mkayahara

Le Sanctuaire still carries it, as do Terra Spice Company (http://www.terraspice.com) and L'Épicerie (http://www.lepicerie.com).

Japanese is definitely one for me: I didn't grow up eating it, but have taught myself to cook a variety of Japanese dishes, and could quite happily eat it every day. After that, I would say Moroccan. Although it's been a while since I cooked any Moroccan dishes, I would say it's definitely one of the world's great cuisines.

Because we're closer to the Ontario Food Terminal?

That sounds about right. I just picked up a half dozen last night here!

I plate our dinners, but with only the two of us, it's not that big a chore. When we have larger family gatherings, and at certain dinner parties, we serve family style.

While we're on the topic, can I just say that I find the expression "family style" to seem affected when used in the home? I mean, is it really family style when I'm serving my actual family? Usually I just say I'm "letting people serve themselves." (OK, OK, I'm playing devil's advocate here, just a bit. I've adopted the expression "family style". But it is a restaurant crossover term, let's face it.)

I suspect that wouldn't be a fair comparison, since the "by the book" stock is likely unseasoned, or at least far more lightly seasoned than the commercial broths. As for the OP, I would pick something you normally make with chicken stock. If it were me, I'd roast a few chickens and make a pan sauce, though oven space might become a problem! Though chicken soup is not a bad idea by far.

I think the difference I see between "cut up" and "break down" is well illustrated if you move away from the chickens; if I say I'm going to "cut up" a carrot, it could mean anything. If I say I'm going to slice it, or cut it into brunoise, you know what I'm talking about. I see the same thing with a chicken: if I'm going to cut it up, I could well be boning it and slicing the meat for a stir-fry, whereas if I say I'm going to break it down, it's going to end up in 4, 6 or 8 serving pieces.

It is interesting to see where different people draw the line on using professional jargon in a home context. How do you feel about saying "mirepoix"? I mean, it's just onions, carrots and celery, right? How about referring to the meat component of a plate as the "protein"? Personally, I use a lot of professional jargon despite being a non-pro, and I've certainly been known to say "break down" when I mean "cut up." I've even been known to "bake off" some things. Then again, no one has ever accused me of not being pretentious.

This is an interesting point: the case is often made that plain white is the best way to highlight the food and its presentation, and yet high-end Japanese cuisine manages to achieve beautiful, dramatic presentations while using a variety of colourful, often highly textured, dishes. Why is that? For what it's worth, I tend to be a fan of plain white. Patterns do make a table look nicer, though. If money were no object, I think my preferred solution would be patterned chargers with plain white plates atop them.

Another thought: If you're looking for juicier meat, have you experimented with brining?

It doesn't sound to me like you're doing anything wrong. Every time I've cooked any protein, some juice inevitably leaks out; it's just a function of the fact that when you heat muscle fibres, they contract, squeezing out moisture. The only way to keep more juice in is to cook the meat less, but if you're already cooking to temperature, then that's probably not really an option, either for reasons of food safety or of taste.

Sorry, Chris: I just can't get as excited about a fork as I can about a spoon.

The Negroni will never be old hat. For me, it's a classic that deserves a place in the pantheon right after the Martini and the Manhattan. What did you think of it? My indulgence tonight was a Jägerita, because that bottle of Jägermeister has been cluttering up my liquor cabinet for plenty long enough. I won't be replacing the bottle, but what an oddly compelling drink!

Depending on what you mean by "briny", you might also consider Ardbeg, Lagavulin, or Laphroaig, all of which are available through the LCBO, in one bottling or another. It's been a while since I had any Talisker, but all of those Scotches have a fairly strong peat and iodine thing goin' on. (And the Laphroaig Quarter Cask should be available to you locally...)

I'm with you on the dried fruit, and I often add some vanilla extract or cinnamon as well. Since I don't add sweetener to my oatmeal, I find that "sweet" spices make the oatmeal that much tastier. I also always, always season with salt. In this respect, why would oatmeal be different from any other food I eat?

Just to update, I checked with my guy yesterday, and he says they're just late this year, and that they would have some for me in a couple of weeks at the latest. So there's hope yet!

I haven't seen them this year either. I'll ask the produce manager at my local grocery next time I see him; he should know if there's something going on.

Thanks, ScottyBoy. I've been wondering about quail eggs for a while...

I'm pretty sure there isn't a single recipe in the French Laundry cookbook that calls for a vacuum sealer or an immersion circulator. Are you maybe thinking of Under Pressure? I second the Noma book, but since the thread title is favorite cookbook, I think I have to go with the Fat Duck Cookbook, for the sheer volume of useful information, as well as context surrounding the individual recipes. I may never cook a full Fat Duck dish, but I've already used the information provided in the book in my own preparations. It stands out as a model of what a modernist cuisine cookbook should look like.

Ha! Thanks for that. Mine is left over from Carousel Punch as well. I must have missed this recipe. I'll give it a try.

Fresh yuzu is completely unavailable here. All I can find is yuzu vinegar and yuzu tea from a jar. You need to talk to the folks at Pete's Frootique. I'm sure they'd bring some in for you! Of course, you'd probably end up paying even more than $5.95.

I'm jealous! Both of those are ingredients that I'd love to get my hands on. I'd also love to be able to experiment with fresh yuzu, but the only place I've seen them was charging $5.95 per fruit.

Lately I've been working with a 5-spice honey syrup (cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, star anise) that was left over from Christmas. After making a few Derby Daiquiris with it, and a couple of small rum punches, I've been settling into whisky sours, last night with Redbreast (and some Regan's orange bitters), but tonight was money: 2 oz. Bell's blended Scotch 1 oz. lemon juice 3/4 oz. 5-spice honey syrup 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters Honey, lemon, Scotch, Peychaud's... they all came together as a beautiful whole. (I've still got a lot of honey syrup left, though, so I'd love to hear other suggestions about how to use it up!)

I should add that I do feel that this gap is already plenty in evidence in the difference between the food processing industry and home cooking, and that restaurant cooking is drawing on the processing industry's toolbox... but I don't necessarily think it follows that restaurant kitchens are moving closer to the processing industry than to home cooking.