mkayahara

I suppose the alcohol could be the culprit. Maybe using a mix cassis, water and Ribena, to get the alcohol content down but keep the flavour punchy. Though I guess that idea is coming a little late now!

Yeah, I've done it with Ribena. I dissolved the agar in water first, then added the Ribena to that mixture, and let it cool down a little bit before dripping it into the cold oil. (Not too far, though; you don't want it setting up in your syringe or squeeze bottle!) I found the flavour to be a little weak, so I'd probably use a higher ratio of Ribena to water next time. I'm planning to try it with creme de cassis, but figured it was cheaper to get the technique nailed down using Ribena first! What's the proof of the cassis you were using?

Well done! How long did it take you to get through the whole meal? Sorry to hear the agar spheres didn't work out. I know agar has an antagonistic relationship with acid, and I'm not sure how it deals with alcohol. I don't know if you already saw it, but there's a great video of the process here using creme de violette, though it uses gelatin rather than agar.

I was in my local art supply shop yesterday and was told that the sheets that most art supply places sell labeled as "acetate" are not actually acetate; they're usually vinyl or some other type of plastic. So I really wouldn't risk using them for cooking applications if you need actual acetate for that!

Sounds exciting! My first words of advice would be: prep, prep and more prep. Make everything in advance that you can. Do you have help, for either cooking or serving? Taking the necessary time to describe the dishes to your guests can really throw off your pacing... I'm looking forward to hearing not only how the meal goes, but also what you do to prepare in advance. I assume you mean "Kir Royal," not "Kirsch." You're right that this one's pretty common, but it's always a crowd-pleaser, especially if the crowd isn't as familiar with molecular gastronomy as your average eGulleter. What spherification technique are you planning to use? I'd recommend the agar/gelatin and cold oil version, since you can prep in advance and hold the spheres in the fridge. (In fact, I have some Ribena spheres in my fridge right now that I made for just this application.) You could always try and adapt the parmesan air recipe found in the hydrocolloid collection on the Khymos blog, or maybe El Bulli's parmesan foam? (PM me if you need details.) Of course, it may be difficult if all your iSi whippers are already engaged... How are you doing this one? Good luck!

That makes sense to me: the bitter tannins come out more at higher temperatures and over longer times (see here for a little more information on the subject), so cold-infusing would seem to make sense. I'd think time would be the key factor: long enough to extract the maximum flavour from the tea, but short enough to minimize the bitterness. I've thought about infusing something with lapsang souchong before, though I was leaning more toward white rum (or tequila?) than vodka. The question is, how well does it mix?

I don't do as much charcuterie as some people around here, but to me that looks dangerous. I wouldn't take the risk.

Rudolph Chelminsky's book The Perfectionist: Life and Death in Haute Cuisine also has some great background on the Guide, its history and its significance.

Assuming that what's on the website actually reflects the contents of the printed guide, they look more like snowflakes than stars to me!

I agree with your position. Of course, I also think that Quebec blueberries from the Saguenay are the best in the country.

My German's pretty rusty, too, so the best I can do is this: So, yeah, sounds like some kind of unaged brandy to me!

So if my counting skills are up to snuff, your kitchen is about 36 square tiles big, right? (Not counting the ones under the stove and fridge.) Looking forward to following along...

Is there a link (TheStar.com)? ← Link is here. (Though I don't know how long it'll be active.) Money quote:

It depends on what type of foam you're looking to create. As you can see upthread (and in many other places in the forum), there are a lot of options for creating foams. If you just want to reproduce the one you saw, then you should probably keep using lecithin. Keep in mind that too much lecithin will destabilize the foam; you probably want to keep it below 1% of the total weight. Also, use a wide, flat container to whip the juice. You can find more information in this old thread on lecithin and in this thread, which is more recent. You should also check out the recipe collection here. Edit: Punctuation.

A little more information on the approach you used would definitely be useful in diagnosing the problem! I'm guessing that you were using lecithin (though this is just a stab in the dark). In my experience, one of the biggest problems with lecithin is that it has a short shelf life. If you were using this technique, how old was the lecithin you were using? Was it from a reliable supplier?

I had some fresh mint kicking around the kitchen, so mixed up my first Southside tonight, using Toby's proportions. (Thanks, Toby!) Absolutely delicious. I can definitely see this becoming a regular potation this summer.

Thanks very much for this, docsconz. I really believe that we meat-eaters have to accept this part of the process, though we don't have to witness it every time we eat meat! I hope to one day have a similar experience myself. I'm always amazed, when looking at photos like these, how quickly my brain switches over from processing things as "animal" to "meat."

Last time I bought it, it was $2.99 for a 250 ml tub. Which is a heckuva lot cheaper than at Cheese Boutique, which also sells it. For the duck legs, I always just buy whole ducks and break them down myself. It's almost never worth it to do otherwise, in my experience. The benefit is that you get some nice duck breasts as well, along with carcasses for making stock, and you can render some of the excess fat yourself.

I picked up a bottle of the lychee pop last week, but haven't gotten around to opening it yet. The PC ginger beer is a perennial favourite in our house, especially for Dark 'n' Stormys. It's got a great bite to it and isn't as sweet as a lot of the other commercial offerings. Now if only they offered it in cans as well as 2-litre bottles.

Thanks for sharing. I'll keep an eye out for those tips, because I'm hoping to start my own kitchen renovation in the next year. In the meantime, I might just pop down to New York and steal your cabinets. The whole kitchen looks great!

All my ideas revolve around milk and honey...

Recently, while eje and I were discussing our respective copies of the Savoy book, we happened across a recipe that's in my copy but not his, and he encouraged me to make it. So I hereby present the... Habitant Cocktail 2/3 Rye Whisky (1 oz. 40 Creek Barrel Select) 1/6 Dry Vermouth (1/4 oz. Noilly Prat) 1/6 Maple Syrup 1 dash Angostura bitters Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. From Wikipedia: Between the flavours in the drink and the origins of the name, I decided that Canadian whisky would be a better fit than an American straight rye. Also, because I've never used maple syrup in a drink before, I wasn't sure how easily it would dissolve, so I went with shaking rather than stirring. Shoulda fine strained it, though. The drink was perfectly pleasant, if a little sweet. The whisky choice was a good one, as it allowed all the flavours to come through nicely, where they would have been completely overpowered by straight rye. A flavourful maple syrup is important here, lest it get lost in the mix. (Even with Canadian whisky.) I can see myself making this again, especially if I'm looking for a way to feature maple syrup in a drink. And I'll definitely try it again substituting Sortilege (a whisky-based maple syrup liqueur) for the pure maple syrup. Oh, and please excuse my poor photography skills!

Unfortunately, trying to keep up with mint planted in your yard is likely to be a losing proposition. My favourite use for mint, aside from those already stated, is Moroccan-style mint tea (which is very sweet and uses a proportion of green tea along with the mint). And, of course, mint is always a nice accompaniment to lamb. If you've really got a lot and want a "use" for it so you don't feel like you're wasting it, maybe you could roast a leg of lamb and put a bed of mint on the serving platter? You won't eat it, but it'll will look pretty and smell beautiful!

CaliPoutine, that pie looks delicious. I love lattice-top pies. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find rhubarb for love or money where I am. I'm hoping there will be some at the farmers' market on Saturday. I can't wait until we take possession of our house next month - then I can plant some rhubarb and never have to go without!

I got back from San Francisco last night. While there, I had a chance to visit both Alembic and Beretta, both of which were thoroughly enjoyable. At Alembic, I had an unnamed drink with M&R Bianco vermouth, Junipero gin, grapefruit bitters and Campari as well as the Vice Grip. Both were very nice, as was the Paloma my partner enjoyed. We also had some nibbles, including the lamb sliders, which were delicious. Beretta blew me away, though. And it was packed on a Sunday night, so clearly they're doing something right. I had a Dolores Park Swizzle (Neisson rhum blanc, lime juice, maraschino, St. George absinthe and Peychaud's bitters) and a Lonsdale (gin, apple, lemon, basil, honey), and my partner had a Hemingway Daiquiri and an Airmail. All four drinks were fantastic, but the Dolores Park Swizzle was totally the standout. We raided the antipasto menu, enjoying the fava bean crostini, carciofi alla romana, Boccalone lonza, sardines in saor, eggplant caponatina and charred radicchio with saba. Nothing was a disappointment. What's more, the service was some of the best we had in the city. Can't wait to return! Thanks to all for your suggestions!