Texan Eggs Cocotte & All Day IPA

If you read last week's post 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. 

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 - here's a great and traditional recipe).  So this dish is a little bit of a culture cluster but it's also a really solid breakfast. 

Smoked Brisket Benedict & White Oak Jai Alai

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.

Smoked Beef Short Rib Hash with Fried Egg & Third Coast Beer

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.