haresfur

I had a bit of time to kill in Melbourne CBD so checked out a liquor store I had noticed on Queen Street with quite a collection of old mini bottles and bitters bottles in the window. They had a few interesting bottles inside at higher than interesting prices. Picked up a bottle of Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas Own Decanter Bitters for a reasonable $23 Aus. Breaking them in with a Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned. The bitters remind me of the Fees Old Fashioned/Whisky Barrel but with stronger clove aroma - and that's not a bad thing at all.

So it's kind of like the bourbon equivalent of Newfoundland 'swish' to get the last of the rum out of the barrel? ... and Chris, a little rough around the edges can be a virtue.

This isn't really correct. The boiling point is defined by the pressure of the gaseous water (water vapour) above liquid. It is only very slightly affected by the air pressure and the expansion of the water isn't important for that reason. In an open pot, the vapour pressure is basically defined by the atmospheric pressure. When you heat water to 100 C at sea level it will start to boil - each of those water vapour bubbles in the liquid will expand to the point where the pressure in the bubble reaches one atmosphere (ok plus the pressure of the water above the bubble but that's not significant). The bubble bursts at the surface and the water vapour is carried away or condenses. At a high elevation, the pressure working against the vapour bubbles is less so boiling occurs at a lower temperature. If you put a sealed pressure cooker top over the liquid and you keep the pot at 100 C then the water vapour will be trapped above the liquid water and its pressure (partial pressure of water, to get technical) will build up until it reaches 1 atmosphere, at which point boiling will cease. If you add more heat and increase the water temperature, then more water goes into the vapour increasing the pressure until the two are in equilibrium again. This pressure-temperature boiling curve is a fundamental property of (pure) water - it's different for say ethanol (praise the Lord!). If you want to increase the temperature in the pot above 100 C, you have to increase the pressure (or add salt or something, but never mind that for this discussion). To keep the pressure cooker from exploding, you have to modulate the pressure and temperature. In a venting pressure cooker, the vent keeps the pressure inside the pressure cooker at or below 15 psi (or whatever set point) above atmospheric. To keep it exactly at 15 psi, you adjust your stove to allow a little steam to release. If I understand non-vented PCs, there is essentially a spring and a marked guide that allows the pressure inside to be a little above or below the target pressure. You adjust the stove to keep the mark at the right level for 15 psi. You can adjust a venting pressure cooker to keep the pressure below the venting pressure but it's not obvious how far below you are. In practice, letting it vent a little keeps the pressure consistent. In either style there are emergency vents to keep the pressure from going too high. But ultimately you have to adjust the heat on the stove to set the pressure/temperature. So the issue with stock making is that the venting allows some volatile flavour/aroma chemicals to release with the steam. It isn't the boiling per se. Stock is pretty forgiving of how long it cooks so I've been trying to keep my pressure cooker just below venting. If it's a bit too low it might be a bit weak after a given time, but I just work my process to cook for a little longer than might be necessary to account for it. It seems to me there is greater difference in the number of chicken frames or necks I throw into the pot. My strategy is to cook for long enough to extract all the stocky stuff even at a slightly low pressure. In practice my stove is so weird that I get some venting and sometimes the safety vent releases. It would be really nice to have a temperature probe inside the PC so you just adjust to a consistent temperature rather than a consistent pressure.

Unfortunately bars seem to refer to themselves as "craft cocktail bars" if they decide they want to sell more cocktails, without any other basis. Chris doesn't agree, but I've had pretty good luck at 1806 in Melbourne. At least the drinks have been good. The service can be a bit weird. Chez Regine was enjoyable and a good place for research before you buy a bottle.

I really wonder about this obsession with not letting the stock boil or vent in a pressure cooker. I don't deny that you could lose volatiles and change the taste if the stock vents (although I can't confirm). But, it seems to me that you are going to lose those components anyway, if you reduce your stock. As far as bringing the pressure cooker to pressure without bringing it to a boil, maybe it is possible with some designs but it seems to me that it would take a very long time and probably some way to monitor the temperature/pressure curves to make sure you don't boil. But if it is at the beginning of the process, you won't have extracted much flavour from the bones so why worry about it? I think the best strategy would be to bring it to pressure as fast as possible and then modulate the heat so you don't vent. I do think you get a clearer stock and possibly better flavour if you crash cool the PC before opening.

I'm not a huge fan of their beer in general, but I agree - why not drink beer that tastes like beer?

If your glasses/mugs have a deep foot ring, they can trap water and come out of the dishwasher still wet. Storing them upside down allows the foot to dry. And the bugs can't walk around the inside...

I like to freeze stock in ziplock bags laid flat so you get a thin layer that's easy to store and break apart. If you are worried about measuring amounts, then weigh the chunks. I also use these, but they would be a real pain for large volumes.

Chicken and white bean chilli. Modernist if you pressure cook the beans.

Averna on the rocks with a thin slice of lemon is very nice.

To start a tradition, just do what you love, then repeat... Some of the traditions for me and my siblings started by taking some of my father's dishes and assigning them to particular days, like German pancakes on Boxing Day. You might think about Barbecue, from the description of your friends. And it would give you plenty to obsess over.

I feel sorry for the younger generation! With all that granite and gabbo, I can believe that the springs would respond quickly to the weather. Are there regulations controlling their water allocation?

Left hand is to 1794 as Boulevardier is to Old Pal? Although it sounds like the KC Left hand calls for more bourbon than you said you used.

I'm a big believer in substituting syrups/cordials for liqueur when I can. If you are mixing with spirits then I don't think the alcohol in the liqueur makes much difference. You could always add vodka. I don't think it works for citrus. Then again, I'll try to substitute ginger wine for ginger syrup, too - but that's out of laziness. My aim isn't to reproduce someone else's drink exactly but to make something that tastes good so I'm always adjusting proportions and ingredients.

You get 5 quarts of stock out of one chicken? I probably end up with less than a quart after reduction. I usually use chicken frames but I may go to necks or wings that are usually less expensive. Then again I live in a country where you can still get those things - although they are getting harder to find in the supermarkets. OP could either start with a whole chicken and pull the meat off the bones to eat after cooking and return the bones to the pot or try to find appropriate bits and pieces. Would making stock from cheap necks, wings or bones be ok or do you want free-range stock? I like the idea of raising your own chickens.

Very nice!

My immediate thought was Canadian wine from the same time period. In comparison to Kelowna muscatel, baby duck was divine.

Not at the liquor store but I scored some supplies at Bendigo Wholefoods. On the left is agave syrup - I wasn't sure whether to get dark or light so I went with the dark. On the right is a "Traditional Mixer" that I assume is a shrub. Don't know what the Aussies traditionally mix it with.

I just read an item from a media watch regarding Ito En sourcing tea from Australia and sure enough: http://www.itoen.com.au/product/index.html I guess that means that the tea in my Costco green tea bags may circumnavigate the Pacific from Australia to Japan to the US and back here.

2 oz rye (Rittenhouse) 1 tsp 1:1 simple syrup 1/2 oz blood orange juice 4 dashes Regan's orange bitters Rinse glass with absinthe (Obsello) Build over ice The blood orange season is brief here and I found some small ones at the local Sunday market (1/2 orange was 1/2 oz of juice). Looks lovely and is very satisfying. This was tweak #2 on the proportions and I think further research may be in order

I sometimes leave them out because they are bloody hard to crush!

I don't think the Captain would add anything to your cabinet that you couldn't get elsewhere. I have a nostalgic connection and it is my basic dark rum but it certainly isn't top shelf. If I wasn't up to my limit I'd pick it up duty free. You might want to look for a Venezuelan rum if you can't find them locally. Chris Taylor may remember which one we sampled.

I've heard Smucker's recommended, too, but in the US I just used one of the brands targeted at the digusting-flavoured coffee trade - Toranni, I think. In Australia I like Cascade cordials - available in about any supermarket.

I've been working on a white-bean chicken chili that I'm getting pretty happy with. I've been using black-eyed beans but any white bean would do. I'm sure the taste profile could be adjusted but for the purpose of this thread I think it is a nicely efficient use of the pressure cooker. The procedure is: Take one whole chicken, remove legs/thighs and wings for a separate dish and put the rest in the pressure cooker and cover with water. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Crash cool and remove the chicken. Add 2 cups beans to the broth and pressure cook on high for 25 minutes. While the beans are cooking take white meat off the chicken and shred with forks. Slow cool the beans (or get impatient after a while and crash cool). Drain water to level of beans but reserve to add if needed later. Add chicken, 1 cup chopped onion, 4 jalapenos chopped (or more - family compromises, you know), a green capsicum (or red) chopped, cumin, salt, pepper to taste. and simmer about an hour. Serve with sour cream or shredded white cheese and cilantro. I haven't experimented with pressure cooking after adding the chicken back to the beans because I worry about making mush.

I haven't actually had any commercial product but I think, yes. It is very sweet but the green walnut flavour is powerful. In some way's it is like pimento dram - sugar syrup with a punch. That being said, it isn't like a lot of cocktails call for it. Bonus points if you can figure out how to cook with it. Pork maybe? ETA: Oh, Nocino, maybe. The friend who made it is Polish so he didn't actually name it for me.