But more importantly, can we make it at home?

Once one finds Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s recipe for grenadine, one can.

Morgenthaler’s Grenadine

• 2 c. fresh pomegranate juice or POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate
• 2 c. unbleached sugar
• 2 oz. pomegranate molasses
• 1 tsp. orange blossom water

Heat juice slightly, just enough to allow other ingredients to dissolve easily. Stir in remaining ingredients, allow to cool, and bottle. Yields two cups.

But I’m missing a couple of ingredients.

Luckily, around the time I was looking for pomegranate molasses, I saw Alton Brown’s Good Eats episode on the pomegranate, and he covered the topic.

Pomegranate Molasses

• 2 c. pomegranate juice
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/2 TBsp. lemon juice

Dissolve sugar in pomegranate juice and lemon juice over medium heat. Once the sugar dissolves, simmer over medium-low heat until reduced by 3/4, or the consistency of a thick syrup. Remove from heat and cool. Yields four to six ounces.

I called a number of ethnic groceries in Dutchess County searching for orange blossom water, with no luck. Another recipe online used vanilla, so I substituted that. Thus we end up with

Grenadine

• 2 c. pomegranate juice
• 2 c. sugar
• 2 oz. pomegranate molasses
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Dissolve the sugar in the pomegranate juice over low heat. Add molasses and vanilla; stir to combine. DO NOT BOIL. Remove from heat and bottle. Yields two cups.

How else, other than a martini, would one use that extra liter of vermouth?

A friend from work recommended using it in potato soup. That’s a thought: cook with it. Does anyone have some recipe suggestions?

Combine the ingredients, then let your meat soak in it for several hours before grilling, turning every now and again to ensure that the meat is covered. I just put the flank steak for tonight and the marinade in a Ziplock freezer bag. They’ll sit in the refrigerator for the next eight hours.

• 1 pint whole tomatoes
• pinch of baking soda
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/3 cup milk
• salt
• pepper
• 3 Tbsp butter

Empty tomatoes into saucepan and crush them. Add pinch of baking soda (prevents milk from curdling) and stir. Put over medium heat. While tomatoes are heating, whisk together in a bowl, flour and milk (or shake in a jar). Add milk mixture to warm tomatoes. Heat until starting to bubble. Stir in butter, salt and pepper. Serve over buttered toast.

These measurements are estimates. My Grandmother didn’t measure and neither do I. In her words when she taught me how to make these, “Sometimes you get them too thick and you have to add milk and sometimes they’re too thin and you have to add flour.”

Not much honey in that “honey” mustard.

So what we’ve got here is honey- and mustard-flavored corn syrup in a vinegar solution. Compare that to French’s yellow mustard,

Distilled Vinegar, Water, No.1 Grade Mustard Seed, Salt, Turmeric, Paprika, Spice, Natural Flavors and Garlic Powder.

or to another Reckitt-Benkiser product: Colman’s mustard.

Water, Mustard Flour, Sugar, Salt, Wheat Flour, Turmeric, Citric Acid.

or a competitor, Plochman’s,

White Distilled Vinegar and Water, #1 Grade Mustard Seed, Salt, Turmeric, Onion Powder, Spices, Natural Flavoring

though none of these are honey mustard. What does Kraft‘s Grey Poupon Savory Honey Mustard contain?

MUSTARD SEED, WATER, APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, VINEGAR, BROWN SUGAR, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, HONEY, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF SALT, FRUIT PECTIN, CITRIC ACID, SPICE, TURMERIC, SUGAR, CARAMEL COLOR, PAPRIKA.

That’s better.

Instead, try this recipe from Alton Brown, which consists of honey, mustard, and vinegar.

What is it about honey in the mind of product development that says it means sickly sweet?

Cut 1″ off the top of the artichoke. This removes the sharp points.

Trim the stalk to within 1″ of the base of the artichoke.

Peel the outer layer from the stalk.

Rinse under cold water, spreading the petals so that the water can run into the flower.

Place base-down in a pot. If necessary, use a coffee cup in the center to keep the artichokes from flopping over.

Add sufficient water to cover the stem.

Add peppercorns to the water.

Cover the tops of the flowers with chopped garlic.

Drizzle olive oil over all.

Cover.

Bring water to a boil, then simmer until the petals pull freely from the artichoke and are to taste, approximately 45 mins. to an hour.

— Concetta Visioni Clorofilla.

What, you may ask, am I doing buying beer at the grocer’s? It’s convenient, but that’s beside the point. The point is that commodity prices are going up. The market is perturbed and passing the costs on to me. I might have to start drinking less!

Antipasti

• Shrimp (boiled) with lemon and basil sauce or horseradish cocktail sauce
• Lemon-Dill Shrimp (grilled) on a bed of Orzo
• A Selection of Cheeses (mozzarella, parmagiana, ricotta salada)
• Whole Wheat Bread, stuffed with Spinach, Onions and Mozzarella

Pasta e Pesci

• Spaghetti Marinara
• Baked Flounder
• Grilled Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze
• Tuscan Artichokes
• Sauteed Kale, Spinach, and Broccoli

Dessert

• Apple Crisp
• Italian Cheesecake
• A Selection of Cookies

To Drink

• Water
• Seltzer with Lemon
• Edmunds St. John Los Robles Viejos
• Peroni Nastro Azzurro, a lager
• Smuttynose Winter Ale
• Coffee, with Sambuca as desired, or Tea

The shrimp and salmon recipes are from Weber’s The Art of the Grill.