Disclaimer: These are things I learned while working in the Lab this weekend. These are just my thoughts and results of my food “research.” They are not recipes, but they often develop into recipes later on.

Duck breast: I know better than to shop at grocery stores, including Whole Foods, if I want the best meats. However, I am addicted to the convenience of just stopping by the store and grabbing what I want, when I want it. Anyway, I was in a hurry to make duck prosciutto and I knew that Whole Foods would have organic duck breast available. I ran into the store, grabbed a frozen package, and I was ready to go. To my dismay, after the duck breasts defrosted I discovered my package contained the thinnest duck breasts I have even seen. (By the way, I am struggling to take the high road and keeping my comments clean…) Sadness ensued… I know that this was totally my fault for not planning and sourcing my meat ahead of time. Next time, I will order Moulard duck breast from my friends at Rain Shadow Meats. Say it with me now! For the best results, buy the best ingredients! Of course I am not wasting the duck breast, that would be a sin. It will just be my testing sample. The duck breast was covered in Kosher salt, dried thyme, and cracked juniper berries and is hanging in my curing chamber for about seven days. Of course I will share the results when it is done.

Pizza dough: I learned two “new to me” concepts, Baker’s percentage and the hydration rates (flour to water) of different doughs. While I have always been happy with the flavor of my pizza dough in the past, I could not get the dough thin enough without using a rolling pin. When I looked at the recipe of my dough, I discovered that the hydration rate was 61 percent. Not bad, but pizza dough for Neapolitan pizza is normally at 65-70 percent hydration. When I added more water to my recipe, I was able to “window pane” the dough for the first time and keep the polling pin on the shelf. I am going play with this for a while.

Scones: Not bad in taste, but I really want a darker outside without drying or burning them up. Any tips? Baking is my worst fear…