Chris Amirault

I'm having a hard time finding out what those filters do and don't trap save for a list of "bad things" that don't help with the questions we have here. So who's got a Buchner funnel system that they like?

Katie, you beat me to it with that cocoa addition question. Has anyone tried that?

I was eating a dried apricot while cleaning my liquor cabinet up and reading about Erik's "Gin & It" problem over in the Savoy topic. Saw the aquavit and a nearly empty bottle of Plymouth, and, well, one thing lead to another, leading to this potent pick-me-up. It starts fruity and ends with the Punt e Mes and aquavit spices: 1 oz aquavit (Aalborg) 1 oz gin (Plymouth) 1/2 oz Apry 1/2 oz Italian vermouth (Punt e Mes) Stir, up, twist of orange. Wondering what might happen if you dialed back the gin and aquavit 1/4 oz, added 1/2 oz lemon, maybe a dash of simple.....

I wonder if the concept of focus comes up for meat-eaters like me because of a meat-starch-&-veg presumption more than any inherent lack of coherence in a meal like the one above....

That's a really good point, Klary. I went the overkill route either because (my explanation) I wasn't sure what my guest did and didn't eat, and I wanted to feature the oft-loathed eggplant, or (my wife's explanation) I always make too much. Either way, I think that the lack of focus makes a ton of sense. Not sure if it had an effect on our desire for lamb, though, which is pretty strong (we both agree!).

TVC, any report?

Getting two racks of ribs ready for the weekend (not tomorrow; too soon), and I'm using both that chipotle rub dry as well as a wet jerk rub based on this Inner Beauty hot sauce knock-off recipe.

I'm trying to get a filtering system for the fall bitters production. The only one I can find on the internet for less than $100 is this one, but I may be searching poorly. Meanwhile, Jamie Boudreau mentions using a Pur filtering system. Has anyone else tried that? Oh, and if you have old, free whiskey, bourbon, rye, or frankly any other oak barrels lying around, drop me a PM.

I ended up grilling vegetables and doing a few other things, so the table had some Greek feta, kalamata olives, a grilled zucchini and mint salad, an eggplant salad that was a cross between caponata and babha ganoush (grilled eggplant, grilled onions, olive oil, garlic paste, baharat, pomegranate molasses) two grilled pepper salads, and some Israeli couscous with tomatoes, parsley, and lemon. (ETA: Afterward, my wife and I agreed that we missed the lamb kebabs.... sniff.)

Good question, and one worth expanding in general. I've left a few things on shelves that, whatever their kitsch value, promised little once I cracked open the bottle. What criteria should we scavengers have for the decades-old stuff? What's worth taking, and what's not?

I wipe a tear shed for the love of mother for child.... I've learned to ask the question, "Do you have any old dusty boxes of stuff no one wants in the basement?" There's one store in town -- I'll never tell -- that pushes Capone's corpse aside to get me their latest oldest.

I stop at nearly every liquor store in RI to do this. Finds include state-labeled botttles of Amer Picon, green and yellow Chartreuse, Campari, Herbsaint, Lemon Hart demerara rum (80 and overproof), and who knows what else. Usually, it's priced slightly less than retail for whatever equivalent the store has chosen, which, for some bottles, means a steal.

A friend emailed me about making a "good Italian dressing" with less oil that wasn't "vinegary," and, well, I couldn't help but write an essay in response: Getting the dressing to hold together (to stay emulsified) is the trick. An emulsion is just beads of one thing suspended in another. In salad dressing, that means beads of oil suspended in water. An emulsified dressing tastes smoother and more evenly seasoned. In addition, a well-made emulsion holds for days, even weeks, without separating. [For more on emulsions, click here.] To achieve and sustain your emulsified dressing, you want to mix the non-oil ingredients as thoroughly as possible before you add any oil at all. If you have a stick blender, that's the easiest thing to use; if not, use a whisk or make a lot in a blender (it'll keep). Once you've gotten the non-oil ingredients very well blended, add the oil -- no joke -- one drop at a time, every second or so, blending with rigor. Count to 20 or 30 drops out, and then move to a thin stream. You'll see the dressing thicken after a bit, and that means you can go a little faster. It's the first small portion or so of oil that matters the most: go slowly! Getting and maintaining the emulsion can be aided by emulsifiers. Soy lecithin and xanthan gum are two that you'll often see on commercial dressings, though there are many others. (Xanthan gum also helps stabilize the emulsion, so that Paul Newman's salad dressings don't look like they're mostly pure oil -- which of course they are -- but are just healthy, natural "dressing.") At home, you can use egg yolks, mustard, and garlic as emulsifiers. They should be added before the oil, since they're crucial to the liquid environment in which the oil will emulsify. That non-oil liquid can hold a remarkable amount of oil once you've got your emulsifier in there and use elbow grease/a bit of technology. (Mayonnaise is just egg-yolk vinaigrette with a much higher oil:vinegar ratio.) That brings us to seasonings. Once you get away from a 3:1 or 4:1 oil:vinegar ratio, you're going to be having challenges with your acidity. Choose a low-acidity vinegar (rice vinegar is a good example) to pair with something stronger like red wine vinegar (go half-n-half and see how that works). Also add a good pinch of sugar if the dressing's too acidic: it shouldn't taste sweeter, just less vinegary and rounder in your mouth. The main non-liquid ingredients in what people think of as Italian dressing are oregano, garlic powder, black pepper, onions, cheese, salt, and sugar. Some have celery salt, dried basil, anchovies, and onion powder. I've never heard of rosemary in Italian dressing, and as you noted it's a bully in the mouth. I'd never, ever put basil in a dressing: it turns black from the acid and is better torn (not cut; cutting ruptures cell walls and makes it black as well) into bits and tossed with the greens. If I were trying for something with the balance you seem to be going for, I'd try: 1/4 c vinegar (half rice, half red wine) 1/2 t French mustard 1 anchovy fillet (optional but gives depth, not fishiness) 1 clove garlic, mashed with 1/2 t sugar to a paste 1/2 t black pepper, ground 1 t dried oregano 3/4 c canola oil (or maybe a mix that includes olive oil) 1 T grated dry Italian cheese (parmesan if you've got it) 1 T minced/grated onion or shallot (shallot is better) pinch salt (only after tasting at the end!) Blend everything up to the oil for a minute or two. Drop in 20-30 drops of oil while blending/whisking, then add in a dribble, then a thin stream until dressing emulsifies. Add the rest of the oil in a still-thin stream, but you don't have to be as careful now. Blend/whisk in the cheese, onion, and salt (if needed, which you will if you chickened out on the anchovies). The cup or so of dressing should last indefinitely.

Went last night and had the usual: two cheeseburgers, fries, Coke. Unfortunately the manager on duty couldn't tell me what cuts of meat they use for the burgers ("100% beef!"), but I will say that this was the best burger I've had at Stanley's yet. The wife started skeptical and ordered only one; a second soon followed. Oh, and I was wrong above: the Stanleyburger doesn't come with cheese as standard. Just mine.

Actually, I do if they will ship directly. ← Sorry -- I meant that you won't meet 'em on the docks themselves. That's what we do over here a little closer to the Atlantic. As a result, I've got no good sources for which I can vouch, but I'll ask around.

Our main supplier of things Rittenhouse, Joyal's in West Warwick, still doesn't have any on the shelf. However, the distributor was in the store when I called and claims that a full shipment is coming in September.

I'm assuming you don't mean guys or gals in boats on docks.

I've split off an interesting discussion about menu size and cocktails here.

I just wash my granite one with everything else in the dishwasher. Have for years. Probably violating some materials science edict, but, hey, no problems here.

Andie, my guess is that it was a Thai somtam mortar, used to pound green papaya for that particular salad. I have one at home that I got at a local SE Asian market; there's also one mentioned #2. Unfortunately, the one for sale there is wee....

Just in from Chufi (Klary): We agree: very cool indeed!

Fans of road food know Stanley's Hamburgers, which has been located on Dexter St. in Central Falls for generations. Their signature burger is a cheeseburger: caramelized onions are pressed into the ground meat until they adhere, and on top goes cheese and pickles. After much wrangling and delays, their second location has recently opened at 381 Richmond Street, just behind the Merit Station on Point. I had the standard lunch (two cheeseburgers, handcut fries, and a Coke) a few weeks ago during the soft opening and, frankly, it was better than the last trip to the Dexter Street location! If you're in town, stop by; the decor alone is worth the visit. And if you do, post here. What'd you think? Has anyone else been yet?

I've been visiting Quisqueya Liquors on Broad Street quite a bit lately, both because it's down the street from my house and because it's got a pretty solid and inexpensive rum selection. It's not Joyal's by a longshot, but if you're in the South Providence/Cranston area it's better than most places nearby. [Moderator's note: discussion on this subject has moved here. CA]

Welcome to the new and improved eG Forums, with reorganized dining and cooking & baking subforums for each regional forum. Click here for the regions themselves, now split into Cooking & Baking and Dining subforums, and Click here for the index of the new cooking & baking subforums in the Cooking index. As you look around, you're going to notice consistent welcome and index topics pinned to each subforum (some of which still need additional entries), revised nonregional forums with clearer indexes and insight, and extensive regional cooking & baking subforums whose archives contain a wealth of information. Though we've checked and rechecked most of those changes, we've surely missed some things and screwed up others. In addition, we know that we've more work to do here and there (especially in the new dining and cooking & baking indexes). If you find anything wrong or have suggestions, please just PM a host or manager, and we'll get right to it. As you use this new structure, you'll have to make judgment calls concerning what belongs in the general Cooking forum and what belongs in the regional cooking & baking subforums. The basic principle is simple: if your topic is devoted to the particular characteristics of one of our regional cuisines, then the topic belongs in that region's cooking & baking subforum; if not, then it belongs in the general Cooking forum. The same is true for topics that discuss cookbooks, but you've got two questions, not one. First, does the topic discuss the use of the cookbook for cooking and/or baking? If not, it goes into Cookbooks & References. If the topic does indeed discuss using the cookbook for cooking and/or baking, then it goes into a cooking forum. Topics devoted to cooking with regional cookbooks go into the appropriate regional cooking & baking subforum, and topics devoted to cooking with trans-regional cookbooks go into the general Cooking or Pastry & Baking forum. It's that easy! Of course, don't hesitate to ask a host or manager for help in locating or placing a topic. The contributions of Society members like you make eG Forums the most interesting and informative culinary discussion forum on the globe. We are thrilled to have improved eG Forums for everyone, and we will be happy to answer any questions you have. We hope you enjoy the new eG Forums!

Trident plus Negroni gives us this no-name, a bracing libation while you're finishing up a massive internet forum database reorganization: 1 oz Campari 1 oz aquavit (Aalborg) 1 oz Cynar