Chris Amirault

Like Jim Dixon, the base recipe in our house is one from Joy of Cooking, which we vary a bit. I've taken to doing the dry ingredients on the scale, hence the weights, and I double the recipe because I've almost always got an extra kid or two around when I'm making them. Finally, like Jim, these include cornmeal; if it were up to me, we'd just have johnnycakes, but this is as close as I can get without family mutiny. Just made them, in fact, for a post-sleepover breakfast. Blend the dry: 2 c (250 g) AP flour 1 c (75 g) cornmeal (Kenyon's or Bob's Red Mill -- fine if the latter) 3 T (55 g) sugar 1 T (10 g) baking powder 2 t kosher salt, crushed between your fingers Blend the wet: 4 lg egg yolks 3 c buttermilk 1 t vanilla 6 T melted butter Whip: 4 lg egg whites to soft peaks Blend the dry and wet, leaving lumps. Fold in the egg whites, leaving pea-sized white spots. Let it sit while you get the bacon in the oven and heat the pans (see below). 1/2 T butter melted in each skillet, then 1/8 c for each pancake. A few other observations on method. Separating the eggs isn't worth it for most folks who don't have a KitchenAid stand mixer out on the counter all the time, but I find that the minute it takes to separate the eggs and a couple of extra items in the dishwasher is definitely worth it. That's particularly true with the cornmeal, which retards fluffy pancake growth. Steven's right about letting the dough rest. I used to have the "first batch always sucks" problem until I realized that letting the skillets (I always have two) heat over low heat for a while eliminates the problem. Lacking an infrared thermometer, I use the dancing water method, but the key is to drip water all over the surface. Chances are pretty good that the skillet isn't evenly heated on sucky first batches. Speaking of evenly heated skillets, I always use an old model Calphalon 12" nonstick round griddle (sort of like this) for the kids and a similarly sized Sitram Catering fry pan for the adults. As a result, I regularly test the exact same batter on two different surfaces, and the copper-disk stainless wins hands down in every way. Most notably, I cannot get rid of cool spots on that Calphalon no matter how hard I try, so I must turn many of the pancakes 180 degrees for even cooking before I flip. I find that a well-browned exterior is critical, which means a pretty hot stainless pan, sugar in the batter, and butter, not oil in the pan. As you can tell from the recipe, I like a somewhat custardy interior, which benefits from the crispy exterior and speedier cooking time higher heat provides. Moreso than nearly anything else I prepare regularly for family eating, pancakes have to be eaten immediately to be decent -- though I freeze leftovers for the toaster bc the kids don't seem to feel the same way. Thus, no holding oven for me: I carry out the skillet and serve 'em onto plates as they're done, and enjoy mine at stove-side.

Great idea! I do have a probe thermometer. I stick that in the tight or breast? ← I just choose wherever it's thickest. It shouldn't really matter if the pot is large enough and you have enough water. ← Thighs generally take longer, though, so they're a better part to poke.

Barbara Tropp has a similar method: chicken, water, aromatics, bring to the boil, cover tightly and turn off the heat.

Thing is, I'm usually carrying a shopping bag with the chicken in it as I walk in the door at 6p.

Butchering's fine -- I can break down a chicken quickly. It's more about speed at the end of the day. For example, crock pot ideas don't work for me. (Not the least bc I don't have a crock pot. ) However, there are lots of good ideas here for those who can plan before heading out the door!

I am flabbingasted.

I think that Michael would probably be very happy to know that there are scores of people badgering their butchers for veal parts. Supply, demand, and all that. It works, too: thanks to the jones he fueled with Charcuterie, my local Whole Foods has sausage casings and pork bellies available (if you know the secret handshake).

You quit because of the law?

Just made a modified Slope: 2 1/2 oz Wild Turkey 101 Rye 3/4 oz Carpano Antica 1/4 oz Apry Dash Hess house bitters Stirred, cooked for just over a minute while I made an orange twist, and poured: 25F. It's got that silky smooth mouthfeel and balance from the stirring, and as it warms up in my mouth it reveals the sweetness of the Apry and the sting of the rye. I'd say that's a good temp, neither too cold or warm -- and the one minute cook was good for dilution. I just made another one exactly the same way, and the finished drink is now in the freezer, to see what happens when it gets much colder. At 15F, the first thing I noticed is the unpleasant viscousness: it went from silky to clotted. In addition, as expected, the flavors are muted, leaving mainly just sugar without apricot from the Apry and bite without flavor from the rye. It's nearly impossible to pick up the bitters or the spice from the vermouth. Trying to swirl it around my mouth to warm it up didn't help much, and it's not the most pleasant thing to be doing with a cocktail. In short: it's way too cold. ET fix typo and then give the report on the second drink -- ca

What with all the discussions about properly stirring your cocktails, thermal conductivity of different mixing containers, hard shaking, cocktails that change or improve as they warm up, and so on, I keep wondering about ideal temperatures for stirred and shaken cocktails. (Not hot buttereds or frozens here.) Accounting for variations different drinks, how cold is too cold? Not cold enough? Just right? This is a perfect opportunity to play social scientist and quantify inherently subjective data. I want numbers, dammit!

So do I, as I said above. I usually do, too, but one of the reasons I do use gloves occasionally is precisely for better control -- see above. No OCD or hyper-vigilance here, though I suppose I may be a wimp; Ted Williams would certainly think so. Not really: don't have to worry about misplacing or losing them because they're disposable; I've never placed one on a stove or in a sink because they go right in the garbage pail when done. I thought you liked it when your hands were dirty? At any rate, this is where the lightly powdered ones are useful.

Say more, Charles.

In another topic, I detailed my butchering jones, which I continue to feed very regularly. (There's a leg of lamb waiting for me at home tonight.) However, one element of that process has changed in the last year or so, and I've only now gotten up the courage to admit it. I truly do appreciate the importance of a cook's tactile relationship to food. For years I watched and nodded as Julia Child tore apart things with her bare hands, and I agreed when James Beard admonished us from using all but the most essential tools so that we could use our very best ones at the ends of arms. However, in certain kitchen prep situations, I now consistently wear gloves. (Most often, I use these lightly powdered disposable vinyl gloves from Seidman.) Shameful though this seems, I think it makes good sense, depending on the situation: With few exceptions (fish, mostly), the proteins of choice in my house are cross-contaminants, and a glove helps me keep the meat out from under my fingernails, reducing the need to constantly wash my hands. In addition, when I'm done with the protein, I just toss the glove. A glove allows me to do whatever meat prep I have to do on one cutting board while I do vegetable prep on another, switching back and forth as needed simply by taking off the glove. This speeds things along on weeknight meals in particular, when I don't have the luxury of relaxed mise en place prep. A lot of the things I prep are very slippery (meats, wet vegetables, cooked beets), and the vinyl gloves give much better traction with them than a greasy or wet hand. Prepping chiles now takes a minute or two and doesn't risk a screaming fit when I take out my contacts at bedtime. Since I hold utensils and knives in my left hand, I usually put a glove (or several in sequence) on my right hand only. That means I always have one clean, dry hand. When I have to use my left hand for something messy, I just slip on a glove, do the deed (skinning a chicken, say), take off that left glove, and keep going. I no longer have red hands after skinning beets. I know that there's an unspoken cult of glove-free cooking out there, but I'm not advocating wearing gloves 24/7 like I'm working BOH at Burger King. I just think that they're an underused tool in the kitchen. What do you think? Do you use them? Would you never?

I think that the fat in the gratin from the cheese and cream might make the croquettes a bit difficult to bind, so you'd want to use more flour and egg. But, hey, try it out and tell us what happens. Maybe you've found a solution to leftover potato gratin!

It makes sense in a kind of garam masala sort of way....

Tried a version of a Lion's Tail tonight, omitting simple bc this pimento is still pretty sweet: 2 oz bourbon (Wild Turkey 101) 1/2 oz pimento liqueur 1/2 oz lime dash bitters (Erik's Hess house) Very nice. I'd go more scant on the lime next time, but the bourbon/pimento combination is excellent.

Marinating just won't cut it, I'm afraid. I've gotta get home, cut the thing up, and get to cooking. And if I can use up leftovers, all the better. Take tonight: sauteed the quartered chicken in olive oil, then added sliced onion and garlic. When they were just starting to brown, I added half of a mediocre bottle of red wine, half a box of Pomi strained tomatoes left over from trying out Steven's easy pizza method, a couple of tablespoons of capers, and a bit of minced fresh oregano. Brought it up to a hard simmer and added the chicken, covered, for about half an hour. Served over quick croutons (old durum stick sliced into 3/4" slices, olive oil, salt, roasted at 500F for a bit), roasted broccoli (olive oil, salt, lemon to finish), and a diced roasted half of squash in browned butter with white pepper and thyme.

Tonight, like many work nights, I'm already thinking about what I'm going to make for dinner with a lack of enthusiasm, for I have a whole chicken in the fridge. I usually spatchcock it and roast it in the oven with S&P, olive oil, and some herbs (the go to: I have a titanic rosemary bush in the dining room), just to cut down on the time. Tasty, but, due to repetition, a bit boring. So I'm wondering about other, relatively quick recipes that can be made with typical larder ingredients. Stove top is fine, as is oven (though with the temperature in the single digits grilling is out). A solid braising liquid that creates its own sauce and can be served with an easy starch can offset the lack of crisp skin. Finally, I don't want to get out the food processor, mortar & pestle, or most other tools. Ideas?

Cooking for 1-2 minutes (John's estimate to a drink I recently timed somewhere not-PDT) seems a bit long to me, but, then again, I like my stirred drinks pretty strong and after decades of watery swill I tend to undercook. Sam, when you did those measurements of stirred drinks a while back and dilution, what did you find about timing?

Welcome, sadie4232! Where did the prep take time? Do let us know about that confit -- and the Spuddies!

I'm not saying that this happened to you, but one startup problem I had may be related to inconsistent performance for others. When I first put together the system, I had the sliding bar that holds the stones installed upside down on the vertical post, which meant that the bar didn't slide smoothly. I couldn't figure out the problem for a while because it wasn't (or isn't -- perhaps this has changed) clearly indicated on the manuals that I could find. Anyway, flipping over the sleeve that goes on the vertical post solved that problem.

Mixed up a tasty, simple rum sour on a tiki theme: 2 oz white rum (Flor de Cana) 1/4 oz overproof demerara rum (Lemon Hart 151) 1/2 oz pimento dram 3/4 oz lime dash Angostura It's very good, but the molasses is a bit too prominent still, instead of fading back as a sweet base. It'll be interesting to try later on when the pimento dram has aged a bit.

Say more, WiscoNole. Why were you disappointed? What was happening? What knives were you using?

Nice report, Ron. What did the meal cost? I'm also interested to know more about two courses. Was that onion soup pureed? It looked to have the consistency of squash soup, and I was wondering if it was a photographic effect. Also, what flavor was the foam with those scallops?

That's great! Thanks! Can you paste in a link?