weinoo

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.

I kinda like Fever Tree. Or Q. Both of their regular tonic waters have about the same calories as Schweppes regular, no sodium and no HFCS. Their lights are also just simply a lot less sugar, w/o the saccharine. If sugar is an issue, I guess there's no getting around using diet. Martinis we like with Beefeater and a fair amount of vermouth. I've probably got 5 or 6 (more?) gins in the pantry, but pretty much end up using Beef or Plymouth for practically all cocktails made with gin.

Keeping it simple these days. Frittata of smoked salmon, tomatoes and scallions. Frittata of broccoli, cheddar and scallions. All served with something toasted (bagels, bialys, whatevs) and some fruit.

It may have been better had I taken a picture of the finished dish, but by that point, all I could do was sit down. The Instant Pot made its first appearance in a really long time for a 3.5 lb. heritage pork shoulder (which was at least 3/4 lb. of fat) that I butchered up (saving about 3/4 lb. of pork for another dish). Big chunks. And 1/2 lb. of @rancho_gordo's Mantequilla beans soaked/brined for about 4 hours. And the last jug of 3 jugs of this stuff (having already used both the jug of medium and jug of hot purchased a few months ago). Green chile stew in New Mexican cooking is basically pork braised in roasted green chile with other stuff (not beans, but hey), and it's pretty awesome. I didn't have all the other stuff, but diced up some onion, shallot, garlic, celery and carrot in lieu of. Also toasted some cumin and coriander and crushed them in a mortar. Browned the pork, removed, threw in the mirepoix to soften, added back the pork, spices (Mexican oregano and bay leaves in addition to the cumin and coriander), about 1/3 of this jug of roasted chiles and a cup of chicken stock. Cooked it all for that 36 minutes and let it natural release. Tasted, salted and smashed a few beans right in the pot to thicken a bit - it was not too soupy, but a little thicker was just right. Holy shit - it was great! I don't think these beans have ever been more perfectly cooked (at least not by me) and flavored. The pork was just at the point where it was shreddable, but not shredded. Holy shit - it was great! Over rice - roasted broccoli alongside. It's just coming into chile season in New Mexico, by which I mean everywhere you go, you smell chiles roasting. It's like driving through Gilroy during garlic season; you can't escape the smell. And the smell is wonderful. If I had more freezer room, I'd stock the frozen, diced chiles, but these shelf stable ones work surprisingly well. I also keep a pound or two of the dried reds (which aren't roasted, but still taste smokey); they're the base for many other classic New Mexican dishes - chile colorado/carne adovada being my favorites. And when you can't make up your mind what sauce you want on your enchiladas or whatever it is you're having - ask for Christmas - and get both! For reds, I like this brand...

The gateway cocktail, as it was known at the (re)dawning of the serious cocktail bar. I can't tell you how many people I've made that cocktail for, who allegedly "hate" gin, yet for some strange reason loved the Aviation. Oh god. I think the reason you don't like real tonic water is probably the same reason you don't like some of those more floral gins.