Plantes Vertes

SWIM supplied the gin for my Martini and it was l u s h. Thanks!

Thanks for the tutorial tanstaafl2!

Today I had a Dark Daiquiri. 2oz Flor de Cana 7 1/2oz lime juice 1/2oz Demerara syrup In fact this was not a good use of this rum, which has a vanilla-cinnamon-brown sugar flavour that did not get along with a harsh sour lime and was totally overpowered.

Nice. Accessible from the floor. Practical.

We made a poor man's Improved Holland Gin Cocktail, with Bols rather than Genevieve. It really was lovely. Great spices and warmth. An example of a super-simple structure that demonstrates the complexity of the ingredients really well. The genever and the dry rye make such a complementary couple; they're like each other's imaginary friends.

Thanks both for the explanation - I didn't realise this about fats.

I think I need this asap. Can no longer resist. See Rafa? You can sell.

You need to work in ads when finance does its number on your morals

I call that a party. When's the party? Inquiring minds want to party.

Do you know anybody who drinks only one glass of punch? If you do, don't trust them.

Yes, I understand that but not why the fat has to be solid - you can preserve things in oil too, no?

Could you explain why solidity is important? I'm not sure I understand that.

*Baked*

Try a cored apple stuffed with raisins and cinnamon!

That's a great idea - I'm sure you can do the same with your soup. Actually I've read that radishes are a good low-carb alternative to potatoes in soup, but I've never tried it.

Shelby, congratulations on your weight loss! I really admire people who can change their body. I can understand you feeling sick of salad. I love vegetables but especially in winter I see that salad could become a bit unsatisfying. Perhaps you need some more variety? These are some salads that I enjoy; I hope that you'll be able to try a few with what you have available: Diced tomato and cucumber, black olives, cannelini beans, red onion, oregano and mint, olive oil and red wine vinegar, black pepper Brown lentils cooked with mirepoix of carrot, onion and celery over grilled romaine Crushed brown lentils cooked with cumin, onion and sauteed mushrooms parsley and baby spinach Grated carrot, avocado and chick peas on baby gems, lemon juice and olive oil Artichoke hearts, spinach sauteed with onion and nutmeg, broad beans over iceberg Grated beetroot, mange tout, peas and soya beans on rocket with mint Green beans cooked with tomato and garlic over radicchio Shaved fennel, orange segments and black olives over radicchio Chick peas, cooked beetroot and cooked broccoli with parsley over romaine Sweetcorn, tomatoes, black beans and avocado with coriander over iceberg Grated carrot, chopped celery and raw mushrooms I like to put toasted seeds on them too but they are quite high in calories. Otherwise, perhaps it's time to switch to cooked vegetables or soups? As long as you can season them in different ways these could provide a nice change from salad.

My grandparents grew up in rural Ireland at a time when food was there to keep body and soul together. They never had much sense of quality or variety - certainly not of health or adventurous eating - and chose meals on the basis of cost and convenience. The most important thing I learned from them in terms of food culture is how lucky I am to have means and education to choose.

msacuisine, perhaps you will find these links handy: http://modernistcuisine.com/2012/11/thanksgiving-the-modernist-cuisine-at-home-way/ http://modernistcuisine.com/2010/11/a-modernist-thanksgiving/

Cool! Glad to be able to follow your progress and to have had a little input!

You know, I do believe that mustard is preferred Clove pros: Taste nice; look nice Clove cons: PITA to pick out of teeth; anaesthetise mouth if chewed

We had some more Hemingway Daiquiris the other day, because hell, this is a scorching summer in the Caribbean after all. 3oz Havana Club 1oz grapefruit juice 1oz lime juice 3/4oz Luxardo Maraschino Cooking hazard.

Rafa, sorry I missed your question before, and I wish I had answered it when I had a better memory of the drink - they were dry as goddamn, is the main thing that comes to mind now, and the Luxardo was very muted; there was no noticeable cherry flavour. If I remember well I found the vermouth and the genever both held quite distinct so it was a good combination in the sense of allowing them both to stand true, but it set no fires alight. Today we made Amsterdams from Trader Vic. Only we made them a lot bigger. Oranges, eh? I reckon four dashes of Regans and an oz of Cointreau are a fair enough way to control for their shortcomings. Those elements push the drink towards a wintery, gently sweet and spiced palate that makes sense of the citrus and of the genever malt.

Some other possibilities that I've seen are to portion, season and flour the trout before deep frying and serving with tarator sauce, and to use the trout in a fish curry

haresfur, what else will you be serving? In general terms; if the ham is traditionally salted you will need to soak it (most hams don't require that any more as they aren't cured for long-term storage). The supplier should advise you how long, depending on the amount of salt in the cure. Then cover loosely with foil and roast the ham at 310 for 20mins/lb minus half an hour. Peel off the skin with a knife, leaving the fat, and score the latter in a diamond pattern. Then add the glaze and cook for the final half hour/to internal temp of 140-150. Rest 1/2hr-45mins. You probably want a cup of glaze for an 8lb ham (I guess yours is smaller.), and 1/2 or more should be sugar or equivalent. It should have a jammy consistency. Most of the glazes include a sour element, a sweet element and a pungent/aromatic element, (sometimes being combined in one ingredient) eg: The classic sugar or honey and mustard Pineapple juice-sugar-mustard (+ optional pureed dates) Fruit preserves (especially cherry, plum, apricot, apple) -vinegar-mustard Chutney-mustard Marmalade-rosemary (+optional, yes, mustard) Orange juice and zest-sugar-mustard You can also add garlic, soy sauce, bourbon, grand marnier, lemon juice...

Thanks liuzhou; very interesting. Takeaway chow mein and chilli-garlic beancurd are as far as I've got. Seems like there's more to know, right?