FrogPrincesse

Just picked up at copy last weekend at a local store. It is gorgeous. I haven't had time to really study it yet.

That looks good (no Campari though, so not really a Boulevardier per se). I am always on the lookout for good cocktails using Bonal and may try this one tonight. The bourbon + bonal combo reminds me of the Mountain Man, but I digress...

Yes, and I like it much better.

I tried the Boulevardier (Ted Haigh ratios) with different vermouths in the past and was not sold either. This was just the latest attempt. I try to keep an open mind and regularly revisit these cocktails that I am supposed to like. I like (love) intensely bitter but it has to work with the other components. I did not like intensely bitter with the bourbon, it just clashed for me. Just not my thing.

Rhum agricole is widely available in France, you can buy it at most supermarkets and you would be astounded by the selection (and the low prices)... There are other rums as well but Martinique being an overseas department of France ("DOM"), its rhums are extremely well represented. The AOC is only for Martinique but rhum agricole is also produced in Guadeloupe and Marie-Galante. It's not necessarily the main kind of rum consumed in France, but it probably represents a good portion.

I forgot to mention the Boulevardier, that foul concoction (see here). The 1794 is a fine variation but does not count because the base spirit is different. I thought for a while that bourbon + campari could not possibly work, but the Paper Airplane and the Professional actually work brilliantly. Also the Left Hand which is a bourbon-heavy Boulevardier with mole bitters actually works for me.

I've never been a fan of the Boulevardier even though I love Campari. I use Ted Haigh's ratios from Vintage Spirits and Forgotten cocktails (1.5:1:1 bourbon:campari:sweet vermouth). It is somewhat tolerable with a maraschino cherry garnish, but for me the bourbon and Campari clash big time. Overall it tastes very sweet and intensely bitter. It feels harsh and doesn't have a pleasant finish. I liked the 1794 (on the right in the photo) much better. It was a more harmonious cocktail with a slow build-up where the spice was followed by orange flavors and then mellowed into a bitter chocolate finish (I used the mole bitters).

Mojitos are indeed very popular in Europe. I was proud to see the Ti Punch as #10. The Pina Colada on the other hand was a little odd. Although I have to admit that it is indeed the very first cocktail I have ever attempted. Part of its popularity is probably because rum is widely available and very cheap, pineapple juice and coconut cream are easy to find. I thought for sure the French taste with respect to cocktails must have evolved by now. I guess not that much!

Thanks Rafa! It's a good cocktail for sure. It's funny because I was just reading that the Americano was quite popular in France (one of the top ten most requested cocktails according to a survey I just read), but I don't think that they have been introduced to the Royale version yet.

Beautiful calamari, Keith. Last Friday we had prawns in a coconut curry with braised greens on the side. The curry recipe was from Sam Choy and it's pretty easy to make. It was very flavorful. The greens were an assortment from my CSA: cavolo nero (aka dinosaur kale), rapini, and arugula. The rapini stems were quite tough even after extending blanching, so we ended up picking out most of them. The rest was great. Last night we had a traditional banquette de veau. Nice and comforting.

Speaking of Audrey Saunder's ChamPino, here is its equal parts cousin, the Negroni Sbagliato. Vermouth-forward, which was a nice way to start a new bottle of Cocchi vermouth di Torino.

This looks yummy!! If I make it bigger would the chocolate pour out like the one in my picture?Thanks! You could make it a little bigger and take it out of the oven a minute or two earlier if you like a more liquid center.

Thanks Steve.And I assure you, this is a normal European-size fork! :-)

PumpkinStalker, North of Solana Beach in Encinitas you have Blue Ribbon Artisan Pizza which is a local spot that is very good. It is tiny so you will end up chatting with your neighbors for sure. NINE-TEN in La Jolla is good, especially the tasting menu. It could be considered "frou-frou" based on your definition (the portions are not huge but if you get a full menu you should be ok), although it has a fairly casual vibe (they call it "casual elegant"). Also in La Jolla, Whisknladle is very good and more casual. They make everything from scratch including their charcuterie selection. Based on your description (where the locals go + like to be full + good desserts + craft beers and cocktails), I think that Cuccina Urbana would also be a good fit, although I have had mixed experiences with the cocktails on busy nights - it's usually safer to get wine or beer there. There are a bunch of other ideas in this thread and in this other one too. I agree with Honkman's suggestions too (except for his comment about NINE-TEN !)

Regarding Easter 2012, here was the menu for our family meal, mostly from Sunday Suppers at Lucques. Mother's ruin punch (Phil Ward) Curried English pea soup with crème fraîche (Lucques) Blood oranges, dates, Parmesan and almonds (Lucques) Herb roasted rack of lamb with flageolet gratin, roasted radicchio and tapenade (Lucques) Crème fraîche panna cotta with strawberries (Lucques) Chocolate pots de crème (David Lebovitz) After a glass of punch, we started with the curried English pea soup with crème fraîche. It's a pea, lettuce and mint soup. The pea and lettuce combination reminds me of a traditional French dish, braised peas with carrots and lettuce. The curry brightens the flavor of the soup and the mint adds a touch of freshness. It's comforting and evocative of spring. I have to say that I have been impressed with the soup recipes in the book, they are all very good. The recipe is available here.

This is easier to answer for Alaskan scallops than for east coast scallops. It would be extremely difficult and expensive to keep scallops alive on the boat, at the plant, on the airplane, and at the market. It's a very long chain. I don't know if any of the east coast boats do any live deliveries. I suspect the reason why live scallops aren't more common in the States is related to the reasons why pork chops outsell offal here by a large margin. I don't know how large French scallops are, but the size of these means there's an intimidating amount of guts you'd have to swallow. Thanks for the answer, that makes sense. French scallops (coquilles Saint Jacques aka Pecten maximus) are about 4 to 5 inches in diameter (for the shell). What is the typical shell size for Alaskan scallops?

It looks like the Goddess herself had already posted the recipe for the Punt e Mes Fizz a while back. It looks identical to the JoM version except that the Punt e Mes and sweet vermouth are stirred in JoM and that she is a little more generous with the Champagne (3 oz vs. 1.5 to 2 oz).

A very naive question about scallops - what happens to the roe/coral and why are they only rarely sold in the shell? In France they are always alive when you buy them. I don't understand why this is not the norm in the US.

A Punt e Mes Fizz last night for me with Punt e Mes, sweet vermouth, and Champagne. I got the recipe in the Joy of Mixology and it says that it is "adapated on a recipe by Audrey Saunders". I could not find the original recipe online but I like this one as is.

Kim - thanks. I love the pine nuts in these meatballs and the liberal amount of parsley. Nice-looking salmon liuzhou, and I like the idea of a chickpea puree. Is it made from fresh or canned chickpeas? Last night I had fish as well. I got a few beautiful local rock cod fillets with my CSA, so I made rock cod and pencil asparagus with "the crispiest batter" from Jamie's Italy. The batter recipe is tempura-like; it was very light and crispy indeed. Walnut-scallion bread from Bread & Cie (my favorite local bakery) on the side.

Easter is around the corner. I will be hosting a family meal as I do every year (it's my favorite holiday - no turkey and no presents!). What is on everyone's menu?

Thanks Plantes Vertes! This reminds me that I have forgotten to post my 2012 Easter meal that was cooked mostly from the book. Better post it before Easter 2013!

Gorgeous. You should consider opening a little taco shop there - you would make a killing with this thing you call flavor!

Beautiful and inspiring plates as usual, SobaAddict70. More recent (March) meals from my backlog. Butternut squash ravioli with food-processor pesto. The ravioli were purchased, the pesto is Marcella Hazan's recipe. Braised Italian sausages (pork and veal) in tomato and red wine sauce. This is an adaptation of a recipe in All About Braising by Molly Stevens, with the tomato sauce from Babbo. This is one my husband's favorite meals so I make it regularly. Marcella Hazan's fricasseed chicken with rosemary and lemon juice. Excellent and easy to make. Suzanne Goin's lamb shanks from Sunday Suppers at Lucques. These are incredible (think umami bomb). This may be my choice for Easter this year. A very rare (bleu) rib eye steak that was 75% cap - just spectacular, with a frisee salad. Salmon fillet wrapped in prosciutto with herby lentils, spinach and yogurt (Naked Chef). Another recipe that I make regularly. Fresh herb rigatoni with Parma ham and Babbo's basic tomato sauce. Mario Batali's Neopolitan meatballs.

I make something similar. I posted the details in the Daily Sweets thread a while back - I am copying my original post below. I hope that you will find a recipe that works for you!