FlavBlog

My mom, who’s a very good gift giver…sends Robin and I creative and high quality care packages 2 times per year.  Once on St. Nick’s day (Dec 6th), in honor of a tradition we established as youngsters living in Germany, the other time on Valentine’s Day, because it was a family tradition to her when she was young.  This year, on these two occasions my mother sent us gifts that were quite interesting, so I thought it’d be fun to share them.  She termed them the “The Mystery Gift“.  They are an item that we have to guess what they are used for after we open it.  The pictures of them are below.  Can you guess what they are?  The only hint is that they are both used in the kitchen.

Mystery Item #1

The first item may be more recognizable to many of you.  This second item took us substantially longer to figure out what it what used for.  We searched up and down the web, and eventually we came across the answer.

Mystery Item #2

After a few weeks I’ll post the answer below here in white, and you can simply highlight over it to find out what these kitchen tools are used for.  Robin and I always think we know of every kitchen gadget out there, but these 2 items will certainly come in handy. Good luck.

Answers Below (just highlight over them with your cursor, click on link if you want more detail):

Mystery Item #1: Gnocchi Board

Mystery Item #2: Turkey Lacer

This is a summation of our Taco week with Mark Miller’s “Taco” book. A few basic things to get out of the way first: 1) We needed many ingredients that were not at a standard grocery store, but a specialty Hispanic food store.  2) The tacos require several steps prior to sauteing, sometimes roasting the pepper to peel, multiple items to chop, dice, or julienne, smoking spices,  or squeezing limes or lemons. 3) The actually cooking time is short and so is the eating, since they are small and you basically just pound them down one after another. It was hard not to prevent yourself from popping them into your mouth with only a two large bites. Typically, we take 30-40 minutes to eat each night, but during the taco week we consumed them quickly.  We tried to hit all areas of taco filing, including, egg, vegetable, poultry, fish, and red meat. However, we had to drop one of the chicken tacos because we couldn’t locate nopales. Overall, Miller’s “Taco” book is fantastic and offers a wide variety of options to the traditional American taco!

1st Taco: “Bacon and Egg with Red Chile and Honey”  with the “Tomatillo-Avocado Sauce” for Sunday breakfast. The bacon caramelizes with the honey and red chile powder and sit on a bed of fluffy puffed eggs. It is topped with julienne strips of roast red pepper, chopped cilantro and the chilled tomatillo-avocado sauce. A critique on myself, I could have cooked the bacon a little longer, because it did not provide the crunchy texture contrast that was expected. The key to this taco is the accompaniment, otherwise it would have been similar to something I have previously created. With fresh tomatillos and a perfectly ripe avocado it steps up the average breakfast taco. On a Scale of 1-10, it gets a 6.5.

2nd Taco: “Squash Blossoms with Green Chiles and Cheese” with Tomatillo-Avocado Sauce.” The chilies in the recipe included poblano, jalepeno, serrano, and green. Two of them required the seeds left in which gives the dish a bit of heat. This filling is not for the spice sensitive. A couple of years ago, I discovered the squash blossoms at the farmer’s market and would stuff them with various cheese and herb mixtures. But, this recipe intrigued me because they become part of the taco filling. Epazote was an ingredient, I had never used or heard. According to the source it decreases flatulence after a rough meal. Perhaps this ingredient should be used more in bean dishes!  Unfortunately, I could only locate it dehydrated, but it has an interesting scent. The fresh herbs added to the dish were marjoram, basil, and cilantro. Marjoram created perfume fragrance that dominated the smell and taste of the filling. I found it a bit harsh, so I would reduce the amount of marjoram next time. The filling had beautiful hues of yellow and green with speckles of white from the chile seeds and graded queso Oaxaca. The tomatillo-avocado sauce dripped out onto our fingers as we gobbled up the delicious vegetarian tacos. The yellow squash provided enough substance to a non-meat meal. Scale of 1-10, it gets a 9.

3rd Taco: “Seared Tuna Taco with Roast Pineapple and Habanera Pepper Sauce.” For this we used the fresh albacore tuna, we previously mentioned (plug in previous post). The tuna was sliced into 1/2 inch sections and then rubbed with a dry mixture of red chile powder. It is quickly seared on both sides. The pineapple rings were caramelized on a low stove temperature and then mixed with the lime juice, roasted habanera and fresh coriander. Since this taco contained the hottest known pepper to man-the Habanera, we fully expected it give a kick in them mouth. But, the caramelized pineapple  toned down the heat from the  pepper. While this taco was good because of fresh ingredients, it scored the lowest because of our execution-we overcooked the tuna and could have carmelized the pineapple more. Scale of 1-10, it gets a 6.

4th Taco: “Classic Ground Beef with Guajillo Chile with Salsa Fresca.” What I love about this classic taco is no use of a taco seasoning package. What the hell is in that, anyway? This is what a standard taco should taste like. We used our Kitchen Aid mixer to grind the beef shoulder and cooked until brown. Then, you added the re-hydrated Guajillo chiles, tomatoes, and white onion and create a stew-like texture. There were a couple other red chiles used and some of the mexican oregano. The freshest ingredients of the Salsa Fresca are necessary-heirloom tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, lime juice- to make the best topper. Combining all the ingredients makes for the best beef taco. Scale of 1-10, it gets a 8.

5th Taco: ” Chicken with Chorizo”. This taco turned out to be one of the easier tacos to prepare using only a blender and one pan, and also one the most delicious from the book. These tacos contain a green marinade which balances the red chile in the chorizo. We served them with the queso fresco, and you can also garnish them with quail eggs sunny side up. We have included the recipe (adapted) below. Scale of 1-10, it gets a 9:

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 poblano chile

1 jalapeno

1 bunch fresh cilantro

2 gloves garlic

1 teaspoon green chile powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted and ground

1/2 teaspoon coriander seed, toasted and grounf

1/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, toasted and ground

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley

1 nuch green onions, root ends trimmed and cut into large pieces

1 1/4 lbs of chicken breast (we used de-boned thighs as we feel like they have more flavor), cut into 1/2 strips

6oz Mexican pork chorizo bulk or links

1 tablespoon veg oil

1/2 white onion

8 crispy yellow corn tortilla shells (we used Don Pancho corn tortillas)

In a blender, place the water, lime juice, chiles, garlic, cilantro, green chile powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, salt, parsley, and green onions and puree until smooth. In a bowl pour the marinade over the chicken strips. Let set for 1-3 hrs. If in links remove the skin from the chorizo and break it up, and in a large skillet over med. heat saute the onion until carmelized about 4-6 minutes.

Add the chorizo to the onion and cook, stirring until the sausage is cooked through, around 8 minutes. Remove the sausage pan from the pan and set aside, leave the fat in the pan. Remove the marinated chicken strips and drain off the excess liquid. In the same pan as the chorizo was cooked, saute the chicken, turning once or twice, until the chicken is a light golden color and cooked, around 9 minutes. Remove from the heat or keep warm until ready to serve and stir back in the chorizo/onion mixture.

To serve, divide the filling between the warmed tortillas, top with queso fresco, and Salsa Fresca, then serve. We ate these tacos Hair of the Dog, Blue Dot, Imperial IPA. A hoppy, piney, citrus-like beer which balances the spicy attack on the palette.

I enjoy good beer, the only thing left for me to do is to make it myself (something I’m in serious discussion/thought about doing). By beer I don’t mean the absolute crap, that the politicians in D.C. suck down in the name of votes, I’m referring to beer that has complex flavor, that says life is good, that is usually not mass produced, that can give you a headache after one glass, and that uses a careful selection of ingredients.  This summer is no different because I’ve been tasting some outstanding beer.  I thought it was only appropriate to do a gigante post on some adventures around beer that I’ve enjoyed this summer. This includes travels that had a beer adventure, a great book on beer I read, a festival I attended, and a recipe we made involving brew.

I’d like to start with a book I read after a recommendation by Seed Magazine called Froth: The Science of Beer. I actually picked up a copy on our recent “food rampage” trip to Portland (link via Dawn and Eric, Wright Eats) which of course always includes an hour or more in Powell’s City of Books.  Mark Denny writes for all types of readers because he puts the more difficult math and science it at the end of the chapter so people can skim or skip it if they aren’t into math.  He talks about where the bubbles in beer come from, how they move about the glass, and why different types of beer have their various characteristics.   He dives into the history and advances in beer making, not forgetting to describe in depth how and why America has 3-4 major “macro-breweries” that manufacture what he basically calls excrement.  Upon reading this book, I learned quite a bit about the whole process for the microbrew and the homebrewer.  I have a totally new appreciation for how vital the strain of yeast is in making a quality beer.  By weaving in the science  I now feel like I really understand how beer is constructed like through a trial an error process, how it gets its amazingly divergent flavor profile, and the beauty of the variety in hops and malt selection.

Here are a few of the beers that I’ve recently tasted and enjoyed:

Dog Fish Head Palo Santo Marron: ABV 12% | Dog Fish

This is beer is a very serious brown ale aged in handmade wooden brewing barrels. The casks are made from Paraguayan Palo Santo wood.   Palo Santo means “holy tree” and this wood has been used in many South American wine-making communities.  The pour was all coffee and caramel-like in the glass.  The head doesn’t stay around very long, but there is a bit of it left around the edge of the glass after it falls.  This beer was very smokey on the initial smell, with a rum like quality that made me think of a Captain Morgan being poured.  The taste profile was quite different from a standard brown ale…it was much more complex with dark fruit (maybe even a little fig), coco, and some definite smoked wood flavor.  The mouthfeel wasn’t its strongest suit because it seemed a bit more watery than one would expect for all the complexity of the taste.  The mouthfeel would not deter me from absolutely recommending it however.  You will notice that it has very high alcohol content (12% ABV) so  it is a sipping beer for sure.  I’d like to try another one on a rainy day in fall when this darker stuff is more typical of what I drink during that season.

Double Wide India Pale Ale: ABV 8.5% | Boulevard Brewing Co.

I used to drink Boulevard beers (Kansas City, MO) back when I lived in Nebraska.  It was one of the few decent local micros on tap in many of dingy bars I hung out in as a poor Ph.D student.  However, back then Boulevard was mostly known for their Boulevard Wheat beer, which is very popular in that area and served with lemon.  So when I noticed the Double Wide IPA on the shelf I was nearly in shock that they made such a potent brew.  To be frank, I wasn’t expecting the pungent-like qualities of the Northwest IPA I enjoy regularly out here in Seattle.  This beer poured like a champagne.  It has a monster head with larger bubbles and even by pouring slowly it didn’t stop it from showing itself (see pic).  This IPA is pretty hoppy and zingy with more lemon citrus than orange or lime flavors and it is also fuller texture than some NW IPAs.  They also have a Single Wide IPA which I just picked up today and will be curious to see how Boulevard’s standard IPA tastes.

Portland Beer Festival: Portland, OR

While down in Portland four of us stopped by the Beer Festival (July 17-19) in the Pearl district in downtown PDX.  It was 20 bucks a head including a 4oz free taster glass and 20 beer tickets which typically average about 1 dollar each.  Some beer tastings are 1 ticket, others can be up to 8.  The festival was very well organized and had one side dedicated to draft choices, the other for beers out of the bottle (including aged Belgian Ales, etc).  The highlight at the festival was the beer that we all pooled our tickets together to taste called the DeuS (Brut Methode Champagnoise).  This beer was being called “epic” by the festival organizers so we had to wait in the long line to taste it but it did not disappoint.  It is one of the more fascinatingly complex beers I’ve ever tasted.  The Deus is brewed by Bosteels Brewery, it is then shipped to the Champagne region of France to undergo the full Methode Champenoise (one of two in the world that does so) which really makes this brew special.  The taste was uncharacteristic of many belgian brews.  We all agreed that it had some major flavor components that stood out (and this is a simplification to be fair):  Mr Clean pine cleaner, JagerMeister, Sprite, syrup.  So this isn’t really a beer you drink with a brat or slab of ribs.  This is for sippin’.  I’ve never seen it in any of the beer shops, but it allegedly sells for between 40-60 a bottle.

Powerhouse Brewery | Puyallup Washington.

We stopped in recently for a bite to eat and to taste few of their beers.  I was quite impressed on a number of counts.  First of all the building was refinished from an old railroad powerhouse right smack in the middle of Puyallup’s downtown.  It is a tiny place inside and doesn’t appear to seat that many people, but it has a unique “power” theme throughout.  The beers I tried were all above average.  The Summer Seasonal ale was a little hopped and had a nice bitterness that many summer ales lack in my opinion.  Robin had a nice Belgian White, that wasn’t as sweet as they usually are, but still had a nice balance of malt and hops.  The 4 Alarm Nitro Stout was outstanding with a rich texture as typical from a nitro but it carried nice coffee flavors, tobacco, and dark chocolate.  The IPA was traditional for the northwest, but well crafted with quite of bit of citrus zing and yet not overloaded bitter hop taste.  The food is as typical for a brewpub, well below our standards.

Finally, a beer themed dessert recipe that we recently enjoyed.  It started with a bottle of SteelHead Scotch Porter (ABV 6%, Mad River Brewing).  This beer has a dark and roasted malt flavor.  It also has a wonderful nuttiness and a hint of chocolate.  We imagined it would go perfectly with cherries in a cherry porter ice cream after being inspired by some food blogs and Boundry Bay Brewery in Bellingham Washington who serves Cherry-porter ice cream from time-to-time.  The recipe was adapted from David Lebovitz’s vanilla version. We also accompanied the ice cream with a Cherry Frangipane Galette (via Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook)

Cherry Porter Ice Cream

1 cup (250ml) whole milk

A pinch of salt

3/4 cup (150g) sugar

2 cups (500ml) heavy cream

5 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (if you want)

1 cup pitted, halved Bing cherries

1/2 cup  of nice rich Porter

1/4 cup corn syrup

1. Heat cherries, Porter and corn syrup in a heavy bottomed sauce pan until reduced by about a quarter. Set aside to cool.

2. To make the ice cream, set up an ice bath by placing a 2-quart (2l) bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice and water. Set a strainer over the top of the smaller bowl and pour the cream into the bowl.

3. Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan until sugar is dissolves, then set aside.

4. In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks. Rewarm the milk then gradually pour some of the milk into the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Scrape the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan.

4. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.

5. Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Stir over the ice until cool, add the vanilla extract, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly. Preferably overnight.

6. Freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Then fold-in the Cherry Porter mixture carefully with a spatula by hand.

The ice cream tastes roasted and nutty with a hint of tartness from the cherries, and a rounded cream texture.

Cherry Porter Ice Cream with a slice of Cherry-Frangipane Galette