weinoo

Certainly could've been, and if I were making it at an airBnB in Paris (oh, if only), exactly what I would have called it. Never had a Jersey tomato this good in Paris!

Of course you're right. I had some fun scouring a few books yesterday... According to the book at lower left, smörgåsbord is composed of two words: smörgås (open sandwich) and bord (table) (this is from the Swedish book). The Danish word (which I was totally confusing with the Swedish word), as Anna mentions, is smørrebrød: It's all meant to confuse we non-Scandanavians. Or at least confuse me, but I'm glad I learned the difference. Just to confuse me further... So for lunch yesterday, I guess I made smørrebrød, and served them as part of a small smörgåsbord. And they say English is a hard language! Open-faced tomato sandwiches (with the best tomatoes I'll probably get this year), bread buttered and Duked. Salted and peppered. Gazpacho of tomatoes, cucumber, jalapeño (mild), red onion, sherry vinegar, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper. Light garnish of avocado and chives.

Here's a question I have about all these meals - served in those little (whatever they're made out of) to-go containers. Why not provide either washable or compostable real plates? I realize they're not dining in the most lush surroundings, and the jobs are insanely tough, but wouldn't it be nice to eat lunch and dinner off of a plate? Just for the slight mental or morale boost. It might not make all the difference in the world, but my guess is any difference made which makes something feel a little homier, would be nice.

Here are a couple of interesting products, probably impossible to source here... https://www.prestigioytradicion.com/en/product/kko-destilado-de-cacao-50cl/ https://www.thecanberradistillery.com.au/shop/cocoa-liqueur/

Once I scored a line on le beurre bordier, it gets used pretty much exclusively (particularly like the demi sel), except for baking, where the expense would be crazy. For that, I can usually find Land o' or Cabot on sale. I've always baked with unsalted, but then I saw something somewhere, and decided it didn't matter as long as I adjusted the salt for the finished product.

Now you're talking!

Indeed. Good dried morels are nothing to sneeze at (and with vin jaune, just great). Similar to porcini, the dried porcini from Italy are magnitudes better than those from, ummmm, not Italy.

Great stuff indeed!

I have a bottle of Plymouth Navy strength. Stuff can be dangerous if used incorrectly. It's interesting that Martin Miller markets the term Westbourne Strength, as it's no higher ABV than classic Beefeater or Tanq.

I know what they call it. No croissant deserves to be despoiled by being called a sandwich! Haven't we (by we I mean eG) had discussions in the past about whether a hamburger is even a sandwich?

Well of course. But I'd hardly call that a "sandwich."

I did mention that above...

I was able to score one last week, as they were stocking the cheese area. Asked about it and was told, buy it now, it's all we're getting! Stinky and delicious. And that mobay you wrote about above which was lovely - no mas!

Exactly. Sometimes they even miss words at the beginning of a sentence; you know, the ones which ought to be capitalized.

Diet Coke for me (Significant Eater used to be a can a day person, but stopped) is only when I used to eat lunch at a Chinese restaurant. Goes well with all the sodium.

I don't know if I understand this. But the difference is that you actually can't live without water, no? So we're all addicted to it, as we are oxygen. Remember, this is one person's story in the newspaper. With some additional info based on various research projects.

Today's NY Times has an article entitled I Was Powerless Over Diet Coke, and subtitled: After almost 40 years as a diet-soda addict, my body suddenly started to reject my favorite feel-good companion. So when I see someone post something along the lines of I have to wonder. From the article: And it goes on: I know sugar is bad, salt is bad, drugs are bad. But boy - this article makes artificial sweeteners sound like all of them mixed together!

Always loved this scene in The African Queen... Where Rosie is pouring the Gordon's into the river. Gordon's, at its price point, is a quite reasonable London dry. Especially if making a gin punch. Say Mr. Wondrich's Victorian Gin Punch... 3 lemons ¾ cup sugar 1 750-milliliter bottle gin ½ cup orange liqueur 1 liter seltzer, chilled PREPARATION Use a vegetable peeler to peel long strips of pith-free skin from the lemons. Place peels in a bowl, add sugar, muddle vigorously and allow to steep 2 to 3 hours. Juice lemons to obtain 3/4 cup. Pour lemon juice over peels and stir to dissolve sugar. Transfer to a 3-quart pitcher half-filled with ice. Add gin, liqueur and seltzer. Stir and pour into punch cups or short-stemmed glasses, and serve.

As said above, if there's not a reason to avoid sugar, I can't abide the use of diet mixers for highballs. If anyone is really that worried about the calorie count, I guess they shouldn't be drinking cocktails in the first place.

When I'm eating alone, there are no rules. But the bread here, now, is pretty darn good. So to me, it's all about balance; if I have to use a fork to eat a sandwich, is it really a sandwich any more?

St. George makes very nice stuff; their Absinthe is in inventory here. From Spain, I cant' recall trying much gin, as I like sticking to their vermouths, wines, and brandies. But I'm pretty sure I must've, because I've been to both Dry Martini bar in Barcelona and La Ginotería in San Sebastián, each of which has a pretty amazing gin selection. Currently closed due to you know why, WhiteChapel in San Francisco is another bar focusing on gin, and doing (or did) a fine job of it.

It’s quite American. I always enjoy a sandwich or whatever you want to name it in France or Italy, where it’s about the bread as much as it is about the filling

Mostly the problem is (in my opinion) trying to put too much stuff inside. Butter the bread or the baguette, put a piece of salami or jamon and a few slices of cornichon in there, and enjoy.

Oh yeah - try it in there. I actually like to salt it a couple of hours ahead.

I think I've mentioned the wild Alaskan salmon dryness problem before. The way I deal with it and keeping it somewhat moist is very low heat cooking - I don't think you have a CSO, @KennethT, but in that oven, I cook it on steam at the lowest possible temperature for a very short time...they're pretty thin pieces. I've also smoked it to good effect in a gin donabe. And finally, try poaching it. I had good luck with that. Don't boil; just barely simmer.