Chris Amirault

Just a note of caution: we've overburdened our KA mixer's kneading hook with too much pasta dough, which is, of course, far more dense than bread dough. There's one machine in the house that screeches its way through pasta and nothing else as a result; the other KA is reserved for, well, everything else.

I have strict orders to maintain the Thanksgiving menu, and thus change up the Christmas meal each year. For 2013, the meal will be centered around an Edwards country ham that's en route from Virginia to Rhode Island. Sides will likely include a mixture of southern favorites without much attention to regional specificity. Still figuring that out....

Aki & Alex have a new post up at Ideas in Food on a milk simple syrup, which they created for a mascarpone frosting they were developing. Of course, my thoughts turned to cocktails.....

The Sarabeth's, Tartine, and FWSY books look great. (As are the other two: we've already got Hamelman & Bouchon.) Thanks!

I am here to attest to the quality of Matt Kayahara's tweak of the retrograded starch potato puree, described here in his blog post. The only additional tweak I made was to the skin butter: instead, I roasted the skins at 450F until they were browned, blended them briefly in milk, then simmered the mixture for 15 minutes or so. After straining that became the milk base to which I added the potatoes and butter before using the food processor. They are excellent, a far roastier, nuttier mashed potato than their delicate color suggests. Thanks, Matt!

A rum Old Fashioned with a slight twist: 2 oz Smith & Cross rum 1/2 oz Cruzan blackstrap rum 3/4 oz demerara pineapple syrup 2 dashes Bittermens Xocolatl bitters Making Regents Punch for Thanksgiving. Boy, it's great having pineapple syrup around the house....

A vacuum seal does seem to speed things along. And I always rinse the interior out with the booze mixed for the punch itself. If there's a bit extra, well, I guess I'm having a special Old Fashioned.

Above suggestions are all great; I'd give a Bamboo a try, personally, or perhaps another dry vermouth drink like a Lucien Gaudin or Atty. I also got thinking about akvavit/aquavit, either straight & very cold or with sweet vermouth in a Norwegian Wood or Viggo: 1 1/2 oz Bluecoat gin 3/4 oz akvavit 3/4 oz M&R sweet vermouth 1/2 oz lemon scant 1/2 oz simple 2 Angostura half a kirby cuke Shake; strain; up no garnish in a large coupe. This may only work in my head, I realize....

We ain't right yet.

Great minds...

I'd start with a standard 2:1 Manhattan ratio for the rye:PeM, dash in a couple of the chocolate bitters, then go barspoon by barspoon on the Chartreuse and Maraschino. If you get over 1/4 oz on either/both, I'd add another few drops of bitters.

Ah: a quick frost, not a multiweek deep freeze. That makes sense, especially when you think about a grocer confronting the loss of perishable stock and tossing them into the freezer to "freshen them up"....

Ted Kilpatrick runs a killer program at No. 9 Park in Boston, and this drink of his is one of my favorites. Parentheses indicate adjustments using on-hand ingredients; I subbed in the rich Clement Creole Shrubb bc the Ardbeg has less body and caramel than the Talisker: Scotland the Brave 2 1/2 oz Talisker (Ardbeg 10) 3/4 oz sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica Formula) 3/4 oz Fernet Branca 1/2 oz Mathilde orange XO (Clement Creole Shrubb) Stir; strain over a fresh rock in a highball glass; orange twist.

Lisa, what makes you say that? I would think that the cell walls would break down but release a more non-viscous liquid, as so often happens when you defrost frozen stuff....

One of the first drinks that got me thinking.... A great cocktail, to be sure. Still working the Ransom Old Tom/Pierre Ferrand dry curacao thing here: 2 oz Ransom 3/4 oz PF dry curacao 1/2 oz Russo nocino 2 dashes Aphrodite bitters Stir, strain, orange twist.

A block is a solid chunk of ice that can sit in your punch bowl without making the punch spill out. So you'll need to do a little measuring with water and a half gallon or gallon bottle that you can submerge while all are in the sink.

I am a very big fan of Regent's Punch, as are many here. Below is David Wondrich's eloquent recipe from elsewhere in eG Forums: I have found that it serves a dozen easily, and more if you go for two bottles of champagne. It's a knockout -- in every sense of the word.

We are here to help! There are many, many options to consider, but the vast majority are straightforward, fun, and extremely tasty. No Hi-C and Everclear here. Give us a few basics: -- how many folks? -- what time of day? -- any spirits to completely avoid? -- you want something easy-peasy or more involved? The book on punch is, accordingly, http://www.amazon.com/Punch-Delights-Dangers-Flowing-Bowl/dp/0399536167/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=http://www.amazon.com/Punch-Delights-Dangers-Flowing-Bowl/dp/0399536167&linkCode=as2&tag=egulletcom-20">David Wondrich's Punch, which you could check out if you really want to get geeky. But start with the basics up there.

Dear Linda, Thank you for your reaching out to us in what must be a busy and difficult time. From your timely and heartfelt note, it's clear that you recognized just how important Dave was to our eGullet community. Indeed, in many ways, he was an exemplar of what the Society is at its best, and those of us who served as eG Forums volunteers appreciated each and every contribution. Of course, he was committed to considered, articulate, and, shall we say, energetic discussion about food and drink in all its forms! But the outpouring of appreciation for him in this topic -- which will continue to grow for days or more -- is a testament to the relationships he built with his contributions (such as his "autofoodography"!) here in our strange, wonderful online world. The depth of those relationships makes me sad that I was not able to meet him over wine and cheese, but so grateful for his virtual presence. I'm similarly grateful to you for sharing his final days with us. Tonight, I'll drink to him, to you, and to a life well-lived and well-loved, wandering the vineyards, markets, and hillsides with Rupert at his side. With condolences and appreciation both. Sincerely, Chris Amirault

Update from LA Times via Slate:

Russ Parsons just tweeted that a judge has given the factory permission to keep operating.

Sure. For certain chili styles, they're pretty common, I think.

They would: Flour (1) is hit or miss at our house, making Flour 2 less attractive. Anyone got the skinny on Sebastien Boudet's French Baker?

TJ's had the best Oregon hazelnuts I could imagine for a while. They were my staple snack at work until last visit -- when they had been replaced by some feeble nuts from Thailand....

Every year I like to grab a baking cookbook or two for the house baker/my wife. What are some of the best options out there for 2013? Any eagerly anticipated gems arriving for the end-of-year blitz?