JAZ

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.

Abra, those rolls sound a lot like the buttery pan rolls from the old Sunset Bread Cookbook, except that recipe calls for twice as much butter and doesn't require any kneading. They're fabulous.

Check out the eGCI course on Plating and Presentation. There's some very good information and instructive photos there.

A french press is a good option, but I'll second the Melitta suggestion. It's what I used for years, and it's great and easy. All you need is paper filters and a kettle to boil water, and you're set. If you have a thermal carafe, you can buy a Melitta cone to fit, without buying the pot as well.

Sanbitter is a non-alcoholic Campari-like drink. It's a bit sweeter, but very close in flavor. I mix it with Aranciata or Orangina for non-drinkers at parties. I've never tried Chinotto, but I believe it's close in flavor to Picon or Torani Amer. I keep meaning to pick some up, but never remember to.

Thanks to everyone for posting to this topic. Now that Chris's show, The Hungry Detective, is on the air, we're closing this topic so we can keep the discussion of the show itself in one place. Go here to discuss the show. (If you recently posted here about the show, I've moved your post to the new topic.)

I would never count on spirits and a hot pan not catching on fire, regardless of whether the burners are off. You might get lucky, if you pan isn't very hot. But with a hot enough pan, the alcohol and vapors can certainly heat up enough to flame. I know this from experience. My advice is always to assume that spirits added to a hot pan will flame. That way, you won't be unpleasantly surprised.

Bamboo is much more dense than wood, so it'll be easier to clean -- it won't absorb as much oil from the salads, and you can scrub it harder. Supposedly, bamboo can go in the dishwasher. As to care, there is an oil specifically for bamboo, and I've been told that it's not interchangeable with the mineral oil you use on wood boards.

If you want to do stock in it, definitely get the 10-qt. As someone mentioned earlier, you can't fill a pressure cooker more than 2/3 full, so even in a 10-qt., you won't be getting a huge batch of stock. For fast soups, stews and chili, it'll be fabulous. I've done braised shortribs in 45 minutes, split pea soup in 20, beef stew in 30.

I've found that rosemary works much better with tequila than with gin. I kept thinking that gin and rosemary should work, but it's too piney for me. I had pretty good luck with tequila, grapefruit and a small rosemary sprig, shaken and served up. But you have to be careful to go easy on the rosemary, or it takes over.

Check out the eGCI course on Stovetop Cookware (click here) for a good introduction to basic materials and shapes for cookware. It might not answer all your questions, but it should give you a lot of information.

Check out this topic -- there's a wide variety of recipes.

All the recipes I've seen for the Blood and Sand call for Cherry Heering (or another sweet cherry liqueur), not kirsch.

I clean all my fine strainers with a potato brush -- the kind that looks kind of like a nail brush, but with a potato-shapped handle. The bristles are really stiff and do a great job of getting all the residual gunk out.

I tried Bourbon and Branch a couple of nights ago and was impressed. From my experience, it seems that they've ironed out whatever problems Bauer found in the service -- I would have preferred sitting at the bar, but our server was quick and very pleasant. The drinks were good; I thought there was a good mix of fairly accessible drinks with more complex ones. A nice touch was the "amuse" champagne cocktail that the server brought, so we had something to sip while we were deciding what to order. I'll definitely go back, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes creative cocktails.