Tri2Cook

Mild, flakey, kind of like I remember haddock years ago in Connecticut (the breaded and deep fried seafood capital of the world). Very mild and honestly probably wouldn't be my pick for "best" if I lived in an area where a variety of good fresh fish was available but I have to include "what I can get" as part of my criteria.

Since I live on what basically amounts to an island (you have to cross a bridge at some point no matter which way you come into or leave from town) surrounded by lakes full of walleye that attract a large tourist business every year, I guess I'll go with that for my answer. Especially since quality fresh fish that doesn't come from the local lakes is almost impossible to get most of the time.

Too far away for any real commitment but I'm definitely going to mark it on the calender. Late April helps, we're well out of hockey tournament time by then but not into tourist (fishing) season yet.

Sounds like a high calcium level in your juice. Try dropping the straight juice into an alginate bath. If the result isn't as stable as you'd like, add a little calcium (lactate, gluconate, lactate/gluconate... calcium chloride is fine for the bath but please don't use it in the part that is to be eaten) to the juice and try again. Edit: If the juice needs more body to drop in the alginate bath without difficulty, add a little xanthan gum.

I keep reading an awful lot of good things about that Cocchi and the Batavia Arrack is definitely a sweet score so it will be fun seeing what you do with them. I like the Xocolatl bitters, haven't tried the Falernum bitters so I'm looking forward to hearing about that as well. I'm really hoping my potential Lemon Hart acquisition works out though, that's the thing in your haul I'm most jealous of by far. I recently ordered a bunch of different tiki glasses and have been gathering the recipes like crazy. It's going to be a Hawaiian shirt and Thurston Howell straw-hat summer...

Looking forward to seeing what you did with it.

A friend in highschool had a great-uncle that did ribs in the oven all the time. An old, way-out-in-the-country, mountain-end-of-Alabama guy. He seasoned them with whatever he seasoned them with, put them on a rack on a baking pan, poured water and vinegar (and possibly other things I don't remember) in the pan, sealed it with foil and popped it in the oven at as low a temp as the oven would go. He finished his on the grill with bbq sauce after the oven but it would be just as easy to pull the foil off, brush on some sauce and stick it under the broiler for a bit. I don't know the specifics of how he did them but they were really tender and tasty. Me and my buddy would sometimes go over with a cooler of beer (A legal cooler of beer! The age to buy beer and wine was 18 at that time and I turned 18 near the beginning of my senior year.) and spend the evening listening to his stories and eating ribs.

Very nice haul and I'm gonna go ahead and be jealous for now but a friend is going to Minneapolis next week and offered to try to find a few things for me. The only thing in your haul on my list is the Lemon Hart. I'm jealous of the Cocchi and the Batavia Arrack too but there are other things I want more right now. I have Ransom Old Tom gin, an Agricole, a good blanco mezcal and Smith & Cross rum on my list in addition to the Lemon Hart. There are 3 adults going and none plan to bring back booze of their own so I don't think there should be any trouble at the border even if he manages to find all 5.

This isn't really doing anything to help relieve my jealousy over being unable to attend.

Looking for a place to buy in, or that ships to, Canada. It's not turning up on amazon.ca. I want to check it out. At that price, and based on the reviews here, it could be a nice solution for the catering work I do. Two for the price of one of the next most economical solution and I don't do enough catering (not much time for it after my hours at the restaurant) that it being a home-use targeted device would be a problem.

I agree, bad idea under the circumstances. Particularly when the challenge was titled "baked". The "I'll marinate the jelly beans in the hot sauce, chop up the bonzai tree and sprinkle it all on a pie during the frozen dessert challenge" guy almost caused me to not watch further episodes. I was thinking "if this is the caliber of contestants...".

It sounded exactly like the challenge-describing voice from "Minute to Win It" to me. That already happened in season 1... he was skeptical but admitted enjoying learning something new (to him). Micro-cake, as long as hold time isn't a factor (and if it is, that defeats the whole point anyway), can actually be nice when done well. Sincerely, your friendly neighborhood hapless douchebag.

I'll have to check out the second season. I was undecided on the first season. I like the idea of a Chopped-esque dessert show but something about it just wasn't exciting me as much as I hoped it would.

I know being jealous isn't a good character trait... but I'm going to go ahead and be it anyway. Looking forward to the reports.

That's basically what I suggested other than pouring it directly on the cake. Molding it seperately allows for a cleaner finish. There's always a little space between a baked cake and the pan, the custard will run down and the entire cake will be encased in it. Not necessarily a bad thing but it won't look like what chef is asking for. Stabilized with gelatin and/or agar (or other hydrocolloids), there's no need for any sort of barrier. Poured over a cold cake and refrigerated, it will set quickly enough that the cake won't absorb it. It sounds like you're working hard to make him happy and keeping a good attitude about it, that's awesome. It's a shame he's decided he's beyond learning. I hope that never happens to me.

I made the crack pie about a year and a half ago. I must prefer heroin pie 'cause the crack pie didn't do much for me. I didn't hate it but I haven't made it again.

They both sound good. You guys are killing me, my liver's never going to survive all the drinks on my "must try" list now and it just keeps getting longer.

Thanks Katie, that sounds like an idea I should check out. I may split it into 2 or 3 smaller batches and try different things if suggestions like that keep coming.

I have an almost-full bottle of Pitu cachaca that I bought when it was my only available option. It's been sitting dormant since I got my hands on a bottle of Leblon. I'm wondering if there's anything interesting I could infuse it with so that it has a reason to be in the cabinet. I've been planning to make some allspice dram, would it be suitable for that? I actually considered infusing it with fresh sugar cane at one point but that seemed like it might just end up tasting like sweet Pitu. I'm not sure the green, grassy flavors of the cane would translate... and I'm not sure what I'd do with it once I had it. I also considered using it as the base for a ginger liqueur. Anyway, I'm open to ideas.

I wonder if he's talking about shirred eggs? I have no idea why they're called shirred, but they're baked. Assorted garnishes or cheese shows up in some but the basic shirred eggs are seasoned, splashed with a little cream and tossed in the oven to desired doneness.

Nice score Kerry! I've been slowly building a tiki mug collection... the problem being I don't love yard saling and haven't found any in the thrift stores so I usually end up paying full price. Still fun though.

I can't claim that what I said is universal, obviously it must not be if so many are unfamiliar with it, but if you eat in a restaurant anywhere within a large area around where I live you will get eggs steamed under a lid. All of the breakfast places I've been to do basted, none that I've been in whip up a pan of bacon grease to do it in. I'm pretty sure that's almost entirely a home-cooking thing. I do it at home too if I'm having bacon with my eggs.

Looks like it's working out pretty nicely. I still think chef is just f'ing with you 'cause he can. Every solution to every problem you encounter is "no, I think it was done this way at (whatever restaurant he snagged it from) so that is how it will be done here". Capturing the parchment under the ring in a springform will solve the custard problem, I've done it. Not for the same purpose you are but the paper does stay in place. Anyway, looks like you're doing an awesome job solving a problem that could have easily been solved days ago if you were working for someone a little more open-minded to the ideas of others. Sincere good luck on getting the result you need to make him happy.

This seems similar to how Jacques Pepin said he liked his eggs on one of his programs. There's no 'over' part, just a 'sunny side up' egg (in a pan) with a cover so the top of the yolk gets a bit cloudy. Like I said, basted. Egg on cooking surface, little shot of liquid (usually water), pop on lid, cook as desired.

Basted. Edit: I guess I should add my own preference to the conversation. I like my fried eggs cooked until the yolk is thickish-custard in texture but I order over easy in restaurants because there's a fine line between the way I like them and too done. Choosing between less-done and more-done than I actually want, I'll go with less done.