thampik

thanks, haresfur and Adam. I'll try the luxardo and the 100% proof rye.

I am after a bit of advice on which ones to buy. Briottet or Luxardo Marachino liqueur (the former is quite a lot cheaper)? I am also looking for a Rye - 100% proof Rittenhouse (approx £32) is a lot more expensive that Rittenhouse Straight (£22) so is it worth it? Are there any other reasonably priced alternatives?

I often cook a Sat Barns (2* chef) Salmon recipe that involves brining before sous viding - the recipe involves brining for 1 hr - 200g sugar/200g salt/1 lt water/4 pieces of kombu. It is then cooked at 40C for 10 mins.

I'm really keen on PX in a cocktail (since the PDT Rapscallion recipe) so I was keen on trying this. Well... No Averna so I had to sub Cynar and really enjoyed it-probably need to tweak the quantities as it was a touch too sweet

I think the sherry used is probably the "Lustau East India Solera" - hence the "East India Negroni"?

Wow! Certainly works with Caol Ila..

Intrigued by the drink - do you think this will this work with Caol Ila subbed for the Talisker?

Not sure whether this is the best place to post, but.... this article in todays Telegraph has some interesting historical info on the origin of Cocktails.

that's very useful, annachan - and along the lines of the article that I linked upthread.

...and what made me ask the question to start with was this article that goes into the pros and cons of wet vs dry brining Turkey.

The crackling method I used was from this really interesting article.

radtek, thanks - I'l definitely try that next time

Dave, one thing that worked really well for me was cooking the skin separately at about 90C for about 7 hrs and then cutting it into strips to cool. A last blast at about 220c for about 10-15 mins ended up with amazing crackling. Perhaps it is possible to achieve similar results much quicker as well, but where's the fun with that :-)

Baselerd, I can testify first hand it is delicious without brining as well I am not sure I would use brining solely for the purpose of helping it retain moisture as pork belly is not very likely to be dry. I read that chefs do it to get better flavour into the pork...and with that as the goal, I am wondering if anyone has views (or fact) regarding the pros and cons of dry vs wet brining.

What is the latest thinking in terms of brining pork belly? Are there pros and cons re: dry vs wet brining? Does brining actually add a huge amount of flavour to pork belly? Until fairly recently, I had never brined Pork Belly and cooked it conventionally at a fairly low temperature for about 3-4 hrs. But I have been reading with interest a fair amount of recipes that call for brining (such as Heston's 24-hr brine followed by 9+ hrs of cooking) pork belly followed by cooking at much lower temperatures for longer (not sous vide - just a low temperature oven). Recently I dry brined 1.5 kg (skin off) Pork Belly and then cooked over 9 hrs - the end result was pretty good (but then, when is Pork Belly not good!), but I am not sure I noticed a huge amount of extra flavour. I was wondering whether wet brining would do something better? Quite a few of the recipes call for 12 hrs of dry brining vs. 24 hrs of wet brining...

That perhaps explains your view. I can only speak from my experience - where the food was excellent. In a sense, the above is indicative of the value the guide has - in that their inspectors (presumably) visit an establishment a number of times so as to make a balanced judgement.

robert45, I would recommend you try the The Hand and Flowers in Marlow - neither underwhelming nor overpriced. Might change your mind about starred pubs.

Thanks PSmith - your post caught my interest and I checked out (and signed-up for) for Travelzoo. I can see myself availing of some of those dining offers. However, I am likely to be amongst EdwardJ's 95%.....

HungryHoss, I am not sure when you are planning on going, but note that Ma Cuisine is closed till 5th September. And do avoid going on a Sunday as nearly all the good restaurants are closed Hotel De La Poste - which is open on Sundays - is in the Micehing Guide and OK. Stephane Derbord in Dijon is excellent, and the set lunch (3 courses - 28 Euros) is an absolute bargain - though it is not traditional bungundian fare. Bernard Loiseau was also excellent and is worth it if you have a car. Lovely dining room facing the garden, good food, great service.

Thanks, Sylvia - I have added Stephane Debord to the list :-)

Very good timing HungryHoss, as I am in Burgundy next week and I've been looking at roughly the same kinds of places - though price is an issue What I have so far shortlisted :- Beaune La Ciboulette Ma Cuisine L'Ecusson Dijon L'Epicerie & Cie Le Bistrot des Halles Cafe de la Prefecture Au Bon Pantagruel I am also booked in for lunch at Le Relais Bernard Loiseau.

Blather, when you are next around Guildford I would recommend that you do try Drakes. I had their 6-course lunch menu recently and really enjoyed it - there are some interesting things going on in the menu. Cod with courgettes, Orzo and feta for example. At £39 it was pretty good value as well.

wow - I have never seen pork that looks like that.

Thanks for the clarification - is it safe to age at 45C for 4 hours and then leave in the fridge to cook next day?

DouglasBaldwin : Is that really 45 '°C' - so not aging as people would think, but actually cooking at a low temperature?