Tri2Cook

I'm going to be the voice of dissent and suggest that the best thing to put on olive loaf is the lid to the trash can.

The terminology doesn't offend me. I'm just not convinced that it's possible to serve something warm and have anyone think ice cream, regardless of the flavor, without being prompted or given some hints. I wasn't trying to discourage, just adding my thoughts on the subject based on my experience.

Glad to see that confirmation O-WK... I'd already adjusted the recipe to 14 - 15 min @ 350 in my head after reading others experiences but hadn't tested it yet.

andiesenji: thanks for the information! There's a lot there I didn't find in my quick google search. Jenni: "One of the best things ever" will make me pay attention every time. I'm finding a lot of variation in the recipes that turn up though. Ranging from the sweet, thick-porridge sounding version andiesenji linked to a basic flour and water flatbread to some more elaborate flat breads that add herbs and spices to the basic flour and water base. Is there a "the" version I should be looking for/starting with?

Yeah, I'm mainly wondering if it's going to come up in my adventures in learning about cocktails enough that I'll wish I had it if I don't get it. A pre-purchase tasting isn't an option where I live.

A friend gave me an unusual but very much appreciated birthday gift yesterday. A selection of assorted flours and starches and a bag of adzuki beans. Most of the flours and starches I'm familiar with and have worked with before but sorghum flour is a new one for me. I've heard of it but never worked with it and was never curious enough about it to do any reading. A quick google search tells me it's bland and mainly used in gluten free baking. Gluten free is a non-issue for me but I'm determined to find something interesting to do with it. Being unfamiliar with it, I'm not sure how it behaves. The "bland" descriptor takes some of the potential fun away as well. There's only about a lb. of it so I thought checking into eGullet to fish for information would be a better plan than just throwing it into things. Obviously it's not going to be a candidate for anything where a gluten network is important but does it actually have no contribution flavor-wise? In addition to information, I'd love to see any interesting recipes if they exist.

Not a "what I got" post, a "should I bother" post. The LCBO just released Licor 43 to some of it's stores... is it worth the trouble to see if I can get it to my local store?

It's already in Ontario... a couple thousand km northwest of you. Sounds nice Kerry. I've been saying for a while that I'm going to do a food trip to Quebec (as close to a food trip to France as I'll probably ever get) one of these days but I keep not doing it. Work and procrastination are bad for travel ideas.

From a culinary perspective, sometimes I think I wound up at the wrong end of the province.

Unfortunately, no Lemon Hart 151 at the LCBO or in my cabinet.

I should get that book. I have a few other books queued up on amazon already so adding one more won't hurt.

A little research leads me to believe they are gulab jamun - which supposedly is a dessert! Most definitely not gulab jamun! Looks like dahi vada to me. No vinegar but most definitely not a dessert! They are made from a batter of dal which is fried into dumplings which are soaked in water to get some oil out and soften them and then soaked in seasoned yoghurt. Delicious when made properly, sorry these weren't to your taste! Hmmm... interesting. With apologies to the cuisine of origin, I bet this could be twisted to dessert form.

Tried a Chancellor... 2 oz blended scotch (for no particular reason, I used Te Bheag) 1 oz ruby port (Kopke, the only ruby available where I live so it's an easy decision) 1/2 oz dry vermouth (Noilly Prat) 2 dashes orange bitters (Twisted & Bitter) Stir with ice, strain. Not bad at all. Didn't leave me wanting to stock up on port but I'd definitely drink it again.

That's definitely a tasty one... but it's -15, windy and snowing lightly here so I decided in favor of something warm tonight. 1 oz Appleton 12, 1 oz El Dorado 12 and 1 tsp. 2:1 demerara syrup in a mug topped with warm milk and grated nutmeg.

Has anybody noticed that tonka beans and sweet grass smell amazingly similar? It was nagging at me, I knew the smell but couldn't quite connect it. It finally made it through the fog and I realized that it smells like a milder version of tonka beans. All of the uses of sweet grass where I live are ceremonial/medicinal/craft-related, I don't know of it being used for food-related purposes or if it even can be. I think I have to do some digging around on google.

The snow is officially here too. I don't think we'll be seeing the ground again for several months but the lakes haven't frozen over yet. I wonder what those vinegar balls are?

A lot of things we do out of courtesy to others aren't things that are strictly required or "owed".

I don't think I've advanced in the single malt world enough to really have a personal favorite at this point. I wanted an Islay to be near or at the top based on the descriptors commonly found in tasting notes. Words like smokey and briney called to me. Unfortunately, I think it's going to take a bit of experience before I learn to truly appreciate the region. I've been working on my Laphroaig Quarter Cask for a while now and it still tastes primarily like a hospital smells. I have learned if I'm patient I can discover something pleasant after that initial smack in the face but I'm still struggling with it a bit. So, for now, the Highland Park 12 that came highly recommended by people here at eGullet when I was just venturing into single malts remains the favorite among what I have in my cabinet.

That's what I wanted to know. Thanks to both! I know the flavor in the Luxardo is more intense than any orgeat I can get locally and it's less syrupy sweet (and that bitterness I mentioned isn't so much a flavor element as a faint hint that almost sneaks by... maybe it's my imagination). Doesn't really sound like it would be as good a sub as I was hoping though, I don't really want to have to tweak recipes for something as simple to obtain as orgeat. I guess I'd better add ordering a good one to my list

I'm going to risk being pelted with large ice cubes and ask the experts if there's any reason Luxardo amaretto wouldn't be a good sub for orgeat? It has a pure almond flavor with a bitterness at the very edge of the flavor that I haven't found in any other amaretto or in my attempts at homemade orgeat. It's definitely more tasty than any commercial orgeat available where I live (with the disclaimer that there are no high quality cocktail-targeted versions here). Would the extra alcohol involved cause problems subbing with it or is there something else I'm not seeing that makes it a bad choice? I realize it's a more costly choice but I can get it at the local store so it doesn't end up costing much more than paying to have a good orgeat shipped here.

Easily offended experts and enthusiasts should probably look away now... I was just having fun. It's based on the flavors of Pierre Herme's Ispahan macaron. The base spirit was chosen because a) it has more character than vodka without steering the flavor too much and b) I bought it so I need to use it. salut à ispahan 1 1/2 oz White Owl white whisky 1/2 oz Okanagan Spirits raspberry liqueur (fruity and nicely balanced, tastes like liquid raspberries) 1/2 oz lemon juice 1/2 oz lychee syrup (I used the liquid from a container of lychees in syrup) 1/8 oz Luxardo amaretto (I think orgeat would be better than another amaretto, this needs the true almond flavor) 1/2 oz egg white 3 drops rose water 4 raspberries (I used some local wild raspberries I have in the freezer) Muddle berries, add everything else, dry shake, shake with ice, strain.

I protest my innocence! I've honestly never seen that before... despite the evidence being heavily against me.

Would "I don't know" be an acceptable answer?

I'd go with the 8 unless you just want or already have both. It does the same job with less product and is more stable in acidic preparations. Recipes developed around the 3 can use the 8, just use less. Recipes developed around the 8 may or may not work as well with the 3. With delicate flavors, the increased volume of the 3 might start masking things a bit. With higher acidity, it may not remain stable as long using the 3. But in most cases the two are pretty much interchangeable with modifications to the amount used.

Ultrasperse is less prone to clumping when added to cold liquid but you can use the Ultratex in it's place. It's the number after the name (3 in this case) that is the main differential to pay attention to. If they're both "3", it will work in a 1:1 swap with these products.