Dave the Cook

Someone gave me a small bottle of this. The spices evo-lution noted in Becherova are an obvious match for fall fruit. It worked really well as the sweet component in a drink I call the Spiced Pair: 1.25 oz Belle de Brillet 1.00 oz Bacardi 8 0.50 oz Becherova 0.75 oz lemon juice Shake well with ice and serve in a chilled cocktail glass.

Here's how you do it.

I highly recommend the excellent eGCI course Knife Maintenance and Sharpening. Chef's Choice sharpeners present a number of long-term issues, though I've never heard that you couldn't use a steel in conjunction with them -- where does that advice come from?

Salmon is typically cured with salt, sugar and herbs. Point being: the flavor of the original product is already highly adulterated. Distillates and infusions can only be secondary flavor agents at best, given the strength of the primary cure ingredients and the drying effect of alcohol. Are you suggesting that the additional herbal-citrus boost of gin would be overdoing it?

I'm not sure about the penne, and I'm neither Russian nor a Jew, but I can't imagine that cured salmon and lime vinaigrette wouldn't be better using gin. Who's going to try them and report?

Not just peas (though they're the hands-down frozen vegetable champion), but corn and especially artichoke quarters. Unadulterated by marinades or oil, they're a great way to add sophistication to any number of dishes. Ignore the package directions and cook them low and slow -- maybe 20 minutes' simmering in fat, salt and water, drained at the last-minute and sprinkled with lemon juice -- and they'll do you proud. Back to peas: also great as an ice pack for injured knees, bruised elbows, or blackened eyes (cheaper than steak). I've never seen snails any way other than canned. Um, except for the ones in my childhood fish bowl. Or add a can to a half-pan of slightly stale cornbread and heat gently: instant side dish! Thanks for the reminder.

Voodoo's correct. But there are a number of interesting places at a variety of price points within a short cab ride of downtown hotels. For example, while midtown is close and direct, a right angle at North Avenue or Ponce leads quickly to some interesting places: The Spotted Dog (there's a 24/7 diner on the West Peachtree side of the adjacent building, and a Cantonese place catty-corner from that), Mary Mac's, MF Sushibar (pizza and Thai -- and The Spaghetti Factory! -- in the same complex); around the corner (admittedly aways around the corner, but not unreasonably so) is Shaun's; a little further up North are Manuel's and Repast. Not all of these are two- or three-star food; Repast, MF Sushibar and maybe Shaun's (haven't been there, but his reputation is promising) being the best of the lot, but they're worth a visit, and stars aren't always what you're after anyway. Especially if you travel for a living, sometimes all you want is decent food, close-by, that isn't room service. Just keep therese's advice in mind:

Surely not kidney beans. You must mean pintos. My first nomination is Wondra. I forgot about it for maybe two years, but during a recent semi-annual spice-cabinet shakedown, I found my pale blue can. Nothing's better for quickly adding body to a pan sauce; as the flour component of a meuniere; or for dusting thin slices of parsley, spinach, sage, onion or leek prior to frizzling. I've moved it to the little open shelf next to the stove, so I don't forget how willing and able it is.

I'd give up White Russians altogether, but if you like them, I'm not sure rum will suit -- at least not white rum. The vodka is in the recipe simply to lengthen the Kahlua and strengthen the proof, and the floral notes of a good white rum might be disruptive. If you want to try it, I'd suggest a dark rum; the molasses undertones might be interesting with the coffee -- a little like using brown or turbinado in your cup of joe. But if you can't find a substitute, use vodka and play the cocktailian iconoclast -- the guy who stands his ground in the face of prevailing opinion. Besides, we might be vodka snobs around here, but lots of big names -- Dale DeGroff and Ryan Magerian among them -- find vodka a useful ingredient. On the other hand, gin makes a superior Bloody Mary, or so I'm told. (Playing the iconoclast card myself, I can't stand them.)

Pork tenderloin sandwiches are definitely an Indiana thing, which is not to say that they can't be a thing elsewhere, too. Likewise sweet corn. A handful of other likewises: - Thin pork chops, floured and fried. - Fresh tomatoes in August . . . with sugar. - Oyster stew and scalloped oysters. In the late 19th to early 20th century, oysters were the only "fresh" seafood available in the part of the midwest that doesn't serve as shoreline for the Great Lakes. My grandparents would order a barrel of bivalves in mid-October, and it would arrive in early November. The barrel went into the darkest, coolest part of the cellar. Grandma doled them out over the next couple of months, the culmination being scalloped oysters at Christmas dinner, made with the last of the barrel -- leftovers from the traditional Christmas Eve stew.

Or maybe manufacturers have changed the way they build ovens. Or both. I have to say that I prefer Orville, but the difference is slight enough that when a deal like the one I got comes along, I'm okay with switching -- or I was until this problem manifested itself. A 20% reduction in yield unnerves my latent F&B Controller.

That's what I'm talkin' 'bout! (Well, except for the turning part, which I'll ignore.) I'll post results after tonight's binge.

Katie, despite the -- what, three or four days in total? -- we've spent on kitchen teams together, you still underestimate my laziness. Very interesting idea, though I can't imagine that GF hasn't thought of that. I'll get another pack of Orville and check out both bag construction and patent listings (if any) on the packages. The thing is, I can order a replacement part from the manufacturer. See my response to Katie, above! If it weren't for the hopefully obvious gender difference, I'd suggest that these two events might be related. Regardless -- Mike, I'd love to know more about popcorn popping procedures at Pennsylvania state penitentiaries. Seriously.

I know how microwave ovens work, but this one has me stymied. I have a decent oven, but like most ovens over about a year old, it has a broken carousel. Since I use it mainly to reheat things, and occasionally someone wants to melt chocolate in it, said lack of rotational device hasn't been much of an issue. But every other month or so, I get on a popcorn kick. That's when I run into problems. Before the carousel quit rotating, I enjoyed almost perfectly popped corn. I swear, if there were five unpopped kernels left, I was surprised. It was late-night, eG Forums-surfing heaven. So when the roundabout failed, I devised a couple of mitigating techniques: massage the corn/fat capsule, check the oven-insertion angle carefully (90 degrees relative to the door seemed to work best), and recalibrate the timing. Then I switched brands, from Orville Redenbacher's Movie Theater Butter to PopSecret Movie Theater Butter (both in "snack size," lest I get carried away and consume more than two at a sitting). Despite all manner of contrivance, I can't get the Pop Secret to perform at an acceptable level. I'm left with dozens of unpopped kernels, and there's a disagreeable proportion of burned florets (I actually like a few of these). Plus, the bag leaks an icky oil over the (stationery) carousel plate; a reminder of something I don't really care to think about: what "Movie Theater Butter" might really be. Was I just lucky with Orville? Does ConAgra know something about micorwave ovens that General Foods doesn't? Most importantly (since my conversion was precipitated by a great buy on a mega-pack of Pop Secret; at least 30 portions remain), what's my best strategy for upping the yield? I love to hear your advice. I'll respond as soon as I can; right now, my mouth is full, and my lips are swollen with salt.

Cupcakes already existed. Magnolia already existed. Many other elements were, surely, in place. But I wouldn't underestimate the ability of one episode of one show to tip the scales of popular culture. ← Perhaps. When I saw this topic, I didn't think Sex and the City. I thought Seinfeld, which is correct only in the form factor -- what came immediately to mind was the muffin episode, of course. But given that SATC, until recently (and probably to this day), has a fraction of the Seinfeld audience, it's not unreasonable to conjecture that a significant portion of viewers (and cupcake buyers) were off the mark in the same way as I. Add to that the small but influential NPR audience, which has been regaled with tales of the cupcake prowess of Amy Sedaris (not to mention faithful readers of Newsday and approximately one villion YouTube viewers), and I'm ready to discount the "single episode" theory.

From time to time, I've seen frozen quail at my nearby (I'm just outside of Sandy Springs) Publix. It can't hurt to look, right?

I'm with Anne. Also, quail are much easier to get your hands on -- DFM almost always has them fresh, for two bucks each.

My guess is here.

Chef Blais has concluded his stay in Miami. In the near-term, he's doing some consulting work and considering his options -- NYC? Back to Atlanta (we can hope)? He's also launched a mobile cooking school (called Food Grade) for the "modern culinary arts." There's a little more information here.

In Paul Bertolli's excellent Cooking by Hand, the author demonstrates a brine recipe that takes into account most, if not all of the issues and questions raised here. I'm not where I can get to it right now, but if someone else doesn't look it up, I'll do so later. I've never seen scientific evidence that supports this contention. I'd also point out that though most other tastes disappear when the olfactory system is impaired (something that applies to anyone who has the common cold, as well as many smokers), salt comes through loud and clear. You might be able to make an anecdotal case that links overseasoning to smoking, but not when it comes to salt, I think. Regardless, let's not derail this topic. Discussion of cooks (and reviewers) who smoke can be found here.

The volunteer staff of the eGullet Society wishes you and yours a happy new year, and presents -- with great pleasure -- a reorganized set of non-regional forums: Culinary Culture and The Kitchen. You can read all about it here. Thanks for your patience over the last few days while we set things up!

You might have read about it here: Strawberry Blonde.

It takes a while, but a water bath is probably your best bet. Seal the meat, leaving as little air as possible, in a plastic bag (or a food saver, if you have one), and make sure it's at room temperature before proceeding. Insert a thermometer through the plastic and into the center of the meat. Seal the hole as best you can. Fill a big pot (at least twice as big as your meat), and bring it to a bare simmer. Submerge the wrapped meat , leaving the thermometer poking out the top, because no matter how well you seal the hole you made, it will leak. (You might have to set the meat on a rack so the hole is just above the water level. Measuring out the displacement before heating will save some trouble.) The water temperature will drop, so you'll need to keep an eye on it -- from here on, you want to maintain a temperature of 130F. Heat the roast to an internal temperature of 120F or so -- whatever suits your taste.

I would add Repast to the list of restaurants worth trying. Its ambience isn't in the same class as Bacchanalia, Restaurant Eugene, etc. (nor, I'm afraid, is the service), but the food often is: the foie gras hot dog, crispy-fried oysters (order them both and take alternate bites), the house-made charcuterie plate, duck breast, sweetbreads, and lamb shank are stand-outs, as is the apple tart tatin with gruyere ice cream. The wine list is interesting, and if Andy is on at the bar, you'll find him a willing cocktailian conspirator.

If Chef Chris Bischoff is still there, I have no doubt that the food is excellent, and I'm sure some of Chef Blais's ideas are still on the menu. However, Blais personally owned most of the interesting equipment: the water circulators, the LNO stuff, etc., and it went with him. Since he did the tasting menus personally, I doubt that they're still being scheduled.