FrogPrincesse

More book suggestions in this previous thread.

Me neither, hence my shock. I had a similar issue, although not as extreme, with the roasted chicken. Then I stopped trusting the recipes... but I still kept the book because I thought the general information it provided was very valuable.

Both. At some point I was testing various lamb shanks recipes from different cookbooks, and following his cooking time/temperature, the shanks ended up being tough and not cooked enough. I was a little shocked of the result, because I know how delicious they can be when I follow my tried & true recipes... Then regarding flavors, a lot of them don't particularly appeal to me, even on paper. Let's just say that it's not the type of cuisine I naturally gravitate towards (I was born in France, and live in Southern California). This is very personal obviously, so your mileage may vary.

I really love that aspect of the book too, and that is why I bought it in the first place - the whole Part One about understanding meat with detailed advice about how to buy meat, what types of cuts work for certain dishes, diagrams for each animal, etc. Two caveats. First, it's a British book, so some of the information is not directly relevant to the US (this is discussed in the notes to the US edition at the end of the book). Second, I wasn't particularly impressed with the few recipes I tried. It wasn't the reason why I had bought the book, but since recipes constitute more than half of the book, I thought I should mention it. However I like how the recipes are arranged by cooking technique (roasting, braising, grilling, etc). I think that made a lot of sense.

It's not difficult and it's quite good. It's actually a great drink when the weather is colder - think hot chocolate. For more bitters-heavy drinks, check out this thread too.

That reminds me that with cucumbers, I like to do a yoghurt & lemon juice dressing, with a ton of black pepper, and some fresh mint. It's another dressing I enjoy in the summer.

My dashes were generous. My bottle of Angostura pours very fast. That drink is really all about the gin, adorned with a bit of bitters. I think it's a good way to taste new gins. It's a bit easier than sipping on neat gin.

I do not have an official recipe from them. I went with 2 oz rye, 0.5 oz Montenegro, barspoon demerara, absinthe rinse (5-6 spritzes from my little spray bottle), orange & lemon twists.

Probably the dishwasher. I wash mine by hand and don't have this problem.

I've also seen it called "Enough Said"... If you like rhum agricole blanc with Chartreuse, make sure to try the Green Mile in Death & Co and the Baie du Galion in Smuggler's Cove, if you haven't already done so!

What I like is very simple. It's typically olive oil + red wine vinegar or olive oil + sherry vinegar. Sometimes I add a bit of sliced shallots, chives, or basil in summer. Always salt & pepper of course. For bitter greens like endive, I like to add some Dijon mustard and emulsify the dressing. In summer, I really like olive oil + lemon juice. For salads with nuts, I like to use an oil that corresponds to the nut, almond or hazelnut, etc. I usually don't go 100%, I will do maybe 1/2 or 2/3 olive oil and the rest with the nut oil (depending on its richness).

I have both the metal and the plastic, and I actually prefer the metal. It's a bit harder to see, but then it doesn't tip over so easily like the plastic one does...

How odd. I did a search using Eat Your Books and the Larousse Gastronomique was the only recipe (out of 122 recipes for sauce vierge) that includes butter. https://www.eatyourbooks.com/library/recipes?q="sauce vierge" butter&sort=date_recipe_published desc&sortsmall=on https://www.eatyourbooks.com/library/recipes/5?q="sauce+vierge"&sort=date_recipe_published+desc&sortsmall=on

Ti Punch with La Favorite rhum agricole blanc, J.M cane syrup, lime coin. Hard to beat this one.

DiMaggio (from Craft & Commerce) with Rittenhouse rye, amaro Montenegro, demerara syrup, absinthe.

Just a few dashes.

A Pink Gin with Williams Chase Elegant gin. Very interesting; it is distilled from apples and you can absolutely taste it. It was very enjoyable in this drink.

3:1 Martini with Uncle Vals botanical gin and Dolin dry vermouth. It's a bit different with this cucumber-heavy gin.

An autumn favorite, Harry Craddock's Rattlesnake (with the Bartender's Choice ratios). This was terrific with Wild Turkey 101 rye.

Quick vegetarian/clean-the-fridge lunch the other day. Romanesco "couscous" with pomegranate. Grated, sautéed in butter. Leftover braised Brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar and parmesan.

Bon Viveur (Chris Lowder via Food & Wine) with 2 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 cognac, 1/2 oz St Germain, 1 barspoon Bigallet China-China, dash BDW grapefruit bitters (subbed for the grapefruit twist). A bit sweet but super pleasant with beautiful floral flavors.

Actually one craft bar I know has a few limited supplies. Then there are a couple of specialized cocktail shops that have equipment like Bar Keeper or the Mixing Glass in the LA area. I tried kitchen shops but never liked their cocktail stuff. I did a quick google search and found this place in Philadelphia. Maybe they can help?

For the fine strainer, I prefer the ones with a conical shape rather than a round shape. So like this one, not the OXO one. Much less mess. Small spray bottles are a great idea. I use mine for absinthe, orange blossom water, Laphroaig, etc.

My daughter who is 10 had a few of suggestions - a cupcake kit (with a book, baking cups and all the necessary things to decorate them); a personalized apron; ice pop/popsicle molds with recipes.

There are local shops that sell Cocktail Kingdom & other bar items, at least in my area. I am not sure where you are located though.