Plantes Vertes

A few days ago I tried a Chancellor, in continuation of the Heads of State theme. 2 ounces blended Scotch 1 ounce ruby port 1/2 ounce dry vermouth 2 dashes orange bitters It needed a while in the glass for the orange to make itself at home. Today I used Dan's suggestion to make a Death or Glory with Appleton V/X + a bit of molasses instead of Old Monk. And after I took their photo, I poured them into the appropriate rocks glasses and reflected on my stupidity while doing the unnecessary washing up that I generated for myself. 1 oz Cherry Heering 3/4 oz Smith & Cross 3/4 oz Old Monk (Appleton and molasses) 1/2 oz Angostura Bitters 1/2 oz Lemon Juice A great drink that meanders all over your mouth and nose sprinkling spices and funk.

What type of cabbage is it?

Thanks Soba, and very glad to see you again! I hadn't heard of chermoula before; what do you put in yours?

Anyone else order the Caesar?

We tried a Leap Year tonight with the ratios from 12bottlebar. 2oz Sipsmith gin 1/2oz Grand Marnier 1/2oz Carpano Antica Dash lemon juice I found this one utterly put-down-able. Sipsmith is not a good gin for this drink; the strong juniper does not marry well with the vanilla from the Antica and the peppery gin finish is way too aggressive. It was also somewhat sickly so I would increase the lemon by a fair way next time.

You might have mentioned this before I made them There's always next year.

I made ratatouille to go in our Mardi Gras pancakes yesterday. Cooked the veggies separately Added to the tomato, onion and garlic sauce Finished Served

I did end up making the ratatouille and the caramelised apples: Served the vegetables with some pesto And the apples with cream

We are! I think we'll make some with ratatouille and some with caramelised apples.

The first two are the ones I had tried before and I insisted on them this time. Have to make sure they're still appropriate. Always do my due diligence

Steve, I have not tried this drink and I think if you like it you should just drink it! I would hesitate to try it if I saw it on a menu because in general I favour drinks in which the different flavour elements (bitter, sour, sweet; smoky, floral, fruity, spicy, herbal etc) maintain enough contrast to provide complexity and interest, and are balanced so as to create a satisfying drink overall. Both the liqueurs in this drink are floral and sweet, and they are present in large quantities; that means that the drink will be very floral and very sweet. It is more common to see one or other of them used in smaller amounts to add an accent than to have them as primary ingredients as here. If you like this drink you could always try reducing the quantities of liqueurs (and eventually the lime if it becomes too sour) and see which way you prefer. [A very trivial objection perhaps personal to me is that given the name I would expect this drink to bear some relation to a Dark 'n' Stormy (Goslings rum, lime, ginger beer), but it doesn't.] I hope that's helpful. Enjoy your cocktail hour!

We took the opportunity to buy some beers (most of which) we didn't know in order to select a few for the party: Anyone tried them?

Avert your gaze

This book contains some traditional Latin Lent dried fish recipe summaries.

And Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall has also made posts on cooking with sage, rosemary and bay.

FrogPrincesse, thanks for all the great info! I found this about lovage. It actually sounds quite useful.

huiray - I don't know if I've ever seen perilla. What's it normally used for, and why don't you like it?

I grow most of mine, mostly for French or Italian recipes. In winter, I buy dried Greek oregano, bay leaves, and an Italian seasoning from Costco. Winter window containers support basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley and chives. In January these really come alive. I grow all on your list except bay and lovage. The latter is much like celery, and I substitute celery heart as needed. I'm not fond of borage, with a cucumber taste, but the flowers are abundant and pretty, and bees are attracted. If you attempt to grow tarragon, buy a French tarragon plant. Russian tarragon grows well from seed but has no flavor. I am going to grow two rows of fennel so I can harvest some fennel pollen this year. Lavender should be on your list if you want to mix up herbes de Provence. Chervil, too. If you grow mint, use a container, or it will spread wildly in the garden. Sorrel and tarragon grow best in spring or fall; summer is rough on them. Fresh thyme is very tender and perfumed when it is growing well. More mature thyme is stronger and woody. Horseradish is another possibility. I tried wasabi once but it died when transplanted. Otherwise most herbs and plants here are easy to grow in good soil with lots of light. jayt90, what is fennel pollen like, and what do you use it for? I've seen it in a health-food shop but never tried it.

There are some unorthodox jiaozi here.

All herbs, in all their forms!

How do you use herbs in cooking? What foods go particularly well with each herb? Not all herbs are easily available to me. There would normally be mint, coriander, basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, dill, parsley, sage, chives, tarragon and bay at the supermarket where I shop. What others are worth having/growing? Chervil? Savoury? Borage? Lovage? Sorrel? All herb insights welcome.

A: You make a lousy toaster for £1 and sell it for £6. It breaks after a year and the buyer has to get another one. Over 20yrs you get £100 profit. The buyer spends £120 on toasters over 20yrs. B: You make a decent toaster for £35 and sell it for £130. It breaks after 20yrs and the buyer has to get another one. Over 20yrs you get £95 profit. The buyer spends £130 on toasters over 20yrs. Economically speaking, both parties benefit from transacting in lousy tat. The ones that suffer are the workers that make the cheap toasters, the nerves of the buyer and the environment. As far as food goes, supermarkets exert monopoly buying power to lower prices, which means most people shop there rather than at artisan producers and specialist suppliers. The supermarket can then reduce quality and so further reduce prices knowing that they have a captive clientele. One piece of sharp practice that I have observed more than once is that the supermarket will suddenly increase the quality of its own brand offering a lot and raise the price just a tiny bit, driving its branded competitor out and ceasing to stock them. It will then proceed to reduce the quality of its own brand item over time (keeping the price the same) so that it ends up inferior to the original own brand product but at a higher price.

Wedderburn or Bite from the magic EvergreenDan Arrived late at this party but loved it. Noted that 90% of KC Smith & Cross entries are made by eGers, and the same proportion of those by Rafa

Thank you both. My grandma was ready to go at this point. We used Appleton V/X and St Aubin agricole.

Yogurt, tofu and cream cheese (making is not economical) Tomato and fruit juices (") Shelled frozen peas (a pain to shell) Blanched chopped almonds (a pain to skin) Filo and puff pastry (the spirit is willing but the arms are weak) Deep-fried food (I'm hazard-averse and prefer not to smell of oil) Hummus (mine is just not tasty ) Anything from a coconut (I don't argue with nature)