FrogPrincesse

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.

mskerr, You could make Flammenküche (tarte flambée). Although puff pastry is not traditional it works well too. It's just puff pastry with a thin layer of crème fraîche, sliced onions and lardons (diced smoked bacon) - one of my favorite simple meals with a green salad. There are a couple of ideas for savory tarts on the Lucques thread: Young Onion Tart with Cantal and Applewood-Smoked Bacon and Swiss Chard Tart with Goat Cheese. The book also has a tomato tart recipe (with onions and anchovies) and a mushroom tart recipe both with puff pastry that look good but that I have not had a chance to try. Pissaladière is another French savory tart that can work with puff pastry - the topping is caramelized onions, olives and anchovies. I think that it would be fairly easy to come up with your own version based on what ingredients you have at hand. I found that the key is to have a light hand with the toppings (especially the wet ingredients). If you are feeling more ambitious I know that there are savory versions of tarte tatin with puff pastry that use tomatoes or endives for example. I love TJ's puff pastry! (It's also great for pithiviers/galette des rois - see my icon picture - if you ever get in the mood for something sweet).

I dislike the flavor of canola oil as well. In France sunflower oil was very common, but not so the US. I use a lot of olive oil and peanut or grapeseed oil for high temperature applications.

Thanks; just checked and I have a long forgotten jar of spiced asian pear in the fridge that will be perfect for this recipe!

Kerry, You are killing us with all these beautiful pastries. Everything looks incredible. Chocolate croquants - brilliant idea. Never heard of crostada before. Is that more or less like a crumble in tart form? Or do you use pastry cream in there?

Franci - this looks delicious. Is it lamb neck?

Regarding Don't Give Up the Ship, I noticed that the recipes floating online seemed to differ quite a bit from the Bartender's Choice app version that I used. Most of the online versions call for Dubonnet and reduced amounts of curaçao and Fernet. For reference, the version I used had 1.5 oz gin and 0.5 oz each of sweet vermouth (I used Vya), curaçao and Fernet Branca. I was curious about this and last night, while looking up this cocktail online, I found a detailed discussion of this drink on a local San Diego blog so I thought I would reference it here. It goes over various versions of this drink. In the end, when using sweet vermouth the ratios from the Bartender's Choice app seemed to work the best. Dubonnet worked better with Grand Marnier than with Cointreau, with the amounts of Fernet and Grand Marnier reduced to 0.25 oz.

Last night I had a Newman cocktail with gin, dry vermouth and Picon, another find from Bartender's Choice app. A very nice way to enjoy Picon.

seabream, The liners have little ridges which are barely visible on the cakes. I remove the liners before serving. I always make a few extra cakes for the next day that I reheat briefly with their liner in a microwave or in a warming drawer.

I bake mine in a cupcake pan with paper liners. That way unmolding is never an issue.

A Martinez prepared according to the PDT specifications with Hayman's Old Tom gin, Dolin sweet vermouth, Luxardo maraschino, Boker's bitters, orange twist. I opened the bottle of vermouth for the occasion. It's a good thing that I like the Boker's bitters because my dashes were extremely generous (my bottle pours way too fast even when I am very careful). Great drink. Martinez, the PDT way: Hayman's old tom gin, Dolin sweet vermouth, Luxardo maraschino, Boker's bitters by *FrogPrincesse*, on Flickr

Good catch. Gloria has more gin (1.5 oz) than Lucien (1 oz) but the other ingredients are the same at 0.5 oz each. It's enough to change the feel of the drink although a side-by-side comparison may be in order.

Yes - how to make something great with practically nothing. I love this kind of recipes.

Don't Give Up the Ship I was introduced to this drink by Sam Ross when he paid a visit to Noble Experiment earlier this year, and was happy to see it in the Bartender's Choice cocktail app. It's a harmonious mix of gin, sweet vermouth, fernet branca and curaçao. For some reason I decided to finish my bottle of Cointreau but did not have enough so I ended up using half Cointreau half Clement creole shrubb. Next time I will use the Pierre Ferrand dry curaçao. In any case, I liked the interplay between the fernet and the curaçao a lot.