FrogPrincesse

From the Bonal thread, the No. 65 is a very aromatic Manhattan variation with rye, Bonal, falernum, and bitters (Angostura + orange). Recently I also liked this one very much - Stood Up by Michael McIlroy. It's a 50:50 rye Manhattan with a heavy rinse of Luxardo Bitters (I used Campari - they are very similar). A bit bittersweet, lighter than a regular Manhattan. A perfect apéritif.

Hi Franci, Regarding Anne Willan's recipe, that's the one I still make too, with the addition of a little bit of orange flower water (my secret ingredient). Some people add a touch of honey. Regarding buckwheat, her recipe is 50:50 buckwheat and wheat which helps a lot. 100% buckwheat must be very hard to handle. I believe that they are not flipped, just garnished and folded in the pan.

For regional cooking, I really like Anne Willan's Country Cooking of France. On technique, also by her, La Varenne Pratique is very good.

I started early and made buckwheat crepes last week with the traditional jambon - oeuf - fromage filling (ham, egg, cheese). The first one is always a miss but that's ok. It's the cook's treat. The buckwheat crepes are very delicate and break easily due to the lower gluten content. I had to be careful not to turn them too soon. Assembly I also made nutella and sugar crepes a couple of weeks ago, but not enough to satisfy my craving. Only a half batch (about 8 crepes) and they were gone in a few seconds. I only got to eat one. The plan is to make more crêpes de froment (wheat) tonight.

Thanks. Usually I rest for half as long as the cooking time, but I noticed that duck breasts need longer. Good tip on reheating afterwards.

A souvenir from Australia. Eau de Vie is a bar in Darlinghurst (Sydney).

How long of a rest would you recommend?

There will be blood... Finally opened AleSmith's My Bloody Valentine, their Valentine's day release. Dark amber in the glass. Good hop aroma. Not a ton of carbonation. Hoppy and malty/caramel at the same time. It was nice with a Delmonico steak cooked rare and some red carrots (it looks like there was a theme there, although it was completely unintentional!). The bottle had notes in the back similar to Stone. I don't believe they were doing that in the past.

Simple but satisfying dinner last night. Delmonico steak (cast iron skillet method) (not shown - the bone which is my favorite part after the cap of course), red carrots (cooked in foil with cumin and dry vermouth), My Bloody Valentine red ale from AleSmith, ciabatta bun from Bread & Cie.

Not enough Bonal love. I am still working on the same bottle which, miraculously, still tastes fine (I keep it in the fridge and purge the headspace after every use with inert gas). Yesterday I was looking for rye + Bonal combos and was every excited to find a recipe that also includes falernum. With homemade falernum this is great. A very aromatic, somewhat tropical Manhattan, with orange and spice notes and a long finish. I only used 1/4 ounces of falernum because the homemade stuff (Elmegirab recipe) is very concentrated. I added 1/8 oz of simple to compensate for the decreased amount of falernum, but it did not really need it. No. 65: rye (Bulleit), Bonal, falernum (homemade), Angostura and orange (Fee) bitters.

Time to revive this thread. Who is making crepes tonight for Mardi Gras? What is your favorite topping?

Their attempt at retiring the 101 rye may be part of it?

Last night's libation was the 212 with aged tequila (the recipe calls for reposado, I used añejo ), grapefruit juice, aperol. I was a bit skeptical at first. Why is it that aperol or campari are so often paired with grapefruit; it becomes so predictable (same goes with chartreuse and pineapple - enough already). The drink was pleasant but a little flat. I added a few drops of grapefruit bitters and it all came together. This cocktail is on Difford's list of 30 of the best cocktails invented since 2000 that we discused a while back.

I've been out of town most of February, so I managed to stay away from the liquor store. Only bought a few beers, and a bottle of Dolin dry vermouth (restock). Today's purchases - this year's release of Stone Old Guardian barley wine, and Matilda Belgian strong pale ale. Gifts for my Valentine last month. Gregorius is a trappist beer from Austria (who knew). MBV is an amber ale by AleSmith ("Pair this beer with jilted lovers, reservations for one, or your favorite emo album") (oops)

No idea. We should ask Erik how his pomegranate shrub experiment went.https://mobile.twitter.com/ellestad/status/431664300273696768?screen_name=ellestad

I would start with maybe 3/4 oz St Germain and 1/4 oz violet. It's always easy to add more.

You have one of my absolute favorites on the right - Chimay bleue. Truly fabulous.Duvel is great too, although I don't remember trying the triple hop variety. Anchor Steam is very solid too. I am not familiar with the other ones, but it looks like a nice selection!

1.5 ounces each of violet liqueur and St Germain...

1 1/4 oz of violet liqueur - that's a TON! I would not touch this recipe with a ten-foot pole. :-)

I checked my pantry and also have a huge bag of herbes de Provence that I brought from France... I can't believe I forgot. I could not survive without them. I use them on grilled foods mostly, but other stuff too - I just added some to the lentils I am cooking now. The mix I have contains rosemary, thyme, basil, and marjoram. I've seen mixes in the US that include lavender but that just seems odd to me.

Thanks PV. I am intrigued now!

It has a celery like taste and aroma. The stem is fairly thick and hollow. We market the plant as "Bloody Mary plant" noting that the stems can be used as the straw in the cocktail.Thanks Heidi. Not an herb I am familiar with.

Hi Plantes Vertes, Here is more input for you. I grow and use regularly: Mint - anything from cocktails to rubs for lamb. Very easy to grow. Chives - mostly in salads, garnish for certain dishes. Also very easy to grow. Thyme - indispensable in French cuisine (bouquet garni). Rosemary - for things like stews. Easy to grow but I just killed mine after 2 weeks without water (everything else survived). French sorrel - in French cooking we don't use it as an herb, but rather treat it as a leafy vegetable that you have to cook. I use it in soups and with fish. French tarragon - not indispensable but easy to grow and excellent in salads and pickles (cornichons). Summer savory - my plant died, but it was good for a fish dish that I like. Also I just love the flavor (it brings me back to summers in Corsica). I can't find it in stores here so I have to grow it. Lavender - super easy to grow. I use it to infuse creme brulee. I don't use it much in cooking but it looks nice and is practically indestructible. Borage - I had it last year, but to be honest, other than the fact that the blue flowers make a beautiful garnish, and that the leaves are used in Pimm's cups, it's not that essential. Chervil - I did that last year too. Very pretty and delicate flavor. But a little high maintenance for me. I buy regularly (fresh): Parsley - I use way too much to be able to grow enough. From bouquet garni to salads, garnishing dishes, etc. It's the herb I use the most often. Basil (in summer) - I will buy a plant or two in the summer, but always end up needing WAY more than what the plant can produce (also bugs love basil). I use it in salads, or for pesto. Cilantro - I tried growing it once but my yield was very small and it went to seed very fast. It's used a lot in Mexican dishes that we eat regularly in San Diego. Also jerk sauce in the summer. Bay leaves - easy to grow but I don't want to dedicate the space. Used in bouquet garni. I buy them fresh when I can find them, otherwise I always have dried leaves in the pantry. Less frequently (fresh) Marjoram, oregano - mostly for certain Italian dishes. Dill - for gravlax. Sage - for sage and brown butter sauce. When I go on hikes I just pick some. Sage grows wild everywhere around here. I don't use a lot of dried herbs because they don't have much flavor. I have oregano that I use rarely, bay leaves. I think that's it. More ideas Nasturtium is very popular around here for the flowers, but you can use them in salads and it's super easy to grow. The seedpods can be pickled to make something similar to capers. I would like to buy another variety of mint (I bought a mojito mint but it died). Artemisia/wormwood if I can find it at my local nursery - for cocktail bitters. Hops (not an herb, I know) - they make huge vines but I would be curious to grow one for fun. You mention lovage - do you know what it is used for? I think I have seen it at my local nursery. I am just curious.

Ti Punch with Clement Canne Bleue 2011 (50%). This rhum is made from a single variety of sugar canne which gives it its name. Extremely aromatic. I can't believe I waited a year to open this bottle (I guess I must have been waiting for some kind of special occasion?).

Corn n' Oil last night with a couple of ounces of Barbados Plantation 5 years, 1/4 ounces of homemade falernum, and a little squeeze of lime, on crushed ice. The falernum has mellowed out since I made it a few weeks ago; it has a very rich caramelized flavor - in summary, it's really delicious. And 1/4 oz was plenty of falernum for me - with this recipe, it is very concentrated.