Dave the Cook

Vacation houses are always a gamble, equipment-wise. Brooks is right that many of them have blenders, but they're often really crappy examples. Likewise with cookware. But most of them have a surprisingly good assortment and quantity of glassware. Generally, if the house is advertised as accomodating 12 people (as this one is), it will have ample glassware for that dozen. If I lack for anything in this area, it will be for decent 4- to 5-ounce cocktail glasses. I sort of agree with trillium that most people won't care, but I will. But the point of hashing all of this out six weeks in advance is so I can make intelligent choices about what to I need to take and what I can procure at the destination. My experiences in hunting down things like orange bitters and maraschino in a city as big as Atlanta has made me apprehensive about the availability of, say, Pisco brandy on the Redneck Riviera. On the other hand, Targets and Wal-Marts litter the landscape. I can get glasses and blenders and lidded Rubbermaid carafes for shaking if I need them. Paper umbrellas and decent sword picks might be difficult, however. I've started a topic on citrus juicers here. I agree. TCs are one of my favorites. Not enough mint, not enough sweet. I suspect myself of indifferent muddling. Okay, mine aren't that bad.

I have one of these. Well, not that fancy, but similar. It's fine for oranges, but it's a PITA for limes and smaller lemons, so I want something else. A friend of mine has these. It seems to do a great job with smaller fruits, even expressing some oils into the juice. So, geek that I am, I started exploring variations on the design. In addition to the ones above (which are enameled cast aluminum), you can get them in raw cast aluminum, polished cast aluminum, cast iron, and stainless steel. In addition to the different metals, the sizes (which must relate to leverage and therefore ease of use) are all over the place. Does anyone have experiences to relate about the various materials and sizes? Yes, it's far too much curiosity for a twenty-dollar item, but that's how I am.

It does get a bit soggy, but a lot of people like it that way since cabbage starts out so very sturdy to begin with and the flavors do blend. . . . . ← If you've got an extra hour or two, you could try salting the cabbage. It's pretty effective in minimizing the weeping, and tenderizes the cabbage a bit while preserving the snap.

In for a penny, in for a pound. I promise not to stint on authenticity -- or boldness. Noted.

ABC seems to be mostly in the east and south of the state -- well, more accurately, everywhere but where we'll be, which is in the panhandle. I don't suppose Flor de Cana is distributed in Georgia? Good call, Janet. I love Campari, so if it doesn't go over well, I'll just take it home for myself. I had to look up the Jasmine (thank you, DrinkBoy). After reading Robert Hess's decription, I had to smile. Between your grapefruit juice suggestion, the Fresca highballs they're discussing on another topic, and the Jasmine, I guess I'll have to have to get over my lifelong aversion to grapefruit. If I'm going to juice them myself (there's a lot of grapefruit in Florida), what's my best choice? I like the idea of a low-alcohol refresher, too. One challenge this project presents is keeping the group on the cocktail track -- they'll switch over to beer faster than a Gulf-coast afternoon shower. I admit having to google Pisco -- it's not what I thought it was. Cocktail DB inplies that it's hard to find. If my serach is successful, is there a brand I should be looking for? For some reason, caipirinhas always make me think of mojitos, which I love but haven't been able to get quite right myself. Any tips? Did I mention that I was new to this? It hadn't occurred to me to think about proof and gin. What do you recommend for a 92+? A friend gave me this brilliant advice the other day. I confess to dismissing miniatures as the exclusive hallmark of airlines, cheapskates and South Carolina. Over the last few days, I've been checking out the mini selection at the stores along my commute, and mostly it's bourbons, flavored vodkas, and a rapidly expanding population of Starbuck's coffee liqueur. But I haven't hit a really good store yet -- in fact, I'm having a hell of a time just finding maraschino.

I had one of the original Cuisinarts (DLC-7?), and it worked flawlessly until I managed to pour honey vinagrette down the switch gasket (don't ask). After a couple of years, I replaced it with the Little Pro Plus. I agree with Steven that the Mini-Prep is a great buy, but I'll put in a word for the Little Pro: 3-cup capacity, 600-watt motor, two speeds, fifty-five bucks. I don't do bread, but I haven't gone back to a full-sized processor, and haven't missed it. Slightly out-of-category, but I can't say enough about the Cuisinart Mini-Mate. It's great for peppercorns, coriander and cumin, but really excels at the eight cloves of garlic that you don't want to put in your spice grinder, or at thrashing small batches of rubs. Just drop the bowl in the dishwasher.

These are great suggestions, Audrey. Given the time of year and the location, the emphasis on citrus and white liquors is well-taken. If I add tequila to your implied list, I'm ready for daquiris and margaritas, two elegant cocktails that have been ruined by overproduction, and have probably never been tried by this crowd in their classic forms. And with the brandy, I can do Saicars, in case someone wants to test their proficiency. To recap, I need: gin white rum cognac tequila maraschino Cointreau champagne If I double-up on the gin and rum, that's nine bottles. I figure I can take a case. So, what else?

I don't know. Those little units don't have great air circulation, nor do they have any sort of dehumidifying apparatus to minimize frost formation like grown-up fridges do. Maybe they've improved a lot since I last looked at them, but frost-free operation didn't seem to be a priority. I conclude that they're not nearly as dry as a conventional refrigerator.

Unless you've got one of those fancy double-compressor refrigerators, or a unit that doesn't have a freezer at all, the main compartment is pretty dry -- probably around 15 to 20% humidity, depending on what else you've got in there.

Next month, I'll be hosting a family vacation. My two brothers, my mother, and various familial components will gather in a Florida house for (more or less) a week. I'm in charge of food and beverage, and I'd like to introduce the group to my new-found affection for cocktails. Okay, it will be a re-introduction. The first cocktail I ever drank was a Harvey Wallbanger, the recipe for which my older brother brought home from his freshman year in college. My first cocktail invention was named for (and first consumed, with legendary results, by) my younger brother. My mother drank Old Fashioneds until Dad went on the wagon and we poured the booze down the drain. And my dear sister-in-law recently lamented that she had given up on Whiskey Sours because no one made them right anymore. So I think this is a group poised for (re)discovery. The problem is, though Florida is within easy driving distance, I don't have room in the car for every possible combination of booze and equipment. I can buy liquor in Florida, of course (and I'm wondering if the reputation for cheap alcohol that Florida used to have still holds up), but I can't haul extra stuff back any more than I can haul it down. I've been doing the cooking part of this trek for years, so I know what I'm most likely to need in that area. But this is a case of new server/new consumer. I need some help with cocktail strategies: what to take, what to make.

That sounds great, PCL. Alternatively, you can cook duck breasts on the stovetop: Score the skin and fat (do your best not to pierce the meat) in a crosshatch with 1/2-inch spacing. Sprinkle generously with salt. Place in a heavy skillet on a cold burner, skin side down. Turn the heat up to medium. (If you have a spatter screen, this would be a good time to get it out.) Fry until the skin is deeply brown, ten to twelve minutes. Turn and reduce heat slightly. Cook until internal temperature reaches 135 F, about another ten minutes. (If you're not a fan of medium-rare duck, give it another couple of minutes, to 145 or 150 F, but it will start to toughen.) At this point, your duck is done. You've got lots of fat in the pan, most of which you should drain and save. You could pick up with PCL's sauce recipe, or make a pan sauce (I like to saute a little shallot or onion with ground ancho -- good chile powder will do -- then add some orange juice and white wine, and reduce slightly. Mount butter.)

In my experience, pork sirloin doesn't respond well to dry- or high-heat methods, because it's a jumble of muscles and connective tissue.The only thing for it is a braise. A second count against it is that it doesn't have a lot of flavor, so you need to do whatever you can to boost the braising liquid -- tomatoes, mushrooms, something with soy sauce or worcestershire.

Best not to do this, if it's going to result in the pits being broken up. Pits of stone fruit contain low levels of cyanide (as do apple seeds). A seed now and again isn't going to kill you (it's unlikely that it would even make you sick), but the pits from a pint or two of cherries might pose a problem.

I don't know if it still is, but it certainly used to be. Years ago, I was stopped by a patrol car so that the officer could politely point out that I'd left my go cup frozen daquiri on the roof of my rented Impala. (I had to give up reading Dave Robicheaux novels. The family always knew when I was in the middle of one, because dinners were laden with cayenne pepper, shrimp, crab and crawfish. At serving time, the kids would rest their chins atop their interlaced fingers, and sigh, "You're reading one of those books, again, aren't you, Dad?")

I've been asking around about a bread knife, too. Everyone I start to ask blurts out, "LamsonSharp," before I can finish my question. It's a tiny bit outside your price range, but peeps are so enthusiastic about it that it seems worth checking out.

Not to get off-topic here, but I'm with Marlene. Manhattans have such a weird sweetness to them that I can't figure out why anyone would like them. Canadian is half rye, half corn, right? So is rye less sweet than corn?

My apologies. We're finalizing them now.

I think the wine is just getting trapped in the ridges of the meat surface.

Here's a little more information, for those who aren't familiar with the show.

There's no technical reason not to deep fry with EVOO, though the smoke point (around 375 F) is pretty close to your working temperature. I think you should try it and let us know.

Brooks will need handkerchiefs.

A donation of booze is one of the kindest things I can imagine.

Scallops freeze just fine. In fact, unless you have a great fish source, or you harvested them yourself, there's a very good chance that your scallops had been frozen and thawed before you bought them. Once they're thawed, you can always test-sear a piece. If it's not acceptable, start thinking about another preparation.

Tonkatsu Sauce Marlene reported about this on her Christmas Blog. Marlene's notes: A word about the sauce. I've been making a ketchup based sauce which we liked. Dave the Cook persuded me to try a new sauce and in keeping with experiment week, I agreed. In a word, wow. This sauce is spicy and very different from the the sauce I usually make. It was an instant hit in the house. I had doubts when I saw the ingredients, but it was totally awesome. 1/4 c chopped, dried apple slices 1/4 c chopped onion 1/4 c minced fresh ginger 1 tsp vegetable oil 1/4 c raisins, soaked in mirin or dry sherry to cover 1/2 c mirin, or 1/4 C dry sherry plus 1/4 C white wine 1 c soy sauce 1. Saute the apple, onion and ginger in the oil until soft but not browned. 2. Add the mirin (or sherry-wine mixture) and reduce by half. (It will look almost like syrup.) 3. Turn everything (don't forget the raisins) into a blender or food processor. Add the soy sauce and blend until smooth. edited to add: I just noticed that I misread the ingredients for this sauce when I made it. I used fresh minced garlic instead of onion. Of course, you'd really have to like garlic to use a 1/4 cup of garlic instead of onion, but we liked it! ( RG1209 )

Tonkatsu Sauce Marlene reported about this on her Christmas Blog. Marlene's notes: A word about the sauce. I've been making a ketchup based sauce which we liked. Dave the Cook persuded me to try a new sauce and in keeping with experiment week, I agreed. In a word, wow. This sauce is spicy and very different from the the sauce I usually make. It was an instant hit in the house. I had doubts when I saw the ingredients, but it was totally awesome. 1/4 c chopped, dried apple slices 1/4 c chopped onion 1/4 c minced fresh ginger 1 tsp vegetable oil 1/4 c raisins, soaked in mirin or dry sherry to cover 1/2 c mirin, or 1/4 C dry sherry plus 1/4 C white wine 1 c soy sauce 1. Saute the apple, onion and ginger in the oil until soft but not browned. 2. Add the mirin (or sherry-wine mixture) and reduce by half. (It will look almost like syrup.) 3. Turn everything (don't forget the raisins) into a blender or food processor. Add the soy sauce and blend until smooth. edited to add: I just noticed that I misread the ingredients for this sauce when I made it. I used fresh minced garlic instead of onion. Of course, you'd really have to like garlic to use a 1/4 cup of garlic instead of onion, but we liked it! ( RG1209 )