JAZ

Welcome, Scott. Let us know how your recipe turns out. Sorry I can't help you with your water question, but perhaps Balmagowry can weigh in with her experience. Or wait a while, and when Dr. Cocktail checks in next, I'm sure he'll have the answer.

Thanks so much. Part II is still underway but should be finished next week. I agree that texture is not generally given its due, even though if you really listen to people talk about food and what they like and dislike, elements of texture get mentioned much more often than actual taste.

I like cabbage salads, because they can be made and dressed ahead of time without getting soggy and weird. I make a sort of generic Asian cabbage salad, a Thai inspired salad with Napa cabbage and cashews, a German inspired salad with apple, carrot, bacon, and rye croutons with horseradish in the dressing, as well as more or less "American" versions. For inspriation with salads with meat (or fish) and greens, check out Lettuce in Your Kitchen by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby. Great book. Edit: Oh, and Jinmyo's post reminded me of how much I like celery root remoulade, especially with good ham and gruyere cheese cut into matchsticks and added to the celery root.

I deduce then that the conference was in either Baltimore or London. Which? Bawlmer. JAZ and I were roomies, and if I may be so bold, I became the envy of many when I got a big hug from Tony Bourdain before his panel. Which, by the way, was quite interesting (Kitchen Memoir: Trend or Fad; and boy oh boy you should have heard Michael Ruhlmann lay into the dishonesty of Ruth Reichl's fabrications [in response to my, um, leading question] ) And for the purpose of this thread, I should have 3 more books coming, all by Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, as a result of the silent auction at the conference. I was pretty restrained, having only bought two books there, one of which is food-related, but definitely not a cookbook (Tasting Food, Tasting Freedom by Sidney Mintz). And the other is not really a cookbook either (The Brewmaster's Table by Garrett Oliver -- IACP winner in the beverage category). But then I made up for the restraint by purchasing the Balthazar book when I got back (IACP design award winner). Oh, and the Momo book too. So, two or four, depending on your criteria.

According to Robert Wolke in What Einstein Told His Cook, a heavy flat piece of metal (aluminum seems to work best, he says) is extrememly efficient at conducting the heat from the room into any food placed on top of it. If you have steaks or chops, or any other flat foods, they'll thaw considerably faster if placed on one of those "miracle" defrosters, or a heavy aluminum skillet, because the surface area in contact with the pan is so great compared with the total volume of the food. On the other hand, they don't make much difference for roasts or whole birds or other big bulky foods. So, yes, any aluminum pan will work, but the heavier the better, so a sheet pan is probably too thin to make much difference.

I agree about the sweetness level, but I tend to drink rye Manhattans, and generally perfect ones at that, so for me the cherry adds just the right amount of sweetness. But only those Italian cherries. Otherwise, I go for a twist.

Thanks, Mark. I'm glad you found it interesting. Anna, the time was changed because of my schedule and other factors, so maybe that's why you missed the announcement. But I believe there is a link in the course to the Q&A. I'll check on it.

Have you tried the wild Italian cherries? They're not cheap, but they're worth it, in my opinion. I've gotten a couple of brands; I prefer Amarena Fabbri (amarena is the name of the cherry; Fabbri is the brand). Before I tried them the first time, I always specified no cherries in my drinks; afterward, I found myself trying new drinks just because they were garnished with these little gems.

I don't know why or where I heard this, but I thought "corn" more or less referred to a small, hard chunk of something. So mustard seeds, coriander, pepper, etc were called corns. Even things like gravel, rock salt, etc could have been referred to as corns (as well as the "corns" on your feet). So anyways, in that sense, corned beef makes more sense. It's made with whole, hard spices. Corns. The first answer to this question was the correct one (i.e., that it refers to the salt), so far as I know. "Corn" was the generic term for any grain; by extension it was used to refer to any small "pellet" sort of thing. So you're both correct in that part, but in the case of corn or corned beef, it's the salt it was packed in that was the "corn" in the title. Not the spices. Which makes sense, because it was the salt that was crucial, not the spices. But my all time favorite "answer" to this question was provided on another food board many years ago, when a poster speculated that the beef was packed in "corn juice." I love that.

Mary, Some years back, I used to head down to Paso Robles for the area wine festival in May and always had a fabulous and educational experience. I haven't been in years, though -- does it still take place, and if so, when is it scheduled this year?

I lent my favorite herb book to a friend, but from what I can recall, spearmint is by far the usual mint in culinary uses, with the exception of confectionery. If you go to the market (at least everywhere I've lived) and get "mint" you're buying spearmint, and if you have it growing in your garden (at least here in California) it's probably spearmint as well. As was mentioned, if you do get peppermint, it's going to be much stronger.

Have you considered making your own? It's easy and fast, and produces a much better tasting liqueur. Mix: 2 cups Irish whiskey 1 can sweetened condensed milk 1 pint heavy cream 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon almond extract I find it best to put the ingredients in a big bottle with a tight fitting cap and shake it vigorously -- the sweetened condensed milk it difficult to mix in. This is pretty much ready to drink, although it's better if it sits overnight. You do have to keep it refrigerated because of the cream, but it lasts a long time (this is about the only case I actually prefer to use ultra-pasteurized cream, for its longer shelf life).

If you can find Meyer lemons, try adding a splash of the juice to your drink. I find the combination of Lillet and Meyer lemon juice works really well, and I imagine the mint would be a great addition.

How weird. I've been experimenting with a new cocktail for a class I'm giving next month -- it's for a Junior League class, and they've asked for something in along the lines of Cosmopolitans. I saw the Pom Wonderful at the store and thought it was just right. I'm still playing with the exact recipe, but the base is white rum, with lemon (or lime -- can't quite make up my mind) and a splash of triple sec. One version has a touch of orange juice as well. After I get the recipe down (and after the class) I'll post the recipe. But I already have dibs on the name -- it's a Pomeranian. The class was last night; the cocktail was a hit. So: The Pomeranian: 2 oz. white rum 1 oz. pomegranate juice (I used Pom Wonderful) 1/2 oz. lemon juice 1/2 oz. triple sec 1/4 oz. grapefruit juice Shake and serve up in a chilled glass. Garnish with a lemon wheel. My preference (of course) is to make it with gin instead of the rum, but the class wanted something with rum or vodka, so that's what they got.

Interesting. I generally stir a spoonful of mustard into the sauce before serving, and have been known to toss in a bit of molasses if the beer I've used isn't sufficiently flavorful. Same sorts of flavors as your suggestion. As a side note, I've lately been using short ribs instead of chuck, for a delicious, if not authentic, variation.

I've experimented with umami and MSG, but not with cocktails. I can say, however, that from my research on the subject, grapefruit seems to be (relatively) high in glutamates, so it might be the key in developing cocktail recipes that use that element. As for other ingredients in cocktails that might be umami-rich, I think the savory ones are the best bets -- worcestershire sauce and beef broth, for the most common examples.l If you're interested in what I had to write on the subject of MSG and umami, you could check out this article from the archives of the Daily Gullet: click here I'm also presenting a two-part course on the taste and texture of foods, which will be posted on the eGullet Culinary Institute, in which I talk about umami as both a taste and a textural element in foods. If you're interested. (Edited to take out a sentence fragment that had no business being there.)

I use Sierra's Porter with very good results. Less hoppy (hence less bitter) than the Pale Ale. I've used other Microbrew porters as well.

The food would be nothing but airline meals, prepared by whatever food service happens to actually prepare them, served in the little trays. My dining companions would be Sandra Lee, Rachel Ray and Paula Dean, discussing nothing but cooking shortcuts. Rachel would say "yummy!" at least once every three minutes. The music would be a looped tape of the following songs: Alone Again Naturally, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, MacArthur Park, Honey, and Knock Three Times. Oh, and American Pie, during which everyone would sing along with the chorus.

Interesting that on the website, much is made of the fact that this vodka is made from sugar cane and is therefore "sweet": Seems to me they're trying to have it both ways: it's "vodka" and therefore flavorless, but made from sugar cane and therefore "sweet." Ah, the joys of marketing!

I wonder why it was able to be categorized as a vodka. That would be interesting to know.

Sorry, I missed your post. Great news for me, since I live but a short bus ride away. Although it doesn't seem that California is one of the test markets. Too bad.

Bet yer mixing 'em too much. Every time I've had pancakes that sucked – that were too thin and rubbery – it was because someone just couldn't resist mixing until the batter was perfectly smooth. Go light. Leave it lumpy. Maybe try letting the batter stand. EDIT: to say Flapjack beat me to it! Thanks, all, but I already know all that. I mean, I've been making mediocre pancakes for a long time. I know how baking powder and soda work; I know about protein content in flour, I know about over mixing and letting batter rest. I can make biscuits that will bring tears to your eyes; I can make great dumplings. I cannot make good pancakes. But thanks anyway.

I love gimlets, and like Rose's in them -- I agree, it's something different from what you get with fresh lime juice and sugar syrup. Looking at the ingredients, I noticed that they use the "dreaded" high fructose corn syrup, but I'm not sure what effect that has on the flavor. It could be that the lime juice they use comes from a different variety than the ones we find here in the states and thus tastes a bit different. It could be oils from the zest, too. As for experimentation, I once tried to make a lime and gin version of limoncello, thinking that I would end up with premixed gimlets, and it was a total disaster. I used the zest only, and ended up with a mixture so bitter even I couldn't stand it (and I like bitter). So if you do experiment with the zest, use caution.

What you're describing (called a cobbler shaker) is, generally speaking, not used by professionals. Depending on the shaker, this type can be a little messy -- usually the top part fits over the bottom, so when you take off the top after shaking, the contents drip down the sides of the shaker bottom. And the strainer holes can be a little large, which can allow the odd lemon seed or ice chip to make its way into the drink (I hate ice chips in my cocktails). That being said, it's what I usually use, only because I have several, and I like them for sentimental reasons. I often use a hawthorne strainer to strain, though. And actually, because my usual drink is a martini -- which I prefer stirred -- what I use most often is the bottom of one of my glass shakers with a strainer. For functionality, if you want to use one of these shakers, I like the one by Rosle, (click here for a picture), since the top fits into the bottom part, lessening the dripping when you take it apart. But it's not cheap -- you could buy several Boston shaker sets for the price of one of these.

You want to tap the metal half. As for the shaking part, build the drink in the glass half, then fit the metal half on top. BUT, when you shake, flip it over so the metal half is on the bottom and the glass is on the top. As for which half to pour from, I've seen (and read) both. Since the drink is in the metal half when you finish, I think it's easier to just pour from it. But I don't know what the official answer is.