FrogPrincesse

A few recent cocktails with Champagne. I made these two for a cocktail party last week: Seelbach on the left (using the ratios from Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails) and an Old Cuban on the right. For the Old Cuban, I like the ratios from the Bartender's Choice app which are slightly tweaked to produce a cocktail that is less sweet. Last night was this mini-punch affair, Crimean Cup à la Marmora. Originally from Jerry Thomas and re-discovered by Ted Haigh. It starts with an oleo-saccharum. I changed the prep a bit, adding the lemon juice before the spirits to help dissolve the sugar. I did not add soda water; instead I decided to shake with ice for dilution before pouring into the flutes and topping with Champagne. I reduced the amount of orgeat from 2 to 1.5 oz. I don't have white Jamaican rum in my arsenal so I just used Flor de Cana. It's a delicious cocktail that goes down too easily... It's practically a tiki drink with the orgeat, rum and brandy combination.

Last night I was looking for a recipe for duck breasts, and found this recipe for Duck Scaloppine with Dried Cherries and Grappa in Molto Italiano (I don't have the book but the recipe was available online). The breasts are separated and cut into pieces. They are pounded until thin, dredged in flour, and cooked in olive oil (the recipe called for 1/4 cup but I used a couple of tablespoons). He uses dried cherries, red wine, grappa, chicken stock and butter for the sauce. I did not have any stock on hand so I just used water. As for the grappa, I decided to substitute armagnac and reduce the amount from 1/2 cup (!) to a more reasonable ~ 3 tablespoons. It's a great dish because it takes very little effort and only uses one pan. The sauce is a tad oily (it's not degreased) but it's very flavorful and has a luscious texture. I found the recipe here.

An assortment of little snacks to accompany pre-dinner cocktails. Marcona almonds (I am completely addicted after discovering them last year at Manfred's in Copenhagen), home-cured duck prosciutto, homemade saucisson sec, Cypress Grove's "PsycheDillic" fresh goat cheese with dill pollen, sourdough baguette from Bread and Cie.

Here are the Beets and tangerines with mint and orange flower water again from a recent dinner party. This time I used assorted beets from my CSA (golden, pink and red) together with tangerines (Sumo citrus) and moro blood oranges. It was fantastic.

I finally made Alain Passard's Pumpkin Soup with Basil and a Cappuccino Topping (inspired by mm84321's post here) for a dinner party a couple of weeks ago. I used a butternut squash. It is similar to a traditional French recipe where you cook the squash slowly in milk. Basil and olive oil are added at the end when the soup is blended. I loved it. There was a vegetal flavor imparted by the fresh basil and the olive oil that was unexpected for a squash soup but quite delicious. The cappuccino foam was fun as well.

Here is the Bobby Burns mentioned upthread, which is a Rob Roy with Benedictine replacing part of the sweet vermouth. I used the ratios from the Bartender's Choice app (which differ from the recipe published in the Savoy Cocktail Book and that Erik discussed here). The Benedictine smoothes the edges of the Rob Roy so it worked very well.

Here is EvergreenDan/Dan Chadwick's twist on the Last Word, the Bad Word, created for MxMo LXVI: Bein' Green. It substitutes Gran Classico bitter for the maraschino liqueur. I liked it a lot. It has some bitterness but this was not the dominating characteristic for me. I tasted juicy stone fruit which was unexpected, grapefruit, and a black pepper finish. The interaction between the Gran Classico and the Chartreuse was quite fun!

Thanks for the link Rafa, I remember reading about this "Do Not Resuscitate" seminar at the time.

OK it's time for confessions. There are a lot of revered classic or new classic cocktails out there which are known for the right reason - they are delicious and memorable. However every once in a while you cannot help but wonder what the big deal is about - all your cocktailian friends rave about them, but they just don't work for you... This thread was inspired by Jeff Morgenthaler's confession on twitter a few days ago: To which Dale DeGroff responded: Erick Castro from Polite Provisions in San Diego offered his two bêtes noires: And these two happen to be on my list too... I remember reading about people's dislike for the Vesper as well. What's on your list?

Saturday night was local pink baquetta grouper with vegetable bagna cauda and toasted breadcrumbs (based on a recipe by Suzanne Goin - details here).

I made this ice cream a while ago but forgot to post about it: the Chartreuse ice cream. I've had good luck with ice creams containing spirits in general, they help a lot with the texture. The Chartreuse ice cream has a super funky/herbal flavor as expected. It goes well with chocolate, or more precisely in this case dark chocolate-covered speculoos.

Instead of focusing on my giant backlog on this thread, I thought I should just post my recent meals and take it from there. Monday's dinner - nothng much left in the house and no energy to go grocery shopping. Vialone nano risotto with spinach, basil, Meyer lemon and Parma ham + toasted breadcrumbs. I used the pressure cooker.

Grilled lamb chops scottadita with cumin yoghurt from Mario Batali's Italian grill Fresh mint, lemon zest and sugar (s+p) are chopped in a food processor and the mixture is spread onto the lamb chops. I grilled the lamb chops on a charcoal grill which only took a few minutes. On the side, yoghurt with cumin from freshly-ground & toasted cumin seeds. I opted to serve this dish with broccoli rabe from my CSA, blanched and then sautéed in garlic, olive oil and shallots. Simple and flavorful. I found the recipe here.

More beers that we tried in the past few weeks, all local except for the first one. Trader Joe's 2012 Vintage Ale Trader Joe typically makes a good job with their vintage ale (it's brewed by Unibroue in Quebec) and we grab a few bottles every year. This one is malty, a little sweet, with some winter spices (orange/clove). Highway 78 scotch ale Stone, Green Flash, Pizza Port collaboration 2011 Not much carbonation left. Malt, butterscotch. Good but a little thin. Brown ale (Black Market Brewing) Not bad, but not especially memorable. Malty with little complexity. Mint Chocolate Imperial Stout 2012 Stone/Iron Fist/Ken Schmidt collaboration A dry mint aroma that was not very pleasant. I did not like the idea of the beer (mint and chocolate in a beer?) but thought that somehow they would be able to pull a miracle. I did not like it in the end. 9.6% ABV Lost Abbey's Red Barn Spicy, hoppy

Rum Swizzle (from the Bartender's Choice app) made this weekend with Plantation 5 years rum, lime juice, Pierre Ferrand dry curaçao, and Angostura bitters. A little dry with the dry curaçao as the sweetener (I had to add a touch of simple syrup); next time I will try it with the Clément Créole shrubb.

Here is the Thomas Mint Julep that they serve at the Varnish made with Pierre Ferrand 1840 cognac and Smith and Cross Jamaican rum. Recipe as shared by Chris Bostik on Thirsty in LA

Brown Hornet - I only have good things to say about it. It delicious, even neat. Lots of botanicals (sage, fir) but they are not overpowering. Lance Winters, their master distiller, said that he was inspired by the smells he experienced during his hikes in Northern California. The Botanivore is more floral and has more citrus. The Dry Rye gin resembles a genever with more spice. I tried their three gins (there is a fourth, the Faultline, a limited release) and the Terroir was my pick.There is not a bad one in the bunch though.

In the current selection, this Landaff from Jasper Hills, a semi-hard raw milk cheese. Very flavorful. Unfortunately started developing mold after only a few days, I think the result of improper storage at the cheese shop (too much moisture). Radishes croque au sel on the side. Also this aged goat cheese with ash from Vermont (forgot to write down the name) that looked like a small Selles-sur-Cher but turned out to be super-soft like a Saint Marcellin. Not bad.

Sorry, I forgot to respond earlier. Top left is the Saint Marcellin of course! I still have dreams about it, it was fabulous.

Vieille Provision Saison Dupont. Yeasty with a lot of flavor and a crisp citrus finish. Delicious. Picked up a few bottles at $7 at Costco of all places.

Bought the two bottles on the left (Picon, Clement canne bleue 2011) during a recent trip to France. The one on the right (terroir gin) after an epic tasting of St. George spirits.

I would try a CR No. 2. How does it taste neat compared to Lillet and Cocchi Americano?

What you are seeing is just the tip of the iceberg I am afraid!

mm84321, my husband just commented that he thinks he is being deprived because I don't cook like that for him :-) Stunning food as always. Thanks for sharing!

These would make a perfect cocktail garnish (with built-in swizzle stick)! What are they?