Author: -N-

Skep – A New Hat!

This hat is a simple mosaic stitch pattern, with texture created using purl stitches along with knit and slipped stitches.  Although mosaic knitting looks complicated, it really is not.  The fact is, each knitted round (or round with purl stitches) is done in only one color.  The slipped stitches pull the contrasting color up from the row below.  The biggest challenge in writing up this pattern was actually in translating the written pattern into a charted design.

Besides the mosaic pattern, the foundation round of the hat is done in i-cord, invented or unvented by Elizabeth Zimmermann.  This creates an edge that is tidy, but a bit stretchy.  The result is a hat with a snug edge which helps the hat hold its shape.  From the initial i-cord cast on, the first round increases the stitch count, and thence the pattern commences.  You can purchase pattern on Ravelry – follow the link here, or else click on the pattern listing under my “page” column.

Although I did not make the pattern available in different sizes, it would be easy to modify the pattern for a very large head or a child, simply by adding or subtracting repeats.

What is a “Skep”?

A skep is an old word for a beehive, made of coiled straw or grass, and shaped into a conical formation.  In the New World, there were no honey bees, and so when the Europeans settled, they brought their bees with them.  The shape and texture of this hat made me think of a skep – thus its name!

Unfortunately, our honey bee population is being challenged by viruses or some other horrible illness, and their number is dwindling.  Add to this, they are mating with African bees, which are known to be very aggressive.  Neither is a good thing.

A Bee Artist

I would like to refer you to a site I really enjoy, Pencil and Leaf, which is the blog of an artist who does wonderful drawings and painting of bees and flowers.  Buzz over to see her fine work.

In Which a Duck Meets Its Doom

Roast duck is something to be savored, and unfortunately most ducks bought in your average grocery store are not worth eating.  The last one I bought was years ago, and I was shoved somewhat unceremoniously aside when I was not going to follow the directions on the bird’s wrapper.  Some little pop-up thingy was supposed to erupt miraculously when the bird was done.  Needless to say – so why am I saying it? – the result was a gastronomic catastrophe.

Most people fail to understand the chemistry involved with cooking meat, or any protein for that matter.  Simply put, a high heat will change the molecular structure of protein, and not always for the best.  Eggs are a very good example of this:  scrambled over high heat, they become tough.  Poor cuts of meat benefit from slow cooking, using a low temperature, which is why pulled pork takes all day long on a smoker, and is worth the patience of waiting for it.  I think duck is the same way if you plan on roasting it.

Since that last disaster, I think I have had duck twice, both times served in a restaurant, and only the breast.  One had cherries, and was quite good – the big problem was not enough of it!  When I was a kid, duck was a staple in the family, so for me, it is like an old friend, but a special one.

As I have not roasted a duck unsupervised for awhile, I feel like a prisoner set free!  I perused my usual recipe haunts, and decided to do a slow roast at 275 F, and to make an orange glaze, which sounded pretty good.  The links I used are this one for the glaze, and this one for the general directions, complete with pictures.

I bought the duck this morning at Whole Foods, and while I did not keep it in the refrigerator in a pan, naked and exposed to the air (why would I want to do this?  According to my research, this helps make for the crispy skin!) for 24 hours as is recommended, I did rinse it off and stuff it with a bunch of orange peel and a sliced Spanish onion.  There were a few pin feathers to pull out, but this duck was remarkably clean.  The giblets were set aside for stock, which will be made when the duck is done and eaten; the fat will also be saved for later use, being poured off before the glaze begins.

The Glaze Most Delicious

Put together in a small sauce pan the following ingredients, bring to a simmer, remove from heat and set aside for later.

  • 1/4 c. fresh orange juice
  • 3 T. honey
  • 3 T. blackstrap molasses
  • 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
  • 4 minced, grated garlic cloves
  • 1/2 tsp. each ground pepper and freshly ground coriander seed

Do this after you put the duck in the oven.  Go sit down someplace where you can hear the timer ding one hour so you can flip the bird.  Me, I went and listened to Mr. Reacher’s adventure in Mississippi and made some phone calls and knit on the Cloisonne mittens.  I also enjoyed the wafting fragrance of the duck as it roasted its way to nirvana.

The Duck So Nutritious

One five-pound duck.  If you want, after you wash and pat it dry, let it sit for 24 hours in your refrigerator, unstuffed and uncovered, to make the skin especially crispy.  If you don’t want to, then don’t.

Once you are ready to cook your duck, score the duck skin and fat, and prick the duck in several places.  This will allow the fat to escape and drip into the pan.  Take your giblets, and any other parts, and set aside for stock.  Squeeze a juice orange, and save the juice for the glaze.  Slice up the orange rind, along with a Spanish or some other onion, and stuff it into your duck.  The more the merrier – the onions are great to eat after the duck is cooked, and the peel adds to the final flavor of the meat.

Heat the oven to 275-300 F.  Put the duck in a pan, on a rack, and make sure your pan is deep.  Not being sure how much fat I would get, I used my largest pan.  I could have gone smaller, but better safe than sorry!  I could probably have used this pan and rack for two ducks, if I had been greedy, extravagant, or having company.

Place the duck breast side up, tying the legs together with twine after you have filled it full of oranges and onions.  Cook it for 1 hour, remove from the oven.  Prick the duck, and flip it over.  Cook another hour.  Repeat so that at hour three the duck is now breast-side down.  The recipe calls for cooking about 4 hours; I pulled the duck out after 3 3/4 hours, and then began the final phase.  I set my timer for 60 minutes, just to remind me.

Push the temperature up to 400 F.  Once that is reached, pop the duck back into the oven, breast side up.  While you are waiting for the oven to heat up, you can pull the rack out of the pan and drain off the fat – I did this to use for other purposes.  I also scraped the cracklings out of the pan and set them aside for flavoring biscuits and for gravy, and to pop a few into my mouth.

Once you have the oven at 400 F, return the duck to the oven, breast-side up.  Set the timer for about 10 minutes – this way you can watch the skin.  The linked recipe said do it for 30 minutes, but reviewers said not to do this.  I didn’t do it for 30 minutes – ten were fine.  Then, remove from the oven.  Let it stand, and as you let it stand, mop it with the glaze, letting it soak in between moppings.

Carve Thy Bird!

Anyone can do it better than me!  I have not had to carve anything for so long, I’ve forgotten where what is and how it is connected.  Still, food is food, and as long as it is not on the floor, who cares?  Unless you are trying to win a prize for prettiness, don’t sweat it.

Results

Damned fantastic!  You gotta have that skin – crispy, orangey, sweet with a bit of tang.  The meat was tender, not dry, and not greasy, either.  I served it on a bed of mixed salad greens and arugula, using an orange champagne vinegar as dressing.  I was really pleased with the results.  Yes, a lot of time, but really not a lot of work.

A Word of Caution

Finally, for those of you who have never tried to roast a duck, I would like to give you some advice.  First, make sure you have a duck.  A real duck.  Get one that is free-range, organic, whatever.  Make sure there are no pop-up thingies.  Try Whole Foods or a butcher you know.  Don’t steal one from the neighborhood pond.  And, if you cannot identify a duck, here is a clue from the esteemed Mr. Nash:

Behold the duck:  It does not cluck.
A cluck it lacks. It quacks.

Unimportant Until Needed

In the last few weeks at work, there has been a flurry to update things, like the “first aid” kits.  Awhile back I refilled my own at work at my own expense – I’d ordered what I thought was a “first aid” kit, only to find out it was an empty box with the word “first aid” written on it.  Cost $4.00 or so.  Now that there is a mandate to make sure it is not filled with expired stuff, I rummaged through the “official” one, and these are some of what I found:

  • eyewash from 2004
  • finger splints so brittle they split when flexed
  • leaking iodine and alcohol preps
  • “sterile” pads without expiration dates, but with yellowed wrappings
  • yellowing adhesive tape that looked totally gross
  • something else which expired in 2005

Needless to say, this stuff got tossed.  My own kit is minimal – bandaids and antibiotic ointment – but at least it is not 6 or 7 years old!

I’ve worked in healthcare for years.  I’ve worked as a temp in offices and found outdated medications.  I’ve worked in large medical facilities where people are careless and lazy, moving crash carts to the wrong area and failing to restock them as necessary.

Most of us don’t think about our first aid kits, nor the need for earthquake kits, or being prepared for hurricanes or other natural disasters, or being stranded in a blizzard without a backup set-up in the trunk of the car.  This first aid kit was a travesty – the result of true negligence until compliance and potential inspection came onboard.  Most of us think of our computers as outdated when more than a year old (I do!), but don’t give too much thought to more vital elements which are unimportant until needed.