tim

Katie, Thank you for your thoughts on the bitterness of the orangecello. The Brita Trick was first posted by Shalmanese on May 18 as a way of filtering cheap vodka to remove impurities. I have since spotted the following from Mythbusters. The Myth of Filtering Cheap Vodka Tim Edit: Fixed Link

Katie, Do you know the answer to this question. In about 5 weeks we will have fresh naval oranges and I want to do it right. Has anyone tried the "Brita Trick" on Everclear? Tim

Hi, About 15 years ago I read a very simple cold smoking recipe in Jacques Pepin’s book, “Techniques”. Jacques used wood chips in a flower pot, heated with an electric charcoal starter makig a very small fire with restricted air to increase the smoke. The smoke ran through a downspout into an old refrigerator containing the salmon. The salmon smokes within 5 degrees of the ambient temperature, therefore you should smoke when the outside temperature is below 80 degrees. I have adapted Jacques recipe using inexpensive materials with wonderful success. The salmon has a wonderful smoke flavor and a firm texture that allows you to cut paper thin slices without flaking or tearing. MATERIALS: (Total cost $40 if new) Clean plastic garbage can with tight lid and hole cut in lower side (Portable and cheaper than a refrigerator) Cooling rack that fits in the top of can Electric charcoal starter - liiks like an immersion heater ($15) Heating duct from can to smoke source($5) Medium size clay flower pot Aluminum foil seals flower pot to duct Aluminized heat proof tape seals duct ($5) About 3 cups wood chips (alder, white oak) SALMON CURE: Dry brine salmon for 24 to 30 hours. Two fillets of salmon, about 5 pounds Evenly spread on brining mix: 2/3 cup kosher salt ¼ cup sugar Wrap in Saran wrap. Wrap in aluminum foil. Refrigerate 24 to 30 hours, turning often. Rinse the fillets and dry before smoking. SMOKING SETUP: Line flower pot with foil. Place the charcoal starter in flowerpot. Add three cups of wood chips. Stick the duct into hole in the can. Tape the duct to the can to seal the seams. Position the flower pot below the duct. Use foil to seal the flower pot to duct. Tape the foil to the flower pot and duct using the heat proof tape. (Sealing all seams keeps out oxygen preventing fire and flames.) Place the rack in the garbage can. Place fillets on the rack. Place the lid on the can. SMOKING PROCEDURE: Plug in the charcoal starter for five minutes and unplug. After 2 minutes smoke should be flowing. Seal up any leaks with heat proof tape. Wait one hour. Plug in the charcoal starter for five minutes and unplug. Wait one hour. Plug in the charcoal starter for five minutes and unplug. If smoke doesn’t flow and duct gets hot, you are out of chips. Unplug, add more wood chips, reseal and plug in for 5 minutes. Wait one hour. Remove salmon. Rub salmon with a little vegetable oil Wrap in saran and refrigerate one day. Note: If heat build up from the sun is a problem, drape the can with cold wet towels. ENJOY! Tim

Tammy, I would recommend Cafe Matou in Wicker Park. The food is fresh from scratch with daily changes. It is excellent and consistant. They have a weekday special, three courses for $22. http://cafematou.com/ Tim

Hi all, It is easy to replicate and improved version of the hearthkit by using a floor of firebricks (or a pizza stone) and sides from firebrick splits. For less than $40 you have an extra thick HearthKit. Just visit your local brickyard. Tim

Marty, Ginger Beer makes a good deglazing liquid for pork. Use it to make a pan sauce. It is also very nice with sauteed apples. I also use it to finish any carribean cocktail using the forumula- _1 of sour _2 of weak _3 of strong _4 of neat (ginger beer) Have fun, Tim

Charles, She will be so excited about the bling on her finger, she won't thnk about the wine. They also have a 1941 Port (Guedes?) that just might be fun. The best wine I ever tasted was a 1929 Echezeaux at the 1968 Heublein wine auction in Chicago. I can't wait to try the 1966. Tim ps: Grandma has a standing order for flowers every Tuesday. The LaTache is going on auction - anything to make that wonderful girl happy.

Zoe, I will have to disagree on the sirloin, unless you will use a marinade before cooking. If you are using a marinade, sirloin or sirloin tri-tip is perfect. I would use a top blade roast (the SECOND most tender steak cut and very flavorful!) with the center tendon removed. (Almost like a whole salmon that is fileted, only you are removing the tendon.) This makes it into two flat iron steaks. Or you can buy top blade steaks (cut like salmon steaks) and remove the center tendon. Rib eye steak or strip steak are also more tender option than the sirloin. Tim

Zoe, James Peterson's bearnaise cooked over direct heat works for me. The original version is in his book "Sauces" and can be cooked over high heat in 2 minutes. This really works but does takes some fast footwork. The real advantage is that you make the sabayon before adding any butter. If the sabayon is undercooked, you can add more heat. If the sabayon is overcooked, you begin fresh with a few egg yolks. Very little waste if you make a mistake. He modified the recipe for Taunton's Fine Cooking. http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes...aise_sauce.aspx The bearnaise may be enhanced with reduced meat juices or kicked up with aleppo pepper and microplaned shallots. The direct heat method is a showstopper in front of friends. Tim

Hi all, My son gave me a call last night that sounded like the proverbial Bugatti hidden under a tarp in the corner of the chicken coop. He went to visit his girlfriend's Grandmother over the weekend and they spend some time cleaning the basement. Grandma said they could take the case of wine home with them and the wines should be OK having been in the cool damp basement for so long. Back in NYC, where he buys wines for three Italian restaurants, he began to look at the dusty bottles. He called me when he saw the Marc Chagall painting. 1970 Mouton Rothschild 1962 Chateau Margaux 1969 "Le Bernardin" Chateauneuf du Pape 1966 Echezeaux 1967 La Tache He's sending a nice bouquet to Grandma. He's also going to have to keep that girl and get something her size, maybe her ring size! Tim Edit to correct vintages.

Leonard, You have some wonderful options in the Central West End. Chez Leon (pronounced lee-on) Moxy (Bistro owned by Leon and next door) Bar Italia (inexpensive) More expensive Balaban's (Indoors) Zoe Pan Asian Cafe Good luck! Tim

Hi, Does anyone has seen a recipe for falernum? While I have not tasted many falernums, the Hanschell Innis falernum is excellent. The Sazerac did not compare. Tim

Menom, Now that you understand the shocking truth about cookware, I know that you will want to purchase some Regalware and Mirro to replace that heavy copper. I will be happy to give your Falk, Borgeat, Mauviel and Dehillerin a decent burial behind my house. Let me know and I will forward a self addressed and prepaid box for delivery. Tim

An update on All-Clad, Yes, All-Clad has been losing some weight. The following thickness's are measured with a micrometer. ------1985 MasterChef: 0.145" -----Later MasterChef 0.135" -----Later Ltd 0.132" -----Original MC-2 0.135" -----New MC-2 0.120" -----Stainless 0.100" Recently, I saw a set of MC-2 with thicker bases, labeled MasterChef. I asked the manager about the cookware and she provided me with wisdom from the All-Clad representative. -----"Almost every pan on the market is made in one factory in China" -----"Even All-Clad will be outsourcing to Indonesia" -----"All Clad cannot be made thicker because the steel will delaminate." -----"Thicker aluminium RUINS the cooking performance of the pans." -----"Thicker aluminium holds its heat and overcooks and burns food." -----"You want thin cookware so the pan will cool quickly." I phoned All-Clad and they denied that there was a difference between the thickness MasterChef and MC-2. FYI, the pans made in China also have shorter handles. This may explain the different feel. Tim

For the third time, What is plantation rum? Tim

In general, MC2 and LTD will provide better performance than Stainless. This is because these two lines have a thicker layer of aluminum compared to the fully clad Stainless line. More aluminum means better performance. IMO, the MC2 line is All-Clad's best line, because it has the thickest layer of aluminum and you aren't paying extra for the hard-to-clean anodized exterior on the LTD line (MC2 is All-Clad's least expensive line). Sam, As you know the original Masterchef and LTD both were about 0.135" thick and All-Clad developed a thinner base (about 0.120") for the MC-2 line. Recently I saw a new set of MC-2 that had suspiciously thick bases. These had the MC-2 handles attached to Masterchef bases. The base was labeled Masterchef and was 0.135" thick. I assumed that All-Clad was upgrading the MC-2 witht the thicker aluminium and called their customer service. Typically, their head engineer reported that there is no difference between the base on the Masterchef and MC-2. I explained that I had measured the thickness of the pans with a micrometer. The Customer Service Rep stated, "I am only the messenger." Jen, You may purchase All-Clad Seconds (minor imperfections) from Cookwarenmore.com. They have two sales each year, I think in December and June. Tim

Hi, I still would like to know exactly what is "plantation rum". I also assume that there is no difference between "ruhm agricole" and cachaca. Right? Tim

Hi all, I hae a great solution for long term storage. For the past three years I have frozen large quantities of fresh herbs in ziplock freezer bags. No washing. Just pack the herbs in the bag, seal and freeze. They stay remarkably fresh-like for many, many months. You must use a self-defrosting refrigerator or you get an accumulation of frost in the bags that spoils the herbs. This does not work for basil! Basukm I dry at 150 degrees and shread into a glass jar. Not like fresh, but much better than store bought. Tim

Hi, So exactly what is Rhum Agricole and how does the taste vary from that other stuff. What do you call that other stuff. What exactly is plantation rum and.... Thanks for helping. Tim

Hi, There are a number of brand new restaurants in Evanston that have NOT been mentioned. There is a new very small french restuarant downtown right next door to the carribean lunch place. There are also some new restaurants on Main St. Any comments? Tim

← Hi, I make orangecello every year, usually with a two week infusion in 100 proof vodka. A few years ago, I tried a two month infusion with microplaned peels (no pith) from very fresh florida navels. That batch had a bitter background. Does anyone know what went wrong with this orangcello? Tim

What is not to like? We were blown away by all of the food at WD-50 last week. Four of us had ala-cart meals. We rotated plates or our own tasting menu of 10 dishes. While everything might not be a personal favorite, every dish had wonderful flavors, textures, and presentation. The mushroom panna cotta sea slug in the soup was kind of a challenge. Pistachio caviar was wonderful. We can't wait to go back to NYC. Tim

MB, I may be wrong, but I assume that Cachaca is technically unaged rum. It is distilled from sugar cane. Ed will have the definitive answer. Tim

What is the difference between low and high quality high proof grain alcohol? Is it really just a matter of filtering as with cheap vodka? I have plenty of everclear, now I just need to find a brita filter. I don't suppose anyone wants to volunteer to judge the results... ← Sam, In the vodka threads, (I think) there is a story about filtering cheap vodka three times with a brita filter and coming up with wonderful vodka. Is there any possibility that this would work with Everclear? Tim

Hi, I thought that we were at war with the terroirists. Seriously, do modern vinification techniques (ie, ceramic rocket fuel filters) strip the earthiness from our wines? I think probably. Do wine tasters wax eloquently for their own ears or as a reaction to the wine? DUH!! I once attended a tasting of 5 fully matured first growths and searched without success for the violets in the Ch. LaTour. Many of the expert tasters experienced the violets AND insisted that the musty aromas of the Ch. Margaux and Petrus were quickly receeding. They were not improving a whit. After a little reading, I realized that the two wines were clearly "corked" but none of the eonophiles were willing to admit this fact. I have since learned that person who can not taste a "corked" wine is either the purchaser or host. I do miss a little dusty taste in a glass of St. Emilion, but alas the budget cannot afford that pleasure. Tim