Chris Amirault

Depends on where you're going! If you've got access to good fruit, especially tropical fruit, then I'd bring rum. If not, I'd bring a rye or bourbon, some sugar, and bitters, knowing you can always make an old fashioned. Then there's the ice issue....

good quality truffle oil mixed with créme fraiche or ricotta or a combination of the two. i actually think the soup seems kinda boring and pointless - it doesn't utilize the immersion circulators, i don't have any appropriate plates for it and it just kinda seems to not bring much to the table apart from autumnal vibes. it's just a soup. I thought the same. I don't think you need a soup course at all, esp if you're trying to showcase the immersion circulators. Let the proteins be the stars! I think that the cod loin with chanterelles is a good idea: both should be buttery and meaty. That makes me think about acid, color, and texture -- and fake wasabi doesn't give you any of those. Are there any seasonal green vegetables that you could blanch and dress in some way? Or puree? I'm trying to keep it simple so that the fish gets top billing.... Even basic sauteed greens with a drop of good vinegar would be a decent foil for the meaty fish and mushrooms. We agree!

A few quick responses: I'm not sure I understand this course very well. If you mix the beets and apples, you'll stain the apples red: is that what you want? Also, a brunoise would be too fine for my tastes, as I'd want the beets especially to be in larger chunks. Having everything brunoise would lead to textures more akin to a slaw -- which doesn't seem to be what you want here. Perhaps you can treat the beets and apples separately: beets cut as batons with the apples in brunoise, or something like that. I'd also dress them separately, giving the beets more acid (sherry and white pepper vinaigrette?), and then place the apple mixture atop the beets, then cheese, pine nuts, and. drizzle the honey (not a vinaigrette) over the cheese and nuts instead of incorporating it in the dressing. This one is a plating opportunity too. Are you cooking the beets sous vide? What do you mean by créme exactly? Here's where you get to show off the immersion circulators, eh? I've never had wasabi and charterelles, but I'd be careful that foam doesn't obliterate the mushrooms. The brisket sounds nice enough, but it's going to be brown and tan; I wonder if a pea or asparagus green would brighten it up, especially if you worked a little acid in there to counter your protein and chokes. Nothing leaps to mind exactly, but I'm thinking about something with pronounced salt... I'm assuming you've made your way through the famous, titanic sous vide topic -- yes?

Right -- got the sweet part. But there's more complexity in this Kubler than there is in the Pernod, e.g.: more herbal quality, in particular. So I guess I'm wondering what cocktails people make to take advantage of that.

Got my first bottle of true absinthe (Kübler) today, and for obvious reasons I'm enjoying some old-school cocktails right now. (It's Dave Wondrich's Improved Whiskey Cocktail at the moment.) I've got quite a few tried-and-true recipes here for Pernod and Herbsaint, but I'm wondering how people substitute in for true absinthe: when they do, don't, what drinks just wouldn't work (French Pearl leaps to mind), etc.

Do you have a certain cuisine you're looking for? Most places could be booked for a party that size, and if the price isn't an issue, you have a lot of flexibility.

From what you're saying, I think that they are indeed Toscanella sausages. Click here and scroll to the bottom. Does that look like 'em?

It really is one of those feel things, like testing whether a steak is done by touch. Test it out the next time you have a pork chop around: cut off a strip and stick it on a plate in the freezer. Cop a feel every once in a while, and you'll sense that "crunchy but still bendy" stage. Chris hit the nail on the head. Once you've devoted the bucks, time, and energy to a sausage that breaks and turns to cottony dirt in your mouth, you become a bit of a cold freak.

Sure do. Same for thick syrups, especially agave, honey, etc. Orgeat too.

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It's poorly worded. I meant something like, "Figure out what an appropriate amount of meat will be for your mixing stage, and err on the side of caution. Too much and you'll tax the motor, spill meat, and heat the mixture. For most KA mixers, that's probably in the 2-4 lb range, max." Sounds clearer, but it's, um, verbose.

Having only made one crack at peperone, I'm in a similar boat. Mr. Molinari...? Meanwhile, here's an attempt at revising Chris H's list. Have at it: Equipment Prep Assemble all equipment: grinder, stuffer, pricker, scale, smoker, etc. Check that all parts are clean Put grinding, mixing, and stuffing parts in freezer Clear freezer space for emergency chilling of ingredients Make sure you have lots of ice, clean towels, trays, spatulas, and bowls on hand Determine/confirm portion load for mixing Mise en Place Assemble all ingredients: meat, fat, liquids, additional ingredients, casings, etc. Put any liquids you'll be adding to the bind in the fridge or freezer Weigh (and thaw, if necessary) meat, fat, and any other ingredients Slice meat into long thin strips to facilitate grinding Dice fat (if necessary) Combine spice mixture Distribute mixture over meat (Optional) Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to meld Lay meat out on tray and freeze until well below 30F: very cold, even crunchy, but not frozen solid Rinse casings inside and out and start soaking in tepid water Grinding Assemble all ingredients Confirm ingredients are all under 30F prior to grinding Set up grinding station with bowl set in ice and proper grinder plate Feed meat strips, fat, and any other ingredients through grinder into bowl If regrinding: check meat temperature: if not under 30F, spread on a sheet and put in the freezer until it is; check grinder temperature: if not still cold, disassemble and chill in ice water bath until it is; reassemble; regrind Refrigerate meat Mixing Check meat temperature is <30F (see above for procedure if not) Divide into the portions you've determined your stand mixer can take; leave unmixed in fridge/freezer while mixing Set up mixing station with mixer bowl surrounded by ice Mix each batch on low speed 30 seconds Check meat temperature is <30F (see above for procedure if not) Add extremely cold liquids and mix to combine (if necessary) beat at medium 20-30 seconds until tacky Refrigerate entire batch while frying up small test article Check and adjust seasoning (if necessary) Stuffing Set up stuffing station with a wet tray to receive the links Thread casings onto sausage nozzle Stuff casings Twist/tie into links Poke each casing several times with a clean pricker Smoking Hang to dry/develop a pellicle for a couple hours Set up smoking rig and get it going if it needs a pre-heat (If cold-smoking) Set up method for keeping smoker cool (ice in bowl, etc.) Insert meat thermometer in one of the sausages at the center of your rig Smoke until sausages reach desired smoke level or internal temperature (e.g., for pork, 150F)

I got some WT 101 to try this out. I'll probably just crush 'em and go for a 24 hour steep.

I wonder about that, though. My daughter and wife had strep last week, so we were all using those fat plastic measuring droppers. (Here's an example.) Those things hold one tsp/5 ml, and the difference between 1 and 2 ml is pretty significant. It's also quite a bit more than a typical dash, which I measured here to be between 1/14-1/10 tsp. There certainly are situations in which drops are necessary, atop Pisco Sours, and so on. But even treating them as outliers, I think I'm wanting greater precision than 1/4 tsp.

Depends. I'm usually using the fat cap from a pork shoulder or butt, which has its own meat striations, in which case I use strips. If I'm using dedicated fat with a coarse grind, I cut it into dice first.

Handy with power tools? Hell, I can barely discern rudimentary shapes. To wit: See? Yes, it's a trapezoid. I'll have to go home and use the numbered stick thing to find out.

Might be worth breaking these down into chunks: mise prep; grinding; stuffing; smoking. I'd add one more after 21: Poke each casing several times with a clean needle or sausage pricker. ETA: I'd also bust out 15 to be a mixing list: Mix each batch on low speed 30 seconds; add any extremely cold liquids you're adding and mix to combine; beat at medium 20-30 seconds until tacky. Gotta put that liquid in the fridge. This is going to get long fast.

Two problems there: my shelf is a 45/45/90 triangle, so those sorts of shelves wouldn't work for me. Also: holy cow, they are expensive!

I agree that a checklist is handy. Here are a few things that come to mind: Cut the meat into long strips, not chunks. that allows them to pull themselves through the grinder along the worm's spiral. There's no such thing as too cold. Make sure that the meat is crunchy-cold before grinding and that the bowl is in ice when beating to get the bind. Give yourself plenty of time for each step. Hurrying at any stage is a bad idea. What else?

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You're right down the street from Oleana, which is my favorite place to eat in Boston. If you get across the river, be sure to grab a cocktail or three at Eastern Standard.

Great stuff as usual, Chris. I'm surprised you weren't using your cool trick of placing the KA bowl into it's own bowl of ice for the mixing, Chris. I stole that one and use it all the time, and it makes a huge difference when you're trying to maintain the temperature. Did you decide not to do it or just forget or...?

What sort of stuff do you want to try? And will you just be in Boston w/o a car, or will you have wheels?

That's a true fact. I visited the test kitchen a few weeks back and they were already in deep.

Ever since I read this post by donbert I've been mesmerized by the thought of pecan-infused bourbon. I took a crack at it recently but the results were mediocre: the pecans were under-roasted and I tossed in a vanilla bean that took over. I've smoked some pecans recently to give this another go, but I'm wondering if anyone has experience with nut infusions in general. The bourbon turned out very louche-y, not exactly the clarity I'd want to showcase this elixir in a Manhattan or Old Fashioned. I'm about to give it a try again: any ideas?