Chris Amirault

Huh. Tried it last night in a CR#2 and didn't really like it as much as with the Lillet. It was equal parts Citadelle gin, lemon, MB triple sec, and Cocchi, with a dash of Marteau. Too busy, I think. Retry with Plymouth & Kübler tonight?

Huh. Perhaps it's finally time for me to get a bottle of creme de cacao, which I've been avoiding for complex, irrational reasons.

The times I've had memorable caviar have included excellent champagne as well, adding another $50 or so. Just sayin'....

Wow. Source please?

Sexpresso.

Tell us a bit more about your experiences. Have you ever had it? Do you have a sense of what you prefer, how to distinguish different types/quality levels? Or are you seeking to dip the first toe in? What about "caviar flights"? I've seen those around before....

Mine always separates -- and, yes, you can age it for a long while. Not sure the limit. I like it fresh, with the eggs separated so that you can fold in, and not shake up, the meringue.

This is a great strategy for freezing and refrigerating make-ahead soups, stews, chilis, stocks, sauces, etc. -- anything with a significant liquid component. If you make it with the bare minimum of liquid, or you reduce it, it will take up a lot less storage space. When you go to reheat and serve it as a meal, you just incorporate enough liquid to get it to the right level. I'm definitely stealing that one. And greetings, Sheryl D! Did a ton of prep last night for two straight meals at home with my parents visiting. For tonight, I blanched some brussel sprouts for a sage and brown butter sauté (maybe some breadcrumbs too), cleaned and cut up some potatoes to be mashed, and cooked steaks sous vide in a porcini rub to be finished a la minute on the grill. For tomorrow night, I've got a chicken larded with pancetta under the skin and trussed with some rosemary & marjoram in the cavity; I'll roast that tonight to be eaten cold with some green beans and brown rice. I think. This prep the night before after dinner has its drawbacks -- exhaustion is one -- but it is enabling me to enjoy cooking and put some good food on the table quickly upon my arrival home. I really appreciate all the ideas here, folks. Keep 'em coming!

Back enjoying the Jura Superstition and this bottle of Ardbeg 10, which has a spicy spine that I am really enjoying.

Trying to be more efficient post-dinner around here. Spent two hours blanching and cooling brussel sprouts, seasoning, stuffing, and trussing a chicken, trimming and preparing stack of steaks for SV -- then cooling them down to be finished tomorrow, then SVing rutabaga. Should have the base for two or three meals here.

I don't know if it's too garlicky for your tastes, but I believe sriracha is parve.

Sorry -- fingers ahead of brain. I meant rum, of course, not bourbon. I ran a workshop on holiday drinks last year and offered these three versions of Egg Nogg, all of which are good uses for a merely ok brandy. Single serving: 1 1/2 oz cognac or brandy 1 1/2 oz dark rum 1/2 oz simple syrup 3 oz milk 1 egg Shake hard without ice to combine well and scramble egg, then add ice & shake again. Strain into glass & dust with nutmeg. Two servings, blender version (adapted from Jeffrey Morgenthaler): 2 eggs 3 oz (by volume) sugar 1 tsp grated nutmeg 3 oz cognac or brandy 3 oz dark rum 6 oz whole milk 4 oz heavy cream Beat eggs in blender for 1 minute on medium. Sprinkle in sugar while blending another minute; add rest of ingredients while blending thoroughly. Chill completely & serve with additional nutmeg grated on top. Twelve servings, going all out (adapted from Dale DeGroff): 12 eggs, separated 2 c caster sugar (100% sugar only -- don’t use corn-starched powdered sugar!!) 2 quarts whole milk 1 quart light cream 12 oz bourbon 12 oz dark rum one nutmeg berry Each has little adjustments (you could include madeira, too, for a Baltimore twist), and the last calls for bourbon and not brandy, but there are lots of possibilities here, and all can be aged.

Oh: the answer is, indeed, Yes. Just back from Tucson, where I cajoled a local tortilleria to part with an entire bag of corn. A 50 pound bag: Bought some Ziplok bags, loaded up the carry-ons, and now the whole sack is at home less a few kernels from one burst bag. (Insert smuggling jokes here.) So, way back uptopic, esperanza wrote: Now that I have this batch, I can answer this definitively. The corn that I have been using included what's known as the tip cap, the pointy part of the kernel. Most of these kernels do not have those dark tip caps; instead, they seem to have been broken off.

Welcome, SPS! I'm assuming that the DeVille is 80 proof, which means that it's not going to be very good for a bitters base. If I were you, I'd get some bourbon and start aging a big batch of egg nogg.

That is he.

Why Midori?

I've been hesitant to declare this until I was dead certain, but now I can say it for sure: Bottles on Pitman St in Providence (next to East Side Marketplace) is the best store in RI, and the best store I've ever been to period, for cocktails. The Haus Alpenz line (including Allspice Dram!), piles of rye, gin, tequila, bourbon, Fee's and Bitter Truth bitters, Luxardo cherries on the way.... I had been asked by manager Eric Taylor a while back for my dream list of cocktail ingredients, and as far as I can tell he's gotten everything I could think of and much more. What a gem!

Got a new bottle just now. Any additional thoughts? In particular, if there are classic Kina Lillet drinks that work well with the Cocchi, please share.

Irony is so old fashioned.

There is interest! For those of us with little access to smoked snout and ear, can trotters substitute? I assume we're trying to get some collagen from the cartilage. ETA: Hi, Brainfoodie!

So did you just dash some in and adjust for taste? Does it need to be dissolved first?

Welcome, Blair! As to your question, it depends on what you want. Most lovers of the hog around here happily find many uses for skin, which is loaded with collagen that breaks down over time during braises and other moist types of cooking. There have been some concerns about the tendency of pig skin to gather toxins, but I am one who cannot live without the lipsmack of a slightly gelatinous stew or bean dish.

I think he wants a taste. As one of the first, and very happy, owners of Adam's Boker's bitters, I'm happy for him to have the originals so we can all enjoy his remarkable recreations.

I always choose the carrots first when I am snacking on jalapeño pickles.

But part of doing something using the traditional process is to learn what the traditional process is all about, and it's not just about what ends up on the table. You gain access to all sorts of nuances of method, time, experience -- of cooking as a mode of being, not merely producing -- that would otherwise be lost.