FrogPrincesse

It looks like I've been on a Sazerac kick lately. Last night was The Betwixt and the Between (Greg Perrault) with bourbon (Blanton's), sweet vermouth (Margerum), green Chartreuse, absinthe (St. George). High proof bourbon was recommended but I did not have any; I agree that it would work best to stand up to the Chartreuse. In any case, it's a good herbal-forward variation on the Sazerac. Not pictured, an excellent variation I had this weekend at Sycamore Den with Redbreast Irish whiskey, St. Germain as the sweetener, absinthe, and cherry bitters.

Stone / Farking / Wheaton W00tStout (2013 collaboration series). Imperial stout brewed with pecans, wheat, and rye; 1/4 aged in bourbon barrels. Coffee and bitter cocoa notes. Medium body and carbonation. Bitter/ slightly tannic finish. The high alcohol content (13%!) is well masked. Not unforgettable but it was very nice with steak.

Olde Ale British-style ale MMXIV by AleSmith. It's pretty big with lots of malt and a nice bitter finish (from English hops). Very good with a flammenküche/tarte flambée.

Marcella Hazan's poached shrimp with olive oil and lemon juice. It looks like nothing but it's really delicious. You could serve it on a little skewer or a small piece of bread.

Last night's cocktail was a Chien Chaud (a litteral translation of "hot dog" into French), a creation by David Wondrich with rhum agricole blanc (Neisson), coconut water, yellow Chartreuse, and Angostura bitters. I am always a bit protective of my rhum agricole but I decided to give it a try. It's wonderful. The various elements complement the rhum very well, and it's a great summer drink. It's in the same vein as Charles Baker's Coco de Agua, with the agricole making everything more interesting.

The Isle of Man Vintage cheddar from TJ's is pretty good. Very creamy with a lot of flavor.

More golden beets, this time with fennel and valencia oranges. The oranges were incredibly fragrant, and were probably the best ones I've ever tasted.

A couple of nights ago I made a classic sorrel sauce (Trois Gros recipe) to accompany a fillet of sockeye salmon. The sorrel is from my patio. This was accompanied by a Santa Barbara rosé. It's nice how the acidity of the sorrel cuts through the cream & butter.

I am guessing it's a reference to the Tom Cruise character in the movie Cocktail. Anyway, I would ditch the piña colada idea and learn how to make an Old Fashioned a la Ryan Gosling. Minimal equipment required* and she will be impressed, guaranteed. * photoshopped abs excluded

That should read Dolin dry vermouth.

I had a Daiquiri with Neisson blanc a couple of days ago. Difford's 10:3:2 ratio. That might be perfection.

Here's what I used: 210 g flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 115 g unsalted butter, 6 tablespoons water. I sprinkled a few tablespoons of sugar on the fruit and crust before putting the tart in the oven. See here for more details.

Thanks Smithy. These apriums are an apricot-plum cross called Cot-n-Candy. They look very much like an apricot (you can see a couple in the photo below), with a little less fuzz and a slightly firmer texture. Inside, their flesh is more yellow than orange (there is one regular apricot in the middle of the tart). But it would be easy to mistake them for regular apricots. Russ Parsons wrote a little piece about them in the LA Times a few days ago. Tastewise, they were not completely ripe when I got them, but once cooked they were great (I don't mind a bit of tartness). They had a lot of flavor. I am letting the rest ripen a bit before making jam this weekend.

Another beet salad, this one with cucumber, feta, and a chive/tarragon/garlic/olive oil/sherry vinegar dressing. Recipe from Russ Parsons' How to Pick a Peach; herbs from the garden.

A Scorpion last night, following the "improved" 1958 recipe from the Luau, not the original Trader Vic version which I have yet to try. Beefeater gin, Plantation Barbados 5 yr rum (as a sub for gold Puerto Rican rum), Pierre Ferrand 1840 cognac, orange juice, lime juice, homemade orgeat, simple syrup. It was shaken with ice cubes and strained onto fresh crushed ice (I didn't use a blender). Please imagine a gardenia flower floating in the middle of the bowl. It was very tasty and dangerous, as it should be.

Regarding gold Puerto Rican rum in tiki drinks, I have tried a variety of light gold rums. Someone gave me a bottle of Cruzan aged so I used that for a while. Then I tried Flor de Cana gold but it was a little bland for my taste and I didn't feel compelled to buy another bottle (I love their white however). Lately I've been using Plantation Barbados 5 years with good results. Jeff Berry's Total Tiki app recommends Bacardi 8 and Ron del Barrilito 2 or 3 stars, with Cruzan, Flor de Cana, and Santa Teresa anejo as acceptable substitutes.

A rustic tart with aprium from Frog Hollow Farm. I bought a lot and the rest will be used in jam. A few weeks ago I made this very nice chocolate almond cake by Nigel Slater. It was published in his book Kitchen Diairies but there was a gross typo in the ingredient quantities (I believe that the butter was double or tripled) so I used the online recipe instead. Good thing I realized something was wrong when I read the recipe!

A couple of classics last night. A 2:1 Martini whith Plymouth, Dolin white, Regan & Fee orange bitters. and a Brown Cocktail, a 2:1 dry Manhattan with Buffalo Trace, Dolin white, Regan & Fee orange bitters.

An interesting article about the influence of Arsalun Tafazoli of Consortium Holdings (Neighborhood, Polite Priovisions, Ironside Fish & Oyster, etc) on the San Diego craft beer scene.

It's just rendered fat that I've been collecting every time I cook duck.

I concur. Punt e Mes is great in Negronis.

My ears! It's confire :-)I have a stock of duck fat that I've been collecting for a while in the freezer all ready to go for confit.

Duck might be my favorite meat. I would break it down. I like to grill the breasts (this recipe from Lucques is a favorite of mine) or cure them to make prosciutto. The legs are great braised. I haven't tried my hand at confit yet but that's a great option if you have enough fat or if you have a sous-vide unit - I am anxiously waiting for mine, which was primarily bought with the intention of making confit!

Mid-year review (thanks for the reminder, nakji!) - No attempt at sourdough yet. I have made marmalade earlier this year, and have just bought a bunch of apriums to make jam. Caramels and vinegar still on the to-do list. Falernum made and a new batch planned for soon. Ravioli made but I need more practice. I did not get a chance to attend the eG workshop this year. Anova ordered...

Jo - Richard Boccato is the creator of the Water Lilly. The original proportions are equal parts.