FrogPrincesse

I will be following your experiments closely as I already love this recipe. One question (or two)- what is the "ice cream stabilizer" and how critical is it to the recipe?

Last night I tried the Rum Crawl (rum & lime sweetened with ginger syrup and falernum + whiskey-barrel aged bitters), a creation from Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco that was documented in a blog post by Dave Stolte/Home Bar Basics. It reminded me of the Captain's Blood, another great drink that I mentioned upthread, with an additional layer of flavor imparted by the ginger syrup and falernum. I used Canton ginger liqueur and store-bought falernum, but I would love to make my own falernum at some point. The rum was Appleton 12-year old.

Lisa - can you describe the differences between Tahitian and Mexican vanilla beans and do you have a preference? I have Tahitian vanilla beans that are wonderful but have never used the Mexican variety.

In general, I try to be very gentle with mint in cocktails and make sure to muddle it carefully to obtain the pure mint flavor and not release any of the bitter chlorophyll. With this recipe however, it's the opposite. You get mint notes together with strong herbal notes, which is a good thing here because they add depth and complexity. (However the jury is still out on the green julep thing.)

I was pretty excited about this topic (despite a mixed experience with a green drink recently) because it reminded me about a cocktail that I had been wanting to make for a while. Missionary's Downfall by Don the Beachcomber Here is the recipe from Beachbum Berry Remixed. As opposed to some of the other famous creations by Donn Beach, the ingredients in this one are straightforward. I made sure to use a fresh pineapple. 1 oz white rum (I used Flor de Caña) 0.5 oz peach brandy (I substituted R&W apricot brandy) 0.5 oz lime juice 1 oz honey syrup 0.25 cup diced pineapple 0.25 cup mint leaves (packed) 0.75 cup crushed ice Blend for 20 seconds. Garnish with a short mint sprig. The book says that the recipe yields 2 drinks, but I have to disagree on that one - it's the perfect size for one person. The result is a pretty green drink with an intense herbal flavor from the blended mint. The cocktail is light on the alcohol content and is very refreshing. There is a nice balance between the chlorophyll notes of the mint, the sweetness of the pineapple and the apricot in the background. Next time I will use slightly less honey syrup - mine was ~ 2:1 so the drink was on the sweet side. Mint and pineapple seem to always go great together. One of my favorite simple desserts is a combination of fresh pineapple with a mint sugar that is made by muddling white sugar with fresh mint (I think it's from Jamie Oliver's Happy Days with the Naked Chef). The aromatic sugar is sprinkled on thin slices of pineapple and it's wonderful. The cocktail reminded me of that dessert and I enjoyed it a lot.

That's right. I used 1 cup of crème fraîche (250 mL) and 2 eggs (+ s&p and a pinch of nutmeg). Add a little bit of heavy cream to the crème fraîche if it's very thick.

Terrific! Should be a fun week.

Dave Hatfield?

Duck, cassoulet and a tarte tatin? It's looking very French to me! I have no idea who that might be though.

Gin Gin Mule with Beefeater and Bundaberg ginger beer.

Kerry, I am still planning on coming to the workshop but will make my own lodging arrangements. Thanks!

Quiche or another type of savory tart work great at room temperature. Terrines are also great for potlucks.

In October, that's just bragging. Yes and no because it was really uncomfortable yesterday with 90+ degrees on the coast and 100+ inland. But I see that where you are located it's looking quite cold and rainy, so I should not complain too much I guess.

Thanks Kim. When I use 100% crème fraîche for the quiche (no milk or heavy cream), it always rises like a soufflé. It was more than double the height of the pan (I use a tart pan). Last night we started with some Reed avocados from my CSA with a mustard vinaigrette. This variety is very buttery and the avocados were perfectly ripe. Then I made a mixed grill with quail, sausage (bratwurst, jalapeno-pork and andouille), peppers, and a gratin Dauphinois on the side. It was my 6-year old daughter's idea to have quail. She was fascinated with the idea of having her own little "chicken". We got the quail at the farmers' market from Spur Valley Ranch. For dessert, the chocolate brownies from David Lebovitz's Ready for Dessert.

Continuing with the Classics, a Mint Julep with Buffalo trace bourbon to try to counter the heat wave in San Diego.

I like it too and it's a very good deal - it's currently on sale at BevMo for $24.

Yesterday the LA times published a mixed review of Modernist Cuisine at Home written by Russ Parsons (here).

Continuing to revisit some Classics with a guest from France. Brooklyn with Bulleit rye and Dolin dry vermouth. Captain Vadrna's Grog (not pictured). I finally finished my stock of Captain Morgan's spiced rum (bought a very long time ago when I knew nothing about rum) which this drink manages to make taste fantastic. Eventually I want to make my own spiced rum, but now I think I want to try this delicious cocktail with Kraken spiced rum. Margarita with Don Julio tequila.

Thanks flourgirl! Not usually a huge fan of zucchini, but Inspired by SobaAddict70's zucchini dishes in the Dinner thread (Zucchini frico here and Pasta con le zucchine here), I decided made the fried zucchini sauce with garlic and basil from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking last night. The zucchini, which I combined with a marrow squash from my CSA, was cut into allumettes, salted and degorged. Then it was wiped dry, floured and fried in garlic-flavored oil until golden brown. The pasta (I used fresh spinach bucatini) was finished in butter with the fried zucchini, fresh basil leaves and parmesan cheese. I liked the texture of the dish and the zucchini was very good. A squeeze of lemon juice would not have been out of place to bring out the flavors.

Texture-wise, my experience was that the tiramisu ice cream was fantastic a few hours after churning. A few days later it was not as creamy, which partially explains my difficulting in making nice scoops. I agree that the texture could be improved, but the flavor was outstanding.

Dan - that looks like the recipe I used (from Sippin' Safari). Normally it's ganished with a long orange peel.

Still in love with the Nui Nui. Even with a fairly "basic" rum, it is spicy and complex, with layer upon layer of flavors. Last night, a lazy Negroni (no orange bitters or orange zest, just built in the glass with one giant ice cube). I used Beefeater gin and Vya sweet vermouth which worked great.

Rainbow chard and jerk chicken the other night. Last night, a very puffy quiche Lorraine for the little 1. For us, Baja grouper with roasted carrots.

My photo does not do it justice, but David Lebovitz's Tiramisu ice cream is amazing. Mascarpone + Kahlua + rum ice cream base drizzled with a "Mocha ripple" (cocoa powder + espresso). It's eggless so the base is just made in a blender.

I made the Grilled duck breasts with crème fraîche and roasted grapes again, this time served family-style. It's a great way to cook duck breasts. Grilled with a simple juniper berry-thyme rub, they are full of flavor.