Chris Amirault

Who cares what shape the ice is in? They aren't being served on the rocks. I agree also about the froth. Call me another skeptic.

I was going to mention the quarter-turn too. I've learned that letting some doughs rest and keeping other doughs cold both help a lot. For pizza dough, learning the basics of pulling and throwing also helps with shape.

I was thinking of Bellhaven Scottish Ale while reading the top part of your post, and then, well, there 'tis. Why not get a few different ones and report back?

Hmm. Would cracking the eggs over a fry pan splatter screen do the trick? They have holes that might be big enough to allow the whites to seep through, and they'd certainly hold the yolks up.

Bacon: the gateway meat.

Can you, like, assume a new identity, head for the hinterlands, and keep it? Meanwhile, along the lines of your chocolate/chili/olive oil concoction, more with non-cream and -fruit bases, please. What happens to veal stock, hazelnut oil, and demerara rum in that contraption?

All right, I'm taking one for the team here. I just put up the following to steep for a couple of weeks: 1 c Lemon Hart 80 proof demerara rum 1 c Wray & Nephew overproof (126 proof) rum 1/2 c allspice berries, crushed 5 black pepper berries, crushed 5 cloves, crushed 2 cinnamon sticks, broken 1 nutmeg, crushed Down the line, I'll add 1 lb of demerara sugar, another 1/2 lb of brown sugar, 2-3 c water, and Angostura bitters to taste (an ounce or less, I think). Then, in Feb, I'll drive up to Massachusetts and do a comparison.

Dunno if it counts, but you go. Those are fantastic examples of the basic croquette method, methinks.

I've been trying to find a decent cocktail made with Dubonnet rouge, a tough challenge given the slew of mediocre-to-bad tipples out there. I've tried a bunch, including the Bentley Cocktail from the Savoy (1 1/2 Dubonnet, 1 1/2 apple brandy, bitters -- pick 'em), most of which are really lousy. But then I tried the Deshler Cocktail from drinkboy.com, and I'm convinced it's a fine cocktail ingredient that just needs lovin' care. Your favorite Dubonnet rouge cocktails, please.

No photos, but I made those Bolinhos de Bacalhau tonight, with the molho de ovos on the side. (I used smoked paprika and thyme instead of just the parsley.) Very tasty little bites that would have benefited from a cold pilsner -- though the caipirinhas were sufficiently refreshing.

Just to state the obvious: melt-in-the-mouth tender is a result of product quality as much as preparation; a thermometer is useful to figure out the doneness you want. Theories on prime rib vary from low n slow after a good hard blast (Marlene's got that covered) to a Barbara Kafka-esque 500F with a calming rest after release from the hellish oven. Pick 'em, I'm afraid.

I'm having a devil of a time finding any demerara 151 rum. I can get the Lemon Hart 80 or the Bacardi 151, though. Thoughts on going halvesies?

So it's not an egg white thing, it's a dry shake thing? That could well make sense, since I never dry shake anything that doesn't have egg whites. This "scientific method" business is tricky stuff.

Just to clarify: no explosions on my end, just annoying leaks.

I've searched around but haven't found an answer to this question, so here goes. My wife's favorite drink is a Pisco Sour, and my technique and results are pretty good these days, starting with the dry shake Toby describes before adding ice. However, I've consistently noticed a strange phenomenon that happens with egg whites: the seal on the Boston shaker always seems to allow a bit of liquid to leak out midway through the dry shake. This doesn't happen with any non-egg-white drink, and I tend to use the Boston shaker for just about everything. Don't bother suggesting a tighter or drier seal, as I've tried both repeatedly and it still happens. I've taken to wrapping the area where the glass sits in the base of the shaker with a towel to prevent spray. Does this happen to anyone else? Any explanations? I've been wondering if egg whites are sufficiently viscous to break the seal or something.

Given the new parameters and for the reasons Nathan gives, Elizabeth and Spring works for me.

Faithful Daily Gullet readers will remember this fine article on the very subject: "The Plight of the Humble Beekeper" by Shaun Chavis.

Calling SoHo/NoLIta/Tribeca/Chinatown a neighborhood seems like a stretch to me. How many blocks radius are we talking about?

I find apple peeling and coring therapeutic, so it's a peeler and corer for me -- though the dohickey in Michel Richard's Happy in the Kitchen is way cool. I have a batch of Edna Lewis's apple chutney from In Pursuit of Flavor in the fridge, a combination of Mutsus and Cortlands.

For a sauce, pals who've traveled extensively in Brazil confirm what Margarette de Andrade (in her Brazilian Cookery: Traditional and Modern) seems to suggest: molho de ovos, sort of an aioli, though it's a bit unclear.

Paired up the grapefruit and clementine bitters in swell Pegu Club Cocktail. Thanks, Erik -- it turned out great. The Hess house bitters have been strained and are resting for a while.

Two questions. Has anyone tried Chad Solomon and Christy Pope's recipe here in Imbibe? And has anyone whipped up a batch based on this, Taggart's or another's recipe and compared the homemade to the Wray & Nephew?

So I think I'm changing tacks here, given that I devoured the Maine shrimp I got but chose not to do the same to the salt cod. Now it's soaked and poached, and I'm thinking about bolinhos de bacalhau. What sorts of sides and sauces should I serve?

Breaking down duck for confit and stock this morning, I realized that I don't like shirts down to my cuffs because I wash my hands and wrists about ten times an hour.

The recipe for crostata dough I've always used comes from Cucina Simpatica by Joanne Kileen and George Germon. chef/owners of Al Forno here in Providence. It's pretty straightforward: 1/2 lb butter, very cold and cut into small bits 2 c flour 1/4 c superfine sugar 1/2 t kosher salt 1/4 c ice water Pulse the dry ingredients in a food processor a few times. Toss the dry ingredients with the butter to coat, then put the mixture back into the processor and pulse to small peas. Turn on the processor, dump in the ice water, and count to ten; don't let it ball into a solid mass. Dump it out onto some foil, shape it into a thick disk, and refrigerate until you're ready to roll it out and use (at least an hour). Edited to fix spelling -- ca