Tri2Cook

What qualifies as "snack crisps"? Is this anything in the chips aisle that isn't a pretzel, potato chip or corn/tortilla chip? I don't eat any of that stuff other than plain tortilla chips as a carrier for salsas, occasional pretzels and, recently, the habanero Doritos so I don't think I eat anything that qualifies. I remember liking Pringles Cheese-ums when I was younger if they count... but I haven't had them in a really long time.

So... now that this has been discussed, weighed and measured by those that know much more about it than I do, I'm going to stir the anthill and ask the question I've been trying to find the answer to while reading through all of this. I want to say first that I respect the knowledge of the cocktail experts and enthusiasts that participate in these discussions and have learned/will continue to learn a lot from them. Having said that, my question is: is hammering home the message of the craft of the cocktail and the personal enjoyment of the person making the drinks more important than the preferences of the person who is drinking it? Is teaching them what they should like of more importance than providing them with something they do like? This isn't meant to be argumentive, I'm genuinely curious and attempting to learn. I guess what I'm getting at is, if a bit of simple syrup makes a good drink great to the person drinking it but throws it out of balance according to the person mixing it, is it being more dedicated to the craft to give it to them so they can really enjoy it or insist they drink it as you would so that they can try to learn to appreciate it as it should be?

I'm definitely not a fan of Funyuns so I'm guessing I wouldn't like them any better spicy... but I don't mind the habanero Doritos that are out now.

The milk in Migoya's recipe is cooked until the solids form a burnt layer on the bottom of the pan without sugar or anything else added. That all comes in after the cooking of the milk and ends up with a completely different flavor than a dulce de leche or anything else I've tried where the milk product is cooked with the sugar. I've never cooked a complete ice cream custard to the point you described but now I kinda want to just to check out the result.

I don't know what it was you loved about your ice cream but I'd guess that you're on the right track in relating it to the light scorching. There's a recipe in Francisco Migoya's Frozen Desserts for a burnt milk gelato that is incredibly delicious. I was skeptical going in but it's now one of my favorites. The (over)cooking of the milk really does do something special to the flavor.

I like the Curse of Scotland... 3/4 oz Islay single malt 3/4 oz Drambuie 3/4 oz Maraschino 3/4 oz lemon juice shake with ice, strain.

Through the generosity of a neighbor, I have about 5 lbs of the first rhubarb of the year for my area. Not sure what I'm going to do with it yet but I'm happy to have it.

Interesting... sounds like you're on the right track even if it's not quite where you want it yet.

We had ground beef tacos frequently when I was growing up. No kits and no seasoning mix though. If you wanted yours spicy, you added hot sauce and/or salsa. Mom just cooked the beef with onion, garlic, salt and pepper. She fried the corn tortillas but not hard and crunchy, they were soft and just slightly chewy.

I buy into the premise that something called bitters should in some manner promote bitterness. If a cherry bitters contains no bittering agents, isn't it pretty much just cherry (or cherry + whatever other aromatics are included) vodka? I expect there to be a distinct and obvious bitterness in addition to the aroma and flavor. I may be viewing this incorrectly, in which case I'll gladly be educated.

Those and the Boston Bittahs are on my list to try. I already have the Xocolatl, the Elemakule and the Burlesque. I've really enjoyed all three so I figure I should probably get the other two as well. Edit: and if those Squirrel Nut Bitters on the website ever make an appearance where a Canadian can get them, those will be on the list as well.

I agree... and had I had the additional information that surfaced later in the discussion, my initial response would have been different. If they're given away as promotional/advertising items then it's not stealing.

Well yeah... if you want to be intelligent about it.

This is what I spent two fairly long posts trying to say... now I know why I'm not a writer.

I have to disagree. The store buys the bags the same way it buys the containers and nuts. Taking it without asking removes the option of them saying "we have to pay for those so we prefer you didn't". I sometimes taste things in the produce department before buying and it is what it is. I don't think you can divide it into "it's okay to take this but not okay to take that". Either it's okay or it isn't. I don't make judgements on those who do it but I don't kid myself when I do it either.

I don't do it and I don't think I've ever thought about it but I don't have a need for the bags so my ethics on the subject have never been tested. Strictly speaking, it probably is theft... but so is that cherry or grape or pod of peas I did the "try before I buy" on while in the produce area. The chances that a customer spending money will be approached over these types of things is pretty low so it really comes down to how much it bothers you on a personal level rather than a legal level.

Those look yummy! Yes they do... hmmm...

Surely this is the correct answer - That's always the correct answer... even when the recipe tells you how much salt to add.

The first fiddleheads of the season for my area are in. Got about 6 lbs. today. Fiddlehead omelette time.

A friend who was visiting asked if I would make her a Pina Colada. I made her one by doing the shake and strain with El Dorado 6 year silver, coconut water, fresh pineapple juice, a little lemon juice to brighten it up a bit, a little coconut gomme to give it some body and bring up the coconut flavor and a dash of roasted pineapple bitters. Nothing new and probably not interesting to most but it was fun and she liked it. It was less sweet and had much brighter flavors than the usual suspects... even if it was needlessly overcomplicating a simple drink.

Some people have very specific preferences in regard to their restaurant experience... and some like to pretend they do for the benefit of everybody else in the place. Could have been either type but I tend to find that the more loud squawking and complaining they do, the more likely it is that they're from the second group.

The mini tart shell. I committed to making a very large number of mini tarts for a local event. By the time I was done, I hoped I would be committed if I ever volunteered to do that again. I have a wooden tamper but I usually just give them a quick press with that and fine tune them with my fingers because I'm not happy with the result trying to press them completely with the tamper I have. Some doughs seem to work better if I roll them out and use a round cutter then drop them in the pans. I try to use doughs that don't have too much trouble with shrinking or puffing because lining and weighting all those little buggers is even more time consuming than forming them.

The Suffering Bastard recipe I have and use is identical to the one you posted here other than the amount of bitters. I can see where you would want more balance if you were to use the recipe in the link with 1 tsp. of sweetened lime juice. I found the drink well balanced with the 1 oz. of fresh juice. Of course we may have different ideas of well balanced, I'm not as offended by sweet as many are. I don't require sweet, I'm just not offended by it as long as the drink tastes good to me.

You can strike a balance between gelatins mouth melt properties and agars temp stability and also get different textures ranging between gelatins soft, smooth texture and agars short, brittle texture. The ratios would depend on what you're trying to achieve.

I wonder if the leader of that group has any good recipes for crow for when he has to face his group on sunday morning. Since there's a good chance if the rapture happens saturday night I'm going to still be here toiling through the plagues and pestilences, I guess I better eat pasta to fuel up for my sunday a.m. bike ride. If it's going to be my last meal though, I'd probably go with a huge crawfish boil with a big pot of shrimp etouffee on the side and plenty of beer.