tim

Hi, About 10 years ago, I was given a bottle of "100 year old" balsamico and alway wondered about the real age. The box is labled "Antico Condimento" but the bottle says "Extravecchio" which I think indicates that it is not truly an antique. 100 year old balsamic is like many of the prized and rare Ferrari's from the 1960's. Of the 250 (or so) original Ferrari GTO's produced, only 1,200 survive today. Tim ps: I am truly dismayed that vintners would transfer a Cote Rotie to a Barolo bottle or transfer a burgundy to a Jaboulet Hermitage bottle. Your story, about this subterfuge, confirms that unscrupulous dealers are willing to misrepresent or change labeling just to obtain a higher price.

Elle, Definately Brine your pheasant! Pheasant tends to dry out, especially if the skin has been stripped from the bird. Wrapping the bird in caul fat does help. Paprikash (yes, use creme fraiche) sounds like a great idea although the paprika might overpower the subtle flavor of the pheasant. Go easy on the amount and heat of the paprika and don't overcook the pheasant. Spaetzle would be a nice complement to the paprikash. Good luck, Tim

Hi, Here is another source on the internet. Eurodib Stockpots Note: These stockpots have 3/8" bottoms, not the 1/2" advertised. That is thicker than most. Tim

Lucy, I hope that a butcher will talk about this muscle. Is it the same as a "love handle"? This same muscle in a steer provides a wonderful steak called an "oyster" or "spider" steak. Unfortunately, it is impossible to find this steak cut in the US. (Something about ruining the porterhouse below!?) Tim

Not the same, right? ← Lucky, They are the same! Tim

Hi, We mince it and then run it in a processor with sugar. The sugar then goes into everything. Tim

Hi, You can go to your local brickyard and purchase firebricks to line your oven. These are available in full size (about 4" X 8" X 2" at about $1.50 each) or in splits (about 4" X 8" X 1" at about $0.90 each). Placing the bricks in a large sheet pan will allow you to create an almost level surface for your pizza. The total cost would be less than $20. Placing splits on edge along the sides allows you to replicate the $180 Hearthstone. You can even add a $15 grill thermometer. Tim

Actually--- Cook's Illustrated's most recent two tests had the following results: Last test-11/05 First: American Bronze Heritage from Peaceful Patures in Tennessee -----------------The other heritages ranged from awful to OK -----------------Second: Plainville Farms, a local, natural, minimally processed local bird. Prior test-11/04 First: Local, natural, minimally processed, brine yourself. ----------------------------Plainville farms. The frozen butterball was the highest rated in 2000 but that test did not include brining the turkeys. My read is that brining made the Butterball the better tasting turkey. A fresh natural turkey also benefits from brining. Tim

Maggie, I am not from Chicago. Do you have the name, address and phone of a likely supermercado? Thanks, Tim

I have been talking to all of the likely sources of caul fat in Chicago with no luck. (Peoria Packing, Bobak) I would appreciate any ideas? Tim

Hi Pastry Professionals, I have been looking for years for impression mats for gingerbread. It is easy to find the 3" X 6" plastic mats with rock and brick patterns. I would like to find a larger mats, maybe 9" X 11 in. I have seen them on TV being used by Jacques Torres. Just don't know where they might be purchased. A decent mat might make a house like this a lot easier to construct. Thanks, Tim

Paul, I'm sorry to be so late with this reply. We found the Hanchell Innis in Bermuda. Only one of the local shops carried this brand, maybe Goslings. It really does have wonderful flavor. Tim

HI, Cameo works very will on Stainless and Aluminum. It is more expensive than the BKF but works much better on the exterior of Masterchef pans. Tim

\ Glenn, The whipped cream explains the texture. Tim

"At one point it looked like I was making small soufle's .-)" "The texture was very open and airy. I remember " "My texture was more like of a soufle or something in that direction." ______________________________________________________________________ Glen: This all looks suspiciously like some egg whites remaining in the mix. I would also expect the baking time to be aroung 30 minutes assuming ramekins about 1 - 1.5" deep. The custard mixture is normally cooked to an internal temp. of about 170 degreees. Tim

Chris, The Guiness patent includes the following statement. "it is relatively insoluble in fermented liquor such as beer, e.g. in the order of less than 0.05 vol./vol. as compared with 100%" I will grant you that it appears that Guiness contains a very small percent of Nitrogen molecules. This article also points out that the gas is applied by injecting foam into the liquid, a process I did not assume. The article quantifies the volume of dissolved carbon dioxide at 51 to 53 times the abount of nitrogen. This means that the beer is 98.1% carbonated and 1.9% nitrogenated by volume. I still understand that high pressure Nitrogen is not easily absorbed by liquids. CO2 under pressure is easily absorbed by liquid with no exitation. You will be shocked to know that 78% of air consists of Nitrogen. I merely stated that, "I don't assume that nitrogen is absorbed by liquids at 14.7 pound per square inch of pressure." The bends is caused by gas absorbed by body under pressure and not wanting to be aborbed under normal pressure. Tim

Chris, Clearly the nitrogen is a catalyst in the percieved texture. Nevertheless, I do not think there is any nitrogen in the widget and the moutfeel is provided by the carbon dioxide which was broken into tiny bubbles under nitrogen pressure through a small hole. Not to be testy, but, I assumed that beer is CARBONATED, not nitrogenated. The widget is filled with beer, beer which has absorbed carbon dioxide. The beer (in the can and in the widget) is under higher than usual pressure from the nitrogen which sits at the top of the can. If the high pressure air at the top of the can (or keg) was easily absorbed by the beer (like CO2) the resulting beer would be a shower of foam. They use nitrogen because it won't be absorbed by the beer and won't become a foamy mess. According to the Brew Your Own article (I will look up the date for you), the release of pressure at the top of the can leaves that small widget with high pressure and a very small hole. As the beer pressures out of the widget, the small hole breaks the carbon dioxide bubbles into fractionally smaller bubbles which suspend in the beer. The result is the mouthfeel and nitrogen was the catalyst. The exact process occurs in the keg although all of the beer is tapped through the small holes of a "Guiness Tap" breaking up the CO2 bubbles. The bends is caused by an AIR embolism affecting primarily your lungs but also your blood and lymph system. I have never been below 65 feet but know that Nitrogen Narcosis results from nitrogen's toxicity under high pressure, again entering the body through the air sacs of the lungs. Again, I don't assume that nitrogen is absorbed by liquids at 14.7 pound per square inch of pressure. I may be wrong and they might be filling those Guiness cans under 200 feet of water. Tim

VK, You are exactly right. Roast that bird in the open. Most roasters don't come with a cover for good reason. That reason being that a covered (foil or pan cover) stews the bird, resulting in a lot less flavor. a roasting rack should allow for plenty of air circulation around and under a bird. A vertical turkey would not fit in most ovens and the vertical position would result in higher temp. variations. You are better off with a lower sided roaster and a higher position with a horizontal turkey. Tim

Chris, These links confirm my conclusions which were based on an article in Brew Your Own some years ago that provided instruction for making your own "Guiness Taps" (small metal circle with tiny holes) to break up the CO2 bubbles to achieve that "nitrogen pressured" mouthfeel. I now realize that the reason for the partial inclusion of CO2 is to maintain the carbonation of the beer as the keg is tapped. You will also note that the purpose of the Nitrogen is to propel the beer under high pressure through the Stout Faucet. Use of high pressure CO2 (except for momentary increase in pressure) would result in too much foam. Conversely, charging non-carbonated beer with Nitrogen would result in flat beer under pressure. NITROGEN IS NOT EASILY ABSORBED BY LIQUIDS. Those small bubble providing mouthfeel in Guiness and the foam in Guiness cans are all CO2. Tim ps: The answer on nitrogen bubbles in a liquid may best come from a chemist.

Also: Bake with beans to the top. Use lower protein flour or replace some flour with pastry flour. Add 1 tsp. vinegar / cup of flour. Dock the crust before baking. After carefully fitting (not stretching) the dough, roll the top edge under itself. Flute, almost hooking the dough over the outside edge of the pan. Ceramic weights have more mass than beans and may also help. Good luck, Tim

Hi, Bermuda has a Portugese history and many local restaurants still serve wonderful chourico with eggs for breakfast. We brought back many chourico sausages from Myers food store in Hamilton. That probably would be a problem today. There used to be a small liquor store in Sandy's that had a wall of draught barrel rums. Black Seal, Demerara, Trindidad.... Wonderful and a great excuse to buy fruit. We have wonderful memories of the Black Horse for lunch. The fish for dinner were brought off boats and carried right through the restaurant to the kitchen. Tim

Hi, I can add to the accolades for the Lake Park Bistro. Wonderful surrounding and authentic food. They are hosting Jacque Pepin and the sommelier from Maison Louis Jadot for a fund raiser in a few weeks. Five courses and five wines for $165. At this time they only have about 46 reservations. Check it out. Jacque Pepin Fund Raiser at Lake Park Bistro, Milwuakee Tim

Vive, I believe that she is married to some TV exec without effective taste buds. Tim

Chris, While I know you are the expert in beers, I think your description may be incorrect. Nitrogen does not mix with liquids, CO2 does. A higher pressure tapping system will allow extra gas (CO2, not the N) to incorporate with the beer resulting in over-carbonated beer with excessive foam. There are two ways to produce the long lasting heavy foam found in Guiness without having excess foam. 1. You can pressurize the (CO2) carbonated keg with Nitrogen gas at a higher than normal level. You then, release the beer through a tap with a fine filter that breaks up the CO2 gas into extra fine bubbles. These fine bubble create the slowly rising gasses and heavy long lasting foam. 2. Alternatively, you may increase the pressure on a keg, with CO2, at the time of tapping and release the beer through the same type of filter. The temporary higher pressure is not present long enough to over carbonate the beer. The canned Guiness uses a widget, a small ball with a very small hole. The CO2 carbonated beer is placed in the can and the top of the can is pressurized with Nitrogen. Less than 5% of the beer enters the widget. When the can is opened the beer in the widget squirts throught the small hole creating tiny bubbles that provide the fine head. Not very eloquent, but I think this is correct. I have heard about Guiness gas but do not think that it could contain any CO2. Am I misguided? Tim

Hi all, The Brita Filter came from another source, funny and not very scientific. This is located in the thread on Making Lemoncello. Go It Burns Brita Trick Mythbusters actually rufuted the concept with a blind tasting. The Myth of Filtering Cheap Vodka Tim