JAZ

Peaches and strawberries both go very well with basil.

I recently had macaroni and cheese with -- guess what? -- dried cranberries in it, and I'd like to add my vote against them with cheese. It was one of the worst surprises of my life. If we have three votes against cranberries with cheese, can we exercise veto power?

"Eatery" (pl. "eateries). What's wrong with "restaurant," "cafe," "diner," or any of the other more precise and less odious synonyms?

Wow. Now I really want a Daiquiri. I've never made one with sugar; I always use simple syrup. Is it a vastly different drink that way?

I think this touches on two crucial points (or maybe it's just two sides of the same point) -- when there are enough customers who care about the quality of cocktails that they seek out the one or two best places, after a while the bar managers and bartenders start noticing that. When that happens, they're more likely to try to improve their cocktails so they can become one of the places that customers seek out. They might not make it on the first try, but a steady improvement overall is going to introduce more customers to better cocktails, who then expect more from bars overall.

"Mouthfeel" -- while admittedly isn't the most elegant term -- describes something important that isn't covered by another term. I do think it's overused, though. My vote for food words that make me want to cover my ears and scream: "veggie(s)." Please, please, please use the extra three letters. Is that so difficult?

This from the FAQ section:

A couple of comments: If you've never attended any cooking classes, I think you may be at a big disadvantage trying to teach them yourself. Assisting in a cooking program is a great way to learn the ropes, if that's a possibility for you. Even if you just attend a couple of "avocational" classes, it will give you an idea of what works and what doesn't -- timing, content, what to demo and what to skip, etc. If you can't do this, then I recommend going through a couple of dry runs with friends to get an idea of what all is involved. You may be surprised -- teaching is hard work, and it definitely takes practice. Also, there's a big difference between single "avocational" classes and a professional cooking program. I assume you're talking about the former -- classes that food lovers take to learn about a specific cuisine or technique. If you've never even taken formal (i.e., professional) cooking classes, I'd strongly advise against trying to teach them. Even in the "avocational" category, classes can range from a beginning series to very specific classes on one dish or technique. I'd suggest a) thinking about what you might be best at and b) researching what your potential students want and expect. If you choose a survey or beginning series when your students are expecting a focused class on, for instance, cake decorating (or baking or tamales or knife skills), it's going to be a tough adjustment for both you and them. Also, you should think about whether you want to teach demonstration style classes or hands-on classes. They require very different approaches, and not everyone is well-suited to teach both. If you have a specialty -- a cuisine or even just a dish -- that might be a good way to start off. Invite a couple of your potential students over and practice with them. You won't make any money for a while, but you'll gain invaluable experience. These are the kinds of things you might want to think about before you get into details like a specific curriculum, or the length of classes.

When I was at Pegu Club last year, I had what they called the 2-2-2 Manhattan. Two ryes (Michter's and Rittenhouse Bonded); two vermouths (NP dry and Carpano Antica) and two types of bitters (Angostura and Regan's Orange). It was one of the best Manhattans I've ever had, and since then I've been using the two vermouths and the two bitters in all my Manhattans. (I'd use the two ryes as well, but I don't generally have Michter's on hand.)

While I enjoy this kind of shopping, for most people with full time jobs, I don't think it's a realistic option. Most Americans don't live in places where there are butchers and cheese shops and produce markets within walking distance, so it would mean driving around on the way home (and that's if these shops are open later than 6pm), getting home and starting dinner even later than otherwise. Wonderful in theory; not in practice for most of us. I think it's possible to compromise, though, between buying one lamb chop or a few ounces of cheese, and buying a family pack of chops and several pounds of cheese. Meat (including sausage) freezes well, as does bread (refrigerating bread slows down mold but causes it to dry out faster). So you can buy those in bigger quantities. Cheese will keep if it's wrapped well, but unless you go through it fast, don't buy the giant bricks -- buy 8 ounces.

In A Real American Breakfast, Cheryl and Bob Jamison use slightly more corned beef than waxy red potatoes, together with a medium onion, all finely diced. They use a combination of butter and oil, which doesn't seem right; seasonings are black pepper and 2 teaspoons yellow mustard. I don't know how traditional the mustard is, but it seems like a good match. They also call for a cup of the liquid from cooking the corned beef, or beef broth. The idea seems to be that you it covered with the liquid so that it coheres, then cook it uncovered to get a crust. I've never made this; I've actually never made any corned beef hash. But what I have made from this book has been good and worked well.

Fine Cooking has an online index here. Since that's the only magazine I subscribe to or keep, it makes my life very easy.

They're about 8 by 9 inches.

I'm saddened to report that I bought a bag of Munchos that was disappointing. I buy them from time to time (love them; don't want them around all the time) and have always, until now, been delighted. But not only was this bag filled with mostly small, broken pieces, but there was actually a bad Muncho in the bag. It seemed to have missed the "puffing up" step or something -- it was hard and tough and entirely un-Muncho-like. it wasn't enough to warrant reporting the bag, but I feel as if my universe has changed.

I also missed the deadline, but I inadvertently came up with a combination of the classic champagne cocktail and the Kir Royale. I poured what I thought was only going to be a dash of homemade grenadine into a champagne glass, which I then intended to fill with a California sparkling brut. Turned out to be almost a quarter-ounce, so then I decided to add a very healthy dose (a teaspoon) of Angostura bitters to balance the sweetness. Turns out to be a really great drink. Who knew?

I recently bought a set of liquid measuring cups from Zyliss, which usually makes great kitchen gadgets. This set has a lot of great features -- it consists of a one-cup, a two-cup and a four-cup measure, all of which stack, with a lid that fits over the whole bunch, or over the largest one if you want to store something in the fridge. The measurements are easy to read, and it can all go in the dishwasher. The problem? The so-called "pouring spouts" are mere bumps in the contour of the cups -- you may as well be pouring from a drinking glass. Why would they make a liquid measuring cup that you can't pour from? Second example: Why don't the manufacturers of cooling/draining/roasting racks make one that fits in either of the most common size pans used in a home kitchen -- a half-sheet or quarter-sheet pan? Chicago Metallic makes both sheet pans and racks -- you think they could match up the sizes, but no. Or rather, yes, but only if you buy a set of two non-stick half-sheet pans and one rack. Otherwise, tough luck. You can buy a rack that's too small or one that's too large. Or end up with two non-stick pans you don't need. Any other examples out there?

How recent is this move by Foster Farms? I've been seeing pre-brined poultry and pork, too, in supermarkets for a while now. But it's really frustrating if a product you've been buying changes without warning and you don't notice until it's too late.

I finally had a chance to taste the Tabasco and L&P side by side. Tasted alone, the Tabasco is (as I mentioned above) hotter, but it's also deeper tasing -- more rounded, I guess -- than the L&P. The L&P didn't taste sweeter, despite the high fructose corn syrup. It actually tasted brighter, more acidic. When I mixed them with Clamato, the differences were much less obvious, although still there. The biggest difference was actually in texture. The Tabasco is much more viscous. The only time I can see this making a big difference is in a glaze, or for basting over a burger, where you might want more viscosity.

Although I've never been a fan of the "fruit-smoothie" style of drink like strawberry margaritas or peach daiquiris, this past summer I've been using fresh fruit in drinks in a more subtle way -- muddling or shaking them for flavor, and straining out the pulp. At Tales of the Cocktail in July, I tried a Clover Club, mixed with Plymouth gin by Francesco Lafranconi. The drink served by the kitchen was made with syrup, I believe, but the one he made for the demonstration used fresh raspberries. I was lucky enough to be the recipient of the drink he made (note: it pays to sit in the front row; I did share, although I really didn't want to), and it was so fabulous I had to try it at home. My version was 2 oz. gin (Plymouth really does work best in this -- you want something light), 1/4 oz. simple syrup, 1/2 oz. lemon juice and egg white. Plop in 8 or so raspberries and shake like mad. If you get the balance right, it's simply ethereal. I've also been making a drink with fresh peaches and basil, mixed with gin, Falernum and lime juice. I tried this one with rum, but, call me contrary, I'm not crazy about fruit and rum, or at least not the combinations I've tried. My latest experiment was with fresh cherries -- gin, Maraschino, Cherry Heering, lemon juice and cherries -- it was good after a couple of iterations, but wasn't quite there yet, and I ran out of cherries. Around here, it's past cherry season, so I guess I'll have to wait until next year. Has anyone else tried or made any drinks with fresh fruit? Is this just my obsession?

How much of the prep gets done beforehand at their house? Do you use the hotel kitchen for a la minute stuff (like the fish) and plating only, or do you do more there?

Chantal has a line of items -- "LiveStrong" -- the sales of which benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation. But the pink items benefiting the Susan G. Komen foundation are certainly the ones you see most often in cookware. KitchenAid, Emile Henry and Riedel all have items that benefit it.

Before I even moved to San Francisco, I'd heard of Peet's Coffee. Friends of mine always brought some back with them whenever they visited the Bay Area (and then treated it like gold; I felt privileged to get some). Years later, I went for an interview at the headquarters of Peet's, and the interviewer brought me an individual press pot of whatever they were roasting right then. I didn't get the job, but it was the best coffee I ever had at an interview.

A pastry chef I knew who was interviewing for a new job at the restaurant in Nieman Marcus in San Francisco had to prepare and plate three desserts in four or five hours as part of the interview process. She knew about it in advance and thus could prepare to a certain extent, but she had to use the kitchen's ingredients, so if they didn't have something she was planning to use, she had to improvise. I asked her if that was unusual in her experience; she said it was the first time she'd had to do anything that elaborate or extensive but that she'd usually had to make something.

If you're interested in trying a US product that's made without HF corn syrup, you might try the new Tabasco brand worcestershire (ingredients: vinegar, molasses, water, cured anchovies, soy sauce, Tabasco pepper sauce, tamarinds, salt, onion, garlic, spices, sugar and natural flavoring). I ran across it today for the first time and picked up a bottle. Unfortunately, I'm out of Lea and Perrins, so I'll have to wait to do a taste comparison, but by itself and at first taste, it seems similar -- just a bit hotter. When I taste them side by side, I'll report back.

It would be interesting to see how much of a difference there is between the two -- with all the aggressive flavors and heavy seasoning in Worcestershire sauce, I wonder if one could even taste it. If you can't track down the made-with-sugar version, here's a recipe, which also includes a link to a previous discussion about Worcestershire.