Chris Amirault

Yes, syrups, not liqueurs -- please forgive the typo. I'm getting the sense that making your own is the way to go with much of these products. And if I can just use 1:1 simple:pulp, around these parts it shouldn't be too hard to concoct some good stuff.

I think I'll be making my own using a tweak of the Art of Drink recipe. Most of the almond powders I'm finding have additional flavors added, and I'd rather not get 5 kg of the stuff just yet. What about passion fruit liqueurs? What brand do people use? And where do you find it?

I had assumed as much -- but even with expected comings and goings, the descriptions of what display X or cooking vessel Y means are worth the price of the book so far.

For folks who really like to cook, part of the problem with the engines on appliances is they tend to reflect two inadequate options: overpriced ersatz "professional models" that have chrome and sophisticated timing mechanisms but mediocre engines (nearly everything at William Sonoma, for example) and actual professional models that are much more expensive but feature the power you want (or more). I'd sure be happy to have appliances that find that middle ground between power and price more consistently. In particular, if I could find a better immersion blender, stand mixer, and meat grinder along these lines, I'd be a happy man.

One entry per person? Uh oh. Where did you see/read that?

As someone who's tweaking at least five different infusions or bitters currently, I'm not making the case for readily available ingredients in cocktails. I'm making the case for readily available ingredients in a cocktail contest that has no posted rules and may get me to Sicily.

I agree, Katie: not a lot of guidelines. I personally have wondered about whether or not the drinks should emphasize readily available ingredients (which I've stressed) or can be more eclectic or unusual: no sage-infused demerara for me here. Though, thinking of that....

Do modern orgeats have a delicate flavor or do they lack flavor? I speak from finding that Fee's orgeat fades into the background nearly always in tiki drinks.

Granton edges (scalloped, Santoku)are often produced only on the left side of fine Japanese blades, to reduce cutting friction. There may be no right side indentations because the intention is not to prevent sticking. ← Of course. I forgot that not everyone is left-handed.

My plan is to try the grain mill and take it from there. For $20 plus shipping on eBay, I'll also be glad to try the hand-cranked mill that Steve references as a pita above. More soon.

80/20 is about right -- but remember that 80% of lean muscle (loin or leg) is different than 80% of shoulder. I wish I could get lamb shoulder around here....

I agree with that. It's quite tricky to avoid getting that herbal note when you're juicing it for a drink. I've often thought that I'd managed to do so and then, when the drink hits my tongue -- blech: there it is.

Damn. I was hoping for a latke revolution.

Were you making Last Words or using the Chartreuse and Maraschino in the latkes?

BUMP. Thanks to a diligent mother-in-law, who went to Bisbee AZ, trucked dried dent corn back to Montana, and then hauled it to Nashville for a week with her daughter (and my wife), I am now in possession of 20 lbs of the stuff I need. I also have a bag of Cal (lime) ready to go. Finally, I have a food mill for the KitchenAid, which I'm assured is the best option for this process. My guide is Diana Kennedy, following the directions in The Art of Mexican Cooking, pages 7-9. I'm about to start recruiting suckers -- I mean, collaborators -- for a major tamale-making event. Any tips for preparing the nixtamal or masa? Should I be terrified when Kennedy tosses off the suggestion that you "send [the nixtamal] to the mill to be ground," knowing that the mill is me? Any ideas on how to avoid overcooking, given that overcooked corn "will make a tacky masa"? In short: help...?

I think that the issue filipe is struggling with has to do with expectations. Whatever we all think of grilled sardines or shrimp -- wondrous things indeed -- guests at this sort of event are looking for refinement, precision, and the like, which grilled just doesn't communicate. I started wondering about whether or not cured things might work. Ceviche is one option, for sure, but it's expected; others include variations on the lox/gravlax theme with different fish, sophisticated smokes, etc. I'd also consider a crudo course with impeccably fresh stuff. There might be some possibilities around other courses using the beach as a theme. For example, what about a carpetbagger-style dish involving beef and oysters? You could braise short ribs with five spice and serve the meat in a luscious pile topped with an oyster and kecap manis. Or a variation on rumaki using thinly sliced duck ham, foie gras, and an oyster?

Genius.

filipe, can you say a bit about what you and your guests think "fine dining" means?

Just made another rum sour variation that I'm calling a Black Daq. I don't add any sweetener but you could dash in some 2:1 demerara syrup if you lose control of the lime. 1 1/2 oz Cruzan blackstrap rum 1 oz Lemon Hart demerara 1/2 oz pimento dram 1/2 oz lime (scant) Hess house, Angostura, or Fee's whiskey barrel aged bitters (your call) Shake, strain.

Oh, man, this is easy. I've been gaga lately over the Surf Room Mai Tai in Beachbum Berry's Intoxica. It's from the Surf Room of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki circa 1940s, where they claim the origin of the Mai Tai (contra Trader Vic). 1 oz demerara rum (Lemon Hart) 1 oz dark Jamaican rum (Cruzan blackstrap) 1 oz light PR rum (Flor de Cana) 1/4 oz curacao (MB triple sec) 1/4 oz simple (I go very light or omit) 1/4 oz orgeat (Fee's) 1/4 oz lemon 1/2 oz lime 1 oz pineapple 1 oz orange Shake with crushed ice; strain into double old-fashioned glass (or tiki mug -- ca) with fresh crushed ice in it. (Float some Lemon Hart 151 -- ca.) Garnish with whatever crazy stuff you've got lying around: pineapple spears, mangoes, sugar cane sticks, mint, cherries, citrus, orchids....

Duck is a good substitute in certain ways: you can use duck fat instead of lard, cracklings instead of lardons, confit instead of rillettes, and -- as Martin suggests -- you can cure duck in various ways. The duck ham from Ruhlman's Charcuterie is excellent. But you're going to run into trouble around solid forms of fat. Duck fat is fantastic stuff, but there's no way to get a slab of meat/fat in the ratios you have for bacon. Still, I wonder whether a well-cured and smoked duck breast with a thick subcutaneous layer of fat might serve at least a few useful purposes as a substitute, if you trim off the extra meat and go for about a 50/50 fat/meat split.... I think you need to experiment and report back.

Thanks to all involved and attending! Matt and Matt were terrific hosts and guides, generous with their time, resources, and care. And thanks to all the guests, who made the event truly memorable. A few more snaps: Matt forming his paté with Steve and Brian looking on. Some guy cooking spaetzle. Didn't catch the name. Lunch: top row, L2R: sauerkraut, spaetzle; bottom row: Casey Farms ham (thanks Patrick), paté and sausage (thanks Matts), grilled loins from the pig. Amazing cured meats, pickles, and nuts plates from Farmstead; some of Matt G's prosciutto; remarkable bread from Catherine's own oven (which Matt G could not believe!). Catherine whacking the prosciutto to drive the blood out of it. Eric taking a crack at it under Matt G's watchful eye. Sorry for the shaky frames. I get nervous around large, swinging sticks.

I think it's clear that the finger came first, though it was probably popularized after the McNugget.

But that's the nugget, not the finger -- though I'll bet that they're related someway or another....

Granton (or scalloped) edges exist so that the gaps of air between the knife and the food push the vegetables (and many fruits like apples) away from the knife slightly instead of sticking to it. Add them to a thin, sharp blade and you'll be surprised at how rarely the problem you describe happens. But, basically, yeah, sometimes you don't have 100% of your product sliced perfectly. If it's an inexpensive item like an onion, c'est la vie. If it's a truffle, well, then you should be using a truffle shaver, mais oui!