I love it when experts have spot on descriptions. I talked to a guy at the store about getting into Irish whiskey, and he recommended Black Bush as a good introduction as it's also distinct from Jameson and the like.
As announced, a bit sweeter and with a sherry finish, in contrast to Knob Creek's toasted caramel, oak, and vanilla. It's also considerably smoother and lighter in the mouth which was a surprising sensation. I like.
From Hot Garlic. First time candy making. It's long and obnoxious. But it turns out to be pretty simple. I dipped half the batch in chocolate, but I didn't get the crunchy shell I was going for. Meh.
I had the idea recently and had been putting off for a while. Haddock marinated in ginger and lemon, covered with sesame seeds and pan-fried. The broccoli sauteed in the pan with soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, wasabi reduction. The broccoli turned out great, the fish got overcooked. I'll have to try it again and probably with a different fish.
Came across the idea a long time ago and just now got around to it. Essentially tacos stuffed into a pasta shell instead of a tortilla. Quick and pretty darn good.
Yanked from the Closet. Simple and straightforward. Pretty good because, generally, dips are pretty good.
I first had a pint of this at the bar and had my mouth blown away and also fooled into thinking I was drinking something Belgian. It had been preceded by a pint of Yeungling so switching to something like Ubu was a big change of pace. I enjoyed it enough that I gave it a tasting at a brewfest to confirm my thoughts and picked up a sixer later. It's actually an English brown ale but much richer than your typical Newcastle. While I still get a hint of maltiness, it's not nearly as pronounced as it was the first time and it definitely lacks the body of Belgian ales. But I like it well enough.
I should have said something a while ago, but I forgot. I didn't forget that I didn't like it nearly as much as the others though.
I guess I missed posting this earlier. The lamb curry turned out pretty awesome and I love lamb anyway. The chana masala was too tomato-y but good nonetheless. I used canned beans for it though it may be better with raw beans that have been pressure cooked or taking the time to boil the canned beans again. The naan turned out rather dense and a bit biscuit-y. None of it really panned out entirely except for the lamb, but it's good to know I can sate an Indian craving if it comes down to it.
I had been wanting to give this gin a try for a while now and noticed that a local store was having a tasting for it. I had heard mixed reviews about this gin, it being rather un-gin-like and too citrus-y for martinis and G&Ts.
I had part of a tasting straight to assess how ridiculous this gin really was and found it distinctively citrus-y and noticeably muted (to the point of being merely absent) juniper flavors. I had the rest with a bit of tonic which I think is the ultimate test of a gin's drinkability. Though the martini is very nearly straight liquor, mind you, being able to balance with other flavors, particularly quinine, is an important trait.Having a proper G&T at home (no lime at the store) confirmed what I had surmised at the tasting: drinkable, yes but refreshing, no. Tanqueray is an iconoclastic gin: crisp bite with juniper-dominated nose but contains no features that scream for distinction which makes it very neutral and thus a very good all-around, flexible liquor. Others place more emphasis on other botanicals like Bombay Sapphire or Magellan which make them excellent with tonic but less so with other mixers. Bafferts, I found to be a more refined version of Tanqueray in that it's distinctively gin but smoother and just as crisp. New Amsterdam is the inverse of Bafferts in that it masks the juniper with citrus and, while smooth, takes it to an extreme and turns the crisp edge into flab.
I'm sure it will make a great mixing gin for melon-based drinks, but I'd rather shell out the extra cash for Bafferts or Tanqueray. Also, Polar < Schweppes.
Adapted from Elise's whole roasted chicken.
I should bake things more often. I forget what killer food it makes, especially vegetables, if you've got the time. A couple chicken breasts stuffed with halved grapes, atop a bed of brown rice and onions that were sauteed in butter and some sliced zucchini. I cooked it for about 70 minutes on 375F which was not long enough because the rice was a bit chewier than I'd rather. Sprinkled with some salt and pepper as an afterthought and no garlic in any form (GASP).
The sweetness of the grapes, either in the chicken or in the rice really pull it all together, complementing the salt and pepper. Next time, I'd like to remember to add seasoning before putting it all in the dish.
Bag 3 of 4, Boca's version of a French roast but much better than your typical French roast. Dark and robust but medium-bodied. Toasty and not as oily, excellent, as expected. I'm going to miss having good coffee around.
Sourced from Smitten. Very simple, though I had to use dried basil instead fresh (or cilantro). It ended up with kind of a herbal but stale flavor and fresh would have been way better. It was an interesting taste experience with an herbed heat from the basil and chiles that give way to tartness from the lime which naturally eases into sweetness from the red onion and cantaloupe.
That's a really long name. Clearly coffee involved, much more pronounced than Schlafly's Coffee Stout, which I liked. I can't say there was much vanilla involved though. The bottle kind of makes it sound like it's extract added presumably at bottling/carbing. In the end, it didn't really do much for me.
I've had this one in my back pocket for a while now, ever since I saw it on Closet Cooking, mainly just waiting to buy some corned beef and have some leftovers for this. I more or less bought the corned beef with the sole intent of ending up with this. Anyhow, it was pretty good. I didn't get the top browned like I wanted, but I didn't feel like moving racks around after I had checked on it at the 20 minute mark. Basically a reuben converted to a creme cheese-based dip. There's also horseradish in there. I don't really know if I like horseradish as it always reminds me of Arby's Horsey Sauce which I do not like, but it worked well here.
Bag 2 of 4 from Boca Java.
This one a medium roast, again makes an excellent case for fresh roasting. Uniformly smooth mouthfeel, clean and mellow taste, South American-sourced beans that add some body to the African beans. Superb morning coffee.
I'm not impressed. It doesn't taste remarkably different from your run-of-the-mill chocolate ice cream. I suspect the vanilla is the same way, so it's a toss-up between the vanilla and the brown sugar, which I'm not particularly interested in. Still looking for the ginger variety. Passion fruit is also somewhere out there.
I was inspired to give this one another go after an exchange with an acquaintance some time ago about Brooklyn Brewery's Black Chocolate Stout. We both related our fondness for the brew, though he preferred Young's. I remember not liking Young's when I had it on tap, probably four years ago last May. (Why I thought it was so long ago, I have no idea. I wasn't even 21 four years ago.)
I liked it much better the second time around. Of the chocolate brews I've had, this one is probably the most legitimately chocolate, like milk chocolate. The Southern Tier Chokolat is also strongly chocolate and syrupy sweet, but contains a cocoa bitterness. I like it, but I can't say I prefer it pair-wise over another other chocolate-based brews. Though a side-by-side tasting would be interesting at some point.
