Tri2Cook

I think you want something with a stronger orange backbone like CioCiaro or Lucano, if you can find it. I've avoided the Brooklyn due to not having Amer Picon... but I do have Lucano so maybe I'll stop avoiding it now.

The neighbors looked at me kinda like I had a horn growing out of my forehead as I stood out on the deck in the sleet/rain/cold and grilled burgers tonight. Probably wasn't the best night for it but it's what I wanted...

I was thinking it looked like a fish with a big grin... must be happy about the way it was cooked.

How 'bout a ginger dog? I don't know if you'd classify it as gourmet or not... but they're tasty.

Thanks!

I would say you've definitely pinpointed the primary potential market...

Now you're talking. I like them boiled with a few jalapenos added to the salt water to give them a little kick but they're tasty without that too. You can boil them, divide them in bags and freeze them. Pull a bag from the freezer, toss it in the microwave for a few minutes until hot again and they're almost as good as they were when just boiled.

I also remember a black eyed pea salad I had in Alabama that was almost as good as the muffuletta olive salad in New Orleans but I realize both would qualify more as personal favorites than "greatest salads".

I'll check it out. I'm not particularly enjoying this season of Just Desserts (too many team challenges for an individual competition, it's like making everybody hold hands while running the 100 meter sprint) so maybe it will be a nice change of pace.

Sweet vermouth I have, I'll give it a try.

Nice one Kerry, sounds tasty. I'm still trying to convince the local store that they want to order a thing or two for me (rittenhouse and yellow chartreuse). I think they didn't read the part of the LCBO site that says "your local store will be happy to order anything the LCBO carries". But I can make that drink minus the punt e mes... if I can figure out a good sub.

Enjoyed it. Thanks!

Keeping in mind that most things cost more at the LCBO than they would in most places in the U.S., it's going for $33.95/700ml.

It was just 2 1/2 oz gin, 1/2 oz lillet, 2 dashes grapefruit bitters and the salty gin added 1 drop at a time until I was happy with where the salt was sitting in the mix. I think it ended up at 3 or 4 drops. I'd have to do it again and keep a better count. I gave it a good twist of grapefruit zest in the glass and that was it. I would say it would be a small pinch of salt if doing it that way but I have no idea what an actual measure would be. I was shooting for "salt?!", not "salt!!". I don't think going to extremes of precision is going to mean much with this one... it's not anything special.

I spend time talking to local aboriginal people, especially the older women, and just people in general who've lived here and who's family has lived here for a very long time about foraging and traditional cooking. I also talk to some of the local hunting and fishing guides who have knowledge of wild edibles in the area. The pickings are disappointingly slim even from the best information sources I can find. I've been considering trying to wheedle my way into being invited to one of the hunter's feasts or similar so I can hang around the cooksites and bother people for information but I haven't done it yet. I'm not sure about the etiquette of asking to join in on a traditional aboriginal celebration.

I probably would but they don't often show up in big numbers around where I live. I'm not quite dedicated enough to roam around for hours for 5 or 6 mushrooms... although I have when matsutake hunting.

Just found this listing on the LCBO site: Domaine de Marquisat de Ste Marie Rhum Longueteau. 124 proof Rhum agricole Guadeloupe. No other information, can't find much through google either. Is this a genuine agricole and, if so, is it worth buying if it's the only agricole available through the LCBO... or is it crap? It's a new listing and not showing available in the store searches yet so it may be irrelevant but I thought I'd ask anyway in case it shows up eventually.

I'm going to have to jump on board with the rest and agree they should be tossed. I only forage very obvious mushrooms, chanterelles, lobsters and matsutakes, that I was taught to identify by a professional and I sometimes still get a bit hesitant when it's time to eat.

Or just cut it altogether and give up if it's really come to that. I think it has almost come to that where I live. A friend at work said the school his daughter attends no longer considers or marks spelling errors in any work other than actual spelling assignments. His daughter is in the 8th grade and their last class reading assignment was... The Monster At The End Of This Book. So yeah, if the labels aren't confusing people now, they will be in a few years and may require a revised system.

One day isn't bad. Quick and easy is how I eat at home most of the time, cooking for myself like you two have been doing in this and other threads is the rare event for me. I wonder if "I already cooked all day, I'm just gonna have a sandwich and watch a game" is common or if I'm just a bad cook?

Nope, you didn't miss anything. That was the joke and the concern. I'm a lifelong fan of Mel Brooks movies and Monty Python movies/sketches. There was a time when most people had the ability to laugh at themselves and you could make jokes without having to run them through a large set of filters to make sure it was okay. Those days are sadly long gone and many people are on constant lookout to be offended or offended on someone elses behalf. So I try to find a better set of filters than my own when I think I might be walking a line. My sense of humor may be questionable but my intent isn't mean in nature. I wouldn't even have brought it up if I wasn't considering forcing my friends to try the drink.

So in the interest of truly not wanting to offend, understanding that, offensive or not, it is indeed cheesy and not wanting to start my tentative early venturing into very basic creativity on the wrong foot... I'm decided to drop the name. I also want it to be clear that I'm not trying to convince anyone that it's a worthy cocktail. I have fun playing in the kitchen, I want to have fun playing at the bar.

Does the olive salad they use on the Muffuletta sandwiches in New Orleans count as salad? Otherwise, I'd probably have to go with the classic Caesar... with the disclaimer that I don't eat a lot of salad.

Other than gin, grapefruit and salt... but I understand your point. My non-expert thought was that it evoked the flavors of a Salty Dog without being one. I'm not saying that's necessarily a good thing but it's what I did. The grapefruit is in the nose primarily and the salt is a subtle flavor in what is otherwise pretty much a martini. I'm making no claims about it being a spectacular creation or anything, I'm just starting to delve into creating anything at all so I'm trying to keep it simple for now while I get a feel for how things work. As for the name... I knew it was cheesy, I just wasn't sure if it was offensive. Anyway, thanks for the thoughts. I do appreciate the help.

So... I made this martini-esque drink with Citadelle gin, Lillet Blanc, grapefruit bitters, salt-infused gin (which was entirely unnecessary but fun to play around with) and a grapefruit twist. Am I a bad person for calling it a Salty Frog?