trillium

Trillium, how long do you have to preheat this stone? I preheat it until a analog thermometer I place on the stone reads 550 F. That usually takes around an hour. regards, trillium

Call me obsessive, but I think the brand makes a huge difference, especially for salads and dipping sauces. In my mind it's like saying all wine tastes the same...which I guess it does to a certain extent. We did a tasting with 6 or 7 brands and picked a favorite for cooking and a favorite for using tableside. The differences between brands is remarkable, and they're so inexpensive it's fun to try them all. regards, trillium

I used cheap tiles from Home Depot for years. I finally broke down and bought one of these from the Fibrament people because I was tired of messing around with broken tiles and it really did make a huge difference. My pizze cook in around 4 - 5 minutes, which they never did with quarry tiles. regards, trillium

Well, it's not the same, but I really like using San Pellagrino's limonata in my Pimm's. It's tart, fizzy and the flavor complements the Pimm's. I tried Reed's ginger beer and thought it was too strong and sweet. I know if you add lemon and lime juice to tonic water you can sort of approximate bitter lemon soda... regards, trillium

And then into the fridge for storage between drinks? Would storage in the fridge or freezer while infusing actually slow the process? We're talking pretty high proof spirits here, I wouldn't think you'd need to keep them chilled. One of these days I'll find some jars and start doing these....anybody have a good source? Target had big jars* that didn't seal quite like a Mason jar would, and Bed , Bath, and Beyond had plastic Mason-y jars, but I'm really looking for glass. I hear Safeway has them, but at each one I've tried, I've been hard-pressed to find somebody who knew what a Mason jar was, let alone the article itself. -- C.S. * Fun Things To Do In Target #4. Putter around the store holding a two gallon glass jar, and your best crazy eyes. I like to keep some stuff in the freezer when it's done infusing (like 88) so it's drinkable on demand. Things I like drinking at room temp (like cherry bounce) I keep in a dark place. Yeah, chilling something would slow down the extraction process for sure, so come to think of it, you really wouldn't want to do that. Almost any hardware store will carry Mason jars during the summer. I have a selection of Italian jars that close with a wire clip thingy I use for infusions, pickles, vinegar, etc. etc. I like them because you can replace the rubber gaskets and they come in several sizes from very small (100 mls) to very large (3 liters). I think the best price on them is at Cost Plus, but many kitchen stores carry different brands. The Italian ones tend to be cheaper then the French ones. I also pick them up at second hand stores when I see them...but those are usually just the small ones. regards, trillium

The non-pear in the bottle version costs about half that amount. It's pretty widely available. I'm actually swooning over St. George Spirits' version right now, it really is Aqua Perfecta. Now I wish I bought their sour cherry based kirsch too. As for things you can't get in the US, Amer Picon!!! I am still bitter (no pun intended) that I can't get it here any more. Also, Cinzano makes a bunch of aperitif products you can't find here either. regards, trillium

If it's in spirits and not diluted with water, you don't need to refrigerate it until you're ready to drink it. regards, trillium

Even though I grew up in and still frequently visit Seattle, I always go to Kamei Household Wares and the sister restaurant supply store when I'm in SF. Haig's Deli used to have a decent selection Middle Eastern stuff, but it wasn't just devoted to that (you could get UK chocolates and things like that too). I'm guessing you'd have better luck in the East Bay, but I don't know where, because I don't live there any more. A. G. Ferrari is worth a stop, there are several locations and he offers Italian foodstuffs I haven't seen in Seattle's usual shops. The jams, chocolates, honeys, cheeses, savory seasonings and vinegars all end up in my mailorders. regards, trillium

Way, way better then Moonstruck. And actually, I think they're better then the ones Paul Lemieux made, there is an intensity of flavor that his didn't really have, the flavorings seem matched to the chocolate very carefully. regards, trillium

Here's my 2 cents. Staccato has more interesting flavors, but the texture is not as good and she makes it too sweet and serves it too cold for my tastes. The marionberry was pretty good the other day. Mio has a great texture and on a good day they serve it at the right temp. Some of his flavors are great (raspberry and pistachio) some suffer from adding some kind of flavoring agent that masks the natural taste of the fruit (the melon flavors and grapefruit). That bugs me. Bottom line is that if I was near either and the weather was hot, I'd go to either. I think it all depends on what neighborhood you're in at the time. I like taking a brioche bun from Ken, having him cut in half and then getting it stuffed with gelati from Staccato at the farmer's market. Traditional Sicilian breakfast, and very tasty. I think the stuff I've had from St. Honore stinks. I wouldn't go out of my way to go there or send someone there. Yeah, opinionated, that's me. Ken's country blonde rocks, his baguettes are great, and his croissants on a good day evoke memories of the ones I used to buy at Tassajara bakery before Just Desserts bought it and ruined it. I like munching on the canneles too. I always take out of towners to Pix, it's a fun place with very playful desserts. I find the desserts too sweet to have very often, but I'll usually drink a nice Belgian beer while they indulge. Hedge House, which is right next door, is a nice brew pub too. The partner is a dedicated burger eater. He looks for a good meat, an appropriate bun (soft but substantial) and yummy fries (not really a part of the burger, but still...) His favorites have been the burger and fries at Cafe Castagna, the fries really are good and rumor has it they use some duck fat to fry them...whatever they're doing is good.... and the burger at the now defunct Buckman Bistro. Higgins has good meat, although a little dry (it's sirloin, when chuck is better for a burger) and great pickled vegetables, but it comes on a chewy crusty bun with a side of mesclun salad. In his (Greg's) defense, I don't think it's even listed as a burger on the menu. The bar always has a really nice selection of stuff on tap though. For cheap and plentiful breakfasts we go to Fuller's downtown, the partner digs the American ambiance and 50's counters, and says getting four slices of bacon is a necessary cultural experience for a foreigner. For nicer breakfasts I like Henry's Cafe on Clinton, or Genie's on Division, but that's because they're near me and buy produce and eggs from people I like. I've enjoyed my lunches at Wildwood, they have a pretty tasty fish and chips too. If you go to the farmer's market, which I recommend, and you love chocolate, stop by Sahagun chocolates. Elizabeth makes some of the nicest chocolates I've tasted, and I'm not just saying that because I consider her a friend. I dream about that caramel one...seriously. enjoy your stay, trillium

trillium, could you please elaborate on this one, please? When i made the olive oil ice cream yesterday, i used your thermometer technique (double checking with coated spoon method). The texture of the ice cream was nice and soft but i attributed it to the olive oil. I'm not sure what else to say. What are you wondering? I like the texture of ice cream or gelati that is cooked only to 150 F. It's a less thick base, and it makes a softer and to my tongue, cleaner tasting frozen confection. I really hate making an ice cream that leaves a coating of grease on the spoon or your palate. I also don't like that really strong taste of egg yolks you get when you cook them longer, but I like the emulsification you get when you use yolks. Maybe this is a problem for me because I'm using farm eggs, not ones from a grocery store. I found that when I do include eggs in my base just cooking the it to 150 and then chilling the base in an ice bath helps me avoid this problem. I don't like using all the stabilizers that restaurants use in their ice creams because I think you sacrifice flavor for texture. I think everyone's idea of what texture ice cream/gelati should be is a little different though. regards, trillium

Rizzoli anchovy paste, if you can find it, is worlds (or maybe universes) better then Amore. Nuttier and no bitter fish gut taste. I was lucky enough to get my hands on some fresh anchovies this year and they are super easy to clean after you've gutted and packed them in salt, and the fillet is so much meatier then the oil packed ones. I've bought cans in the past and the quality really seems to vary, sometimes you get nice firm whole fishies in salt and sometimes you get this weird slurry of salt and fish parts. The less firm the fish is, the harder it is to clean. Something I haven't seen mentioned here are anchovies in lemon eggs. You hard cook some eggs and pretend you're making deviled eggs, but instead you put olive oil, a little lemon zest, some juice, some well mashed anchovies (or anchovy paste!) and fresh ground pepper in the yolk, mix it well and put it back in the egg white halves. If you're feeling fancy you can sprinkle them with parsley or put a caper or two on the top. This go very well with aperitif type drinks. And a smear of tomato, then anchovies, fresh mozz and garlic with a sprinkling of dried origano on a thin crusted pizza? Close to heaven. regards, trillium

I'm very fond of Anissa Helou's books, which I haven't seen mentioned. I think she grew up in Beirut. I really like her approach to food writing, enthusiastic and able to communicate how things are done, but not so dogmatic that she doesn't give you choices. Her street food book is a favorite at our house. regards, trillium

Actually, there is a spectrum of milk fat percentages in gelati. In general, the farther south you go, the less fat... in some parts of Sicily, whole milk and that many egg yolks is considered very rich! I make gelati with just whole milk all the time, and much less egg. For cooked custard bases, I've found that relying on a thermometer is much better then relying on thickness, coating a spoon, or whatever, to tell when it's done. I'm guessing the thin one you did was actually right. I think food safety people tell us to cook the base until 160 F. I trust my eggs and have no young children or immuno-suppressed folks in my house, so I tend to go to 150 F because I like the texture better. regards, trillium

Glutinous rice flour in jook, stirred in a little water and added just at the end! regards, trillium

The figs and apricots got in the way. I'm going to try and do it this weekend and I'll let you know! regards, trillium

That is my fault. I could not find an accompanying pic so they did the best they could sorry! Will try for better pics next time You should have given a shout out... I'm growing green and red, and have the red dried on the branch too! regards, trillium

In my part of the US they run between $20 and $30 depending on the size! And JC, I still tell the partner how wonderful he was to lug it all the way back from S'pore...but now I want a bigger one for those quadruple batches of rempah and curry pastes. regards, trillium

How'd that cherry bourbon turn out? I've been trying to think of things to do with bourbon, but have come up pretty empty other than the vanilla suggested in the infusions thread Beans linked to. I have to admit I kind of discounted most fruit for bourbon, and my Eagle Rare already has pretty good vanilla on its own! That said, what IS a good infusin' bourbon? -- C.S. Cherry bounce, as cherry infused whiskies tend to be called, has a long and wonderful history. It's good stuff and you should check it out. Something that has been around and lasted since before the birth of the nation must have something going for it, right? I like making it with Maker's Mark. regards, trillium

Check with the guys at Fairway. They usually have all these things in season. With the grenadine, is the color sort of rosy? How about a "Calabrian Sunset?" Or, perhaps, "Tramonto Calabrese?" Especially if you layered in the grenadine. Ok, it's not that I don't like it exactly, it's just that sunset makes me think sunrise and that in a drink makes me think of the Eagles, and like the Dude in the Big Lebowski, "I hate the fucking Eagles". Sooo there you have it.... Don't be mad. regards, trillium

Hmmm. I think I need to buy more books, no? (But there are already a few on the way that I'm planning to sneak into the house and hope no one notices). Thyme with apricot sounds promising, lessee, I want to do apricot with fresh and preserved ginger, the one with chestnut honey, almonds and pistachio, the chamomile and now thyme. That's a lot of apricot jam, especially since I've decided the ones on the tree aren't good enough -- even the racoons and scrub jays leave them alone! I grow a very strong French thyme, not the sweeter tasting English ones, but I'll bet if I just use a little it will work. I was eyeing the tarragon, I love pear and tarragon together and there are Asian pears ripening on the tree that are looking good. For food safety, if the empty jars are sterilized, the lids are sterilized and your jam is brought to 220 or higher and then jarred, I really don't see why a further bath is necessary. I guess I'd wonder where and how the contaminate was introduced you're trying to get rid of with that extra bath. regards, trillium

I picked my first 3 Early Girls and a handful of Sweet 100s earlier this week. This has been a great year for tomatoes in pdx. They are in containers and taller then I am. They actually managed to yank their stake (bean pole) out of the pot and throw it to the ground. I resorted to nailing the stake to the side of the house. The bitter melons are blooming like mad but not setting any fruit. I must be doing something wrong. The Thai eggplant has a few that are ready to harvest, the rau ram is going nuts, the shiso is competing with the tomatoes for the most crazy growth, and I have more tarragon then I know what to do with. The Thai and red and green holy basils are kind of lagging behind, as is the cornichon varietal cucumber I planted, but I put them out late. And the figs... the tree here is about 10 years old and I'm actually tired of figs. My chervil gave up the ghost and the mache, lovage and parsley all look very sad. It's too hot for them. regards, trillium

I put the nuts in unroasted, so they're already a little soft to begin with. I'm sure that the preserves would soften them. I'm not sure how roasted nuts would do, but I've had fairly crunchy nuts packed in honey in Italy, so maybe if you roast them first you'll retain some crunch. It's funny about fruit... my mum is doing all the blueberry jam since she has the bushes, and she never has got syrup, in fact she felt that one of this years' batch set too hard and is a little rubbery. I made the plain apricot jam last year out of the Ferber book and it was a thing of beauty, perfectly textured, and wonderful to eat in Feb. The batch I completed last night was different in many ways. First, they refused to be peeled after their sugar and lemon bath, simmer and overnight stay in the fridge. It just wasn't happening, so I went ahead and left them as is, so of course they didn't exactly break down enough to make "jam" and what I've got is 4 pints of apricot preserves. I'm using Tiltons, which are a small, very flavorful but somewhat dry variety. Last year I don't know what I was using. I'm going to try and make apricot ginger next weekend, and I think I might slice the 'cots if I end up with the same type, since they refuse to give up their peels. I'm intruiged with the idea of using less sugar, Micheal M, especially with some of these fruits that are already so sweet to begin with. How do you go about deciding the %? How is the texture compared to an 80% sugar jam? The 4th batch of fig jam was figs (duh), a mixture of raw sugar and dark brown molassas sugar, bitter and sweet orange peel and orange flower water. I think it is my favorite of all the figgy ones so far. You get sugar, fig, aromatic flowery orange notes and then sort of an astringent, bitter orange note (like marmalade). I have to say I'm so tired of making fig jam that I didn't bother to chase the raccoon out of the tree the other night, even though she was carefully testing the fruit and only picking the ripest ones. regards, trillium

I have made them, both fruit and coffee, but it's the kind of thing I just want to get on a work break or a hot day without working for it. Today I got a slurpee for the first time since I was a kid. I hear you. It's the perfect pick-me-up, and isn't the kind of thing you want to plan 4 or 5 hours in advance for. Today I had a 79 cent "popsicle" from my favorite Asian grocery store. Mung bean, coconut milk, sugar and pandan. regards, trillium

You're not getting it because it doesn't make any sense. The enzymes that break down alcohol are in the liver, and they can only turn over so much substrate per hour. Giving them more to do isn't going to help anything the next day, when the liver is also busy processing the toxins it generated from getting rid of the alcohol. Here's a good bit on the science behind what alcohol does to your body in good layman's terms ala the BBC. regards, trillium