Zachary

Thampik, Cruzan SB and Mount Gay XO are both very good rums. I would add to your list: Smith & Cross - about $27 here in Texas. Classic exotic Jamaican stuff. 114 proof. La Favorite Blanc - about $30/liter. Gorgeous agricole white. 100 proof. Just about the distilled essence of grassy sugarcane. and since we're at it, Neisson's Eleve Sous Bois. Also agricole, but nutty and buttery. Delicious. El Dorado, either the 12 or the 15 (the 15 is about $37 here). Demerara style, heavy, burnt sugar, but round and incredibly complex. Havana Club 7, if it's legal where you are Montecristo 12 (if you can find it) or Zacapa 23 (especially the old wicker wrapped bottle). Guatemalan sweetie rums, but delicious. Thanks, Zach

Oh boy! In the morning: I have about a dozen mugs, of which my favorites are from Calistoga Pottery (though my Heart Roasters mug is nice). They're handleless, but beautiful, and they'll teach you to not fill the mug all the way full. Beans are from Catalina Coffee in Houston, ordered every two weeks. Burr grinder, good water (we have to have a whole house filter and softener out here). My biggest thing though is the proper ratio. 6 grams of coffee beans in 100 grams of 202-205 degree water. The goal is to get brewing done in 3 minutes. Most coffee goes into a thermal carafe. Drunk black, and hot. Thanks, Zachary

Yajna, While I will grant you that some things are on the IFRA's banned/restricted list, there are a whole lot of things that are not. It's death due to small cuts as ingredients are swapped out for cheaper (or safer) alternatives until the stuff is no longer recognizable. I understand swapping out safrole and musk ketone for safer things. I don't when it's accountants and marketers demanding changes to save money without a care for the memories people have from smelling (or tasting) something. Thanks, Zachary

The problem with this isn't that there's new packaging, or whatever they've done. The problem is that accountants and marketing whizzes have taken a brand with a certain reputation and they're changing it. First, it's update the packaging. Then it's "well.... those ingredients are awfully expensive, let's change this and that out to make more money". Or it's "Our product has a niche market, let's dumb it down (smooth over rough edges, remove funky flavors, reduce bitterness and alcohol, increase sweetness) so more people will drink it". Soon, your favorite liqueur is a name, but it doesn't taste the way you remember it tasting. And that's the problem. Perfumers have gotten away with this for years. Swapping out civet and other musks for gentler aromas. Making synthetic musks to replace natural ones. You're being cheated of a memory that you have because some bean counter somewhere needs to make a few extra pennies trading on your experience, or thinks you won't notice. And there's always people who will say that you can't really tell, or that the march of progress means old things can't be made the same way. So it was Campari, now Tuaca. But what if it's Chartreuse? They sell out and their new owners hire some lab scientist to make up a flavor profile similar to the stuff (130 herbs and spices... so expensive!), adds it to GNS and sweetens and colors it to the proper level. And I bet they could bottle it in Frankfort, Kentucky with a modern label saying "Monastery-like liqueur". Personally, the new Campari tastes nothing like the old stuff. The new stuff is less bitter, more sweet, and synthetically fruity. The old stuff is earthy and funky, with a lingering, intense, complex bitterness. I've given bottles of the old stuff to people who can't believe it's the same thing. Unfortunately, the best you can do to impede this "progress" is to stop buying the stuff. You could write a letter to Brown-Forman, not that it will really get you anywhere. Thanks, Zachary

A nice pear tart with frangipane would be nice, I think. Thanks, Zachary

Where to begin? Every Christmas, we typically make a dozen or more kinds of Christmas cookies and confections, and this year is no different. So far, we have: Cranberry orange biscotti "Tropical" chocolate bark - macadamias, dried mango, candied ginger Smoked almond and dried fig bark Peppermint Oreo bark Rose-cardamom marshmallows (following the excellent Nightscotsman recipe from eG - thanks!) Panettone Ginger Molasses cookies Chocolate Chip cookies with Pecan and Coconut Chocolate chocolate chip with dried cherries Mexican chocolate truffles (with chile and cumin) Dipped dried fruits Cardamom sugar cookies (these will probably be cut out and Royal iced) Spiced nuts Oatmeal Raspberry bars "Sienese" cookies - these are sort of almond and orange meringues Most of this will be delivered this weekend - I've got 6 pounds of butter in the fridge, the starter for the panettone in the closet where it's warmer, and marshmallows cooling in a pan in the kitchen right now Thanks, Zachary (edit) P.S. Also bottles of homemade orgeat and bitter orange liqueur for a Mai Tai kit, along with a nice bottle of rum (sadly, not homemade)

Barrett, Sorry if I wasn't clear. The ground coffee sucks some of the heat out of the water as it hits the grounds. So starting with 202 water in the kettle might mean 198 if you have 42 grams of coffee in the V60. Is there data that says a mass of coffee X changes the temperature of the water Y degrees for many common values of X? Thanks, Zachary

So, as requested, the remainder of the recipe: The Braise: 3 lbs beef short ribs (from the plate, cut English style – into small chunks. Ask your butcher) 1 lb beef shank, cut into slices about 1” thick 1 small onion, large dice 1 carrot, large dice 1 celery rib, large dice 1 bottle cheap red Italian wine (I used Montepulciano d’Abruzzo) 2 bay leaves salt and pepper 1. Place a 6 ½ quart dutch oven over medium high heat and film with olive oil. Salt and pepper the meat and brown the pieces of well, making sure not to burn them. You should do this in multiple batches so as to get proper browning on all sides of the ribs. Once one batch is brown, pull them out to a plate and start the next batch. 2. Make sure there’s some oil in the bottom of the pan – if not, add a few tablespoons and saute the vegetables until they’re soft and starting to brown. This should take 5-7 minutes. Be sure to stir them so they don’t burn. 3. Once the vegetables are brown, add the meat back in along with the collected juices and then the bottle of wine. If the wine doesn’t cover all the meat, add water to barely cover, turn the heat down to a simmer, and cover the dutch oven. 4. After about 3 hours, check the meat. The rib meat should be falling off the bones, and the shank should shred like brisket. If it doesn’t, put the lid back on and check it again in 30 minutes. You can’t rush this process – the collagen in the meat has got to convert to gelatin. You should notice the liquid becoming glossy and thicker. 5. Once the meat is done, remove it from the liquid. Degrease the braising liquid, reserving the fat, and once that’s done, bring it back to a simmer and add the bay leaves. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and reduce the wine to 1 cup. Reserve the liquid and let cool. 6. While the meat is still warm, shred and chop it into chunks – you’re looking for some texture here, so don’t worry about making it too fine. Remove the connective tissue and bones and discard them. Reserve the chopped meat. The Pasta: 3 ½ cups all purpose flour 4 eggs 1 tsp salt Equipment: Food processor a very large wooden cutting board, preferably with a lip to catch the edge of the counter Kitchen-Aid Stand Mixer w/ Pasta Attachment – know how to use this! 2 very large rimmed baking sheets 3 or 4 kitchen towels extra flour for dusting in a bowl small bowl of ice water Paper towels 8 quart stock pot, salted very well and held on the simmer large bowl with water and ice for shocking the cooked pasta – I used the bowl of a salad spinner 1. Line everything up – this is really easy if you know what you’re doing, but it’s not if you’re running around like an idiot. In front of you, put the wooden board. On top of it, place the food processor. Attach the pasta attachment to the stand mixer – it ought to be to the right of you. To the left, line one of the baking sheets with a kitchen towel and dust the towel with flour. Stack some sheets of paper towels big enough to cover the kitchen towel nearby. 2. In the bowl of the food processor place the flour and the salt. Pulse it a few times to combine and loosen the flour. 3. Beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl. Turn the food processor on, and in a steady stream, pour the eggs through the opening on top of the machine. This may not look like it’s going to work at first, but you’ll either overheat your machine or a rough ball will form. This might take 30 seconds. Remove the dough from the food processor and put the processor away. 4. Dust the top of the wooden board with flour. Take the dough and knead it for 10 minutes. Just pretend you’re giving the dough CPR and keep folding it onto itself for 10 minutes. It helps to have someone do this with you. The ball should form a silky mass... if you feel it’s too dry, wet your fingers and work it into the dough. If it’s too wet, add a pinch of flour to the board and work it in. Making dough is all about feel, and that’s something I can’t teach you. 5. After 10 minutes, round the dough into an even ball, coat it with a film of oil, and put it in a Ziploc bag. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 6. With about 10 minutes of waiting left, put the stock pot ¾ full of salted water on to boil. Hold it at a simmer, covered, and get your ice bath ready. 7. Take out the dough. Cut about a ¾ inch slice off the ball and put the ball back into the bag. With the stand mixer on about 3, set the pasta attachment to the widest setting (1), and run the dough through the machine. Once it’s through, take the dough and fold it over on itself lengthwise, pressing it gently together. Run it through again. Move the setting to the next number, and repeat this process again, for settings 1-4. 8. At setting 5, you don’t need to run the dough through twice any more – once will do. You ought to be getting a flat, almost translucent sheet of dough that’s really long, and has a vaguely ragged edge. It ought to feel like silk at this point, without being sticky or fraying at the ends. 9. Finish running the dough through on setting #8. Take the long pasta sheet and cut it into roughly 13-15 inch pieces. You might get 2 at first, but the larger pieces in the middle of the ball will make 3 noodles. Dust the tops of each completed layer of noodles lightly with flour, and put a layer of paper towels down to separate them. 10. Repeat steps 7-9 with the remaining dough. This should make 14-16 noodles. Once you’ve got your noodles done, wait about 5-10 minutes to let them dry slightly. 11. Take the cover off the pot of boiling water. Drop one noodle at a time into the water and cook for 30 seconds. Remove each noodle to the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Repeat for the remaining noodles. You might have to add a tablespoon of oil to the water to stop foam-up. 12. Pull the noodles out of the ice bath and place them on a dry kitchen towel, spread out to avoid sticking the noodles together. Cover with another kitchen towel and reserve the noodles. Bechamel: 42 grams unsalted butter 42 grams flour 2 ½ cups whole milk, at room temperature 1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature Salt and White pepper ½ cup. freshly grated Parmesano Reggiano Fresh nutmeg – a Microplane grater helps immensely here 1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter foams and subsides, add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until a paste forms. This is a basic white roux. 2. Cook the roux until it begins to bubble, but do not let it brown, about 3 minutes. Whisk the milk into the roux in a steady stream. Bring the milk to a simmer, whisking frequently, until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. 3. Add the cream to the Bechamel sauce, and whisk in. 4. Season with salt and white pepper, then add the cheese and a few grates of fresh nutmeg – you want to smell the cheese and nutmeg pretty strongly here. The sauce ought to be fairly thick. Let sauce cool slightly. When you're ready to assemble, grate 1 1/2 cups Parmigiano Reggiano. In a buttered 13x9 pan, coat the bottom with a little ragu. Start with noodles, and overlap them slightly, then build layers of ragu, bechamel and parmesan, repeating until you're almost at the top of the pan. Mix the remaining ragu and bechamel together (you should have a cup and a half), and cover the top of the lasagna. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Put the lasagna on a cookie sheet (to catch any overflow), and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the broiler to high and broil the lasagna until the bechamel is brown and bubbly. You don't want blackened stuff, just brown edges of the noodles and browned bechamel. Remove from the oven and rest for 15-20 minutes before serving. Thanks, Zachary

That's the beauty of the dish - the gelatin from converting the collagen in the short ribs goes into the braising liquid, which is then reduced for the addition to the ragu, so there's plenty of "set" to this lasagna. And since you're making it ahead and chilling it, and reheating it the day of dinner, it ought to come out in perfect slices. Just don't serve it too hot. Thanks, Zachary P.S. If you need the rest of the recipe, let me know and I can put it up.

First date? To me that says Lasagna Bolognese and either Dolcetto, Freisa, or if you're looking to be very traditional, dry red Lambrusco. Two days before, I'd braise short ribs in a bottle of red wine and some aromatics, shred the meat into nice small pieces, strain the liquid and cool it, pull the fat off the top. The next day, make the ragu (using the shredded meat, and ground chuck and pork in about equal amounts), reducing the braising liquid to the amount you need to add to the ragu. Make homemade pasta and a bechamel flavored with Reggiano and nutmeg, too. You could effectively make this the day before, assemble it, cover the lasagna, and refrigerate. The day of dinner, you can reheat the lasagna and serve it. Maybe have a primi of broccoli rabe sauteed with anchovy, chile flake and lemon zest beforehand, and buy sorbet for afterwards. You know, considering where you are, maybe a Syrah from the Gimblett Gravels would be good with this. Thanks, Zachary P.S. The ragu recipe I use (which is heavily adapted from a Saveur article) is here.

James, Of course, it's only now that I realize that you're in NY - if I were you, I'd call d'Artagnan and order their Wild Scottish Red Legged Pheasant, one per diner. Add bacon, juniper and mushrooms to dinner and you'll be fine. Thanks, Zachary

Barrett, I would *love* to see a graph of ground coffee mass vs. delta Temperature if you have one lying around. Thanks, Zachary

James, I love Anne Gros and just about everything they do. I would want to have either game birds (brined with juniper berries, herb butter under the skin, roasted at high heat to crisp the skin) and mushroom bread pudding and some sort of green veggie - probably brussel sprouts now. If I were feeling fancy, I'd take the drippings, defat them, add a little good chicken stock to deglaze, and add redcurrant jelly, lemon and butter to make a sauce. Other than that, lamb is a good, safe choice. Simply done, some red fruit somewhere in it, not crazy with spices or seasoning. Let the wine do the work. As for the wine, stand it upright the day of service. About 6 hours before dinner, pull the cork and smell it. If you smell "Burgundy" - decant it for half an hour just to wake it up, then put it back in the bottle. If it smells weird, decant it and leave it there - come back every half hour to check it until it smells good, then put it back in the bottle. Serve around 68 degrees (cool room temp) in the fanciest balloon shape glasses you have. Thanks, Zachary P.S. One of the great steals of the Burgundy world is their "Cuvee Marine" - a Haut Cotes de Nuits Blanc that is just delicious and around $30.

For grinders, as long as you're not making espresso, the Solis Maestro Plus from Baratza is $150 full retail, and you may be able to find it cheaper. I've had mine for eight years, use it every day, clean it once a week, and it's never failed me once. Thanks, Zachary

Tri, I'd put it way down the list of important things you need to make cocktails. Thanks, Zachary

Tri, To answer your question, 43 is really sweet, and sort of vanilla-citrus. I think it's something that I would try first before I went and bought a whole bottle. Thanks, Zachary

Chris, I think the thread you're looking for is here. Some key things to take away: 1. Coffee is mostly water. If your water is not good, your coffee will not be. 2. The remainder of black coffee is your coffee. If it is not good, your coffee will not be good. Find a local roaster of good coffee, buy whole, fresh beans, and use them within 2 weeks. 3. A French Press is a great way to start. A big step in the right direction would be the Hario Skerton hand grinder. You will find as you go along that grinding your coffee immediately before making it will dramatically improve the quality of your cup, and it's all of $40. 4. A gram scale. They're cheap, and you should have one anyway. If you have any other questions, please ask. Happy Thanksgiving, Zachary

A bottle of Thomas Handy Sazerac Rye as a Christmas present, and a bottle of Mount Gay Extra Old that was mispriced on the shelf for $17.99. Oh, and they had Homere Clement for what I think is about $10 under going retail, but it was still $90. Thanks, Zachary

I'm a little late to the party, but I love Bolognese, especially in Lasagna. My version is in two parts, and is a heavily modified version of an old Saveur recipe. It's not 100% authentic, but I like it a lot - it's just going to take a couple of days. Day 1: Braising short ribs 3 lbs. beef short ribs, cut English style 1 lb. beef shank, cut into about 1" slices 1 small onion, large dice 1 carrot, large dice 1 rib celery, large dice 2 bay leaves 1 750 ml bottle of inexpensive red wine (I typically use Montepulciano d'Abruzzo) Salt and pepper Salt and pepper meat. In a large Dutch oven, brown each piece on all sides over medium heat - it may take a bit of oil to get started, and will take multiple batches. Once the meat is brown, check to see if there's enough oil in the pan. If not, add a bit. Brown the vegetables, add the meat (and collected juices) back, add bay leaves and wine. Cover the Dutch oven and simmer slowly for two to three hours, until the meat shreds like brisket - you're looking for collagen conversion here. Once this has happened, strain the solids from the liquids. Reserve the liquid into a pitcher, cover it with plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge when cool. Discard the vegetables and bay leaves. Shred the meat while still warm into medium-sized pieces (you want some texture here... don't worry about getting it too fine). Reserve the meat, cover and put in the fridge. Day 2: Bolognese Reserved braising liquid, hopefully with a nice cap of fat on top Reserved shredded braised meat 2 x 28 oz cans whole, peeled tomatoes 1/2 c. fat (this should be a mixture of reserved braising fat and pork fat rendered from fatty pork pieces) 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter 2 ribs celery, fine dice 1 medium onion, fine dice 2 carrots, fine dice 1 fennel bulb, fine dice 1 1/2 lb. ground chuck 1 lb ground pork shoulder - it would be best if your butcher ground these for you on a coarse plate 8 oz. pancetta, finely chopped 1 c. red wine, reserved from the braise 4 Tablespoons tomato paste 1/2 cup whole milk Salt and pepper Pull the fat off the top of the braising liquid. Melt this, and add enough pork fat to reach 1/2 cup. Reduce braising liquid to 1 cup over medium low heat and reserve. Puree tomatoes and their juice and reserve. In a large Dutch oven (like the one from yesterday), melt reserved fat and butter, until the foam from the butter subsides. Add all the vegetables, season with salt and pepper, and turn the heat down to medium low. Slowly cook the vegetables, stirring often, until they're soft and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and fully caramelize the vegetables, which should take another 20 minutes. This step cannot be rushed - it's going to take 35-40 minutes of attention to make sure the vegetables have evenly and thoroughly browned. Add the tomato paste, and cook until the paste turns brick red, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add the chuck and pork shoulder to the pan and return the heat to medium. Stir the meat, breaking it up, until it browns, about 10 minutes. Add the pancetta, and cook until the pancetta renders most of its fat, about 5 mninutes. Add the reserved braising liquid and reserved braised meat to the pan, and cook until the braising liquid has almost evaporated (this is what makes the ragu thick without the addition of flour). Add the milk, and stir until it is absorbed. Add the pureed tomatoes, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered for about 2-3 hours, until the ragu is very thick. The telltale sign the ragu is ready is that the color is muted, and bubbles that pop at the surface of the ragu leave a mark for a few seconds. There should be no obvious liquid left - the ragu should be a cohesive mass. From here, I usually make Lasagna with homemade pasta and a bechamel. Oh, and as for a wine pairing? Dolcetto. The best bottle of Dolcetto you can find. I've got a couple of bottles of 09 Marcarini Dolcetto waiting for when it's cold enough to do this, but I'd imagine that if you have some 06 Marcarini "Boschi di Berri" lying around, you should by all means feel free to open one up for this. Thanks, Zachary

Katie, They're very oddly soapy smelling, in the way that Alsace Gewurztraminer can be soapy. The juice is incredibly tart and somewhat bitter. I've got some peels extracting in Everclear right now, but I'm thinking they could be candied as well. Thanks, Zachary

Hassouni, Probably the best is the B.G. Reynolds Orgeat - the best way to tell is find the one with the least weird looking ingredients on the back label.

Hassouni, I'd be willing to bet that your mint infusion was brown and not real pleasant smelling - sort of weedy? If so, I'd imagine that's chlorophyll decaying in the water left in the spirit. If I wanted a mint infusion, I'd take a clean French Press, a V60 coffee dripper, and a bundle of mint. Take the bundle of mint and smack it from side to side in the French Press for 30 seconds until you release a lot of aroma. Then pull the leaves off the stems, put them in the V60 (wet the paper filter with your alcohol, which should be Everclear - or something as high proof as you can buy), place the V60 on top of the French Press, and pour the alcohol through the piled leaves into the bottom, which should pick up the mint oils from the sides of the Press. You can recycle the aromatized alcohol through the leaves a few times, but stop when you don't get any more aroma out of the process. Your mint tincture could then be sweetened and diluted to whatever strength you like. Thanks, Zachary

My take on Silvia is that she is a harsh mistress, but one that will teach you the proper way to pull a shot. Buying an espresso machine with a lot of advanced features is like buying a DSLR out of the gate, taking some pictures, and then calling yourself a professional photographer. Learn fundamentals, learn fundamentals, learn fundamentals. Then do what you want. Thanks, Zachary

Gary, Should I not have reduced the final temperature of the glaze by 3 degrees? I figured I needed to get it to 22 degrees above boiling, which for me would be 231. Thanks, Zachary

My wife wanted a Sachertorte for her birthday, so I dusted off my copy of Rick Rodgers "Kaffehaus", and made the regular Sachertorte recipe, very straight - no variations, no weird additions. I made the glaze (1.5 c sugar, 3/4 c. water, 6 oz Godiva 72%), cooked it to 231 degrees (we're at 1700 feet here, and water boils at 209 - the recipe called for 234). Stirred for a minute to let the glaze cool and thicken. I poured the glaze over the cooled, filled cake, and let that cool, put it in a cake dome, and served it about 24 hours later. Here's the weird thing. When I served the cake, the glaze (which tasted exactly like a melted Tootsie Roll when warm) was very thin, and was tacky in places and dried to a sugary "shell" in others. There were no obvious sources of moisture in the cake layers, and it's very dry here right now. From this, can anyone diagnose what happened? Why partial crystallization of the glaze? Would a tablespoon of corn syrup have solved this problem? Thanks, Zachary