Chris Amirault

Thanks, _john. My two local sources didn't pan out, sadly, and I'm having a hard time justifying the whopping shipping on some of the recommendations here. Amazon has Bob's Red Mill here, and I can get free shipping. But what does "stabilized" mean?

I'm glad you said that, Dave. I was reading it last night wondering what I was missing.

Apologies: sickness interfered. I'm also saddled with an injury to my left (shaking) elbow, so I've got a teammate, Jesse Hedberg, my partner-in-arms at Cook & Brown. We'll be visiting the venue later this week. More soon.

Just strained this: Yeah, it sat an additional couple of weeks. It's bracing, a bit more tart that I might want. Just now, I muddled some of the leftover pineapple with 2:1 demerara and V/X Appleton: it's close, verrrrrry close....

Kalbi marinating tonight for grilling tomorrow. Will report back.

Indeed. The burger is a vernacular classic, perhaps just an out-and-out classic, and nailing the perfect burger is something that many of us -- perhaps mainly located in the US -- are excited about. Of course, one could ask the same question about nearly any dish, be it scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, lemonade: why bother trying to perfect it? Because... because.

Well, I've been to most of the PDX cocktail hot spots, but I think our members would enjoy a twofer at Clyde Common when Jeffrey Morgenthaler is on hand and Teardrop Lounge when Daniel Shoemaker is shaking up stuff. Then there's Blair Reynolds, aka Trader Tiki, at Thatch; then there's David Shenaut, reigning supreme at Beaker & Flask. Then... You get the idea. You live in a cocktail mecca.

Thank you, Jenni, for articulating the question I was trying to ask so, well, articulately!

Jaccarding would likely speed it up.

When did corn make an appearance in China?

Thanks, kitchensqueen. Dejah, what are the sorts of dishes you prepare that simply reduce the stock down for the sauce?

There's an ersatz version of "strange flavored"/Kung Pao chicken that I've tweaked over the years after stealing it from Charmaine Solomon's terrific Complete Asian Cookbook. Her recipe, like so many, includes a corn starch/water slurry, and I dutifully prepared it yesterday afternoon along with the rest of the prepped vegetables, meat, and aromatics. So I went through the steps, deep-frying the chicken, then cooking the long green beans through, and so on. When I finally got to the stage where I add the stock/chinkiang/soy/sugar mixture, I blasted the wok cooker and very quickly reduced the liquids to a thick sauce. I dumped it quickly into the bowl and rushed inside. It was delicious -- the best version I've ever made, if I do say so myself. And as I was enjoying it, I realized that I hadn't used the corn starch slurry. Thanks to the brutal heat of the propane, there was no need for it. This has me wondering about the use of corn starch in either Chinese restaurants or home kitchens. Is it simply an accommodation for the lack of heat? I'll be experimenting with avoiding it in the future, given the success of this attempt. In the leftovers in particular, the absence of that starchy goop was notable and very welcome indeed.

Looking good, Genkinaonna! As you know, I travel to Portland at least once a year, and just love it. I'll be following avidly. Let's get down to brass tacks: what's your coffee of choice? I fall in love each visit with Stumptown, and spent every morning atthe Fresh Pot I discovered downtown. Yum. Oh, and any chance you'll be hitting the numerous, excellent cocktail spots?

Thanks! I think I've got a few more sources around here to check out first....

I feel like the bottom third is usually reliable: rancid, off-flavors, etc. seem pretty universal for most products. Middle to top it gets tricky. Steven, have you ever been on a tasting panel? I've done a few for spirits and cocktails, and know for a fact that palate fatigue, order of tasting, and so on have a massive effect.

Me, either. The yellow is not for the faint of heart....

Thanks, ojisan and BarbaraY! I didn't see that in the index. I've hit the local Whole Foods and had no luck. There's a natural food place that I'll try next. Is anyone else doing this? I feel like I want to be prepared for the coming barrage of summer and fall vegetables.

Excellent! I had forgotten that. Just went to three stores -- including a Japanese store -- to find nuka (rice bran): no dice. Ideas?

There's a recipe for nukazuke pickles in the new Modernist Cuisine book, and I'm very curious about giving it a go. Snooping around on the internet, I can't get a bead on necessary other ingredients besides rice bran, salt, and kombu; cabbage, bread, and a lot of other options seem possible. Strangely, Tsuji's Simple Art has no reference -- so I turn to you! Surely there are nukazuke experts out there. Tips? Warnings? How long can your pickle bed last?

I have -- many times. I think that the key is refraining from too much binder in the meat, if any at all, which can produce shrimp hockey pucks. IIRC, the best ones I've made used a couple of fat sea scallops to that end.

I wanted to add myself as a maybe for Thursday evening's Tremont Crawl. Figuring out driving times....

Phaz, you're probably just fine. If you can photograph, we might be able to say more, but it sounds like an area that's desiccated a bit more than the other areas: pretty typical stuff.

My wife brought a bunch of benne wafers back from a trip to Charleston recently, and I've been snacking on them in all sorts of situations. They're smallish rounds of a crispy sesame (benne) seed wafer; these are sweet but I understand you can make 'em savory as well. They seem to me to be a fantastic party snack in both forms. Eat Your Books tells me that I have recipes from Jean Anderson, Richard Sax, and King Arthur (or his minions) on the shelf. Any thoughts on where to start? On how to vary savory to sweet without affecting that crisp texture? What to serve 'em with? (They're working well with this Martini right now, I'll say.)

I'm happy to report that I've secured a table in June for a return visit. (Visit one here.) Any updates? Things to grab? Avoid?

Matt, where do things stand? Inquiring minds want to know!