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Food Thread:The Unbearable Lightness Of Good Dough

This is what is interesting and maddening about dough. I tried a new pizza dough recipe, which was suspiciously identical in ingredient proportions to the other one that was a modest success. The method was different, and the result was much, much better. Lots of lovely bubbles and flavor, and the texture was much more pleasant.

I understand how technique changes food, but this was a real surprise. I do need to work on shaping the dough, since it was quite springy, but that should be an easy fix.

Of course I burned the roof of my mouth on the first slice!

Well...to be honest...I burned the roof of my mouth on the second slice as well.

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I wandered into the liquor shop attached to my local Wegmans a few months ago, and I was surprised to discover an allocated (around here at least) bourbon hanging out on the shelf...lonely and bored and calling out my name! I had been looking for it for months, and barely paid attention to the price.

And...it wasn't worth it. Don't get me wrong; it is a very nice bourbon, but there are plenty of bourbons for $10-$15 dollars less that are just as good.

It has a very nice caramelly nose, some sweetness and spice on the palate, but a thin finish that is a bit disappointing, and maybe a bit too much oakiness.

And that is the problem with bourbons that get hyped! They are rarely as good as that hype suggests. Imagine how good a Pappy van Winkle 23 would have to be!

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The UK is beyond help, except...Brit kids taste American Barbecue for the first time. They all seem like normal kids who can be convinced of the superiority of American cooking and the importance of having pork in one's diet!

Not to mention the innate sense of freedom that smoking meat imparts!

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This is one of a series of cooking videos from the folks at Fallow, an excellent restaurant in London. Most of their videos are excellent (check farther down the post) and well worth a watch, especially if you like to cook. Here is a Ragu Recipe that is a bit different, but it is impressively loaded with layers and layers of flavor. I'll even forgive them the browning of the meat, although Marcella Hazan would be rolling over in her grave if she saw that.
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Yeah...and you wonder why I bang on the Chinese for being a disgusting food culture and source?

中国。ほんとに怖い。中国のある海鮮市場の労働者が、出荷前の魚の体に、紅麹紅溶液（紅殻虫紅染料）とホルムアルデヒドを混合した製剤を塗布している。 この処理方法は、古くなった魚を色鮮やかで新鮮に見せることを目的としている。pic.twitter.com/MtgFL8pFLg

— そこねさがし📈 (@BlueHawk1378) May 24, 2026

China. It's truly frightening. Workers at a seafood market in China are applying a preparation made by mixing red yeast rice red solution (cochineal red dye) and formaldehyde onto the bodies of fish before shipment. This treatment method is intended to make old fish appear colorful and fresh.

****** Misanthropic Humanitarian sent me this recipe for Husband's Braised Meatballs, and it's a pretty solid one. But he misrepresented it as "Husband's Braised Balls," which is an entirely different thing, and much funnier. ****** More from the fellows at Fallow!

[Hat Tip: Scuba Dude]

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You Suck At Cooking makes Chili Oil Onion Pasta
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The garlic is doing well! For now. It was 42 degrees this morning, and I am unsure how well garlic will tolerate that. I know all of you are worried, but it is still tall and green and healthy! And if they survive the deer and squirrel apocalypse, and actually grow into something edible, I will be in garlic heaven! In case it doesn't, send all of your excellent home-grown garlic to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.

Rumor has it that the Bourbon Bubble is bursting. I have seen no evidence of decreasing prices, but maybe the bursting started somewhere else! I think the sweet spot is $40-$60 for excellent and interesting bottles, and bumping that to $100 gets you an incremental improvement in quality, but nothing mind-blowing. More than that and I think you are paying for hype and rarity, which may look good in your liquor cabinet, but doesn't translate to more quality in the bottle.

The problem...or the solution...is to buy lots of bourbon, take tasting notes, and eventually arrive at your favorites! It should take forty or fifty years, but it is worth it!