alacarte
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Posts posted by alacarte
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Great thread - I immediately thought of the current salted-caramel craze. How would this work with a richer, sweeter drink, like something based on Bailey's Irish Cream or other liqueurs?
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thanks ruth!
Initial feedback - after a couple of tries, this was a winner:
Start with well-chilled juices, or shake over ice.
In a shaker, combine 3/4 parts prune juice to 1/4 part apple juice, plus one teaspoon of sugar. Shake until foamy.
Pour into a tall glass and finish with ginger ale.
Serve with a bendy straw.
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Well, really. Add a dram of good brandy to this and it would go down quite easy.
ha ha!
well, I could try the brandied version on my own.thanks so much for the ideas, Karen and petite chou
I'm starting to think that sparkling lemonade might be a nice addition too.
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I'm trying to help out a friend with dietary issues, who is required to drink a couple of glasses of prune juice daily.
Is there any mixed beverage that will make it easier or more fun to get the stuff down? It's OK to mix with pretty much anything except alcohol.
I've thought of suggesting Perrier or sparkling water as a mixer, or maybe combining with other fruit juices --but prune is a tough one to mix, since it's heavy and doesn't combine well. I'm starting to understand why we don't see prune cocktails!
Any ideas gratefully accepted - thanks!
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I've run into the Presbyterian (bourbon, ginger beer, club soda) in 3 unrelated occasions over the past two weeks. So I'm going to be bold and call it a trend.
winter's a good time for bourbon & ginger, nice warm flavors.
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"Blackberry Beretta", with a squid ink brioche, blackberry confit, rum gelee
rum gelee!!
now that's a jello shot I can get behind
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I'm confused. I know it's illegal to sell and to make absinthe in the US but I thought possision was legal. Is this incorrect?
Just last week I attended a Culinary Historians of NY event focused on Absinthe. According to the speaker, Dr. David Weir, it is illegal to sell absinthe, but not illegal to be in possession of it.
We did a side-by-side tasting of absinthe (yes, the real stuff) and Pernod. Did not sell it, just shared it with us. Even diluted with water, even with sugar cubes added, IMHO absinthe is nasty stuff. Perhaps it's an acquired taste, but I don't foresee ever acquiring it. But Pernod is delightful.
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There's also a new-ish place that opened above Punch in Flatiron - it's called Wined Up. I haven't yet been there, but would love to hear if anyone else has been.
Casa Mono on 17th is also a good wine bar choice if you like Spanish wines and tapas and don't care about crowds (it's TINY and always full, but usually a good-natured crowd)
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No good reason why not....although most likely you'd need extra thickener, and you'd need to keep an eye on the batch to make sure the boiling doesn't get out of hand with the extra alcohol content. Probably you'll need to make a couple of batches to test for the thickening you want.
It might not taste very nice, though, unless you select a spirit with a strong flavor that you really, really like. That aside, it might be pleasant for people who don't like their jams overly sweet.
I hope you'll post the result after you try - I look forward to hearing about it!
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whipped absinthe
fantastic....
With a name like Varietal, I'd assume they have a great wine list. Does it live up to the name?
Do they serve cocktails? Are they anything special like the desserts?
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If you haven't already read it, a new book, "And A Bottle of Rum" has a chapter exclusively devoted to the origins of tiki bars, as well as the controversy over who created the Mai Tai.
Great book chronicling the history of rum in America, I recommend it.
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Bailey's recently introduced a caramel flavor that sounds like it would be a match for a dulce de leche mix. But damned if I can find it anywhere....
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What did you think of Eric Asimov's take on the "Sommelier Shortage"? Is wine education the answer?
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Sam, thanks so much for that helpful --and comprehensive!-- reply!
I'm still not sure if I can pull this off. But I"m going to try, and will have a fire extinguisher at the ready....
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I have a question for all you bartenders, mixologists, and pyromaniacs:
I have a recipe for a drink that ends with "garnish with a flamed orange peel."
Is there a trick for setting an orange peel aflame without setting fire to my kitchen or myself? This is for a vodka-based drink, if it makes any difference.
The questions I'm grappling with are basic and possibly even stupid:
--does the shape or size of the orange peel matter?
--do I use a match or a lighter?
--will this make a difference in the taste of the drink?
--do I flame the top or the underside of the peel?
--do I blow out the flame and then drop it in my drink, or drop it while it's still burning into the drink? do I need to blow it out after that?
--edited to add one more question: am I supposed to soak the peel in alcohol first?
THANKS!
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I agree with Mimi's sentiments that if you're not pissing someone off with a review, you're not doing it right.
I had a brief gig reviewing restaurants. Brief because whenever I actually voiced a criticism, I was asked to rewrite it. Why would I be asked to do that? Because each of those restaurants were potential advertisers, and we didn't want to upset them.
Upshot is that I learned quickly how to say "this restaurant sucks" in very vague, weasel-y language: Mediocre. Lackluster. Adequate. I'd advise all restaurant goers to raise the red flag whenever they see a review that notes that a restaurant is quiet...empty....a good place to read your novel undisturbed. (Meaningful, specific adjectives like "serene" and "peaceful" are another story.)
Or a review that praises the atmosphere and the crowd, but never once mentions the food. That's code for GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.
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This is how I've always cooked my turkey -- in pieces -- and in my opinion, it's the best way to preserve your sanity. I say you've chosen a wise course.
No, you don't get the food-porn shot from the cover of a magazine. But you also don't have to wrestle with carving it, it cooks a LOT faster, and you can easily manage how well done you want certain pieces.
Usually, I'll purchase a roll of breast meat from the butcher, along with a variety of drumsticks, thighs, and wings. My extended family is a fan of dark meat, so I buy extra drumsticks and and thighs (the extra parts would make for one funny-looking assembled bird!)
I arrange the breast meat in one pan, and the dark meat in as many other pans as needed. Everything gets propped up on celery sticks to keep the meat from boiling in the marinade, then it's all basted and then tented under tin foil for the first hour, and then I remove the tinfoil after that so everything gets crisp on the outside and baste every 30 min. or so.
The dark meat usually cooks for a little under 2 hours at around 425 degrees (it might be less time if I didn't have other stuff going in the oven too) and then I remove it and let it rest while the breast meat finishes for another hour. If it's still not done by then, I'll slice it and amp up the heat a bit, and it finishes all right.
When your family gushes about how your turkey is not dry like all the other turkeys they've eaten on Thanksgivings past -- that's why -- you're not overcooking the rest of the bird just to get the breast done!
I don't usually worry about meat thermometers because it's in pieces -- another big benefit! I'll make a discreet slice in the largest piece of dark meat to test, and if the juices run clear and the meat looks done, then it's good to go. (similar to testing for doneness in a chicken). And the white meat -- I slice it to check that it's not too pink, and that's the doneness test for that.
And if you want to present a 'beauty shot' for your guests to ooh and ahh over -- just slice up the breast meat, arrange the light and dark meat prettily on a platter surrounded by nice frills of lettuce and radish rosettes and whatever else looks nice.
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I'm not a fan of Choya either, it's too strong and fermented-tasting for my taste, although it tames a bit when mixed with fizzy water or white wine.
I've been looking for something lighter and sweeter. I've tried Fu-Ki, and it's OK, still a bit ersatz tasting. I'll have to try to find a bottle of the one Hiroyuki recommends. Does it have a brand name ?
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It looks cool.
It would be downright stupefying after a few drinks to watch the lights go. My cat would go crazy for this.
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This is my all-time favorite drink to accompany (or chase) sushi: plum wine, straight up, with a squeeze of lime.
WONDERFUL!
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Probably should have Googled first. Apparently this is the product I tried.
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I just had a coffee drink at L'Absinthe brasserie that included Benedictine and Marie Brizzard (and a dollop of creme fraiche on top).
I asked to see the Marie Brizzard bottle, because I've never heard of this before. It smelled WONDERFUL -- liquorice-y like Sambuca, but more subtle and complex.
Does anyone know much about Brizzard? What's in that, anyway? What cocktails would you use it for? I'd love to learn more.
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oh my goodness, that photo of the frog in the wineglass is something else!! it just works on so many different levels.
if that's an original, it should be entered in a photo competition somewhere.
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Second episode focused on Barcelona (mostly) and Jose Andres.
It's intelligently done but I'm still distracted by the pacing. Each little segment runs about 3 minutes and then you're into the next segment on Harold McGee on fragrances and then you're back in Barcelona for an olive oil tasting and --wait, I wasn't done with Harold McGee yet!--but better keep up, now Ruth Reichl is showing us how to make caramel corn and now we're back in Barcelona again and Jose Andre is chowing down on neat little olive oil bonbons.
I never knew I could feel so frazzled after watching anything on PBS.
Markt
in New York: Dining
Posted · Edited by alacarte (log)
If you weren't already aware, Belgian beer-and-frites haven moved from its roomy home in the Meatpacking district to a teeny new spot in Chelsea (6th ave and 21st St -- formerly the home of the dismal Sensa, formerly Tomato, and before that the late lamented Lox Around The Clock)
Although I miss the elbow room of the old spot, the menu is unchanged as far as I can tell, and the frites still are spot-on, golden and crisp. No wonder the room is now as packed as grubby Sensa used to be echoingly empty.
While they still are working out some kinks (read: pleasant, knowledgeable, but slow service...needs more waitstaff...and the acoustics are LOUD when the place is full) I am impressed by the FOH great attitude.
We didn't have a reservation, but the maitre'd still produced a table. When the table was snapped up because I was running late, the maitre'd found room at the bar for mr. alacarte to wait. When mr. alacarte got up to look for me, and the bar seat was occupied upon his return, the maitre'd was apologetic and offered to refresh mr alacarte's drink, on the house. And he was visibly, genuinely disappointed to hear that mr alacarte was drinking...water. The entire exchange was surprisingly endearing.