. Over the weekend I went to Whole Foods and bought two cans of wild salmon, some fresh dill, a nice loaf of whole wheat bread, and a red onion. And today I set out to make my delicious salmon sandwich!

Step one: open can of canned salmon with can opener. Step two: remove lid. Step three: recoil in horror!! Ewwww!! What is this? Skin! Lots of salmon skin! I don't mind salmon skin when it's been seared nice and crisp in a pan, but I sure don't want it all gummy and slimy in my salmon sandwich! And wait, what's this?! Bones! BONES!! And not just pin bones, but like, a slice of the salmon's spine! Right in the can! It is so gross-looking and smelly that I can hardly bear to taste a small skin-free bone-free nibble.

Also: it looks like cat food. In fact, it looks worse than cat food. In fact, it is worse than cat food! My cat came into the kitchen when he heard the can opener, hoping for some early dinner. After I decided there was no way I was making my sandwich, I put the bowl down on the floor. Someone should eat this, I figured. After one tentative sniff and bite, the cat decided it would not be he, and he walked away.

Meat-in-belly Meg: 1
Salmon-in-belly Meg: 0

The New York Times examines what's going on with the 'contaminants in fish' advice that's been coming out lately, Advisories on Fish and the Pitfalls of Good Intent. I think they're talking about me!

SHOPPING for fish these days is fraught with confusion. There is so much contradictory information about what is safe and what isn't. Some nutritionists are worried that people will throw up their hands and choose steak instead.

Yup, that's me! I used to eat tons of fish, but I've really cut back. Partly because I tired of salmon all the time, and partly because I read that farmed salmon and white tuna were dangerous for women of child-bearing age. I eat some wild salmon when I can find it, but in general my fish consumption has declined. And I'm eating a lot more red meat. Of course, that doesn't really mean a lot of red meat, just a lot more than I used to. Now I have it maybe three times a week, max. And boy, is it good! So sorry nutritionists, I'll try and eat canned wild salmon sandwiches for lunch from now on!

I'm in Vermont right now, and for some reason we don't seem to have any flour in our kitchen. If we did, I would be making these delicious sounding Bread Pudding Pancakes! I [heart] bread pudding and I [heart] pancakes, so this sounds like the perfect recipe for me! If only I had flour…