NYT Articles on Food, Drink, Cooking, and Culinary Culture (2002–2005)

[Fat Guy]

Did they say whether or not there were yellow chicks on the glasses?

Sorry, sorry. I promised myself I wouldn't say that. Please ignore this post.

[Wilfrid]

Disruptive influence.

Ahem, yes. Juniper berries can be found in the spice rack at the supermarket. Little black-ish purple suckers. You can throw a few into the sauerkraut, as raspoutine (a religious Russian-Canadian cheese dish?) observed. They also show up in quite a few recipes featuring strongly flavored game, especially of the four legged red meat kind. Jugged hare, civet of boar, venison stew, or in a marinade for such meats.

Should be used sparingly: they are powerful. Personally, I don't like crunching on them - just as I don't much life the flavor of gin - so I try to fish them out of dishes just like I fish out bayleaves, for example.

[g.johnson]

Elizabeth David has a recipe for pork to taste like wild boar that involves marinading it for 3 days in wine and, among other ingredients, juniper berries. A little goes a long way, in my view.

I believe the traditional Royal Navy drink, pink gin (gin and angostura) is normally drunk at room temperature.

Edit: Syntax.

Edited April 3, 2003 by g.johnson (log)

[Wilfrid]

I myself have spent little time drinking with sailors.

[trillium]

There's a recipe in Marcella Hazan's book for pork cooked like game or something like that. It involves rosemary and juniper berries. I made it once or twice for a polenta topping. I liked it for a change of pace, but I like gin better. I don't think I've met a gin I hated. I also throw them in the mix when I'm corning beef brisket.

I've spent some time drinking with sailors, but they drank aquavit not gin, probably had something to do with being in Malmö.

regards,

trillium

[Aurora]

The British military, particularly the officer corps, became a hotbed of Gin consumption. Hundreds of Gin-based mixed drinks were invented and the mastery of their making was considered part of a young officer’s training. The best known of these cocktails, the Gin and Tonic, was created as a way for Englishmen in tropical colonies to take their daily dose of quinine, a very bitter medicine used to ward off malaria. Modern tonic water still contains quinine, though as a flavoring rather than a medicine.

I myself have spent little time drinking with sailors.

I myself will never contract malaria.

[Adam Balic]

In all seriousness -- has anyone ever used juniper berries (in anything other than gin, that is)? Where can they be bought? Have you cooked with them? Do you have recipes? (Do they taste like gin without the kick?) I never thought of them in relation to anything but gin -- but they must have other uses. Mustn't they?

I have used them, they are fun. Picked a bag full of them last time I was in Chianti. If you put a toothpick through them it makes them easier to fish out at the end of cooking.

Have used them in choucroute and baekhoffe (sp?), also in the ED recipe that the Prof. mentioned and for making terrines.

[JAZ]

In all seriousness -- has anyone ever used juniper berries (in anything other than gin, that is)? Where can they be bought? Have you cooked with them? Do you have recipes? (Do they taste like gin without the kick?) I never thought of them in relation to anything but gin -- but they must have other uses. Mustn't they?

As has been mentioned, juniper berries are good in marinades for game and also add a nice touch to sauerkraut. I have a recipe somewhere for gravlax made with gin and juniper rather than the more usual dill - it sounds great, but I've never tried it.

One thing to keep in mind if you want to use juniper berries is to make sure your preparation contains some alcohol, as juniper requires alcohol to bring out its aroma and flavor.

[Liza]

When "Gin and It" was ordered (by Mrs. Plumleigh-Bruce, of course) what was "It"?

Edited April 7, 2003 by Liza (log)

[Wilfrid]

Gin and dry vermouth - I suspect with the latter in a larger proportion than one associates with a dry martini.

[g.johnson]

Short for gin and Italian, I believe.

[trillium]

Wouldn't that be sweet vermouth then (French = dry, Italian = sweet)?

regards,

trillium

[raspoutine]

I had always been under the impression that when a recipe called for dry vermouth,that it meant white vermouth.

[bigbear]

I myself have spent little time drinking with sailors.

I myself have spent time sailing with drinkers.

[Fat Guy]

I was beginning to lose faith in Ed Levine after his lame roundups of burgers and pastrami, but he redeemed himself today big-time with an ice-cream tour-de-force. A rare example of flawless food-writing.

[alacarte]

Would you mind elaborating on what made the piece "flawless," in your opinion? I thought it was a good read, but I wouldn't have considered it stellar.

[KNorthrup]

I liked it when he channeled Jinmyo.

[Rachel Perlow]

Where? I read through that article looking for "No ice cream. Steak." to no avail.

[pixelchef]

I've always liked Ed's writing. Being that I don't live in NYC (unfortunately), I'm never able to really gauge how "on" his round-ups are, but that is peripheral to the writing, in my opinion. I just like his style. Smart, easy to read, and most importantly, engaging.

I liked this piece quite a bit. And now, I must find ice cream.

[Fat Guy]

Would you mind elaborating on what made the piece "flawless," in your opinion? I thought it was a good read, but I wouldn't have considered it stellar.

I didn't say stellar. I said flawless. Ed Levine is not, in the end, a stellar writer. He's just a good writer. The power of his writing has always come from the depth of his research and the competence of his judgment. The ice cream piece is a good example of newspaper food-reporting at its finest: extremely thorough research, independent and excellent judgment, and a comprehensive readable presentation. It's the type of piece I would give to aspiring food writers as an example of what they should aspire to.

[Suzanne F]

And of course it helped that even though at the start he said something to the effect of "gelato is not ice cream," by the end he was raving over Wingding's olive oil gelato at Otto. "Sounds like the ice cream version of an oil slick, but it tastes like heaven."

BTW: last year, the peach at Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory was THE BEST since I last tasted Haagen Dazs Elberta Peach lo these many years ago. Probably better, in fact. Ed is so right about both!

[Fat Guy]

Ed is so right about both!

I was having that reaction to every one of his claims on which I was able to bring first-hand experience to bear. Needless to say, that makes me heavily inclined to believe what he says about the specimens I haven't tried.

[=Mark]

New York Times examines the Wine Spectator Awards given to restaurants that pay to apply for them. It appears that over 90% of the establishments submitting for the awards are granted them, and that the magazine makes well over half a million dollars on the application fees.

[alacarte]

Would you mind elaborating on what made the piece "flawless," in your opinion? I thought it was a good read, but I wouldn't have considered it stellar.

I didn't say stellar. I said flawless. Ed Levine is not, in the end, a stellar writer. He's just a good writer. The power of his writing has always come from the depth of his research and the competence of his judgment. The ice cream piece is a good example of newspaper food-reporting at its finest: extremely thorough research, independent and excellent judgment, and a comprehensive readable presentation. It's the type of piece I would give to aspiring food writers as an example of what they should aspire to.

If that's the criteria, then I'm inclined to agree. It certainly was well-researched and readable, and it seemed frank & objective as well.

[John W.]

We did it, won "something." But writing that check was akin to prostitution. The end quote says it for me.

Something like "at best it's a legitimate award, at worst, it's advertising."