Bacon and The Beast

Change of Venue

2010-05-10T13:49:00.002-04:00

So you all know I'm bad at updating this site.. SO CHECK OUT THE FACEBOOK PAGE! HOORAH! Much more stuff over there. And the opportunity for discussions.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bacon-and-the-Beast/109112785787092

Homemade Chicken Nuggets and blue cheese sauce

2010-02-26T13:29:00.004-05:00

The other night my friend Galen and I cooked a fantastic meal. It was truly awesome and delicious and I would totally tell you about it but right now I'm focused on a certain aspect of it: the chicken nuggets I made.

These were really easy and came out awesome.

RECIPE
Cut chicken breast into nugget sized pieces.

Season with salt and pepper. I used a japanese chili powder with orange zest mixed in - highly recommended.

Always salt your chicken before you cook it, and the longer you can wait between the better it will be.

Dredge in flour.

Dip in beaten egg.

Coat in panko (japanese bread crumbs). Also try mixing some salt and seasoning into the panko for extra flavor. I think next time i'll throw in some fresh herbs.

Deep fry till golden.

Done.

See? Easy.

You can even freeze what you don't fry and then thaw and fry them later.

The picture is the chicken with my very own hotsauce: Scorched Orange(TM), available in stores sometime in 2011 (I hope). Scorched Orange(TM) from the makers of Cheese Bees(TM) haha.

Bonus recipe:
If you decide to eat your nuggets as I do, coated in delicious spicy sauce, here is a blue cheese sauce recipe for dipping.

1/8 Lb St Agur blue (or any good creamy blue.. maybe Fourme d'Ambert)
1-2 tbsp milk
1-2 tsp heavy cream
lrg pinch powdered tarragon
3-5 tbsp mayo.

MIX

This was delicious.. but a little heavy and quite a strong blue cheese flavor, this is the recipe I used based on what I had in the fridge... but here's what I would have used if I had more at my disposal:

1/8 Lb St Agur blue
1-3 tbsp buttermilk
2-4 tbsp sour cream or greek yogurt
1-3 tbsp mayo
lrg pinch fresh tarragon or dill
squeeze of lemon
black pepper to taste.

MIX

Enjoy.

- Stroud out.

Kitchen Tools: The Beast

2010-02-26T13:24:00.004-05:00

This is The Beast... my baby.

Here it is next to an 8 inch classic Wustoff for comparison. 1 pound more steel and 6 inches longer she's the most bad ass knife I've ever held in my hands and she's allll mine. Sure it might be considered a bit excessive for every day use but it can do ANYTHING: Onions - easy. Parsley - a snap. Elephant - that pachyderm doesn't stand a chance! If I could karate chop my food into chiffonade I would gladly lay my knives to rest.

Cheese Crackers

2010-02-07T16:49:00.013-05:00

The other night I had a dream - in this dream I made homemade cheez-its, they were phenomenal. I haven't figured out that recipe yet - BUT - today at Kitchen Arts I decided to start by making some cheese crackers. They were quite well liked by the customers I offered them to, and everyone commented on how great it smells in the store.

I started by making Cheese Bees (I have to figure out how to copyright that name: for the time being I'll start by saying the ideas on this blog are the intellectual property of your's truly.)

I brushed the bees with a beaten egg and some brown sugar so they had a nice golden shine and just the littlest bit of sweetness. I like the shape and how they puffed up.

But after a while I got tired of cutting them all out so I decided to just make artisanal style crackers and roll them out realllly thin.

The larger crackers got brushed with olive oil and were then sprinkled with salt and extra grated cheese.

This was a lot of fun and a good way to spend a Sunday at work attracting customers with the perfect smell of baked cheesy goodness.

Recipe:

1 Cup Flour plus extra for dusting your work surface/hands/rollingpin
4 or 5oz milk
1 1/2 cups freshly grated cheese: Parmesan, Piave Veccio, Gruyere, Cheddar, any hard cheese will do
Extra cheese for dusting the crackers
A good pinch of chili powder (this really helps them have that extra awesome SOMETHING, but you could also substitute your favorite spice or herbs)
4tbs butter.
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Olive oil for flat crackers
Egg beaten with 1tbs water and 1tbs brown sugar for shapes.

Preheat your oven to 350F

-Cut the butter into the flour and mix until its crumbly.
-Add in the chili powder and salt and pepper (however much you feel comfortable with, I just did maybe 6 grinds of each salt and pepper.. just until it looked right)
-Mix in the cup and a half of grated cheese.
-Now mix in the milk until it starts to form a dough, then knead the dough with your hands until it is smooth and no longer sticky... you may need to add a small amount of flour.

For the bees or just cutting out a shape; roll half of the dough out until it is about 2mm thick cut out, place on your baking sheet, brush with egg mixture and bake for about 10 mins or until golden.

For the "artisanal" crackers break off a small piece of dough maybe twice the size of your thumb. -Roll it into a ball, then roll it out into a rough circle as thin as you possibly can. I used a mini silicone rolling pin which made this quite easy.
-Place on your baking sheet and bake until the edges start to brown, the middle should still be light colored but should be quite a bit dryer than a fresh sheet. (about 5 minutes)
-Brush on the olive oil, sprinkle the salt and the cheese.
-Bake until cheese is mostly melted and cracker has slightly browned more.

Enjoy.

Stroud Out.

Concernig Updates

2010-01-26T13:09:00.003-05:00

I am going to TRULY attempt more updates if only in miniature via twitter.

La Vraie Fodue Savoyarde

2010-01-26T10:21:00.005-05:00

This is the recipe we at the Boston Cheese Cellar use and give out when people ask for one. It was given to us by a real Frenchman, husband to one of the shop's employees. We featured it the other day at Kitchen Arts for our cheese event.

You will need:

A day old baguette or two cut into cubes. (Any crusty artisan bread will work fairly well)
1 clove of garlic
1 1/4 cups dry white wine (Apremont, Abymes or Roussette are the top recommendations but any will work)
1/2 lb Gruyere cheese, grated
1/2 lb Emmenthaler cheese, grated
1 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs kirsch (this is a cherry flavored liqueur commonly available at liquor stores, i have substituted sweet cooking wines in the past and that has worked well, but the kirch really adds a certain sweetness that really pulls it all together)
a pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

- Peel and half the garlic and rub the interior of the fondue pot with it.

- Discard the garlic, add the wine to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

- Add the grated cheeses and nutmeg.

- Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the cheese is melted. (At this point the cheese and wine will still be separated.)

- Mix together the kirsch and cornstarch and stir into the cheese mixture. Continue to stir and simmer until the mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes.

- Season to your taste with salt and pepper. If the fondue is too thick, add another 1/4 cup of wine.

- Transfer the fondue pot from the stove to its stand and adjust the flame to medium.

- Spear your bread cubes, stir into the cheese mixture, eat and enjoy.

- When you reach the end of the pot and the cheese residue begins to harden, you can crack and egg in the pot, stir everything together and finish the meal with a savory fondue omelet.

The ease of making this recipe is only rivaled by the sheer deliciousness of it all.

I would recommend you definitely try it as directed your first time through, then try some experimentation. Instead of just Gruyere and Emmenthaler play with the amounts and add a third cheese such as Comte or Sharfe Maxx. Instead of nutmeg try a pinch of chili powder. Or try adding a small amount of butter to the pot after you've rubbed it with the garlic and throw in a pinch of herbs de provence and once it's all aromatic add the wine.

As I like to say: Your own imagination is your only limitation.

-Stroud out.

Beef and Beer Stew topped with a Fried Potato Nest.

2010-01-25T12:20:00.004-05:00

I made this a few weeks ago, it ended up being more of an exercise in the artistic side, as it didn't really turn out as well as I had hoped... a little too salty. But they're kinda pretty.

No recipe because I don't actually remember what I put in it besides beef, beer, onions and peas (and of course the potatoes on top). I can tell you I used a nicely marbled chuck steak which I cut into pieces and a bottle of Guiness stout... I wanted one of the draught cans but I would have had to go all the way to Blanchards to get it.

Hotsauce: Bottles

2009-12-04T13:35:00.002-05:00

My roommate was insisting that I use beer bottles for selling my hotsauce. For some reason I was very resistant to this idea. After some more consideration I think perhaps he's right. It would certainly be good to start with. I've got a hand-held bottle capping machine which needs to be cleaned a bit, but new bottle caps can't be expensive, and I'm sure I could find a supply of recycled clear glass beer bottles.

I think the way I want to start things out (once I can sell things for real) is selling @ the cheese shop. I also want to try to get some small local eateries to keep it on the tables; maybe Penguin, maybe CBC. And I think I could do some sort of drop off service... hotsauce at your doorstep sounds pretty sweet.

Still need a name... and a label.. I'll get there... just need an epiphany.

Stuff I want to make: Gougeres

2009-11-19T10:23:00.008-05:00

*
I've been craving certain foods: and not just the food itself but the cooking process that precedes it. I've actually reached a point where I'm not sure if I like cooking or eating more. I think it's still on the side of eating - but I definitely get more excited about cooking.

I really want to make Gougeres, which are little cheese puffs made from choux dough. A lot of people think choux dough is really difficult - but really it's just a bit of work. There's a lot of stirring, and if you've ever tried to work fresh eggs into dough, you know it's like trying to convince your grandmother you couldn't possibly eat any more buscuits and ham or matzoh ball soup (depending on the grandmother), you need to be persistent and unwavering. Other than that its just about watching it while it's on the heat and making sure it doesn't over cook. Watching and stirring... not too bad.

Though that may not sound like much fun at all, I actually find a lot of joy and serenity in watching milk and butter boil, and then how everything changes so quickly when you add the flour. And then the smell of adding the cheese is just dreamy. And once you've mixed everything together and it's all one cohesive paste it's like a great big "fuck you technology, I used my damn hands!" And then when you bake them the entire house fills up with this cheesy smell so intoxicating that you can't possibly feel anything less than blissful content.

I've got some ideas of different things I want to try with this. Bacon, cheddar and leek gougeres as I mentioned in a recent post. Also spicy buffalo cheddar gougeres with a tempered cheese glaze.

And then there's beignets: this is the result of deep frying the choux dough instead of baking. Typically these are made with sugar in the dough and then filled with cream or chocolate. But as much as I love sweets, I'm much more of a savory kinda guy. So how about this: parmesan beignets with an herbed whipped goat cheese filling. I've never tried beignets but I'm fairly proficient at frying (considering I never use a thermometer which I probably should start doing) so I can't imagine it being too difficult - I want the outside crispy and the inside soft and fluffy.

I also want to use Seelander, which is a rich and creamy and stinky swiss cheese, and my favorite. I'm not sure if this would be better as a gougere or beignet. I guess I'll just have to try both and find out.

And since I hate when you read someone's ramblings about something delicious and then you're left without the knowledge of how to make them, here's the recipe I use.

1 Cup milk (Some recipes say to use water or half water / half milk but I say use milk it comes out richer and fluffier)
1 Stick butter
1 Tsp salt
1 Cup Flour
3/4 Cup grated cheese: gruyere is the standard but you can use pretty much any cheese you like. If you're doing a softer cheese that you can't grate I'd use more like half a cup.
5 eggs at room temp (if they aren't don't worry about it, I never remember to warm them and I haven't had a problem yet)
Pinch of fresh ground pepper.

Preheat oven to 425F.
Start with a medium saucepan and bring the milk, butter, salt and pepper to a boil on a medium flame.
Add the flour, remove the pan from the heat and quickly stir in the flour with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula (I like the silicone spat because it doesn't stick and i find it easier when you get to mixing in the eggs.)
Place back on flame and drop the heat to low and stir/mix for about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and mix in the cheese.
Then start mixing in 4 of the eggs, one at a time, making sure that each one is completely encorporated before adding the next. (You can do it all at once, pulsing in a food processor, but I like the satisfaction of mixing it by hand, also I trust myself more than a machine.)

Grease 2 large baking sheets or line with parchment. And then pipe the dough into inch wide dollops onto the sheets separating each by 2 inches. You can use a pastry bag or just put the dough in a ziplock bag and snip one of the corners. You can also just use a small (1-1.5 inch) icecream scoop, but it can be hard to keep the dough from sticking.

Beat the last egg and brush it on each of the gougere. This will give them a nice golden shine once baked.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden.

Thats the basic recipe. From there you can feel free to experiment. You can throw any herbs or spices into the mix. You can sprinkle extra cheese on top before you bake. You can even add a 1/4 cup of sugar to the boiling milk and butter and then skip the cheese (or switch it with something like 1/3 cup fresh ricotta) and then you'll have sweet puffs that you can fill with whipped cream or cover with chocolate.

Your own immagination is your only limitation.

Enjoy.

Stroud Out.

*Photo borrowed from foodwishes.blogspot.com until I can take my own (please don't be mad)

Hot Sauce News.

2009-11-06T16:35:00.008-05:00

I made some hotsauce.
It's my best one yet, Chris can testify to that having eating about 2 medium/large bottles in less than 3 weeks.
Very delicious but also very hot, not for the timid.
I'll get a picture of it up here later.
Its based with carrots, oranges and habaneros.
I don't have a name yet.
But I do have a few bottles at home for sale.
Mostly big bottles - 20 bucks will get you over half a liter which is quite a lot of hotsauce, I also have one or two small bottles left.
So if you are interested, let me know. I can drop you off a bottle if you're in the metro boston area or if you're out of reach you can throw in a few extra bucks and I can ship it to you.

I'm hoping I can start selling these, and with that money make more sauce and hopefully snowball effect my way to an actual hotsauce company.

B. Out

Love | Cooking

2009-11-06T13:58:00.010-05:00

Its cold outside. Not so cold that I'm all grumpy and achy, just to the point that I'm gonna need a hat soon, and I really want to cook and cook and cook. There are dishes that I can just about taste on the tip of my tongue as I imagine them.

Red and green bell peppers sauteing with habaneros, jalapenos, garlic and onions. A sprinkle of salt. A grind of pepper. More salt. A quick swish and drizzle around the pan with the olive oil. Cooking it down just till the hab's start to smoke and tickle your throat.

Arborio rice toasting in duck fat. Shyly adding a splash of black truffle oil and a pinch of white truffle salt just to get that wonderful aroma going.

That perfect cheesy smell of gougeres as they rise.

I love it. I love it all. I love cooking. I love that satisfaction of being able to make food that is just awesome. And there are certain things I just cannot wait to make - such as Fire Chili and Many Mushroom Rizotto and Gougeres with cheddar, bacon and leeks.

But, as with any love, there is always complication.

The biggest problem is that I find that my motivation and enthusiasm to cook things goes flat if no one but me is going to eat. Cooking for my parents is great; I get a lot of joy cooking for them, especially after they cooked for me most of my life. It was truly their gourmandise[new favorite word] that taught me to cook and brought out the foodie within me. And I've always loved cooking with friends. Whether it's Indian/pan-Asian food at William's house in Concord or homemade pasta with mushroom sauce at Emily's or making a giant pot of chili with the roommates and we'll all eat it over the course of weeks or even months. Or every now and then I'll make a big batch of hot wings. It certainly isn't limited to that, but it all has its limitations, because, while I thoroughly enjoy all that... they aren't really my target audience.

I want someone I can cook for. Someone to seduce with my culinary creations. Someone to get impatient and hungry when she smells the aromas wafting through the kitchen. Someone to watch as her eyes light up with excitement when I give her the first taste of a sauce in progress. Someone to convince to try flavors and foods foreign to her palate. Someone to be both muse to bring inspiration and goddess to present the divine sacrifice to. Someone to make soup for when she's sick. Someone to indulge me when I fully dork out about food.

Basically I need a date. Cooking, as fun as it is, isn't as fun without a beautiful girl to cook for.

Back in September there was a girl I was supposed to cook for [As you can tell I did not get that opportunity. Long story short I was led on and then blown off, which I must admit still kinda hurts and I hate that I let things like that get to me.] But just as a result of that excitement I was able to think up a rather fantastic meal that some girl, at some point, will get to fully enjoy.

I know that with someone to cook for; inspiration can be plentiful - enthusiasm can be boundless - and motivation can be strong. Until that point... I'll certainly have things that I will want to make... but without someone; my inspiration may run dry - my enthusiasm will certainly have short limits - and my motivation will undoubtedly waver.

What thrills the tongue and fills the stomach cannot alone satisfy the heart.

Hot Sauce

2009-10-04T11:19:00.002-04:00

New hot sauce needs a name... "Think, think, think."

Stolen Pears and the Death of a Teapot

2009-09-17T14:21:00.010-04:00

So yesterday in my cleaning fervor, the Japanese teapot my dad gave me for my birthday 5 or 6 years ago crashed to the floor from the highest shelf in my room. The wooden box that held it disassembled its sides as if waiting to be put together for the first time. Upon lifting the top from the wreckage I found shards of what used to be a beautiful teacup, the pot's handle was a good 5 inches from where it should be, and the lid was chipped - and one cup, somehow, was completely unharmed as if to tell me not all hope is lost. The pot is fixable - just need heat resistant ceramic glue, but its still sad to see one of my birthday presents that I really loved meet such a fate.... alas.

Pears

Last night my roommate Chris and I walked up the street to get Chinese food at 1 in the morning and on the way attempted to raid this plum tree I had spotted a while ago and had been waiting to ripen... unfortunately all the plums were gone or dried up. I was pretty pissed off. I'd been thinking about those plums for months: ever since I had spotted the tree, and even more so recently. I thought they would be a nice addition to the cheese plate I had conceived to precede the fantastic meal I plan to make for my date... (if it ever happens).... and had I somehow missed the ripening window by a matter of a week or two.

As we continued on, we discovered a pear tree beaming with fruit. I acquired a bag from the Chinese food "restaurant" and on our way back we climbed up the wall and filled it up... Sure it was in someone's yard but you know what? I don't care. I've discovered that my town is riddled with fruit trees of all sorts and the ones in peoples' yards almost all go to waste. And so I have decided I'm not going to stand for that. The answer is apparently thievery - though I like to think of it as more of a Robin Hood sort of "Take from the negligent and give to the unwasteful". Admittedly my wealth dispersion system is a bit different and possibly broken.

Anyway - through a combination of diligent research and then giving up after finding an answer that seemed acceptable I have determined that these are Brough Bergamot pears.

They're pretty hard, so I thought they might be unripe, but they are delicious and so now all I can think of is what I want to do with them. My first thought was roast chicken and pears ala Christopher Walken. (see video)

Later (today) I thought to do another infusion and did a quick poling on Facebook to see what booze people thought I should use. While most have suggested vodka, I'm going to go with a white rum - I'm hoping the sweetnesses will play off of each other. This will get it's own post later.

And then I'm planning slicing some of these and serving them on my cheese plate... (which I will hopefully get to serve)

But acquiring the pears was certainly half the fun... perhaps there is more to come...

-B Out.

Methodless Mixology: Infusions (Part 1)

2009-09-14T12:26:00.001-04:00

I've taken to infusing booze; it's a lot of fun trying to see what flavors will work well together and how much of that they will impart unto the alcohol.

A result of my experiments is that I've been able to start the makings of a nice liquor ~~cabinet~~ shelf; which, if you've ever been to my house, you'll know is a very difficult thing to keep - thus the booze is in my room, where it is safe.

- My first infusion was Lemon/Basil vodka which I did a year ago. I went to Isreal on Birthright (best trip ever) and on the way back on the airplane I got a bottle of Absolut (my vodka of choice) for 13 bucks! Into this bottle went the best lemon I could find at the time, a tall stalk of very fresh basil, and one teaspoon of sugar, then the bottle itself was tucked away in my closet. Two weeks later and I had a masterpiece. It came out exactly as I had hoped, the vodka had taken on a fresh, citrusy, lemony base with a more subtle but very present taste and aroma of basil. The sugar was just enough to offset any sour or bitter elements, so all that was left was smoothness.

All I can say is that this was amazing, and I can't wait to do it again.

- My second attempt at infusing was just about month ago. There was tequila on sale at Shaws and I couldn't resist. I snagged a bottle of Sauza Blanco and ran home. For this infusion I went with Orange/Hibiscus. I bought dried hibiscus flowers at the Harvest market and by this point all I had used them for was when making yerba mate. [One time I made it and it came out citrusy and bright instead of its usual earthy tea flavor, I've tried that again and again and I have yet to figure out what I did differently that time because I can't seem to recreate it.] I also bought a Valencia orange (my favorite). I sliced the rind off the orange using a ceramic peeler, trying to get as little pith as possible, and put it [the rind] in a quart swingtop mason jar along with 2 dried hibiscus flowers. I poured in the tequila, sealed it up and then it was time to wait. After swirling the jar twice a day for a week I strained the tequila into a nice bottle.

Another success. The flavors weren't as distinct as the Lemon/Basil but G-d Damn this stuff is delicious. It's almost juicy. I've gotta think of some good cockail ideas for this.

- Third infusion: Back to vodka. This time? Chili/Lime. I snagged a bottle of 365 Organic Vodka at Blanchards. It came with a deal for $10 mail in rebate so I figured why not? (still waiting on that rebate though...) For this I struggled to find a good lime. I've decided it's just not an easy thing to find in Boston; not too many lime groves in this state. Also I've decided that Israel ruined me forever for limes. While I was there and we were walking around Haifa (where I am set on living some day if only for a while) I spotted a lime tree poking through a fence on top of a wall. I climbed the wall and snagged myself a lime. I swear this was the most amazing specimen of fruit I've ever encountered. Just picking it released a cloud of intoxicating smell. A dark, rich emerald rind encased the plump ripe citrus. The rind was thicker than normal, closer to that of a lemon. What I would have given to have had a lime half as good as that one. But, I worked with what I could get. Once again sliced off the rind, toasted two chilis and threw them in my mason jar with the vodka. Around a week later I poured it back in the 365 bottle (which conveniently is a swing top so I can use it over and over).

I have to admit I was a bit afraid to try this one. I wasn't sure what to expect. I took a shot. Spicy and rough! The vodka itself could have been run trough a britta once or twice. But the spicy and lime flavors were good. I made a vodka tonic and it was awesome. It's just slightly more limey that normal and you get just a hint of spice on the back of your throat as you drink.

So what's next?

I'd certainly like to do the Lemon/Basil again. And I may have to do something with the local ginger at the Copley Farmer's Market if they still have it. Maybe something with cocoa nibs... perhaps cardamom. It's all dependent on what booze I can get for cheap or what flavors I want to try.

Until then.

-B Out.

Methodless Mixology: Sangria

2009-09-13T15:29:00.000-04:00

So on August 20th we had a HappyHour event at Kitchen Arts. Showing off two of our new products: the Barmaid and the SodaStream. The barmaid is a tool that lets you rim glasses with sugar or salt for cocktails - it comes with plain kosher salt but they have various flavors you can choose from - Cocoaberry Sugar, Spicy Chili Salt and Sweet Mint Sugar are just a few of them. The SodaStream is much like a soda siphon but instead of having to use one small CO2 charger for each litre of soda it comes with one HUGE CO2 charger and two one-litre bottles that you fill with fresh water then screw into the machine. Press the button 3 or 4 times and you've got a bottle of club soda. There are also bottles of flavored syrups you can add to turn it into regular soda. Unfortunately it's all flavored with Splenda. How that was chosen as the better alternative to HF-Corn Syrup I'll never know. I guess it's good for the market who likes diet flavored drinks. At least I can drink it - unlike anything with Aspartame, my one food allergy: with a small amount my mouth feels weird, more and I get dizzy and a headache and too much and I get a nice big migraine

It was a great time. The people from the Lime Tree Cove who make the Barmaid were a lot of fun and a bunch of our friends came.

Anyway.

We had Margaritas, Mojitos and Sangria. I was in charge of making the sangria, which I'm proud to say was a pretty big hit.

This is my recipe, which makes about a gallon; hope anyone who finds it enjoys it while there's still summer.

You'll need:

1 Gallon sized container to put everything in. (I just used a big food grade plastic bucket then transferred some to a pitcher when serving)
4 or so very ripe oranges
3 lemons
3 limes
1 pint of orange juice
1/3 of a cup + 2 tablespoons of sugar.
1/2 pint of brandy
4-6 ounces of triplesec
1 litre tonic water
3 bottles of decent full bodied dry red wine.

Rioja is best but if you can't find any in your price range I would go with a Syrah or a Shiraz... I cannot stress enough that I feel very strongly you should not use Merlot. It isn't a snobbery thing, and has nothing to do with Paul Giammatti: I only bring it up because so many people use it or suggest it but I think this is just simply the wrong wine. Every time I've had sangria made with merlot it's been kind of sour and boring. Truly - feel free to use whatever you like, but I hope you'll just trust me on this one.

-Wash and slice the fruit in roughly 1/4 inch slices.
-Put all the slices in your container and cover with the sugar.
-Pour in the brandy and triplesec, stir it all together then cover and let sit for 1-2 hours.
-Stir in the orange juice, then add the wine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
-Stir in the tonic water just before serving.
-Serve over ice and drink with or without moderation, whichever is your personal policy, and depending on who's driving.

- B. Out

Methodless Mixology

2009-09-01T17:11:00.006-04:00

I suck at recipes. I can follow them if they are right there, but I never really remember specific amounts or measurements. I'm much more: fly by the seat of my pants, add what seems like it will work, in whatever amount looks right. And you know what? I'm good at it. No, scratch that. I'm fucking awesome at it. When it comes to cooking - if there's one thing I can honestly say I am excellent at, it is flavors. I am the fucking Meister of Flavors. But that is beside the point.

Part of why I suck at recipes is because most of the time I'm just not in the mood to follow one. I usually just want to make something that matches the craving on the tip of my tongue. So I just kinda throw things together until it seems right. This goes especially for drinks. I just eyeball everything or taste as I go if I'm really unsure. Thus Methodless Mixology. Recently I've been making more cocktails, and making them based on a combination of what I want it to taste like and how I want them to affect me.

In my head I've been giving these drinks stupid descriptions like what you see on Vitamin Water and similar products. For example: a drink that I mix with Yerba Mate will be Stimulate, or if it's mostly tonic water it's Refresh. Kinda lame, but it gets me thinking about how to describe things, which is something I really need to work on.

My idea for this segment on the blog is just to talk about anything related to mixed-drinks and catalogue whatever random drinks I come up with.

Stay tuned for my next post where I'll talk about my trials with infusions.

B out.

Homemade Bacon - an inbetween update.

2009-08-23T15:11:00.002-04:00

So... I made it.

In fact it's been over a year since I made it. Why didn't I post anything? I'm not sure. Up until recently I didn't have the motivation to post much of anything on this blog. Not that I didn't want to post things - I just wasn't in the mood to actually do it. But I'm trying to change that; at least write what I can - picture included or not. So I'll give you the rundown on the bacon I made last year.

I got two slabs of pork belly from Savenor's on Charles St. I ordered *pink* curing salt online. And I combined the two with kosher salt and for each slab a different flavoring. The first was going to be chipotle maple but I couldn't find chipotle powder. Instead I just used chili powder and maple syrup. The second slab was flavored with lots of black pepper and some liquid smoke seasoning - seeing as I don't actually own a smoker.

I double ziplock bagged each belly and let it sit for a week. Or was it two? Can't actually remember.

Afterwards I baked them in the oven for an hour or two (or more?) at a fairly low tempurature.

All of these processes were adapted from posts I had read on homemade bacon.

After the baking and then some frying... The results?

Pretty good. I didn't have any huge complaints except that they were a little too salty - didn't add enough sugar to balance I suppose. But it was certainly bacon so I was fairly proud.

I think I will try this again. Tweak things a bit. And I have learned my father possesses a smoker at his studio so maybe I'll bring them over there when it's time for the first cooking.

Become Friends With Cheese

2009-08-17T14:26:00.017-04:00

Facebook has progressed far beyond connecting college kids with new and old acquaintances, into one of the largest social and marketing networks in the world. Nowadays people can find their favorite local businesses and become fans and suggest that their friends do the same. In some cases it just gets the name of the shop out there, in others fans can receive updates on events, new products and even get exclusive discounts on merch and services.

Whether it's your favorite Pizzeria or Kitchen Supply Store or Bakery you can probably find it and friend it on Facebook.

The newest addition to this lineup? Cheese Shops. Across the country cheese shops are popping up on Facebook. And honestly, who doesn't love cheese? Whether it's Gouda, Gruyere, Petit Basque or Petit Billy almost everyone has at least one cheese they can't do without.

So I'm encouraging all of you to log onto Facebook, find your local Formaggerie, and Become Friends with Cheese.

Here's a few that I've found so far.

Boston Cheese Cellar
Boston, MA

The Cheese Shop (Wasik's)
Wellesley, MA

Newcastle Cheese Shop
Newcastle, CA

The Truffle Cheese Shop
Denver, CO

France 44 Cheese Shop
Minneapolis, MN

Old City Cheese Shop
Philadelphia, PA

Bedford Cheese Shop
Brooklyn, NY

Marion Street Cheese Market
Oak Park, IL

The Cheese Shop on Park
Winter Park, Florida

It's coming!

2008-07-25T17:31:00.001-04:00

Coming soon - the post you've all been waiting for:

Homemade Bacon!!!!!

I'm bad at updating but it's not all my fault.

2008-06-30T12:53:00.004-04:00

I swear to you if I had a camera I would update more. My phone camera really just doesn't cut it. I just can't get the words out without the picture.

There's a few meals I'll have to redo once I have some picture taking ability.
So once I have a camera here's some of what you'll have to look forward to:

- Israeli rosemary.

- Oreo cream puffs.

- Top loin and boneless rib-eye steaks with 5 pepper rub, green beans sauteed with garlic and red onions, and pepper-rosemary potatoes.

- Beer reviews.

- Cheese reviews.

- Hot sauce reviews.

- General kitchen tips.

Until then.

Stroud Out.

Dry-Rub Chicken

2008-04-23T10:41:00.002-04:00

So no pics but at least its an update.

The other day I was given the task of making dinner for my girlfriend and myself and it had to be kosher for Passover.

After going through every option we settled on chicken. Just chicken; because apparently us Ashkenazim can't eat rice or beans on Passover (though Sephardic Jews can). I only just learned this - I grew up learning that it was just leavened foods that were taboo for the 7 days and nights: bread, crackers, noodles, cereal, Cheetoes, etc. I decided that since the whole idea is about tradition, I'm not going to change mine - especially since I'm also supposedly not allowed to have beer... screw that. But enough about being a bad Jew ... on to the post.

So this isn't anything special, but it was damn tasty so I wanted to share.

1.5 Tbs Salt
1 Tbs Cumin
1 Tbs Paprika
2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
A pinch of Garlic Powder

Mix it all together and that was enough to cover about 2 pounds of boneless chicken breasts.

If you can't grill it then you can do what I did and sauté it in olive oil until there's no pink left inside.

A lot of the spices may stick to the pan with the olive oil so you can splash some water on and stir it all up add some lime juice and you've got a great sauce.

Hot Pepper Relish

2008-03-14T11:04:00.015-04:00

INGREDIENTS
15-20 cherry peppers
6-10 medium sized habañeros (depending on how hot you want it)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbs white vinegar
2 tbs brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt
boiling water (enough to cover peppers)

TOOLS
1 non-wood cutting board. (I've found that wood can hold on to and transfer oil from the peppers which can unexpectedly add quite a bit of heat to other foods)
1 very sharp non-serrated kitchen knife.
1 small (1-2 quart) sauce pan
Tupperware or Canning containers to fit least 1.5 pints (3 cups)

Makes around 3 cups

This was an experiment that thankfully turned out great. I wasn't sure how to go about processing the peppers into relish but after reading half a dozen or so pepper relish recipes I got the general idea of what to do.

For this recipe I decided to use cherry peppers and orange habañeros. These days you can usually find a variety of imported hot peppers, including the aforementioned, at your local supermarket. The Shaws in the Back Bay tends to have a good selection and almost always a full bin of habañeros or scotch bonnets; plus they are open 24/7 for all you late night chili-heads.

The cherry pepper is a nice bright to deep red: looking like an over sized cherry, typically around 2 inches in diameter. It shares some of the same sweetness as the sweet red bell pepper but it's got a nice little bit of heat.

The habañero comes in green, yellow, orange and red as well as mixes of those and shades in between. It is usually around 2 inches long but can vary. The habañero comes to a point at the end; unlike it's Caribbean cousin the Scotch Bonnet which has more of a stout/squished look. The habañero is a very hot pepper with a fruity aroma.

Cutting and seeding the peppers.

Taking Caution
When cutting into peppers I recommend you use the sharpest non-serrated knife you own - the reason being that a knife that can't smoothly cut through the skin of the pepper, will tear and squeeze the pepper which can cause squirting, and you don't want that getting on your face. Furthermore - I cannot stress enough that you should WEAR GLOVES when cutting peppers because the last thing you want is to unthinkingly rub your eye with capsaicin (the chemical in the pepper that makes it spicy and burn) from any hot pepper - let alone a habañero.

Seeding
For the cherry peppers most of the seeds are located on a kind of bud inside the pepper - attached to the top. I usually cut a circle around the top of the pepper and pull the bud out by the stem (like removing the top of a pumpkin). Then under cool running water I scrape out any leftover seeds and white membrane. The water minimizes any capsicum being released into the air. DO NOT use hot water because it seems to activate the capsicum more and you basically get pepper-spray steam.

The habañeros have the seeds more spread out in the pod so I slice off the top of the pepper then split it lengthwise and scrape off the seeds and white membrane once again under cool water.

-Cut the peppers into thin strips then mince them; cutting the cherry peppers into centimeter long pieces and the habañeros into much smaller bits for better distribution.

-Place the cut peppers in a heat proof bowl and pour in the boiling water until it covers the peppers. Cover and let stand 10 minutes then drain. This removes any excess oils in the peppers.

-Pour the vinegar into the saucepan and place on medium/high heat until it comes to a boil.

-Add the sugar - stir till dissolved then add peppers.

-When it comes to a boil reduce the heat to low and add the salt.

-Stirring constantly let simmer for 20-30 minutes or until about a quarter to a third of the liquid is gone and the peppers are softened.

-Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.

-Pour into your container (using a funnel if necessary). If your container is glass you should first heat it by running it under hot water to prevent heat shock which might crack it.

-Refrigerate. Once again if your container is glass I would let it cool down, on the counter, until it is cool enough to handle - this is so the cold shock doesn't crack the glass.

And there you have it: you're very own hot pepper relish. You can put it on hot dogs , eggs, tacos - my friend Chris even put it on cake.

I'm not sure how long it will last but my experience with peppers tells me that since it's cooked and with vinegar and salt as natural preservatives, it should last quite a while in the fridge.

Stroud out.

In the beginning there was Knockwurst

2008-03-09T21:02:00.004-04:00

So I was hoping my first post would have a little tidbit about bacon and something about "The Beast" which I'll tell you now is my knife. Unfortunately I can't get a good photograph of it right now so that will have to be another post. Also seeing as this is my first post I'm not really sure how i want to structure this blog so I wont feel bad about rambling on and on: as a result you'll just have to bear with me.

I work at The Boston Cheese Cellar, in Roslindale Village in Boston MA, which is the greatest cheese shop in all the land... well, we're at least working towards it. I got the job because my friend Nick's parents opened it at the end of 2006 and said "Hey Ben is awesome (and broke); let's get him to work for us!" Except some of those statements may have been falsified. Anyway. Yesterday Nick and his dad made a trip to Karl's Sausage Kitchen in Saugus: I couldn't go but I was at least brought 4 beautiful knockwurst(s) [I'm not quite sure how to pluralize the word].

I didn't have the knockwurst last night because I had the apartment to myself and my girlfriend was away which meant it was my annual "Garlic chili steak and bottle of pinot grigio Batman Begins night. " I know what you might be thinking "steak with white wine? a whole bottle? Batman is awesome!" And yes to all. If the steak is spicy enough it goes great with the sweetness of the wine, and it's the only wine I can drink a whole bottle of and nothing makes Batman Begins more fun to watch than a whole bottle of wine. Anyway, a full post about all that another time.

Back to the post at hand. I decided if I was going to do these amazing knockwurst any justice, I'd have to cook them in at least a remotely German way. I picked up a large bottle of beer and some brussel sprouts.. now i know i should have used peppers and apples and sauerkraut but I wasn't in the mood for the sour and sweetness and I'm in the midst of a brussel sprouts kick.

For the beer I used Hennepin from the Ommegang brewry in New York. I know this is a Belgian style beer but it was the best choice considering i had to get it from the market, because all the liqour stores in Massachusetts close at 6pm on Sunday because it's a damn puritan state that doesn't want me to have my booze.

To the point.

I pulled out my trusty cast iron skillet (a nice 12 incher) and put it on medium-high heat. Once it was heated up I added about 1 tablespoon of butter, melted it to coat the pan and threw on 2 knockwurst.

While that was going I washed the sprouts, pulling off the outermost leaves, and cut them into quarters.

Once the knockwurst were nicely browned on the sides I melted 2 more tablespoons of butter in the pan and threw in the quartered sprouts and sauteed them, adding a couple pinches of salt, until then were browned a bit.

Then came the fun part: I opened up the beer and poured it into the pan until it was up to about a half an inch, threw on a cover and poured myself a glass.

About 10 minutes later, plus plating, I had this:

The knockwurst was fantastic and the sprouts were amazing. The only thing I might have changed was cooking it for a little longer. Maybe 3 more minutes browning the knockwurst and 5 more cooking in the beer, but that aside it was a perfect meal. And that's all I have to say about that.

Stroud Out.