bleudauvergne

I think he maybe forgot to finish the rest of the sentence - consistent with what people would expect if they desired to eat a product consisting of solely of oils, thickeners, chemicals, additives, and powder derivatives of the fruit commonly known to be the principle ingredient of guacamole. Edited to add Herr's official web page on "nutrition".

Aw, Shuks.

Sunday dinner sole, dredged in flour and creole spices, fried. Served with salt potatoes dipped in sea urchin sauce, and a simple salad. Cheeses: Clockwise from the St. Marcellin, reblochon (making a tartiflette this week), tomme de savoie, the last little bite of epoisse, and a 15 month aged Comte. We are celebrating the Savoie this week, in preparation of some skiing. Wine - he drank a Beaujolais Chardonnay which I was not fond of, and I sipped on a dry white tio pepe, which I found to be the perfect accompaniment. - Lucy

Great Site! A vanilla bean seems like a great idea. The recipes on the wesite say to let it macerate for at least 3 months. This is a lot longer than the vin d'orange, which only macerates 1 month. I better get started now in order to be able to enjoy this during the summer! -Lucy

Andy, if you want to swing down to Lyon any time during your stay in Paris, I'd be happy to take you to my favorites on a budget.

Cheese Meat Lunch Terrines & Deli Items Local Specialites Use these for Cassoulet These Hams are from Savoie From the Italian Traiteur who can get the fresh ricotta Happy Weekend! -Lucy

Thank you ever so much, Beans.

Wow, there is no way that I could have predicted that my question could have logically spun off into a discussion of the terminology of the glass. But logically, it did. Because by virtue of the vodka martini being a spinoff of the gin martini, it necessitated a mention, and HKDave's remarks about other spinoffs, and Bean's bringing the industry insight into it, and the exchange about it all logically follows. I'm sorry you have to repeat yourself, Beans. On the other hand, I think that packaging can have a great deal of impact on what we call things. For instance some people call tissues - kleenexes. People in upstate new york get really irritated when people call soda - "pop". How could we know about the cocktail glass - with a box like this: in our basement? Coming from a place where I'm constantly struggling with terminology I can certainly understand that there may be regional differences. Sorry it's blurry but there wasn't much light down there. [cleaning spiderwebs out of hair.] I will make a concerted effort to find the discussions about glass terminology, because I find it interesting and I have questions of my own about that. Would you be able to post me a link to that? I would still like to know the vermouth:vodka ration of regular vodka martini. Would that be 1:5? Thanks.

I'll be so happy to hear the results, Margaret.

I'd had classic martinis with gin, and I love them. But once a dear friend of mine ordered a dry vodka martini, and one for me. It was the first time I'd had one, and the vermouth level was good, and she and I were very happy with what we received, and ended up in a long evening of talking. I think I established a memory and for that reason, I began ordering dry vodka martinis when I was in a certain mood. As far as olives go, the vermouth (which is definitely neccessary) necessitates the olive. It's like bread and butter. My putting capers in last night was kind of silly. OK for the regular vodka martini, the ratio is 1:5?

After a full investigation, I'm happy to report that Marlene's martini served om Thursday night was a somewhat dry (if it was indeed no. 3) vodka martini with a twist, served "over". It took a lot of tries to get it right.... What's for breakfast? Yes, and has he divulged where you are going on magical mystery tour?

bleu, about the time people started asking for 'vodka martinis', there seemed to be a craze for having martinis (either kind) 'over' or 'on the rocks'. Gale found that trend appalling, as well. Squeat, thank you for your knowledge. What is 'over'?

Lizz, I agree that frozen fish can be quite good, and it's good you have found a nice source. A warning sign that the the fish has thawed during shipment and been re-frozen is a block of solid ice at the bottom of the package, water from a thawed fish that has frozen at the bottom.

I am a purist at heart, and after several posts from different sources I am sold on this idea of the gin martini being king. My father used to make them for me, and I love them. But the vodka martini - Alright. I have made the 4 vodka martinis. Don't worry, my hubby's here to help me to do taste testing. I can say that swishing around the vermouth in the glass and leaving the dregs after pouring it out it does not provide the whisper of vermouth I was hoping for, although during the first 5 seconds, when I was bringing it to my mouth, I thought it might. Maybe my vodka wasn't good enough. We drank it anyway. I tasted one or two sips (ok - half) of each of my test martinis so I ended up tasting roughly 2 martinis on the whole. We did - splash around the glass and discard of vermouth / stir = whiff of vermouth, taste- like a shot of vodka. Pretty. splash around the glass and discard of vermouth / shake = whiff of vermouth taste, like a shot of vodka but maybe colder than the first. Did not observe a "lighter" taste. Perhaps due to the quality of the vodka. small dose of vermouth / stir - the best. and small dose / shake OK alright, not the same visual impact. The stirred martini looked better than the shaken ones. They all made this kind of flowery ring of bulbs around the edge which was nice. I seemed to have random sediment floating in everything, which was my ice cubes, I suppose. A photo session didn't give much. I'll chalk it off to the martinis. I never could play chess either under the influence. Conclusion: next time I will order a dry (vodka or gin) martini with a little vermouth (just in case they forget), stirred, with olive, pereferably stuffed with pimento, or 3 capers, which seemed better than the anchovie stuffed olives I had in the fridge, they just didn't seem right. Tonight's martini no. 3 of 4, served with capers. I wish I'd thought to wipe off the stove top. But that's what happens when you're in the moment. -Lucy Edited to ask squeat - if the martini wasn't "up", how was it served?

I guess I'm going to have to make 4 tonight, since I have to make one while throwing the vermouth out of the glass, and one with a little bit added in, and each of those variations shaken, and then one stirred. Oh well. Thanks guys.

So I was right... ooo that bartender was mean about it, too. I note that slkinsey specifies that his martini be stirred and not shaken. Excuse me for asking a rather naive question, but what's the difference between a martini that's been shaken and one that's been stirred? Rancho Gordo, in France martini means the Italian sweet stuff that comes in a martini bottle. If you ask for a martini the way we like them, you have to say: Je voudrais un - martini Americain -, and if they look at you like you're crazy, you have to give them the recipe, and stress that it's "martini blanc sec" that they have to put in it. Otherwise they'll mess it up. And be preapred to pay a LOT of money for it. edited to say "and frow away ze martini from ze glass? [blathery blubbery noise with lips] I sink not, madame."

I am writing this having been inspired by Marlene's food blog this week in which she is served a vodka martini with a twist. And it's got me thinking about my experiences with vodka martinis. I ordered a dry vodka martini in Hong Kong at a hotel bar and got a martini to die for. I was aware that there was just a little itty bitty bit of vermouth in it, it was like a whisper of vermouth. A beautiful little whisper. Then, 6 months later, I ordered a dry vodka martini at a bar in the U.S. and I got straight vodka. I asked her to give me a touch of vermouth and the bar tender acted rather offended (maybe she though I was trying to get free extra?) and said that a dry martini is straight vodka so I should just order what I want next time. It took me off guard. Is a dry vodka martini only straight vodka, or does it have a little bit of vermouth in it (albeit less than the classic mixture)? Thank you for your kind advice.

Pork loin! Just sent message to husband. He's rounding up the troops so I can make this tomorrow. We were just talking about what we were going to do with the apples. Would it be an abomination to stuff some apples and prunes (plus couple of dried figs because i've got some in the cabinet) in the roast, in addition to doing this sauce? Hm. Robyn, do you think that would be too much? I have olive oil but it's fresh and burns easily due to sediment. I'm wondering if duck fat will do instead for the browning. Thanks for your feedback.

Episure, Very interesting idea which I will try. How deeply do you score? Do you score all the way to the center of the fish? What is the best implement for serving fish that has been scored this way? What a great thread. Thanks Markk!

Boris. You are a smart man. I too am very sensitive to the evolution of my guests emotions throughout a meal. I think your counterpoint involving the beast will prove fruitful in the most excellent way. 10 is also my magic number for essential for comfortable and casual intermingling while maintaining a fully focused theme. For a fish that size, I would be tempted to use a temperature probe to indicate done-ness. But what is the perfect inside temp (C and F) of a perfectly cooked tender flaky pike?

Tenderloin! Tenderloin! What a fabulous idea! Hey. Where's the olive? I just love love love your kitchen. The butter tart squares look like they would be a huge success over here.

When I cook whole fish, I always serve the fish, head, tail, bones and all at the table. Then, when you're eating it you work your way down each side, bite by bite, depending on the anatomy of the fish. But in general, There are lots really nice fish that come in a nice size to serve one to each person at the table and are good prepared whole. I think that an entire sole, (not just the fillet) is a really nice fish to pan sear and serve whole. Hake, sardines of course, fresh and whole off the grill. Just remove the guts and cook. These are fish that don't have scales, and the skin really adds to the experience. There are some that I prefer to serve fillet-ed. The wild sea bass, which should be cleaned of it's scales. I like to have more control of the treatment of the meat which is nice crisped on the skin (underneath the scales) side. I also like to cook the dorade filleted, due to a tendancy to have bones running perpendicularly through the fillet, removing them with tweezers before cooking gives my guests a more satisfying eating experience. And then of course there's the smoking of whole fish. A fish is meant to be smoked whole.

Hake: coat with olive oil, sprinkle a chopped shallot on the bottom of your pan, add a 1/2 cup dry white sparkling wine like a cremant de bourgogne or champagne, add a couple of bay leaves, a little sea salt and some thyme, and cook in a hot oven until done. One fish for each person at the table! -Lucy edited to say that this is before cooking, we were too busy eating to take any other pics of this wonderful meal.

John, I am so sorry to hear that you experienced that. I am also a certified seafood guzzler and can think of nothing more dissapointing that type of encounter. Thank goodness you made aoili and at least you could enjoy that. I can think of two things that might have happened. 1) These are farm raised fruits, raised on - and in, merde. Your description of the flavor brings an image of the poor creatures having been raised in a still and festering pool of gobbledy gook in a hole dug in a farmers' field somewhere. When I search for shrimps and the like, I always look for the ones that are clearly marked as wild, or having been fresh sea netted, preferably marked as both, since some farm raised shrimp are actually raised in sealed off areas actually in the sea, and fed a retricted diet of merde. Granted you'll never find wild netted fruits at that price under normal conditions. 2) The fruits may have been frozen and the chain may have been broken during shipment or storage. These little morsels may have been initially frozen, thawed out somehow during shipping, and re-frozen again before evenutally being thawed again and presented to you. The disentegration of and poor texture of the meat is a telltale sign. I hope you have a better experience next time, John. - Lucy edited to say that seafood that has been frozen can often be absolutely wonderful, but if it's been frozen and then re-frozen, that's where the problem comes in.

Jaymes, they unfold without much effort, the parchment's rather oily and they almost start to unfold on their own once you've removed them from the steaming rack. Since one end is open, you grab the edge of the paper and give it a light shake. Some people were rather ceremoniously opening them up, folding things back, and eating the insides from the paper where the tamale was cradled, some were letting the tamale tumble down on the plate and discarding the paper right off. The steamer became a nice basket for the paper. -Lucy edited to say that I transferred them from the steam rack with chopsticks