Provocachic

Just an interesting note on use of honey to share here: Had used one particular type, "honeydew" Beech honey in a cocktail recipe (Secret Garden) last year. It had a very unusual earthy note, and is actually nectar collected by bees from a certain species of insects.

Well, the tricky thing is the gum arabic I bought came in liquid form. As the recipes usually use the powder form for this particular ingredient, the recipe would most probably be different in my case. Anyone else got any ideas?

Greetings! Have recently bought a bottle of gum arabic 'syrup' (from a specialty pastry supplier), but rather than being pre-sweetened, it's mainly gum arabic in liquid form. However, most recipes for making your own gum arabic syrup has 3 components - gum arabic, water & sugar. Have anyone used gum arabic in this liquid form and sweetened it with sugar? If so, what proportion should I use? (1 gum arabic liquid: 3 sugar?)

Hello, Sounds like an interesting set that you've just invested in. Perhaps you could share more about the 2 unusual ingredients that you'd mentioned with this forum? More details and some pictures (being used, look of ingredient, etc) perhaps? Provocachic(sm): "what would your story taste like?"

Hi Robert, I'm a chocolate fan, especially Amedei. My favourites are their Chuao and Porcelana. Actually, I specialize in cocktail recipe design. Always wanted to learn pastry, and recently have been seriously considering it. I'm based in Singapore. My impression is that the French are known for it, but the Japanese have a most impressive sensibility towards pastry art too. Is it necessary to go through training at a famous institution, or could an amateur like me (with ZERO pasty experience) start through apprenticeship? Any advice? Warmest Regards, Damian Provocachic

hi, just like to add an interesting idea of using simple gelatin and cold oil to make 'caviar/pearls' (http://www.smallscreennetwork.com/video/26/molecular_mixology_aviation/) or simply the age-old egg white to create a foam (http://www.smallscreennetwork.com/video/19/jamie_boudreau_molecular_mixology2/) Some of the items needed for molecular mixology may not be easily available, and in the current trend of MM, some of these items are just being marketed at a unnecessary price range. The videos above are good reminders to look back at the main concepts behind and to find more 'friendly' alternatives.

Hi, may i ask, how do you dry hop rum? I'm curious about the process & techniques, if may be so kind as to share it. There's also a piece about using fat washing for Jello Shots (really!) on the Food & Wine Blog: Haute Jello Shots, By Kristin Donnelly, Food Editorial Assistant ← i dry hopped some rum a while ago. it can be intense and intimidating. but if you do one short infusion throw out the booze and then do your second real infusion you will lose your most over the top pharmacudical type bitter and reveal more of the floral character... all in all fun. rum kissed by hops makes a good floridita... the bacon whiskey concept uses the "Enfleurage" technique... it is one method of making essential oils... dissolve something in a fat... (that smokey character is dissolved in your bacon) integrate it to an alcohol... the alchol pulls the stuff out of the fat... rack away the fat... i had great salad dressings this season with walnut oil and aged sherry vineger... i wonder if that oil is a shortcut for nocino... i'd drink that walnut cognac with a spoonful of pear liqueur... ←

There is actually a recipe designed with a salmon sashimi as the garnish: http://www.gildedfork.com/provocachic/2007...r-epiphany.html

Actually, 'culinary' is the direction that cocktails are moving into. For example, in London there are now "style bars" which are more like a kitchen-style of bar, with each barman to a very specific task. Of course, there's the fresh produce aspect, and of late there's quite abit of interests in the revival of classics. Perhaps with a slight modern touch to it in terms of palate adjustments. I myself have been using ingredients more familiar in the kitchen for cocktail recipe designs - eg, parmigiano-regianno, salmon sashimi (garnish), kewra essence, hungarian 'noble sweet' paprika, etc. (check out www.gildedfork.com/provocachic/ if you're curious to find out more)