JAZ

Although in this topic on recipes for oysters, there are a few mentions of mignonette and the like, it's mostly about recipes for cooked oysters. When I started to eat raw oysters (not that long ago) I generally went for cocktail sauce, partly because it was what I was used to with shellfish, partly because I wasn't really sure I wanted to taste the oysters themselves. As I got more adventurous, though, I changed to mignonettes, then to just a squeeze of lemon. I'd generally try whatever sauce came with the oysters, but in most cases, found that I the sauces hid rather than highlighted their flavor. But last week at Restaurant Eugene (in Atlanta) I had oysters topped with a granita made with pickled ginger and vodka. It was a revelation -- the flavors all went together so well that now I can't imagine eating oysters any other way. So now I'm wondering if there are other toppings out there that are worth trying -- ones that complement the oyster flavor rather than mask it. Not that I need to find anything better, but I'm willing to try. Any ideas out there?

Now that it finally turned cold enough that I can stand to turn my oven on, I made chicken braised with sherry vinegar, served with grits.

A little late, I know. I've heard good things about Rathbun's but if you're not tied to those choices, I'd recommend Restaurant Eugene. I had a great dinner there recently, plus they have a very good bar as well.

I always cut onions in half through both the stem and root. If I'm dicing, it gives me a bigger flat surface, and I prefer to slice along that axis too. If you don't trim the root end too much, it holds the halves together pretty well. I rarely use less than half an onion, so this works very well for me.

I believe that it was out of production (or distribution) for a while, but it's back on the shelves. (At least in the San Francisco and Atlanta markets.)

I've been using a magnet for my knives for years, but unfortunately, there just isn't a space for it in my new kitchen. I don't have the drawer space for an in-drawer knife block, but for several reasons I'm just not crazy about blocks on the counter -- they never seem to have the right sized slots, they collect crud in the slots and they take up way too much room. I saw this block at Bed Bath and Beyond and thought I'd give it a try. The "Kapoosh" blocks use an insert of tightly packed platic fibers that let you put knives in anywhere instead of being limited to pre-cut slots. (Click here for a better view of the insert.) Seemed like it was worth trying. I got the larger block because I have a lot of knives and also liked the looks of the stainless model. Unfortunately, the lower section is only about 4 inches deep, so it was virtually useless to me. I have one knife that could fit there. And although the back section was the depth of the whole unit, I still couldn't fit my slicer (10") or bread knife (9.5") in it. Plus, I don't know how the reviewer possibly fit 15 knives in the smaller unit. I managed to fit three 8" chef's knives, two utility (6" blades), my 6" chef's. I could possibly have fit one or two more small knives, but that would have been the capacity. So I read through this topic again and ended up returning it and buying the block mentioned here: They're still being manufactured, although they now have a base rather than being hollow. (The knife blades don't touch the bottom.) The inserts are removable and the unit can be washed, so I won't have to worry about the crud factor. It doesn't take up much room at all, and not only do all my knives fit, I also have room for several more -- more if I wanted to crowd them a little. Here's a current link to the item on Amazon. I'd still rather use a magnet, but given the alternatives, I'm very happy with it.

My Mom used to blanch and freeze corn from Dad's garden, and there was nothing better in the middle of winter than to thaw some out and taste summer. Not that all frozen produce is of that quality, of course. But it does show, I think, that the freezing process isn't inherently bad for vegetables.

Iceberg lettuce. Yeah, it's not very flavorful, but it's crisp, which makes it great for things like (American style) Chinese chicken salad or tostadas.

At the cookware store where I used to work, we originally sold the "unseasoned" molcajetes, which were very rough inside. If you ran your fingers inside, you'd end up with fine grit from the stone on your hands. These came with the instructions to grind a couple of batches of rice, as you said above. However, the later version we started to carry seemed to arrive "preseasoned" -- they were much smoother inside, with little grit or even powder inside. Those required no treatment before use. That might help, if you're still wondering (and you haven't yet used your molcajete).

I just found a bottle of Inner Circle rum at a new liquor store, so I finally had a chance to try Dave Wondrich's "Both Indies" cocktail from his Killer Cocktails book. 2 oz. Inner Circle rum (115 proof) 3/4 oz. lemon juice 1/2 oz. Velvet Falernum 1/4 oz. Grand Marnier Shake over ice and strain into a chilled glass. Float a couple of drops of Angostura bitters over the drink. At first, it sort of reminded me of my Velvet Daiquiri when I make it with dark rum. But after a sip or two, it revealed a lot more complexity. I'm not sure what it would be like with a different rum, but it was great with the Inner Circle.

Ever since I tried Fegus Henderson's recipe (the link above), I've never prepared marrow bones any other way. It's so easy, and so good. Here are some photos from my blog earlier this year:

Erik, I saw MB Creme de Cacao at John Walker not too long ago.

I'm not a vodka drinker, but I have to say that the Mandarin Blossom Hangar One mixed about 4 to 1 with Lillet Blonde (shaken and served up) makes a really great drink.

I've made phyllo triangles filled with with farmer's cheese and used warmed pepper-and-garlic jelly as a dipping sauce. They were a big hit.

It seems to me that maybe you're a little confused about some of the tastes in cocktails. First of all, there's a whole host of bitter components in cocktails, from, well, bitters to Campari, Picon or Torani Amer, Cynar, and Pimms. Vermouths also have a distinct bitter flavor profile. So, for bitter cocktails, there's the Negroni, Picon Punch, Pimms Cup, Pink Gin (gin and Angostura bitters) to start. You're right that most bitter profile cocktails are actually bittersweet -- tonic is a great example of that, and all of the drinks I've mentioned have a sweet component as well. Salt comes into play primarily as a garnish, and in addition to the Margarita, there's the Salty Dog. It makes sense that the salt-rimmed drinks contain the more bitter of the cirtus fruits, lime and grapefruit, because salt serves to diminish bitter flavors. But your Dirty Martini has actually more of a salty profile than a bitter one, although olives also have a distinct bitter component. I'm not sure why you call a Manhattan an example of umami. There's a little umami flavor in olives, so an olive-garnished Martini has a bit of that, but there's nothing in a Manhattan with glutamates, which are the source of umami taste. The only common mixed drink that exemplifies the umami taste is the Bloody Mary (and its variants like a Caesar or Bloody Bull), with tomato juice and Worchestershire sauce.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try the Morningside Market one of these weekends. It sounds like the Spruill Green Market CSA is almost at an end for the year, but for next spring, I'll keep it in mind.

Cortez at the Hotel Adaigio on Geary is close to Union Square. If you're interested in "small plates" it's worth considering. Great cocktails, too.

I'm interested in this question as well, since I'm moving to Atlanta soon. What I'd like to know is if anyone can recommend butchers that carry sustainably-raised or organic meat. I'm going to be in Midtown, and there's a Whole Foods close by, but I prefer, if possible, to patronize smaller shops. I'm very spoiled where I live now, because there's a butcher shop a few blocks away from my apartment and I can buy what I need for just a couple of days, or make "impulse" purchases. I'm sure that's not going to be in my future (unless I missed a butcher shop driving around my new neighborhood), but I can adjust to planning and stocking up, if it means better products at a good store. A Google search turned up Star Provisions, which I visited on a previous trip. I'm sure it's expensive, though, so I'd love to hear about other options.

I make a kind of Southwestern slaw with julienned jicama, carrots, red and green bell pepper and red onion. For the dressing, I use lime and orange juices, a neutral oil (canola, vegetable or grape seed), garlic, cumin, a little chile powder (chipotle is nice or ancho if you don't want as much heat) and minced cilantro. You can leave out the cilantro if you don't like it. Another great salad is corn, red pepper, tomato, red onion, and avocado. Toss with lime juice, olive oil, salt and a lot of cumin. You can make this in advance, but add the avocado right before serving. The nice thing about this is that if the avocados are a little underripe, they're still okay for this.

I know the quote, but the fact that he wrote it isn't an explanation. The portions are, apparently, an issue .. and cheese is only an option over a sweet dessert ... ← I've had "planned, multi-course meals in which the other courses are kept to a modest size" and I still don't see the appeal of cheese at the end. What I'm asking is, Why is it the perfect end to a meal? To me, dessert works to end the meal precisely because it is sweet; in other words, it's categorically different from the rest of the meal. I'm not one for huge, terribly sweet, rich desserts right after dinner, but to me, a little bite of something moderately sweet closes the meal in a way that I just can't see cheese doing. If sweets are "palate numbing," then why isn't cheese? Just because it's not sweet? I'm not trying to be difficult; I truly don't understand the appeal.

At the risk of sounding unsophisticated, I have to jump in here and say that I simply don't understand the idea of a cheese plate after dinner. I like cheese (although I have a very low tolerance for stinky cheese) but the last thing I want after dinner is a big -- or small -- chunk of cheese, regardless of what it's served with. I can see ordering a cheese plate for lunch, but for dessert? Maybe someone can explain it to me. What's the appeal?

Abra, if it's not too late, you should consider the roasted potatoes from Kafka's book to go with your pork. (I think they're called "melting" -- or at least, "melting" is in the title or description; unfortunately my copy is packed right now.) They're potato wedges rolled in butter and oil (or chicken fat, which is what I used), roasted on high heat, braised in some chicken broth and then finished again at high heat with more butter. I'm not a huge fan of her Roasting book, but I keep it around just for this potato recipe.

I've been to Central Market in Dallas, Dean & Deluca in Manhattan, and DeKalb Farmers' Market in Atlanta, as well as numerous San Francisco Bay Area markets: Berkeley Bowl, Draeger's, and Andronico's to name a few. They're all great markets, and I'd be happy to shop at any of them. It's awe-inspiring to see that kind of selection and quality in one place. What counts more for me than selection, though, is personal attention, which doesn't happen very often at the larger stores. I think finding a smaller good store and becoming a regular is the way to get the best shopping experience, rather than chasing down the best prices and biggest selection.

Chicken Braised in Sherry Vinegar Sauce This recipe is based on one from Sally Schneider's book A New Way to Cook. In an only-in-the-eG-Forums reversal of the usual progression of recipes, I turned a lower-fat, lower calorie recipe into one with more of both. To go back to Schneider's original, lower fat version, remove the skin from the chicken and use less fat to saute. But in that case, you're better off reducing the sauce on the stovetop after removing the chicken pieces. It won't benefit from the oven browning. 4 large chicken thigh-leg quarters (or use 6-8 thighs) 4 T chicken fat, pork fat or olive oil 1/2 c sliced shallots or onions 2/3 c medium dry sherry 1/3 c sherry vinegar 1 c chicken stock 1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained 1 T Dijon style mustard 1 tsp brown sugar salt and pepper to taste 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. If you're using chicken legs, you can snip the tendons around the chicken "ankle" with scissors to make the pieces easier to eat when serving. 2. Melt 3 tablespoons of the fat or oil in a large skillet (or oven proof braising pan if you have it). Brown the chicken pieces on both sides and remove from the pan. 3. Add the remaining tablespoon of fat to the pan. Saute the onions or shallots until slightly browned, about 6 minutes. 4. Add the sherry and stir to dissolve the browned fond from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for a few minutes to reduce by about half. 5. Add the sherry vinegar and cook for several minutes to reduce again, by about half. 6. Add 1 cup of chicken stock, a pinch of salt, the tomatoes, sugar and mustard and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer. 7. If your pan is oven safe, add the chicken pieces skin side up. If not, transfer the liquid to a large oven proof pan (with lid) and add the chicken. Add more chicken stock, if necessary, to bring the level of liquid about half to two-thirds up the sides of the chicken pieces. 8. Cover the pan and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. 9. Remove the pan from the oven and remove the lid. Turn the oven up to 375 and return the uncovered pan to the oven for another 25 minutes. The liquid will reduce and the chicken skin will get brown and crisp. 10. Take the chicken out of the oven. Depending on the amount of fat in the sauce, you may need to remove the chicken and degrease it at this point. You might also want to reduce it further. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with grits or polenta. Keywords: Main Dish, Chicken ( RG1856 )

It's been so long since I've updated my acquisitions here, I can't remember what all I've gotten. But between review copies, books for research and just things I wanted, it's at least 10 more. The Good Cook Club had a deal -- any books in the catalog for $10 and free shipping. So I got Tapas by Jose Andres, James Peterson's Duck Cookbook, Tartine, and The Improvisational Cook.