Chris Amirault

Fiddling some more with the BT white dog, which I'm really growing to like. When I had a sip tonight, I realized that the corn in it was evoking tequila for me somehow. Warning: this is one big glass of booze, but I think it's very interesting, a kind of molé tamale effect: New Dog, Old Tricks 1 1/2 oz Buffalo Trace White Dog Mash #1 1 1/2 oz Herradura Añejo 1 oz Cointreau 3 dashes Bittermens xocolatl bitters 1 dash demerara syrup Stir, strain, orange twist. Next time, I might do 1 white dog and 2 tequila....

A bit tricky to find online so here are the links for piloncillo and banana vinegar. Just ordered one of each.

Those in the San Francisco area lacking the volume might want to give the folks at Omnivore Books on Food a call at 415.282.4712 for this little shindig. Just to reiterate: this item, currently at $461 but out of stock on Amazon, is available for $500 -- and I'm pretty sure someone will have a pen that Nathan can use to sign your book.

I threw a party for about 20 folks last night and didn't have the ability to do much more than host. Of course, I obsessed about what to order as take-out for this meal, wanting something tasty that holds well and is varied. After much thought, I settled on what turned out to be a big hit: a big 'cue spread from United BBQ here in Providence. I held stuff in a 200F oven until guests arrived, plated it quickly, and kept my hands out of the way as everyone dove onto the ribs. Even an hour later, everything was cool but still tasty, even the sides (collards, cornbread, mac & cheese, beans, cole slaw). Got me thinking I should have asked y'all this question: When you've got to buy take out for an event, what are your favorite options?

I'm glad that people like the recipe! I use it on a number of things here at work; indeed, most school food is improved markedly by the liberal application of it. At home, it's my go-to for fried chicken and any smoked or grilled meats.

You can also just continue to cook it a bit longer; the water absorbs or cooks off very quickly, though there might be a teensy sacrifice in mac toothiness.

So what is? Are we gonna get a chance to see Jacob's stuff?

You have been warned.

Can we get a close-up of the sausage above? I'd be very interested to learn as much as you care to share about the different styles of andouille, in particular. Thanks!

I wish I were that wily.

It's also online -- which is how I usually use it. The other cookbooks I have whose indexes are online include... none. So I think you'll be pretty happy with that feature.

That is genius.

Cherry Marnier is a sweetened grape-brandy based liqueur, similar to Heering. I don't believe it is currently imported to the US. Huh. Some product spec mentioned using the pits too a la Maraschino....

IIRC, he wrote a few books using these wacky techniques, too, something about pressure....

Sorry -- got waylaid by a couple of cooking projects, so I'm a bit behind. What are the rest of you up to?

That geng gari recipe of David Thompson's calls for 3c of coconut cream and 4c of coconut milk. "Healthy" doesn't really belong in a discussion about it!

I've never seen that before. Is it more Heering or Maraschino or both?

Steven, I definitely recognize a few of those from the book, but I am still working on a carrying case that allows me to bring it everywhere I go without spinal cord injury. Will report later if no one else has. That striped dish I remember for sure. What was that like?

I have literally been fantasizing about this several times an hour.

Sure. May take a bit longer, but should be fine. I find it helps enormously to imagine skilled Italian artisans tromping down into their basements over the decades in this situation. No hygrometers, no thermometers, and who knows what all was floating through the air.

Welcome, Dr. Spice! That's a good example of something I'd never, ever buy. I make big batches and freeze it.

Can you put a clip in there to hold it? From the looks of my tracking information, I may be able to answer this tomorrow!

I stuck a hygrometer into my non-digital Bradley and fiddled to get near the right zone. I don't think you're going to be able to do much more than that, given the lack of attention to humidity and wet-bulb temperatures in nearly all home cooking appliances.

Yeah, I think that's the next likely step. May need to head over to the West African store this week....

Given the interest, I thought we could all add our input to this WikiGullet page. Join in!