Here's a strong vote for a good pressure cooker. I wouldn't want to have a kitchen without one. It does some things in about a third or less time than conventional cooking. Steamed artichokes in 15 minutes instead of an hour. Osso buco in under an hour. Pot roasts. Curry in fifteen minutes instead of all day. Corned beef & cabbage in about an hour. I DO have a big ol' pressure canner, the All American 930 that can process a whopping 14 quart jars at once. I honestly don't use it that often--just a few times a year--but when I do use it I make several months' worth of great chicken broth, canning it for future use. I'm into simplifying stuff these days, and I'm finding I just don't use it as much as I used to--and if I don't use it much more I may end up putting it on eBay. While it can be used as a pressure cooker, unless you're cooking for fifty it isn't practical (it's HUGE). I also have a couple of pressure cookers, my favorite being the 6 qt Kuhn Rikon stockpot. (If I were to do it again, I'd go for the 8 qt model.) KR is somewhat pricey but very good quality. You can find them online at a (slight) discount. If you don't have a good pressure cooker, that's the next toy I'd most recommend, no question. Having used a bunch, here's what I'd recommend: The 8 qt Kuhn Rikon stockpot (see link) If you're watching the $$$ and just want to try out pressure cooking, Fagor makes a set in their 'Splendid' line which consists of a 8 qt stockpot, a 4 qt saute pan and a pressure lid which fits them both. That actually was my favorite setup until it got 'borrowed' and never returned. That set is available for around $100-120 (although a few weeks ago it was available for $94 from Amazon with free shipping). They also make a set with a 6 qt and 4 qt pots as well. I recommend going with the set with the bigger 8 qt model if you have the storage space for it. KR also makes a 5 qt brasier which a friend of mine has and loves. BTW, some PC brands make a big thing about having two different pressure settings (the Fagor Duo line, for example). IMHO that's not really a big deal; 99% of the time you use a PC you'll be using the high setting. For info on PC's you may wish to look at missvickie.com, read her cookbook, or any of Lorna Sass's pressure cooking cookbooks. Here is a link that might be useful: KR stockpot

Here's a very simple way to cook duck from 'The Joy of Cooking'. In essence, you cook the duck for a long time at a low temp, then gather up all the fat which has exuded out (there will be lots), then raise the temp of the oven for a while. It's foolproof and very little work. While it takes about 4 hours to cook, you're not doing anything during most of that time. I'll often cook a few of these for holidays for people to sample in addition to whatever else I have going on. There are never any leftovers. Crispy Roast Duck 1 duckling, 4 to 5 lbs, thawed Salt Preheat the oven to 250ÃÂ and place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Remove the duck from its plastic wrapper and rinse under cold water, then pat dry with paper towels. Rub a little salt in the cavity, and sprinkle a little on the skin. Remove any excessive fat from around the opening and the neck. With a sharp paring knife or a skewer, make 20 or 30 small incisions in the skin into the fat. Hold the knife parallel to the skin so you penetrate the skin into the fatty layer, but you don't want to penetrate the flesh. If you have a v-rack for a roasting pan, place the rack in the pan and place the duck, breast side down, on the rack. (But if you don't have a v-rack, don't worry. Just place the duck breast side down in the pan.) Place the pan in the oven and roast for 3 hours. Yes, three hours. Every hour check the duck and prick the skin a little more to let more fat escape. After three hours, drain the fat out of the pan (don't discard it!) and turn the oven up to 350ÃÂ, and turn the duck breast side up. Roast for another 45 minutes. Remove to a platter and let the duck sit for 10 minutes before carving. You can make a gravy out of the juices and bits in the pan if you want. If you don't have a v-rack, you can cook the duck without one but the skin won't be as crispy. It'll still taste great, though. Serve with whatever wine you like; the meat is hearty enough to stand up to a full bodied red like a Pinot Noir or Cabernet, but if you prefer a lighter red like a Zinfandel or a good white, go for it.

Yum Sounds like a perfect meal plan. I like a puree with lamb chops. I need something creamy with fork bites then with the bone handle nibbles. Carrot roasted first with a garlic head to sweeten it, and a couple small slices of sweet potato...and maybe a shallot, Fresh lemon while puree, cumin and a mild spice...summer savory. Shanks i want a bed of tiny veg. Carrot, leek, shallot, celery. Very tiny but that might just be my recipe. Very special on its own, the shank, almost slides off the bone into its own broth on the veg. If just the two of us, it is always mashed potato. Chop or shank. And whatever assertive veg i have on hand. Sous vide will be great. Not had shank since i've had mine. Doing the bag brûlée or wide ball jar? Bag method sounds easier. Not tried it yet. Pasteurized eggs last weekend for the first time, : ) Is your sea trout whole or fillet? I'm guessing it is similar to Alaskan or Atlantic salmon. Fillets i cut into squares, about the size of a lemon slice (freeze the thin tips and parts for a later chowder meal)...fresh dill and lemon slice one side, a bit of olive oil. The skin i marinate in fish sauce and soy and avocado oil, (takes high heat), under the broiler to crisp. Tiny bed of blanched leek and asparagus ribbons, toss in lemon juice, a few capers, fresh pea shoots...i just made marinated yellow mustard seeds last weekend...but that needs a few days to set/swell. Couple slices of avocado...can you tell what i'm having for dinner, lol. Bigger fillets as it is the main meal. Smaller is a great app. (i have everything but fresh dill, darn) Sous vide does allow lots of free time to amp up the plating beauty and makes timing a breeze. (take pics!)

What a memory you have mercurygirl! “Break out the sherbet dishes and fill them with custard” Oh, if only, bragu... if I only I had a kitchen! This will be the first year I’ve not made DH’s beloved cheesecake. In the interest of ‘adding’… I see above that I abhorred chocolate pot de crème due to the grainy texture, but since then I’ve acquired a sous vide, and as Islay wisely said, no better (or easier) way to make the perfect pots de crème, even non-grainy chocolate. Here’s my recipe: Sous Vide Chocolate Pots De Crème Ingredients: 4 cups of heavy cream 1, 9.7-ounce bar of Schaeffer bittersweet chocolate (or your favorite brand) 3 t espresso powder, divided 6 T sugar plus 1 t sugar, divided 2 pinches kosher salt 8 egg yolks Directions: Heat the cream in a pan over medium-high heat until the cream around the edges of the pan just starts to bubble. Do not let the cream come to a full boil. Remove from heat. While the cream is heating, coarsely chop the chocolate. While the cream is hot, whisk in the chopped chocolate, espresso powder, sugar, kosher salt. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in egg yolks one or two at a time, whisking completely after each addition. Pour the mixture into a large measuring cup suitable for pouring. Pour 6 ounces of the cream and chocolate mixture into 8, 8-ounce mason jars, leaving about 3/4" of air space in each jar. Do not fill to the top. Screw the lids on using your fingers only until the lids are finger tight. Do not overly tighten as air needs to escape from the jars during the cooking process. Fill a large pot or a 12-quart storage container with room temperature water and secure your sous vide circulator onto the vessel. Place the jars in the pot or container. Turn the sous vide circulator on and set it to 176 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water reaches 176 degrees set the timer for one hour. The water should cover the lidded jars. When the timer goes off, turn off the circulator and remove the mason jars from the circulator with a pair of tongs. Set the jars on a dry kitchen towel and allow to cool for a few minutes and then store in the fridge for at least two hours and up to several days. Top with sweetened crème fraiche, fresh raspberries, shaved chocolate, chopped toasted almonds, or best of all, serve plain : ) I hope others will chime in and add some of their recipes to this!