FrogPrincesse

Yesterday I got a pound of ultra-fresh local shrimp. For some reason they were missing their heads already (which may very well be the best part...). Anyway, looking for a nice dish for them I found the Shrimp in Crazy Water in Holiday Food (the recipe is also available online here). I happened to have received a fennel bulb and some garlic in my CSA, so it all came together nicely. The aromatic base is diced onion & fennel + sliced garlic and hot chiles (I used dry chile de arbol). They are lightly browned in olive oil, and then a can of tomatoes is added with a generous amount of white wine and some salted water. The broth is simmered for about 10 minutes, then the shrimp are added. This is a very quick dish (less than 30 minutes total) with a ton of flavor. I used a Pouilly Fuisse for the broth. Fennel fronds are used as a garnish with fresh cracked pepper.

More experimenting with the St George Terroir gin. After a fabulous Martini a while back that I forgot to post (2:1 with Noilly Prat dry vermouth, Regan's & Fee Brothers orange bitters)... ... a Bee's Knee (with lemon juice, buckwheat honey) which seemed to emphasize the rosemary/cypress notes in the gin. Loved it.

Kon-Tiki Mai Tai from Sippin' Safari: gold rum (it calls for Puerto Rican rum but I used Plantation Barbados 5 yr), dark Jamaican rum (Appleton 12), orange and lime juice, ginger (it calls for a small amount of syrup, I used a liqueur instead), honey syrup, Angostura bitters, pastis. It's a Don the Beachcomber-style Mai Tai accented with spices and the angostura-absinthe/pastis combo.

I’ve had it in a L.E.S. Globetrotter with rye and cognac and it was great. Also in a Sidecar a while back. Do you have a specific use in mind?

Exactly; it's made with rhum agricole so it seems like a natural fit in a Mai Tai. Cointreau also works well but the Creole shrubb is usually my first choice for a Mai Tai. Cointreau is pure orange while the Creole shrubb brings a little more complexity.

Glad you liked it! It's one of my favorite drinks as well. It's excellent with a juniper-forward gin. I am craving one but I just finished my orgeat last night. When orgeat gets bad you can tell right away by the smell (and the mold) so you should be ok.

Looks good. What is caldo verde?

Yesterday's tiki cocktail was Steve Crane's Molokai Mule (via Jeff Berry) with cognac, Demerara and light Puerto Rican rums (I cheat and use Flor de Cana for the Puerto Rican rum), orange and lime juice, homemade orgeat. Very smooth with a nice texture from the orgeat.

That carrot cake has caught my eye as well. I've already bookmarked that recipe!

Some fun books there, thanks for the link. The author of Cocktails de Paris (1929) seems particularly enthousiastic, finishing almost every sentence with an exclamation point! As he writes, Hourra! Hourra! Augusthourra! Let me know if you need a translation; LaPrincesseGrenouille will be happy to oblige!

Trying something new - I got quelites (lamb's quarters) in my vegetable bag last week. It takes a little bit of patience to pick all the leaves (the stems seemed hard so I did not use them). The preparation is similar to spinach - cook some shallots, green onion and chile de arbol in olive oil, add the quelites with a little bit of water, add salt, cover and it's ready in 2 minutes. I added a spoonful of creme fraiche and a squeeze of lemon oil before serving. Very similar to spinach; slightly more bitter (good in my book) and a better texture (no slime). This recipe was adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetable Literacy. More green garlic champ and a grilled Delmonico steak on the side...

This one was just a meh - a little flat and not distinctive enough. Not great with steak, but it seemed to come to life with a dry jack cheese. The Lost Abbey's Serpent Stout

Regarding Cusano Rojo - I am pretty sure that this is the first bottle of mezcal I ever bought. My criteria at the time were 1) the worm (of course) and 2) the price. I think my parents still have it somewhere in their liquor cabinet (almost 20 years later). It is pretty bad.

I don't think that you will find too many cocktails per se or interesting aperitifs that were created in France in that timeframe. Creme de cassis was invented at that time so a kir variation would be an obvious choice, but they can be quite sweet and would not be very original. A bunch of apetitif wines were created in that time period (Dubonnet, Saint Raphael, Picon, Byrrh, Lillet, etc), so instead of trying to find a historically-accurate option, you may be better off just creating a new drink for the occasion using one of them as an ingredient. Absinthe as Mjx suggested is a good idea too, given its popularity at the time. Thinking about ways to incorporate these ingredients, there is one drink in PDT that could almost fit the bill. The Paddington, which is a rum-based version of a Corpse Reviver No. 2 (more or less), could be made with rhum agricole. It already uses Lillet and absinthe. You would need to switch the marmalade for something more French as well and it would need a new name. Just a few thoughts...

Last night I tried a very simple drink from Jeff Berry's Tiki+ app, Jasper's Jamaican (based on a creation by Jasper LeFranc). A daiquiri sweetened with allspice dram and a touch of simple syrup. Grated nutmeg on top. Quite bold. Not paticularly subtle, but it works. Not bad for a Monday.

Regarding Vegetable Literacy, I had a little bit of free time this weekend and started reading it. I really enjoyed what I read so far. There is a nice summary of each vegetable "family" at the beginning of each chapter, followed by a detailed write-up for each vegetable which includes information about the history, common varieties, nutritional value, recommended preparations, and affinities with other vegetables. Beyond the recipes and the beautiful photography, I can see the book as a great resource on detailed information about each type of vegetable and also as a source of inspiration. It looks very well researched. Seeing the vegetables grouped by family instantly triggers lots of ideas for new dishes.

Thanks everyone for the nice comments on the halibut & Meyer lemon salsa. I think that one was my dish (if not sorry for jumping in). Not sure where you are located, but I they are still in season in San Diego.

Fully agree. Fizzes, especially the ones with eggs, make great brunch/lunch drinks while Collinses are for lazy afternoons...

I had a couple of nice fizzes lately. This picture perfect Ramos Gin Fizz at 320 Main made by Shaun [with a delicious Trader Vic Mai Tai on the right]. Well worth the wait. Creamy with a gorgeous taste - subtle orange flower water, with the gin coming through. It will be tough to top that one off. Dave Stolte from Home Bar Basics summarized the technique in a detailed post on his blog. A Masala Fizz from Craft & Commerce. I've had it a tad creamier but this is a great brunch drink with chai-infused gin, sweet vermouth, lemon juice, egg white, and sparkling water.

Made this Lazy Bear (Jacob Grier) last night: Smith & Cross, rye, lime juice, honey syrup, whiskey barrel-aged bitters. Very smooth and a long funky finish. Dangerous stuff because it tastes like orange juice!

I just had to try this, with my new 16 oz bottle of Angostura... I almost used rhum agricole for the float and this would have been the way to go. Flor de Cana is too tame for this. The color is not exactly attractive (it looks like a watery Bloody Mary) but it does not taste bad. It is a bit on the dry side and the spices and texture are good. I have to admit that I prefer a regular (Trader Vic) Mai Tai though...

Thanks Keith. Actually cavatelli may be the easiest pasta to make. You just need a little cavatelli machine (see details here in the Fresh Pasta thread). You can make a large batch and they freeze extremely well. I was introduced to his technique by a local chef, Ryan Johnston. I am salivating over your John Dory (Saint Pierre as it is known in France). I love this fish. I have a rule that I must order it when I see it on a restaurant menu. Dinner last night was inspired by a couple of beautiful local halibut fillets, plus the Meyer lemons and green garlic I got in my CSA. Halibut with Meyer lemon salsa and green garlic champ (recipes from Suzanne Goin - see the Lucques thread for more details about the halibut) The night before we had leftover lamb shanks (another Suzanne Goin recipe - see here) and I made the green garlic champ that night. Served with lamb jus and tapenade.

Wow that Hanky Panky with Cocchi VdT was so good, even my husband who is terrified of Fernet thought it was nice! Thanks KD1191 for suggesting Cocchi VdT with Fernet. A winning combo for sure. I used the ratios from PDT: 2 oz gin, 1.5 oz sweet vermouth, 1/4 oz Fernet-Branca. I made him a Manhattan with Templeton rye and Cocchi VdT that had great chocolate notes and a dry slightly bitter finish. Bitter chocolate. I resisted the urge to use mole bitters and used the whiskey barrel-aged bitters for more constrast. Really great.

Time for a party! A really, really big party... I don't plan to be moving for a few years yet but that time is likely coming and I don't look forward to it. Regarding moving your liquor library, see Matt Rowley's (mbrowley) handy little tip involving Teflon/plumber tape.

Pretty good for a first time I would say! I just got my first of the season English peas in my CSA, which inspired me to come with this dish: Homemade cavatelli with English peas, almond and mint pesto, and homemade ricotta.