Got back to a fairly empty larder - eggs that had been stored
a long time, some frozen ham, and a few cloves of shriveled
garlic that had sat on the sill for weeks. I made a carbonara
that was universally tolerated if not necessarily admired.

Next morning it was deemed a good idea to visit the store,
where I got a pork roast; Bonnie wanted hamburger, but the
prices were extortionate for not-so-great merchandise, so I
got a top round roast and subbutchered it myself, processing
a pound or so of meat with additional fat cap, so 85-ish,
about the limit for juicy burgers, having added 5 or 10%
beyond the intramuscular fat. Reports were that it was too
gristly, oh, well.

There were lots of lovely trimmings to make me a gristly
snack and Bonnie a few cracklings, which she loves almost
as much as cheese crisps, of which I made her a big one
out of five slices of superannuated deli Swiss.

And enough lean meat for 4 servings of carbonnades, which
I set to stew for the next day's dinner.

I took some of the fat flap off the top with an inch or so
of meat and pan-fried it fat down until crispy and then
seared the meat sides to make a piece that resembled a
duck breast in appearance if not quite flavor.

Mock duck but not so mock
categories: main, beef, mine
servings: 2

1/2 lb top round steak cap
1/4 c hoisin
3 Tb orange juice
2 Tb dry sherry
1 ts oyster sauce
1/8 ts Chinese chili garlic sauce

The piece of meat here is part of the fat cap
cut from a top round steak with an inch plus of
muscle attached.

Starting in a cold pan, warm the beef, fat side
down, over medium heat until the surface gets
brown and crisp. Pour off some of the fat,
increase heat to hign, and brown the piece on
all sides, keeping the middle rare. Let rest.

Add all other ingredients to the pan and stir
over medium heat to form a sauce.

Slice the meat thin and fan onto two plates.
Drizzle sauce over and serve with rice and peas.

Source: moi

-
Letitia and her beau Steven came over for supper. I made
carbonnades with roast fingerling potatoes, sauteed green
beans, and stewed beet greens. Friendly's vanilla ice
cream (on special) and the okay and ripening Bobalu berries
along with fresh peaches and fresh cheese from the hobby
farm of one of the Abby Rockefellers.

I liked the carbonnades as well as anything I'd had in
Belgium, even though the beer was Sam lager with a teaspoon
of brown sugar. Lots of onions and carrots helped. If there
is anything I'd do differently is I'd use chuck at $2.49
rather than top round at $1.99.
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