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Everything posted by Chris Amirault
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Thanks for all that -- I appreciate the information! I'm in northeastern US, where the indoor temperatures are now in the 60-80F range, I'd say.
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Finally had the ability to get this going tonight with ~1 kg rice bran. Followed _john's ratios above using 3 chiles and 3 medium leaves of cabbage torn into chunks. A question: do I need to cover this tightly with, say, plastic wrap, or is loosely with aluminum foil ok?
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Yep -- and the first time you forget about that, well, it's quite an experience cleaning the thing up....
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Enjoy the moment -- you'll only be more overwhelmed! I'd go with the latter: have simple stuff (Jack & Cokes, lime sours) ready to go and then have your signature drink available for the more adventurous. Given what you've written, one thing to consider [ETA: as judiu suggested!] is a champagne/prosecco/cava cocktail. You create a base with some interesting things, batch that (make a large amount of it ahead of time), chill it, and then the bartender merely has to pour a couple of fingers of the base into a flute and then add the bubbly. This William's Next Cocktail -- which I'm about to serve in a few hours! -- is a good example. You get quality control and ease of service at the same time. One word of warning -- and forgive if you know already: citrus juice is essential to good drinks and cannot be batched far in advance. This is particularly true for lime juice, which oxidizes into a nasty liquid after 3 or 4 hours. That is to say, if you want to do lime sours, get bartenders who'll juice either at service or just before.
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Congratulations! Can you say more about what you'd like this signature cocktail to, well, signify? Do you want it served once for, say, a toast before eating, or served with appetizers, or dinner, or throughout? Will you be having bartenders at the event making it a la minute or do you want to batch prepare it? I know those might sound like a lot of questions, but they'll help people figure out some ideas for you!
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I've settled into 32-35g coffee (Intelligensia El Diablo) ground in the blade coffee grinder (I go by pitch now, about 15-20 seconds) with 500 ml of filtered water. Wet grinds; when they give off their aroma, I add the full dose, stir, and set the timer to 4:44. (No real reason except that I only have to press one button three times. I haven't had my caffeine, after all.) So here's my question: determining the temperature of the water. How do people do that? If I have time, I bring it to the boil and set it aside for 1 minute, which seems to work. But the temp on the stove isn't the same as the temp off the stove isn't the same as the temp poured into the container....
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So here's the beta site. What do folks think?
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I'm very sad to say that I cannot attend again this year. (I don't know why I persist in the idea that summer is less, and not more, work in my job.) A critical work project that's been dormant for a long while is now on the fast track -- and due somewhere in the August 1-10 range. Nancy, please remove me from the lists. I will follow events from here and hope everyone has a wonderful time!
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Good point!
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Well, that's genius. Also an Ultra Pride or other grinder would work wonders....
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Made a Kina Cocktail last night with a bottle of Cocchi Americano I had on hand. Got me thinking about a Perfect Manhattan sort of thing: 2 oz Rittenhouse 1 oz Cocchi 1 oz M&R sweet vermouth 2 dashes Angostura Very, very good.
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When I traveled in both England and Ireland, the toast came to the table in one of those little wire toast holders so that it sits upright. It was my understanding that it served to cool the toast and keep it from being too soggy (which it can do if it sits flat on a plate, I guess). Perhaps people in the UK think that Yanks like their toast this way while on holiday??
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Lucky you. Indeed, it's common, if not dominant, practice.
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"Toast. Dark. You can't make it too dark. I won't send it back." My entire family mocks me for this sentence, which they hear whenever we go out for breakfast.
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Well, here's your solution. Um....
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It's not. That's why. In the middle -- and not soft but slightly chewy on the interior. Sourdough. Doneness. I lean toward "well."
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Thought I'd share a few more notes on the ordering and batching. The max number of guests is 100, and cocktail hour is, um, an hour. So we decided to do a guesstimate at one drink per guest, and we bumped the cobblers thinking they'd be a bit more popular. Here's the ingredient lis.: For the 40 Cobblers we need: 3 bottles Lustau Penninsula Palo Cortado sherry 2 bottles Marie Brizard orange curaçao 40 oz (2 quarts) Ocean Spray cranberry juice 20 oz lemon juice 80 dashes Regan’s orange bitters For the 30 Lindbergs: 2 bottles Ransom Old Tom gin 2 bottles Cocchi Americano 1 bottle Marie Brizard Apry apricot liqueur 30 dashes Scrappy's or Fee’s grapefruit bitters 30 dashesBitter Truth Jerry Thomas Decanter or Angostura bitters For the 30 Williams: 2 bottles Elijah Craig 12 year old bourbon 15 oz smoked pineapple syrup* 1 bottle Luxardo Maraschino liqueur 30 dashes Angostura bitters 3 bottles Duval LeRoy brut champagne, well chilled Here's the booze order that went to the distributor (the fine folks at MS Walker): 3 bottles Lustau Penninsula Palo Cortado sherry OR SUB 2 bottles Marie Brizard orange curaçao 2 bottles Ransom Old Tom gin ?? 2 bottles Cocchi Americano 1 bottle Marie Brizard Apry apricot liqueur 2 bottles Elijah Craig 12 year old bourbon 3 bottles Duval LeRoy brut champagne, well chilled Jesse is worrying about the cobblers. Here are my responsibilities: 30 Lindbergs Batched 45 oz Ransom Old Tom gin 30 oz Cocchi Americano 12 oz Marie Brizard Apry apricot liqueur fat ¼ oz Scrappy's (30 dashes) fat ¼ oz Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas Decanter (30 dashes) 60 Tovolo rocks cubes 6 lemons for twists 30 Williams Batched 30 oz Elijah Craig 12 year old bourbon 15 oz smoked pineapple syrup* -8 oz Luxardo Maraschino liqueur fat ¼ oz (30 dashes) Angostura bitters 3 bottles Duval LeRoy brut champagne, well chilled 40 pieces pineapple skewers Yikes. Gotta smoke and soak that pineapple tomorrow night.
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I'm doing a ton of batching right now, and the "20 dashes=1/4 oz" rule is working nicely.
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Making a Kina Cocktail: 1 1/2 oz Citadelle gin 3/4 oz M&R sweet 3/4 oz Cocchi Stir, strain, and I added a lemon twist. Sort of a drier Martinez. Lovely.
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Check that: the cobbler will obviously be shaken. Tonight I'm doing the recipe cards -- and hence finalizing the recipes -- and the bottle orders for the stuff to be donated. I thought I'd share the recipes and descriptions here. Remember, please, that the majority of the folks at this gathering are unlikely to be familiar with these sorts of cocktails, approaches, and ingredients, necessitating the somewhat over-the-top descriptions.
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Persian Gulf Spice Mixes
Chris Amirault replied to a topic in Middle East & Africa: Cooking & Baking
Welcome djwackfriz! I think that your answer will depend on the composition of the mixes. A lighter baharat, for example, could work nicely with a fried fish. So: what recipes are you using for your mixes? -
Q&A -- Knife Maintenance and Sharpening
Chris Amirault replied to a topic in The eGullet Culinary Institute (eGCI)
Someone around these parts gave me the good idea to have my neighborhood lawn mower blade sharpener grind down the bolsters on my chef's knives. It worked like a charm -- though he seemed a bit confused as to why I wouldn't want him to sharpen the knives. -
Is that a sushi plate?
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Exactly. Or on the side of the stove. Though I have to say, Steven, I like yours quite a bit....
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I've been ogling those Master Forge charcoal grills at Lowe's lately. They seem to be built like brickhouses and keep the features limited and smart.