FrogPrincesse

While I was enjoying a Negroni Primavera, I made this drink for my generally amaro-adverse husband last night, an Old-Fashioned variation leaning in the direction of a Manhattan. It's prepared like an old-fashioned but there is also a touch (1/4 oz) of sweet vermouth and it's heavy on the bitters (4 dashes). Orange and lemon zests. The Old Hat by Benjamin Schwartz.

I made a Penicillin the other day with the ratios from the Bartender's Choice app, which are a little odd by the way (eighths of an ounce? A little difficult to measure but that's what I used). I used Canton ginger liqueur instead of the sweetened ginger syrup, with no ill effects. Also my lemon was a Meyer lemon. It was very good. 2 oz scotch 3/4 oz lemon juice 3/8 oz honey syrup 3/8 oz sweetened ginger juice 1/4 Islay scotch Shake, strain into rocks glass

Another Negroni variation by a local bartender (Jason O’Bryan), the Negroni Primavera. Equal parts gin, Aperol and Punt e Mes, with an orange zest. Plenty of bitter orange flavor thanks to the Aperol + Punt e Mes combo. It feels a little less intense than a regular Negroni, but the Punt e Mes shines through especially in the finish. There aren't enough drinks using Punt e Mes so it was nice to find this one!

That wood pigeon looks fantastic. Tell us more about the salmon roulade - is that smoked salmon? It looks like something that would be nice for a holiday meal.

I went back to Brooklyn Girl this weekend. The cocktail menu had changed and I was relieved to see that the bizarre whiskey sour from my first visit was gone. In any case, we got wine. For starters, we shared a generous pot of mussels with a cream broth, fries and crusty bread (heaven), and oyster po'boys (pretty good). For the mains, the whole roasted duck with ginger and honey was crispy and tender (the vegetables that came with it were remarkably bland, so it's a good thing we ordered the terrific roasted corn as a side) and the lamb shank was very satisfying. Someone got the chicken which seemed well prepared. Dessert was a disappointing cold (and somewhat dry) chocolate blackout cake, and a nice warm brownie that would have been perfect without the overly-sweet caramel sauce that came with it. Our friends loved the place. I agree that they do a great job.

It was announced shortly after Honkman posted his review that chef McCabe would be leaving Delicias for La Valencia in La Jolla. More details here.

I ended up with two heads of cauliflower last week, so I roasted one of them whole and drenched it in butter. It took about 90 minutes. Recipe here. I had to lower the temperature for the last 45 minutes so the cauliflower would not burn.

Lost Abbey's Lost and Found. Managed to snap a picture before it disappeared. Great example of Trappist-style beer, made in San Diego.

I would love to see those ads. It seems that Harry Craddock contributed to the popularity of the Lillet brand, at least in the UK. Interestingly, the book about Lillet indicates that the management team at Lillet was less than impressed with his creations (excerpt from page 147).

I no longer have the original packaging so I can't take them back for a refund, but the Applegate Farms hot dogs are pretty bad. Their taste is off (almost sweet) and the texture is a little odd as well. The only other thing from TJ's I can remember not liking is their coffee. I don't normally buy coffee from TJ's but last time I tried it their Italian espresso was ok while everything else was quite bland.

For reference, below is a list of the cocktails calling for Kina-Lillet in the Savoy Cocktail Book. I've tried to find documentation related to their creation or mention of these cocktails in other books but have been unsuccessful so far. The only thing I could find was related to the Charlie Lindbergh cocktail. According to this website, there is a 1927 reference in the Washington Post to the Charlie Lindbergh cocktail, three years before the Savoy Cocktail Book was published. Abbey cocktail Bich's special cocktail Campden cocktail Charlie Lindbergh cocktail Corpse reviver (No. 2) The Culross cocktail Depth charge cocktail Eddie Brown cocktail Frank Sullivan cocktail Great secret cocktail H. and H. cocktail "Hoop la !" cocktail "Hoots mon" cocktail Jimmy Blanc cocktail Kina cocktail Lily cocktail Maiden's prayer cocktail (No. 2.) Odd McIntyre cocktail Old Etonian cocktail Prohibition cocktail Richmond cocktail Roy Howard cocktail Self-starter cocktail

New addiction: the mesquite-smoked almonds. Great with cocktails!

I too got lamb for dinner last night: grilled lamb loin chops with chimichurri, sweet Italian sausage and whole roasted cauliflower.

Paper bags are the way to go. My favorite bakeries use paper. I love crusty bread and it would be a shame to see it ruined by improper packaging. You should talk to your baker!

I weighed the cleaned eye-of-round, made my salt, sugar, #2 and spice calculations and divided that in half. I applied half the mixture to the meat and wrapped it in plastic wrap for 3 days, refrigerated, pointed towards the Alps. After 3 days expired, I applied the second half of the mixture for another 3 days and yodeled sweet things to the meat. After the second curing period I wiped the eye-of-round clean of curing mixture, wiped with vinegar soaked cheesecloth and rolled it in chopped herbs (thyme, rosemary, marjoram, oregano). The second phase involved wrapping the eye-of-round in cheesecloth and hanging it in the walk-in for 3-4 weeks. After losing about 25% of the weight and developing a bloom, the rounds were pressed between pieces of wood to give it the characteristic shape I have seen and to help in drying. The texture and flavor is pleasant, perhaps a bit musty, but a worthwhile endeavor. Truth be told, I preferred the secca. Thanks. (Must take yodeling classes asap.)

On a Negroni kick... so Friday I made a Nolita Cocktail, a Negroni variation invented by Christian Siglin from Craft & Commerce. It's a typical Negroni where half of the sweet vermouth (recipe calls for Carpano Antica, I used Vya) is replaced with a coffee liquor (recipe calls for Cafe Lolita, I used Kahlua), and with a lemon twist. The recipe called for "bitters" with no further details; I thought that the cardamom notes of the Regan's orange bitters would pair well, so I used that. Surprisingly tasty. A slightly tamer/deeper flavored Negroni. The coffee was subtle and went very well with the Vya vermouth. Then on Saturday we decided to have a drink at Craft & Commerce. So I got a Nolita from its creator himself. He used Beefeater too. For the bitters, he used a generous dash of the Bittermens mole bitters which gave the drink a slight kick. It was really great. Finally a use for that bottle of Kahlua that has been gathering dust...

Beautiful, Baron (as usual). Would you mind sharing some details on your technique for the viande des Grisons? Thanks!

Fish House Punch can definitely be made in advance. It's one of those things that actually improve with age. I've had leftovers that were several months old and still tasted great. I believe this was discussed earlier on this thread.

Erik, I haven't forgotten about this... To answer the first part of your question, the only Lillet that existed in America (or elsewhere) before prohibition was Kina-Lillet (where it was called "Lillet" - see below). The other versions of Lillet were not created until the 1920s or so. But that does not mean that this was what Harry Craddock was using. I haven't finished studying the book yet, but what I have read so far leads me to believe that only limited quantities of Lillet were available in the US before prohibition. The first shipment of Lillet to the US happened in 1910, but it was only about 100 cases. So there is the possibility that Harry Craddock could have created his Lillet-based cocktails in London where Lillet would have been more easily available. I wonder, are there any records of Harry Craddock serving Lillet-based cocktails at the Knickerbocker, Hoffman House or Holland House? Lillet started being exported on a regular basis to London in the early 1920s, but they could not use the word "Kina" on the label because of customs regulations (the same thing happened in the US). To make things more confusing, the English Lillet ("dry export") was created during the same timeframe with a more assertive flavor profile deemed more appropriate for mixing (could they have been receiving input from Craddock himself? - that would be pretty cool!). Kina-Lillet (later just called Lillet, also referred to as "goût français" in the book) was the original formula. Lillet "goût anglais" (also called "dry export") was created for the English market sometime before the second world war (I haven't been able to find a more precise date so far - I am still looking). It can be differentiated from the French Lillet by its alcohol content (18 degrees for the English version versus 17 for the original). The third type is the Canadian version ("Lillet dry type canadien") which is really a dry vermouth and became available in the late 40s. Then there is the aged Lillet (Jean de Lillet) which became available in the 60s. Also keep in mind that the quality of the Lillet was still somewhat variable at the beginning of the century based on the wines that were used to produce it and its evolving fabrication process. They were striving for a better quality and also adapting to the taste of the public.

I tried a lovely Negroni variation last night, the Violet Hour's Autumn Negroni. With an ingredient list including Campari, Cynar AND Fernet Branca, I was a little worried. And to top things off, it uses orange AND Peychaud's bitters. It could have been a mess. Needless to say, my husband who is already afraid of Campari refused to take a sip. It was immediately recognizable as a Negroni, with the Fernet and Cynar imparting a caramelized finish. Really great and perfect for fall (I've been doing all sorts of caramelized things this week, which was not intentional. In addition to this excellent cocktail, I made caramelized carrot soup and tarte Tatin...).

On the same train of thought - spanakopita (although traditionally made with phyllo).

Maybe too obvious of an answer, but when cherries are in season I've had cherry "mojitos" made with cachaça , muddled cherries, lime & sugar. They are delicious. A local restaurant (modus) used to serve them. They may have used a touch of cherry heering as well. The PDT cocktail book has a gin-based cocktail called the "Cherry pop" which uses fresh cherries and maraschino and may be worth trying as well.

Grilled lobster with lemon oil and arugula This recipe is actually from an earlier book, Mario Batali Holiday Food. Small book but lots of interesting recipes. Anyway, since recently the prices for live lobsters have been incredibly low (I can get them for $6 or $7 a pound at my local 99 Ranch), I've been looking for good lobster recipes. This one uses the grill. I've grilled lobster before and used the simple method where you just cut them in half, grill them shell side down first and then cut side down for a short time, before eating them with lemon juice and melted butter. I was happy to find a similar but more elegant version of this recipe in this book. The main difference is that the lobster is cooked whole on the grill initially, which seems to prevent it from drying out, then cut in half and replaced on the grill. The best part of the recipe is the infused marjoram oil that is used to season the lobster before serving. It's made with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and zest, and limoncello infused with marjoram for an hour. This oil has a fantastic flavor. I had forgotten what marjoram tasted like and it's phenomenal with lobster - herbal with citrus undertones, but delicate at the same time. The marjoram sprigs are tied together to form a brush (visible in the background) that is used to season the lobsters before serving them on a bed of arugula. I've made this recipe twice and it's immediately become a favorite. As a side note I recommend detaching the claws when killing the lobsters, and leaving them on the grill longer than the body, otherwise they won't be cooked through. For those interested, the recipe is available online here.

I've been getting great swordfish lately from my local seafood provider so I decided to try the grilled swordfish steaks, Sicilian Salmoriglio style from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. There is nothing much to it but the result is great. You dissolve some salt in lemon juice, then emulsify with olive oil and add oregano (I used dried) . It's reminds me very much of the French "sauce vierge". The swordfish is grilled for 1 minute or 2 on each side, then it is poked with a fork and the sauce is drizzled on top. I love the flavor and when you have great fish, it's good to have something that highlights it. I found this interesting article about Marcella Hazan's experience with Salmoriglio. Creamed spinach with coconut in the back.

This new thread reminded me of a similar discussion we had last year. See here.