tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24971423901123692692024-03-14T02:52:07.664-07:00The Beer and Food ProjectElevating the perception of beer and food, one bite at a time.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-3618606502796253552015-08-25T15:56:00.000-07:002015-09-02T02:30:44.439-07:00Smoked Egg Salad Sandwich & Budvar Czech Pilsner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">I live in a house divided by eggs. There's those who love them (Sarah) and those who definitely do not (that's me). Don't get me wrong. Eggs as an ingredient are brilliant. They make soufflés rise and give breakfast real meaning. A poached egg over <a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.dk/2014/07/smoked-beef-short-rib-hash-with-fried.html">short rib hash</a>? Absolutely! Soft boiled, halved and floating in a <a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.dk/2014/10/smoked-tonkotsu-ramen-with-seared-pork.html">Tonkatsu ramen broth</a>? Of course! A Scotch Egg? No question there and also the topic of a future post. But the idea of a plain hard boiled egg (or worse - *gag - a deviled egg!) is something I've never been able to stomach.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">That's why when I stumbled onto instructions for smoking eggs, I was both intrigued and unsettled. Smoked eggs: Interesting? Disgusting? The answer to my egg phobia? Into the smoker went a brave dozen and thirty minutes later when I pulled them out the transformation was exactly what one might expect a smoked egg to look like:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Aren't these cool? Don't the grill marks make them look kind of macho? The color doesn't quite come across in these pictures but I'll tell you it was a rich sepia, golden and brown and appealing even to an egg hater like me. One note: peeled, soft boiled NOT hard boiled eggs are the way to go here. Thirty minutes in a smoker completes the hard boiling process and even then, these eggs are firm. The trick is to find that sweet, soft boiled spot that is just barely hard but cooked enough to peel. Anymore than that and they'll become overcooked and I think we can all agree that rubbery eggs are shit.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Despite their comely hue, for me the smoke is mere camouflaged. It's an improvement but at their core, these are still hard boiled eggs and thus still in need of manipulation. And so the Smoked Egg Salad Sandwich was born. Seriously you guys, it's a great sandwich and surely the only egg salad you'll ever catch me eating. I went big and zesty for the accompanying salad flavors - capers, red onion and coarsely chopped sweet cucumber pickles - but this sandwich would also be good with a simple mayonnaise, mustard and black pepper construction.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">The watercress is also personal preference but I think something as rich as egg salad needs at least a bite of freshness and it adds green and a nice peppery note. The barbecue potato chips provide crunch, salt and really, well let's be honest, the addition of potato chips never hurt anything. Any type of sandwich bread will work but nothing conjures nostalgia (or partners with potato chips better) like good old white bread. Toasted of course. No one likes a mushy sandwich.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I chose a pilsner to pair with this sandwich. Budvar Czech Pilsner to be exact. It's light, it doesn't compete with any of these unique flavors and it's a good lunchtime beer.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Finally, I'd like to dedicate this post to all the other egg haters out there. Go bravely into a world where you'll grimace at quiches and have to dismay your sweet, 3-year old nephew with the news that, "sorry little buddy, I don't eat those" when he offers up his prize Easter egg. Make this sandwich, thank me later and claim your place in a culinary landscape where eggs reign supreme.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Enjoy!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Smoked Egg Salad Sandwich</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">For the egg salad:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">4 smoked eggs, chopped well</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">1/3 cup good mayonnaise</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">1 tablespoon yellow mustard</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">1/4 cup coarsely chopped sweet pickles (OR make fresh <a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.dk/2014/09/beer-pickles-bonus-post.html">beer pickles)</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">1/4 cup finely diced red onion</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons chopped capers</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">For the sandwich:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">4 slices, toasted white sandwich bread</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">2 generous handfuls, barbecue potato chips</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">1 bunch watercress</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Combine the chopped, smoked eggs with the other salad ingredients and mix well. Set aside in the fridge and chill for at least twenty minutes</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Toast the bread and top with the egg salad, then the potato chips and finish with watercress. Serve and eat immediately.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">*note: Do eat immediately. Like mushy bread, soggy potato chips are a friend to no one.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Like eggs I had convinced myself that I didn't like Czech Pilsners. Largely this was because I was living in the states and, with rare exception, once they hit USA stores they were old, skunky, with dissipated hops, and little to no head retention. A recent weekend in Prague, however, where I drank nothing but pilsners that were crisp, bright, creamy and with perfectly dry finishes, cured me entirely.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">I chose this beer mainly because of the fresh, balanced flavor. The pilsner malts are sweet but the Saaz hops have light herbal aromas and a bright spicy flavor creating a balance that is pleasingly harmonious. It's this balance that earns these hops the label of "noble hop".</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">This pairing has contrasting and like flavors. The smokiness of the eggs is countered by the sweet malts while the creaminess of the mayonnaise is contrasted by the dry finish and refreshing quality of the beer overall. Similarities to note are the peppery bites of the watercress and red onions and the spicy herb hints in the hops. The sweet beer pickles compliment the malts as does the subtle sweetness of the sandwich bread.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Cheers!</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-61027325951103257662015-07-02T11:16:00.001-07:002015-07-03T03:32:38.365-07:00Biscuits and Hot Link Gravy & Appreciation Pils<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">I miss diner food. There I've said it. It's not at all the thing I anticipated missing - I'd prefer my homesickness to be a bit more highbrow - but I do. I miss grease, hash browns, the miracle that is corned beef, cheap ketchup and absurd breakfast skillets with seven different kinds of meat.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">I also miss grease.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">And grease.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">(Although, this just in: Danes sometimes smear pork lard on their toast which is as good as grease and, obviously, one thousand percent genius).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">American diners boast a special kind of cuisine. Hovering over the sweet spot of junk food and home cooking, good diner food can both fill you up and make you hate yourself for hours after. It also cures hangovers. And diets. Back in our roaring twenties, Sarah and I enjoyed a lot of diner meals, mostly at our favorite spot on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. It had sticky pleather booths, burned coffee and a mustachioed owner who affably slapped your backs on your way in and out. Sadly, it's closed now but memories of our indulgent brunches/late night, post pub eating extravaganzas, still linger. Sarah usually got a skillet, always with ham, never with green peppers and I always, ALWAYS got the biscuits and gravy.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">You know biscuits and gravy, right? The Southern dish consisting of simple gravy made from milk and white flour and the (grease!) drippings of sausage, all mixed together with more sausage and poured over biscuits. If you're really hardcore (or Southern) you might like biscuits with Red Eye Gravy but at our house we prefer cream over coffee grounds. And, given that most of my food brain is currently trained on barbecue, I most recently discovered that we also like our biscuits and gravy with ... Hot links!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">That's right, I'm upping the breakfast ante! Hot links do everything a traditional pork breakfast sausage does but they add some some serious, not-to-be-f'd-with flavor (thanks paprika, thanks chili powder). They also add smoke and are easy to pick up from <a href="http://warpigs.dk/">your local barbecue joint</a> (*warning: shameless Warpigs promotion ahead), who, yes, do now offer take-away service! Let me just say, I've eaten a lot of biscuits and gravy and in my relatively expert, certainly experienced opinion, the only thing better than biscuits with gravy is biscuits with gravy, with <i>hot links</i>!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">The only downside to using precooked sausage, of course, is that they lack in the grease rendering potential. That's inconsequential though because seriously - just use bacon grease! Like a housewife from the 1950s, I squirrel away all my bacon grease for later use, slowly adding to an old ball jar we keep in the fridge. Because I've been saving since we moved here, I've got plenty but if you don't happen to be in the habit hoarding old fat, no worries, just render some fresh. About 1/2 lbs bacon should do it. But also, start saving your bacon fat. That stuff is gold.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">About the biscuits … I prefer butter to lard. Southern traditionalists may grimace but for me, butter always has a superior flavor in baked goods. This recipe is easy. Super easy. It has 6 ingredients and takes about 10 minutes. I'm no pastry chef so I look for baking recipes that are hard to muff. Washing the tops with egg won't change the flavor but it will add a nice golden hue and because biscuits and gravy is a largely brown-on-brown dish, it's a worthwhile aesthetic step.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">And to drink? I chose Mikkeller's <a href="http://mikkeller.dk/appreciation-pils-cali-rare-landed/">Appreciation Pils</a> because it was a beer brewed as a "tribute to Chicago" and I'm sentimental like that. Also because I'm partial to <a href="http://mikkeller.dk/">Mikkeller</a>. Also because it's tasty. Also because it goes great with biscuits and gravy.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><i>A Moment of Gratitude ...</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><i>To all the terrific readers who answered last week's plea for Dr Pepper with messages and emails and tips about where to get it in Denmark. Particularly the mensch who hand delivered two cans straight to me, just earlier today. Wow, what a response! You guys. Seriously. Thank you!</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b>Biscuits and Hot Link Gravy</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For the biscuits:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 C. Flour</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp. Sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 T. Baking Powder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 tsp. Salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">8 T. Butter (cubed and cold)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">¾ C. Milk</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 egg, beaten (optional)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients together. Using your hands massage the butter carefully into the dry ingredients. Incorporate the milk slowly in the bowl until the dough forms. Mold the dough into a thick disk shape and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to harden the butter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lightly flour a workspace and, using a rolling pin, roll dough into a 1.5-2 inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter (or a glass rim), punch out the biscuit rounds. Place biscuits on a greased baking tray. Using a pastry brush, lightly wash the tops with the beaten egg. Bake at 375 F 12-15 minutes or golden brown.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For the hot link gravy:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 lb. Hot Links (stripped of their casings and crumbled)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3 T. Bacon Fat</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3 T. Flour</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3 C. Milk</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp. Allspice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In a hot saucepan, add the bacon fat to melt. Render the crumbled hot links in the bacon fat and cook for 10 minutes. Add the flour and stir continuously over medium heat for 1 minute to create a roux. Turn heat to low, add the milk slowly and whisk on low until the gravy thickens. Add the allspice and cook for an additional minute.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pour hot gravy over freshly baked biscuits and serve immediately.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">*Note: This recipe is based on the use of <a href="http://warpigs.dk/">Warpigs</a> hot links that already contain exactly the right amount of spice and seasoning for this dish. If you are using other hot links, that's fine of course but may require a bit of tweaking with respect to salt, pepper, paprika, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Pairing Notes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Appreciation Pils</span></div>
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5% ABV</div>
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Because of its nearly delicate lightness and refreshing quality, this is an especially good morning beer and perfect to pair with a heavy breakfast. For these same reasons it contrasts nicely against a dish this bold. The loudness of the gravy's spices and seasoning are calmed by the freshness of the bright floral hops while the richness of the gravy, sausage and biscuit are wiped clean from the palate by the high carbonation.</div>
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The malt structure works to both complement and contrast. The bread notes of the malts mirror the butteriness of the biscuit while their sweetness pleasantly opposes the piquant zest of all the spices and pepper in the sausage .</div>
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Cheers! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-54394482372735042212015-06-23T09:16:00.000-07:002015-06-25T01:48:47.950-07:00Texas Smørrebrød & Warpigs Lazurite IPA <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">And ... I'm back! Back and slightly bug-eyed over the fact that it's been six months since the last post. Yep, six months. Man, nothing derails one's blogging momentum like an international move. Oh, and opening a new restaurant. That takes some time also.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">*Insert sheepish shrug here.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">It's been worth it, though. Sarah and I are happily settled in our new home, a somewhat sparsely furnished but very cozy three room flat in Copenhagen's Vesterbro neighborhood and I'm proud to say that <a href="http://warpigs.dk/">Warpigs</a> - that's the new restaurant - is off to a great start!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Because there's been such a lapse, this post is going to be a little different. I'll still offer a beer pairing at the end but not an actual recipe. I will mention bits about our integration into Denmark but I won't bore readers with too many of our expat blunders except to note that "rejer" is not some tasty Danish cheese. It's shrimp. And sometimes bumbling Americans accidentally order it on their Gorgonzola pizzas (and are regretfully too proud not to eat it). I will talk a whole lot about Warpigs and barbecue and share how I think those two things are mixing with Copenhagen. I'll probably do some bragging about the cool folks I get to work with - a special shoutout, for example, to "The Major" who welcomed us with beef cheeks and held our hands all the way to Ikea and through much of the landing process - and I'll subtly plug the Warpigs mission. I'll definitely explain the mystery sandwich pictured above but mostly this post is going to be a lot about me so if you're just here for the beer and food, no offense taken, just scroll down to the pairing.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Almost a year ago I, along with the rest of the beer world, learned about <a href="http://warpigs.dk/eat-drink/">Warpigs</a> in an article on <a href="http://beerpulse.com/">Beer Pulse</a>. I know we were all intrigued - an international collaboration brewpub between two beer giants, <a href="http://mikkeller.dk/">Mikkeller</a> (of Denmark) and <a href="http://www.3floyds.com/over-21/?redirect_to=http://www.3floyds.com/">Three Floyd's</a> (of the good ole US of A), serving traditional Texas barbecue and generally breaking the bonds of what a "brewpub" is. And they were searching for an American chef! I wasn't just intrigued, I was obsessed. Like a lot of Americans, I've loved barbecue since I was a kid, gnawing on ribs and drumsticks at backyard summer cookouts. Unlike a lot of Americans, however, I spent a good portion of my professional life touring the Southern states, studying the ins and outs of barbecue and learning from some pretty colorful cooks. The booming New Orleans chef, for instance, who powdered his legs with cornstarch and used vanilla pudding in his cornbread still stands tall in my mind. So when I read about Warpigs I jumped! And when I say "jumped" I mean that I veritably stalked the good people at Mikkeller, inundating them with resumes and lengthy arguments as to why I WAS the chef they were looking for. Kudos to the patience they exhibited in the face of my enthusiasm. Some of you may remember this time because I also inundated all of YOU with <a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.dk/2014/09/smoked-brisket-benedict-white-oak-jai.html">barbecue post</a>,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> after <a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.dk/2014/10/smoked-tomato-and-fennel-cocktail-sauce.html">barbecue post</a> after b<a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.dk/2014/08/mango-mole-braised-pork-ribs-old.html">arbecue post</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Looking back, I'm glad for my persistence. Getting to be a part of the wild cultural immersion that is Texas BBQ in Scandinavia has been brilliant. Getting to work with people who are fearless in this concept and resolute in their mission to create a brewpub that is unique but that also mirrors a traditional BBQ "joint" in all the most important ways, well, that has been the most brilliant of all! This experience has also given me insight and led to the following observations about the fine people of Denmark (feel free to chime in here, Danish friends - have I got this right?)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1. Danes Like Preparedness</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">One of the understandable pieces of feedback I've gotten is in the form of disappointment when the restaurant quite literally runs out of meat. And on more that one occasion it's been mistakenly assumed that this is due to lack of organization or preparation on our part. It's not. I understand the disenchantment. When one waits in line, hungry and tantalized by the aromas of smoked meat, one expects there to be barbecue at the end of that line. Watching as anticipated menu items are suddenly crossed off the chalkboards is disheartening. I can empathize as it's happened to me on more than one occasion (and typically it's been after standing around sweating in the relentless heat of a Texas summer). But ask any person from any barbecue region and they'll all say the same thing: "When they're out, they're out." That's just barbecue and it's the same at Warpigs. Meats are smoked for 12 hours, twice daily and they're served fresh, that very same day. Every. Single. Time. No pit master worth their salt would ever stockpile meats from the previous day's smoke and I won't either. I also won't cram my smokers over capacity just to yield more product. So if you find yourself at the end of a line with no meat, know it's only because we're following the laws of BBQ set forth long before us and that we're abiding by them so as to give you the best food we can. It's really as simple as that.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2. Danes are curious</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">And the proof of this lays in how warmly received the idea of BBQ in Copenhagen has been. It's a foreign concept and as far as I can tell there isn't a restaurant that even distantly resembles that of Warpigs in all of Scandinavia. We're traditional for Texas but we're unusual for this part of the world and I am consistently impressed by the sharp inquisitiveness and culinary intrepidity of our guests. Bravo Danes!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">3. Danes Have a Sense of Humor</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Which brings me to the mystery sandwich. It's a smørrebrød ... sort of. Technically it's the Warpigs smørrebrød, likely the first of its kind and my humorous (and indulgent) homage to the cultural marriage of Texas and Denmark. Smørrebrød, for those who may not know, is the traditional open face sandwich of Denmark. It is much beloved and typically served on rugbrød (rye bread) with a variety of dainty toppings ranging from pickled herring to roast pork. Aside from its open faced-ness, the Warpigs version totally breaks from tradition. It stretches the entire length of a bread loaf, is topped with 1.5 lbs of sausage, brisket and pork and is basically one big healthy helping of Texan gluttony. I'll admit that I was a little nervous developing this item. As the new chef in town, risking desecration of Denmark's favorite dish felt perilous, even despite the fact that our esteemed leader (a Dane) gave me the thumbs up (though, unlike me, he's kind of a Jedi and, I suspect, intimidated by nothing). Much to my relief he was right. The locals totally "get" the intended playfulness and embrace it. Very cool. Very cool indeed. And I must say, coming from a city where one is publicly berated for ordering ketchup on a hotdog, also a refreshing change of pace. Take note, Chicago.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">4. Danes Appreciate High Quality</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Which is great! They keep us on our toes and they acknowledge when we're getting it right. There's fairness and honesty in their critiques and in their compliments and I've been happy to receive both!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">5. Danes Can EAT!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">In an average week, our guests consume multiple tons of meat. Did you get that? Tons! That's literally thousands of kilograms. Make no mistake, coming from a husky Midwesterner, this is high praise but seriously, that's a lot of meat! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Whoever said the Irish can drink, never went to Denmark. Our beer is good and strong and the Danes can put them back. Our brewers are power team of two and hustle like the ballers that they are. They're pretty awesome and if you spot them (they're the ones in rubber boots who smell like malts) give them the nod of respect that they deserve.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">All in all, the Danish are a pretty terrific group of people to be cooking for and even though Sarah still can't pronounce our street name (Oehlenschlægersgade) and I would happily trade our first born for just one can of Dr Pepper, we're pretty content here. I've been blessed with a particularly stellar kitchen crew and now that I've finally found a place to get <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hija-de-S%C3%A1nchez/434058050136037">real tacos</a> its beginning to feel a little more like home. So thank you to the fine people of Copenhagen and to the even finer people of Warpigs and Mikkeller for making these first 6 months all we could have hoped for!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">The Warpigs' Smørrebrod will certainly pair well with any Warpigs beers but for me, a dish this rich and with so much meat, needs some fairly aggressive hops. Lazurite cuts through the fattiness of the meat with the strong but balanced American hops and its higher alcohol content helps to balance the bitterness. Big notes of tangerine and grapefruit play well against the sweetness of subtle malts, while the acidity of the citrus accents the acidity of the coleslaw and the pickles, brightening </span>each other to further refresh the palate. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">The color is a deep, golden straw, produces a creamy head and a clean finish. Thirst quenching and terrific for summer!</span></span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254);"> </span>For those outside of Copenhagen, consider these equally hoppy subsitutions: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://russianriverbrewing.com/brews/blind-pig-ipa/">Blind Pig IPA, Russian River Brewery</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.bellsbeer.com/brands/info/2">Two Hearted, Bells Brewery</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ballastpoint.com/beer/sculpin/">Sculpin IPA, Balast Point</a></span><br />
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Cheers!<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-51540774776728110562014-12-01T21:05:00.001-08:002014-12-01T21:05:06.131-08:00Chili Chocolate Tart With Spiced Cashews & Darkness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've been absent the last few weeks. I have a good excuse - Sarah and I packed up our entire loft,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> stuffed it into one tiny storage unit and then wrestled 6 large suitcases across the country on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving (aka the most hellacious travel day of the year). It was kind of a bear with one semi embarrassing freakout involving me and a loose luggage cart wheel but we did it and landed happily in California with most of our sanity intact. The downside of course, is that between madly cramming our lives into boxes and bidding adieu to our city, blogging kinda took the backseat. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Not to worry, though ... We're back! And we're back with dessert. And chiles! And chocolate!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Truth be told, I developed this recipe back in Chicago almost a month ago. During what spiraled into the great farewell Chicago binge fest of 2014, Sarah and I stopped into Xoco for a mug of Mexican hot chocolate (... and churros ... and apple empanadas). It was warm and rich and spiked with chiles and made me a) want to visit Mexico b) not leave Chicago and c) use all the chiles I still had left over from the <a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.com/2014/10/texas-red-and-indian-brown-ale.html">Texan Red</a> and the <a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.com/2014/11/leftover-chili-breakfast.html">Eggs Cocotte</a> with chocolate ... somehow. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Inspiration struck as I was cleaning out our pantry and encountered a huge bag of raw cashews, totally unused and forgotten. Sad because cashews are delicious (and expensive) and should be enjoyed, not tossed out in a harried move. Luckily, they go great with chocolate - especially when they're roasted and candied and sprinkled with sesame seeds and ground chiles. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yep, it's pretty much the best way to eat cashews!</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-03boIvIHzSE/VHzxRcIYNNI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/2H1OsUVl6Q8/s1600/unnamed-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-03boIvIHzSE/VHzxRcIYNNI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/2H1OsUVl6Q8/s1600/unnamed-4.jpg" height="494" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I rescued our mini tart pans from the "to donate" pile (sly Sarah, very sly) and set to making a tart that celebrated the hot chocolate of Xoco and the remnants of our pantry and spice cupboard.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9ycUlAgkfWI/VHzxO0iAvkI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/lVVmzWVfxy8/s1600/unnamed-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9ycUlAgkfWI/VHzxO0iAvkI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/lVVmzWVfxy8/s1600/unnamed-5.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Frankly what I ended up with was pretty amazing. Dark chocolate ganache, warm chile notes, candied cashews, buttery pastry crust. A tart to behold! Let that be a lesson about using what one already has in ones larder. The tart was so incredible in fact that I deemed it worthy to pair with a really special beer. Like a really, really special beer. <a href="http://surlybrewing.com/">Surly Brewing Co's</a> <a href="http://surlybrewing.com/beer/darkness/">Darkness</a> to be exact. Yeah, I got one of those. Jealous? I know I have been every other year I didn't get one. It took a hook-up in the form of my great friend, who's going away present was a terrific weekend in Minneapolis, one spot in the VIP Darkness line (read: no wait) and one highly coveted wristband (to get said Darkness). I can't say who he is - insider perks this good must remain covert - but he's a hell of a guy and I'll miss him! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I debated heavily about whether to open this bottle for the tart. I knew it would pair well but part of me wanted to bring it to California where it could be enjoyed post move. It IS a bottle that warrants celebration. Maybe that's the hardest part of moving for a beer collector, actually. What to save, what to gift and what to desperately gorge out on pre move because you just can't stand letting it go. In the end the part of me that wanted to drink it - and also the part that felt anxious at the thought of hapless TSA agents handling such precious cargo - won out. And it was the right choice because this pairing killed it! Really, it was perfect. It takes a pairing like this to remind me that squirreling away ones finest bottles isn't always the best method of beer collecting. Sometimes it's just time to drink and enjoy them!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I guess I should sheepishly apologize here because after all the above waxing, chances are most readers won't be able to get a Darkness with which to pair. Unfortunate but not to worry - there is plenty of other beer that will work well. <a href="http://www.northcoastbrewing.com/beer-rasputin.htm"> Old Rasputin from North Coast Brewery</a>, <a href="http://greatdivide.com/beer/year-round/yeti-imperial-stout/">Yeti from Great Divide Brewery</a> and <a href="http://brooklynbrewery.com/brooklyn-beers/classified/black-ops">The Black Ops from Brooklyn Brewery</a> would all pair nicely and certainly be easier to procure. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Enjoy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Chili Chocolate Tart With Spiced Cashews</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For the cashews:</span></div>
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1 ½ C. cashews</div>
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1/3 C. water</div>
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1/3 C. sugar</div>
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2 Tbsp. sesame seeds</div>
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1 tsp. salt</div>
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½ tsp. Arbol chili, ground</div>
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a small pot combine the sugar and water over medium heat
and reduce for 10 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add in
sesame seeds, salt and chili.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turn
off heat and pour over the cashews, making sure to cover all the nuts evenly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lay coated
nuts on a sheet tray covered in parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes or
until the cashews have toasted well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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For the Chocolate Ganache:</div>
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8 oz. semi sweet chocolate</div>
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1 C. heavy cream</div>
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2 Arbol chilies</div>
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1 tsp. salt</div>
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¾ tsp. Arbol chili ground</div>
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Set up a double boiler and melt the chocolate slowly, stirring constantly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Place the whole chiles and the cream in a sauce pot and w</span>arm over medium heat for about 4 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Do NOT let</span> the cream boil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Remover the chilies from the cream and slowly pour into the melted
chocolate, stirring constantly to keep the chocolate from seizing up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the chocolate is a smooth texture, add the ground chili and salt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Mix well.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Tart-Dough-368510">For Tart Dough</a></div>
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For Tart Assembly:</div>
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Pour warm ganache into the pre-baked tart shells. Generously pile candied cashews onto warm ganache, pressing down gently but taking care not to press so hard that the ganache spills over. Refrigerate for 2 hours so the ganache and cashews harden. </div>
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<o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Pairing Notes</span></span></o:p></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Surly<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Darkness
11%ABV</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Russian Imperial Stout aged in High West Whiskey Barrels</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lTUN43Aw1i8/VH1Eio_2mXI/AAAAAAAAA2o/DDLgPfV96Ns/s1600/unnamed-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lTUN43Aw1i8/VH1Eio_2mXI/AAAAAAAAA2o/DDLgPfV96Ns/s1600/unnamed-6.jpg" height="640" width="542" /></a></div>
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As mentioned above, the Darkness is a special beer. It's almost jet black in color and has a full spectrum of aromatics that range from coffee, cocoa, raisins,
and even caramely bourbon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> This spectrum continues onto the palate, though the </span>chocolate and coffee
notes are most pronounced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surprisingly, the large
amount of hops actually pop through to provide a great
balance with bitterness to counter the sweet, heavy body. </div>
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The pairing provides a nice blend of both like and contrasting flavors. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The buttery quality of the tart shell is
contrasted by the bitter hops as is the richness of the cashews. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> L</span>ike flavors are found in the toasted cashews and sesame seeds which also match the rich
maltiness of the beer. Another interesting interaction is that of the different chocolate notes and how they play off each other - the bittersweet ganache becomes sweeter while the more milk chocolate flavor of the beer takes on more balance as they are combined. </div>
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Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of this pairing was the way the spice of the chiles heightened the alcohol in the beer. Darkness is a strong beer already but the chiles working in tandem gave it even more of a pleasant boozy finish.</div>
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Cheers!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-20632551232757506752014-11-09T14:44:00.000-08:002014-11-10T12:42:02.068-08:00Texan Eggs Cocotte & All Day IPA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2OH0vsuLEJY/VF-LdBYF0wI/AAAAAAAAAzs/vTM7H3aqc9k/s1600/photo%2B1-43.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2OH0vsuLEJY/VF-LdBYF0wI/AAAAAAAAAzs/vTM7H3aqc9k/s1600/photo%2B1-43.JPG" height="528" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">If you read <a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.com/2014/10/texas-red-and-indian-brown-ale.html">last week's post</a> you might remember that I cooked up a mighty batch of chili. Rich, smokey, bean-less Texas chili, laden with a whole mess of peppers and spiked with chorizo and bacon. We had our friend Paul over and he and I proceeded to eat like we'd never seen food before. Still, even post voracity, there was still a ton of chili left over. Like half the pot. I sent Paul home with a to-go bag that he, quite brilliantly, had the good sense to cook with eggs the next morning. It inspired me - the thought of chili for breakfast - and I set to making my own chili eggs. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">My version is something in between shakshouka (a Middle Eastern specialty of eggs cooked in spicy tomato sauce), ouefs en cocotte á la créme (French for eggs baked in cream and also French for amazing) and Chilaquiles (the Mexican classic which, if you've never had before, you absolutely should - <a href="http://www.mexicoinmykitchen.com/2010/11/how-to-cook-mexican-chilaquiles-como.html">here's a great and traditional recipe</a>). So this dish is a little bit of a culture cluster but it's also a really solid breakfast. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Admittedly, yes ... this a leftovers post. But if you followed my recipe last week, YOU probably also have a ton left over. And you should be excited about those leftovers! Chili can actually be better the next day because all the flavors have had a chance to meld even more completely overnight in the fridge. That was certainly the case with this batch. The red seemed redder, the smoke, smokier and the ingredients as a whole all together smoother. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-til0gjHY8Xs/VF-L91s9zQI/AAAAAAAAAz0/pvn1ec7zjOw/s1600/photo-17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-til0gjHY8Xs/VF-L91s9zQI/AAAAAAAAAz0/pvn1ec7zjOw/s1600/photo-17.JPG" height="486" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">While I stayed true to a cocotte/shakshouka method of cooking (in that the eggs are slowly baked within the chili), I kept the flavors purely Southwest. We had a bunch of leftover chilies and I trudged to the store - stupidly in only a sweatshirt which did nothing to protect me from the 40 mile per hour wind gusts Chicago was enjoying that day - for cojita cheese, cilantro and corn tortillas. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LlhRH_M3DTU/VF-f1krTxZI/AAAAAAAAA04/pVUZmqHT3xE/s1600/Image-35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LlhRH_M3DTU/VF-f1krTxZI/AAAAAAAAA04/pVUZmqHT3xE/s1600/Image-35.jpg" height="640" width="476" /></a></div>
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I also grabbed a six pack of <a href="http://foundersbrewing.com/">Founders Brewing Company's</a> <a href="http://foundersbrewing.com/our-beer/all-day-ipa/">All Day IPA</a>. Founders Brewery is a terrific establishment in Grand Rapids, MI that is about to undergo a huge expansion which aims to see a whopping 300,000 barrels shipped by 2015. This is good news for fans of Founders nationwide as expansion almost always means more availability but can also lead to a wider distribution net. Here's hoping! All Day IPA is balanced and refreshing and like the <a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.com/2014/10/texas-red-and-indian-brown-ale.html#more">Indian Brown Ale</a>, assertive enough to hold its own against the chili. By the time Sarah rolled out of bed, I had cracked the first bottle and was well into baking the eggs. There was some whining about a leftover chili breakfast (still full from chili the night before, she claimed) but after she had a little coffee and I set the steaming cast iron pan of chili and baked eggs before her, all was well. </div>
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A parting tip and a word about cast iron: If you have a cast iron skillet or pot, use it! A good part of this dish's success relies on the chili's ability to get really hot and stay really hot as the eggs cook slowly in it. Cast iron conducts heat consistently and it's also tough as hell. Don't listen to those who say it's high maintenance. It's not. There's a reason it was the chosen cookware of cowboys and pioneers - it's durable and cooks things incredibly well. If you don't have cast iron, use a good dutch oven or a pan that retains heat well.</div>
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Enjoy! </div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;">Texan Eggs Cocotte</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">1qt. Leftover chili</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">1 C. Water</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">4 Eggs</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">1/2 bunch Cilantro, chopped</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">2 Fresnos Chiles, sliced thin</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">4 oz. Cotilla Cheese, crumbled</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">1 package corn tortillas</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">- Preheat the oven to 450</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">- Place chili and water in a cast iron skillet. On the stovetop, heat on high for five minutes, bringing to a boil while stirring often</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">- Remove from heat and immediately but gently crack the eggs into the hot chili and bake in the oven for 7 minutes. (*note: in most ovens 7 minutes creates an egg with solid whites but liquid yolks. If you prefer your eggs cooked more, increase oven time by 1-2 minutes. Check often as ovens can be touchy and eggs can be fickle)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">- Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese, cilantro, and chiles</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">- Serve immediately with warm tortillas</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;">Pairing Notes</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">All Day IPA</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">4.7% ABV </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This beer pours a bright golden straw color with a creamy white head. Even from afar, the pleasant aroma of citrus and floral notes from the hops is </span>evident<span style="font-family: inherit;"> These hops are bold in </span>their<span style="font-family: inherit;"> aroma but subtle in </span>their<span style="font-family: inherit;"> taste and this, along with the low ABV makes this IPA a very drinkable "session" beer. The mild balance from a lower malt usage also adds to the </span>drinkability simultaneously allowing the hops to take center stage<span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Selecting a breakfast or brunch beer isn't too difficult. Choose a beer that is light, subtle, and has bright hoppy flavors (I like to say it awakens the palate the same way the tang of </span>orange<span style="font-family: inherit;"> juice does). The All Day IPA does just this. Its crispness also acts to refresh the palate after the richness of the egg and chili. </span></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The tomato </span>acidity<span style="font-family: inherit;"> in the chile is </span></span><span style="color: #444444;">accentuated</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"> by the sweetness of the mild malts while the hops play off of </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">the fresh cilantro and salty cheese.</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-56123328131502686292014-10-29T21:27:00.000-07:002014-11-09T10:41:25.306-08:00Texas "Red" & Indian Brown Ale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">As some of you may have heard, Sarah and I are on the cusp of a pretty big change. If you read the <a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.com/2014/09/smoked-brisket-benedict-white-oak-jai.html">Smoked Beef Brisket Benedict</a> post you might recall that I had some important guests visiting from the far off land of Denmark about a month ago. In actuality, those guests were the fine folks from <a href="http://mikkeller.dk/">Mikkeller</a> (yes, <i>that</i> Mikkeller!) who were in town on business and, among other things, interviewing me for the barbecue chef position at Warpigs, the soon-to-be legendary collaboration brewery they are launching with the equally fine folks at <a href="http://www.3floyds.com/over-21/?redirect_to=http://www.3floyds.com/">3 Floyds</a>. Well friends, I am very pleased to announce that I was offered and have accepted that barbecue chef position which means that Sarah and I are soon moving to Denmark! That's right, in the very near future, The Beer and Food Project will set up post in the exciting city of Copenhagen where I will help to lead the introduction of American style barbecue to the Danish people. Pretty damn exciting!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So aside from barbecue - which has pretty much occupied most of my culinary brain for the last month - for nostalgic reasons, I've also been spending some goodbye time with the foods I find to be distinctly "Chicago." Chili is definitely one of them. Technically it didn't originate in Chicago (like barbecue, it's mostly associated with Texas) but Chicagoans LOVE their chili. It's the food of Sunday football games and family get togethers and most every Chicago person I know has their own "best" version. I'm no different and like my chili making counterparts, I'll cockily assert that mine rivals most others. The difference between them and me, perhaps, is that I'm actually willing to share it here.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">It's important to mention that this recipe takes some time. The prep is fairly uncomplicated but half of what makes chili good, is the slow cooking process. Don't rush it. Part of building flavor complexity and coaxing tenderness from meat, is patience. So with this in mind, I got up early and headed to the butchers counter. This is a Texas style chili which means NO beans and LOTS of meat. I veer slightly from true Texan tradition and add bacon and chorizo. Purists might turn their nose up at this but after multiple hours of slow cooking, the bacon and chorizo almost completely break down, ceasing to be solids and instead becoming pure flavor. It's pretty awesome to behold and even more awesome to taste.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">I also detour from the Texan tradition in the sense that I roast a few tomatoes and fold them into the chili in the last 30 minutes of cooking so that they break down just enough to lose form and become "sauce" but so that they also act as a natural thickener. Plus their acidity adds a nice twang that's helpful to balance the richness of the meats. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Of course a good meal is only better with good company. In our case we had great company in the form of my friend Paul who I've know since childhood and who is kind of a Scoville super hero. Seriously the guy is fairly amazing when it comes to the amount of heat he can tolerate. So I wanted this chili to be spicy. The trick, however, was to make it spicy enough for him but mild enough for Sarah who, I'm sorry to say, can be slightly wimpy when it comes to spiciness. In the end, I risked Sarah's taste buds and used a respectable amount of chilies but I think, and likely Paul would agree, it could have been a little hotter still and just as palatable. If you are heat seeker like Paul increase the amount of Arbol chilies according to personal stamina. Spice aside, using a variety off chile peppers will also increase depth of flavor. It probably goes without saying but each and every chile pepper has it's own distinctive flavor. Thus the larger the variety, the more complex the chili.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">The other cool thing about using a lot of different chile peppers is that technically they, not tomatoes, are what give chili its signature red "chili" color. In total I used a mere 2 tablespoons of tomato paste (in what became 4 quarts of finished chili) but the final color was a vibrant and rich red all thanks to the dried Guajillos, Arbols and Anchos. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">I chose <a href="http://www.dogfish.com/">DogFish Head's</a> <a href="http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/year-round-brews/indian-brown-ale.htm">Indian Brown Ale</a> which is a hybrid of an IPA, a Scotch Ale and an American Brown Ale. Dogfish Head is a great brewery run by great people and has turned the small vacation town of Rehoboth Beach into something of a beer mecca. Their Indian Brown Ale is a terrific beer that is brewed with the personal touch, that has become synonymous with them and its smoothness went perfectly with the spice of the chili. Paul and I enjoyed the whole six pack and consumed chili like we were teenagers again. I sent him home with leftovers that he said went great with his eggs this morning. It makes me think about the 2 quarts of leftovers I still have and breakfast tomorrow … </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Texas "Red" (Chili Con Carne)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">4 Dried Guajillo Chiles, deseeded and torn into 1 in. pieces</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">1 tsp Whole Black Pepper, toasted</span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Preheat the oven to 475. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In a dutch oven, render the chorizo and bacon for 10-12 minutes over </span>medium heat <span style="font-family: inherit;"> Separate the fat from the rendered chorizo and bacon. Set aside.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Heat dutch oven on high with 3 Tbsp of reserved fat and brown the beef. Do 2-3 separate batches, making sure you do not crowd the pan. Set aside.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Reheat the dutch oven on high and add 3 more Tbsp of rendered fat. Sauté the diced onions and chilies for 5-7 minutes. Deglaze the pan with 2 C. beef stock and make sure to scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to get all the flavor bits from the bottom of the pan. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In a high powered blender add the </span>sautéed<span style="font-family: inherit;"> onion and chile mixture, cumin, coriander, tomato paste, masa flour, vinegar, the rest of the chorizo/bacon fat, and the remaining beef stock. If it is too thick, add some water to help blend.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Add the beef, chorizo/bacon, red chile mixture, cinnamon stick and the rest of the water to the dutch oven and cook on low for 2 hours. Stir regularly to make sure it is not sticking to the bottom. After 1 hour, remove the cinnamon stick and discard. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Toss the tomatoes, remaining onions, garlic, and peppers in 4 Tbsp olive oil and roast for 30 minutes. Turn them and broil, rotating every 5 minutes for 10 more minutes to ensure a deep char color and flavor. Let them cool and small dice all the vegetables. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Add diced vegetables to chili and cook on low for a additional 30 minutes.</span></li>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Pairing Notes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This beer is one of my favorites because of its hybrid quality and its ability to bridge multiple styles forming something of a super beer. It has the sweetness of a Brown Ale, the maltiness of a Scotch Ale while also exhibiting the hoppiness of an IPA. It pours a dark mahogany and smells of dark fruits, brown sugar, and floral hops. In flavor it truly brings together all the styles in one, well balanced beer. Sweet and sugary malts co-exist with the bitey bitterness harmoniously. No easy feat. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Finding a beer that wouldn't drown in the intensity of the rich, complex, and meaty chili was no small task. I chose this beer because it was bold enough on its own and added some excellent comparable flavors. The rich meatiness of the chili from the braised beef, chorizo and smokey bacon are enhanced from the caramel malts and sweetness of the beer, providing a collaborative<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction"> Maillard reaction</a>. The hops in the beer not only balance the beer's maltiness, they also work to provide a comparison to the spiciness of the chili, refreshing the palate from a complete overload. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this pairing, however, is the way the multitude of flavor layers in chili mirror the layers of flavor styles in the beer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cheers!</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-91861835277883550192014-10-21T18:53:00.000-07:002014-11-09T10:44:21.251-08:00Smoked Tonkotsu Ramen with Seared Pork Belly & Arctic Panzer Wolf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;">Alongside a good portion of the eating public, I've recently developed an infatuation with ramen. It's not very original - everyone is obsessed with it right now - but it's something I'm taking seriously. Maybe it's because <a href="http://highfiveramen.com/">High Five Ramen</a> (arguably the city's bet) opened up just blocks from my house. Maybe because on my last trip to NYC I discovered the glory that is <a href="http://tottoramen.com/">Totto Ramen</a>, a tiny basement restaurant with 12 seats that Sarah and I waited an hour and a half - in the rain, sans umbrellas - to get in to. Or Maybe it's because the wisdom of Japan rings true … That ramen, with it's warm, silken broth and curly noodles is the ultimate comfort food. Whatever the reason, with the onset of Fall, it's become our go-to Sunday wind down treat and this week I decided to make my own.</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #444444;">If you read <a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.com/2014/10/smoked-tomato-and-fennel-cocktail-sauce.html">last week's post</a>, you'll remember that I was in the throws of panic anticipating the end of grilling season and frantically smoking everything in sight. Well, lucky for the ramen broth, the panic continued into this week and I smoked two juicy beef necks and because this is tonkotsu (translation: pork), some already smoked ham hocks (that's right - double the smoke!). I did this in 45 degree weather and a light but persistent drizzle. I'll probably get a miserable cold but I'll have some serious smokey ramen broth to nurse myself back to health.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Of course no broth is complete without a vegetable base. It need not be complicated, just some onions, garlic, carrots and herbs and - because this is ramen broth - a nice assortment of pungent dried mushrooms. When it comes to dried mushrooms, Porcinis are the best. They're slightly pricier but they pack an umami punch that is superior to most other mushrooms. If you can't find Porcinis on their own, most decent dried mushroom blends will include them in the mixture. Rehydrate them in hot water before you roast the vegetables and save the water - your ramen broth will thank you when you add it in later! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Roasting the vegetables may seem like a superfluous step. It's not. Deep flavor is signature to ramen broth and roasting the vegetables before they simmer only increases their depth and sweetness. Plus after all that smoking and roasting and after a good simmer you should start to see beautiful golden, caramelized tones like this:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">When it comes to selecting a ramen noodle, there's a lot to choose from. I'm not kidding, the varietals are probably in the hundreds. Serious ramen chefs are pretty passionate about their noodles as well as the etiquette that dictates how they're eaten. It's said that a perfect ramen noodle is only supposed to last five minutes beyond the moment the hot broth is added before it becomes mushy. This may be where the practice of hurriedly slurping one's ramen originated, madly eating it before the noodles fall. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">I like a fresh, thin noodle with just a little wave to it. The thinness of the noodle causes them to wrap together a bit, increasing the odds that they'll catch more of the porky broth with each bite. The curl also helps to harness the broth as well as the little bits of miso floating about.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Toppings are also hotly debated. Some say they are just an afterthought as technically the broth and the noodles are the main attraction but I don't think so - what's a ramen without the accoutrement? Pork belly is a popular choice for a reason. It's pork belly aka uncured bacon aka fatty and delicious and it's perfect for a tonkotsu broth. I also think that a perfectly cooked soft boiled egg is a must-have. Soft boiled egg yolk is like the gold of El Dorado … legendary and hard to procure. The trick with a soft boiled egg is to cook it enough that the white is firm and able to be peeled but also so that the yoke remains as close to liquid form as possible. It takes a gentle hand and some precise timing to get it right but when you do it's pretty special … </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">As you might imagine, the addition of the egg yolk ramps up an already rich broth considerably. Yes, ramen is soup but make no mistake, it's hearty and unctuous and welcomes the company of a good beer. I chose <a href="http://www.3floyds.com/beer/arctic-panzer-wolf/">Arctic Pranzer Wolf</a> from <a href="http://www.3floyds.com/">Three Floyds Brewery</a>. I wanted a beer that had the potential to stand up to the intensity of all that smoke and fat and the strength if this IPA did so beautifully. As 3 Floyds declares, this is indeed a "massive" IPA but it's also slightly fruity and there is a buoyancy to the mouthfeel that keeps it refreshing. Even after large bowls of ramen Sarah and I polished off two bombers and despite the nasty cold I feel creeping on, slept like babies.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;">Smoked Tonkotsu Ramen</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">1 1/2 lb. smoked ham hocks</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">1 lb. beef neck bones</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">2 lb. yellow onions large dice</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">10 cloves Garlic</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">3 Carrots large dice</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">2 T. Peppercorns whole</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">.25 oz. fresh thyme</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">3 T. Olive oil</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">8 qt. water</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Smoke the ham hocks and beef neck bones for 3 hrs, maintaining a 200 degrees temperature or until they are bright red in color and the meat pulls from the bone easily. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">While the bones are smoking pre heat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the dried </span><span style="background-color: white;">mushrooms</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> in a medium sized bowl and fill with very hot water. Cover and let sit for 20-25 minutes. Drain and </span>reserve<span style="font-family: inherit;"> the liquid. Chop the </span>carrots and onion into medium-large pieces and break up the garlic. Mix the vegetables in a large bowl with the dehydrated mushrooms,<span style="font-family: inherit;"> thyme, peppercorns and olive oil and</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> lay on a baking tray. Roast for 45 minutes, stirring them up every 15 minutes. Place the roasted vegetable mixture and the smoked meat in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and turn down to a medium, boil for 6 hours. Strain and refrigerate overnight. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Pork Belly:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">2 lbs Pork Belly</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">2 Tbls sea salt</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">1 tsp pink salts</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">1 Tbls black pepper</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">1 Tbls sugar</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">1 quart water</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">2.5 cups chicken stock </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer until dissolved. Chill the liquid in refrigerator. Pour over pork belly in a sealable container and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. Sear all sides in a hot sauté pan. Place in a large dutch oven and cover with chicken stock, braising for 2.5 hours in 350 degree oven. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">For Soft Boiled Egg:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">2 farm fresh eggs</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">1-2 quarts water</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Place eggs in a sauce pan and cover completely with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water boils, turn off the heat immediately, cover and let the eggs sit for 6 minutes. Transfer directly to an ice bath.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">For Ramen Assemblage:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">3-4 green onions, sliced thin</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">1-2 thinly sliced radishes</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">10 Shitake mushrooms</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">1 package fresh ramen noodles</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Place a handful of noodles, the mushrooms and pork in a large ramen bowl. Cover completely with piping hot broth. Carefully add the just cooked soft boiled egg. Garnish with green onions and radish.</span><span style="color: #222222;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;">Pairing Notes</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Artic Panzer Wolf.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">9.0% ABV</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">This strong India Pale Ale has a beautiful haze with colors of copper and gold. It has a gentle aroma of sweet malts, melon and citrus fruits. There </span><span style="background-color: white;">is a sweet flavor from the residual sugar that mellows the strong hop bitterness and gives a smooth mouthfeel. </span><span style="background-color: white;">This pairing is good example of contrast pairing. The flavors are very different but side by side they excentuate the positives in each other. The rich, meaty and smokey broth is complimented by the sweet malts which also work to calm the pepperiness if the radish. The forward hops cut the fat from both the pork belly, egg yolk and broth just perfectly, leaving the mouth refreshed but the flavor of the ramen lingering. The piney quality of the hops also work with the zing from the </span>green onions as they build each other's flavors nicely. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Cheers! </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-2414796598908976822014-10-06T21:32:00.000-07:002014-11-09T10:46:21.922-08:00Smoked Tomato and Fennel Cocktail Sauce & Totally Naked<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;">This weekend was kind of a bummer. The glorious Fall that Chicago had just started to enjoy took a hit with some temperatures in the lower forties. Like 42 degrees. Yeah. In case you're keeping track, that's only 10 degrees above freezing and it's the first week of October. My reaction was to complain (A LOT) and then, as I do every year at the first sign of cold, go into complete panic mode and barbecue and smoke every possible item in our fridge and freezer because I know the days of outdoor cooking are quickly dwindling. Sarah (the Californian aka the person who grew up with the ability to barbecue year round) always laughs at me and equates my behavior to a squirrel storing nuts. Not the manliest of comparisons but if it means she'll cheerfully eat smoked apples in a pie (as she gamely did last year), I'll take the hit. </span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #444444;">Lucky for Sarah I stayed a little more conventional this year. We had a really nice bunch of shrimp from <a href="http://www.isaacsonandsteinfishcompany.com/">Isaacson and Stein</a>'s that I smoked immediately.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">I had them in mind for a Po Boy with remoulade and pickled red onion but after I noticed the last of our summer tomatoes sitting solo in the fridge I went with shrimp cocktail instead. Sound boring? Well it's not. Not when you smoke the tomatoes. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Not when you also add a nice bulb of fennel and sweat out red onion, garlic and celery to puree with the smoked tomatoes.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">And certainly not when you combine these ingredients in a well seasoned dutch oven and let it slowly cook for an hour or so before you puree it into a smooth, smokey base for ketchup. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Let me just say, this is no ordinary ketchup. All the usual suspects are there - tomatoes, brown sugar, vinegar, spices - but the layers of flavor are so complex from the smoking and the slow cooked vegetables it becomes a condiment fit for kings. It's like what you always wished ketchup would be and then some. It only gets better in the fridge as the consistency thickens and the flavors bind further. Thus, making a lot is a good idea. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">AND it makes great cocktail sauce! A dollop of horseradish, some lemon and pepper and you're good to go. We enjoyed it with our cold smoked shrimp and<a href="http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/"> New Glaurus's</a> <a href="http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/index.cfm/beers/ourbeers/beer/totally-naked">Totally Naked</a>, a terrific, light pilsner that doesn't fight with delicateness of shrimp. It's relatively hard to find outside of Wisconsin so if you can't get your hands on it, most decent pilsners will do (other favorites of mine include - but are definitely not limited to - <a href="http://www.northcoastbrewing.com/">North Coast's</a> <a href="http://www.northcoastbrewing.com/beer-scrimshaw.htm">Scrimshaw</a> or <a href="http://www.victorybeer.com/">Victory Brewery's</a> <a href="http://www.victorybeer.com/beers/primapils/">Prima Pils</a>). </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Be warned, peel and eat shrimp are a messy undertaking and they take a little work to wrestle from their shells (though proud Southerners will debate this, each claiming to have the winning method). They're worth it, though and the shells ought not be cast aside. They will make excellent fish stock if saved. I've already got mine slated for a seafood ramen!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Enjoy!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;">Smoked Tomato and Fennel Cocktail Sauce</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">For Ketchup Base (makes 3-4 cups)</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">1 Red Onion, large dice</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">1 Fennel Bulb, large dice</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">5 cloves Garlic, sliced</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">2 1/4 lb Plum Tomatoes</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">3 ribs Celery, large diced</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">1 tsp. Fennel Seed, toasted</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">1 Tbsp. Coriander Seed, toasted</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">2 C.Water</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">2 C. Canned Tomatoes</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">1/2 C. Brown Sugar</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">3/4 C. Red Wine Vinegar</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Smoke the tomatoes for 1 1/2 hours at 200 degrees (if you don't have a smoker substitute 2 tsp. liquid smoke and fresh tomatoes). Sauté the onions, fennel, garlic, and celery on low for 20 minutes in a large dutch oven pan or any large pot that and retains heat well. While the vegetables are sautéing, toast the spices in a separate pan. Grind them in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. Once the vegetables are soft add the smoked tomatoes, canned tomatoes, spices, and water. Simmer on low for about an hour or until the mixture is reduced by half. Puree the mixture and run it through a fine mesh. Add the Smooth puree back into a clean pot and add the vinegar and sugar. Heat on low for 20 minutes. Salt to taste.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Cocktail Sauce</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">1 C. Smoked Tomato Ketchup</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">4 Tbsp. Prepared Horseradish</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">1 tsp. Coarse ground Black Pepper</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">1 tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Serve with shrimp or prawns, preferably cold and smoked! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pairing Notes</span> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Totally Naked</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">4.25 % ABV</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">This beer boasts a golden straw color with an ivory white head. The aroma is mildly malty with floral and light citrus hop notes. The Nobel Hops New Glaurus uses balance the sweet malts and also provide a bright cleansing finish. The high carbonation is refreshing and this beer exemplifies summer (or the end of summer as it is) </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">This is a great example of a bridging pairing where both beer and food stand on their own while also complimenting each other and increasing each other's qualities. The smoked shrimp are enhanced by the mild lemon notes from the hops and the sweet maltiness accentuate the smokiness of both the shrimp and the tomatoes as well as the sweetness in the fennel. Additionally, the flavor layers of the fennel mimic the complexity that the Noble Hops provide. Meanwhile, the tomato acidity and vinegar bite is balanced by the malty sweetness of the beer. Also, because this particular cocktail sauce is fairly potent with its deep roastiness and smoke notes, the high carbonation and crisp finish help to cleanse a busy palate.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Cheers!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-17770745191208174852014-09-24T08:54:00.000-07:002014-09-24T08:54:23.445-07:00Smoked Brisket Benedict & White Oak Jai Alai<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Two very exciting things happened this week. The first was that I had some distinguished beer guests visit from Denmark. I'll keep their identities under wraps for now but if you know anything about the craft beer world, you probably guessed at the mention of "distinguished" and "beer" and "Denmark" … and you're probably damned impressed! I know I was! I'd promised them a barbecue feast and in my unbridled enthusiasm procured a slightly enormous, fifteen pound brisket. Of course fifteen pounds is far more than any four men could consume in one sitting (even hungry ones and even those of hearty viking descent) but I was excited and thus went a tad overboard. So, home came the mighty piece of meat were it smoked for a solid twelve hours and was shared with my new friends alongside baked beans, good camaraderie and whiskey sours. It was a terrific afternoon that I felt truly privileged to host and though we got through a respectable amount of the meat, at meal's end there was plenty left over.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
Sarah and I had brisket and horseradish sandwiches three nights in a row and when Monday morning rolled around there was a much more manageable slab left (actually, truth be told, it was rather small - what can I say, Sarah and I know how to put back some brisket).<br />
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If you remember my S<a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.com/2014/07/smoked-beef-short-rib-hash-with-fried.html">hort Rib Hash post</a>, you already know that I love the idea of barbecue (and beer!) for breakfast. Treat your leftovers with respect, I always say and when you've smoked a beautiful brisket to perfection don't waste even a scrap of it! With this in mind, I constructed an eggs Benedict to rival all Benedicts … the Smoked Brisket Benedict!<br />
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That's right, in case hollandaise sauce and egg yolks aren't quite rich enough, add some smokey brisket, fried and sizzling just like bacon. <br />
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All that fatty richness is great but it does need something to balance it. I added fresh tomatoes for a little acidity and then Sarah and I had a big debate about whether or not to also add raw red onion. Typically I DO NOT like raw onion. It's too sharp and intense it usually overpowers most other ingredients. Sarah loves them. She eats them with everything and doesn't care who she breaths on afterwards (usually me). So she was obviously pro red onion and after I considered just how much richness there was to this dish, I agreed. And I'm glad I did - it needed it! My advice would be to slice the onion fairly thin but use plenty of it. This dish can take it!<br />
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The tomatoes and onions were nice and definitely helped to cut the fat but they couldn't do it alone. Nope, I needed a good hoppy beer to finish the job. Which brings me to the second exciting thing that happened this week …<br />
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A care package from my beer aficionado and fellow enthusiast, cousin Nick! It was as if Christmas had come early. Just look at that haul! Thank you Nick! I chose <a href="http://cigarcitybrewing.com/beer/jai-alai-ipa/">Jai Alai</a>, an IPA from <a href="http://cigarcitybrewing.com/">Cigar City Brewery</a>, because I knew it had a good hop content and would have great palate cleansing qualities. In fact, the pairing was so good, Sarah and I likely ate more Benedict than necessary, both of us cleaning our plates with gusto.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Smoked Brisket Benedict</span><br />
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2 Vine ripe tomato, large dice<br />
1/4 Red onion, sliced thin<br />
1/2 lb. Smoked brisket, sliced thick<br />
4 Eggs<br />
1 Tbsp. Malt vinegar<br />
2 English muffins, halved and toasted<br />
1 C. Hollandaise sauce (directions below)<br />
Parsley for garnish<br />
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For Hollandaise:<br />
4 Egg yolks<br />
1 Tbsp. Lemon juice<br />
8 Tbsp. Butter, melted<br />
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Set up a double boiler by filling a large pot halfway with water and placing a large metal bowl on top. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice until incorporated in the metal bowl of the double boiler. To prevent the yolks from scrambling whisk continuously and slowly pour the melted butter into the yolks. If necessary, pull the mixture off the heat while whisking and return to heat so the Hollandaise can thicken and finish. Add salt to taste.<br />
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Bring a saute pan to high heat. Slice the brisket (medium thickness) in long, even pieces and sear about two minutes per side. Toast English Muffin to prefered color. Using the water from the double boiler add the 1 Tbsp. of malt vinegar and turn down to a simmer. Crack the egg into a small bowl or ramekin and slowly and gently place the egg into the simmering water. Cover and let the egg sit for 5 minutes. <br />
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Build the Benedict by laying seared brisket on the English muffin, followed by tomatoes, red onion, the poached egg and Hollandaise sauce. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pairing Notes</span></div>
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White Oak Jai Alai</div>
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7.5% ABV<br />
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This beer pours a copper orange with a very creamy white head. The aroma is strong with notes of honey, sweet mango, and guava. The taste is very similar to the aroma with tropical notes that are highlighted by the sweet malts and that pop all the hoppiness. The oak adds a dry quality that intensifies the hops and keeps the malts from lingering too long.<br />
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I chose this beer mainly for the hops and their fat cutting abilities. They work to refresh the mouth after each bite of the rich brisket, egg yolk and the butteriness of the Hollandaise. Not only does the intense hop profile sweep the richness from palate but the fattiness counters the malts and lets the tropical notes shine through for an extended period. The dryness of the white oak only intensifies the the smokiness and char of the brisket while the malt backbone is mirrored by the toasted breadiness of the English Muffin. <br />
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Cheers!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-1781875684765679442014-09-14T15:04:00.000-07:002014-09-20T15:06:45.892-07:00Beer Pickles: A Bonus Post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you read this blog regularly, you know that I'm a big fan of fat. Fat from meat, that is. It's the stuff that makes a sausage a <i>sausage</i> and it's what distinguishes a 'meh' steak from one that is extraordinary. Fans of the boneless, skinless chicken breast irk me and frankly I think they're kidding themselves when they allege that their fatless, boring breasts have as much flavor as those with the skin intact. And I would argue that across the board discerning carnivores agree. There's a reason bacon holds strong as one of America's favorite foods and that delicacies like patés and terrines are so beloved … it's because fat is amazing! <br />
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But I digress. This post isn't as much about fat as it is about the pickle. The pickle that cuts the fat, to be precise. Because sometimes enjoying the good fats requires the snap of a dill or the lull of a gherkin! It cuts the fat and refreshes the mouth for the next bite. Other variety of palette cleansers - a refreshing beer, a strong mustard, etc - are also great but I find pickled items like the white radishes I paired with my<a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.com/2014/07/kielbasa-with-pickled-summer-vegetables.html"> smoked Kielbasa</a> to be especially good. The true-blue cucumber pickle is still a favorite and they're even better when homemade with fresh ingredients. Dill, a little garlic, good sea salt, vinegar and a well fitted jar is all thats needed to transform an ordinary cucumber into a good pickle. <br />
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I also like to add beer as I've done in this recipe. I used <a href="http://www.twobrothersbrewing.com/">Two Brothers</a> <a href="http://www.twobrothersbrewing.com/portfolio-view/atom-smasher-octoberfest-lager/">Atom Smasher</a> because it has some residual sugar and I was looking for a touch of sweetness. Cucumbers are porous and will absorb the flavors of the beer so chose one you genuinely like the flavor of. I think most lagers with residual sugar work well and I would also suggest lagers from <a href="http://metrobrewing.com/2014/8/14/vxqdak2pxxwcggtlsugc5eyiccrjpm">Metropolitan Brewery</a>, <a href="http://www.lakefrontbrewery.com/">Lakefront Brewery</a> and <a href="http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/">New Glarus</a>. Another tip: be sure to choose a firm, fresh cucumber. The better the cucumber, the better the pickle!<br />
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Cheers!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Beer Pickles</span><br />
1/2 English Cucumber, sliced thin<br />
1/2 oz. Fresh Dill<br />
1 clove Fresh Garlic, smashed<br />
1 tsp. Salt<br />
1/2 tsp. Sugar<br />
3 oz. Good Lager Beer<br />
3 oz. Malt Vinegar<br />
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In a small sauce pan combine the beer, vinegar, salt, and sugar. Heat on low until the sugar and salt are dissolved, about 5-7 minutes, creating a brine. Use a jar with a well fitted lid and layer the dill and cucumbers until the jar is full. Pour the warm brine mixture over the cucumbers until they are cover completely. If cucumbers are not covered completely, make a little more brine. Refrigerate for at least one day before eating. The longer the pickles sit, the stronger their flavor will become. <br />
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Enjoy!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-88408150444138266072014-09-08T17:45:00.000-07:002014-10-09T14:31:49.416-07:00The Purist's Burger & Anchor Steam<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">And so we've arrived … the first burger post! If you take burgers as seriously as I do, this is kind of a big deal. What can one say about the burger? They are beloved in America and perhaps one of the few foods we can rightfully claim as our own. They aren't the fanciest of foods but they are inarguably some of the most satisfying. Their ingredients are humble - meat, cheese, bread - but somehow together these modest components equate to a kind of culinary magic. Biting into a good burger is quite literally food for the soul. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">An overstatement? I don't think so. When burgers are done well, they're something to marvel at! Not only that, everyone - and I mean <i>everyone</i> - has an opinion as to what constitutes a good burger. I once had a heated fight with a dear friend over whether or not raw onions belong on a burger. I steadfastly declared NO! He vehemently exclaimed YES! "A burger needs bite!" he bellowed. "But not by way of an astringent raw onion!" I shot back. "Your taste must be dulled" I scoffed. "Better dulled than precious" he mocked. The fight ended with a late night burger cooking showdown … raw vs caramelized onions. What can I say, we were passionate about our burgers. And we'd had whiskey. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But it made me realize that when it comes to burgers, enthusiasts differ greatly in their opinions. And, personal opinions aside, who's to say who's right? If you like your burger piled high with chili, french fries, peanut butter (*gag), etc well, more power to you. I, however, am usually more of a burger "purist." A nice bun, crisp lettuce, a slice of ripe tomato, decent mayonnaise and EXCELLENT meat (cooked correctly and with care) is all that I require. Oh, and good cheese. Preferably a mild cheddar. I need that too. And bacon … thick cut, well smoked bacon! Still, pretty basic.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Aside from these key ingredients, there are also a few rules I find critical to the construction of a proper hamburger. The Do's and Don'ts of burger-dom, so to speak. In no particular order, they are:<br /><br /><u>Don'ts</u><br /><br />- Don't overcook a burger. It leaches moisture from the fat which kills the flavor. <br />- Don't use a cheese that is too aged. It may be tempting - aged cheese is awesome - but aged cheese typically won't melt in a way you'd want cheese to be melted on a burger. <br />- Don't use cheese that is too sharp. It's acidic and it will detract or alter the flavor of the meat.<br />- Don't use binders. No eggs, milk, breadcrumbs, etc. You're making a burger, not a meatloaf. Onions belong on top of the burger, not mixed in. Same for garlic. This rule also applies when it comes to "stuffing" a burger. Do not. It throws off the balance of the sandwich's construction (i.e. too much concentrated, complex flavor in one spot) and it's unnecessarily indulgent if you are using good meat. Most importantly, however, it's just not a real hamburger anymore.<br />- Don't cut into a burger straight from the pan or grill. Give it a second to rest and allow the juices to reabsorb back into the protein. <br />- Don't use the wrong pan. Choose one that conducts and retains heat well. And don't overlook the importance of understanding how to use this pan to create a good crust on your burger. A crust is critical for variety of texture but also sealing in the precious juices of the meat. It takes a little practice but a good rule of thumb for a 1.5 inch thick burger would be 3-31/2 minutes per side, on high heat. How to achieve a good crust is explained in more detail below and should look a something like this:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><u>Do's</u><br /><br />- Do use the best meat possible. Spend the extra money on meat from a butcher or other reputable source. It's not a huge price jump and it is so important. Cows raised and butchered the right way taste indisputably better than cows raised and butchered the wrong way. Period. Remember, the starring attraction of a burger is the meat so why would one ever scrimp on this part?<br />- Do use meat that has NEVER been frozen. Ice molecules that form in the freezing process actually dilute the meat's flavor when they dissolve. No bueno.<br />- Do use a 80/20 meat to fat ratio. If you're using bison or grass fed chuck, you'll need to supplement with a fattier cut like brisket. <br />- Do use a good, thick cut smoked bacon. The thick cut holds up to the density of the meat patty while the smokiness deepens the flavor of the beef (and while we're on the subject of bacon, do save the rendered fat from the bacon to sear the burger in. You'll thank me later).<br />- Do use high quality buns. Plain, white, grocery store buns are gross. Choose a buttery brioche or sweet potato bun instead. <br />- Do use fresh vegetables that are chilled, straight from the refrigerator. The cold, crispness of those vegetables is the only component a burger has to balance the all the rich heaviness of the meat, cheese and bread.<br />- Do learn how to make homemade mayonnaise and do use that in favor of the store bought variety.<br /><br /><br />And finally …<br /><br />- DO pair with an excellent beer like <a href="http://www.anchorbrewing.com/beer/anchor_steam" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Anchor Brewing's Anchor Steam Beer</a>. It's a safe bet most are familiar with this exceptional lager. Anchor Brewing Company is THE pioneer craft brewery of the United States and began brewing their legendary beer in 1896. Known as a California common or "steam beer" Anchor Steam is thought to have gotten it's name from the practice of fermenting the beer on the rooftops of San Francisco whose cold climate caused the warm beer to steam up into the atmosphere. They have stayed true to their original brewing process and their name is synonymous with quality, tradition and integrity. Anchor Steam Beer, renowned and respected is a fine example of their commitment and it is a classic burger beer! <br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The Purist's Burger</span><br /><br /></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">8 oz. 80/20 Grass-Fed Ground Beef (formed into a patty, approx. 1 ½ inch thick)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 large Brioche Bun</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">½ Vine Ripe Tomato (sliced)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 Leaves, Butter Lettuce</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 slices Thick Cut, Smoked Bacon</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2-3 Generous Slices Cheddar Cheese</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 Tbsp. Fleur de Sal</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">½ Tbsp. Black Pepper coarse ground</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In a hot pan, cook the bacon to your liking, reserving the fat for searing the burger.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the burger, choose a large cast iron or commercial grade sauté pan that will retain heat well and evenly. Season the ground beef patty on the exterior sides (*note this is the only seasoning required. A good coating on the outside eliminates the need for any additional seasoning to be mixed into the patty). Heat the sauté pan on high for 5 minutes. Drizzle a few drops of water on the pan - once the pan is hot enough, the droplets will scurry around rapidly and evaporate. Once it is hot enough, move the pan off the flame and add the bacon fat slowly (this is important as adding the fat while on the flame can ignite a grease fire). Bring the pan back to the flame and sear the patty for 3 ½ minutes per side. It is very important to keep constant heat so adjust the temperature on the flame as needed. Don't be timid. Let the burger sear for the full 3 ½ minutes per side. Set a timer if necessary. Let rest for 1 minute.</span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-d025edd6-5be5-59cc-dbe9-515ac9991d08"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Turn on the broiler to high. Toast the bun for 1 minute per side. Place the burger back in the pan and top with cheese. Set it under the broiler for 1 minute. Spread the bun with mayonnaise, top with burger, then tomato, then lettuce. Vegetables on top </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">mean they stay crisp and crunchy!</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Pairing Notes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anchor Brewery</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anchor Steam Beer</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Steam Beer 4.9% ABV.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As mentioned above, this is one of my favorite beers to pair with burgers. The mild malt build of the 2 row barley combined with a touch of the specialty caramel malts give a subtle but sophisticated sweetness. Meanwhile, the cluster hops are forward enough to balance the malts and leave a clean crisp finish. The traditional lagering techniques that have been used for over a century adds a mineralic flavor that is second to none.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;">This pairing is a good bridging in which. The caramel malts highlight the caramelization that occurs in the searing process of the burger, while the smokey bacon counters the creamy sweetness. The hops are mellow but add just enough balance to cleanse the palate and refresh the mouth. The yeast adds a bright crisp mineralic finish that also helps to cleanse the palate but more importantly, </span><span style="color: #222222;">heightens</span><span style="color: #222222;"> the beef flavor and body by brightening it's rich umami.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cheers!</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-61108427178219430752014-09-01T21:36:00.003-07:002014-09-01T21:36:52.097-07:00Texas Cherry Sour, Kansas City Belgian Quad and Farmhouse Ale Alabama White: An Ode to Barbecue Sauce <br />
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Back in the early 2000s I was a young (ish) chef touring with Hell's Kitchen, a catering company that cooked for bands and musical acts on their road tours. It was a rowdy time defined by extreme hours, crazy cooking conditions - and even crazier musicians - great music and a general sense of wildness. What can I say … it was rock and roll! Tours typically involved coast-to-coast travel which meant I had the unique opportunity to see and experience most of the USA by tour bus. In 2005 I was out with the heavy metal band Slipknot who had a show booked in Kansas City. We had already been through much of the South including Oklahoma and Texas where I'd become pretty much obsessed with barbecue so anticipating the famous sweet and tangy slow smoked meats of Kansas City had me pretty excited. <br />
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Some of the more seasoned roadies had raved about Arthur Bryant's so at precisely 10am that's where I found myself (*note: generally the thought of barbecue as breakfast isn't so appealing but when you're cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner for a bunch of musicians with erratic eating schedules, you eat when you can). How can I describe Arthur Bryant's? Brick facade, a rusty awning and signage that looks original. It is a humble establishment with a simple, no nonsense ordering counter, artificial lighting and well worn formica tables. It has the assured attitude I have since witnessed in many of the other great barbecue joints … we don't have to be pretty because our meat is AMAZING! This is true and frankly I find something comforting about a restaurant who has eschewed aesthetics in favor of the devotion to making great food. <br />
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I ordered the largest portion of burt ends they offered and sat for over an hour, leisurely enjoying the perfect bark (the char) and the thick, sweet molasses, tomato-y sauce they are so famous for. It was a meal to remember and an experience all carnivores should have at least once in their lifetimes. To this day, I count that sauce as some of the best I've ever had.<br />
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Inspired by my touring days and meals like the one I had at Arthur Bryant's, I've experimented and developed a great many of my own barbecue sauces over the years. From this experimentation I've learned two important lessons: <br />
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1. A good barbecue sauce must dually stand on its own AND accentuate but not overpower the meat. <br />
2. A good barbecue sauce should be constructed with the same care and thought any fine sauce would be. It is not just mixing condiments and spices together. It is considering the ingredients on their own and combining them in a way that builds flavor layers and nuances.<br />
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Alabama White Sauce, for example, is usually a simple mixture of mayonnaise, vinegar, horseradish and seasoning. It's good but what happens when we make our own, fresh mayonnaise and add Szechwan Peppercorns and <a href="http://www.offcolorbrewing.com/">Off Color's</a> <a href="http://www.offcolorbrewing.com/beer/">Apex Predator Farmhouse Ale</a>? Well, it's even better. Fresh mayonnaise is a bit laborious but when hand whipped with farm fresh eggs (seriously, <i>farm fresh - </i>their yolks are far superior), it creates a lusciousness that you just won't find in the store bought variety. The Apex Predator is a nice, light Belgian Farmhouse ale with floral notes that are accentuated by the horseradish and Szchewan Pepercorns. Additionally, because this beer doesn't have a lot of residual sugar, it has a great crisp, dry quality that lightens the fattiness of the mayonnaise but still allows the vinegar to shine. This sauce is pretty universal in that the creaminess works well with leaner meats like chicken or pork chops but the lightness and tang from the beer and vinegar also allow it to pair nicely with fattier meats like brisket. <br />
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A Texas Style sauce is tangy, spicy, tomato based and especially good with the Oak and Hickory smoked meats that are signature to the barbecue of that region. I like to use the drippings from a newly smoked brisket or render out the fat of good quality bacon and whisk it in. It adds smokiness to the sauce and helps to draw out the smoke in the meat. For the beer component, I used <a href="http://russianriverbrewing.com/">Russian River</a>'s <a href="http://russianriverbrewing.com/brews/supplication/">Supplication Sour</a>, a tart ale that has cherries and is aged in Pinot Noir barrels. To draw out the tannins from the Pinot Noir, half the apple cider vinegar is replaced with balsamic. The sourness of the beer does for this sauce what vinegar in traditional Texan sauce does (i.e. adds tang) so the amount of vinegar overall is decreased in this recipe. The sourness also acts as a platform from which to spring the chili flavor off of, making the spices in this sauce especially robust. The cherries from the beer are elevated by the fresh cherries that are cooked down in the simmering process, adding even more depth and fruit notes. This sauce is hearty and layered with unapologetic, confident flavors and one of my particular favorites!<br />
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Kansas City Style sauce is similar to Texas sauce but typically thicker, sweeter, often molasses based and lacking as much bite, tang and spiciness. Rather than using molasses, I rehydrated the fruit in a deep, malt forward beer. I had been saving a special bottle of <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/3521/73849/">Préaris Quadrupel</a>, brought home from my trip to Belgium, which was absolutely incredible! If you can't procure one yourself, try <a href="http://www.sierranevada.com/">Sierra Nevada's </a><a href="http://www.sierranevada.com/beer/specialty/ovila-abbey-quad-with-plums">Ovila Quad</a> or <a href="http://www.ommegang.com/">Ommegang's</a> <a href="http://www.ommegang.com/#!beer_three">Three Philosophers</a>. The depth of flavor created by the concentrated residual sugars and the very roasty malts in the Quad mirror the depth of flavors in the sugar of the dried fruits. The cinnamon and cloves also highlight the spicy yeast esters in the beer and add layers to compliment the sugars of the dried fruits.<br />
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Some beer enthusiasts might wince at the use of such fine beer in these recipes but I would present the tired and true argument that one ought never cook with anything one would not drink. After all, a sauce is only as good as the ingredients it contains. Another way to consider it is, after spending hours laboring over a smoker, basting, turning and tending the meats, why wouldn't you want the best sauce possible? <br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Farmhouse Ale Alabama White Sauce</span><br />
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1 Farm Fresh Egg Yolk<br />
1/2 tsp. Mustard Powder<br />
1/4 tsp. Sugar<br />
2 tsp. Lemon Juice<br />
1 Tbsp. Sherry Vinegar<br />
1 C. Vegetable Oil<br />
3 Tbsp. Malt Vinegar<br />
2 Tbsp. Horseradish (prepared)<br />
3 Tbsp. Off Color Apex Predator (or another Saison)<br />
1 1/2 tsp. Salt<br />
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper<br />
1/2 tsp. Szechuan peppercorn<br />
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To make the mayonnaise, whisk the egg yolk, 1/2 tsp. salt, mustard powder, and sugar in a bowl until well incorporated. In a separate bowl, mix the lemon juice and sherry vinegar. Add half of the sherry vinegar mixture to the egg yolk and whisk. Slowly drip the oil into the egg mixture while continuing to whisk quickly. Once more than half of your oil is incorporated add the other half or the vinegar mixture. Finish adding the oil until all is emulsified. Let sit for twenty minutes. In a large bowl mix all ingredients together well. Refrigerate between uses.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Texas Cherry Sour BBQ Sauce</span><br />
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2 C. Ketchup<br />
1/2 C. Cider Vinegar<br />
1/2 C. Balsamic Vinegar<br />
1/3 C. Worcestershire Sauce<br />
2 Tbsp. Mustard<br />
2 C. Russian River Supplication<br />
1/2 C. Sweet Cherries (fresh or frozen)<br />
2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice<br />
1/4 C. Chili Powder<br />
2 Tbsp. Smoked Paprika<br />
1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes<br />
1 tsp. Black Pepper<br />
1/3 C. Smokey Bacon Fat or Smoked Brisket Drippings<br />
1 C. Water<br />
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Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pan and simmer 30 minutes. Stir often to avoid the bottom burning or sticking. Puree in a blender or with immersion blender. Refrigerate between uses.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kansas City Quad BBQ Sauce</span><br />
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2 C. Ketchup<br />
1 C. Préaris Quadrupel<br />
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire<br />
3 Tbsp. Cider Vinegar<br />
2 oz. Dried Punes<br />
3 oz. Dried Raisins<br />
1 Tbsp. Soy<br />
2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar<br />
1 Tbsp. Turbinado Sugar<br />
1 tsp. Cayenne<br />
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper<br />
1 tsp. Cinnamon<br />
1 tsp. Clove<br />
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Place dried fruit in a medium sized bowl and cover with beer. Let sit and rehydrate for 30 minutes. Put the rehydrated fruit, beer and all other ingredients in a medium size sauce pan and simmer for 30 minutes. Puree in a blender or with immersion blender. Refrigerate between uses.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-45073984518522591722014-08-25T09:55:00.001-07:002014-09-04T21:12:48.473-07:00Roasted Artichoke Hearts and Fingerling Potatoes with Oregano Pistou & Eliot Ness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Almost 10 years ago I made my very first trip out to the wilds of Redwood Valley, California to meet Sarah's family. Our relationship was in its fledgling stages and I was determined to make a good - no great - first impression! Two days in things were going well and I, buoyed by this success, volunteered to make dinner. Steve, Sarah's Dad, has an incredible heirloom vegetable garden that I had been itching to cook from and so I proposed a meal centered around what we could abundantly harvest from it. "Do you like artichokes? I have lots of beautiful artichokes!" Steve offered cheerfully. Sure! I loved artichokes. The only problematic part was that I had zero clue as to what an artichoke plant looked like. Yep, embarrassing as it may be, after nearly a decade spent cooking in professional kitchens, I had yet to encounter an artichoke in its natural habitat. So is the fate of some young city chefs. I certainly wasn't going to let Steve know that, though! So, eager to impress and with vegetable clippers in hand, I marched out to the garden hell bent on returning with artichokes.<br />
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The good news for me was that artichoke plants are pretty hard to miss. Technically thistles, they look like big, prehistoric bushes in varying shades of green with silvery tints. Lots of spikes, spines and jagged looking leaves with deep purple flowers that look all together unearthly and bristle sharply at the tops. The bad news is that all those impressive looking spikes are a worthy opponent when it comes to wrestling the actual bud from the stalk. If you're lucky enough to pick straight from the plant, do so with caution. Cleaning can be as equally tedious but battered fingers are a small price to pay for the rich, earthy flavor that is a roasted artichoke heart. That night I prepared a stuffed artichoke feast, watched happily as Sarah's family enjoyed it and then retreated to soak my smarting, artichoke punctured hands in cold water.<br />
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Since that first trip to Redwood Valley, I've cooked with artichokes often but roasted hearts with new summer potatoes and tomatoes has become one of my favorite seasonal dishes. I like to keep it simple and toss the roasted vegetables in a simple pistou of whatever fresh herbs I have available - oregano and parsley, as I've used here, are a particular favorite. <br />
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Pistou, in case some are unaware, is a simple Provençal cold sauce, similar to Italy's pesto. It's very easy to make with just a few fresh herbs, a dab of nice cheese, some good olive oil and a blender (or a mortar and pestle for those who are more dedicated that I).<br />
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Be sure to toss the vegetables with the pistou straight from oven. The pistou will coat and meld with the flavors of the vegetables far better if they're hot. Additionally, the heat acts to cook the herbs ever so slightly, enhancing their aromatics.<br />
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This dish also goes with just about everything. Grilled chicken, roasted pork, even a light green salad. I got a beautiful 30 day dry aged, grass fed rib eye from my pal <a href="http://Tom Nendick">Tom Nendick</a> at <a href="http://westloopbutchers.com/">West Loop Butchers</a>. Have I raved about Tom and West Loop Butchers yet? Yes? Well, they very much deserve a second nod (and a third, fourth, fifth, etc). They're great and their meat is amazing! Steak from them needs no further treatment than a bit of seasoning and a sizzling hot pan. Seriously, check out that marbling!<br />
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But we were talking about roasted artichokes and potatoes and pistou, weren't we? Had we even gotten to the beer yet? I didn't think so. I chose <a href="https://www.greatlakesbrewing.com/beer/an-exceptional-family-of-beers/year-round/eliot-ness-amber-lager">Elliot Ness</a> from <a href="https://www.greatlakesbrewing.com/home">Great Lakes Brewing Company</a>. It's a terrific lager whose residual sugars match the sweetness from the roasted artichoke hearts perfectly. It also has some roasty malts that make it just as easy to pair with roasted Fall or Winter vegetables so really it's a beer for all seasons. <br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Roasted Artichoke Hearts and Fingerling Potatoes with Oregano Pistou</span><br />
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For Oregano Pistou:<br />
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3 Garlic cloves<br />
1 C. Fresh oregano<br />
1 C. Fresh parsley<br />
1/2 C. Parmesan Cheese (shredded)<br />
4 Tbsp. Olive Oil<br />
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<li>Blend all ingredients in a food processor, except the olive oil.</li>
<li> With the blender on low, slowly incorporate olive oil by pouring in a small steady stream. I do not add salt because the cheese is salty (I also add salt to my vegetables). If adding additional salt, do so sparingly. </li>
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For Vegetables:<br />
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3 Large artichokes<br />
1 Lbs. Fingerling Potatoes<br />
1 lb. Assorted Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes<br />
5 cloves garlic sliced<br />
1 Tbsp. fluer de sal<br />
1 Tbsp. cracked black pepper<br />
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil<br />
2 Tbsp. Butter<br />
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<li>Pre heat the oven to 425. Then start by cleaning artichoke hearts well (never cleaned an artichoke? Click <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9LtT__XUmc">here</a>)</li>
<li>Melt the butter and oil over high heat in a large, oven proof (no plastic handles) sauté pan. Add the potatoes and garlic to the hot pan. Sauté for 5 minutes then add the artichokes and continue on high heat for five more minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Place the entire pan into the oven for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through and tender. </li>
<li>Add 4-5 Tbsp. of oregano pistou depending upon your taste. Toss and combine well while hot so that all the flavors combine evenly. </li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pairing Notes</span></div>
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Eliot Ness </div>
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Vienna style Lager</div>
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6.2% ABV</div>
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Notice the deep amber, even butterscotch color of this beer and as well as its creamy head. The nose gives an aroma of sweet toffee and faint hops for balance. The flavor up front is of sweet maltiness and is almost nutty compared to the crisp hoppiness in the background. This is a balanced beer sweet, crisp, roast and etc.<br />
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The pairing is both contrast and comparison. A contrast occurs when opposite flavors work to highlight each other while a comparison happens when like flavors accentuate each other. The sweetness of the malts versus the acidity and tartness of the tomatoes, for example, creates a welcomed contrast. This is continued in the sweetness of the malts against the nutty, vegetal flavor of the artichokes. <br />
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A comparison can be noted in the roastiness of the malts and how they deepen the layers of the like flavored caramelized vegetables. Also, the lager yeast provides a mineralic note that compares nicely with the minerality of the artichoke hearts and the earthiness of the fingerling potatoes. Finally the Noble hops are intensified by the oregano in the pistou because the hops are comparable in flavor and they will elevate the mild, earthy and herbal notes in each other. <br />
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Cheers!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-39816796292869455502014-08-14T11:15:00.006-07:002014-09-04T20:57:43.764-07:00Vanilla Bean and Sea Salt Beignets with Ginger Peach Compote & Cross of Gold Golden Ale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Last week I bought a crate - yes, an entire crate - of peaches from the farmers market. It was an impulse buy ignited by the fact that we arrived late to the market and all I could seem to notice were other market goers happily strolling by, their fine peaches already claimed and brimming over the tops of their shopping bags. Also, because Sarah had just purchased a beautiful looking peach and brown butter crepe, which she refused to share (but let me smell) and then proceeded to sit and leisurely eat while I sweated it out in the peach stand line alone. So much for farmer's market solidarity.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;">So, determined to make my own, better, more delicious peach crepe (take </span><i style="color: #222222;">that </i><span style="color: #222222;">Sarah) we ended up wrestling an entire crate of plump Red Havens home on the El. I ate one en route and we donated two to the homeless and very boisterous gentlewoman who frequents our block. Still there wasn't enough room in the fridge to house them all. We had peach smoothies for breakfast three days in a row, grilled a bunch with pork chops, tossed them in arugula salads and froze some more for future smoothies. By Monday there were, amazingly, only five left and I had them slated for a dessert.</span></span><br />
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</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Beignets. Vanilla bean and sea salt beignets to be exact. With - you guessed it - peach compote. And this isn't any ordinary peach compote. It's peach compote with ginger and flecks of Meyer lemon rind! </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jLPkMNyPGR8/U-whcLDclmI/AAAAAAAAAkE/y6RhXXAJIzI/s1600/photo%2B2-19.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jLPkMNyPGR8/U-whcLDclmI/AAAAAAAAAkE/y6RhXXAJIzI/s1600/photo%2B2-19.JPG" height="586" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This dish is everything I look for in a summer dessert. Seasonal, light (sort of - beignets</span><i style="font-family: inherit;"> are</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> deep fried) and delicious. Make no mistake, this compote is definitely sweet. Peaches have a lot of natural sweetness and a compote by definition is "fruit cooked in sugar syrup" which makes the addition of lemon rind and sea salt important for balance. Using sea salt that comes in larger granules is best as they usually won't dissolve completely in the frying process and create tiny bursts of saltiness. Just as the sweetness from the dough and the compote are reaching a </span>crescendo … Pow! In comes a welcomed salty zing!<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another benefit to these beignets is that they are unusually easy to make. While I usually let my beignet dough go through a lengthy proofing process, this recipe's dough takes a mere 25 minutes to complete. It's adapted from one of my favorite baking blogs, </span><a href="http://www.hummingbirdhigh.com/2012/08/15-minute-vanilla-bean-donut-holes.html" style="font-family: inherit;">Hummingbird High</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, the only difference being that I added the prominent sea salt granules and seeds from a Madagascar vanilla pod from </span><a href="http://www.thespicehouse.com/" style="font-family: inherit;">Spice House</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, a fine supplier of spices here in Chicago. The final product is slightly heavier than a traditional beignet but are delicious all the same. Once </span>fried, they are sweet and cake-y and moist. Plus, going from this<span style="font-family: inherit;">:</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nW4uJjgBYwY/U-whS6Sfk7I/AAAAAAAAAj0/gGGxeANgdlU/s1600/photo%2B4-12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nW4uJjgBYwY/U-whS6Sfk7I/AAAAAAAAAj0/gGGxeANgdlU/s1600/photo%2B4-12.JPG" height="520" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">To this:</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4S9z1VK8KZQ/U-whiQBr0TI/AAAAAAAAAkM/udy7rRJajEY/s1600/photo%2B1-20.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4S9z1VK8KZQ/U-whiQBr0TI/AAAAAAAAAkM/udy7rRJajEY/s1600/photo%2B1-20.JPG" height="536" width="640" /></a></div>
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And this:</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">… In 25 minutes is a real added bonus. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I chose <a href="http://revbrew.com/home">Revolution Brewery's</a> Cross of Gold Golden Ale to pair with and the result was even better than I'd expected. The sweetness mellowed the hops to such a pleasant degree that even beer-critical Sarah exclaimed at its balance. I'm almost counting the days until fall when I can make these with caramelized apples or pear butter! Enjoy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Vanilla Bean and Sea Salt Beignets </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For Beignets:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 C milk</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 C buttermilk</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 whole eggs</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4 C flour</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4 Tbsp sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">3 Tbsp baking powder</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1tsp. sea salt, medium sized granule</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">8 Tbsp butter melted (2 sticks)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 Madagascar vanilla bean, cut and scraped</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 Meyer lemon, zested</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5 C vegetable oil</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 Tbsp confectioner sugar (for garnish)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 Tbsp Meyer lemon, zested (for garnish)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In a bowl combine all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) and mix well. In a second bowl mix all wet ingredients (milk, eggs, butter, vanilla, and lemon zest). </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gently incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry to form a wet dough. Let it rest for 20 minutes. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While the dough is resting, place oil in a large pot and heat to 375 degree using a thermometer. (it is important to have your is temperature accurate to avoid greasy beignets) </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Roll the dough into 1 oz. balls, about 20 in total. Fry for 5 minutes and cool on paper towel to drain off any excess grease.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For Peach Compote:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5 peaches</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 ½ Tbsp. minced ginger</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2/3 C. sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meyer lemon rind curls or zest (for garnish) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Combine all ingredients in a sauce pot and place on medium heat, stirring constantly. Once the sugar is dissolved, turn heat to high and cook for 5 more minutes, continuing to stir. Chill or enjoy warm. Garnish with lemon rind. Enjoy!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Tasting notes</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Revolution Cross of Gold 5% ABV</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">This beer pours a golden hue with a thick and sturdy white head. The aroma is lemony with mild notes of spice. Up front the flavor is bright with American hops and a mild maltiness. Its bright florals and citrusy hops balance the spice and sweetness of the malts. This beer's </span><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">carbonation</span><span style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is </span><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">crisp and the flavors are just complex enough making this a great choice for easy summertime enjoyment</span><span style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">The pairing is a fairly straightforward comparison. The flavors from the food and the elements of the beer mirror each other to create a harmony on the </span><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">palette</span><span style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The lemon zest and vanilla bean from the beignets replicate the aromatics in the beer and the lightly fried dough emulates the character of the mild maltiness. The citrusy hops not only play off the lemon in and on the beignet but, like the beignets, are a nice complement to the ginger in the compote. Additionally, the brightness of the hops and the crispness of the carbonation help to smooth the sweetness of the compote while, in turn, the sweetness serves to mellow the hops.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cheers! </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-7240563139818161122014-08-08T21:28:00.000-07:002014-09-04T21:04:41.857-07:00Mango Molé Braised Pork Ribs & Old Guardian Barley Wine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">My sister in-law's mother, Petra, is a native Oaxacan and makes some of the most incredible molé I've ever had. Rich and velvety and layered with flavors upon flavors, it's like the culinary equivalent of gold. Every year she makes the trip from her home in Mexico to California to visit relatives and every year a brick of her prized molé makes the journey with her. That's right, she actually carries the brick onto the plane and travels with it tucked protectively into her carry-on baggage. Take note my friends because THAT is true dedication to one's culinary craft!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">And every year Sarah and I beg and plead with my sister in-law to save just a sliver of that brick for our annual visit to California. On the occasion a sliver is saved, we savor it with the respect it deserves, musing at its complex notes. Then, a couple years ago, I the got the offer most chefs would kill for (and the offer I'd been not so subtly hinting at from my first bite of that molé) ... A cooking lesson with Petra herself and the chance to learn the secrets of traditional molé making! Score!</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2497142390112369269" name="more"></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Hold your excitement, dear readers because the recipe I'm about to share isn't Petra's famed molè. Much to my chagrin, I've not actually made it to this cooking lesson yet. Shameful, I know. Frankly though, even if I did possess the coveted recipe, I'm not sure I could share it here. Chef-to-chef etiquette dictates that some secrets be left untold.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;">What I CAN offer is my own version of Perra's molè. It is a recipe cobbled together from years of sampling the real thing and guessing at its ingredients but a pretty good one all the same. Let me be very clear, I would never be so bold as to claim that this recipe is an authentic Oaxacan molé. It's not. And obviously pork ribs are a fairly untraditional vehicle for molé. No, traditional this isn't! Instead I will call this my ode to the <a href="http://www.foodrepublic.com/2012/08/15/7-moles-oaxaca">7 molés of Oaxaca</a>. I think it most embodies the Negro and Rojo varietals but with the addition of fresh tomatilos and corn tortillas it also gives a nod to Molé Verde and Molé Chichilo. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was salivating just looking at these ingredients but after I toasted the </span>chiles, <span style="font-family: inherit;">mangos and raisins I knew we were in for a special treat. Toasting (and roasting) ingredients is the stuff that creates cooking magic! It matures an ingredient and coaxes out all its subtleties, bringing the flavors to the next level. Whatever you do, don't skip this step! </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"></span></span><br />
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In another original twist, I chose some tart dried mangos as the fruit component. They certainly added some complexity and some zing and they elevated the pairing with <a href="http://www.stonebrewing.com/">Stone Brewery's</a> <a href="http://www.stonebrewing.com/og/">Old Guardian</a> from good to nearly perfect! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I must say, unconventional as it may be, if you haven't had ribs glazed in molé, you're missing out. It takes some work - molé done correctly is an investment for sure - but it's well worth it! </span> </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Mango Molé Braised Pork Ribs</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For Molé Sauce:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 ancho chiles dried</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 pasilla chili dried</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3 oz. dried mango</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 oz. raisens</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 slice stale bread, large dice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 corn tortilla</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1Tbsp. seasame seeds</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 cinnamon stick (cut or break)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 star anise (cut or break)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 tomatillos</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3 cloves garlic</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1Tbsp. coriander </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4 peppercorns</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">12 cashews</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4 oz. dark chocolate</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 C. oil (8Tbsp.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 C. chicken stock</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3 lbs. baby back pork ribs</span></div>
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<li><span style="line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Heat 4 Tbsp. of oil in a sauté pan on high. Deseed the dried chilis. Toast the chilis in hot oil, 1 minute on each side. Set aside. Repeat with the dried mango (toast 1 minute on each side). Set aside. Finally, toast the raisins in the same hot oil. Place toasted chills mangos and raisins in a medium sized bowl and add 2 C. hot water and rehydrate for 30 minutes. Remove the mangos, chills, and raisins, reserving the water. Puree in a blender with some of the reserved water until it is very smooth. Set aside. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Heat remaing 4 Tbsp. of oil in a sauté pan on high. Toast the bread, tortillas, cashews, garlic, and sesame seeds for 3-4 minutes. Strain ingredients out of the oil and place into the blender. Add spices to remaining hot oil and toast for 2 minutes. Add the spices to the blender and the fresh tomatillos. Blend well and add 1 C. of chicken stock to throughly blend this mixture.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">In a enamaled cast iron pot place the chili puree, nut and spice puree, and the chocolate on a low simmer. Cook slowly for 1 hour on low heat, stirring regularly.</span></li>
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Tip: Use the best quality chocolate you can find. The flavor found in the cacao of good chocolate is what adds so much depth to sauce. I used <a href="http://shop.scharffenberger.com/62-Semisweet-Chocolate-Bar/p/SFB-CBSEMI&c=ScharffenBerger@Chocolate@Bars">Scharffen Berger 62% bittersweet</a> as I prefer a molé that has deeper cacao notes and that is more savory than sweet. If you prefer a sweeter sauce, try a chocolate with 50% or less cacao.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For Ribs:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pre heat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the individual slab of ribs on a large sheet of foil. Season well with salt and pepper. Wrap the ribs tight in foil. Place the ribs on a sheet tray and bake for 2 hours. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">After the two hours turn the oven up to 400 degrees. Unwrap the ribs from the foil and brush generously with molé. Bake for 10 minutes. Re brush ribs with molé and continue this process 3 times for a total of 40 minutes.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><u>Pairing Notes</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stone Old Guardian</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-size: small;">American Barleywine 11.6% ABV</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;">This beer pours </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">mahogany in color with a little head, leaving a great lace. Make no mistake, it is a beast of a barley wine. The nose gives off notes of toffee, vanilla, and hints of tropical fruits from aggressive amounts of American hops. The taste and aromatics are on par with one another via a great balance of sweet malts and bitter hops. Note the flavors of caramel, toffee, orange, and mango. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This large American style barley wine pairs well with the Mango Molé Ribs because they complement each other so well. The flavors of the toasted nuts, bread, tortilla and caramelized sugars in the dried fruit match the notes that the sweet malts lend to the beer. Further, the mango in the mole greatly accentuates the tropical notes that the hops give off. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Perhaps what the beer and the molé have most in common is that they are both crafted to show layers of complex flavors. Each ingredient is purposeful and balanced. For that reason it is especially important with this pairing to eat and drink slowly, taking the time to fully grasp and appreciate the beer's and food's complexities. Here, the sum is truly greater than the individual parts.</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-43656788920803228302014-07-29T16:16:00.000-07:002014-07-30T07:31:25.929-07:00Roasted Beet, Citrus and Whipped Feta Salad and Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Sumpin'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As it sometimes happens, Sarah and I did a little stress eating this last week. We were both under the looming shadow of stressful deadlines and working elbow-to-elbow within the confines of our loft which, typically plenty spacious, can end up feeling like pretty tight quarters when we're both feeling anxious. To temper the mood, I fed us. It's what I do in times of disharmony. Cook, eat and cook some more. It began with<a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.com/2014/07/smoked-beef-short-rib-hash-with-fried.html"> last Monday's brunch</a>, continued with duck ravioli <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1465981895" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">on Tuesday</span></span>, lamb burgers <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1465981896" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">on Wednesday</span></span>, <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1465981897" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Thursday</span></span> we sought comfort at <a href="http://tetechicago.com/">Tete </a>(which is awesome, by the way - if you haven't been, GO!) and <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1465981898" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Friday</span></span> - inspired by <a href="http://tetechicago.com/">Tete</a> - I made seafood sausages (which are also awesome and will be highlighted in this blog at some point). The weekend was a blur of work and almond butter sandwiches (plus the last scrapings of that <a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.com/2014/06/rhubarb-and-grapefruit-beer-jelly-bonus.html">Rhubarb Beer Jelly</a>) so by the time <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1465981899" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Monday</span></span> rolled around, we were both feeling a little guilty and craving a light cleansing meal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">With that goal in mind, I headed to the Logan Square Farmer's Market with salad on the brain. I visited my pals at City Farms and boy did they deliver! I left their stand with a bag of some of the most beautiful summer beets I've seen all season. Gold, red and Candy-Stripe! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I also snagged a couple nice grapefruits, oranges, some fresh feta and some pistachios for crunch. At the beginning of the summer I set up somewhat of an elaborate sprout/micro green growing station (in the middle of our kitchen counter, constantly in the way and much to Sarah's irritation) and I'd just harvested a bright batch of pea shoots, mild in flavor but striking in color.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Feeling more and more like a healthy Californian by the minute, I chose a fine bottle of <a href="http://lagunitas.com/#">Lagunitas Brewery's</a> Little Sumpin' Sumpin' to pair with. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> This is a great beer for summer and I suspected the strong hop finish would work nicely with the sweet beets. Guess what, I was right! I was also right in thinking that this salad would be the perfect light meal to cleanse our palates after a long week of indulgence. It was. And while most of you have likely had beets with feta, I'll wager that not everyone has </span>had<span style="font-family: inherit;"> beets with </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">whipped </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">feta. It's like feta but </span>creamy,<span style="font-family: inherit;"> aerated and all together better.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> I finished it with a light citrus </span>vinaigrette<span style="font-family: inherit;"> made with the leftover orange and grapefruit juices but really most vinegars with any citrus would work. The </span>result was fairly spectacular. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Sarah even admitted the </span>brilliance<span style="font-family: inherit;"> of the freshly grown pea shoots, which I took as a hopeful sign that she may be </span>warming to the growing station. </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Roasted Beet, Citrus and Whipped Feta Salad</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">12 small assorted beets</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; text-align: -webkit-auto; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 oz. heavy cream</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; text-align: -webkit-auto; white-space: pre-wrap;">4 oz. olive oil</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; text-align: -webkit-auto; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 oz. pistachios, chopped</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; text-align: -webkit-auto; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 oz. chilled pea shoots (the fresher, the better)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees. Wrap beets in tin foil (individually or in sets of two). Roast for 40 minutes. Let cool in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Peel the skins off and set aside. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Place feta, sour cream, 1 oz. of olive oil, and heavy cream in a food processor and whip on high for 2 minutes. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to tighten. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Supreme cut the grapefruit and orange. If you're new to this preparation, here is a good example of how to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjOEGQ18F-A">supreme</a>. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Set segments aside and juice the center of both the orange and grapefruit. Add 1 oz. of champagne vinegar. Whisk well and slowly add the 3 oz. of olive oil to emulsify for the dressing. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Quenelle the whipped feta on opposite ends of the plate and layer the rest of the ingredients. Sprinkle crushed pistachios and drizzle vinaigrette over the top, garnishing with more pea shoots as desired.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Pairing Notes</u></span></div>
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Lagunitas' Little Sumpin' Sumpin</div>
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7.5% ABV</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This beer has a light straw color, a creamy and thick head with strong aromatics of citrus fruits. It showcases the deep hop notes both in aroma and bitter flavor strength. The light wheat body lets the hops flourish. It is crisp, light and refreshing while hiding the brute strength of a 7.5% ale.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The pairing is a compare and contrast in both flavors and aromas. The beets act as a contrast with their sweetness balancing the strong bitterness of the hops, while the citrus fruits enhance the bright floral and citrus hops to form a comparison that elevates their potency. The whipped feta is the light creamy element similar to the wheat grain build to help round out the excitement of all the other ingredients. The saltiness from the feta and pistachios counters the sweet beets to mellow them in flavor while rounding out the taste experience as a whole.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-5313696277304855082014-07-21T13:27:00.000-07:002014-09-04T21:19:36.531-07:00Smoked Beef Short Rib Hash with Fried Egg & Third Coast Beer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">With regards to brunch, Monday mornings are kind of a big deal at our house. While most of Chicago does their best brunching on Sunday, industry folk usually look to Mondays because, well, we're the ones cooking the eggs on the weekends. This tradition holds true for Sarah and me and we like our Monday mornings to be pajama clad, leisurely, full of indulgent food and, of course, beer. It's like a lazy Sunday for the rest of you, just a day later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sunday night I smoked beef short ribs. Fatty, meaty, rich-as-all-get-out beef short ribs. I got a beautiful slab from the always excellent Louis John Slagel of the always excellent </span><a href="http://www.slagelfamilyfarm.com/" style="font-family: inherit;">Slagel Family Farms</a>.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Clearly I was seduced by the </span>beauty<span style="font-family: inherit;"> of the product because I bought far too much for Sarah, myself and our two small appetite-d friends who came to dinner (to be fair, I think their appetites were fine - it's mine that's big and only by comparison did it make their's</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> seem small).</span> Stuff ourselves as we did, at meal's end there was still a lot left and when I went to bed, my mind was already dancing with visions of a short rib infused breakfast. And so the Smoked Beef Short Rib Hash was born!<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span><br />
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While Sarah made coffee, I rendered the rib meat and pillaged our fridge for hash ingredients. A plump red pepper, some peppy baby zucchini, Cremini mushrooms and an unassuming Vidalia eyed me from the crisper. A couple stout Russets and a lively bunch of cilantro completed the pillage.</div>
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I'm not sure I can adequately express how good beef fat smells when it is rendered (You'll just have to try this recipe and experience it for yourself!). Especially from meat that's been smoked. It's awesome!<br />
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And when fresh vegetables and potatoes are cooked in that fat, all the good smell is transformed into good TASTE!<br />
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While a dish like this is good and rich and properly excessive, it absolutely requires something to cut the fat and cleanse the palate.</div>
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<a href="http://www.bellsbeer.com/brands/6-Third%20Coast%20Beer%20">Enter Third Coast</a> from <a href="http://bellsbeer.com/">Bell's Brewery</a> …<br />
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Light and crisp, this beer is perfect for brunch and I'm not ashamed to admit, we drank plenty of it before noon. Full disclosure: You might feel a little slow-moving after this meal. Plan your day accordingly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Smoked Beef Short</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 lb. short ribs, diced</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 lb. fat from short ribs, diced</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 red pepper, diced</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 potatoes, diced</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 onion, diced</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3 cloves garlic, sliced</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4 small cremini mushrooms, sliced</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 med zucchini, diced or 4 baby zucchini sliced</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 Tbsp. cilantro, picked</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 candy striped beets, shaved thin</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, drop the diced potatoes in for five minutes. Drain and set aside.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Trim the fat from the beef short ribs and cut into small pieces. In a large sauté pan add the beef fat and heat on medium until liquified. There will be crispy bits remaining. Strain the fat from these bits into a bowl and set aside.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Add 3 Tbsp. of the rendered beef fat back into the pan and increase to high heat. Once the pan is pre heated, add the onions, peppers, and garlic sauté for six minutes until onions are transparent. Add the zucchini, mushrooms, and all the diced short rib meat. Saute for 7 more minutes. Add the blanched potatoes and continue to sauté for ten more minutes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Place another small sauté pan on high and add 1 Tbsp. of beef fat. Once pan is preheated reduce heat to low and crack an egg into the fat. Cook to personal preference (I prefer over-easy as the yolk only adds to the decadence of the finished dish). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Plate hash, top with cooked egg, and garnish with fresh cilantro and shaved beets.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><u style="font-weight: normal;">Pairing Notes</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><u style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Bell's Third Coast Beer</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Blonde ale 4.8% ABV</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Upon pouring, a hazy golden color and a pure white head become apparent. The aromatics are of light bread notes with bright floral and citrus hints. The flavor has cracker like qualities with tones of grapefruit that finish with a dry, crisp, carbonated brightness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is a great brunch/first beverage-of-the-day beer. The pairing is a wonderful bridging because when combined, the individual ingredients only strengthen and balance each other. The citrus and floral notes act as a great counterpart to lighten the intensity of the hash. While the starchy potatoes and rich meat add body back to hoppy floral beer. Additionally, the bright, dry crispness works well to cut the fatty richness of the short ribs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cheers!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-56253949314924329782014-07-14T20:04:00.003-07:002014-08-15T09:59:11.961-07:00Proscuitto, Ricotta, Fig and Watercress Beer Bread Tartine & Ovila Saison<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Humans have been topping bread with all sorts of foods, both simple and extravagant, since the Middle Ages. It seems most every culture has adopted some form of open faced sandwich. Italy gave us crostini, Denmark the smørrebrød. And the French - those clever French, who do everything "food" so well - gave us the ever perfected Tartine!</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">In the late 15th century, thick slabs of bread called "tranches" (or "trenches") were used as the vessel for serving food. An edible plate of sorts. Piled with meat, cheese or whatever the meal might be, the bread soaked in the juices and flavors of that meal, preserving its memory. It was then enjoyed (or donated to the family hound or neighborhood beggar) as a delectable end to the meal. Thus the tartine was born! Boy, those French really do know how to eat well!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Because the topping possibilities are vast, Tartines can span all seasons but it's my summer palate that really craves them. Spread with mild cheeses and cold meats, they're light but filling. Ricotta (get the homemade and highly-superior-to-store-</span><wbr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"></wbr><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">bought version <a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.com/2014/07/fresh-ricotta-cheese-bonus-post.html">here</a>), prosciutto and figs is a fairly classic combination and perfect for summer (though with those ingredients, just as Italian as it is French, I suppose).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">I like to add some dressed greens to my Tartines as they add a nice touch of freshness and color. I chose <a href="http://www.sierranevada.com/">Sierra Nevada's </a>excellent lemon and pepper hinted <a href="http://www.sierranevada.com/beer/specialty/ovila">Ovila Abbey Style Saison</a> for this pairing. It's a collaboration beer with the monks from <a href="http://www.newclairvaux.org/monastic-tradition.html">New Clairvaux Abbey</a> in Vina, Ca and perfect for summer. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">For the greens, I got some beautiful, spicy watercress from <a href="http://www.cityfarmchicago.org/">City Farms</a> which was treated to a light dressing of tangy orange, tangerine and lemon vinaigrette.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Toppings aside, obviously the bread is a very important component of this dish. Without bread, there is no tartine! "It's the plate", as 15th century Frenchmen might say and it's the vessel that all the other ingredients depend upon. Thickness of cut, density of loaf and crunchiness of crust - these are all crucial elements to a good tartine. And what's better than plain bread? Why beer bread, of course! After much research and practice (because even for a chef, baking can be tedious) I am proud to say that I have nearly perfected the recipe and technique I found in <a href="http://www.cooksillustrated.com/">Cook's Illustrated</a> a while back (which, incidentally, is a terrific magazine for serious cooks). Sometimes I use the beer I'm pairing with and sometimes I don't. The beer needs to have residual sugar to feed the yeast in the bread so not every beer will work as well. The Ovila, however, works perfectly! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">For the Beer Bread:</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3 C. unbleached white flour</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">¼ tsp. yeast</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">½ tsp. salt</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">¾ C. water</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1/3 C. beer (your choice provided it has some residual sugar)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 T. malt vinegar</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In a stand up mixer incorporate the dry ingredients on low. Combine all wet ingredients in a large cup or bowl. Keep the mixer on low and slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry. Notice the ingredients forming a dough, make sure to turn off the mixer and scrape the sides to incorporate all flour. Round the dough ball in the bottom of the mixer bowl and place a towel over it. Let proof (stand) for 8-12 hours at room temperature (overnight is best). </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once the dough has proofed, knead once and let rise for 1 hour more. Pre heat the oven to 500 degrees and place a lidded on a cast iron dutch oven inside. Turn the oven down to 420 degrees and place the dough in the dutch oven. Make a slice ¼ inch deep cut in the top to allow the dough to expand (I like to make an x on mine as seen below).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bake with the lid on for 30 minutes. Uncover the dutch oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes to allow the crust to form. Wait 20 minutes to it to cool. Slice.</span></div>
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<u><b id="docs-internal-guid-c7dec2ef-377a-561f-1925-9fc775ce0970" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></u><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">For the Tartine:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 loaf beer bread (cut into 5 slices)</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">½ lb. prosciutto (sliced paper thin)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">8 Mission figs (sliced)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 C. fresh ricotta</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4 oz. watercress</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 Tbsp. white balsamic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 Tbsp. fresh orange juice</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 Tbsp. fresh tangerine juice</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Combine the citrus juices and white balsamic in a lidded jar and shake vigorously. Dress the watercress in a large bowl, taking care not to use too much (1-2 Tbsp should be plenty)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Toast beer bread under broiler, checking often so as not to over brown. Spread fresh ricotta on toasted bead. Lay the sliced figs on the ricotta followed by 3-4 pieces of prosciutto. Finish with a small handful of the dressed watercress.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Enjoy immediately!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><u>Pairing Notes</u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Sierra Nevada Ovila</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> Saison </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">7.5% ABV</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Notice, from the pour, a bright orange color with mild haze and a lacy head. The aroma is bold with strong citrus notes and yeasty spice. There is a pleasant flavor progression that begins with lemon, moves to spicy pepperiness, followed by earthy and malt notes and finishes with bright orange.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This pairing is a very direct comparison of the beer and food. The toasted beer bread replicates the malt backbone that holds the beer's balance together as well as the tartine's. The lemon ricotta is a gentle mimic of the bright citrus aromas and the creamy head. Note that the dressed greens are an essential part of this pairing as the pepperiness from the watercress and the citrus from the vinaigrette play well to the spice and orange finish of the beer. Meanwhile, the saltiness of the prosciutto is a good counter to the earthy yeast esters. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cheers!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">What do we know about ricotta cheese? We know it originated in Sicily and has become something of a staple in many Italian dishes. We know it's often made from cow's milk (in America, at least) and has a pleasant, mild flavor. And we know that this gentle mildness makes it very versatile and a wonderful partner to a great variety of foods, sweet and savory alike.</span></span></h3>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">What many might not know about ricotta, is that it's seriously easy to make! With a little time, a few good ingredients and minimal effort, it's kind of a snap. And worth learning how to make because once you've had homemade ricotta, the store bought variety is going to seem really sub par (and that's putting it kindly).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;" /><a name='more'></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">A few tips:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">- Spend the extra pennies on the very best dairy products you can find (for cheese it really matters!)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">- Longer draining time makes for cheese that is slightly stiffer</span></span></h3>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Fresh Ricotta</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 ½ C. half and half</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In a sauce pan combine the half and half with the heavy cream. On low heat bring the cream up to 190 degrees. Take the sauce pan off the heat and gently whisk in the lemon juice. Allow to sit for 30 minutes and curdle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Line a colander or strainer line with cheese cloth, place over a deep bowl and pour in the now curdled cream. Allow to drain for 1 hour. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For a stiffer ricotta twist the cheese cloth around the ricotta, forming a ball and tie with butchers twine. Suspend the ricotta ball above the bowl (at home, I hang it from cabinet knob) and let drain for an additional 30 minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Refrigerate for at least an hour and enjoy! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Note: As with last bonus post (sauerkraut) I've not paired a beer with this recipe. BUT a fantastic summer dish using this cheese (and pairing with a dynamite beer) can be found <a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.com/2014/07/proscuitto-ricotta-fig-and-watercress.html">here</a>.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-59997171956155831112014-07-08T17:38:00.003-07:002014-08-15T10:18:42.920-07:00Kielbasa With Pickled Summer Vegetables & Penrose P-2 Belgian Pale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Last summer I bought myself a smoker. An impulse buy that came after procuring a beautiful piece of pork belly (destined to become smokey bacon) and immediately feeling frustrated about not being able to smoke at home. Enough was enough - I needed smoke! I careened into the nearest Home Depot and bought a Brinkmann Sportsman Charcoal Smoker. In all honesty, it's not the king of smokers (one day I WILL get a <a href="http://www.biggreenegg.com/">Big Green Egg</a>) but for small, compact city living, it does the job. If you have this model or something similar just be sure you monitor the temperature closely so as not to get too much direct heat. 200-215 degrees F is ideal.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">One of my favorite things to do in the summer is make sausages. At the risk of sounding piggish, I'd say Sarah and I eat them at least once a week, June-Septmeber. I have a small hand crank grinder/stuffer that's perfect for at-home use and has served me well for at least 7 years and counting.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">And what makes a sausage extra great? Why smoking of course! Well to be fair, there's many, many things that make sausage great but smoking is most certainly one of them! The Polish knew this when they developed the Kielbasa Polska (Polish Sausage) aka Kielbasa Starowiejska (Ancient Countryside Sausage) a smoked sausage that Americans have adopted with love.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Thanks to a vibrant Polish community, kielbasa has become a staple food in Chicago and I, like any self respecting carnivorous Chicagoan, partake often. While the Chicago standard dictates kielbasa be served with yellow mustard, grilled onions and "sport" peppers, I like to mix it up with a variety of pickled summer vegetables. Asparagus, carrots, green beans - anything is fair game! Pickled vegetables are easy to make and their tanginess provides great contrast to the fatty, smokey meatiness of the kielbasa. I lucked out with these baby turnips from <a href="http://www.cityfarmchicago.org/">City Farms</a> which were not only beautiful but also pretty dynamite when pickled.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">I haven't yet posted any of my pickling recipes (SOON!) but <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/07/pickling-recipes-slideshow.html">here</a> is a link with a bunch of solid ones.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">I had a decent amount (read A LOT) of sauerkraut left from <a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.com/2014/06/sauerkraut-bonus-post.html">last week's post</a> which was a perfect addition to this colorful board</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">If you </span><span style="color: #222222;">haven't used a hand crank sausage machine before if can take some getting used to. The real trick is keeping the blade and die sharp OR bypassing the grinding process by having your butcher pre grind the meat for you. Gentle load the casing onto the stuffing tube - natural casing is delicate and will tear. Keep a steady stream of meat passing through at all times to avoid air pockets. Also - and this is important - be sure to keep the meat as cold as possible. Refrigerate the meat before stuffing, assuring it gets good and cold. Once stuffed, let the formed links chill for at least an hour. This will keep the fat from separating. Separated fat makes for a mealy sausage and a mealy sausage is just plain bad.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Kielbasa</span><br />
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3 lbs. pork </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2Tbsp. salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 ½ tsp. pink salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 ½ tsp. caraway</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 ½ tsp. ground mustard</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 tsp. minced garlic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp. black pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp. marjoram</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 tsp. allspice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">3/4 C. water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">5 ft. pork casing or collagen casings</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Grind pork shoulder with a coarse die or, if you have chosen to buy ground pork, move on to the next step. Emulsify all ingredients in a Kitchen aid (or other) stand mixer until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Carefully thread your pork casing or collagen on the sausage stuffer. Simultaneously winding the hand crank and supporting the forming link, case your sausage mixture into 5 oz. links (about 4 in.), twisting to separate. If you would like to do larger links this will not change the smoking process.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Bring the smoker to 200-215 degreesF. Make sure the smoker does not exceed 230 or the fat will separate from the meat, creating fatty pockets along the sides and resulting in mealy sausages. I prefer to use hickory or fruit woods for smoking because they produce a consistent flavor and even burning. Smoke to and internal temperature of 140F.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Chill after smoking so the fat redistributes back throughout the sausages. Reheat in a sauté pan or on your grill. Enjoy with mustard, sauerkraut or any other wild variety of fermentables!</span><br />
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<u><span style="font-size: large;">Pairing Notes</span></u><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Penrose P-2 Belgian Pale </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4.5% ABV.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This beer pours a beautiful orange with a creamy head that brings the aromas right to the nose. The flavor is somewhat whimsical thanks to a floral spiciness that comes with the sweet malty body. The dry hoppy finish creates a very well rounded. This pairing is a great contrast pairing because the kielbasa adds some smoke flavor that alters the sweet maltiness creating more depth as well as intensifying the spice from the yeast esters with the subtle spices in the sausage. Even the acidity from the fresh pickles contrasts the maltiness while the dry hop finish rounds out the finish on the palate.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-24342194195025004332014-07-02T22:10:00.000-07:002014-09-04T21:31:52.077-07:00Rueben Sandwich with Corned Beef Tongue & Dogma Ale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Years ago, I had one of my first, great bonding moments with my (then new) father-in-law, Steve, over a particularly mountainous and delicious plate of corned beef hash. Sarah and I had just spent a week in the wilds of Northern California visiting her family and her folks took us out for a goodbye breakfast before we hopped our plane back to a Chicago. "What is everyone having" Sarah asked casually as we perused the menu. "Corned beef hash!" Steve and I proclaimed in anticipatory unison. When the plates of hash arrived, heaped high and steaming, we grinned at each other, relishing our fine choice. "You're going to eat ALL of that" Sarah somewhat judgmentally sniffed. "YEP!", we exclaimed again in gleeful affirmation. Consumed with our hash, I think he and I said about two words throughout the remainder of breakfast. However, between bites we'd catch each other's eyes and giggle quietly at the expressions of silly satisfaction we both wore. I'm sure the ladies thought we had lost our minds! We ate every last morsel and felt appropriately indulgent. I've shared a lot of meals with my in-laws since then and every time a menu with corned beef hash presents itself, Steve and I partake with as much vigor as we did over that first breakfast.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Personal musings aside, if this story illustrates nothing else, it's that corned beef is awesome! Fatty, salty and peppered with warm spice notes, it's a damn fine way to treat beef! </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">The origin of corned beef is hotly debated. Evidence of it can be found in many cultures including Ancient Europe, the Middle East and the Caribbean. The term "corn" comes from the process of covering the beef in salt rocks or "corns" of salt to preserve it. In America, we usually and incorrectly attribute it to Ireland. However, many historians suggest that because beef was a luxury item in Ireland, it wasn't until Irish immigrants came to America - where beef was more readily available - that they began regularly eating it. It is mentioned in their historic texts, though. Notably in the <a href="http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/polisci/faculty/boneill/index_files/vision.html">very cool Irish tale</a> from the 12th century, Aislinge Meic Con Glinne (or The Vision of MacConglinne). In this text a great king is cured of "the demon gluttony" by way of an endless host of food including - you guessed it - "perpetual joints of corned beef!"</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">While brisket is the cut most commonly used, here I've elected to use something a little more exciting ... the tongue!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Strong and awesome, the tongue may seem a little intimidating but if you can get past that, you're in for a real treat! Be warned, corned beef of any cut takes some time. I let this tongue brine for 3 days but the brining period could easily be increased to 5 days. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> It makes fantastic corned beef for a Rueben Sandwich which in turn pairs beautifully with </span><a href="http://www.brewdog.com/" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Brew Dog's</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> Dogma Ale. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">By great coincidence (ha!) that batch of homemade sauerkraut I mentioned in the <a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.com/2014/06/sauerkraut-bonus-post.html">bonus post</a> two weeks ago happened to be ready today. Just in time for this sandwich! Note the same mulling spices used in the sauerkraut are also used in the corn beef brining liquid. Harmony abound!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><u>Rueben Sandwich with Corned Beef Tongue</u></span><br />
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For Corned Beef:<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">1 3lb. beef tongue</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">2 Tbsp. black peppercorns</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">5 Tbsp. mulling spice (3 Tbsp. for the brine/ 2 Tbsp. for cooking)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">4 cloves minced garlic</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">1/2 cinnamon stick</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">2 Tbsp. mustard powder</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">2 tsp. pink salt (optional)</span></div>
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For Sandwich:<br />
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1/4 cup Sauerkraut<br />
2-3 slices good swiss cheese<br />
1Tbsp whole grain mustard aioli<br />
2 Slices good quality Pumpernickel Rye bread<br />
Tbsp butter<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">For Brine:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Reserving 2 Tbsp of mulling spices, combine all the ingredients except the tongue in a small stock pot. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Add 5 C. of water and bring to a light simmer. Make sure all sugar and salts are dissolved. Add 2 C. of ice to reduce the heat more quickly. Taste the brine, it should be salty but if it is too salty feel free to dilute it with one more cup of cold water. (I don't necessarily recommend this but some are more tolerant to sodium than others)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Clean the tongue by cutting off the glands with a sharp knife and rinsing it under cool water. Place the rinsed tongue into the cold brine and submerge and refrigerate for 3-5 days.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">After 3-5 days rinse the tongue and discard the brine. In a stock pot add the tongue and enough water to cover it and the remaining 2 Tbsp. of mulling spice. Bring to a boil and cover. Turn down to a slow simmer and let cook for 2 hours. Let cool, then peel off the outer layer of the tongue. It should be very easy to peel this by hand. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Slice to your desired thickness.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">For Sandwich: </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">In a large saute pan heat butter and place bread in it, toasting on both sides. In a separate sauté pan toss sliced tongue with some sauerkraut and heat through (don't go too long, though - the meat and kraut are meant to be warmed, not seared). Spread your favorite Reuben condiment on freshly toasted bread. Many opt for Thousand Island Dressing but I like to use a mustard aioli (equal parts of your favorite mustard and real mayonnaise, whipped together gently). Lay Swiss Cheese on the hot tongue and sauerkraut and broil for approximately 30 seconds. Assemble and enjoy.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><u style="font-weight: normal;">Pairing Notes</u></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Brew Dog Dogma Ale</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">7.8 % ABV</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Notice the deep, dark mahogany color and the creamy khaki head. From the aromatics, note the sweet breadiness as well as licorice. Sweet tea flavors are evident in the taste, as well as dark malts, and honey with faint notes of spices. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">This pairing is a good example of comparison flavors (meaning like or comparable). The distinct flavor from the Pumpernickel Rye accentuate the maltiness and spice notes in the beer. The spices from the tongue are also subtly present and match well. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">While the beer is on the richer side, balance is found in the acidity from the sauerkraut which provides a cleansing of the palate. Similarly, the mustard aioli provides richness (such is the character of aioli) but also some tanginess from the mustard. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Cheers!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-6904057594875422792014-06-25T16:15:00.002-07:002014-08-15T10:07:04.737-07:00Leek and Gruyere Tart & Endless IPA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Behold the leek! Tall, proud and full of delicate flavor. Where the onion announces its presence with bravado, the leek need not. So perfect in its subtly, when the leek makes its entrance, all taste buds stand in rapt attention. And while I hold all onions in fairly high regard, the leek has a special place in my kitchen.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Pleasantly mild and sweeter than other onions, the leek is remarkably versatile and, in American kitchens, definitely underutilized. Leeks are a perfect complement to most herbs, an inspired addition to soups and eggs and are absolutely, positively sumptuous when sautéed in butter or combined with anything cream based. This somewhat indulgent tart offers both - a butter sauté and a generous helping of creamy cows milk Gruyere. Nestled in an equally buttery tart shell, it seems this recipe might skirt the edge of being a little too rich but remarkably it doesn't. Somehow amidst all that dairy goodness, there's balance. That's the beauty of leeks!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">And IPA.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Did I forget to mention the beer? Because it's a critical component to this dish's balance. Not to mention an amiable companion to the mighty leek. Something has to carve the path through all that buttery pastry dough and the hops from <a href="http://www.gooseisland.com/pages/home/56.php">Goose Island's</a> Endless IPA do so with confidence.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">This tart is best served after having rested for at least 15 minutes. It gives the ingredients a little extra time to really bind together. Once out of the oven, the air will hang heavy with irresistible aromas. Waiting is tough. Worth it, though - nobody likes a sloppy slice of tart. Plus, allowing the tart to cool just a bit means the créme fraîche quenelle placed atop each slice (in case you are feeling that - yes- this tart does require just a wafer-thins amount more of richness) will hold shape.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: large;">Leek And Gruyere Tart</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">For Dough:</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1 cup flour</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1/4 lb. butter chilled </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1/4 C. ice water</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">For Tart Filling:</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1 onion, sliced thin</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">3 leeks, sliced thin</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">4 T. butter</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">4oz. gruyere, shredded</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">2 t. fresh thyme</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1/2 t. salt</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1/2 t/ black pepper</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Garnish:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">6oz. créme fraîche</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1 T. fresh thyme</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span><span style="color: #222222;">For Tart Shell:</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Dice butter into medium cubes (keep cold). In a food processor start with the flour and pulse. Add the butter. Slowly add the iced water making sure to keep the butter cold and not to over-mix. Using a spatula, scrape out dough, and wrap in plastic wrap. Put dough in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours or overnight. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Pre heat the oven to 400. Once the dough has chilled take it out of the refrigerator and place it on a floured surface. Roll it out into an even 1/2 inch thickness, keeping it as round as possible. In a pie pan lay the dough and cut the uneven edges to form a round tart shell. Crimp the edges and poke holes in the bottom of the dough using a fork. Place a sheet of tin foil in the shell, filling with a cup of dry beans or rice to weight the bottom. Bake for 15 minutes, remove foil and beans/rice and continue to bake an additional 5 minutes.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">For Tart Filling:</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Sweat the onion and leeks in butter on a low simmer for 30 minutes. Stir regularly. Add fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Stir in 3oz. of shredded gruyere cheese. Place the caramelized onions and leeks in the baked tart shell. Cover with the remaining Gruyere and bake for an additional 35 minutes. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Let cool for at least 15 minutes. Slice and top with a quenelle of creme fraiche and a few fresh thyme leaves.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><u>Pairing Notes</u></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Goose Island Endless IPA</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">This beer pours a deep orange with a thick creamy head. The aromatics give way to a sweet bready aroma with strong hints or grapefruit and floral hops. The flavor is similar with a sweet citrus and malt throughout. It also has a crisp finish from the carbonation.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The pairing is mostly a contrast but also has some like flavor profiles. The caramelized leeks emulate the malt backbone of the beer, bringing out the sweetness in each other. Conversely, the sweetness of the leeks contrast nicely with the refreshing bitterness the hops provide. The hops also act to cut the richness of the tart, butter, and cheese. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Cheers!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-80012606562403316742014-06-18T19:15:00.000-07:002014-07-15T00:38:47.388-07:00Sauerkraut: A Bonus Post<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">As a wedding gift we received a beautiful handmade, sauerkraut pot from Sarah's Uncle Doug, <a href="http://pepperwoodpottery.com/home">a gifted potter from Navarro, CA</a>.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> It's sturdy - just like any good crock should be - but its also rather visually striking. It slightly reminds us of a treasure you might find hidden in an ancient tomb or archeological site. Spattered with the delicate reminisce of the salt kiln and etched with carvings of Doug's design, it's a prized possession for sure!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Tucked inside the pot was a handwritten copy of Doug's secret sauerkraut recipe which I won't reveal here (it IS a secret, after all) but I will offer my own recipe below. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">If you're lucky enough to score one of these pots (they are highly sought after and laborious to make so cross your fingers and <a href="http://pepperwoodpottery.com/contact_us">contact Doug</a>) all you need is cabbage, salt and spices as the slotted weights are provided.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pVa8jWt8zPA/U7tZobDprJI/AAAAAAAAANE/G6j0fCZ3r9A/s1600/photo-2+copy+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pVa8jWt8zPA/U7tZobDprJI/AAAAAAAAANE/G6j0fCZ3r9A/s1600/photo-2+copy+2.JPG" height="636" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">If you don't have a custom sauerkraut pot try this <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/12/in-a-pickle-small-batch-sauerkraut.html">jar recipe</a>. Either way, it's pretty simple if you have patience and give it time. Some say it takes 4-6 weeks, I say it can be done plenty well in 2-3. You be the judge but by all means start now - sausage season is upon us! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">1 Head Napa Cabbage</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">2 Tbsp Sea Salt</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">1 Tbsp Mulling Spices </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Note: This recipe doesn't have a beer pairing. Trying to pair one beer with sauerkraut would be folly. It's simply a recipe for sauerkraut for sauerkraut's sake. Hence, the "bonus" in the bonus post</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-24643119157791187002014-06-18T09:03:00.002-07:002014-08-15T10:05:34.145-07:00Ajo Blanco (White Gazpacho) & Sorachi Ace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">With a sticky, humid 86 degrees, Summer officially marched into Chicago this weekend.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Though, I'm sure these temperatures will feel mild as the Summer progresses, today it felt</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">HOT! And in the restaurant's kitchen, with its roaring ovens and sizzling grills, it felt even</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">HOTTER. I dragged home, viscous and fuzzy headed and craving something cool and</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">refreshing. A good beer, obviously ... and Gazpacho!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Gazpacho, as many know, is the chilled soup originating from the Andalusian region of Spain. Originally ground with mortar and pestle and consisting of only olive oil, stale bread and water, gazpacho was a peasant food, nourishing the parched palettes of laborers toiling in Spain's citrus groves and olive orchards.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Today there are many varieties of Gazpacho ranging from the traditional made with tomatoes and peppers to the less conventional make with ingredients like avocado and watermelon. Made well and with quality ingredients, I like them all but in my own kitchen, tend to lean towards the more </span><span style="color: #222222;">traditional. Ajo Blanco or "White Gazpacho", usually associated with Malaga, is made primarily of cucumbers and almonds. Its one of those magical foods that manages to be exceptionally light and refreshing but also utterly decadent. And it pairs strikingly well with a good Saison like the Sorachi Ace from <a href="http://brooklynbrewery.com/">Brooklyn Brewery</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">It is always important to use the very best ingredients you can possibly find/afford but especially so with Gazpacho. Because the ingredients remain raw, their flavor subtleties are very pronounced. A good, artisan bread versus one from the grocery store shelf (swathed in plastic and riddled with preservatives) can mean the difference between a great Gazpacho and one that tastes a bit like store. I scored some handsome cucumbers from the farmers market (picked from the vine that very morning!) and a nice baguette from <a href="http://littlegoatchicago.com/bread">Little Goat Bakery</a>. The Greek yogurt is FULL FAT, organic and delicious. Use low fat if you absolutely must but please, <i>please</i> don't use non fat. Ever. It lacks in flavor and texture and just isn't good (and often it's teeming with hidden additives you don't want to eat anyway). </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Ajo Blanco</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1 1/3 C. Greek style yogurt</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1/3 C. sherry vinegar</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1/4 C. almonds </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1/4 C. olive oil</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">2 C. toasted bread</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1 C. chicken stock (if you <a href="http://www.theparsleythief.com/2011/10/basics-homemade-chicken-stock.html">make your own</a>, it will be better!)</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">2 C. sliced cucumbers (english style)</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">3 cloves garlic</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">2 Tbsp. salt</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">I Tbsp. yogurt</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Garnish</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">2 Tbsp. oil</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">2 Tbsp. mint</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">3 Tbsp. fine diced cucumber</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">3 Tbsp. fine diced watermelon</span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Pre heat oven to 400 degrees</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Toss almonds in 1 Tblsp olive oil. Lay on a sheet tray and toast for 10 minutes until dark brown and aromatic (Checking regularly to avoid over cooking)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Tear bread into small pieces. Toast on a sheet tray until golden brown (approximately 10-15 minutes)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Place all ingredients except the oil in a blender and puree until smooth</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> Keeping the blender on low, slowly pour the oil in to incorporate and keep a smooth texture throughout.</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Pour Gazpacho into a wide lipped or other soup bowl and garnish with mint, cucumber and watermelon </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Whole slivered almonds and rustic croutons could also work nicely as a garnish. Traditional Ajo Blanco is often served with chilled grapes. <a href="http://notwithoutsalt.com/2014/06/10/pickled-grapes/">Here</a> is a great recipe for pickled grapes which I've always thought might be fun too. The possibilities are fairly infinite - improvise and have fun!</span> </span></li>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><u>Pairing Notes</u></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;">Brooklyn Brewery Sorachi Ace</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Saison 7.6% ABV</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This beer pours a bright straw color with a creamy tight head of foam. The aromatics tend to be lightly sweet from the malts with strong lemon, spice and black pepper notes. Its flavor is a nice lemony fresh spice blend with a very refreshing drinkability. Also the high carbonation makes for a bright creamy finish. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This pairing is a great example of bridging - a way to highlight subtle contrasts in flavor that end up elevating each other in complementary ways. The toasty bread and almond flavors of the gazpacho are highlighted by the lemony hoppiness the beer gives off. Conversely, the creamy tartness of the soup adds depth and body to the beer. Meanwhile, the crisp finish of the beer lightens the dense richness of this Gazpacho.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cheers!</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497142390112369269.post-73506203493610689672014-06-11T11:35:00.000-07:002014-07-21T13:57:38.986-07:00Rhubarb and Grapefruit Beer Jelly: A Bonus Post<br />
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Rhubarb season went long this year but last week it drew to a close and I found myself scrambling to consume as much of it as possible. Always the classic choice, I made a rhubarb pie which Sarah and I devoured in two days flat (full disclosure: one morning we had it for breakfast). I roasted rhubarb with honey and tossed it in a salad of arugula, goat cheese and walnuts and I made a silky batch of rhubarb simple syrup for summer cocktails. I even toyed with the idea of pulling out my brewing equipment and trying a rhubarb beer. You get the picture - we've been eating a lot of rhubarb!<br />
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And then I stumbled onto ...<br />
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Rhubarb Beer Jam! Yes please! This <a href="http://www.tastingtable.com/entry_detail/chefs_recipes/8022">recipe</a> is from the book <a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio?isbn=9781607741008&utm_source=RandomHouseWebsite&utm_campaign=randomhouse&utm_content=The+Preservation+Kitchen-RandomHouse-9781607741008">The Preservation Kitchen</a> by the renowned Chicago chef Paul Virant. He is pretty much the preservation/pickling/canning king and his book is well worth buying if you're into this sort of thing (incidentally, his restaurants <a href="http://www.perennialchicago.com/">Perennial Virant</a> and <a href="http://www.vierestaurant.com/">Vie</a> are also not to be missed). <br />
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After the week's great rhubarb gorge, a mere half pound remained so I cut this recipe down considerably. Double or triple depending on how much rhubarb you have (and how much jelly you think you can eat). Also, where Virant uses lemons, I substituted grapefruit and used Ogden, a dry hopped Belgian Triple from <a href="http://www.gooseisland.com/index.html">Goose Island</a>. The grapefruit not only acts as an activator for the natural pectin in the rhubarb but it accentuates the Citra hops found in the Ogden. <br />
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
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1/2 lbs fresh rhubarb stalks, chopped<br />
1/4 cup brown sugar<br />
1/2 cup Goose Island Ogden Beer<br />
3/4 pink grapefruit, supreme cut<br />
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Saute rhubarb, grapefruit segments, and brown sugar for 12 minutes over medium heat. Add beer and turn off the heat. Mix well and let sit for thirty minutes on the stovetop. Keep refrigerated between uses.<br />
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Update: This recipe goes very well with the beer bread found <a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.com/2014/07/proscuitto-ricotta-fig-and-watercress.html">here</a> as well as an addition to this <a href="http://thebeerandfoodproject.blogspot.com/2014/07/smoked-beef-short-rib-hash-with-fried.html">meal</a>.<br />
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Happy brunching!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282534960816106135noreply@blogger.com0