Last Crumb

Beer bread isn’t really the first thing I might think of making. In fact, as I was mixing up a batch last night I wondered what I was doing baking bread when we had two loaves in the bread basket and 8 grocery bags of apples and pears that need preserving (please post your favorite recipes to the forum!)

But the folks over at A Year in Bread had posted a recipe a couple of weeks ago, and last night we opened Andy’s latest batch of beer. It wasn’t the best beer he’s made. A bit thin, a bit one-note, with too many molasses overtones. Certainly drinkable, but “what else can you do with beer,” Andy asked. And I knew.

I mixed together flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Stirred in some of the beer. Added handfuls of raisins and walnuts and put it in the oven. The whole thing took less than 5 minutes, not including the baking time. And in the morning, we had this fresh, moist loaf of raisin-walnut bread. It’s perfect with a big slab of fresh butter.

Raisin-Walnut Beer Bread

• 3 cups flour (use any combination you like)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbs baking powder
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups beer (more as needed to achieve a thick but pourable dough)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 375. Combine flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Pour in beer and stir until just combined. Fold in raisins and walnuts.

2. Pour batter into a well buttered loaf pan and bake about 45 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let rest for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Note: Feel free to experiment with other flavors – herbs, cheeses, nuts – this recipe is very flexible.

Posted by: Rose on September 11th, 2007 © Filed under: Baking, Bread | 2 Comments »

Several months ago I had to drop off some equipment at a colleague’s house not far from where I live in Long Beach. It was late in the afternoon when I arrived, and after transferring the goods into my co-worker’s truck, he and his wife invited me to join them on their poolside patio for a glass of wine. I had a funeral I was supposed to be getting dressed for, but I couldn’t turn down an offer like that. Once inside Tom’s kitchen he asked me if I would like red wine or some vermouth on the rocks. He informed me that his family is of French descent and that they always drink vermouth on the rocks. He also let me know that the last time he was over there in the old country visiting his family he had made a habit out of drinking the stuff as well.

I politely declined the vermouth and opted for the red wine.

Since that day I’ve been asking myself why I didn’t go for the vermouth. Was it because I like to stick to the tried and true, or was it because I’d been brain washed by our “vermouth=the devil” cocktail culture. I’ve always heard vermouth referred to like a toxic substance or something to be used so sparingly in drinks that one could hardly taste it. Why would I want to drink a whole glass of something like that, and what is it anyway?

Turns out vermouth isn’t so scary after all, and is actually quite drinkable once you open your mind to it. The sweet (and original) version of vermouth is an aromatized wine which was developed by an Italian named Antonio Benedetto Carpano in the late 1700’s. It was named after the word “wermut”, which in modern German means both vermouth and wormwood. Sweet vermouth was originally produced by infusing any number of herbs and botanicals in a fortified white wine and adding sugar to sweeten it up and counteract the bitter flavor.

Not long after sweet vermouth came along, dry vermouth followed. It was invented by the French about 14 years later, utilized their dry white wines, and rarely had any sugar added. This is the primary vermouth used to make martinis these days.

The following recipe creates a fairly dry vermouth. If you wish to create a sweet vermouth simply caramelize some sugar until deep brown and add it to the vermouth once all is said and done. Add a little at a time until you reach your desired sweetness.

–Homemade Vermouth:

Ingredients:

• 5 pinches coriander
• 1 pinch spearmint
• 1 pinch sage
• 2 pinches burdock root
• 3 juniper berries
• 3 pinches dried orange peel (bitter preferred)
• 1 pinch scullcap
• 2 pinches Pau d’Arco bark
• 1 pinch oregano
• 2 pinch dandelion root
• 1/2 stick cinnamon
• 1 star anise
• 1 pinch cardamom seeds
• 2 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 pinch sweet basil
• 1 pinch rosemary
• 2 pinches chamomile
• 1 pinch angelica root
• 1 piece gentian root
• 1 small pinch quinine
• 1 pinch Marjoram
• 2 pinches fennel seeds
• 2 pinches ground ginger
• 1 pinch bay leaf
• 4 cloves
• 1 pinch saffron
• 1 red chili berry
• 3 black pepper corns
• 5 drops wormwood extract
• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 2 tsp. white sugar
• 1 bottle dry white wine
• 150 ml. Cognac, or cheap brandy depending on your budget
• Extra 750 ml. bottle with screw cap
• Funnel
• cheese cloth or coffee filter or tee shirt

Method:

1. Measure out all the herbs and the sugar into a small sauce pan.
2. Open the bottle of white wine.
3. Cover the herbs in white wine, about 200 ml.
4. Simmer for about 10 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally, then let cool.
5. Add 140 ml. of Cognac to the empty bottle.
6. Add the remaining wine to the new bottle leaving a couple of inches at the top for the infusion.
7. Fit your filter material into your funnel and filter the cooled infusion. Make sure to squeeze out all of the juice.
8. Add the wormwood extract to the filtered infusion.
9. Add half of the infusion to the new bottle and shake it up to mix thoroughly.
10. Taste the concoction to see if it’s strong enough. If it’s not, add the rest of the infusion to the mixture.
11. If you think it needs more of a certain herb, simply add some more of that herb to the sauce pan, cover it with a dose of the vermouth mixture, boil, filter, add back to bottle.
12. Refrigerate the bottle after you’ve finished taste testing and adjusting the vermouth to your personal tastes.

Notes:

1. Any mixture of herbs and botanicals can be used. The ones I listed are just suggestions, most of which are easily available at Whole Foods or similar stores. You may need to mail order herbs like: gentian, angelica root, and quinine from a place like this.
2. This (or any alcoholic) beverage shouldn’t be consumed by lactating or pregnant mothers.
3. Thank you Darcy at The Art of Drink for giving me some guidance and inspiration on this project.

Posted by: Will on September 6th, 2007 © Filed under: Cocktails & Spirits | 7 Comments »

We’re brimming with heirloom tomatoes from our farm CSA box, but somehow none of my usual uses for tomatoes have seemed appealing lately. The tomatoes this year have been so good that they mostly beg to be eaten straight – sliced with a bit of sea salt and good olive oil, or layered into a caprese salad with basil and fresh mozzarella. But there are only so many fresh tomatoes we can eat, and I came home tonight to find a couple handsome heirlooms on the verge of decline. It seemed a good night to try and put together a real ketchup.

Commercial ketchup, like commercial mayonnaise, bears little resemblance to the real thing. Raised like everyone else on the supermarket formula consisting mostly of high-fructose corn syrup, tomato paste and celery powder, it never occurred to me that ketchup could be anything more than a fast food side. But a little breakfast joint on our old neighborhood happened to have a fantastic homemade variety, and I’ve been meaning to make a batch ever since.

This recipe lends itself well to experimentation – all of the spices can be adjusted to taste, and many others would be worth playing with. For a spicier sauce, add a few (or many) dashes of hot sauce. It also turns out a delightful golden orange color if you use a mix of different colored tomatoes.

– Heirloom Tomato Ketchup

Ingredients
*2 tbs olive oil
*1 medium onion, finely diced
*1 red jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
*4 cloves garlic
*3 lbs assorted heirloom tomatoes, peeled and seeded
*1/3 cup + 3 tbs apple cider vinegar
*2 tbs dark brown sugar
*1 cup water
*1 tsp cardamom
*1 star anise
*1 tsp celery seed
*1/2 tsp cloves
*1 tsp cinnamon
*2 tsp smoked paprika
*1 tsp chili powder
*2 tsp salt
*freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method
1. In a non-reactive sauce pan, sauté the onion and jalapeño in the olive oil until golden and very soft, about 20 minutes. When the pan starts to dry out, add 1/2 cup of the water. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, then stir in tomatoes, 1/3 cup vinegar, and the sugar.

2. Place the cardamom, star anise, celery seed, and cloves in a spice bag, or tie in a bit of cheesecloth, and add to the tomato mixture. Add the cinnamon, smoked paprika, chili powder and salt and stir well.

3. Cook the ketchup until thick but not completely dry, about 2-3 hours. Adjust seasoning to taste and transfer to a blender. Puree until very smooth. You may need to add the other 1/2 cup water if the ketchup is too thick. Pour in the additional 3 tbs vinegar (or to taste) and pulse to combine. Transfer to sterile jars and refrigerate, or process 15 minutes in a boiling water canner. Homemade ketchup should last about 2 months in the refrigerator.

Yields 2 small jars.

Posted by: Will on August 30th, 2007 © Filed under: Condiments, Preserves | No Comments »

We ate well on our recent visit to south Florida (Key Lime Pie tasting notes and recipe coming soon!), but the trip still left us craving California food. It’s not that the food there is bad, but the food here really is fantastic. Even the burrito we shared in the airport terminal when we landed in Oakland tasted amazingly good.

I have been meaning to post this recipe for a while now but kept putting it off. I didn’t take pictures when I initially made it, and thereafter was more interested in eating the jam than in photographing it. Also, I wasn’t sure how it would go over, but it has turned out to be quite popular, even with my mom who claims to hate balsamic vinegar. The balsamic isn’t easy to identify, but it gives the jam a complex, earthy flavor that’s addictive.

One of my favorite early summer salads is simply fresh strawberries tossed with balsamic vinegar. Sometimes I use salad greens, but when I want to be really decadent, I go without. I was inspired to try a similar jam weeks ago when I spotted a crate of luscious looking organic strawberries at the farmers market and knew that 1) I had to have them, and 2) I would not be able to use them all right away.

Don’t cut down on the sugar, as that’s what preserves the fruit and thickens the jam. That said, the one change I might make next time would be to use pectin, as it was a bit sad seeing all those fresh strawberries get cooked away while I waited for the mixture to thicken. You can reduce thickening time by using a wide, shallow pan and cooking the jam in small batches to hasten evaporation.

– Strawberry Balsamic Jam

Ingredients
*2.2 lbs strawberries, washed, tops removed
*4 3/4 cups sugar
*3 tbsp lemon juice
*4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Method
1. Place the strawberries and sugar in a non-reactive saucepan. Stir to combine, then cover and stand for a few hours.

2. Add the lemon juice and balsamic vinegar and bring to the boil. Boil for 15 to 20 minutes until setting point is reached.

3. Allow to stand for 10 minutes and pour into sterilised jars. Process 15 minutes in a boiling water canner. For more detailed instructions on canning, download these step by step canning instructions from the National Center for Home Food Preparation.

Posted by: Will on August 21st, 2007 © Filed under: Preserves | No Comments »

I’ve finally done it! I’ve successfully reverse engineered Taqueria El Favorito’s (fresh) green salsa, the best salsa I’ve ever encountered in all my travels. Now let me tell you, I’ve eaten Mexican food in Mexico, Portugal (please don’t even ask), France (same goes for here), Italy (and here), Venezuela, Arizona, New Mexico, and in hundreds of places across California, and I’ve decided that the best (fresh) green salsa comes right out of my own hometown, Santa Rosa, CA, at Taqueria El Favorito (formerly El Farolito).I must admit that I’ve never been to Texas, save the airports, and I’ve never tried Ninfa’s Green Sauce now made famous by the Houston Chronicle and the Homesick Texan who swears it’s the best, but I can tell you that the recipe shown below will be much more robust in the garlic and cilantro areas, and it will keep looking fresh longer because it has lime juice which slows down the oxidation process.

Now let me explain why I keep putting (fresh) in front of green salsa. It’s because I don’t want to step on my brother in law’s toes. Andy is already famous for his green salsa, but his is the cooked version, and it’s the best damned cooked version I’ve ever tasted. It was a big hit during the cocktail hour at my recent wedding. Unfortunately he’ll only divulge what’s in it, not how much of what’s in it, is in it. I can only hope that one day he’ll come clean and share the secret recipe.

Back to my salsa! Where was I? Oh yes, I just wanted to let you know that my wife Mary loves this salsa so much, that today after finishing off the last of the tortilla chips, she began to eat the salsa on soda crackers. I, on the other hand, went straight for a spoon.

–The Best (Fresh) Green Salsa

*1 pound of 1″ size tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered
*1 bunch fresh cilantro (about 2 ounces by weight after trimming the stems), rinsed, and roughly chopped
*2 limes, squeezed
*9 cloves of garlic
*1 small white onion or half a large one, chopped
*2-3 green jalapeno peppers (makes a medium spicy salsa), stemmed, and chopped
*2 avocados, sliced
*1 1/2 cups water depending on the viscosity desired
*1 tsp. cumin (or to taste)
*3 tsp. salt (or to taste)
*1/2 tsp. black pepper (or to taste)

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender, except for the cumin, salt, and black pepper.

2. Blend until a smooth texture is achieved.

3. Add spices and mix thoroughly.

4. Adjust spice levels to your liking.

5. After numbing your taste buds doing too much quality control, insist that your spouse or a good friend keep testing it to see if it tastes like the real McCoy.

6. Continue this until they feel ill.

7. If they come back for more the following day, or later that night, you know you’ve got the real deal.

8. This recipe yields a little under a quart of salsa. Refrigerate what you don’t eat right away.

Posted by: Will on August 16th, 2007 © Filed under: Condiments | 2 Comments »