FrogPrincesse

@scubadoo97and @btbyrdThank you! I think you both hit the nail on the head. That video is very helpful too. I will make sure to pay better attention to the grain next time, because it was one very tasty piece of meat! Yesterday I made Meyer lemon curd (actually half Meyer lemon, half lemon). I used the recipe from @David Lebovitz's Ready for Dessert except I added the lemon zests, which was pretty much useless since I ended up straining the mixture because of the eggs. Anyway... I melted the butter, added the lemon juice (and zests that I would skip next time) and the sugar, made sure all the sugar was dissolved, and added the eggs. Then I blended everything in a blender (the zest went to the top with a thick "foam" that was removed when I strained) . I strained and poured into glass jars. Cooked for 45 minutes @ 82.2 C. Don't make my mistake and attempt to cool the glass jars in an ice water bath at the end. In my defense, I was in a hurry and wasn't thinking straight. I lost the first one that way; it shattered almost immediately. The curd seemed a bit thick in the jar at the end, very set, so I was a bit concerned. However the texture is heavenly and the taste is great too (it looks grainy on the picture because of the bread, but it's completely smooth). What a great way to make curd, and all sorts of dessert creams I imagine!

@blue_dolphinI haven't tried it. This is more pricey than what I use for mixing (there are a lot of good options below $50 or even below $40), and I rarely buy ryes strictly for sipping.

Me too. It was only a bit more tender than one I had cooked on the grill a few weeks ago. And I've seen recipes where the tri-tip is cooked only for one or two hours! I am not really sure what to change other than slicing it thinner next time.

1 lb trip-tip with rosemary, chile de arbol, lemon zest, cracked pepper, salt, olive oil (based on the recipe from Suzanne Goin in Lucques under Bistecca California). Cooked for 6 hours at 54.4C. Finished on the grill for a few minutes on each side. The verdict: it's juicy and flavorful, but still tougher than I would like. Does that mean I should have cooked it longer?

You are very welcome! I think EYB is a fantastic tool, and that is why I decided to keep all my notes on there. It's very nice to hear that they are helpful to other people like you.

Thank you! For now I am focusing on cuts of meat I can get at TJ's (and they don't have short ribs unfortunately, I just checked). I have a tri-tip in progress as I type (tonight's dinner), and a pork loin roast will be next. I will most certainly try short ribs in the near futur. I cook short ribs regularly, and I was getting frustrated at how hit-and-miss the meat tends to be - sometimes amazingly tender, sometimes a bit tough, despite the same cooking method (but depending on where I buy the meat). With sous-vide I understand that the results are consistently excellent, so I am very excited!

Daiquiri with Benefits.

OMG everyone. I've finally decided to use my Anova (bought more than two years ago during a Kickstarter campaign...) and Wow. Wow wow wow. I made chicken confit (I bought the sous vide to make duck confit, but I wanted to try it with a cut of meat that was more "basic" and that I could just buy at Trader Joe's). It was deliciously tender and so easy, absolutely wonderful. I am a convert! 8 hours at 74C with thyme, garlic, whole black peppercorns, salt, bay leaves, duck fat, and butter. Seared for a few minutes until the skin was crispy, and served with Molly Steven's braised green cabbage.

I am not sure it'd be able to stand up to the arrack. I suspect it's a little too gentle for that.

It's really good. I don't think you'll be disappointed!

David Lebovitz is jumping on the bandwagon on his blog. Too bad he doesn't post here anymore. http://www.davidlebovitz.com/jacques-pepin-how-following-a-recipe-can-lead-to-disaster/#more-25474

I do like Amaro CioCiaro a lot, but I feel it's quite different from Picon (lighter, less body, less "caramelized" flavors). I prefer Bigallet China-China as a substitute (or to Picon Biere itself to be perfectly honest), and it's delicious in Brooklyns.

@quiet1Other than Maison Rouge VSOP, I've also seen Hine H VSOP being recommended. It's $38.99 at the link you provided. Landy VS is decent and quite a bit cheaper- they have it in a half bottle for $8.99.

I went to my favorite local Japanese restaurant for lunch and noticed they had "yuzu wine" on the menu, so I decided to have a glass in order to have a frame of reference for my experiments. I was pleasantly surprised. The taste of fresh yuzu dominated, it was slightly sweet but not overly so, and was fairly low in alcohol. They served it on the rocks and it was really nice with my lunch.

I was going through Fred Yarm's list of top cocktails of 2016 and this one caught my eye. It's his adaptation of the Benediction from Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars. Benediction (as adapted by Frederic Yarm) with Pierre Ferrand 1840 cognac, Dolin dry vermouth, Benedictine, Picon, Maraschino liqueur. I thought for a second of using Bigallet China-China but went with Picon as was specified (although mine is Picon Biere, not Amer Picon). The cocktail wasn't too sweet as I was fearing initially with the Picon & cognac combo. Nice harmony between the cognac and the dry vermouth, lots of grape notes, some bitter orange and body from the Picon, sweetness from the maraschino, and the Benedictine in the background tying everything together. Very successful!

I live in SD and frequently go out, but haven't seen any impact so far. Probably it's just included in the price at most restaurants, not as a separate item.

TJ's has these long-stemmed Italian artichokes right now that are absolutely amazing. I can't say enough good things about them. Also they have their ginger brew right now (a seasonal item). It's non alcoholic with a very nice kick of ginger. It tastes like homemade ginger ale. Great on its own or in cocktails. Lastly, Batiste rhum agricole from Marie Galante for $20!!!

@kaybOh, and you should really get a bottle of Campari. This will open a bunch of new options (Negroni, Boulevardier, Americano, etc) and is an excellent way to start exploring the world of amari/bitter liqueurs.

@kaybYou already have a good foundation. I would recommend maybe "upgrading" the triple sec to Cointreau, and the brandy to Cognac (the Pierre Ferrand 1840 that @JoNorvelleWalkerrecommended is great for mixing), and then you'll be able to make Sidecars for example. Switch the cognac to your dark rum and you have another nice cocktail, the XYZ. If you like Manhattans, maybe you could get a bottle of rye whiskey for another upgrade. I would also grab a bottle of maraschino liqueur so you can make a Hemingway Daiquiri with your white rum, or a Martinez with the gin you are planning on getting. You can also use it in an Old Fashioned instead of the sugar cube or simple syrup, it's rather delicious. I imagine you already have Angostura bitters since you already make Old Fashioneds and Manhattans. Do you have orange bitters? They are another bar essential. I would also really recommend an app like Bartender's Choice that has a lot of simple classic cocktails that can be made without "exotic" ingredients. You can look for a drink that seems appealing and slowly build your bar from there.

It was me. I've been linking eGullet on most of the 800+ notes I've left on EYB... And I am pretty sure you can still post links there.

I used a 9" ceramic tart pan (like this one). For the crust, I used @David Lebovitz's recipe because it's my go-to recipe. I baked it blind with parchment paper & pie weights first (or rather, some rice that I use for that purpose), then without the paper. Finally I added the filling and followed the directions from the recipe I linked. I like it at room temperature, and I think it gets slightly better the next day for some reason!

Did you see the following discussion on eGullet? There are a lot of suggestions that may be helpful to you, including a critique of the selections from the 12 Bottle Bar book.

Trader Joe's is currently stocking rhum agricole!!! They received it a couple of weeks ago. I immediately grabbed a couple of bottles. It's Batiste 2015 Ecoiste which is unaged, made in Marie Galante and finished (distilled in a Japanese vacuum still) in Sonoma County, of all places. It's a bit light, only 40%, and makes a very pleasant 10:3:2 Daiquiri. It feels like a good deal at $20 a bottle.

I have! This year I used Plantation 5 for the rum. Next time I want to use an aged agricole.

It's sweet, it's cloying, and can destroy any drink if used in too generous an amount which for me is about a barspoon. I love the flavor of pomegranate, but rarely in drinks. It doesn't help that I was once served a punch where the "sweet" component consisted entirely of grenadine. It was homemade grenadine but I am still recovering from the experience...