jsmeeker

I won't worry about it too much. The last time I did something like this was with margartias. Most people are used to drinking a margarita that's made with some commerical mix with a shot of [bad] tequila added to it. Like 10 ounces of mix and and ounce and a half of liquor. Maybe even tossed into the blender with a ton of ice and blended. When I got them to drink a proper margarita with some fresh lime juice, good tequila and a triple sec, served UP, some complained about how "strong" they were. I've seen some mint julep recipes that call for a decent amount of simple syrup relative to the amount of bourbon. That would yield a sweet drink for sure. Probably to the liking of many, as it seems really sweet "specialty" drinks is what you get in so many bars these days. But not ever having a proper mint julep before, I'm not sure if it's *supposed* to be a sweet drink. I tend to think that it's NOT supposed to be that way.

I still love AB. I really wish he had his own cooking show. I don't think he could do it on FoodTV even if he had not been constantly ragging on them all this time. Maybe on PBS? Fine Living? Anyway, I think seeing a "Les Halles" cooking show would be great. Just make the stuff from the book. Get Ruhlman as a guest and do some charcuterie and stuff like that. It would be awesome (Ruhlman actually made an apperance on Ming Tsai's show and made bacon or something like that.)

what channel would this air on in the USA?

To quote Woody Allen, "you say that like it's a bad thing." ← ha... It's not.. At least, not for me.. I'm just worried that some may not like it or that some will get totally smashed off of one. It seems that with the size glass I am using (the smallest one I have, really), it's going to be several ounces of bourbon. That's a pretty big drink.

I tried to crush the ice myself using a skillet, but didn't have much luck. I'll buy a bag of ice from the grocery store. that has smaller pieces. I can probably crush that nore easily. Then, I'll give the technique of not muddling so much a try. I assume I still do it with sugar? (and should it be regular granulated or superfine??). A catch to all of this is that it seems the size of the group I am making them for is growing. I've seen some recipes that suggest infusing some borbon with mint. That would make for quick work in cranking out a bunch of drinks in short order. Edit to add: I am making these in "standard" double old fashioned glasses. I'll buy some straws and cut them down. But it seems like even if I pack the glass with ice, it's going to be a very "boozy" drink.

Its a good thing that you thought to ask!-) Never muddle mint into a paste, for Juleps or Mojitos, the Mint leaves just need to be gently bruised, to release the flavours. Remember its a cocktail not pesto!-) ← Hmm.. Ok. That's interesting. After doing some reading, (here and elsewhere) it seems as if lots of recipes suggest just that. Make a paste. So, that's what I did. I didn't have crushed ice at home (just the standard ice maker ice), so I used what I had. The drink was essentially all bourbon with a somewhat sweet, slightly minty taste to it. If I don't make a paste out of the mint, won't I get *less* mint flavor? Also, I am going to assume that having bits of mint floating around in the drink is OK? I've never had a mint julep before until I made one myself. I don't have a target to shoot for.

this thread caught my eye because I have agreed to make some mint juleps for friends on Derby Day. I've never really done this before, so I bought some mint and I have some bourbon. (Jim Beam). I want to experiment before the "big day" and I am looking for a recipe/method. I've seen some that say to muddles mint leaves with some sugar to make a paste, then fill glass with ice and add bourbon. Maybe a splash of water. Something like that. Others seem to employ a mint infused simple syrup (made at home) with the only fresh mint being used to garnish. What do you suggest ? is there another thread that gets into these specific detail a little more? I don't have fancy julep cups, nor do I plan to acquire any. These needs to saty fairly simple. Bourbon, mint, ice, some form of sweetener.. Is that all I need?

as Carolyn points out, this is a state law issue. It will vary from state to state. Some simply don't allow it at all. Others may allow it, but with "restrictions". (like it needing to be in the trunk or cargo area)

Thanks for this link! I'll read over it this weekend.

Thanks for the review. I'd really like to try this place out during one of my frequent L.A. visits.

I've bought the Addison Roasters stuff at CM before. The Plano CM is very convenient as it's between work and home. I even chatted with one of the guys from Addison Roasters at CM a two weekends ago. He said the stuff turns over pretty fast, so it's pretty fresh. But the Drips place actually will tell you the date it was roasted and then they actually mark that date on the bag. The bag also sates they don't sell beans that over over 10 days old. I wish Drips or a place like it was a little closer to me, too. It's not too bad of a drive, but I think coffee (and going out for it) really is a VERY local thing. There is a Starbucks up the the street..

oops... That was a typo on my part. I meant to say NOT non-stick. I know THAT much. (I'll go fix it) But thanks for the other ideas!!

I'll throw out one place that my friends and I take every out of towner to. Mia's. Get brisket tacos. They are AWESOME!!

OK.. School me on pan sauces. I know some of the basics. Cook meat in pan (not non-stick) remove. Deglaze the tasty fond wtih something. Scrape up the bits. Add some stock? Then reduce. season. finish with butter?? Maybe before the deglaze step, throw in some shallots or something and cook a bit.. So, that's one way at a high level. But I need some "help". I usually always do it the same way with essentially the same ingredients. Shallots, white whine, chicken stock, salt/pepper, butter. That works nicely. But I'm getting bored. The one type of stock I tend to have on hand is chicken. Usually store bought, but sometimes home made (I have some home made currently). I'm also trying to keep white wine on hand. ANd shallots, too. The types of meat I usually cook are chicken (various parts like thighs or boneless/skinless breasts), indvidiual cuts of pork (various "chops"), beef (ribeye or strip steaks, usually), and sometimes fish. So, with that in mind as a starting point, what can I do with those meats and those basics if I get a few more things? Help me mix it up so I'm not always eating the exact same chicken thighs all the time.

stopped in today to buy some coffee (i.e. whole beans) and to get a cup just to drink. good coffee. I brought home some Columbian. But I'm not really an experienced coffee lover, so I can't comment intelligently on how good it is compared to other sources. I just like that it's local and that it's fresh roasted (my beans were roasted on the 10th)

looking forward to your Bin 8945 report...

So what's the point of "$40.00"a day? Isn't that the biggest mistake of all? ← It's some number pulled out of the air that says "dining on a budget while travelling". It's a "gimmick". just like a meal in 30 minutes is a gimmick. For some people, $40 is an absurdly low number. For others, they think it's a lot. Personally, I think it's in the ball park of "budget" dining. Since that's the number they chose, they have to hit it. It would be very difficult for the show to say "tip a lot more than the generally accepted standard amount of 15%". You may aregue that 15% is too low. That's fine. But I still think a majortiy of people stil lsee 15% is the right number. If you say 18% is right, the actual real dollars given in tip when your check total for the day is only $40 won't be much more than it is at 15%. Personally, those are my largest beefs with those two shows. The hard set rules of dollars and time. But this is about making TV shows more than it really is about actually cooking something more or less from scratch withotu spending too much time doing it or dining on a reasonable budget.

It's good looking stuff, IMHO. I caught a few minutes of it over the weekend and I agree that he seemed somewhat disinterested in the whole on-air affair. Maybe he has something else on his mind? I dunno. But if the quality of the cookware is good and the price is fair, what's the issue? I'd "sell out" in a heartbeat given the opportunity. If you can get paid, get paid. cash in on all that hard work and reward yourself.

no foie gras at Spago Beverly Hills? Damn. I was planning a trip there in the near future. <sigh> Pretty much what everyone else said about the foie gras bit being disappointing, but everything else being OK.

LOL Having a discussion with other people someplace else and fried chicken came up. I started to get hungry for it.. There is a Roscoe's on Pico I found out. It would be more convenient than the Holylwood location.

Where is a good place to get some fried chicken in Los Angeles? Preferrably on the west side as that is where I work and stay when I am in town.

wound up making a key lime pie. I was going to make something different, but when I went to make my pie dough ahead of time on Monday night, I discovered I had no Crisco (i do a combo of Crisco and butter for my pie doughs). It was late and I wasn't going to run to the store. Since making the dough and the pie on Tuesday would be more than I wanted, I needed an easier crust. So, I started to think about grahm cracker crusts. I still had a bunch of limes lefotver from the weekend's margarita fest. So, the decision was easy. Turned out nicely, I think. Maybe a *bit* tart, (no sugar other than what is in the sweetened condensed milk), but a bit tart is better than being really sweet, IMHO.

If you don't have time to make pie, maybe you can buy a slice somewhere and enjoy it.

I love it.

It's less than a week away! What kind of pie should I make to celebrate? Since it's a weekday, I'll want something I can make in advance. Probably Tuesday night. So, something pretty simple. (for more information on Pi Day, check out the Wiki entry.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi_Day )