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Boy, I love Black Trumpet mushrooms! They are my absolute favorites. I get so excited when they show up, I can't help but make risotto. ---- Salad of mixed greens, roasted chiogga beets, and satsuma mandarins tossed with Bariani olive oil and Bariani balsamic vinegar. Fresh black trumpets musroom risotto (enriched chicken stock with soaking liquid from dried black chanterelles). Mustard and herb crusted pork tenderloin with butter enriched pan sauce. Carmelized pink lady apples.

My wife and I did our annual Anchor Christmas Beer tasting last night. We're up to 4 years now, 2002-2005. The 2002 remains the least favorite of the bunch. Too much potpourri type spice. Star Anise, maybe. The 2005 is nice. Easily the least sweet and least spiced of the bunch. Will have to pick up another six pack for consumption.

Couldn't resist picking up some of the newly available French "Pomelle" apple liqueur while shopping at Trader Joes and comparing it to Berentzen Apfelkorn. Pomelle is from Normandy and made from Calvados and Apple juice. Quick and easy comparison: The Berentzen tastes like a fresh apple cider liqueur. Pomelle, like a liqueur made from hard apple cider.

RE: Goat I asked at Drewe's today, and they will special order goat, but, only if you take the whole carcass (about 25 pounds). My friend who had the Goat-Q got his from the butcher near 22nd on Mission. Also a special order.

A friend of mine, who is a serious bourbon fancier and collector, is quite excited about the Bernheim. I've tried it a couple times now, and have to say that, personally, for sipping, I prefer the "wheated" but not 100% wheat bourbons of Van Winkle and W.L. Weller. The Bernheim is an interesting, very good, and unique whiskey. It just seems like there is some complexity missing in its flavor. Maybe, it's just that without the corn, the whiskey is drier or less sweet? Maybe more comparable to a scotch or rye than a bourbon? Damn, now I'll have to sample it again! In any case, the unique nature of the product certainly makes it worth trying. It's also a very attractive bottle, if you have any whiskey fanciers on your gift list.

According to this week's Inside Scoop, Daniel Humm will be leaving Campton Place at the end of this year. He has been "lured" by Danny Meyer to chef at New York's Eleven Madison Park.

At least with The Starlight Room's $375 Drinking The Stars you get to keep the rest of the bottle of Dom Perignon. Plus, it doesn't involve Vodka, Hypnotiq, or claim to be good for you.

I'm not sure which brand they use; but, the soyrizo burritos at Papalote here in San Francisco are really tasty. I will have to ask the next time I go in. -Erik

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Food Section for Wednesday, December 16th 2005 A supper soiree, Georgeanne Brennan Recipes: Belgian Endive Tipped with Creme Fraiche, Green Peppercorns & Salmon Roe Mushrooms Stuffed with Prosciutto Toasts of Roasted Red Peppers & Italian Tuna Dungeness Crab Bisque with Crab Croutons Arugula & Frisee Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette & Feta Cheese Game Hens Glazed with Lavender Honey Sauteed Apples & Onions Sauteed Spinach Bosc Pears Poached in Late Harvest Viognier with Chocolate Truffles Seasonal Cook: Come winter, chefs warm up to broccoli rabe Secrets of broccoli rabe, Rachel Marshall Recipe: Broccoli Rabe with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Oricchiette The Inside Scoop: Humm, Ormsby take flight, GraceAnn Walden Daniel Humm will leave Campton Place after service on New Year's Eve for a job in New York, NY...James Ormsby retired as executive chef of Plump Jack properties...Miss Millie's moving to Rockridge...Alessandro Cartumini, from the Four Seasons in Scottsdale has been chosen as chef for the Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley opening in 2006...Johnny Alamilla's Sol y Lago opens in Tahoe City... What’s New: * Dosa, specializing in the food of South India, opened last week on Valencia in the Mission. * Good Frikkin' Chicken has opened its expanded dining room * Pacific Northwest oysters straight from the source Taster’s Choice: Whole Foods crab cakes best of lackluster lot, Carol Ness The Exchange: Memories of Grandma's Milnot cheesecake still linger, Karola Saekel Recipes: No-Bake Cheesecake Souffled Cheesecake The Working Cook: Quick, satisfying one-dish meal starts with rice noodles, Beth Budra Recipes: Rice Noodles with Chicken & Oyster Sauce Mustard-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Endive Salad East to West: Whip up some Japanese party mix to start year off right, Linda Furiya Recipes: Japanese Rice Cracker Party Mix Soy Baked Rice Crackers Sesame-Ginger Crusted Cashews Candied Dried Sardines Cook’s Books: Boulevard recipes take time but are worth the effort, Amanda Berne Recipe: Endive and Heirloom Apple Salad Letters to Food fixed spelling

The best thing I've found for juicing pomegranates is an old cast aluminum citrus press. It has a bowl, which you can fill with pomegranate kernels and then a paddle which is attached to a long handle, giving you a good amount of leverage to squish out the juice without breaking open the seeds. If you search on ebay for "universal juicer" or "wearever juicer", there are usually a few available for cheap. Still, juicing pomegranates is a pretty thankless task. You might get 6 ounces or so from each one.

Huh, neat. I didn't know there were any members of the mint family used for vegetables. Another relatively obscure tropical vegetable I'd like to try growing some time is Tropaeolum tuberosum. It's a perennial climbing nasturtium which forms edible tubers. Nice flowers, too.

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest, Thursday, December 15, 2005 A wine for the ages, Richard Carleton Hacker Tequila trail leads to innovation, Gary Regan Recipe: Copa Verde Adapted from a recipe by Dale DeGroff, former bartender at the Rainbow Room in New York. Pairings: Sparkling wine, caviar and a touch of Asia, Olivia Wu Recipe: Caviar Nests The Chronicle's Wine Selections: DOMESTIC BRUT AND BLANC DE BLANCS SPARKLING WINES, Linda Murphy The Cheese Course: Stilton's younger sibling may cause a stir at the holiday buffet, Janet Fletcher Books: Love bubbly? This tome features a cast of thousands, Linda Murphy Write up of, "4000 Champagnes" by Richard Juhlin. Winemaking monk Dom Perignon's fame continues to bubble, Steve Pitcher Books: Wine books for novices and Russian River aficionados, Linda Murphy Write up of "Wine Style: Using Your Senses to Explore and Enjoy Wine" by Mary Ewing-Mulligan and Ed McCarthy and "A Wine Journey Along the Russian River" by Steve Heimoff. Wine Business Insider: Chinese winery begins selling in United States, Cyril Penn Wines from the Chinese producer Chateau Changyu-Castel are now being imported to the United States...Constellation Brands has ended its effort to take over Vincor International Inc...The New York state Liquor Authority has announced that UPS is the first shipping company to receive approval to make direct wine shipments to New York residents...Sonoma County wine grapes harvested this year are estimated to be worth $395 million, a new record... Letters to Wine Readers defend Gary Regan's flights of fancy. Bargain Wines: Buy affordable bubbly for a friend, or quaff it yourself

I think there is a new younger bottling; but, I haven't seen that. The one I got as an, uh, early christmas present to myself is 18 years old, bottled fall 2005.

I never do a really through job of defatting my chicken stock when I make a gumbo, so I always assume floating fat has something to do with that. I know the darker you cook a roux, the less thickening power it has. Perhaps it also loses some of its power to bind fats into solution (or whatever the correct terminology is)? fix spelling.

Carolyn, Wow! That is exciting! Welcome to San Francisco, I hope the change suits you! I don't get over to that neck of the woods all that often beyond periodic stops at J-Town for hard to find Japanese items. It will be great to learn more about it. Already, I've learned something new, that Mozzarella di Bufala delivers Brazilian food. Cool! -Erik edited for grammar.

I will revive this thread to point out that Sazerac has a new, somewhat limited, bottling of their Straight Rye Whiskey available this holiday season. Might be the perfect stocking stuffer for the Whiskey fancier on your list...or perhaps a little holiday splurge for yourself! -Erik

Is Stroughten (I suspect you may have meant Stoughton) bitters something you have collected? Or do you have a recipe you're willing to share. I found a couple classic recipes for Stoughton bitters online, and they usually contained at least one ingredient I'm not familiar with or all that keen to experiment with (Colombo, Virginia Snakeroot...) because I'm fairly sure they are somewhat poisonous.

Ale flip 30 minutes later... It really is kind of gross when it cools off, and you sort of wonder what you were thinking, so drink it hot. Not to mention some complaints about the beery smell in the kitchen...good thing I'm not a home brewer! added comments to clarify.

It was a bit chilly today, so I decided to give an Ale Flip a try. Executed thusly, I am relatively pleased with the result. It is certainly warming. 1 bottle Fuller's London Pride 1 oz Wild Turkey Boubon 1 egg separated 1 TBSP brown sugar strip of orange zest sprinkle nutmeg Warm ale on stove to nearly simmering with peel. While that is going on beat your egg white to soft peaks in a big mug, and fork the brown sugar and yolk together until it lightens. Add a couple tablespoons warm beer to egg yolk and sugar mix to temper (we're making custard, right?), and then add yolk to beer. Pour beer mixture into foamy mug and back and forth to pan for a bit. Add whiskey, and top with a sprinkle of nutmeg. It's not the prettiest drink. Kind of like a boozy beer pudding. thought of improved description.

OK, I'm wrong. Spinach and its relatives also contain calcium oxalate crystals. However, no one ever talks about them irritating the skin, just causing kidney problems. I wonder if it's a size thing? -Erik

Spinach, rhubarb, chard, dock and some other plants have oxalic acid in their leaves and stems. It is chemically related, but, this shouldn't be confused with the calcium oxalate crystals in all parts of Aroids including Taro, Philodendrons, Malanga, etc. Oxalic acid is a poison which can cause kidney problems. Calcium oxalate crystals are like little needles that can make minute puncture wounds in your skin and cause swelling. Helpful advice: Do not take the weed whacker after the Philodendron or Elephant Ears. I don't believe that the mechanism behind pineapples being irritating involves any of the above.

In restaurants, where I do most of my out of the house drinking, there is definitely a trend towards offering cocktails to diners. Few new restaurants are opening without offering some sort of cocktail menu, even if it is just soju. Unfortunately, while we do have some innovators here, a lot of the restaurants are offering, as alamut notes, several shades of fruit juice with flavored vodka. Even in many bars, asking for a classic cocktail beyond a martini or manhattan, will get you a blank stare, "I can't make that," or worse, a really bad imitation of your drink. (Reminds me. Probably another thread. What is the bar etiquette when you get a drink that is either bad, badly made, or just wrong?) I hope, as the staff in these restaurants and bars continue to experiment, and some in the public become more informed about cocktails, more people will catch the cocktailian bug, grow out of the big, fruity "college drinking" phase, and start to offer some real innovation.

Did a blind bourbon tasting of some dozen or so brands with friends a couple years ago, and Basil Hayden actually came out near the bottom. If I remember correctly, we thought it was fine, but didn't have a lot of character, at least compared to the others we had tried. Plus, it was one of the more expensive bottles on the list. YMMV, if you like a lighter flavored bourbon.

Go for it! It's very tasty and easy to make. The original recipe called for a mixture of rums amounting to less than a bottle. I usually just use a whole bottle of decent but not too expensive amber rum like the Mount Gay Eclipse in the photo. Don't waste sipping rum for this. If you have another use for the vanilla pulp, you don't need to add the whole bean, just the husk is probably fine. I suppose in a pinch you could use some amount of vanilla extract. I've always used dark brown sugar. The original recipe called for piloncillo, an unrefined mexican loaf sugar. I just never seem to have it in the house when I make the mix. I don't have a juicer, so I can't try this; but, it might be interesting to just run the whole macerated mix, pineapple and all through one. You'd probably get a lot more juice and rum back out at the end of the process.

Making Brazilian Daiquiri mix for a party on Thursday. How can I resist trying some in a nifty short cocktail? -Erik BTW, wow these are tasty! The last time I made them was in 1992 for our going away to California party. Why on earth did I wait so long?