Chris Amirault

I agree. The more I fiddle around with these at home, the more I am convinced I'll never touch the level of the Angostura bitters.

Why not experiment? You've got the perfect set-up: one with and one without. I'd add just enough cold water to ensure that the bellies are immersed in liquid. Then you can do a side-by-side.

I'd be interested to hear what others who have developed commercial bitters think about this. I've noticed the effect Sam describes with the tinctures I have: very alcoholic out of the jar/bottle but the boozy nose dissipates in the glass.

There's been a big debate about the "dry" vs wet cure here, Marlene, and a lot of us have come to the conclusion that Ruhlman's "dry" cure doesn't distribute the cure evenly enough. I have done his method many times using my FoodSaver machine, and the bellies don't release enough liquid to allow for complete overhauls of the meat in the cure. That results in lots of intense edge curing, with exteriors more salty and sweet than interiors. I've served lots of pieces of bacon that are extra dark on the ends from having too much sugar there. So, this time around, I used a modified-Ruhlman approach, dredging the bellies in his cure, sticking them in pretty tight-fitting pans, and then barely covering them with water. This is very imprecise -- there are a lot of people who have strict notions about brine percentages that may find this heresy -- but it resulted in a very strong curing liquid, easy overhauling (moving the meat around in the cure), and a even distribution. Perhaps this would only work once you've done it a few times another way. I've done enough bellies that I'm now going by feel; I can tell when it's cured enough. However, the ease is very attractive, and the results excellent. Next time -- I'm eager to do another rosemary cure soon -- I'll document the entire process.

Another strategy worth trying if you're adventurous is buying items that lack factory English labels. (That is to say, it has only one of those B&W generic labels with nutritional information and ingredients on it; the rest is in Chinese.) Recently, I went through one and then two jars of sichuan hot pepper oil/paste/muck with abandon, purchased on a whim one day when I had to get over $25 for a credit card sale. The jar had a B&W photo of one of the many unhappy women pasted on jars at my local store, and her stuff haunts me to this day....

I tried a few new things this time around. First, instead of trying to find a decent belly at the carnicaria or waiting three months for a Niman order to arrive at Whole Foods, I went to the best source I have for pork belly: the Chinese American Market on Park Ave in Cranston RI (at Rolfe, for the locals). There they consistently have thick, excellent 2"x12" strips of skin-on belly every day. I bought five of them (five pounds, roughly), dredged them in Ruhlman's standard cure and the additional accent (black pepper this time), and then covered them with water in two deep hotel pans. About seven days later, with regular overhauling, they'd firmed up nicely. After peppering them again and giving another a day of drying in the fridge, I hot-smoked them with apple chips (not hickory, my usual) until they were up to temp. Finally, instead of slicing them in their 12" state, I cut each piece in half, so that I had 6" pieces of bacon. I'm very happy with the results, and the simplicity of the process makes the project easier to handle in general.

Would that work for the grill? Seems like it would. I have a couple of chickens in the fridge that I need to do something with....

I am convinced that an Improved Holland Gin Cocktail made with Genevieve is the cocktail I'd order on my deathbed. I just wish I had some of the Marteau Daniel Shoemaker used in the version I had at Teardrop in Portland. As of now, I must settle with Kubler....

New Middle Eastern place on Broad Street called Oasis Grill, run by a friendly guy named Sammy and appearing to lean Lebanese. The website is slim but includes a standard menu, and the interior is set up for a real operation: huge kitchen, ME general store in the back that will include at least some produce (unlike Sonia's in Cranston). Very interesting....

Frittata with Merguez sausage: say more.

Bump for a quick question. I loves me the Genevieve, probably my favorite spirit right now. Alas, I can't get it here, and the only place I ever saw it (LeNell's) doesn't exist any more; meanwhile, the one I have on hand most often, Boomsma yonge, lacks the complexity of the big G. A local shop (Campus Wine, of all places) started carrying Damrak and Zuidam recently, to my surprise. Given my preference for the Genevieve, which do you think is similar enough in style to sub in for it?

Ahh the key ingredient, pasta water, was missing. ← From the post, not the dish.

Will they let you take pictures in the store? ← I've been establishing a relationship with the owners for an article I'm working on, and I'm hoping to get snaps soon. Adam, what recipes are in that book?

Sounds like a date. Speaking of which, that Quatroni is sort of like hooking up with some roughneck and finding out s/he's the softest kisser in the world -- but still sticks tongue down your throat.

I made this Negroni plus one again, using Plymouth, wondering whether I had been off base the first time. Nope. Quatroni 3/4 oz gin (Plymouth) 3/4 oz Punt e Mes 3/4 oz Campari 3/4 oz St. Germain This is one of those drinks that is transformed by a fat, flaming orange twist. Oh my.

Oily? Say more.

After a 15-person Danish lunch, you have leftover akvavit? Yes!

Found a great store here in Providence that makes their own kroeung in little bags. I made an impromptu beef salad -- not quite luk lak -- with it the other day and it was excellent. I'm eager to return for the fresh turmeric that they always seem to have on their shelves.

Yes. They are. J'approve.

Excellent point -- can't believe I left it off.

I've loved many restaurants for many reasons. However, I've been in love with only one restaurant in all that time: Al Forno. In New England, the restaurant is legendary for putting Providence on the culinary map when it opened in 1980 and remaining at or near the top of its game for decades. Writing in the International Herald Tribune back in the day, Patricia Wells called it the best casual dining restaurant in the world. For a time, a meal there would make you believe such an outrageous claim was possibly right. Sadly, nothing lasts forever....

15-hour workday yesterday, and I came home expecting nothing worthwhile for a late-night dinner. But sitting in the fridge was a bowl of cold, unsauced spaghetti that made my heart leap with joy. Crushed and sauteed a couple of cloves of garlic in salted olive oil, sprinkled a few flakes of crushed red pepper, tossed the spaghetti in the oily mess, and grated parmigiano reggiano over the top: spaghetti aglio e olio from the gods. Most leftovers make me sigh, cringe, or gag. What are the leftovers that make you sing when you discover them?

There are many more informed people around here than me, but I think they'd all say that you should visit Laurenc Petras's mushroom stall in the back of the market and buy whatever he's selling. I wrote a bit about that experience here.

"Healthier" portioning. Water conservation preventing the server from keeping your glass filled. Bread upon request only. Frantic upselling.

Erik, I can't say I'm shocked to read that you use "fruit in season," as they say, and that taste matters to you. As for the Savoy path, if you didn't stray from it regularly during this odyssey, I'd think that you'd be forced to stray from the path of sanity. Foolish consistency, all that.