mkayahara

FWIW, agar can often be found in Asian grocery stores; it doesn't have to be ordered from the usual host of "molecular gastronomy" suppliers. Also, agar remains gelled at a much higher temperature than gelatin, which may explain why mflo suggested it in place of gelatin in the warm preparations.

I recently picked up some dried gentian with an eye to making up a batch of my own bitters, but now I have a question: when a recipe calls for an amount of gentian by volume (say, 3 teaspoons), is that powdered? The stuff I have is in small pieces, ranging from the size of, say, a peppercorn to the size of a cardamom pod or bigger. Will this work, or should I run it through my coffee grinder?

On a whim, I ordered some methylcellulose from L'Epicerie, but upon further reading (in this and other threads on eGullet, as well as the Ideas in Food blog), I see that there are a number of different kinds, with different viscosities and gelling temperatures. Does anyone know what kind the product from L'Epicerie is? The only mention on the bag is "E461", which seems to be the generic European E number for methylcellulose. Any tips or recipes for using this particular brand of methylcellulose would be appreciated. Thanks.

I guess that depends on what you're making! It certainly isn't needed for its preservative effect in this day and age, but it does contribute its own distinctive flavour. Doesn't one of the pork/charcuterie suppliers mentioned in the Au Pied de Cochon cookbook have a stall at the Jean-Talon Market? (I'm thinking they're right next to the fishmonger in the new building.) They might be able to help you out. Alternatively, you could do what I did and order it from Stuffers.com. They have the benefit of being in Canada, so you don't have to deal with the border crossing.

Any recommendations for what brand of gin to use in making your own Damson Gin? I'm picking up some damsons next weekend, so I'd like to have the gin already on hand by then. Keeping in mind that almost all of the gin available in Ontario is at 40% abv (excluding Plymouth, at 41.2%, and Tanqueray No. 10 and Hendrick's, which I'm not shelling out for). Would Plymouth be my best bet?

When life hands you figs, make fig-ade? I second the vote for fig preserves, or fig jam. I'm sure there are lots of interesting flavour combinations you can do, and that way you can enjoy the bounty all year long!

I also have a small bottle of the Fee Brothers and keep it at room temperature. Haven't noticed any problems with it. I found it in an Italian grocery store in Montreal. Apparently, Marie Brizard makes a whole line of non-alcoholic syrups: this store (Milano's) had the orgeat, cane syrup, hazelnut syrup, strawberry syrup and some other kind of berry syrup as well. I also saw a mint syrup in a local ice cream store. The orgeat is really nice, sweet but not cloying, and with a rather soft flavour. I've also thought about making my own, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Maybe once I use up this bottle!

I'm bumping this thread because I recently picked up a bottle of Marie Brizard orgeat. The only ingredients listed are cane sugar, water and flavouring. Of course, I didn't realize until I had already opened it that this means it needs to be stored in the fridge, since there are no preservatives. I'm a little worried that, even chilled, it's going to go bad relatively quickly, so I'd love to hear some ideas for drinks that incorporate it. I've already made some Mai Tais and Japanese cocktails, and am familiar with the Mauresque, but the only other thing I know to put it in is caffe latte! Any suggestions?

I'm not familiar with either one, but a quick Google search turned up references to a Lena banana liqueur made by Suntory (though I can't find it on the Suntory site) and Goldken appears to be a misspelling of Goldkenn, a type of chocolate cream liqueur.

I guess it depends on the market you're in. Personally, I find Bombay Sapphire is easily overpowered in lots of cocktails, so I've dumped it from my roster for the time being. I've found Beefeater to be quite pleasant in a Pegu Club, but Plymouth is probably my favourite these days. Of course, where I live, it's no less expensive than Bombay Sapphire, so that may be no help to you. Ultimately, though, I find the gin used to be somewhat less important than the bitters: a Pegu Club made with Regan's Orange Bitters No. 6 is, to my palate, a far more interesting experience than one made with Fee Brothers orange bitters or no orange bitters at all!

I get the impression there are many different variants of Rose's lime products: I picked up an imported bottle of Rose's Lime Juice Cordial "The Original" from a store in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and I'm pretty sure it tastes different from the regular Rose's Lime Cordial found in grocery stores everywhere in Canada. I admit that I haven't tasted them side by side (much less blind), but I have noticed that I need to put more of the imported variety in my Gimlets to get a good balance of lime to gin. I have never seen Rose's Lime anything with an alcohol content in Canada.

Absurd. The equivalent of saying we should all buy slicers with round tips rather than pointed because nothing is more embarassing than tripping minutes before your guests arrive and running the knife through your intestine. I've run one of the new fiberglass spoons through an open flame and not had it melt. And they are cheaper. And they last longer. And they can be put through a dishwasher. And they don't pick up funky smells. Or funky stains. Or get fuzzy. My larger point, however, is that there is a 'foodie,' perspective that leads us, and I do include myself in this, to scoff at kitchen gizmos while at the same time seeing a 3rd $100 japanese chef's knife as the high of practicality. ← Now, now. No need to get snarky! Anyway, I think your comparison of leaving a plastic spoon in a pot to tripping and running yourself through with a knife is less than apt. I suspect I'm much more likely to do one than the other. And I had no idea there was such a thing as a fiberglass spoon. How would I go about identifying such a beast in the wild? That's at the root of my issue with plastic: most store clerks can't tell me with certainty whether the spoon (or spatula, or whatever) they're selling me is made of nylon, plastic, fiberglass or Martian moon rock. At least with wood, I know what I'm getting, and the worst the bad ones can do is get ruined themselves, rather than ruining my meal. But maybe we're on the wrong thread for this discussion. Finally, I'm assuming your "larger point" isn't aimed at me, since it doesn't address anything I said: I was the one defending wooden spoons, which another poster had identified as a useless tool!

Always, always, always mustard. Sauerkraut or other pickles are optional. Ketchup is an abomination. Cheese can be fun. I used to have chopped onion, but started getting an upset tummy after eating raw onion. (It's been a while, though... maybe I should try again.)

But why buy an egg slicer when a pastry cutter will do? What, you think a pastry cutter is silly, too? Also, I have to place myself firmly in the pro-wooden spoon camp. (Indeed, wasn't there a recent thread extolling the virtues of the humble wooden spoon?) Sure, plastic might not melt on you, but you don't want to find out minutes before serving your guests that the plastic spoon you accidentally left in your ragu bolognese is one of those cheap ones that will melt. And I never cease to be amazed at the number of dedicated tools out there that would have no reason to exist if every household had a good, sharp chef's knife and a modicum of knowledge of how to use it.

The owner of a local kitchenwares store once held up an item for me and said that, if I could guess what it was, I could have one for free. Turned out it was a grape peeler. (Apparently she bought them simply because she thought they were so absurd.) I guessed wrong, so I imagine I'll never know if it would be useful! But somehow, I doubt it.

You know, I remember reading about this in Michael Ruhlman's Soul of a Chef (specifically, in reference to Escoffier's recipe for poulet saute), and figured that it would be named there. But he doesn't appear give the technique a name, he just describes it. I figure that if Escoffier didn't have a name for it, lollipop will have to do!

Judging from their website (http://www.maraska.hr/), they make a Maraschino, a cherry brandy and a product called "Cherrica" that is described as a "piquant dessert wine." It does appear that the straw wrapper on the bottle is unique to the Maraschino, though, so if it has that, you're probably safe.

How does it stack up against his other volumes? I don't have any of his books yet, so if I were to buy just one, which one would be best?

You might find this topic of interest; it addresses the same question. If you're going to be picky, you're best off avoiding anything that relies on pop (because soda guns aren't the greatest), vermouth (because it goes off quickly) and citrus juice (because you're going to get sweet 'n' sour mix). Depending on the bar, you may want to steer clear of dairy, as well. Mostly, that leaves drinks that are composed entirely of spirits and liqueurs (e.g., Rusty Nail, Godfather). However, the other night I realized that a Gimlet is perfect in this situation. It takes advantage of the fact that bars sometimes substitute Rose's for real lime juice, and it's reasonably well known. (Though maybe not in Australia? I don't know.) I can't guarantee it won't be too sweet, however.

I'm not sure why you think this disqualifies food from being art. To me, that sounds like you're saying, "There's at least one technical limitation to painting: it must be visible" or "There's at least on technical limitation to music: it must be audible." Why should sight or hearing be the only senses that can be stimulated aesthetically? That said, my personal jury's still out on the question of whether food can ever be anything more than craft. I'll get back to you if I ever have the opportunity to eat at El Bulli!

You might also find Hungry in Hogtown interesting and useful.

When I was trying to show off the genius of orange bitters to a friend, I used a variation of the Abbey, though it was only accidentally a variation; I had mis-remembered the recipe. 1.5 oz. gin 3/4 oz. Lillet blanc 3/4 oz. orange juice 2 dashes orange bitters Shake and strain. I was using the Fee Brothers' bitters, but I imagine it would work pretty well with Regan's, too.

In terms of traditional cooking, you could add Kate Aitken's Canadian Cook Book and Julian Armstrong's A Taste of Quebec. Also, Anita Stewart's The Flavours of Canada is a good bet. If you're willing to include cookbooks that are Canadian simply by virtue of being produced by Canadian restaurants, I'd also add The Inn on the Twenty Cookbook by Anna and Michael Olson and The Chez Piggy Cookbook, compiled by Victoria Newbury. The former is without a doubt a Canadian cookbook, but the latter includes recipes for an incredibly diverse array of foods, including Thai curry pastes, Jamaican jerk chicken, and French classics like duck confit. Ultimately, the problems with identifying "Canadian" cookbooks are the same as those with identifying "Canadian" cuisine...

Most coffee shops carry at least almond syrup, which is by all accounts close enough for most purposes. Also, Fee Brothers makes a very decent version, and they will ship to Canada. And if all else fails, you can always make your own.

Has anyone had any luck using this technique to dehydrate Drambuie?