FrogPrincesse

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.

That one is like Ron Dollete's Rope Burn, with Campari instead of Aperol.

This one was odd on paper, but sometimes it pays off to take risks. Promissory Note (Daniel Hyatt) with 1 oz Canton ginger liqueur as the base (!), 3/4 oz reposado tequila (7 Leguas anejo), 3/4 oz dry vermouth (Dolin), 1 barspoon honey (Japanese dogwood), absinthe rinse (St. George), expressed lime peel, radish slice (omitted) and cinnamon garnish. It was successful in the sense that the combination created something new and interesting. I am not sure that I liked it though; it tasted woody and vegetal, like some kind of wacky Martini. It would have been hard to guess what was in it and the tequila was not very prominent. The ginger liqueur and French vermouth pairing is interesting though, and might be worth exploring further.

San Gennaro (Andrew Pollard), a Manhattan variation with 1 oz High West Double Rye! (bonded was specified but my Rittenhouse is gone), 1 oz amaro Montenegro Averna can also be used), 1 oz Punt e Mes (Carpano Antica was specified), 1/2 teaspoon Campari, brandied cherries. The reason it's not posted under Best Manhattan Variations is because it was a bit too sweet (I can't imagine what it would be like with the Antica), and in the end I could barely taste the rye.

I am still cooking a fair bit although I have neglected to post on this thread. Last night was a local sculpin with a tarragon sauce vierge and spinach. The night before I had a grape sauce vierge with black bass at Ironside, a new local restaurant, and I was inspired to do something similar at home. A good simple sauce for fish. A few other meals - Salmon cartoccio with asparagus, citrus and mint (Batali). Yogurt and tamarind marinated grilled chicken (Vij's), Swiss chard with olive oil (April Bloomfield). My grill is currently out of commission, so I've been using my cast iron skillet a lot. Delmonico steak; stir-fried bok choy with ginger, mushroom and soy sauce. The bone is for me. Marcella Hazan's parmesan green beans; black cod with sorrel sauce (the sauce is Deborah Madison). I grow the sorrel on my patio. Les Halles' short ribs with a creme fraiche horseradish sauce; new potatoes. With the leftover short ribs I made a pasta sauce. The pasta was a fresh herb rotini. With an excess of bacon in the fridge (I counted 3 different kinds - Benton's which is heavily smoked, plus applewood-smoked bacon & pancetta from Trader Joe's, and this is not even including all the homemade bacon in the freezer...), I made a quiche Lorraine. I used heavy cream instead of creme fraiche and did not puff up like it usually does. Last but not least, these scallops with beurre blanc and trout roe cooked by a very skilled friend.

I never realized cattail pollen was something you could eat... what are you going to use it for?

The buttermilk pancake mix is decent, but I stopped buying it when I realized how easy it was to make your own pre-made mix.

Unless you consume your Mai Tais quite fast, there is a clear advantage in using fresh ice. The cocktail stays cold longer and the ice does not melt so rapidly, plus you are guaranteed a frosted glass which is a nice touch. I've discontinued my sloppy shake and dump practices a few months ago and won't go back.

My thoughts exactly.

A delightful Spring Sazerac, a creation by Toby Maloney with cognac (Pierre Ferrand 1840), curaçao (Pierre Ferrand dry curaçao), demerara simple syrup, orange bitters (Fee Brothers & Regan's), aromatic bitters (Angostura), absinthe (St. George), lemon peel. Now I want to try an armagnac version.

100,000 individually numbered bottles, according to diffords, which is the same number as the Old Tom.

Just noticed this: That's pretty cool. I hadn't heard of The Defender and Ampersand cocktails, but they are now added to the list of things to try.

I saw this too. There was this other review published yesterday.