vice

Actually, bostonapothecary has suggested just that here. I can't recall if I've tried it or not, but I agree that it sounds like a worthwhile idea (even for those rationing the last of their Saint James).

Nope but it is a favorite of mine: gin, cherry brandy, dry vermouth, lemon juice, orange bitters. Did you mean yes?

Isn't the Gilroy a gin cocktail?

Curious because, on paper, everything does seem copacetic. What did you find objectionable?

To clarify, windy as in curvy (although it can be gusty too). The stretch from Monterey to Cambria is also absolutely stunning, and not to be missed if you can rearrange your itinerary to allow for the added time.

Thanks, Chris. Chez Pascal is always on my short list, and yet, somehow often falls by the wayside (haven't been in years). I'll fix that this time around.

Well, it's about time for my biannual 'What's new in the RI food scene?' post. I'll be back next week. - Chris A, I'll save you the disclaimer - I hope to make at least one trip to Cook & Brown. You're there Tuesdays? - I just saw that La Laiterie is doing a small chef's tasting now. Anyone tried it yet? Anything else that's below the radar but not to be missed?

Thanks therippa, I appreciate the menu suggestions. In my book, anything with an egg on top can't be a bad move. Shotwells is new to me, but I'll be in the neighborhood so I'll try to fit it in. Ah, I always digest Carolyn's reviews with much gusto, despite the fact that I make it up to the city far less often than I should. I'd love it if she checked in.

With 42-45mm casings, I reach 35% weight loss in under 2 weeks. Your casings look larger, but it's always better to check earlier rather than later.

Would anyone who has been care to share their opinions? I'm going to be in San Francisco this Sunday and need to grab a drink and a few small plates before meeting friends later in the evening. The options that meet those requirements are near endless, but flour + water has crossed my radar a few times so I thought it might be worth checking out. If that's not the case, any suggestions for an alternative? Neighborhood doesn't particularly matter, but similar menu/aesthetic would be great. Thanks. eta: proper punctuation

Also, there's something else I've been meaning to try but haven't gotten around to yet. Bod del Grosso mentions here that whey can be used instead of a commercial starter. Not often in possession of proper whey myself, the liquid that separates from yogurt (actually, I suppose there's no reason not to consider that whey) could be used to similar effect. It's filled with the same lactobacilli that are in most starter cultures and there should be plenty of microbes to ferment a 5 lb batch with as little as an ounce or two. For more recipes that utilize small amounts of starter culture, see jmolinari's blog and Len Poli's site.

For about 6 months, I've been adding starter (F-RM-52) at a rate of 0.05-0.1% of the meat+fat weight, then doing a 3-5 day ferment in the fridge with meat, fat, and seasonings. I haven't had any problems with failed fermentation thus far, but note that I haven't taken pH measurements, just evaluated 'tang' in the final product. I was having a difficult time maintaining high enough humidity at the elevated temperatures required for a short fermentation period. The pre-grind fridge fermentation makes this step irrelevant and seems to give enough time for the small amount of starter to do its job.

To prevent any flavor cross-contamination from what was in the jigger prior, it seems safer go with the former. Life is so tough sometimes.

Some like it heavy. Recipe for the tonic?

I'm curious what folks are doing for white wine vinegar. Often, what's cheap and voluminous enough to be practical for pickling is truly wretched. Any tips?

I guess you could call it a Hemingway old fashioned: 2 oz Saint James Ambre 1 tsp maraschino 1 tsp demerara 2 dashes Peychaud's 2 dashes Bittermen's grapefruit bitters twist of lime I will be drinking half as many ti punches

some sort of manhattan-like frappe: 1.5 oz rye (wild turkey) .75 oz bonal 2 dash absinthe 1 tsp demerara syrup shake with crushed ice, pour into frozen old-fashioned glass This was refreshing and had a really lovely cherry flavor, but needs a bump up in dimensionality - maybe a float of absinthe or peychaud's?

There are many ways to the same end. If I crank my gas oven up all the way (way past broil), it will reach 700F in about an hour and cook a pizza in 3 minutes. jmolinari's method is intriguing in that it is much faster and doesn't turn the house into an extension of the oven (a not inconsiderable point in these warm months).

Those are two pretty good measures of 'worth' as far as I'm concerned. Duly noted.

Yikes, at that price I'd hope it's good. Would you say it's worth 3X the price of the OXO?

But what about the temperature of your mix? My Gaggia only takes that long if the ingredients were mostly at (warm) room temperature. That time is for a mix refrigerated overnight. Based on my experience only with the Cuisinart compressor machine, I agree with paulraphael that frozen canister machines can perform better than lower priced compressor models. Aside from the lackluster cooling, my other main gripe with the Cuisinart is the seeming flimsiness of the transmission. When I have enough freezer space to permit storing a canister, I will go back to those models.

The Cuisinart model with the compressor takes 40-50 minutes to freeze a quart. That's starting with the machine at room temperature. Though obvious now that I'm writing this, I've never let it run for a while to come down to operating temperature before adding the cream mixture. I'm making a batch this weekend and will time it that way.

I think microplaned zest dehydrates pretty quick even at room temperature, so it's worth a shot.

I would think that a vacuum sealer would work fine (provided you've got one handy). What about drying it?

bostonapothecary is a step ahead of you on that front. It sounds like a great idea.