Wholemeal Crank

Got the dreaded Amazon delay notice today, couldn't imagine why I hadn't already, with so many people ordering months before I did getting them, but it was the last day of their original 'estimated delivery' window. And now they say "Still want it? We'll keep on trying. To keep your order for this item open, please click the link below. Otherwise, we'll cancel your order on April 16 2011, if we haven't located it by then." Sounds like I'm in line for printing #2.

Definitely not a varietal I've heard of yet. Sounds tasty, though, and for all I know it might be one I've already had by another name, unless it is a new one. I have read interesting tidbits about an excellent tea breeding program in Taiwan.

No. What's the source for that tea?

I like such short infusions with my green teas, at least as they're getting started, that I can't imagine doing them Grandpa style. I have on occasion done that with some of my more forgiving oolongs.... Today was a good day for tea. I started again with the Hon Yama Zairai sencha from Norbu, moved on to some fall Long Juan TGY from Jing Tea Shop, and then tried a new Dan Cong from Tea Habitat, 2009 "Ya Shi" aka "duck waste fragrance". It smelled a lot better than the name. More later when I have time for a proper review.

You've simply added to the authenticity of that particular volume!

(from SeattleGeek's review) I've been making jams with agar since I heard Narsai David discuss it on his 'Cooking with Narsai' radio show 20+ years ago, because they free me from the tyranny of sugar required in my parents' pectin-based recipes. They're more consistent now, but it's still quite hit or miss. I can't wait to learn more about the thickeners I already have, and to see if there is something better out there, and apply those lessons to everything from jams to soups.....and the ever-present problem of textural damage due to freezing for my make-ahead lifestyle.

Just think of them as very teeny-tiny lobsters. And little free-range escargots.

What's making me obsessed about delivery times are how often I keep thinking to myself, "I wonder if I'll find a better way to do this when I get my copy of MC" as I'm cooking or thinking about cooking or reading other cookbooks. Just last night, reading the introduction to Dance of Spices, reviewing the role of heating spices in oil and releasing layers of flavor, I'm wondering about release vs loss of flavor, when is the gain of more accessible flavor elements balanced out by the loss of volatiles in the heating, and what does MC have to say about that? And should I prep some new batches of stock now, as the pantry shelves are nearly empty of it, or wait until I get my copy? Oddly paralyzing, when I consider that a few months ago this was not even on my radar.

Today has been a day of variable success with tea. Much as the overall quality of my brewed tea has improved, there are still times like today when I think I've got it and blow it, even with a very tolerant and mellow tea--Bai Yun Yunnan Oolong, which is a favorite in part because it generally is so hard to screw up. It started very well, with some Ya Bao wild camellia buds and flowers, and is ending well with some Hankook Korean Hwang Cha, which I keep infusing over an over. It's pretty much at the 'sweet water' stage, but this is a tea that keeps up the sweet taste in a pleasant way, so I'll keep going a while longer. And when this one runs out of sweet, I'll try another infusion of the Bai Yun, to see if the packed leaves in the Kamjove have some more flavor left. I'm betting they do, and with a little more attention it will be very good again.

The recipe sounds good. Do you make your own naan? Yes, the Uighur naan with cumin & onions from Flatbreads & flavors (my favorite cookbook). I don't have a proper tandoor, but with my bricks in the oven I get something that is quite pleasing nonetheless.

Those of you who got revised shipping dates from Amazon.com--did the revised dates e-mail arrive before or on the original estimated delivery dates?

A week or two ago, I finished off my sample packet of the 2006 Yong De Hand-braided Wild Arbor Sheng from Norbu, and it was time to break into the big beeng. But I wanted to get some good shots of the whole thing, because it is so amazingly beautiful as an intact cake. Time to show off my pu! Wrapped Unwrapped Aside Close up Closer up And the tea And there are a few more images in the flickr set here. It's quite a tasty tea, in addition to being beautiful.

Two favorite chickpea dishes, not already mentioned here: Tajik Chickpea and Onion Stew, from Flatbreads and Flavors by Alford & Duguid: a simple soup with a marvelous twist of seasoning using cinnamon, saffron and cumin, plus peppers. The combination is fabulous, and served with a good cumin & scallion naan, it's as good as meal as I've ever eaten. This is very close to their recipe. Pasta Con Ceci, from Nonna's Kitchen, by Carol Field: A simple soup, put together from very plain ingredients, that never fails to please. Chickpeas, bit of rosemary, bit of tomato paste, garlic. I'm sure there are many similar recipes online, but this one is particularly nice and easy.

Several days, no tea reports. I've been working a satellite office, where the day starts too early to get in the morning sencha. Have has a little of almost every other kind of team, and looking back, nearly all were from Norbu--thermos-full brewings of Haiwan "Peacock Quest" shu pu from Norbu, some Yunnan Mao Feng, Diamond TGY, winter 2009 dark roasted TGY from Taiwan, and a wonderful series of infusions from some summer 2009 "high mountain beauty" alishan oolong; a good evening with ManMai young sheng puerh from Essence of Tea (featured in our recent TT&D here); and today, finished off the dark roast 2009 TGY, then went green with the 2010 Spring Wu Liang Mtn - Xue Dian Mei Lan. I've definitely gotten better at getting what I want from my teas, even when, as was the case this morning, I realized I had managed to separate myself from all tea brewing vessels, and had to make do, preparing a thermos full of TGY for my drive using a nalgene water bottle. But so very nice to come back home to my cute new gaiwan, that is so exactly right for my preferred small-scale gongfu cha.

Still seeing an estimated delivery date of next week, but no 'your order has shipped' or delay expected messages. Very odd. Given how late I was to the pre-order frenzy, it seems highly unlikely I'd get one of the very first copies....but still hoping. My birthday is coming up soon, would be great timing to get it just before....

This afternoon, enjoying some of the Man mai, brewed in my Kamjove, infusion by infusion, on a bit larger scale than I usually do. Delicious--sweet, herbaceous, necessary for a siege of paperwork to come.

That's a key attraction of these lovely young shengs. They're complicated, demand attention, and reward it, as you discover new layers of flavor each time you brew.

The new teaware feels very nice in the hand, good size, weight, and is pleasing to the lip when sipping, and the cup complements the coarser Hagi-ware I have quite nicely. Today, however, all tea so far at work, so no new teaware here. Drinking some Bai Hong green tea from Yunnan, the last of some I ordered from Yunnan sourcing (nearly a year ago, I think), a little overdone because I decided to empty the last bits from the bag, and ended up with tea that needed dilution. Then on to Anxi TGY, this time the fall tea from Jing Tea Shop. Mmm....spring, fall, I love this tea.

Just want to add an unsolicited plug for this tasting: I ordered one of these teas (the San Nen Bancha) and got a free sample with my order of the Sunpu Boucha, and have quite enjoyed both of them. They are not so finicky as the average sencha, that wants very precise time and temps to give its best. So, if you're sitting on the fence, nervous about your tea brewing skills, go ahead and give these a try.

No virus warning from Firefox on my Mac.

I do this Spices in their keepers and this They're sorted by things I used together--spices for sweets, savory seeds, savory herbs, ground spices, oddballs. The baskets make them easy to grab & use. Bulk bags from which those are refilled are in a pair of large tupperware bins in another cabinet. (need to update those photos since I got a labeller and made the labels neater)

Put together a photo set documenting the process on my flickr site here. Chocolate chantilly by debunix, on Flickr I think I've got it. Thanks, teonzo, for your patience and detailed replies.

I think part of the problem is simply the name of the book itself: "Modernist cuisine" certainly gave me the impression that it would be all about spherification and other techniques of molecular gastronomy that take food farther away from what it was when it grew from the ground or was walking/swimming/flying as part of an animal. While that might be fun to eat, it is not something I'm going to do in my kitchen, at least not regularly, and so I ignored the threads and reports about the book for a long time. I'm not likely to be asked about the book in an interview, but if I were, a month ago I would have been equally dismissive (and equally wrong). Then I actually read the Q&A thread, and realized that there was going to be a lot more than that in the book, lots of things perfectly applicable to my cooking and everybody's cooking, and immediately ordered a copy.

Yesterday was a limited tea day: only one tea all day, the 2007 white bud sheng puerh from Norbu, first a thermos full, then more infusions from the leaves through the evening. Today, a more varied group of teas: finished my Honyama sencha this morning--not going to make it to shincha on my one packet of sencha from Norbu remaining; then a much better session with a Yuuki-cha oolong midday, got the temp and proportions right for some good gongfu infusions; then finished with Norbu Diamond TGY, always so nice, brewed in a new gaiwan and drunk from a new teacup, both from Shawn McGuire of GreenwoodStudios (on Etsy):

Much better this time! 55 grams of 70% scharffenberger, 23 grams of fat, with 68 grams of water, and a sprinkle of cinnamon and chili. The texture at room temperature is soft, and it melts right in my mouth. Very, very nice! This one shows how dark the original chocolate was And this close up shows the texture Does this seem like an appropriate increase in volume?