Ask the Profussor – Back in the Bay

Yesterday I finally had my first great macchiato out here. It’s wonderful being on vacation and enjoying the temperate Northern California air. There aren’t any mosquitos. It’s not oppressively hot. And you can buy wine in the grocery store.

But more important than any of that, it’s great to see old friends. For the most part they have jobs, which gives me some small amount of time to take care of my blogging responsibilities during the week. That includes, but is not limited to, answering your questions that have gone unanswered over the last two weeks.

Burnt My Fingers wins for being the most prolific question asker over the last fourteen days. Maybe next time you can get the prize. Remember, I’ve committed to answering any question that you ask of me, provided you use proper punctuation. And there are some great ones this time around.

Now let’s get to it.

Burnt My Fingers wants to keep feuding, but has no idea what we’re feuding about:
I’m still ready to go to the mat with you, Profussor, but it’s evident that neither of us remembers what the fight is about. Can you provide a link to the specific post that was so irksome?

No. No, I can’t. I’m perfectly happy to let this one die and move onto the next battle.

jenh718 would probably be surprised to find she’s in the minority:
I agree that most mint ice cream I’ve been served is green but the few times it’s been white (Ben & Jerry’s Mint Chocolate Cookie is white) I’ve appreciated it because really, who wants to eat nasty food coloring?

So many people. So many people it hurts. In fact, there used to be a sign on the case at an ice cream place in Rockridge (my old North Oakland neighborhood). I’m paraphrasing, but it went something like this. “Our mint chocolate chip ice cream is white. Get over it.” It’s a killer that even people in this part of the world where there is such a preponderance of folks who prefer natural, that such a sign had to exist.

Deanna from Silly Goose Farm knows how to get free labor:
If you come help pick and press apples this fall, I’ll supply you with both plain ol’ cider and hard cider. Deal?

Done and done. Mrs. Fussy is a bit of a cider snob, and she’s never able to get real honest unpasteurized cider that she remembers from her youth. Surely she’ll watch the kids while I toil with you to get her fingers around a glass of the real thing.

Burnt My Fingers has it almost right:
Maybe the hard cider marketers are trying to attract beer drinkers?

Actually, I think it’s the beer manufacturers who are trying to get a piece of the cider market. At least that’s the case with the Boston Beer Company.

AddiesDad relays some great news about cheese:
Did you know that Putnam Market in Saratoga Springs is building their own cheese cave to age/mature the “finest cheeses on earth”? AND that you can personally select cheeses from said cave that they will custom cut for you? Wasn’t this one of your chief complaints about the Capital District, a lack of good cheese counters/options?

I heard about the first part, but not the second. That’s really interesting, and I’m wondering how it will work in practice. Looks like I’ll have to make a trip up there and do some research. But you are indeed correct, that this has been one of my big gripes. Which is why I was so excited to meet Eric Paul of The Cheese Traveler, and hear his recent news opening up a new store on Delaware Avenue. Now we may have two promising places to buy great cheese. Things continue to look up for the region.

JennaC. is in the same camp as Albany Jane:
No cookies and cream? That’s madness.

Yes. Yes it is. But it was also madness that Maple Walnut was a universal flavor. And madness that despite its evident popularity in the region not one tour participant took that option. And madness that so many people went Butter Pecan. With ice cream apparently comes madness.

Burnt My Fingers is going to hold my feet to the proverbial fire:
So what’s the difference between grilling and barbecue? I don’t think you actually answered that question…

The words are often used interchangeably. But in my world, and working in generalities (because I’m open to the notion that exceptions may exist) grilling is cooking over high/direct heat while barbecue is cooking over low/indirect heat and smoke. Grilling is also tricky because it can mean what happens in a frying pan or griddle, like grilled cheese. Which is why when grilling over charcoal outside, I prefer the use of the term “cookout” to describe the activity.

Mr. Sunshine isn’t fooled by the delay of my blood test results:
Why so long to get your lipid panel scores? I get mine over the phone 2 days later. You could too but I suspect you don’t want to.

Exactly.

Aliza may not like the answer to this question, but I’m going to try and be gentle:
Have you tried butter flavored olive oil? It’s pretty amazing, they sell it at Saratoga Olive Oil Company and they have it with recipes for popcorn and seafood and such!

No. Here’s the thing. I’m a purist. And if I’m paying a premium for olive oil, I want it to be great olive oil. And that means I want it to taste like olive oil and not anything else. What’s fortunate is that different olive oils have different flavor profiles. These are driven by the type of olive, their ripeness upon being picked, how they are processed, and a host of other factors. Some olive oils are naturally buttery. Others are peppery. Olive oil can also be grassy. And if I wanted an olive oil that tasted buttery, I’d ask a knowledgeable purveyor and find a good one. Because while buttery olive oil is totally delicious, butter flavored olive oil is wholly unappealing. And honestly, I have a healthy dose of skepticism about a place that would sell such a thing.

KB @ Home-Baked Happiness has an idea for a Fussy Little Event:
Tour de BBQ, anyone? :)

BBQ isn’t something that I think requires a tour. BBQ holds pretty darn well, and I think it would be much more interesting to do a side-by-side tasting like we did for cupcakes with something like ribs. The tours are really for things that can’t travel well to a central location. Ice cream, fried foods, hot dogs with meat sauce, and so forth. Disco fries is tour material though. And I continue to be open to suggestions.

Mr. Sunshine asks a great question:
You are a big promoter of Albany fish fry. Do all your faves on the Tour de Fish Fry promote sustainability?

Actually, most of them serve Haddock, and while I doubt that most of their fish is Atlantic hook-and-line caught, all other varieties according to Seafood Watch are still “good alternatives.” So I’d say for the most part, yes.

Stanford Steph also apparently misses the Bay Area:
But I’d love to read a travelogue, especially given where you are traveling. Have you been to Absinthe? I ate there on a recent trip, and they make great food and fab cocktails.

Not only have I been to Absinthe, but I took a cocktail making class there too. But this trip isn’t about food. It’s about people. And I would hate to see the disappointed looks on people’s faces when they found out I went to Chipotle for lunch one day. I was minutes away from some of the best taco trucks in the country, but I was also with a hungry toddler who happens to love Chipotle. So the national chain won out. That’s how it goes. One day, should I ever take a dedicated food trip, then I’ll write a travelogue of the experience. Deal?