Panaderia Canadiense

I'm thinking of my cocktail book from 1934 and its recipe for the Daiquiri which is quite specific.

It is, and I wish I knew more about it! I was in Quito today and asked the staff at the chef's supply store where I bought it. They say that four such knives were in the bottom of a crate of plates that came with an Okinawa postmark. They're not even sure how the dang things made it through customs. So, all I can say is that three other chefs in Ecuador have one of these oversized nakiri.

Oh, I never do, Yojimbo! I'll definitely be trying some rum-based fruity concoctions (if you want to get down to brass tacks, it's not even technically a Daiquiri if you're using anything other than Bacardi White - which means that anything I'm going to be making with be a "bastard" version since BW is over $80 a bottle here, so I tend to use Aguardiente Reposado....) Here's a question for those of you who mix Caipirinhas - do you think that a shot of fruit simple in place of the sugar would be advisable, if I were to want to create a fruitier version of the cocktail? I've got access to some truly excellent cachaça pura and I'm kind of itching to try this to celebrate the Fiesta de Frutas y Flores, which is currently going on in my city.... Brass tacks, though, I don't want to waste a single drop of the pura, so if this doesn't sound completely awful to y'all I'll whip one up and let you know the results.

I've never heard of a 12" nakiri. Can you post a photo? Here it is. It has no markings other than the characters on the blade, and it's a honking big knife. I found it at my local chef's store, and it came in a simple card sheath, so I have no clue about provenance. It handles and holds an edge like high-carbon steel. Even though I've got ridiculously small hands, I still love it to bits.

To each their own. For me, since I generally use an Apricot brandy in my Sidecars, a little hit of Apricot syrup serves to round off the aggressive orange-ness of the drink (particularly since Cointreau is more than $200 a bottle here, so I'm generally using triple sec in its place). It's how I learned to mix them, and I don't care that it's not strictly traditional. It's better. I'll generally only indulge in a Sidecar if I know I'll be drinking Champagne or similar spumante wines later in the evening, I find that the extra hint of apricot will help my tastebuds ignore the fact that what I'm drinking is most likely a bit rotten (I have yet to have a good glass of Champagne in Ecuador - most of it is at the very least bruised if not outright bad.) And none of this addresses my question, which was what to do with Mango, Spiced Peach, and Plum-Vanilla syrups, cocktail-wise.

I think it does, and so do many of my mixologist acquaintances. Not very much of it, mind - about 1/2 to 1/4 part.

Ok, here's a question. Obviously Apricot syrup belongs in sidecars, and I can find any number of uses for cherry, passionfruit, and citrus. I currently am working on a batch of lemon that came out tasting like the best lemon curd ever; I'll be quite sad when the bottles are empty. However! I have recently ended up with quite a large supply of both Mirabel-vanilla (black plum), Peach with Cinnamon, and Mango syrups (they're byproducts of jam, fruit in spiced syrup of their own juices, and chutney, respectively). Does anybody have any good recipes that might work with these? Or should they be relegated to the soda fountain? The Mirabel is sweet but still has quite a nice tang to it; the vanilla comes in as an aftertaste - it's in there to round off the edges of the plum. The Mango is very sweet with a mild pine finish (I started with Reina mangoes, which are very sweet even on their own.) Peach with Cinnamon is exactly as advertised.

I was just looking at a nakiri knife; what do you like about it? Where to start?!?! My nakiri is relatively light for having such a large blade - it looks like a cleaver - and there really isn't any equal that I've handled (and I collect knives) for chopping fruits and veggies. Like most Japanese knives, it cuts on the push. I originally picked it up to slice ginger very very finely for pickling, but it has since become the most used knife in my kitchen because it's as easy to cut a carrot as it is a zucchini with it, and I can get much finer slices, excellent juliennes, and have much finer control over the blade than with my chef's knives (this is probably due to the different angle of grinding on the edge - it cuts much faster and with less effort than my chef's knives, even when I've got them razor sharp. I really need to invest in an edgepro system so that I can control the bevel exactly when I sharpen, but that's neither here nor there.) I've also found that I tend to slice my fingers far less with the nakiri than with a chef's knife, even though the nakiri is much more slicey - the grip used with it is different, and for me at least it promotes fast slicing with minimal finger involvement.

J, that last little story of oven pinball is the exact reason that I now have a pair of oven mitts that goes right up to my elbows. I can't wear sleevless anything in good company, because I look like a self-harmer - I've got all sorts of interesting scars on my hands and forearms from ovens.

Limiting this to tools. There are other things that I consider to be indispensable (like oven mitts that go up to my elbows), but they're not strictly hardware. 4" paring knife, 8" chef's knife, 12" nakiri, 16" cake knife, steel, CrO2 stone, fork, veg peeler, bottle/can opener, tongs, silicone spatula, whisk, fine mesh strainers, barrel sifter, rolling pin, silpat, cup measure(s), measuring spoons, standard and candy thermometers (solid state), Microplane or grater or some sort, small digital balance with 5 kg weight capacity in mg increments. Of this, the only thing that doesn't fit in my roll is the barrel sifter - I have collapsable silicone 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 and 1 C measures, and my balance fits in the palm of my hand. EDIT - Pots and pans are a whole 'nother story entirely, as are appliances. For example, all of the above is useless to me without a stove and an oven of some description!

Fascinating! Didn't notice this breed before. I did a quick search, and it seems they originated from Translyvania? http://www.bbc.co.uk...t-fife-12745163 http://www.newscient...their-cool.html I didn't see anything from that quick search directly saying that it was popular in Latin America (not that I doubt you of course!) although the articles report the sourcing of the churkeys (a.k.a. turkens) to include Mexico while this one cites the researchers making comments that do relate to its importance in hot countries/"third world countries". Would you happen to have some more info about its popularity in Latin American markets/communities that I could look up, for my curiosity? Not off the top of my head - I'm going by what I've seen, personally, and what I've eaten (an almost innumerable amount of my friends will kill a chicken fresh for dinner; a good 99% of them raise Churkeys because they're good dual-purpose hens, even if they're kind of funny looking). A lot of the larger chicken farms down here run Churkeys because they're less problematic than Cornish Rocks or other "industrial" hens, and also because the flavour is superior to CRs. They fatten up slightly slower, but that's not necessarily a bad thing....

The other possiblity, given that it was a Latino market, is that you were eating Churkeys (Naked Neck Chickens). They average around 8 lbs when mature, have large breasts, and are a common breed in Latin America due to their heat and disease tolerance. Dang tasty chooks, too.

If you make your own marmelade, you've also got the option of removing the "dregs" before you even start (by straining out the peels in a jelly bag), and holding a small jar of clear marmelade jelly specifically for cocktails. Like Tri2, I've never had any problem with the gel dissolving and breaking up in the shake, so I just plop it in.

A friend of mine brought me some really excellent tenderloin. Hence, filets! Merlot-Malbec and mushroom reduction ended up on the potatoes. And there was a salad, which I didn't think to photograph. Sorry, no money shot (I was hungry!) They were seared off in a screaming hot pan and developed to med-rare while I was making the reduction.

Soybean oil should work just fine. On cocoa butter: that's the fat naturally present in cocoa nibs. No dairy whatsoever, but once it's refined it does look and behave like milk butter, hence the name.

If your guest has a milk allergy, it might also behoove you to find out what exactly is in your chocolate. Many manufacturers use milk solids in even their dark chocolate products.... As for subbing the butter, 1:1 with oil will work quite well, but I'd caution you not to use EVOO. It reacts somehow with chocolate in this type of cake, and off flavours are produced (this is from personal experience - even freshly pressed olive oil does this. It ruined what would otherwise have been a lovely cake.) Sunflower oil is a better option.

Matthew, have you tried that? How does baking a choux upside-down affect the browning of the (eventual) top?

I've always just smoothed my choux with a wet finger; it's how I was taught to perfect them. It's very rare that one will get perfectly smooth choux simply by piping - dough and ovens are too tempramental for that. Then again, if you're going to coat your choux in fondant as shown in the picture, then they'll always look smooth even if they're a little rough - that's a fondant trick, not a choux trick.

And here's a completely different perspective: in Latin America, if it's got glaze on the inside it's a glorified tureen. You cook in some other vessel and then transfer that food into a warmed glazed clay pot (warm by filling with hot water, then draining just before transferring the food). This prevents any nastiness from the glaze (which is often leaded) into the food during the crazing which is inevitable when you heat these pots.

Nope, that's my method too. It's basic olla seasoning procedure, just omitting the garlic or shallot rub.

Just wash and pop them straight in the bottle? If they're small enough. I normally use a 2L widemouth jar.

I use about 20-25 yolks and then 8-10 whole eggs. It's an expensive dessert, but sooo worth it. And it's not something I try to sell either, it's for personal consuption only. Mmmm, with yummy dark chocolate on top.... Pão de ló isn't at all traditional in Ecuador - I learned about it from my mom, who travelled quite a lot in Portugal, and then had the idea revived for me when I was travelling with friends in Brazil. I make it for the same reason that I make Pão de Milho, Pastel de Nata, and other Portuguese/Brazilian baked yummies: I love the taste, and I can't get them here.

Where are you, jrshaul? I'm in Ecuador, and have a friend with trees, so supply isn't an issue for me. If you're in the US, I'd start looking at the high-end food shops. If you're in California, contact the California Rare Fruit Growers' Society - they'll know.

I am very fond of preserving them, whole, in brandy or (if you can score a decent bottle without breaking the bank) cognac.

Mine's about 12" in diameter by 5" high. A friend brought it for me from Brazil. ETA: incidentally, I can't get pargaminho or parchment here; I use unglazed lightweight kraft paper.