lesliec

Hey, Merkinz. Good to have you back. A while ago you were talking about moving to Wellington. If you did, go and see Preston's in Hopper Street; specifically a gentleman called Fred. He's the guy I go to for obscurities - he did me a saddle of lamb a while back.

Here's a project for you, Jo - make your own Curaçao to Jerry Thomas's recipe. I've done it a couple of times. The result is quite different to (eg) Grand Marnier. It's quite a strong smelling/tasting product, but goes very well in a Mai Tai. It's about cocktail time. Might be a Mai Tai night for us too ...

Shel, I think the best anyone can tell you is "it depends". And one very important thing it depends on, is your particular oven. Ovens have their individual characteristics; the hottest rack in mine may not be the hottest rack in yours, even if we have the same make and model I don't know if you've ever experienced it, but it's really difficult taking one of your favourite recipes and trying to make it in somebody else's kitchen. You'll get out something similar to what you're used to, but it may need a little more or less time, or to be turned round halfway through cooking, or some other little tweak. Sure, there are rules of thumb. If in doubt, go for the middle. Higher should be hotter. Pizza is maybe a special case, and there's been much debate on the 'best' way to do it. Modernist Cuisine, in their discussion of the topic, says to put it at the top of the oven with the grill/broiler going, BUT they also go into detail about how to determine the exact spot where it will perform best in an individual oven. I don't recall the exact details, but the particular 'sweet spot' below the grill/broiler element varies; it's not as simple as just putting your pizza as high as you can get it. But that's getting more technical than you probably want. The expert on your oven is you. Over time, you'll learn where it's hottest, what the best rack is for a particular dish you like to cook, where any (relatively) cool spots are, any special tricks to make [insert name of dish here] come out just right, every time. And when you do, we want pictures!

I advise caution - if they're already spotty and your baking day is still two days away, accelerating their natural ripening may get you beyond the point you want.

Thanks, PV. Their search box didn't find it immediately, so I gave up.

Monin's site (http://www.monin.com/en-gb/products/premium-syrups/monin-pure-cane-sugar-syrup) isn't forthcoming on the makeup of their syrup, other than saying it's sugar and water (surprise!). But simple syrup is so easy to make - give it a try. I think much of the enjoyment of cocktails is around tweaking recipes to match your taste. Your girlfriend seems to prefer them sweeter than you, so you've already learned something valuable.

Not sure what you'd be looking for, but I have a colleague in the UK at the moment and I'm hoping he'll bring me some Smith & Cross. Whisky Exchange lists it on their website; Amathus and Gerry's don't.

What Dave said. And your Prosecco should work just fine. Happy Mothers' Day!

He's a marketer. Of course it's a good thing!

I really don't think it would matter. The idea is simply to hydrate it; you're not actually dissolving it. Split the difference - give it 4x.

Rancho Gordo is even available in New Zealand - seen it in a couple of places now. If it's not in Canada, you Canadians must have been very bad in a past life.

Incidentally, and based on recent experience with a very small (2 litres) barrel, you may need more than one fill with hot water. Just keep doing it until the thing stops leaking. The main variable will be how long it's been empty.

That would be a pre-charred barrel. When winemakers want to re-use a barrel their coopers break it down, scrape off the char and anything else that might be sticking to it and re-char it. I don't think W&N would be impressed by all this. Just dump it in and taste every few weeks to see how it's going (the burden of scientific enquiry, alas, falls upon you). You'll probably pick up some flavour from whatever was in there before, although not much, after the boiling water treatment. Good luck. Your eG username is henceforth Mr Cooper.

That's what MC found. As I recall, they blind-tasted duck (?) cooked in fat or brushed with it after cooking and found no difference.

Hi Rodrigo. Do you mean Besser? Here's their site (in Italian).

I strongly advise against circulating milk - see earlier posts!

Spoken like a Queenslander.

You're saying Bundaberg is rum?!?

I use candied ginger a lot in fruit cakes (when it's not called for in the recipe) - it should work just fine in this one, I suspect. Chop it into small pieces first. Fresh zest would give a different taste/feel to candied and you'd want to use far less, but I think it's worth doing. Let us know how it goes.

Go for it. The hardest/most tedious part is zesting eight limes and zero fingers.

Hallelujah! Thanks for coming in, Nick. I've been trying to remember that word for weeks.

Haven't done Adam's - it's on the list - but KP's is great. His 'five minute' one tastes identical to his 'soak overnight' one.

Rafa's being kind. My description of Velvet would be more like 'bloody awful'. I see a shopping trip in your future. W&N, limes, new Microplane ... What recipe do you favour?

The Oaxaca is a favourite; now I'll have to try this one. Thanks, FP. Got some more Mezcal this morning, too ...

Nice, Czequershuus. The first one sounds like my kinda drink. I take it it's your own creation? Got a name for it yet? Lairds isn't available here, but my favourite bar has acquired a bottle from a travelling customer. I might see if they can make me one of these when I'm in there next week. Thanks.