FrogPrincesse

Cheese goes with everything... A blue cheese could be an interesting contrast. tanstaafl2's smoked gouda sounds pretty good too. Cured/smoked meats or a terrine of some kind. Foie gras. Bone marrow toast. It would be great with a dessert course too. I would do something with cherries.

Kerry, It's great to be able to follow your food adventures in Manitoulin again. Just out of curiosity, how many hours a day do you devote to cooking projects? The amount of stuff you produced in just a day or two is quite impressive already!

Was it too tart Kerry? Nothing that a litle bit of extra sugar cannot fix. Lately I've been making my Southsides with limes but lemons can work too. The cocktail is really nice with Bols genever which tastes a little sweet on its own.

Yikes! Thank god the sculpin on the label is much more attractive than Mr Blob here! Here is an explanation about the name from their website:

This really nice Sculpin IPA from Ballast Point. It is crisp and refreshing with a slightly bitter finish, perfect with a fish taco on a hot summer day. Bear Republic Cher Ami Belgian Pale Ale (front), Anchor Fort Ross Saison at Fathom Bistro, Bait & Tackle, a tiny little restaurant that serves homemade sausages and craft beers in a Life Aquatic setting right on the water in Point Loma. I really liked the Fort Ross Saison.

A few classic warm-weather drinks these past few days. Queen's Park Swizzle with Appleton 12 year rum and mint from the garden Honeysuckle with Flor de Cana white rum, sage honey syrup, lime juice Gin Gin Mule with Junipero gin, Bundaberg ginger beer, lime juice, simple syrup, mint

Named after the old name for St Lucia ("Land of Iguanas"), this drink is normally made with Chairman's reserve silver. I did not have it on hand so I used Flor de Cana 4 year white rum. Interesting alliance of Campari with allspice, lime and strawberry. It works quite well. Refreshing, tropical, a little tart, and with intriguing spices. It reminds me of the Jungle Bird which is one of the rare tiki drinks that uses Campari, but it feels more light & subtle. Louanalao (Richard Boccato): white rum, campari, allspice dram, lime juice, cane syrup, muddled strawberry.

EvergreenDan's creation (still unnamed?) It's very good indeed.

Heidi - They were added to the pan with the turnips so they had time to toast a little bit in the pan (this is Mario Batali's recipe - here).

Recent weeknight meals. Roasted chicken and vegetables (cauliflower, Texas sweet onions, parsnips) Cacio e pepe variation with fresh black pepper fettucine, grana padano, pecorino, olive oil, butter (when in doubt - use both!) Grilled lamb chops scottadita with cumin yoghurt. More of the black pepper fettucine this time with Babbo's tomato sauce. Grilled duck breast seasonned with juniper berries and thyme from the garden... ... served with pan-roasted parsnips with paprika & poppy seeds.

Warm apricots with orange blossom from Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries. Making the best of apricots that are not completely ripe by roasting them with a little bit of orange blossom water. This can be topped with chopped pistachios.

I've had this dish at Nine Ten a few times, and your rendition is impeccable! Did you like it?

The Cloak and Dagger, a Daiquiri with a mix of rums. The recipe in the Bartender's Choice app called for Gosling + aged rum. I went with Coruba dark Jamaican rum and Flor de Cana 4 year extra dry rum. Simple but to the point.

Martin Doudoroff linked this really nice article about cocktail naming on twitter today. It discusses naming conventions based on references, the difficulties of finding a pertinent and original name for a new cocktail, etc. http://www.themorningnews.org/article/swizzle-me-this

Thanks Plantes Vertes, I will have to try it. Unfortunately I am out of mixing Cognac so this will have to wait a little. The rum + brandy + gin combo reminds me of Joe Scialom's Dying Bastard, minus the ginger.

From this weekend: Astoria, a 50:50 Martini with Plymouth gin, Noilly Prat dry vermouth, orange bitters. My bottle of Noilly Prat is almost empty; it is time to get some of the re-launched extra dry version. A Daiquiri at my husband's request, with rhum agricole & sirop JM. The syrup is very sweet so I had to reduce the amount. It gives a slight yellow tinge to the drink. I had a minuscule amount of Hayman's Old Tom left so I had a mini Pink Gin with Angostura biters in an effort to straigthen out my liquor cabinet. What a great way to really taste the nuances of the gin. Charles H. Baker's Remember the Maine, an excellent Manhattan variation with cherry liqueur and an absinthe (pastis) rinse.

(Brocciu is always sheep or goat). This brings back memories of several summers spent in Corsica eating plenty of local cheeses (including a few that are extremely pungent), charcuterie (best coppa I ever had), oysters and sea urchins right from the sea.

Brocciu is the Corsican version of brousse which is a fresh cheese similar to ricotta. It makes a great tartine with a little bit of freshly cracked pepper. I love Fleur du Maquis. It has the aroma of the shrubs/herbs that grow everywhere in Corsica. We need photos, Dave!

Your impressions?

Yes, you should use a brown sugar for this. It's a reduced sugar cane syrup. Based on viscosity and sweetness, I would say that it's equivalent to a rich simple syrup (2:1).http://dandm.com/spirits/rum/rhum-j-m-sirop-de-canne.htmlOr maybe 2:1 Demerara syrup. Funny; I had remembered it as clear when I saw it in the store.A 2:1 brown sugar syrup is a close substitute, although as Rafa pointed out, the taste will be different.

It's a reduced sugar cane syrup. Based on viscosity and sweetness, I would say that it's equivalent to a rich simple syrup (2:1).http://dandm.com/spirits/rum/rhum-j-m-sirop-de-canne.html

Ti Punch last night. Neisson (50% ABV) and J.M (40% ABV) versions, using JM syrop de canne. Neisson has a very faint coconut flavor which is delightful. JM has a little more spice. Overall the Neisson seemed better rounded. But honestly they are both fantastic. There is also a 50% version of the JM that I would be very interested in trying.

Nice to meet you, Slimchandi. A Negroni is a great way to start!

sigma, I did not have this experience at Cowgirl Creamery or Boccalone. Do you have a favorite cheese shop in SF?

Dave - I think it greatly depends on the stores you go to for your cheese shopping. In San Diego for example, we now have several cheese shops so that would be my first choice. The farmers markets typically have a couple of vendors that specialize in cheese. Otherwise Whole Foods and Bristol Farms have respectable cheese selections (and they offer samples if you ask). But if you look at the cheese offerings at the large supermarkets (Ralphs, Vons, etc), that's a different story...