I just found this over at YahooGroups, and because of my quirky sense of humour, Flax Seed MuffinMania really cracked me up. There are 123 members in the group.

LCMuffinMania
This group is for low-carbers (Atkins, Protein Power, Schwarzbein, etc.) who are addicted to flax seed (linseed) meal muffins and want to share recipes and chit-chat about baking. Topics may also expand to include other areas of low-carb baking.

Could be interesting....

Karen

Now why do I have the suspicion that you set that group up just for the fun of it? I could see a "hemp muffin" site, but flax? The things some people do for kicks eh?

Are you sure that you weren't the mastermind behind it?

There are lots of interesting substances to be addicted to, but addicted to flax seed muffins? It's probably a good thing then that I've never had one.

Flax seed muffins; cunning, baffling, powerful!

Karen

So, getting back to what this thread was about, I made some tuna confit last night.

I had some Ahi bellies and and other assorted bits that I cut into pieces about 1-inch thick and 4-inches long. I seasoned them with coarse sea salt, sliced garlic, fresh rosemary and lots of coarsely ground black pepper and let them sit for an hour. Then into a pot, covered them with olive oil and warmed it on top of the stove. When I deemed the oil hot enough - I could still stick my finger in it but don't try this if you don't have heat-proof hands - I put the whole thing into the oven at 225 F and let it do its thing for 45 minutes. After cooling, I transfered the whole thing to a container and refrigerated it.

At one point I tasted it and thought it was ruined because I used salt liberally. But as it cooked, the salt mellowed. I just tried it and it is delicious. The rosemary flavour is pronounced and the garlic is good for nibbling on.

I may make some sort of Nicoise-y salad for the potluck nest weekend!

Karen

I know what you mean about the salt. I experienced the same thing with the duck. I thought that I had over koshered it (is duck kosher?)at first taste but it too settled down.

We seem doomed to learn the same lessons over and over again. Mine is "you get what you pay for". With the recent spike in gas prices, and schedule cramming, I settled for a few utility ducks from superstore. After all this was a confit, and if there were a few slashes or wings missing it wouldn't matter. How was I to know that these were ones the dog caught! An amputee in a chicken is not a great deal, but a leg means a lot to a duck. I seem to have paid a premium for a couple of underfleshed rib cages. Ah well, buyer beware.

So if you ever see someone groping frozen birds in the supermarket, you'll know it is me.

Try to find duck legs - they're usually a lot cheaper than the whole duck. Breasts just don't confit it!

Karen

Hi Karen,
You are right about the breasts. Whenever duck fever hits me I like to use the whole bird to prolong the ecstasy. The breasts were served over some mysterious greens (very spicy in taste but looked like broccoli rape) topped with cracklings.

The legs go in the confit, with the rendered lard used for frying. It is amazing how duck lard always makes the home smell so good.

The carcasses are in the freezer and will soon be turned into duck soup.
http://entertainment.singnet.com.sg...1016334242.html

The only part that always has me stumped are the giblets....not a big fan of giblets.

Now on with the tuna! Can't wait to taste the salad you made. Are you sure there will be some left by the end of the week?

Colin

If there's not, I'll make some more!

I like making a similar duck soup with lots of sliced ginger, daikon and tofu. Super yummy with lots of chilies, green onion and cilantro on top. I sometimes beat a raw egg into the bowl. I just throw in the gizzard and heart when I cook the carcass and slice it thinly into the soup.

Make a very small pate out of the liver!

Karen

Karen

I just got back from Malta where you can get green olives stuffed with a sort of tuna paste. They're delicious. If you have a bit of the tuna confit left over, give it a try.

Another thing I liked was the local sausage--coarsely ground pork (definitely no fillers) with lots of parsley and big bits of crushed peppercorn and whole coriander. They tended to burst their skins when cooked. Wonderful with fresh tomato fondue.

Susan

Yes! Yes! You can by them here in cans. One of my faves is anchovy stuffed olives.

Travelling is a great inspiration to see the scope of what you can eat, isn't it!

Did you have any interesting cheese?

Karen

Cheese is one thing they don't do well. The only local kinds are cheeselets (plain and peppered), which at their best are like unbrined feta. They grow really strong-flavoured capers, though. It's a standard Mediterranean diet--olive oil and pasta and fresh seafood. The bread is outstanding (I ate tiny pieces), mostly from wood-fired ovens, judging by the bottom of the loaves. I had lots of rabbit and chicken.

I should have plenty of scope for cheese eating in the fall; there's a good chance that we're going to France for a couple of weeks. This will be a challenge. Last time I stopped trying to LC in about a day. I didn't gain anything, but it's a bad habit to get into. All this talk of confit made me think of the cassoulet in Castlenaudry--who knew baked beans could be so good!

We'll be staying in rented houses and cooking two meals a day, so I can LC at those times. One of the things I like best about travelling is food shopping in other countries--especially in France.

Susan

I know what you mean. But if there is an opportunity to have something that I have only read about and have wanted to try, I will. If I eat a peice of croissant for example, I don't have to eat one everyday.

The cheese does drive me mad though! When I was there in the spring, I was fixated on ricotta and buffalo milk mozzarella. Sheep ricotta, goat ricotta, cow ricotta, ricotta from different regions...

I had a very groovy sausage that was a goose neck stuffed with goose meat and foie gras, then poached in goose fat. Made a great breakfast!

Karen

Ah the good old days. My Larousse is always on the shelf right above me. I love to look at the ways to use every part of an animal and transform it into something wonderful. Now if I only had the kitchen to do it in. (The kitchen reno is going as expected, full of little glitches that stir ashes into our dreams and aches in our bones.)

Susan, your planned trip to France is my idea of the perfect vacation. I think the markets of places stand right up there with all the galleries and museums. After all this is the true culture of the people. (So what does Safeway say about us?)

Perhaps we should have another forum on ideal vacation plans? Once the envy is supressed it would be a great way to escape the winter rains.

Our daughter starts university in less than two years, my husband retires in three, so we're cramming in as much travel as possible while we still have ready cash. I feel so spoiled getting two trips abroad in one year. Of course in years to come, we may not be able to travel as often, but we'll stay for longer (a month in Paris will be my retirement present).

The French approach to food--not just cooking--is a huge part of their culture. This is a country that date stamps their eggs. Have you read Adam Gopnik's "Paris to the Moon"? It's a wonderful book.

Susan

I just read an article in the New York Times about a theory that "the preparing, cooking and sociable eating of food are so central to the human experience that the culinary arts may well be what made us human in the first place."

It's a little long, but I'll post it if anyone is interested.

Susan