shogun

Roast turkey (My first roast turkey! Next week: Take a stab at the Palena-style chicken ) Roasted garlic mashed potatoes Asparagus with shallots, almonds, and dried cranberries Show of hands: Who has noticed that everything I've made since being home, with the exception of the mashed potatoes, has been cooked in the oven? This is how much I don't like cooking on electrics. Still traumatized from Christmas dinner. Did the Alton Brown turkey method, 30 minutes at 500 to brown the skin then lower to cook the meat, but it didn't brown that much. My guess is he's using a convenction oven, which would give better browning, but doesn't mention that...

Depends on the situation for me. I actually tend to have aperitif more at home while I'm cooking (Since the next thing I'll be doing is eating, right?), and tend towards Campari or Lillet. When eating out, it depends on the restaurant and what kind of meal I'm in for. Tend again towards the Campari and soda, or something like a Martini. My most common restaurant aperitif is probably beer. I never really did the digistif thing until the power was Revealed to me by one Jake Parrott following a big meal at Ray's the Steaks. Tequila at Oyamel on the way home worked like magic! I was really surprised that it actually worked. Again, I usually do this more at home, after the fact, if I want/'need' one (Maybe I'm just cheap), and have Sambucca on hand as a specific digstif, and of course tequila (Agavero is good, too) and bourbon.

I tend to go with decent cheap vodka. My go-to vodka right now for this is Luksusowa. It's pretty good, especially considering its price, and it always gets favorable mention from the 'Fine Spirts and Cocktail' forum people on eGullet, and what's good enough for them is good enough for me! You could use whatever vodka you want, really...I wouldn't suggest getting a handle of Fleischmann's, and you have to be a little careful with mid-range vodka, as well. I've given up using Smirnoff for infusing, for example, because it still has a harsh edge to it that I just don't like. Go premium if you want to, of course. Sure a homemade blackberry Grey Goose is excellent, if you want to splash out for it. Also consider if you prefer wheat or potato vodka. To be honest, I've never done a comparison with infusing, and my main criteria is still price . Bottom line is it's like cooking with wine: use what you would normally drink on its own (which for me would mean Ketel One, but when do I ever follow my own advice? Luksusowa at half the price, and save the Ketel for the tonic!)

It's like a Dark and Stormy but with anejo tequila!

Are you guys going to Lindy's or what here? I need some vicarious happy hour action.

Woooo!! Represent! Man I miss The Red Lion. My last week of work I was there every day for a burger and beer for lunch, the idea being to try all the burgers I had never had before. Was going to close out Friday with the burger that had scared the hell out of me for lo, the past six years or so, the Burl Ives, a double burger with a hot dog on it, but my department ended up doing a lunch thing at Legal Seafood so it was not to be.

I should have done the same. My first batch was terrible. Cherry is pretty safe, though...I would almost generalize as 'most fruits are pretty safe' (Counter examples: citrus zest and chile peppers).ETA: I have a bottle of Wild Turkey 80 (They have good advertising people. There's a flock of about 12 wild turkeys I see every day in the yard. They're there now, in fact. I figure it would be better than Beam but cheaper than Maker's) I bought to do a new batch of cherry bourbon, but I sat on it too long and now cherries are on the way out or gone. Any thought on blackberry bourbon?

Only started with three or four OUNCES? That IS only enough for one large cocktail! I did cherry vodka and bourbon over the summer and didn't observe much absorption, but then I wasn't really looking. I started with a 375 of Beam for one, replenished with the last couple ouces of my Maker's when it ran low, and about the same of Smirnoff for the other, with about half a pint of cherries in each, and half a split vanilla bean, and let them sit in the fridge for about a week. I don't think the cherries fermented, but they WERE little spheres of death if you ventured to eat one. Egullet has a good thread on infusing. A google search on "infused vodka site:egullet.org" +I'm feeling lucky renders this, which is technically accurate but a little...advanced...for basically everybody at this point. THIS is what you want! But yes, it IS pretty much just a matter of putting flavorful stuff (*eyes Andrew Fenton warily*) in booze of some description and letting it sit for 'a while'. How long depends on the strength of the ingrediants you are using. I seem to remember on the eGullet thread that things like chile and lemongrass only require a couple hours. I did both last week and they required about 2.5 days. But that's much shorter than the week or so for the cherry bourbon, or the three months specified by a recipe for orange brandy I have somewhere. Technically, the cherry bourbon and vodka infused for probably two weeks or a bit more, because I left the cherries in, because I felt that the extra infusing time wouldn't hurt. Contrast with chile and lemongrass that must be strained when it reaches a desired level or it will just keep going and get very unpleasently strong (my first sad attempts are chronicled in the eGullet thread).

I'm in Norwalk. What else is there??

Thanks! It turned out pretty well (Slight burning and uneven glazing aside), considering this isn't something I do very often. Making my own puff pastry is a little out of my league, so this was just major-brand grocery store stuff.

Blackberry Pithivier with vanilla Cognac creme fraiche. Next up: * Blackberry almond crisp (Extra filling) * Almond brittle (extra ground almonds)

Absolutely not! That's what the ' ' was for!

Sunday: Garlic-rosemary pork loin Herb roasted potatoes Zoramargolis' roasted fennel slaw (from the Fennel thread, which went over very well. Thanks!)

From Evil Genius Monthly ITEM! The Neighborhood Restaurant Group is at it again, announcing plans to expand their vast empire to the George Washington Masonic Memorial. The space, which looms over Alexandria is to house an upscale Martini and cigar lounge. A minion, speaking on conditions of anonymity says that the yet-unnamed establishment will be even more exclusive than recently opened PX, permitting only one person inside. The identity of that person remains shrouded in mystery. Our source indicated that the space will serve "Cutting-edge fusion cuisine with regional sensibilities" and "The ever-present specter of total annihilation looming over our Nations Capital and eventually the world", and will feature two exciting firsts for the DC area dining scene: A martini robot powered by the captive brain of super-bartender Dale DeGroff and a giant atomic laserbeam mounted to the dome of the impressive monument. "When this battle station is fully operational, it will be the ultimate dining power in the greater Washington area. We're really excited about it!" Guess this means they're a chain now, huh.

Having a digital thermometer you're not sure you can trust (or...fine...maybe you're not placing the probe properly) is approximately the most frustrating thing I have experienced in the last hour. And now back to my pork loin, already in (apparently VERY rapid) progress.

'Homemade lemongrass-infused vodka' and tonic. Also made some chile vodka that for once was something less than death-inducing. My infusion losing streak is starting to turn around!

I like the sound of this...are figs still in season? Might be a hard sell with the family. How about a couple olives in there? One thing too many?What would you serve this with? I'm thinking fish, but that's right out. ^2

There's also Cricket Cola, which uses cane sugar, if I remember correctly. Has a larger distribution in eateries than I have observed in Boylans. Can pick it up at Potbelly (But I was only there to get directions on how to get away from there). Has that whole green tea thing going, though, so be ready. I like it.

I really enjoyed the results of a recipe I found in a "Food and Wine Magazine" cookbook. What you do is lightly toast the orzo as you might rice for risotto in olive oil with some finely chopped onion and minced garlic, then add some chicken stock (I threw in a little of the white wine I was drinking since...that's how I'd do the first pass for risotto anyway even if the recipe didn't say to ) then simmer until the stock is absorbed. While that's going, halve some cherry tomatoes and toss them in extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, basil chiffonade, salt, and pepper. Once the orzo is done, mound it on a plate, spoon the tomatoes around it, then garnish with more basil and crumbled gorgonzola.

Orzo with Cherry Tomatoes and Gorgonzola Orzo treated in a very risottoesque manner ended up getting a little extra toasty because...well...glass-top electric ranges bite

They bought their tickets. They knew what they were getting into. I say, let'em refinance their house to buy lunch at the US Open! (No, I wasn't surprised...just saying!)

Another vote for almonds! MsDiPesto: Arugula could be interesting. Probably great on pasta. I'm also a big fan of mixed herbs instead of just basil. Have a recipe in one of the picnic cookbooks!

Really excellent grilled/pressed sandwiches made from farmer's market stuff: Multigrain bread, heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzerella, homemade pesto and basil. But that's simple. The point is we have farmer's markets here! I don't know why, but I really wasn't expecting that! Guess they are common enough 'these days', just never heard that we had one. Was even at a decent hour: 12:30 to 5.

I guess I can't argue with Dirty Harry. It's in the bin.

It IS a vinaigrette...does that help, or still throw it away?