What's wrong widda chicken?

So I finished my Buffalo Trace pretty quick after that post, and I went to buy another bottle of bourbon. Well, I've tried Maker's Mark, and I've tried Buffalo Trace. I thought I was going to go for Knob Creek next, but convenience is a big thing in my life and I ended up with this pretty (hardy har har):



(i.e. they had it in Tesco and I couldn't be bothered to go to that fancy offies to get Knob Creek. And anyway, I went and they didn't have it in stock)

Anyway, my opinion is that Wild Turkey is not as....unique as Maker's Mark, but certainly follows MM in the harshness. I assume that that is what bourbon is about, and that Buffalo Trace is, in fact, an anomaly - it is far too smooth.
I'm liking Wild Turkey, actually. It's nice as a "high ball" - I have mine with carbonated water (soda), lots of ice, with a slice of lemon. Heaven! And thank God it's BST (British Summer Time).

Anyway, I've also been thinking lately at the difference of people's taste/palate sensation. One reason is my take on Maker's Mark - I've read comments on the net about how different and smooth it is. I beg to differ.

Then I hear CB tell me that the Colombian coffee I bought last time is a tad too acidic for his taste. I didn't think it tasted that bad; it was a good, cheap alternative to the Tesco limited edition (pah) El Salvadorean I so love (which, being limited edition, is not available anymore...). It certainly doesn't have the depth of aroma, the mellowness, but now that I can't have my El Salvadorean coffee from the supermarket, Colombian bog-standard is a good cheap alternative. (N.B. emphasis on cheap(er).) So now, I shall toy with various Central/South American coffee. I think Guatemalan wasn't too bad.

So there must be some kind of difference in palate - maybe it's to do with some taste buds on the tongue being different between either ethnicity, or diet or something. After all, umami had a late start in the tongue area competition, but we in the orient knew about it...

Some recipes

My pickled pork, waiting to be used...

Recently I've become more interested in American cuisine, particularly those of the southern states. I've made a few recipes from Nola cuisine blog, where the above pickled pork protocol comes from. Yes, that website indeed has the recipe for the Sazerac cocktail, hence this entry after the bourbon entry (although they say never make it with bourbon...good, coz I am not going to make a damn cocktail with my bottle of Buffalo Trace).
From that website, I have tried the okra and chicken and andouille gumbos (substituting andouille with chorizo), but for a first go, I would recomment the shrimp etouffee. And trust me, make your own shrimp stock. Don't worry, prawn shells don't smell as fishy as fish. It might taking f&*#ing ages to shell a kilo of prawns (which I did), but it is definitely worth it. And remember to wear an apron, coz prawn brain juice will fly.
A note of caution - I found the creole seasoning on the recipe page to be quite peppery. Maybe cut down on the pepper amount when you make it, keeping others the same. Also, I prefer to cut out the salt, so I can add as much or as little as I like, direct to the dish (I generally don't put in as much salt as recommended, not because I'm healthy, but because I forget).

The pickled pork above will be for red beans & rice, which is next on my to-eat list.

BTW, I admit that my interest in Cajun cooking partly comes from my curiousity deathwish of making Cajun Napalm. That was fun, standing in front of the cooker for a good few minutes (okay, more like 30) stirring an ever scary looking mix of flour in oil. CB suggested we import a hotplate and flea from the lab to do the job. That would make it easier on me.


The next recipe I recommend, is from the Independent's Mark Hix.
His Monkfish & autumn squash tagine, is great. I never thought about tagines using fish, but this one works well. It helps to use a firm fish which doesn't crumble.
I make my own preserved lemons, which isn't hard. Just remember to use unwaxed, organic lemons. And don't worry about using the correct type of lemon - I don't have a choice, and it still turns out good. Have a look at the recipe at David Lebovitz's blog. I do it differently though - I still use a tablespoon of salt in the lemon, but I pickle it by filling a jar full of salted lemons to the top with boiling water, with a tablespoon of salt per salted lemon, and juice of a lemon added to the pickling water. Keep it for a week at room temperature, then stick it in the fridge until needed. Easy.

I like reading David Lebovitz's blog for two reasons - one, because he has an extensive recipe list of sweet stuff (I found the blog while researching a recipe of salt ice cream - the salted butter caramel ice cream of his was the closest I got). And two, because he mentions an important point regarding exotic cuisine and spices.

It wasn't until I learned about Moroccan spices that I realized that a tagine is basically a braise seasoned with specific spices mixed in the right combination, such as turmeric, paprika, saffron and ground ginger. Mexican food isn't all that difficult if one familiarizes themselves with chilies, cilantro, and corn tortillas.

Which is totally true. As long as you keep the basic spices and seasoning, you can't really go wrong. So never substitute or omit spices in a recipe. You can do whatever you want with the other stuff (meat and veg) to a degree, but don't f%#k with the spices.

Some libation

I enjoy my whisk(e)y, and lately have been rather adventurous with my choice. My choices from the single malts would be Islay's peaty Laphroaig, and the Japanese Hakushu (which is I think the most peaty from the Suntory malts). Don't knock the Japanese one, Hakushu is good if you don't particularly like the intense peatiness of Laphroaig, but still want to try. A few years ago, I was given a bottle of Bruichladdich, which I found refreshing. I've also bought a blended one from Glenrothes, which was surprisingly good.

So being rather adventurous (and reading this from the Independent), I started thinking about bourbon. Trying the standard, I tried Maker's Mark first. I didn't like it in the beginning, but it sort of grows on you. But it didn't grow on me as much as the above bottle of Buffalo Trace. Despite what Mark Hix says, I am most definitely not going to make a bloody marinade from that.
The next bottle I buy will probably be Knob Creek. I was given a miniature bottle before, but that disappeared real quick, and to truly appreciate it I should invest in a full 70cl bottle.



A question on a beer cocktail. I don't know whether it is a true cocktail, but is there a name for a concoction of half-lager, half-pink grapefruit juice? It's really nice, very summery. Advice is that you pour half a glass of pink grapefruit juice, then pour beer slowly to the top. A non-descript but stronger lager like Stella goes well. I learnt of this from a website, and was wondering if it was a known beer cocktail like shandy.

Another Lab

On my trips down to the Big Ol' City, I always try to go to the Lab to grab a drink...


A bar which I was introduced to about a decade ago, and still going strong in Soho. The prices of the drinks haven't changed, but it was outrageous in the first place.

On this occasion, we were treated to a great show by the two bartenders behind the counter (I was drinking at the upstairs bar). They were like two little terriers, or rather, ferrets. Squeezing and jumping and laughing and mixing. Watching them two were decidedly worth the money.
Not to mention the care and attention, as well as that serious look in the eye one of them had whilst slicing half an apple for the decoration on my Colraine Cooler. The slices were all the same thickness, mind you, and it was far better than what I could have done with a knife.

These guys, they know their stuff. Having bartenders who do not need to look at the cocktail menu to mix them, especially when the cocktail menu is a booklet 20-pages long, is properly professional, and is an eye-opener when you are more used to student part-timers whose idea of a cocktail is "JD and Coke".

The proprietor of this fine establishment has a cocktail book out himself. You might have to remortgage the house to just buy all the liquers and spirits mentioned in the book, but it is a worthwhile investment - even just to look at it.

Mighty fine cheese

I am not particularly fond of eating cheese after a meal. I prefer something sweet to end my gastronomic adventure. But, if there is one thing that would make me eat cheese, and just cheese, is the Onion Marmalade from Tracklements.
It goes very well with a strong cheese, such as a very mature cheese. The sweetness is offset by tangyness. I can just eat teaspoonsful of the stuff with mature cheese...

And there is a stockist in the USA (Rhode Island) too!