FlavBlog

We usually make several different types of burgers during the summertime.  I like being outside during the warmer sunny evenings at the grill with a brew in hand and it is easy to prep with fresh ingredients and a salad on the side especially after a long day of work, or weekend day out and about.  After hearing via Twitter (follow Kristin Thompson on Twitter here) that SeaBreeze Farm was going to be offering up some of their beef at the Wallingford Farmer’s Market we were both pretty excited.  We’ve been eating and enjoying a variety of things from SeaBreeze farm for a few years now including  their milk, whole chickens, toulous sausages, terrines and smoked meats (Jamon Fume this past weekend was awesome!).  Knowing that their beef supply was likely to be limited Robin headed over on Wednesday evening (the Market is open from 3-7pm) to pick up some beef along with a few other items to make some fresh burgers.

As I’ve mentioned previously we usually make our burger’s using a variation of Jamie Oliver’s Botham Burger, which we think rivals pretty much any burger recipe out there since the recipe still preserves the natural meat flavors that make a grilled burger so delicious yet it adds a nice kick with the coriander and cumin.  We usually grind the meat fresh, although this time SeaBreeze did that for us. During the patty-making we noticed a few interesting things regarding the ground beef.  One, the deep dark color of the meat.  This meat had no trace of the red color you are accustomed to using, this ground beef was a milk chocolate color with flecks of white fat textured evenly throughout.  [Unfortunately we didn’t get the name of cut of meat that was used to prep this 1lb slab of ground beef, but its was beautifully different than the any of the organic or grass fed beef shoulder we buy from A and J, Whole Foods, or other sources].  Also I should note the texture of meat was quite dense, almost like ground buffalo meat (which we also tend to really enjoy).  We mixed the burger ingredients (2 chopped red onions, 1 tsp dijon, handful of bread crumbs,  1 tbsp crushed coriander, a pinch of crushed cumin seed, salt and fresh black pepper), with some chopped up chunks of Seabreeze bacon to add a bit of smokey saltiness to the burger.  I noted, we did NOT add any egg, something we usually do, and forgot for some reason.  Nevertheless the patties held together perfectly on the grill!

I grilled them to Medium-Medium Rare (anything longer is disrespectful to both the farmer and the cow, in my view)…and we served them on grilled buns from Macrina, with a a slice of heirloom tomato, lettuce, and some shavings of smoked provolone from Estrella Family Creamery.  Robin made some purple potato salad (c/o Olson Farm’s potatoes), and I prepared a cheesy onion gratin using some local (the stand’s name passes my memory) red spring onions.  This LOCAL burger was right up my alley.  It contained all the flavors that I love about grilled food, but in a focused intense manner.  First of all, the addition of SeaBreeze bacon to the burger mix added a great saltiness and potent smokiness that complimented the earthy, herbal, rustic meat  flavor perfectly.  In spite of the fact that we added to and enhanced the burger recipe by adding other spices/flavors we were absolutely shocked at how different the flavor and texture of the burger was as compared to other burger’s we’ve made recently.  This meat is pure, in that it has the land pressed right into it, and you can honestly taste and feel that difference.  We’ll definitely be buying more beef from SeaBreeze in the near future, as it is available.  I’d love to try some other cuts of meat, as I’d imagine one would get an even more organic flavor profile from a grilled steak from this farm that continues to deliver the goods.

SeaBreeze Farm

Vashon Island, WA, USA

206.567.GOAT (4628)

boucherie@seabreezefarm.net

Twitter:@seabreezefarm

I used his pasta recipe (2 ½ cups of flour with 3 eggs), which required an additional egg than I  usually use for pasta. I found the dough dry and flaky, so I added a little extra virgin olive oil and water. After 30 minutes refrigerator rest time, Michael and I cranked it through the pasta maker to number 8. We ended up with seven long flat sheets of pasta. Carefully, we placed approximately 2 teaspoons of the ravioli mixture on half of the pasta sheets, brushed with water around the corners and then folded the other half of the pasta. Next, with our handy square ravioli stamp, we punched out the delicious pockets of ravioli. One quickly learns what too much and too little ravioli mixture is (too much-ravioli does not seal properly, too little-air pockets with mixture). We had a few ravioli with too little or too much filling of course! In a pot of boiling salted water, I cautiously put the ravioli in for 3-4 minutes; the last thing we want is a burn from the boiling water (Michael can tell you more about that , ). At this point, I gently took them out with a mesh strainer spoon and added them to a saucepan with melted butter. I sautéed the ravioli for a couple of minute to just soak up some of the butter. We plated them and topped with extra pecorino cheese and fresh cut mint. We served the ravioli with some blackened Copper River Sockeye Salmon (Incidentally, we took a gander at the Copper River when we were in Alaska last summer, a spectacular backdrop below the Wrangell Mountains!). Michael blackened the salmon with a mixture of golden brown sugar, salt, tarragon, and black pepper. It is easy to do and only takes a few minutes a side on a grill pan indoors.

On a recent sunny Sunday, we set out to make ravioli for the second time because the first time was a failure with ravioli that was too thick, gummy, and inconsistent. After a recent visit, my sister-in-law gifted us a couple ravioli stamps because she recognized our new interest in hand making pasta.  Picking the recipe proved easy. Knowing that Jamie Oliver receives high marks for quality, freshness, and an organic creativity for his recipes in our opinion, we selected an easy mixture of potato, pecorino, lemon zest, nutmeg, and fresh mint from his 2007 book, Cook with Jamie (which we picked up @Powell’s Home and Garden in PDX, for 12 bucks). Jamie has never really steered us wrong.

I used his pasta recipe (2 ½ cups of flour with 3 eggs), which required an additional egg than I  usually use for pasta. I found the dough dry and flaky, so I added a little extra virgin olive oil and water. After 30 minutes refrigerator rest time, Michael and I cranked it through the pasta maker to number 8. We ended up with seven long flat sheets of pasta. Carefully, we placed approximately 2 teaspoons of the ravioli mixture on half of the pasta sheets, brushed with water around the corners and then folded the other half of the pasta. Next, with our handy square ravioli stamp, we punched out the delicious pockets of ravioli. One quickly learns what too much and too little ravioli mixture is (too much-ravioli does not seal properly, too little-air pockets with mixture). We had a few ravioli with too little or too much filling of course! In a pot of boiling salted water, I cautiously put the ravioli in for 3-4 minutes; the last thing we want is a burn from the boiling water (Michael can tell you more about that , ). At this point, I gently took them out with a mesh strainer spoon and added them to a saucepan with melted butter. I sautéed the ravioli for a couple of minute to just soak up some of the butter. We plated them and topped with extra pecorino cheese and fresh cut mint. We served the ravioli with some blackened Copper River Sockeye Salmon (Incidentally, we took a gander at the Copper River when we were in Alaska last summer, a spectacular backdrop below the Wrangell Mountains!). Michael blackened the salmon with a mixture of golden brown sugar, salt, tarragon, and black pepper. It is easy to do and only takes a few minutes a side on a grill pan indoors.

On to the taste test, from the fruits of our labor: the flavors of mint and lemon burst in your mouth regardless of the size of the bite. The potato created a creamy texture that held up to the flour pasta, not too heavy or thick.  In contrast to the last time, our ravioli’s had the right texture, in that they weren’t too thick, and yet they had some density to them. The caramelized salmon fillet took on another sweetness that was paired well with the refreshing nature of the mint and lemon in the ravioli. Michael selected a sparkling rose’ (Pinot Noir from Deutschland, Weingut Leo Hillinger. Leo SECCO 2007, $19.99 from Vino Verite, a local Capitol Wine Shop). The nose produced smells of strawberry and citrus zest, and in the mouth it had a nice strawberry tartness. Our second ravioli attempt did not disappoint.  Thanks Megan for the ravioli stampers!  We look forward to making more this summer, and of course stuffing them this fall.

When late spring/summer rolls around, I am usually tired of gulping down pints of rich creamy stout, dark roasted porters, and even brown ales to some degree.  The heavy character of those beers I love, but when the weather gets warmer (especially like recently), my body tells me these aren’t refreshing drinks in any sense….so  I usually switch over, almost exclusively to IPAs, Pilsners, and Belgian ales.  This past week, I had two IPAs which I thought were worth mentioning, even to those of you that can’t tackle (understandably so in many cases) the bitterness, or sharp bite of modern American-style, India Pale Ale.

Mojo IPA:  ABV 7% |  Boulder Beer

This beer comes from Boulder Colorado’s Boulder Beer, Colorado’s first microbrewery, and they make some other beers many of you are familiar with like Hazed and Confused, and Sundance Amber.

I served it in a royal imperial pint glass (#562), and poured it off slowly.  The beer isn’t as thick in appearance as some other American IPAs, instead it yields a more clear orange/goldish color.  The smell of the beer was what I really enjoyed because it delivers the classic citrus, lemon/orange zest, but this also had some nice floral aspect and a butterscotch sweetness.  The beer tasted different than many IPAs in this style for several reasons.  For one, the malt is more balanced in this beer, and so one doesn’t get that intense bitterness, instead you’ll find a buttery sweetness that is well balanced against the hops.  The texture /mouthfeel is smooth, and you get the sweetness at the front end with some citrus acid at the very end, but not a lot of harshness (as much as I like that sort of thing, see below).  I think this beer would be outstanding with most grilled food.  I had it with one of Jamie Oliver’s “Botham Burgers” which we make frequently during the summertime because we freshly grind the 50-50 beef pork shoulder, mix it with cumin/corriander, mustard, and the result is a fat flavorful patty with a fluffy texture.  This beer is a “drinkable” IPA in every sense!

Pike Double IPA:  ABV 8% | Pike Place Brewery

This beer comes as a special from Pike Place brewing (Seattle, WA) as it was made to  celebrate Seattle Beer week, in early May.  It is the very first Double IPA designate from Pike Brewery.  A double IPA (also sometimes termed an Imperial IPA) usually has a larger amount of hops and malt and is typically >7% ABV, with higher IBUs international bitterness units (usually above 60), in short a scientific way to measure acidity.

This beer, is definitely less approachable for some palettes given the intense hoppiness, and bitter flavors it brings.   The beer pours much darker than some, but the mouthfeel wasn’t as thick, and the head was lacking in depth, as it faded quicker than most.  This beer, in contrast to the Mojo, is much more classic northwest IPA, with an immediate bitterness in the mouth, and large amounts of citrus flavors, acidity coming through.  I was even tasting a nice lime character, which isn’t as common as the orange citrus flavor of most in this style.  There are also subtle hints of pine.  This beer lacks any extra sweetness except a tiny bit to balance; this DIPA it is so dry in fact, some may want to sip water alongside it.  To me, this is one of the better constructed, Pike Place beers I’ve had as of late.  I was truly impressed with how rustic and robust the hop flavors were.  It is pure to form for a “hop-head.”  I’d recommend this to anyone who loves a modern large bite in their IPA.

I have a few more new beers to try this week that are chillin’ in the fridge.  A Trade Route (formerly Laughing Buddha, now changed their name due to copyright) Infidel IPA (brewed with kaffir lime leaves), and a Belgian Ale Maredsous.  If they are worth sharing, I’ll post.   Cheers!