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KatieLoeb

eGullet Society staff emeritus
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Everything posted by KatieLoeb

  1. They are. We carry the Dogfish Head Brown Honey Rum and the Dogfish Head Wit Spiced Rum at several of the restaurants I work for. Tasty stuff. I like the body and character of the Brown Honey, myself. It's popular in the Philly area I think, because Dogfish Head is kind of a "local" (Lewes, Delaware) brewery, so the name has good brand recognition here. The rums are carried in PA by Kasser-Laird distributors. Not sure where to get it elsewhere as I am a hostage of the archaic and asinine Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board system.
  2. Hi Girl Chow: I'm pretty new here too, and this place is just filled with wisdom, wit and warmth. I just love these guys ! I have an excellent book on spices at home that has a fantastic garam masala mixture in it. I'll bring it in to work tomorrow and type it out for you. Katie
  3. My apologies - I didn't mean to imply that you should be avoiding the former. I stopped worrying about my moral rectitude, as well as my caloric intake (most of the time) quite awhile ago. It shows both in my waistline, and in the big grin on my face... Here's to hell with calories and moralities...
  4. Holly: Glad you liked it. This fudge is the most oxymoronic combination of rich and delicate I have ever had the pleasure of trying. REALLY yummy stuff, n'est ce pas? Deadly dark and delicious chocolate fudge hand made by those whose hands do God's work. There's something oddly poetic about that, I think. Sigh - it's a sad thing, isn't it Those things that are the best are often immoral, fattening, or both!
  5. I thought Swan Oyster Depot was inexpensive and a real down home kind of experience when I was there. Since they do a lot of retail and wholesale fishmongering, they can afford to keep the prices down. Also, I don't necessarliy think Polk Street is the high rent district (althought EVERYWHERE is the high rent district in S.F. from what I understand) so it's reasonable from that angle as well. Admittedly not much on atmosphere, but the food is delicious. More of a lunch kind of place though. They may not be open for dinner - I don't remember, having purposely gone there for lunch.
  6. Thanks Maggie! The name was too good to let pass by. The implication of drinking one too many goes without saying, I think Cheers!
  7. KatieLoeb

    Oregon Pinot Noir

    Panther Creek Bednarik Vineyard is excellent. King Estate Reserve also great. Chehalem Ridgecrest 2000 single vineyard is showing very nicely right now. Argyle, Rex Hill, Elk Cove - It's all good from Willamette (dammit!) and Rogue Valley. Foris Vineyards does a very reasonable Pinot Noir blended from various blocks as well as the Maple Ranch Pinot Noir which comes from a separate parcel of land they own. Their "Fly Over Red" is one of my favorite inexpensive by-the-glass pours. An Oregonian Bordeaux blend aged in French oak. At about $14.00/bottle it's a steal.
  8. Test drove several new cocktails for the specialty cocktail list here at work. My recent find of real Jamaican Ginger Beer (more like a ginger juice - non-carbonated) made my mind reel with possibilities for winter time drinks. Here are the three winners so far: Lemon Ginger Cosmopolitans - made with Absolut Citron, Triple Sec, a splash of Ginger Beer, a splash of Cranberry juice and a little Roses Lime juice. Ginger Side Car - standard Side Car recipe with Brandy, Cointreau and fresh lemon juice, add a healthy splash of Ginger Beer and serve up with a sugared rim. In honor of eGullet - the Slippery Slope. 3 oz. Bourbon, 1 oz Ginger Beer shaken, served over ice and filled with bitter lemon. Will continue playing with the day bartender while it's quiet from the snowstorm. I'll keep you all posted on any new developments.
  9. Slippery Slope Serves 1. The key to this cocktail is authentic Jamaican ginger beer. It is more like ginger juice, not carbonated at all. 3 fl oz bourbon 1 fl oz Jamaican-style ginger beer (non-carbonated) bitter lemon soda Shake the bourbon and ginger beer. Pour over ice and top off with the bitter lemon. Keywords: Cocktail ( RG203 )
  10. KatieLoeb

    Corked Wine

    Training a rather inexperienced staff (at another restaurant where I act as sommeliere during the summer months) on what a corked wine smells like led to one of the most spot-on comments I've ever heard. I had saved a definitely corked bottle of one of our house pours for the end of the shift and poured it side by side with a freshly opened bottle. One of the servers (who knew absolutely nothing about wine) said: "Ewww-it smells like a dirty hot tub!' Brilliant! Out of the mouths of babes...I've never been at a loss for words failed to explain what corked wine smells like ever again.
  11. The recipes I've used for gravlax always included a sprinkling of brandy or vodka before the laying on of the dill. I also use some crushed toasted coriander seeds and black peppercorns along with the kosher salt and brown sugar. I usually leave it for two to three days.
  12. I LOVE the NZ Sauvignon Blancs. A much more fruity and 'in your face" style than the refined Sancerres and Pouilly-Fume most of us are accustomed to. Less "pee du chat" and mineral, more grass and grapefruit. The vintages don't matter quite as much in places where the weather is always hot and sunny. It only matters in places where the vines are on the outer edge of sustenance due to wild fluctuation in weather and cooler climates like Burgundy, Germany, etc. I second the vote for the Allan Scott - just tried that a few months ago and it was delicious! I also like the Selaks and Koura Bay NZ Sauv blancs. Tasty stuff. For something more refined, try the Domaine Dominique Roger Sancerre "La Jouline". Very sexy wine. For bargain Loire Valley Sauv blancs try some of the lesser known but equally delicious appellations such as Menetou-Salon, Entre-Deux-Mer or Sauvignon de St Bris. Many of these are as good or better than their neighbors, at a fraction of the price.
  13. David: We have the Hirsch 16 and 20 year old at the bar here at Striped Bass. They are $16.00 and $22.00 respectively. So when are you coming in to see me???? Hugs, Katie
  14. KatieLoeb

    Daniel

    lxt: Food Pornography as Prose. I love it! Merely reading about your dinner has given me gooseflesh. Keep up the good work - your report is amazing
  15. So many hot sauces - so little time... The Yucateco sauces are great staples. I really like the new Green Tabasco on tacos and such. Sriracha is always on the refrigerator door for anything Asian. But my all time favorite is the Jump Up and Kiss Me sauce. It's a fruity, hot and curry-esque sauce that is great with a couple of drops in canned soups or stew to jazz it up a bit. Barb - what do you need bottled sauce for? You have Adan to make you the killer table hot sauce from Paloma, you lucky girl! Man that stuff is good! Is that the "F-16" sauce you mentioned?
  16. This isn't chocolates, per se, however, the fudge from the Briggitine Monastery is truly AWESOME. I have given this as a gift and always gotten raves for it. Briggitine Monastery Fudge Have fun! This stuff is way off my diet...
  17. If I had a staff of 70 professional chefs, botanists, gardeners and stylists at my disposal, I suppose my humble home would look like Ms. Stewart's as well... As it is, although I wish I could have gotten as rich as she is spray painitng pine cones, I do give Ms. Stewart credit for brilliant repackaging of the same concept over and over and over. The lowly carrot will be a gardening segment, a carrot recipes segment and a carrot wedding cake segment on or in various TV shows and magazines. She really is brilliant at squeezing every last drop of "juice", so to speak, out of any given topic. I have just seen the new magazine at my local newsstand. I'll have to pick it up and give it a look-see.
  18. KatieLoeb

    Brussels Sprouts

    Actually, that sounds great. It is ! A very earthy and "wintery" sort of dish. I just had this on Saturday evening for dinner and it was delicious. He was running this as a special. I think the menu cost was about $27.00. Very hearty stuff.
  19. The ginger beer I'm referring to is the Jamaican version which is more like a thick ginger juice, not a carbonated beverage. It's made by steeping shredded ginger in boiling water, squeezing through cheesecloth and then sweetening and thinning it with simple syrup. I cheat and buy it at the local Jamaican Jerk Hut. But if my cocktails are a success (doing a dry run of several ginger beer concoctions with the day bartender tomorrow) I'll have to see if I can get the kitchen to make it for me. Some of the other possibilities are Lemon/Ginger Cosmopolitans with Absolut Citron, Ginger Sidecars, Vanilla Cream Royales made of sparkling wine with a splash of Ginger Beer and a splash of Licor Cuarenta y Tres, Strawberry Ginger Martinis with a splash of ginger beer and Fragolino di Nemi Wild Strawberry liqueur, etc. I'll report back on which ones were a success...Oh, and of course I'll be test driving the Slippery Slope
  20. I like it. Can we have a contest? 3 oz. Knob Creek Bourbon 1 oz. Ginger Beer Shake and pour over ice in a rocks glass. Fill with Bitter Lemon. Now THAT'S a Slippery Slope to slide down...
  21. KatieLoeb

    Brussels Sprouts

    A chef friend of mine does them with lardons and dePuy lentils as a base for lamb and lamb sausage. Yummy!
  22. KatieLoeb

    weekend menu

    How about a big pot of Ratatouille? The vegetarians will love it, everyone else can have it as a side dish, and it makes great omelette or fritatta filler next day! Voila! Problem solved. My work here is done...
  23. KatieLoeb

    weekend menu

    A corollary to the ham idea is make a big-assed roast beef. Serve hot and sliced with horseradish mashed potatoes and veg first night, then sliced for sandwiches all weekend, as well as shredded atop some spinach with a sesame-soy vinaigrette for a nice Asian salad, or with crumbled feta, cucumbers, tomatoes and red onion w/lemony vinaigrette for a Greek salad later on. I do this all the time. Makes "leftovers" a lot less boring and makes for WAY less work the rest of the week.
  24. KatieLoeb

    Roasting a Chicken

    Suzanne: Yes - only I usually strain and degrease it first. If I toss the stock into the freezer while the chicken is "resting", I can usually scoop off enough of the "schmaltz" to make it palatable again. This method really does work pretty well. I never understood beer-can chicken, but your explanation makes sense, logically. The large can opening on the soup or coffee can definitely exposes enough surface area to actually allow appropriate evaporation.
  25. KatieLoeb

    Roasting a Chicken

    I like to use the "over-the-can" method for roasting chickens. I use either a large soup can or a coffee can (whichever fits the bird's inner cavity) and fill it about halfway with well seasoned (bay leaves, peppercorns, a few veggies, etc.) stock. I then place the cavity of the bird over the can and stand it all up in a roasting pan. Obviously, the rack has to be in a low position in the oven. I sear the bird at about 425 degrees for 15 minutes and then lower the oven temp until the thermometer in the thigh tells me it's done. I baste a couple of times with seasoned butter while baking. The bird comes out incredibly moist this way because the stock steams it from the inside out, while the dry oven heat crisps and roasts it from the outside in. Sort of an odd variant on Peking Duck preparation, but it works like a charm.
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