Kerry Beal

Ignore her - mine's the best! The best laid plans of mice and men - we left this negroni aging on a bit of wood in our closet here. We figured as long as we had ice then we'd be all set with a cocktail day one. Well - there we were stuck in the cabin - unable to reach our pre aged cocktail and we had to make do. But we are 'home' now!

Lunch out today at the Edgewater. Think we would have learned our lesson last time - but it had been closed so we assumed new ownership. Very limited menu. Spaghettini with bolognese sauce - quite heavily oreganoed - lots of canned cheese helped to hide it. Grilled veg sandwich for Anna - much more satisfactory. Packed up the cottage and left for the condo - stopped to get a picture of the wild iris outside the lane at the cottage.

Grilled cheese - a hint of serrano ham. No ketchup to be found damnit!

I don't have the little book up here where I write all my panning stuff in. But from what I recall you make a seriously supersaturated solution of dextrose monohydrate (70% solids or higher), a little charge of that with some powdered dextrose the first couple of times, then charges of the solution which will fairly quickly dry and go powdery indicating another charge required. No sucrose mixed with the dextrose - even the colouring shouldn't contain any or it interferes with the crystallization. They then sat for a day before polishing I seem to recall - and they kinda polish themselves if I remember correctly. I might have used some beeswax/carnuba wax on them. This exercise has a lot of information - I did the NCA course in 2006 and I believe it was from my notes that I came up with the method.

I've discovered that very few things come out perfectly like the commercial stuff. Although when you look carefully at a lot of the commercial stuff you realize it looks better on first glance! I'm also not consistently satisfied with my results. Big, really round things have a better chance than small, not very round things. The little square chunks of coconut I did before I left for up north looked like a dog's breakfast - but tasted great! I like the ones finished with powders of various sorts - only trouble is they kind of muck up the inside of the bags. But like anything - there's a learning curve - and you need to practice, practice, practice. (it's a lot of product though when you aren't happy with the results)

Nary a polar bear to be found. It's actually stinking hot right now in the little attic room I'm sleeping in! It is interesting to me how some areas of Canada can be so much further north or south than some in the US. For instance, Point Pelee is more south than the northern border of California. Still some folks will cross the border every year in July with their skis.

You think they look too shiny so it highlights the inherent flaws?

I like both the sweet and not sweet - Anna only the not sweet. However when I make a sandwich I like half sweet, half not - with mustard.

Didn't taste any juniper at all!

For dinner Anna layed out some of the cheese and charcuterie we brought along. Brie and 3 spanish cheeses from Trader Joes, spicy pecans, sesame honey crusted almonds. Lebanon bologna (not sweet!), serrano ham There were also Ak Mak crackers, finncrisps and walker's oat biscuits withe seeds - I was out in the car fetching them when the pictures were taken. For dessert - a little slice of this caramelized almond with candied orange that I brought back from Spain - called Turrón Yema con Naranja. Something I need to try making this trip.

We are truly roughing it here in the cabin! Looking in the cupboards failed to reveal any white sugar - but plenty of honey. It also failed to reveal a cocktail shaker - so here is the substitute. A somewhat modified Gin Fix. I have modified mine further since with a good slug of St Germaine.

Yeah - it's not ginny enough for my taste.

And here I was thinking you were a huge fan of non stick, having started al least 3 threads on them in the past year - including which non stick pan you should buy for someone at Christmas. How about your thoughts on non stick here?

Absolutely nothing! I've have had what could probably be called 'gourmet poutine' at Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal - that one had Fois gras on it - they also do one with duck if I'm not mistaken.

Mine with cheddar. Rug rat's just butter and honey.

I don't just let it sit - I do some stirring - and with a large quantity I might even put the bowl in the fridge to speed up the cooling. Since you aren't going to take it below 33.5 you aren't generating form IV and lower crystals. Without seeding you aren't going to create enough form V to temper the chocolate.

Braved the mosquitoes this evening to get this picture out the front of the cottage. And with that will bid you an early good night. After a long day of driving to get here - we are ready to turn in.

Thanks Kim - enjoyed the report. Would kill a piece of that keylime pie right about now!

Dinner tonight - put together by Anna - chicken thighs, sauteed apples and sweet potato.

One car - not as overloaded as it has been in previous years - we were actually able to shoe horn in the kid at the end!

Interesting - so the fellow who was having trouble with his temper may have simply been due to adding the silk at 35C instead of 33.5C.

Nah - all adults are responsible for their own homework in my world!

We are at a bit of a disadvantage not being in the regular digs yet - so we are making do with things we have in the car. Dorothy Parker gin, Cucumber soda and lime. Managed to get some ice from the owner of the cabin.

Yes, Kira is with us.

I'm thinking both - each kind now to prove that it needs to either be seeded or to sit.