Comments on: Food Pairings: Dinner and Absinthe

By: DrewCrew

DrewCrew — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:18:11 +0000

What about with a dessert course, I was thinking:
a Mochi Rice Cake or Roasted Pinapple, what are your thoughts….

By: Absinthe

Absinthe — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 05:27:05 +0000

I am very happy that I found your blog. Keep up the good work.

By: Dw

Dw — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:27:59 +0000

I made this (minus the absinthe). It was really good! Thanks for posting.

By: Mata

Mata — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:03:25 +0000

Yummy! Going to try that gorgonzola dressing soon! Wish you’d cook for me!

By: Alan Moss

Alan Moss — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:45:55 +0000

Hi Jeffrey,

I agree that absinthe has a lot of potential with food, especially with fish dishes where the fennel content of some absinthes works really well.

By: Alan

Alan — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:21:48 +0000

Good post you prick.

By: ND

ND — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:49:44 +0000

Pretty cool! I usually like my steaks so rare, as we say over here, that a good vet would be able to bring them back from the other side, so this tuna will probably go down real well (although the missus is a bit squeamish—guess I’ll have to blindfold her…).

I remember reading one of your articles about a guy who just drank Lemon Drops the whole night, and you commented on people not understanding the aperitif/digestif value of drinks. Which drinks do you recommend for this kind of purpose please?

By: Dominik MJ - opinionated alchemist

Dominik MJ - opinionated alchemist — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:39:53 +0000

Hey Jeffrey – this pairing opened my eyes! I never thought about pairing absinthe (or any other anisseed based liquors), as the flavors are so overwhelming! I’ll definitely give it another try as soon as I find a bottle of decent Absithe in Dubai!

The spelling of absinthe is a point which is really confusing: Absenta is Spanish for absinthe, absinth is normally the spelling of Czech products and absenthe is of my knowledge just the brand name of a commercial product which is not really absinthe…

Cheers!

By: Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Jeffrey Morgenthaler — Thu, 29 May 2008 20:47:05 +0000

Aimee, sweetie, I really hate to see you fall in with the wrong crowd, that Erskine character is trouble with a capital “T”. Trust me ;)

However, I will say that the simple difference between absinthe and the commercial product named Absente is the absence of grande wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), which is one of the primary flavoring agents in absinthe.

Absente uses southern wormwood (Artemisia abrotanum), which may yield a similar flavor, but it’s just not the same.

Oh, and for ND, it’s simple. Use a very hot pan with a tiny bit of oil, sear for about a minute and a half on each side, and call it quits.

Hope this helps, everyone.

By: Aimee Scarlett

Aimee Scarlett — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:21:23 +0000

I second Erksine’s request! Beautiful photos. Next time you’re in Portland, come visit at MASU East. I ordered in Lucid last week. Now I just need a louche.

By: ND

ND — Wed, 28 May 2008 18:22:13 +0000

Hokay, I live in a land where restaurants cook fish for 15–25 minutes on average. Please could you walk us through the steps to get those tuna steaks so beautifully pink inside?

By: Kevin Erskine

Kevin Erskine — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:37:40 +0000

Also here’s a bit of trivia for you..the Louche was apparently designed into the drink – this was to prevent your servants from drinking your absinthe and then adding water to get the level back up.

By: Kevin Erskine

Kevin Erskine — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:33:53 +0000

Jeffrey, could you please clear up the difference between Absinthe & Absenthe/Absente?

I’m tired of people telling me how they tried Absenthe and I have to burst their bubble that they haven’t really tried Absinthe.

By: Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Jeffrey Morgenthaler — Wed, 28 May 2008 03:01:04 +0000

Erik – The wasabi cream is just creme fraiche with a little wasabi paste added. It’s a snap!

And yes, Dad, that would be a Canon camera I’m using. Someone had to learn how to use it!

By: Mark Morgenthaler

Mark Morgenthaler — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:42:55 +0000

That wouldn’t be a Canon EOS camera you using by any chance?

By: erik_flannestad

erik_flannestad — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:29:32 +0000

Looks great, Jeff. Nice creative use of depth of field in the photos. I am now officially ravenous.

Is the wasabi cream dairy or mayonnaise based?

By: Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Jeffrey Morgenthaler — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:01:36 +0000

Thanks, guys!

Sku, I haven’t had the opportunity to try the St. George yet, as it hasn’t arrived in Oregon.

Nick, thanks for that. I know it’s not the best thing in the world for me, but does it ever taste so good…

By: Nick

Nick — Tue, 27 May 2008 18:30:19 +0000

Beautiful pictures, and delicious sounding menu, too! One thing to be aware of; tombo (aka albacore) tuna typically contains very high levels of methylmercury. You can google around for varieties of fish, including other tuna species, that are healthier to eat.

I’m going to try the Gorgonzola dressing tonight!

By: Sku

Sku — Tue, 27 May 2008 18:06:45 +0000

Have you tried St. George Absinthe, from St. George spirits in Alameda, California? I prefer it to Lucid as it has more powerful herbal notes and is a bit less sweet.

By: Lance J. Mayhew

Lance J. Mayhew — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:22:00 +0000

Thanks for making me hungry this morning. We’re going to have to get together and cook sometime soon.