Alcuin

I recently tried some Cherry Garcia, after years of not eating it. I didn't like it at all, though I used to in the past. I didn't notice that it tasted chemically, but I did think the ice cream itself just tasted like sugar and not much else. The cherries were bad and did remind me of sugar-bomb imitation maraschino cherries though; the chocolate is also not good. I chalked it up to the fact that I live in a town that has really good local ice cream and that's all I've been eating for a while. It seriously paled in comparison and I won't be eating it again.

I don't have much to add in terms of tips for how to fit cooking into your life, since I do the same things everybody else here has mentioned. I'm also struggling with balancing cooking and writing a dissertation and cooking is my time to blow off steam. My partner and I sit in the kitchen talking and listening to music while I cook. We spend about 1 1/2 to 3 hours sometimes doing this, but it doesn't feel like wasting time. It's become something to look forward to in the day because it helps to focus on an ephemeral task. I'd say you should take whatever shortcuts feel ok to you. Cooking can be stressful, so make things that are easy and that you're comfortable with on weekdays and get more elaborate on weekends when you have more time.

Is this thread connected with Le Creuset's current US promotion of their Doufeu's "75th anniversary" ??? http://www.lecreuset.com/en-us/Promotions/...th-Anniversary/ ← I've wondered about the doufeu on occasion over the years but was reminded of it by an ad in this month's Saveur magazine. That ad was part of the 75th anniversary campaign. The reason the doufeu is appealing to me is that it has all-metal handles integrated into the casting of the piece. It doesn't have those phenolic resin handles that break. It doesn't have a metal handle that screws on and can become loose. Those handles on the doufeu look like they're going to last as long as the pot aka forever. They're also pretty cool looking. ← I thought pretty much the same thing when I saw it in this past Saveur. As for the ice and the self-basting nibs, I think they're surpassed by a simpler (and perhaps older?) tool, a cartouche. Besides, is it really possible that there is any meaningful self-basting going on in the inside of a pot that is probably ultra-humid anyway? Nibs and ice leading to self-basting sounds similar to claims like "searing seals in juices."

Soot?!?! Really? Try the method and get back to me on how much soot you detect in the flavor. Make sure you take a pic of the outside as well so we can tell if you did it correctly... ← I'd be afraid I'd get bitter tasting char rather than a delicious maillardized crust. How do you make sure you don't burn the outside of the meat with a technique like this? It seems to me there are ways to ensure this that allow for more control. ← It's not hard to lift up the steak and look at the underside....That's what those tongs are for... ← Indeed. My point was that once you get the tongs in there, you might be past the point of no return.

Soot?!?! Really? Try the method and get back to me on how much soot you detect in the flavor. Make sure you take a pic of the outside as well so we can tell if you did it correctly... ← I'd be afraid I'd get bitter tasting char rather than a delicious maillardized crust. How do you make sure you don't burn the outside of the meat with a technique like this? It seems to me there are ways to ensure this that allow for more control.

I guess I'll have to play around with my bread procedure a bit. I've been doing the same thing weekly for about a year now. I'll try a weaker flour or an extended bulk fermentation. That's incredible bread--like others around here, I started baking seriously because of your egci course. Thanks for the help.

I have -- but I simmered the stock for a full hour, too, which is what I do with shrimp heads. I thought the warning about 15 minutes was only for fish, not shellfish, but I'm sure someone has an authoritative answer and explanation. ← I thought this too--I do fish fumet for 30 minutes max and I do shrimp stock quickly too because there doesn't seem to be a point in going longer. I haven't detected any off flavors off of an hour simmer with lobster shells, but I'd definitely hesitate to go any longer.

Both. Its wrong in principle. The amount a dough rises depends on many factors. The optimum point to shape is when the dough is saturated with carbon dioxide and micro-bubbles have begun to form, but the sponge is not yet so delicate that it will lose gas and collapse as its handled. That is much earlier than when the dough has doubled. Many commercial bread processes such as "no-time doughs" omit the bulk fermentation stage entirely. Its also wrong to let the proof stage double. Bear in mind that properly conditioned the dough will more than double in the oven from the outgassing and the steam before setting. If it has already doubled the most dough stuctures will not take that expansion, and heavy bread will result. Its wrong in practice, since its very hard to estimate a doubling in volume, especially for boule. For my sourdough I shape 2 hours after mixing (at room temperature - say 75F), and then eithr immediateky retard overnight and bake for cold, or bake after a further 2 hours. a toatl of 4 hours form mixing the dough. The dough includes 33% by weight of flour an overnight pre-ferment. Typically Preferment: 200g flour 100g water 10g culture Mix and leave 24 hours at 75F Dough All the preferment 400g flour 12g salt 320g water (70% hydration) Mix roughly, then stretch and fold every 1/2 hour for 2 hours Shape, prove for 2 hours or overnight in the fridge. Bake 40 mins 450F, bottom heat, steam in first minute ← This is very similar to what I do, except with 350 ml for the dough which is 75% hydration. I still don't get big holes, though my crumb is cool and light. Do you get an open crumb with 70% hydration? I usually do about 12-16 hours for the pre-ferment, then about 2-3 for the bulk ferment depending on how fast it's going. Then I like to retard overnight and bake straight from the refrigerator in a dutch oven. I'm pretty happy with the crust and crumb, but I'd like the crumb to be a bit more open. I use a flour with an average of 12% gluten--should I switch to something with a bit less?

can you (or anyone else here) rec'd a good lobster broth recipe, or is it just simmer the shells in water with an onion and some parsley? (and a bisque recipe too if you wouldnt mind)? thanks ← here's a classic recipe http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/vie...er-Stock-231559 but really you can just make a simple stock if you want--the most important thing is to cook for a very short time--my fish guy told me this--and it's true--any fish/shellfish--just cook for about 15 minutes. ← That's a good stock recipe, but if you really want to go crazy and make it extra rich, start with some mirepoix, lots of tarragon, and a bay leaf, then once that's sweated add the lobster shells and cook them a bit. As the shells go in, I throw in a mixture of cognac and dry sherry, then put some fish stock in along with the tomaley. Simmer it for about an hour to produce a broth that has a lot of flavor and is very condensed. Then just add cream or cream + cornstarch slurry, some tomato paste, season, add bits of lobster and enjoy. I think you need longer cooking for this broth because it really condenses the flavor and makes a super rich lobster broth.

If you still have the shells you can make lobster broth out of them and turn it into lobster bisque.

This is exactly what I do. I usually splurge and buy something different, like lamb shanks, shrimp, a duck (a delicious and extravagant item that I get breasts, rendered fat, stock, and confit legs from). I eat a lot of legumes and kale which I eat instead of spinach and it only takes slightly longer to cook. You can cook it in a ton of different ways too (potato/kale soup, braised with garlic/lemon, kale + starch gratin, even raw in a very acidic vinaigrette to fatigue it until tender, etc.). I take it as a challenge to learn more about what I can do with a single ingredient and really explore it's properties and get the most out of it. It's fun--I think of it as spending time instead of money and you can get added value even if you don't spend added money.

I've been drinking hot toddies: 3 oz boiling water 2 oz Laphroig 10y 1 t demerara My mom used to always burn piney, smokey incense during Christmas to compliment the smell of the tree. Instead of that, I've been drinking these hot toddies that sweeten the air with their smokiness and combine with the scent of the tree: instant nostalgia.

That's what I remember too, with the addition that said facefull of ice might be all too painful for those who lived in the dark ages of dentistry.

I just roasted a bone-in pork shoulder yesterday. It took about 3 1/2 hours at 300 but it was only 2 lbs. When it's tender enough, it can be still sliceable, to an extent. Because of the way a shoulder breaks down, you can't really get nice round slices as you can from a loin. It can but sliced, but some of it will fall apart. Also, because of the long cooking time, you get a decent crust at 300.

You could make the process easier (if a bit more messy) by transferring the roux to a thin stainless bowl then put it in ice water. That would shock the roux faster than leaving in the pan (even if the pan's material is highly conductive) and you could bring it closer to doneness without worrying as much about overcooking.

Pre-bottling only works for some drinks. It's fine for a Martini or a Manhattan, but if you make a bottled Sidecar, it must be finished off quickly because the lemon juice will deteriorate. The problem with pre-bottling Martinis, for home or bar use, is that many people like different measures of vermouth. For myself, I often enjoy 2-1. Next time I might want fitty fitty though, to break the monotony. Or I'll want a variation, like adding maraschino and bitters (Imperial), etc. Like Jaz, I don't really want to drink the same thing over and over again. Also, when someone comes over, they might want 3-1 or 4-1 and altering the formula crystallized in my bottled mix is too much math for me to handle. I find this can be good for parties (especially with Manhattans) but I've even stopped doing that. I can make them a la minute fast enough and have more options that way.

It also helps to hold the spoon between your thumb and forefinger at the top and between your pinky and ring-finger on the shaft of the spoon (or between your ring and middle fingers). If find this gives you more control for smooth stirring.

I too create my stir drinks in a pint glass. And it's always at room temperature. I've never even considered using a chilled pint glass. Which is kind of funny, since I keep a couple in my freezer all the time. I guess I should try this out. FWIW, I also build my shaken drinks in room temp pint glass. Then, I add the ice, slap on the tin, then shake. Personally, I don't think there is ever a good reason to use a room temperature pint glass. See here for more information and explanation. ← I agree. Once you pointed out that the a room-temp mixing glass will suck up thermal energy and that a frozen glass will probably aid, rather than hinder the cooling process as a room-temp component in the process would, I never went back. I consistently get drinks that are really cold. It's the secret ingredient to a great martini, rather than a very good one.

I think the trick is to keep the back of the spoon against the mixing glass as you stir by rotating it slightly as you revolve around the glass. You can probably learn if you want by watching somebody who's really good at it. Here's a video with some sweet stirring technique that features Donbert making a Benton's Old Fashioned: . Good stirring technique might not be essential since as slkinsey notes, a stirring rod works just as well as a spoon (even if it is not as useful for other things). It does allow you however to show off your moves though, since there's nothing cooler than super silent stirring. It just takes a lot of practice.

I had a small party too and this is what we had Bee's Knees Scofflaw Martinez Martini Manhattan Imperial Old Fashioned Ward Eight I shied away from eggwhite drinks, though now I'm thinking I should have offered one to see what would happen. I've served them to several people and they've always liked them (it helps when the drink is a Riviera, universally loveable as it is). Oh well, there's always next year.

What about chartreuse? I drank a bijou last night and thought it was something I might call funky and I think it can be called musky. If we're going by aroma though, I just compared it's aroma to maraschino. I smelled the chartreuse first and thought it smelled funky. When I smelled the maraschino though, I rethought that. There's definitely something in the maraschino that's funky in a way that chartreuse isn't. Is chartreuse funky? If so, it's in a bit of a different way than maraschino and I'm sure it's different than WT bourbon. Can there be one kind of cocktail funk or is it a word that just describes whatever's pleasantly strange on the palate?

Additionally, nearly all the blends I've seen are bottled at either 40 or 43% abv. I find it interesting that such whiskies have become the standard for Rob Roys, Bobby Burns, etc., whereas for Manhattans and the like the 40% abv Ryes are held in much lower esteem than the 50% Rittenhouse BIB or the 50.5% Wild Turkey. It goes without saying that if you want a Whisky in the 50%+ range, you'd better look toward the malts. FWIW, I made a Bobby Burns once with the 59.6% Aberlour A'bunadh and it was fantastic. ← Macallan cask strength makes a powerful Rob Roy. I treat myself to one every once in a while. I agree that mixing with single malts is complicated and you have to attend to their characteristics. I think the problem with Asimov's statement is that he says, in a pretty dramatic fashion, that single malts will "never" be found in a mixed drink. This is demonstrably untrue. ← Except for the all-important "almost" which I still think makes the statement true, overall. ← True, and I agree with you about the difficulty of using single malts and that they will probably not have the kind of wide use that rye and gin have. I guess I was reacting to the highly rhetorical and definitive sounding way he wrote that sentence. Even if he does hedge enough to be true overall, it seems to me to imply that single malts have a lot of uses (he cites pairing it with steak and oysters) and using them in a cocktail isn't one of them. The crux here is that he's talking to a very general audience that doesn't even know what single malt scotch really is. So I guess it's fine if he implies they aren't used in mixing because most of his readership might not be expected to try it anyway. On the other hand, following the conventional wisdom that single malts should never be used in mixed drinks (we've all heard that one) is unfortunate, since many have shown that it can be done to good effect. Gary Regan talks about it at length in Joy of Mixology and was even hired by Glenkinchie to make a drink using scotch as the base spirit. Why pass on a tired and limiting old chestnut like this?

Additionally, nearly all the blends I've seen are bottled at either 40 or 43% abv. I find it interesting that such whiskies have become the standard for Rob Roys, Bobby Burns, etc., whereas for Manhattans and the like the 40% abv Ryes are held in much lower esteem than the 50% Rittenhouse BIB or the 50.5% Wild Turkey. It goes without saying that if you want a Whisky in the 50%+ range, you'd better look toward the malts. FWIW, I made a Bobby Burns once with the 59.6% Aberlour A'bunadh and it was fantastic. ← Macallan cask strength makes a powerful Rob Roy. I treat myself to one every once in a while. I agree that mixing with single malts is complicated and you have to attend to their characteristics. I think the problem with Asimov's statement is that he says, in a pretty dramatic fashion, that single malts will "never" be found in a mixed drink. This is demonstrably untrue.

I'm not MayhawMan, but I did make this Leftover Holiday Turkey Gumbo from Gumbopages this year and it was fantastic. I halved it and used a little under 3 quarts of turkey stock and I still have a lot of gumbo left since there's only two of us.

No pictures, but I made turkey and red bean soup (turkey stock, mirepoix, 1 small can tomatoes, turkey, small red beans, lots of thyme, topped with Pecorino) and I made Leftover Holiday Turkey Gumbo which was fantastic. I've never made gumbo before and this was a great way to use up the turkey stock from the carcass. If I had more turkey, I'd do turkey chili. Tonight's dinner will be the last of the turkey in sandwich form.