It's Got To Be 5 O'Clock Somewhere...

I don’t enjoy cooking. To me, sustenance cooking is possibly the most boring kind of cooking there is and it’s the kind of cooking that happens the most often. I just don’t like it. I hate it. I am uninspired.

This isn’t your usual friendly host.

This is his, “lovely bride,” his “better half,” his “beloved,” or any other examples by which he has referred to me in his previous blog posts.

Hello!

In the 16 years that my husband and I have been married, I have cooked dinner for the two of us 13 times. 13. Not a typo.  (I admit I might be the luckiest girl in the world.)  Now, that’s not to say that I can’t cook.  I can.  I am a firm believer in the adage that, “if you can read, then you can cook.” (But occasionally cooking by reading leads to food that’s less than inspired).  Plus, my first middle school teaching job was half art and half home economics, so I was responsible for teaching 30 pre-pubescent children how to cook without burning the school down.  Which I did.  I just don’t want to cook at home.

But “a marriage is a partnership,” and all that, and I want to continue to be fed in the manner that I have become accustomed to so I try to find ways of contributing to the evening meal.  More often than not I try to know what I want to eat for dinner that night so my "chef" has a direction he can follow.  I stay out of the way, as our little galley kitchen is too small for the both of us.  I can load a mean dishwasher.  And I like to drink.  Which initially doesn’t seem helpful to the dinner process, but it is the reason your usual blogger requested I take over this week’s blog.

Back story: My husband and I have a raspberry patch.  In fact, this patch is bigger than our kitchen.  When we moved into our home it was cute and small and manageable and I was excited to see it, remembering the raspberries that I lived across the street from when I was a child.  Now the patch is no longer manageable.  I say this in the midst of picking season so I might be a little spiteful, but in truth, next year I will need to be more ruthless in the thinning out of the bushes.  There are so many berries that picking for an hour and a half everyday keeps me just barely on top of supply.  We freeze many bags of berries.

A few years ago, when I was in a similar glut of berries, I went on an interweb search of things to do with raspberries other than jam, pie, and the other usual suspects.  I was to the point of looking for a recipe for facial scrub as we had had our fill of eating them and it seemed like a great idea, what with all those seeds.  No such luck.  But I did find a recipe for Raspberry Liqueur.  Thankfully it called for huge quantity of berries.  I made the first batch and that jug was the humble beginning of a bigger love of alcohol with stuff in it.

The cocktail has always had an air of sophistication and specialness about it.  Lucky for the cocktail, it has seen a renaissance in the recent years.  “Speakeasies” are popping up like Whack-A-Moles around the nation (which in itself is a bit of an oxymoron) and the general public is more inclined to pay handsomely for a bespoke cocktail.  Especially when the ingredients in them are as fleeting as the seasons they come from.  Green Russell, you know how I love you.  So what’s a girl to do if her purse isn’t as large as her love of good hooch?  Make her own, of course!

Infusions are the easiest to start with.  Pick a flavor or flavors you love (or an ingredient you have too much of), put it in a big glass jar, cover it with your chosen liquor and wait.  At this point a cool, dark room or cabinet is your friend.  The waiting is the hardest part, even though in this instance it’s only for a few days.  Soaking time is up to you.  Obviously the shorter the soak, the milder the flavors.  A great cheat sheet has been provided by DIY Cocktails by Marcia Simmons and Jonas Halpren.  Use it!  However a good point of reference is, generally speaking, one part ingredient to one part liquor, i.e. 1 Cup Raspberries to 1 Cup Vodka (just make sure the berries are totally covered).

Liqueurs are slightly more work, but infinitely sweeter.  Same general process as an infusion but with simple syrup added at the end. Soaking time increases from a few days to a few weeks or months.  During processing, I take the extra effort to push out as much of the juices prior to adding the simple syrup as possible, just to have as much yummy goodness as I can.  With liqueurs, the older the better! As they sit (if you can refrain from drinking them right away) the flavors mellow and develop.  A processed batch that is a year old is better than a processed batch that is new.  Lemoncello falls into this category, as well.

Bitters have excellently scary ingredients in them like Worm Wood and Gentian Root and are more my husband’s realm as I gave him all the necessary accoutrement for Christmas a little while ago.  We use them in our Manhattans and Rob Roys while we watch Mad Men and covet the furniture and clothes…

And then we are sort of out of my area of expertise.  I really have no desire to make my own beer, but would I one day like to have a still in a shack out back?  Hellz yes!  Who doesn’t remember the hotness of Bo and Luke Duke??!!  But for now I will settle for my basement looking a bit like a science lab, what with all the bottles of unidentifiable soaking in fluids.

What’s for Happy Hour

Sour Cherry-infused Vodka
Again, quantities are up to you.  We have a Sour Cherry tree in the back yard so I currently have A LOT of Cherries soaking.  Didn’t want the squirrels and birds to have all the fun.
2 Cups Sour Cherries
2 Cups Vodka (or Gin or Whiskey or Rum) Your favorite brand is fine, but don’t feel the need to buy top shelf.  In fact, now is the time to be frugal.  The cheaper the better.  Skol or some other brand of that nature is great.

Put the cherries in a clear, glass jar. Agitate daily. Wait 3+ days before drinking. You can sneak a nip every day or so to see what the flavors have done. But be careful you don’t nip it all away…

Simple Syrup
I like my simple syrup to sweeten up whatever infusion seems like it needs it. 1oz of simple syrup with 4 oz of the above Sour Cherry Infusion, with a couple dashes of Orange Bitters, shaken in a cocktail shaker tastes like Cherry Pie in a glass.

Most of the instructions you will find for making simple syrup say to combine 1 part sugar with 1 part water and bring to a boil, stirring until the fluid is clear. This process sucks for me as standing by a hot stove waiting for sugar to dissolve is uncomfortable and boring. Instead I use the same quantities (1 to 1) but instead of adding the sugar to the water at the beginning, I bring my water to a boil FIRST and then add the sugar. The granules melt much faster this way and you don’t have to be right on top of the heat the whole time. If I’m making the syrup in large batches to have on hand (it keeps in the refrigerator) I will add the sugar to the boiling water in increments, being sure the liquid turns clear before I add the next increment. 2 cups water plus 2 cups sugar make a little less than 4 cups of fluid. You can also add additional ingredients to the fluid to make flavored simple syrup. I have included a table spoon of Lavender to the 1 cup/ 1cup as I was melting/low boiling the sugar in the water. It is lovely in gin (or iced tea, but what fun is that?). You can also add fresh mint, great for a quick Mojito or Mint Julep. Basil could also be great. Store in the fridge in a glass jar with a lid.

Raspberry Liqueur
4 Cups Raspberries
4 Cups Vodka or Brandy or Vendome (a brandy and cognac blend)
2 Cups water
½ Cup Sugar

Put the berries and booze in a clear, glass jar being sure that the berries are covered by the liquid. Store in a cool, dark spot like your basement. Agitate occasionally for 4 to 6 weeks. Drain the fluid from the berries. I like to use my pasta pot with a built in, bowl sized colander for this. With a wooden spoon press out as much of the remaining juices/ alcohol as you can. The berries will pretty much turn to mush.

In a sauce pot boil the water. Add the sugar. Cool.

Note: this simple syrup is far less sweet than the recipe above but that’s ok as the berry juice is already pretty sweet.

When the simple syrup is cool stir into the berry juices. Store in a glass container. If you can wait another month before you drink it, like I mentioned earlier, it will just get better and better.

Alert!! Don’t throw those berries away!!  I like to use all the parts of my berries and let nothing go to waste. Matte and I have made milkshakes with boozy berries. Matte melted chocolate and made Vodka Raspberry Chocolate Bark simply by laying the berries out on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper, insuring there was enough space between the berries to allow the chocolate to act as a binding agent. He refridegerated it all for about an hour to have it set.

I’ve been long-winded but I hope you’ve enjoyed my contribution. See you in future posts, maybe…

H.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Updated)

It's my birthday.  Hands down, it's the best time of the year.  The whole nation celebrates with fireworks and cookouts.  You are given the day off from work.  There will be baseball games and parades, classic car shows and concerts in the park.  However, because I cannot be everywhere at once (well, yes I can.  I am with you in your heart) I thought I would invite you, virtually, into my backyard. 

First thing you have to know, our backyard is less yard and more contained open space.  Like a parent who calls her poorly behaved child, "energetic," "a free spirit," or my favorite, an Indigo Child, I have labeled my bad backyard "natural," and "feral."  Our house is known locally as The Jungle House.  We have a lot of plants that would be considered weeds in most backyards.  (We have many edible plants, as well.)  Needless to say, we don't have a classy swimming pool.  We don't even have a less classy but still refreshing above ground pool.  What we have is the quaint and oh-so-charming blue plastic wading pool that our dog loves to stand in and drink. 

So the idea of Pirate Night in our back yard for my birthday celebration seemed rather incongruous on a hot summer night in Colorado. 

And yet, it was oh so right. 

We started off with drinks and caprese salad, then mango, papaya and grilled pineapple with a butter, bourbon and brown sugar sauce.  Followed by a corn casserole, smoked crab legs, and Caribbean Merpig.  (Ok, I made that one up.  There are no such things as Merpigs.  Neither are there mermaids or mermen.  Nor North Dakota for that matter.  North Dakota is actually a fictional land created by both Canadians and "South" Dakotans to make themselves feel better.  "At least we don't live in North Dakota!" they all say.)  I made a wonderful Tres Leches cake for dessert.  We wore eye patches and temporary tattoos and folded paper hats.

Of course, it's already late and I'm sleepy.  I'll give you recipes and the rest of the story soon.

Part 2 (still soon):

A successful party depends on many things: the decorations, the food, the activities, the guests.  My lovely and artistic bride made a tablecloth and a new cushion for a little foot stool.  We strung LED lights along the ribs of the picnic umbrella.  We tore out most of the inedible weeds.  We kept the party small so that we could all sit around one table.  We didn't invite kids (so nice being a DINK).  Mother Nature cooperated by cooling off later in the evening.  My awesome brother provided rum drinks and the bar tending service after wisely picking Chris's brain--our favorite bartender at Green Russell.

Blessedly, the guests themselves became the activity.  Not everyone knew each other but by the end of the evening, new friendships were founded.  And there were pirate hats folded out of newspaper and eye patches made for children that, when worn by an adult with a normal-sized adult head, would pinch the blood off above the eyebrows and make the top of your melon turn an unsightly purple, thus increasing the necessity of the hats.  It was fun applying tattoos--in some cases on each other.

We blissfully avoided singing Happy Birthday to me. 

All-in-all, it was most every wish granted. 

For a pirate-themed birthday try:

Butter, Brown Sugar and Bourbon Sauce
1/2 stick Butter
1/2 cup packed Dark Brown Sugar
1/3 cup Bourbon
Melt the butter and sugar together in a sauce pan, stirring constantly.  When nearly melted and before it starts bubbling, slowly pour in the bourbon.  Stir until the sugar is completely melted, reduce the heat to a simmer and let it reduce to a nice syrup, about 15-20 minutes. 

Pour over fresh fruit, ice cream, popcorn or almost any other dessert. 


Caribbean Merpig (or Caribbean Inspired Rack of Ribs)
1 rack of Pork Ribs
Rub:
3/4 cup packed Brown Sugar
3 tablespoons Red Chili Powder (I recommend medium Chimayo chili powder)
1 1/2 tablespoons Baking Cocoa Powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
Mop Sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup Spicy Brown Mustard
1/4 cup Yellow Mustard
1/4 cup packed Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Honey
pinch of Salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground Allspice

Lay the ribs on a large piece of tinfoil, bones-side (less meaty side) up.  Thoroughly combine all of the ingredients for the rub.  Pour about 1/3-1/2 of the rub on the bones side.  Using your fingers, spread it evenly all over the meat.  Flip the ribs over and repeat with the remaining rub.  Seal the ribs in tinfoil, crimping the sides and ends as best you can.  Place on a cookie sheet and pop into a 250 degree oven.  Bake for about 2 1/2 hours.  Meanwhile, combine all the mop ingredients in a saucepan and cook until melty and smooth and tasty. 

Start a 2 level fire in your charcoal grill.  When you start the coals, increase the heat in the oven to 400 degrees.  When the coals have ashed over, lay green cherry wood twigs on the coals, remove the ribs from the tinfoil and lay over the cool part of the grill, bones-side down.  With a brush, apply the mop sauce to the meaty parts.  Close the lid and ventilate so the smoke pours out in thick clouds. 

Every 15 minutes or so, add mop sauce and new wood.   Repeat for about an hour.  Remove from the heat and let rest, covered for 20 minutes. 


Tres Leches Cake
This remarkable beast is the culmination of 2 days of patience and amazing physics of porous cake.  I adapted this from an April 2005 edition of Better Homes and Gardens.  The cake will weigh 9 pounds when its done.  Invite friends.
1 package White Cake Mix
3/4 stick of Butter, softened
6 eggs
1/2 cup Water
2 tablespoons grated Lime Peel
2 cups of fresh Strawberries, sliced
Tres Leches Sauce:
2 12oz cans Evaporated Milk
2 14oz cans Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 cups Heavy Cream
Topping:
1 cup Whipping Cream
1/4 cup Super Fine Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease up 2 9 inch round cake pans.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, butter, eggs, water and lime peel.  With a mixer, on low speed beat until combined.  Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.  Spread evenly between the 2 pans.  Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a chopstick inserted into the middle, comes out clean. 

While the cake is cooking, make the sauce.  In a large sauce pan, combine the 3 milks.  Heat and stir until it lightly boils.  Cover and place in the fridge to take the heat out a little. 

Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out out onto a cooling rack.  If you're really persnickety, you'll trim off the high points of the cakes so they will lay flat when placed on top of each other.  (If you're persnickety AND hungry, you'll eat the trimmings.  Let's not let anything go to waste.)

Lay the strawberries evenly on the top of one of the rounds of cake.  Place the other round on top.  With plastic wrap, completely line the sides and bottom of a large straight sided soup pot.  (I use a very cheap kitchen trash bag.  Non-scented, non-extra-chemicalled.)  Invert the cake and lay it in the bottom of the pan.  Poke the cake with a chopstick until it it has many wholes evenly spread out all over the cake.  (Hint: you are making a sponge.)

Pour 4 cups of tres leches sauce over the cake. Cover and refrigerate overnight. 

One hour before serving, pour over one more cup of the sauce.  Chill some more.

15 minutes before serving make the topping.  Whip the cream to very soft peaks and slowly add the sugar and vanilla.  Continue to whip until it forms very stiff peaks.  In one fluid motion, turn the cake out onto a serving dish with a lip on it.  This cake WILL make a mess.  Frost the cake with whipped cream. 

Slice and serve. 


And, like staying to the end of the credits in some movies, you've stayed to the end of the blog and you will be rewarded with some out takes.  Shame will now ensue.

What treasure could this contain?

This is the face of a man who may
 or may not have enjoyed a few rum beverages.

Oh My!!  What body part is this?

Mysteries Around the Corner

We've driven past them.  We've wondered about them.  And maybe we were afraid to step inside.  This is the start of a series of blog posts about the ethnic markets in our (and most likely your) neighborhood and the adventures to be found there.  

I consider Denver rather cosmopolitan.  My lovely wife and I have lived in Santa Fe, Toronto and Denver.  We've traveled around the world and we love to explore our own back yard.  And I can say with confidence, Denver is cosmopolitan (as well as perfectly homey.)  People come to Colorado from all over the nation and from around the world.  We have a long history of booms and expansions that required labor--sometimes mental, sometimes back breaking.  During the early years of our state, mining and the railroad industry required many workers, and while the pay was often too little for most Americans, the wages still attracted immigrants looking to start a new life in the US.  In most metropolitan communities, these same immigrants settled to create their own ethnically unique neighborhoods.  It's curious, then, that Denver and its suburbs do not have a Chinatown, even though thousands of Chinese immigrated to Colorado during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. According to a recent article in the Denver Post, racism played a big part in the destruction of our local Asian community during the 1920's.  But thankfully, we still have an extraordinary Asian presence here.

Which is not to say that I've soaked any of it up through osmosis.  Yes, I minored in Chinese in college, and I studied Asian literature and religion extensively, but I do not know what the hell I'm doing in the Pacific Ocean Market. Yes, I've been to the Market on many occasions, but really only ever to buy ingredients.  I never really explored with the intention of pushing my boundaries and then writing about it.   

On entering the supermarket (and it really is super!) it looks very much like a King Soopers or Safeway or other big chain supermarket that you may know and use regularly.  There is a bakery, a produce section, aisles arranged in common thematic elements, frozen foods, etc.  But getting in close, you'll notice some significant differences.  Glazed pork and whole ducks (including heads) hang in cases.  The vegetables often don't have English writing on then, but rather Chinese (or Korean, Japanese, Thai or Hindi, as appropriate).  When we asked what certain vegetables were, neither staff nor customers seemed to know.  (I found out that one of the items was Bitter Melon, and as the name implies, was absolutely horrible.  More later.)  But for the day, we found more gems than things we loathed.

As discussed in numerous previous blog entries, I seek out culinary adventure.  So I intended to try things that I had never tried before.  I confess, I chickened out in a couple of instances, but I pushed myself as much as I reasonably could.  And not knowing what I was doing, I made the most of my experiences. 

 

A Sample of the Haul: seaweeds, dried mushrooms, candies, unusual beverages, vegetables and a cuttlefish

We picked up dried seaweeds (seasoned laver and something I couldn't understand), dried mushrooms (shitake and black fungus), fresh vegetables (leeks and lotus root), dried noodles (rice, bean and mung), sauces (coconut milk, fermented fish).  We explored the frozen foods and found fish balls (go ahead--insert joke here), chicken parts I don't normally associate with food, whole fish and squids and octopuses, shrimp, scallops and other shellfish and many things we couldn't identify.  I picked out a large cuttlefish for dinner.

We journeyed down aisle after aisle of canned foods, pastes, broths, jellies, dried noodles and vegetables and preserved fauna and flora of all types.  I picked up a tin of Fried Bamboo Caterpillars, which I love toasted in a hot skillet with a dusting of chili powder.  We lingered for a long time looking at the marvels of the teas and cookies and candies.  What a celebration of flavors!

We asked questions of people who looked like they knew what they were doing, but just the same as if someone in King Soopers asked me, "Do you know what this is?" or "How do you prepare that?" I'd more likely than not be nonplussed. 

With all of the exploration, and all the amazing things we brought home, I wasn't sure what to do or what to try.  I started off with something I know: technique.  As Chef Michael Symon says, "Learn a recipe, you can cook a delicious dish; learn a technique and you can create a meal out of almost anything."   My beloved wife and my brother were kind enough to let me experiment on them.  Here's the result.

 

The finished meal.  Mung Bean Noodles, Seaweed Salad, Poached Cuttlefish, Stir Fried Lotus Root and a tasty beverage

So whenever you feel like you may be in a rut, when you need to try something new or when you seek inspiration, look no further than your own neighborhood and find a world of adventure.

For dinner:


Cuttlefish Poached in Coconut Milk and Lemongrass
I first had cuttlefish, stuffed and grilled in Little Portugal in Toronto.  The flesh is meaty, fleshy, mild, yet flavorful.  I didn't have the opportunity to stuff or grill it, so I took a different approach.
20oz Cuttlefish, cleaned and prepared (innards, beak and cuttle bone removed; talk to your fishmonger, if you'd like)
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Salt
16oz can Coconut Milk
3 stalks Lemongrass

Sprinkle the cuttlefish on all sides with the salt and slide into a large plastic bag.  Add the olive oil and squish it around until the cuttlefish is completely covered.  Let stand for 45 min to an hour.

Trim the lemongrass.  Using a heavy, sharp knife, remove the root-end, up about a 1/4 inch.  Cut about 4 inches up from the root side of the stalk, or about where the flesh goes from firm to loose leaves.  Then split that shorter stalk length-wise.

Get a skillet large enough to hold the whole cuttlefish and get it hot on the highest heat your stove has.  Slide the cuttlefish (and its attendant oil) into the skillet and sear the cuttlefish for 2-3 minutes.  Using long tongs, flip the cuttlefish and sear the other side. 


Reduce the heat to low and immediately add the lemongrass.  Add the coconut milk.  Cover and let simmer for 45 minutes.  Really, now is the time for low and slow.  If you cook it too hot, you will be chewing on rubber. 

Slice and serve.

Seaweed Salad
Turning dried seaweed into salad is far more palatable than it may sound.  And pretty darn easy, too.
1/2 cup Dried Seaweed, chopped into 1/2 inch lengths (I know there are many different kinds of seaweed, but for the life of me I cannot discover what type or species this one is.  It simply says "Contents: Dried Seaweed."  The Inuit reportedly have a whole slew of words for snow, and I have to believe that the Japanese would have more than one word to describe seaweed, but the translators of the packaging will only offer us the one word I already know.  "Seaweed.")  (And this is a good example of me having some good-natured ribbing.  Did you even click through the last link and read the article?  Well, go ahead.  I'll still be here when you get back.)
4-6 cups cold Water
3-4 tablespoons Sesame Oil (I used chili-infused sesame oil for a bit of kick)
3 tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Scallions, sliced thin
Sprinkle of toasted Sesame Seeds

Immerse the dried seaweed in the cold water until it completely hydrates (about 30 minutes). In the meantime, combine the oil, vinegar and sugar in a blender.  Blend for 20-30 seconds.  Taste it and add salt, pepper, more vinegar or sugar, as needed.  Blend again, to combine, right before using the dressing. 

 Drain the seaweed thoroughly.  Toss with the dressing and serve.  Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.



Stir Fried Lotus Root with Black Fungus
1 Lotus Root, Whole
A large bowl of cold water (2-3 quarts) with 2 tablespoons vinegar mixed in

1 cup Dried Black Fungus (or other mushroom)
A similarly large bowl of near-boiling water (or a pot--you want to have a cover for it)
1 Leek, trimmed, cleaned and sliced into very thin rings
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
A drizzle of Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (more or less to taste)

Using a sharp knife, remove the outer skin of the lotus root.  Slice the root into 1/4-3/8 inch slices.  Try to keep the rounds intact, as the visual elegance is part of the appeal.  Put the slices into the vinegar water.  (This helps to keep the lotus root from discoloring and removes some of the alkali taste.)  Add the dried fungus to the hot water and cover.  Wait on both of these for 30-45 minutes. 

When the fungus has completely rehydrated, drain it and chop into bite-sized pieces.  Drain the lotus root.  On high heat, get your wok (or large frying pan) very hot.  (A drop of water should sizzle and evaporate almost instantly.)  Add the vegetable oil to the wok and wait 30-45 seconds.  The oil should start to smoke.  Carefully add the lotus root (the oil WILL pop so be very careful!) and saute for 2 minutes.  Add the fungus.  Saute for 1 minute.  Add the leek, garlic, pepper flakes and toss to combine.  Add a little soy sauce for flavor, toss to combine and serve.

Dark Rum and Young Coconut Drink
We found a number of interesting beverages at the Pacific Ocean Market.  Honey and Basil Seed Drink, Aloe Juice, Lemon Soda (with a marble in the bottle) and Young Coconut Drink.  Young coconut Drink is very sweet and has shavings of coconut suspended in it.  It goes great with a fine dark rum.  In this case we mixed rum to Young Coconut Drink in a 2:3 ratio and served over ice in a rocks glass. 

For more photos, please visit my Facebook page.

Easter Dinner

Easter is a holiday that means a lot to most people.  For me, it's another good reason to make some special dishes.  Here's the menu for tonight.

Pheasant
If you ever have the opportunity to try real wild pheasant breasts, indulge in the pleasure.  When properly prepared, pheasant is rich, slightly gamy and  tender, yet toothsome.  This is a simple way of producing an excellent bird.
3 lbs Pheasant Breasts (boneless and skinless)
   Brine
   1 gallon Water
   1 can Coke
   1 tablespoon whole Allspice, cracked
   1 teaspoon Coriander Seed, cracked
   1 tablespoon Juniper Berries, lightly crushed
   3/4 cup Table Salt
   Combine all ingredients, and stir until the salt is dissolved.  Add the pheasant.  Soak over night.  Rinse thoroughly, and pat dry with a paper towel.

2 tablespoons Bacon Fat
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1 cup slices Mushrooms
3-4 tablespoons of Bourbon Whiskey

Heat the bacon fat to melting in a heavy skillet on high heat.  Lay one layer of breasts into the fat.  Add salt and pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes (or until slightly seared), then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Remove and repeat with the next layer, etc.

Reduce the heat to medium.  To the remaining fat and drippings, add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt.  Cook until the mushrooms begin to soften.  Reduce the heat to low and add the breasts back in.  Add the whiskey, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.  DO NOT boil.  This will toughen the tender meat.  You won't like it.

Cream of Sour Dock

Acorn Squash Risotto
1 Acorn Squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch "cubes"
1 Onion, chopped
1/4 cup Unsalted Butter
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Unsalted Butter (yes, again.  Not a typo)
1 3/4 cup Arborio Rice
6 cups Chicken Stock, heated to near boiling
Pepper to taste
1/4 Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 teaspoon ground Turmeric
1/4 teaspoon grated Nutmeg

In a very large saucepan (remember--it's going to hold ALL of these ingredients) melt the butter on medium heat.  Add the onion and squash.  Add salt.  Saute until the onion turns translucent.  Remove the squash and onion from the pan with a slotted spoon.  Add more butter and  the rice.  Stir for 7-10 minutes, constantly, until the rice starts to turn brown and starts to smell a little nutty.  Add the squash and onion back in. 

Here's the hard part.  Patience.  After constant stirring for 10 minutes, you get to stir some more.  Add 1 ladle of chicken stock.  Stir until it is completely absorbed.  Add another ladle-full and stir.  Repeat and repeat until all the stock is absorbed.  It will take time but it is worth your effort. 

Stir in the pepper, cheese, turmeric and nutmeg.  Remove from the heat and serve while hot and creamy.

Bread

Lemon Mousse
1/2 cup Lemon Juice (about 2 large lemons or 3 regular lemons)
Zest of the Lemons
1 tablespoon unflavored Gelatin
4 large Eggs, separated
1/4 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Whipping Cream

In one bowl, combine the lemon juice and the gelatin.  Let stand for 10 minutes to let the gelatin bloom. 

In another bowl combine the lemon zest, sugar and the egg yolks.  Stir until fluffy and creamy and lemony. 

After the 10 minutes is up, heat the lemon juice and gelatin in a double boiler.  Be gentle.  Go slow.  When the gelatin is completely dissolved, and the juice is heated and aromatic, slowly pour it into the egg yolk mixture, stirring quickly.  Return to the double boiler and reheat it slowly until it STARTS to thicken.  Remove from the heat and put it in the refrigerator to start cooling.

Whip the cream and fold into the lemon mixture.  Then whip the egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold it into the cream and lemon mixture.  Spoon into glasses for serving and let chill for a few hours.  Top with sweetened whipped cream.  Light and refreshing!

The All-American Diet: Not Quite a Love Story

I visited my doctor recently. "High cholesterol."  Now this isn't anything new.  I have tested high before and my family has tradition of gluttony: a tradition so rich and deeply fried that I firmly believe that it and it alone contributed to the girth of my family tree.  So, when I asked how high, he said, "Really high. Too high. If 'too high' was a number, you'd be that plus a lot more." So I asked him what the number was, and he was dismayed by my response: "That's great! That's a lot better than last time!"  My grandparents lived to old ages in spite of their culinary (and other) habits, my parents are doing well and I feel strong as a horse.  Honestly, I think of myself as a 17 year old--at least until I start working out.  Then I feel every day of my 41 and 3/4 years.

I share these traits to a greater or lesser degree with nearly every American, so it's by no surprise that the FDA has proposed restaurants post calorie counts on their menus.  Now, before we have the good/bad discussion, lets look at a few of the socioeconomic and dietary factors that contribute to American health concerns. 

Most recent health studies that show up in the popular media focus on childhood and adolescent nutrition.  The Department of Health and Human Services states that adolescents who are obese have an increased risk developing all sorts of problems, from the obvious horrors of diabetes and heart disease to subtle yet pervasive problems like asthma, orthopedic distress and depression.  In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control, diabetes causes more deaths in the US than the better research-funded breast cancer, prostate cancer or colon cancer.   Lack of exercise, eating away from home and little variety in diet appear to be the main contributors to childhood obesity.  Unfortunately, based on an article the science journal Nature, the children most at risk also have the least hope changing their circumstances.

Wow.  What a depressing paragraph. 

Fortunately, recent movies such as Fast Food Nation, Super Size Me and Food, Inc have increased our awareness of the dangers we face.  (Judge them for what they are: sensationalistic yet provocative.)  Activists like Michelle Obama and Jamie Oliver are working around the clock to find solutions. 

So given what I just laid out, it seems natural that there should be calorie counts on menus.  But I see another economic catastrophe coming.  Restaurants will give up changing their menus.  No daily specials.  No seasonal variations.  The recipes will have to be tested and tirelessly maintained.  And sadly, as has already been proven by posting nutritional information on candy bars and soda, people who want to consume junky food will consume it regardless of nutritional value.  If I'm right, we'll see less variation of restaurant food and no real reform of food and eating habits.  Pity.

On the bright side, simple home cooking could increase.  And I'm looking for another doctor--one who is less judgemental.

For something simple tonight, try: 

Bread, Redux

This is a simple recipe for a hearty loaf with a dense crumb.
1 1/4 lbs of Bread Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
1/4 cup Sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
1/2 cup Warm Water (to proof the yeast)
2/3 stick of Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup Milk, plus up to 3 tablespoons more, as needed

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and wait for it to froth up.  Combine the dry ingredients in a heavy bowl.  Mix in the yeast mixture, butter and 1/2 cup of milk.  Stir into a shaggy mass.  Add the remaining milk a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together as a dry rough mass. 

Lightly dust a workspace and start kneading.  Knead until the dough comes together as a smooth ball. 

Let it rise for an hour or until it's doubled in size.  Punch it down until it's almost back to its original size.  Shape it into whatever shape you want to bake it, and place it on a cookie sheet or in a loaf pan.  Heat the oven to 400 degrees and let the loaf rise again.  When the oven comes to temperature, bake the bread for 30 minutes.  Remove it from the oven and take it off the cookie sheet or out of the pan, as appropriate.  Put it on a cooling rack to stop cooking as fast possible.  

It's going to smell incredible, and if you are like me, you'll want to cut into it immediately.  Don't!  Let it rest for for an hour to cool. 

For variation, replace the milk with beer, coffee, beef broth or even diluted wine or whiskey.

All the Sexy, Without That Silly Gilligan

From almost as early as I can remember, two things have aroused my attention like nothing else.  The first was fine food and drink.  The second was redheads.  Today, I fill my life with as much of the former as my wallet and liver will allow.  The latter, however . . . .

Born in 1969, I spent my formative years watching such afternoon and Saturday morning educational gems as Tom and Jerry (take away: mice are smarter than cats), School House Rock (learning is fun with rhythmic music and easier with simple pictures) and Gilligan's Island.  The very beautiful, very leggy and very sexy Tina Louise played the very sultry Hollywood starlet, Ginger Grant.  Oh, Tina--the criminal effects you had on this poor eight-year old boy should have landed you in jail.  I discovered hormones in the midst of your breathy words whispered into Gilligan's ear.  (Looking back on it now, I understand why I felt an uncontrollable need to press my crotch against the hard arm rest of the sofa.  As an eight year old, I couldn't really express it in words; and gratefully to all, I couldn't yet express it in other ways.)

I learned that Ginger represented all that was sexy, spicy, exotic and even a little forbidden. 

Her namesake, the rhizome ginger, shares all of her best qualities without me having to abuse the furniture.  Medicinal, culinary and horticulturally, ginger provides numerous benefits.  It's flowers are stunning and given the right conditions, are easy to grow.  Eating ginger (not Ginger) treats the symptoms of many forms of nausea including motion sickness and morning sickness.  But it is in cuisine that ginger really commands attention.  Add the juice to rice while cooking for a pleasant aroma and tingle on the tongue.  Add ginger beer or ginger ale to a beverage to make it even more refreshing.  Add slices, shavings or diced ginger to meat or vegetarian dishes for an Asian flair. 

Ginger is best when it's peeled and because of its fibrous texture, either grated, juiced or cut up very fine.  It's also inexpensive.  Buy it fresh at nearly any supermarket.  I recommend against buying the dried powdered ginger sold in the spice aisle as the flavor of dried ginger disappears within a month or two of grating it.  And because ginger is quite fiery, it pairs well with sweet ingredients. 

I have grown up a lot since the mid-70's.  Tom and Jerry isn't as entertaining as I once thought, and mice are really pretty dumb (but then, so are cats).  School House Rock is even better now.  Gilligan's Island became the giant on whose shoulders other television shows stood (MacGyver and Seinfeld owe a debt of gratitude).  And although Ginger is still hot, the furniture is now safe.  BTW, my lovely wife has dyed her hair red.

For breakfast this morning, I made:

Cinnamon Pancakes with Apple and Ginger
1 cup All Purpose Flour
1/4 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Egg, beaten
1 1/2 tablespoons Butter, melted and cooled slightly
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons finely diced fresh Ginger
1 large sweet Apple (I used a Fuji), peeled and finely chopped

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  Mix the liquid ingredients together in another bowl.  Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix by hand until combined.  Add the apple and ginger and stir until evenly distributed. 

Cook on a medium hot skillet as you would other pancakes.  Serve hot with butter and Ginger Maple Syrup.


Ginger Maple Syrup
1 can Ginger Ale
1 tablespoon fresh grated Ginger
1/2 cup Dark Maple Syrup

In a large, open sauce pan on medium high heat bring the ginger ale and grated ginger to a light boil, stirring constantly.  Add the maple syrup.  Bring back to a light boil, stirring constantly, then reduce the heat to a simmer.  Continue to stir regularly until the syrup mix is reduced by half. 

Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. 

This would also be great on ice cream.

Oops and Opportunities

When caught in an absolute whirlwind of life, I tend to unwind in the kitchen.  And boy have I been creative in the kitchen this past month!  Here are a handful of things I've been working on: 

Lavender Bitters

Winter Vegetable Bake

Greek Stir-Fry

Chicken Soup Pot Pie

Crepes

. . . and few dishes that were just OK to flat out bad.  (My darling bride and kitchen-mate was thoroughly unimpressed by Tilapia and Shrimp in an Orange Cream Sauce.)

Ask me how I recover from a bad recipe experiment. 

Well, after some minor embarrassment and scraping of dishes into the compost, I think back to where I went south.  More often than not, it was the wrong amount of one ingredient, the improper cooking temperature or a bad guess on cooking time (the last two can generally be summed up as "awful texture.")  If the principles of the dish are sound and I can identify the problem, I will try it again with tweaks.  On the other hand, if my panel of expert taste-tester (see "darling-bride and kitchen-mate" reference, above) suggests that I should abandon the dish altogether, I drop it like the proverbial rotten potato it might be.  I have thereby successfully avoided repeats of the Sesame Fried Tofu incident, the Scallops Encrusted in Tapioca Flour, or the dreaded Fried Squash Blossoms with Fish-Paste Filling.  (DON'T JUDGE ME!)

Now and then, however, one of those mistakes becomes serendipity.  Overcooking can lead to caramelization which can be delicious when everything else works out.  Too much of one spice can create a new emphasis on the palate.  And cooking something too long and at too low of a temperature can concentrate flavors and make everything a little more bold.  Here's a couple of near mistakes we've decided are worth keeping. 


Greek Stir-Fry
We emptied a family member's refrigerator of all the perishables that might perish before they return from vacation.  We combined the ingredients with a few things I had in our kitchen and then I cooked it way too quickly on too high of a temperature.  With a little doctoring, here is the happy result.

2 tablespoons Canola Oil
6-8 large stalks of Kale, de-stemmed and chopped (I used 5 stalks of Bok Choy (with stems) instead)
8 large Mushrooms, sliced
1/4 of a medium Onion, chopped
1 teaspoon of dried Oregano
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
juice of 1/2 Lemon
1 brick of Firm Tofu, drained and cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup crumbled Feta Cheese

Heat a wok or deep skillet on high heat for 90 seconds.  It may start to smell like a hot skillet.  That's good.  Add the canola oil and wait for 30 seconds.  Swirl it around and add the kale, mushrooms and onion.  Let rest for 10 seconds, then flip it around with a spatula.  Saute for 2 minutes on very high heat, then add the oregano, yogurt, and lemon juice.  Get it hot again.  Add the tofu, stir and remove it from the heat.  Sprinkle with Feta cheese and serve over couscous.  Or rice.  Or left over polenta like I did.


Lavender Bitters
This started off as Cucumber Bitters, but that didn't work out AT ALL!  But it did make really great lavender bitters.

750 ml Everclear
1 12 inch English Cucumber sliced
8 oz dried Lavender blossoms
6 oz dried and crushed Orange Peel
40 drops Gentian Root Extract

Combine all the ingredients in a clean jar.  Shake every 2 days.  Filter thorougly and rebottle.  Use sparingly whenever an herbal punch is needed.