lperry

In Guadeloupe they served little green olives marinated in spices like clove and hot pepper. Somehow they went perfectly with the rum drinks.

It was just pointed out to me that I will be leaving Puerto Rico at an inappropriately early hour on a Sunday morning, and the duty free might be closed . What's the number two place to shop for rum?

I've got my list and I'm ready to go. Thanks for the advice.

I love the "ping!" I can jams, preserves, chutneys, marmalades, fruits, tomatoes, roasted peppers, and I've even tried pesto in the pressure canner. I have a steam canner instead of a water bath, and it saves a lot of energy and heat in the kitchen. I learned from my Grandmother, and it just isn't summer unless the pantry is filling up with jars. Maybe it's an ant and grasshopper question; there's comfort in a stocked pantry. Also, canned goods that are made with care make great hostess gifts as well as presents for people who already buy everything they want. Chances are they can't find a good pear-cranberry chutney at the store.

They are wonderful just quickly stir-fried with a little bit of ginger, garlic, and sesame oil. I'll have to try the risotto.

So how do you really feel about them? If it makes you feel better, I have an herb garden in pots on my deck. I have never had them in a restaurant - I buy them at Asian markets and cook them myself. I was under the impression that they are a common Asian vegetable. Maybe not?

I thought so as well. I assumed that there were parent pea plants that got snipped periodically for "shoots." However, I've been searching the web since I posted the topic and found this site: Growing pea shoots So now I'm thoroughly confused. Anyone? If it matters, I'm really hoping I can grow them. I've got garden envy that is seriously curtailed by my apartment-dwelling reality.

I love pea shoots, and I was told recently that they are the same as pea sprouts. The implication was, why buy them, you can grow your own that will be fresher and better-tasting than store bought. I sprout lots of other seeds with success, so I am intrigued by the idea of growing my own pea shoots. So I have two questions: 1. Are pea shoots the same as pea sprouts that have grown a bit large? 2. If they are, has anyone sprouted peas and is willing to share how they did it?

Herein lies the problem with DC and, trust me, I feel your pain . I have yet to locate a small business type produce stand or grocery. Maybe talking with people at the farmers markets would help? Edited to say: Can eGulleters organize a letter writing campaign?

You may have better luck at small, locally owned stores than with larger chains. I was a regular customer at a small, international market while I was in grad school. I shopped once a week on delivery day without fail. After a few months, the owner noticed and started to ask me if I found everything I needed. Every time I said, "no" and mentioned an item, he either started stocking it or offered me a special order. I don't know if you have a local grocer, but it might be worth a shot. Good luck. -Linda

I'm heading to Puerto Rico at the end of this month so I thought I would bump the thread to find out if the rum recommendations still stand. I'll be in San Juan for a conference, so it is unlikely that I'll be able to head anywhere other than local venues. Thanks- Linda

I have the Braun that CR recommended a few years ago. I use it at least twice a week and for various tasks including frozen smoothies, salad dressings, hummus, sauces, and chile purees. It works really well, has a nicely designed glass carafe with a great handle, and if I burnt it up tomorrow I'd buy another one. I grew up using Mom's Waring, but with thicker things there is always some sort of air bubble that forms in the bottom and the mixture won't blend. The design of the Braun carafe prevents that. I don't do a lot of ice crushing (I have a mechanical ice crusher), so I can't vouch for how long it will last at that task. Everyone I know with the Kitchen Aid hates it. -Linda

I'll try making it with the sour cherries when they start to come in here. In the meantime, I'll look for the Creme de Griotte, although I'm guessing that Virginia's ABC isn't going to have it. A road trip may be in order.

Thanks!

I was hoping to do some infusing rather than moonshining. I've never tried with cherries but have had wonderful success with peaches. I've never had a commercial peach liqueur that comes close to the flavor of homemade. Back to the difference though, how can you know which one of these, an eau-de-vie or a flavored brandy, is what you need for a given drink recipe? Do I need to figure out which component of the drink it is supposed to be? Or would the recipe specify kirsch vs brandy?

It's really hard to maintain a foodie reputation when covered in flourescent orange encrustations. Not that that's ever happened to me.......

It occurred to me while I was thinking about this thread, that it would be very useful if the eGCI did a course on cocktail mixing. And then when I actually looked at the list, it turns out that there are three. Whoops. I'm putting links here just in case someone else is trying to learn about mixing. Classic Cocktails Evolving Cocktails 1 Evolving Cocktails 2

Cheetos. Completely void of any nutritional value, but oh, that orange, crunchy goodness . I try not to buy them because I'll eat the whole bag.

It's very nice. Even nicer is that it is standing beside cherry, ginger, and lemon verbena. In the spirit of embracing my OCD, I'm going to try to make this molasses this summer. There is always an overabundance of figs, and I'm thinking this is a worthy cause.

Well, that's discouraging. I cook despite the fact that I can go to a restaurant and purchase something prepared by a chef who is better skilled than I. I want to make it because I enjoy creating food and drink. I find it to be an interesting and rewarding experience. I've made liqueurs before with good success, but with fresh fruit and vodka. Has anyone out there tried it with brandy?

I'm finding mixed information out there on the web and I'm hoping someone here can help me. Is cherry brandy distilled from wine that is made from cherries, or is it brandy (or some other spirit) with cherry flavor added in later? If it is the latter, can you make it yourself? I have some cherry syrup from last summer. It isn't a simple syrup - the only ingredients are Rainier cherries, Bing cherries and sugar that were macerated then cooked down into syrup (originally for cakes, sangria, ice cream etc.). If I mix the syrup with brandy and give it some time for the flavors to mingle, would I come up with something that could be floated on the top of a Singapore Sling? If so, what brandy should be used? Thanks- Linda

It is. The source is several jars of brown turkey figs (courtesy of my Grandmother from Florida) that were canned in sugar syrup, and the fig flavor and aroma are fairly delicate. It just seemed a shame to throw out the syrup, and as a wine drinker, I had no idea where even to start with a cocktail. That's why I was hoping for some general guidelines for flavor combinations That depends on how much you like figs . Right now in this unseasonably cold weather (with a nasty snowstorm on the way), this simple drink smelled and tasted like warm Florida summer to me.

OK, here's the recipe that worked best: 4 parts vodka 2 parts fig syrup 1/2 part Meyer lemon juice Shaken with ice and strained out. Results: good balance between sweet and sour with a fig nose that I just love. I was afraid regular lemon would overwhelm the delicate fig - the Meyer is really nice. It even has a pretty pink/peach color (sorry, no digi camera). If I paid for this at a bar I would be happy. I spent some more time on the web looking for spirit tasting notes. I'm told that this mixing stuff isn't as hard as I'm making it, and I should just drink more. In retaliation for the mocking of my obsessive-compulsive nature, I'm going to name this drink something obnoxious like a Vodka Figlet . Thanks for the advice, and I'm open to more suggestions!

1. Rehydrate them in a steamer. Watch them carefully because it probably won't take very long. 2. You can dry fruits in a food dehydrator. Just stop it whenever they have reached the desired dryness. I've heard that people dry things in slow ovens, but I've never tried it.

So in other words, someone might suggest I mix the fig syrup with vodka or rum, and somebody else might suggest gin or tequila? Or would everyone choose vodka or rum? As someone who has never mixed anything more complicated than a gin martini and a mojito, I'm genuinely clueless. I have some ideas from reading the forums that acidic citrus flavors mesh well with tequila, and tropical fruits and citrus go well with rum. Vodka seems the go-to when you don't want the alcohol to overwhelm the flavor of the syrup (am I correct?) Maybe there is an explanation somewhere of the basic flavor bases of different spirits? That would be very helpful.