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Monatsarchive: July 2012

Maple and Bourbon Beer Glazed Salmon

Let’s talk.

If you are new to the Beer Scene you might not know about bourbon barrel aged beer. It’s exactly what it sounds like. Beer that has been aged in bourbon barrels giving it flavors of that remnant bourbon that once took up residence in that same barrel. Because bourbon is aged for years, and sometimes several decades, the flavors soak into the wood leaving their distinct flavor signature behind. When you use that same barrel to age beer, those beautiful hand-me-down flavors give an incredible depth to it’s new alcoholic vessel.

If you haven’t had a bourbon barrel aged beer, add it to your list of beers to try. You may love it. You may loath it. Either way, it’s an experience that needs to be added to your beer exploits.

Bourbon barrel aged beers aren’t the type you reach for after a long hot day of yard work. These are beers for chilly nights and dark chocolate desserts. Fireside chats and long conversations.

Among my favortites is the Barrel Aged Old Rasputin form North Coast. 

 

For this recipe I used Angels Share by Lost Abby. An intense bourbon flavor that goes very well with this recipe.

 

 

Maple & Bourbon Beer Glazed Salmon

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 cup ponzu sauce
  • 3/4 cup bourbon barrel aged beer
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tbs brown sugar
  • 1 tbs maple syrup
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tbs lime juice about 1 large lime, juiced
  • 4 salmon fillets about 4 to 6 oz each

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl, add all ingredients (other than the salmon) stir until well combined. Add to a large zip top freezer bag. Add the salmon and remove as much air as possible before sealing. Place in the fridge, allowing to marinate for one to two hours, rotating at least once.
  • Preheat broiler.
  • Remove the salmon from the bag and place on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
  • Place the marinade in a pot over medium high heat. Boil until reduced and thickened, stirring frequently, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Brush the salmon with the marinade glaze.
  • Place under broiler and cook until salmon flakes easily, about 6 minutes. Brush salmon with glaze several times during cooking.
  • Serve over rice or pasta.

Strawberry Sriracha Margarita

I’m not much of a hard liquor drinker. That was something I inadvertently gave up when I became a mom, along with sleeping past 7am, peeing alone, and buying anything for myself without feeling selfish. It’s worth the price of admission, this tequila free/up at dawn/spectated toilet runs/"why am I buying this for myself when I could be buying something for my kid," life that I live as a person who grew another human in her guts.

Because she’s really amazing.

(Me & Tater in the healing waters of Santa Barbara a few days ago)

So I drink beer (the good stuff) or wine (the cheap stuff) unless you tell me that there is a cocktail on the menu that’s spicy. I love a nice hot cocktail. Lately, jalapenos have been popping into drinks all over the country and I couldn’t be happier about it.

My undying love for the Rooster Sauce put the idea for a red hot cocktail in my head a few months ago. And adding strawberries gave the perfect balance. Be careful, alcohol intensifies heat so start with a small amount (this recipe calls for only 1/2 tsp) and then decide if you want to add a bit more.

If you love Sriracha as much as I do, I would suggest you add The Sriracha Cookbook to your culinary library, or follow Randy Clemens blog, The Sriracha Cookbook Blog.

 

Strawberry Sriracha Margarita

Ingredients

  • 2 cups strawberries, hulled and chopped
  • 1/2 cup tequilla
  • 1/4 cup Cointreau (or other orange flavored liquor)
  • 1 tbs agave nectar
  • 1/2 tsp Sriracha
  • 2 cups ice

(yield: 32oz, about 2 generous servings)

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients to a blender, blend until smooth. Pour into a sugar rimmed margarita glass.

Chocolate Stout S’Mores Bars

I have some s’mores trivia for you. I have a fascination with useless mundane trivia, and tend to  collect and expel said facts without provocation. So, here is the s’mores trivia I promised that you are undoubtably eager to get to:

  • The recipe for s’mores was first published by the Girl Scouts in 1927. Further proof that those smug little culinary crack dealers have a long history with the creation of addicting sweet treats. (* this last sentence is not actual fact, just observation)
  • National S’Mores day is August 10th. More than enough time for you to whip up a batch of beer soaked s’more bars (*Actual fact).
  • The recipe’s original credit is given to Loretta Scott. But let’s be honest, stolen content predates blogs, no one really knows where the recipe came from. At least she didn’t steal their photo and submit it to Foodgawker. (*combination of fact, conjecture and emotional trauma resulting from web thievery)
If you have any random, little known or otherwise useless s’mores facts, I’d love to hear them.

 

 


Chocolate Stout S’Mores Bars

Ingredients
  

  • 10 graham crackers
  • 3 tbs butter melted
  • 2 tbs brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 2/3 cup chocolate stout
  • 3 cups standard size marshmallows

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • In a food processor, add the graham crackers and the brown sugar. Process until nothing is left but crumbs. Remove the stopper from the food processor lid. While the food processor is on, slowly add the 3 tbs melted butter and process until it resembles wet sand.
  • Add to a 9 x 13 pan. Distribute evenly along the bottom, pressing firmly into place.
  • In a bowl, beat the eggs and both sugars on high until well combined, about 3 minutes.
  • In a microwave safe bowl, add the chocolate chips and the butter. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until melted and well combined. Add the chocolate to the egg/sugar mixture and beat until well combined.
  • In a separate bowl, mix the cocoa powder, salt and the flour until well combined. Add to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Add the beer and stir until just combined.
  • Pour the batter over the crust.
  • Place marshmallows in even rows across the top, leaving a 1/2 inch boarder along the edge.
  • Bake at 350 for 22 minutes or until the marshmallows are golden brown.
  • You still want the bars to be soft, don't over bake, they will continue to set as they cool.

Pig Newton Jam (Bacon & Fig Jam) With Puff Pastry Biscuits

I love forming culinary obsessions. Foods that I can’t stop thinking about, that work their way into my kitchen via said obsession on a regular basis. Maybe you have tired of my bacon jam post, and if that is the case than I can pretty safely assume that you have never made it. It is completely worthy of prolonged obsessions. I promise.

This jam, this lovely spreadably pig and fig hybrid is so good that I beg you to make it. And then you’ll get it.

If I hadn’t already scoured my kitchen and spread this on everything from Trader Joe’s Crisp Chocolate Chip Cookies to stale graham crackers, these are the things that I would have made with this Pig Newton Jam:

Bake shortbread bar cookies + spread jam on top + chill for a few hours + cut into squares = Pig Newton Cookie Bars

Tortilla + Gouda + Bree + PN Jam = Pig Newton Quesadillas

Bake a tart crust in a tart pan (let cool)+ PN Jam + fresh arugula + goat cheese + Fresh tomatoes = Best tart ever

Above ingredients Tart crust + crusty bread = Pig Newton Crostini’s

PN Jam + Puff Pastry + Wheel of Bree cheese = Baked Pig Newton Bree

Crepes + PN Jam + Mascarpone = Breakfast Hog Heaven

 

I know that I have friends and readers who don’t dig the pig, so I’ve added a How To Veg It Up alterations to this post.

 

 

Pig Newton Jam (Bacon & Fig Jam)

Ingredients

  • 12 Black Mission figs
  • 5 strips of bacon
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbs honey
  • 2 tbs red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup cooking sherry
  • 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. In a pot with a lid, like an enamel dutch oven, cook the bacon until browned. Remove bacon and set aside. Drain off all of the bacon fat except about 1 tbs. Return pot to the heat and add remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer. Chop bacon and add to the pot.
  2. Reduce heat to maintain a low simmer. Place the lid at an angle to vent and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until thick and syrupy.
  3. Add to a food processor and process until smooth.

*To make vegan, replace the bacon with 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 5 additional fig and 1 tsp olive oil.

 

Puff Pastry Biscuits

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

2 tbs butter, melted

1 tsp salt

Roll the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface several times in each direction. Cut out 20 to 24 circles with a 3 inch biscuit cutter (note that circles will shrink as they cook). Place circles on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Brush the circles with melted butter and sprinkle with salt.

Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes or until light golden brown. Split across the middle, fill with jam.

 

 

Brewed Mary: Beer Bloody Mary

 

No offense to vodka, but a Bloody Mary just tastes better with beer. And an IPA is the inarguable choice for a Brewed Mary. I am, for the most part, a live and let live person.

Happy to let your differing opinions thrive right alongside mine. There are recipe choices that I would love to debate with you. I’ll take your suggestions of a pilsner over a Saison for a beer cheese dip. And I would love to debate with you Brown Ale versus a Hefeweizen for a chicken pot pie.

But with this, we have no choice, an IPA is just the best way to go. The hops blend so well with the heat and the tomato juice.

If you disagree with me, I just hope you keep it to yourself. After all, I still want to like you, and we can always spar over porter versus stouts for brownies.

For this recipe, I used Stone Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA. At the moment, it is one of my favorite beers, and quite possibly my favorite IPA.

Note: Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies. For vegetarian, use a vegan Worcestershire sauce like Annie’s Organic Worcestershire Sauce. 

Brewed Mary: Beer Bloody Mary

Servings 2 cocktails

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup tomato juice
  • 1/2 tsp celery salt plus additional for glass rims
  • 1/2 tsp Chipotle Tabasco sauce
  • 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp brine for a jar of spanish olive
  • 1/4 tsp cream style horseradish
  • 1 tbs lime juice about 1 medium lime
  • 1 tsp lemon juice about 1/2 medium lemon
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • Ice
  • 1 cup IPA beer
  • Optional garnish:
  • celery stalk olives

Instructions
 

  • Rim glasses with celery salt.
  • Add all ingredients (except the beer) to a shaker half full of ice, shake to combine.
  • Strain into prepared glasses, stir in the beer, garnish if desired.

 

 

Bacon, Blue Cheese & Duck Fat Roasted Potato Salad

I’m torn. On one hand, I’ve never been the sort of person to trash a company in public, but on the other hand I want others to be aware of companies that form borderline abusive relationships with clients whose livelihoods they hold in their digital hands.

I will tell you this:

I am so glad to have broken free of blog.com and I am appalled by they way they treat their customers. I didn’t want to leave, but I didn’t have a choice if I wanted to protect my content and my ability to continue to do what I love. I would strongly recommend NOT using them as a host, and instead using wordpress.com or even better, using wordpress.org as a self hosted site. If none of that made sense to you, Julie at Burnt Carrots has a great How To Start A Blog post that can clear some of that up. If you need more evidence, other than my desperate pleas, that blog.com is horrific you can ask this guy or this girl.

I feel better. And I will be eternally grateful to my friend Andrew of Eating Rules who helped me switch both of my blogs to self hosted wordpress sites. He has a company called Blog Tutor who does that sort of thing. A tech guy who is also a food blogger, who else would I have used?

On a lighter note, I booked my first TV gig!

I was contacted through my other blog, The Beeroness to do a live Cooking With Beer demo on TV in Los Angeles on August 31t! I’ll update you will more information once that date gets closer.

I’m so glad you all let me get that off my chest and now we can truly appreciate the magic of roasted potato salad.

It is very possible that I am one of the only people in this world that has issues with boiled potatoes. Most of the time I seem to over boil them into a near mushy state with my lack of long term attention abilities. And the water washes away a lot of that great starch that we love so much about potates. Roasting helps me to fix both of those issues, it’s more forgiving with the time and it expands the flavors instead of removing them.

And I added duck fat. I bough it at Sur La Table and a little goes a long way.

I made this twice in one week, it’s really great. By far the best potato salad I have ever made.


Bacon, Blue Cheese & Duck Fat Roasted Potato Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs red potatoes, diced
  • 3 tbs duck fat, warmed
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup pepper
  • 1/3 cup green onions
  • 6 strips of bacon, cooked and chopped
  • 2/3 cup blue cheese dressing (some dressings contain gluten, check package if needed)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425.
  2. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet, toss with duck fat. Roast in the oven at 425 for 10 minutes, toss/stir potatoes and roast for an additional 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender, remove from the oven.
  3. In a bowl add the remaining ingredients, add the potatoes and toss to coat. Serve warm.

Jalapeno IPA Hummus

 

This recipe has been in my brain for a while.

For weeks it’s been taunting me, begging to be flushed out, poured into my food processor and immortalized in internet print.

And this weekend three failed attempts to make IPA lemon bars that never really gave me the results I was hoping for coupled with this tweet:

gave this hummus it’s shot.

And I’m so glad that the stars didn’t align and the beer cooking God’s didn’t smile upon the IPA lemon bars (which have become my culinary nemesis, mocking me with vague imperfections) because this hummus was exactly what I wanted on a hot day. It didn’t last long.

For this recipe, I used one of my favorite IPA’s, Ballast Point’s Sculpin IPA. A beautiful example of an IPA, even if this one was sans Habaneros.

 

Jalapeno IPA Hummus

Ingredients
  

  • 2 fresh jalapenos stemmed, seeded and chopped (about 1/4 cup)
  • 3 tbs tahini
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans drained
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1 lime juiced (about 1 tbs)
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup IPA Beer plus additional if needed

Instructions
 

  • Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth. Add additional IPA for a thinner dip. Serve with pita or chips.
  • *Note: most of the heat from Jalapenos are in the seeds. If you want a hotter hummus, you can leave the seeds in. If the finished dip is too mild, add 1/4 tsp chili powder for a spicier dip

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Beer Braised Potatoes With Rosemary Beer Gravy

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A reader from Iceland emailed me last week to ask what I listen to when I’m cooking. "You seem like a music girl," she said.

Music, food, beer, it all seems to be a different parts of the same creature and just like food can find a matched pair with beer or wine, music is the same way.

Making these potatoes I was lured to music that was timeless, earthy and effortless. Here is a bit of that list:

Something In The Way She Moves, James Taylor

Tampa To Tulsa, The Jayhawks

Torn In My Pride, The Black Crows

Fortune Teller, Robert Plant

Wicker Chair, Kings Of Leon (this was off a Demo they made before they were famous, handed to me late one night on Sunset by Nathan. I’m not sure if it is still available online, but I still listen to that Demo all the time)

Red House, Shudder To Think

Duncan, Delta Spirit

;

Between prep, braise and eating, this is the music that joined me and the potatoes in the kitchen. A slow, lazy Sunday afternoon playlist that was a perfect compliment to a timeless potato dish.

And the beer that came along for the ride was Damnation by Russian River. A Belgian style beer that gave the starch in the potatoes a beautiful push forward in taste. If you’re a craft beer fan, or just starting to grow in curiosity about the subject, Russian River should be counted among the Craft Beer Meccas of the world. Seek out the beers they make, and plan to stop by the brewery if you ever find yourself in Northern California, or the West Coast, for that matter.

;

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Beer Braised Potatoes With Rosemary Beer Gravy

Ingredients
  

For The Potatoes:

  • 2 tbs butter
  • 1 large shallot chopped (1/3 cup)
  • 1 lbs red potatoes chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 cup beer
  • 1 tsp black pepper

For The Gravy:

  • 2 tbs flour
  • 1/3 cup chicken stock
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325. In an oven safe Dutch Oven or pot with a lid (check that all knobs are oven safe) melt butter. Add the shallots and cook until soft, about 2 minutes.
  • Add the potatoes and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
  • Remove from heat, pour beer over potatoes, add rosemary, pepper and salt. Cover with lid and place pot in the oven until potatoes are fork tender, about 18-20 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and return to stove. Using a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes and set aside.
  • Add the flour and stock, whisk over medium high heat until thickened, about 3 minutes. Serve potatoes with gravy.

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Chinese Shrimp Salad

I went to a Dodger game this weekend.

Not just Went. I was asked to attend a VIP tour of Dodger Stadium for a Food Bloggers event that included hanging on the field, a tour of all of the exclusive restaurants, a buffet of all of the incredible hot dog creations the stadium chefs can dream up (macaroni and Fritos dog?!) and even a chat with Andre Ethier. Who told me he doesn’t drink beer (I’ll forgive him, kid can play some ball). And to top it all off, we got to sit in box seats right on the field.

If you follow me on instagram (@JackieJDodd), these pictures will look rather familiar.


Moments like these remind me to take a second to just sit and be grateful. Even when I feel like I am nowhere near the goals I have set for myself I always take time to appreciate what I have. The opportunities, people and experiences that give so much more to my life than I even deserve. I just finished Marcus Samuelson’s Yes, Chef and was incredibly inspire by his work ethic: "Always chase one shot of good luck with two shots of hard work" Great advice, Marcus. I’ll take it. Sitting side stage at America’s Favorite Past Time felt like a shot of good luck, so this week I’ll chase it with an even harder push towards my goals.

And after eating my body weight in hot dogs and chocolate cake at the Stadium, I needed a salad to balance it all.

And I know that I don’t have to tell you that Chinese Chicken Salad is much more about the dressing than it is about the chicken (which I replaced with shrimp).

This dressing, THIS dressing is so easy and so good you will never even be tempted to buy it pre made ever again.

And I also decided that I am also going to chase one negative though about myself with two positive ones. I like that formula, after all he is a Top Chef Master.

Chinese Shrimp Salad

3 cups green cabbage, chopped

3 cups red cabbage, chopped

1 cup jicama, peeled and diced

2 cups yellow peaches, chopped (about 2 large)

1 large avocado, chopped

1/3 cup green onion, chopped

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

3/4 cup cooked bay shrimp

5 wonton wrappers, cut into 1/4 inch strips and lightly fried

For The Dressing:

3 tbs rice wine vinegar

2 tbs brown sugar

3 tbs ponzu sauce

1 tsp sriracha

1 1/2 tsp grated ginger

2 tsp sesame oil

(you can also make a double recipe and save half in an air tight container in the fridge, should last about 1 month)

Add all of the salad ingredients (except the fried wontons) in a bowl, toss to combine. Top with wontons.

Add all of the dressing ingredients to a bowl, stir to combine. Drizzle over the salad. Serve cold.

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Stout Jerk Chicken

Literary Grief. This is the term I use for the moment you finish a great book and realize that it’s gone. This sort of anchor to those free moments in your life is now spent and the characters that ran behind your consciousness during the busy moments of your day, beckoning you back to the pages have run their course. You miss having more left to discover, but all mysteries have been unearthed and the plot has crescendoed. Most recently for me, that has been Blood, Bones and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton.

Inspired writing and an intriguing story peppered with mentions of thought-provoking recipes that I couldn’t help but mark for later reference.

 One of those recipes was a reference to a Jerk marinade that Gabrielle still makes on a regular basis. Her only notes about it were just that it contained Stout, Scotch Bonnet Peppers, and Honey as well as the fact that the recipe’s ingredients totaled an upwards of 25.

The Stout Jerk marinade that I have created falls very short of the 25 ingredient threshold, but the inspiration to use stout, scotch bonnet and honey is from the above book. As fascinated as I am with Gabrielle, and grateful that I was able to eat at Prune years ago, I would bet all of my recipes on the hunch that she may have less than favorable opinions about lowly Food Bloggers.

After all, I’ve never slept on a pile of chefs coats between 12-hour shifts. I’ve never scraped mold out of a walk in. I’ve never reached calloused fingers into a deep fryer or worked one handed with a blood-soaked bandage covered with a finger cot slowing my progress. I worked as a waitress in the front of the house, but I always knew my place. I begged to be allowed do deep prep when we were slow, took the fall for wasted produce when the owner would hassle the over-worked line cooks, and made sure the cooks "water" cups were full when we were slammed. But I know my place even now, in the world of food and I am still, in so many ways, "front of the house" hoping one day to be in the kitchen doing more than just deep prep.

Here is a jerk marinade, inspired by Blood Bones & Butter and using Stout Beer for its flavor and its meat tenderizing properties.

Wanna see the updated grilled version? Check it out here

 

Stout Jerk Chicken

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup stout beer I used Storm King Stout, by Victory Brewing
  • 4 Scotch Bonnet or Habanero Peppers
  • 6 cloves of garlic peeled
  • 3 tbs ponzu sauce
  • 3 tbs brown sugar
  • 1 tsp dry mustard powder
  • 2 tsp Chinese 5 Spice powder
  • 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 3 tbs chopped shallots
  • 1 tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tbs honey
  • 1 tsp Kosher or Sea salt
  • 3 lbs chicken wings legs, thighs

Instructions
 

  • Add all of the ingredients (other than the chicken) to a food processor and process until smooth, about 2 minutes.
  • Add chicken to a large Ziplock style bag, pour marinade over the chicken and seal, removing as much air as possible.
  • Allow to chill and marinate in the fridge for 8-24 hours, rotating about every 3 hours to redistribute the marinate.
  • Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Remove the chicken from the marinade and arrange on the sheet, spooning a bit of the remaining marinade over the chicken. Bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Baking time will depend on the size of chicken you use. For very small chicken wings, start to check after 12 minutes.

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Apricot Basil Ice Cream

I’ve always defined the "Perfect Gift" as something you want but would never spend the money to buy for yourself. Things that may not be expensive, but because money is a limited resource no matter who you are , these things just don’t make that "Must Buy Today" list. Things you quietly (or possibly aggressively) lust after but there are always other things that take top billing in your budget.

A few years ago I was given a KitchenAid Ice Cream maker (affiliate link). for Christmas. Perfect. I wanted it, but don’t make enough ice cream to really justify the purchase. I’d see it at Sur La Table, pause for a moment and then end up with something a bit more practical in that brown and purple bag.

Now that I have it, it makes me feel like a brilliant hostess. "You MADE ice cream? From scratch?" it sounds so luxurious  and ambitious. Even though I only break it out a few times a year, I am always so glad I have it. If you agree not to tell anyone how easy it is to make ice cream from scratch, I won’t either. And we can continue to impress people with the long hours we slaved away to bring them such a momentous dessert.

Apricot Basil Ice Cream

Apricot add in:

 4 cups soft apricots, pitted

1 tbs fresh lemon juice

4 large basil leaves

1/4 cup sugar

Ice Cream Base:

2 cups whole milk

4 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup heavy cream

Place the bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer for at least 8 hours (I store mine in the freezer so it’s always ready to go) or freeze according to manufacturer specifications.

In a food processor, add the apricots, lemon juice, basil leaves and 1/4 cup sugar, puree until smooth, some chunks of apricot are fine.

To make the ice cream base, add the milk, egg yolks, vanilla and remaining sugar  to a cold sauce pan and whisk until the mixture is well combined. Place the pan over medium high heat and stir until the mixture has thickened slightly (will coat a spoon), about 10 minutes, remove from heat. Stir in the cream.

Add the apricot puree and mix until combined. Add to an air tight container and place in the fridge and allow to cool for at least 4 hours.

Add to the frozen ice cream bowl and churn according to manufactures specifications, about 12 minutes in my Kitchen Aid Ice Cream Maker. Place in an air tight container and freeze until firm, about 2 additional hours.

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Oven Roasted BBQ Ribs With Stout Barbecue Sauce

I hate to break it to you but you have probably never barbecued in your life. How dare I say such blasphemous things, you toss burgers and steaks on the grill every weekend?!

That’s not Barbecue, it’s grill. And I would never take away from the fantastic results we can get with a backyard grill, and the amazing flavors that can work their way into your food, but it’s not barbecue.

Barbecue is long, slow and low and the temperature is usually between 240 and 270 degrees. Grill is short, fast and hot, a nice char with a juicy middle.

I wanted to see if I could use my oven to get close the flavors of true barbecue, and while I was missing the smokey flavor, these were some of the best homemade ribs I have ever had. The trick is long, slow and low.

Meat choice is important as well, I used Choice ribs. You know that cute little sticker that sits beside the label on your steak packages, baffling you to some degree with the designation of Prime, Choice or Select, as to why they can’t just be honest and say, "Great," or "Pretty Good," and, "Not that great, but it’s cheap!"

Here are the Cliffs Notes:

Prime: The best and most expensive

Choice: Still great, not as good or as expensive as Prime

Select: Not good, don’t bother

Unlabeled: Bad, didn’t even earn the lowly title of Select.

Inspected By The USDA: Don’t be fooled, all meat is inspected by the USDA. Some stores use this to distract you from the fact that it is an ungraded piece of meat, and therefore not any good. Prime is obviously the best, but also the most expensive. When I experiment with a recipe, I usually go with Choice because it is a good cut of meat, but if the recipe doesn’t turn out well I didn’t waste $50 on the venture.

Oven Roasted BBQ Ribs With Stout Beer Barbecue Sauce

4 lbs Bone In Baby Back Beef Ribs (Choice or Prime)

1 tsp salt

1 batch Stout & Sriracha BBQ Sauce

Preheat oven to 250.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, place ribs on top. Sprinkle ribs with salt on all sides. Brush with BBQ sauce and roast in the oven at 250, turning ribs and brushing with BBQ sauce every 30-45 minutes until fork tender, about 4 hours.

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Hawaiian Crab Rolls

In my neck of the woods lobster is more expensive than a one hour massage, and doesn’t last as long. But crab I can pick up for $3 making my internal "Lobster vs. Crab" debate pretty short. If you can swing it, buy the Lump or Jumbo Lump, which has big pieces of crab, as opposed to the Special or Claw meat, which is just small shreds of crab.

I know that a traditional lobster roll has mayo, but to be honest with you mayo makes me gag. I always sub a combination of sour cream and cream cheese for the mayo that I refuse to use. With a flavor as delicate as crab, you don’t want to bulldoze the flavors with too much tang, more sour cream than cream cheese gave the perfect balance.

These Kings Hawaiian Hot Dog buns are incredible. The perfect softness with a touch of sweetness that really makes this recipe, a regular hot dog bun won’t work. Scour the town until you find them, they are so crucial to the amazing end result of this recipe. Here is their store locator.

Hawaiian Crab Rolls

3 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup diced mango

2 tbs chopped fresh jalapeno (stem and seeds removed)

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

pinch cayenne pepper

8 oz lump crab meat

4 Kings Hawaiian Hot Dog Buns

3 tbs butter

1/2 cup arugula

In a bowl combine the cream cheese, mango, jalapeno, sour cream, salt, pepper, lemon juice and cayenne pepper, stir until well combined. Add the crab meat and stir until just combined, set aside.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Butter the sides of the Kings Hawaiian Hot Dog Buns, where they had presiously been attached to each other.

Add to the hot pan and cook on each buttered side until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side, remove from pan.

Line the inside of the toasted buns with arugula. Top with crab mixture.

Makes 4.

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Chocolate Porter Strawberry Shortcakes With Beer Whipped Cream

(Chocolate Porter Strawberry Shortcakes With Beer Whipped Cream)

I’m taking a huge risk here.

You may have taken one look at this post and decided that I’ve lost my magic. Chocolate beer cake is as common as Nascar sweatpants in Walmart. But unlike motor sports fashion blunders in public, I loved this dessert.

I’m combining a past evoking childhood treat with my beer loving present tense self, and topping it with beer whipped cream. Strawberry shortcakes were one of my favorite desserts as a kid, but growing up I never had them from scratch. I was raised in a very prepackaged, frozen food section, shelf-stable house, with a mom who was trying to feed all of her 8 daughters (yes, that isn’t a typo, I have 7 sisters) with no time for any culinary adventure beyond reheating and assembling. Completely understandable.

Making my childhood memory of strawberry shortcakes those pre-packaged round sponge cakes, with Cool Whip and chopped strawberries.

So this is the "I cook from scratch and add beer" version of that. Although not a traditional "shortcake," I hope once I top it with drunken whipped cream and fresh berries you’ll forgive the misstep in terminology.

Chocolate Porter Strawberry Shortcakes With Beer Whipped Cream

For the cake:

3 cups cake flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp salt

2 sticks butter (softened)

2 cups sugar

5 eggs

1 tbs vegetable oil

12 oz Porter beer

For the strawberries:

4 cups strawberries, hulled and chopped

1/2 cup sugar

For the whipped cream:

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tbs porter beer

(makes 10)

 Preheat oven to 350.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder.

In the bowl of the stand mixer cream the butter and sugar. One at a time add the eggs, beating well and scraping the bowl between each addition, then add the oil. Alternating between the beer and the dry ingredients, add both a bit at a time, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, stir until just barely combined.

Grease and flour two 8 inch cake pans.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Invert the cake pan onto a flat surface. Using a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter, cut out 5 circles from each cake round (you can also use a large knife to cut them into squares).

Place chopped strawberries in a bowl with sugar, stir to combine. Allow to sit at room temperature for ten minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream, powdered sugar and 2 tbs beer. Whip on high until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes.

Place one cake round on a plate, top with strawberries and then with whipped cream.

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Goat Cheese Stuffed Apricots With Honey

I have a message for that guy who decides what day holidays are on. It’s awesome when he picks a day of the week, rather than a date of the month. He did a great job deciding on Thanksgiving and Easter, but a spectacularly awful job for Halloween and the 4th of July.

So I have some changes to propose to…that guy. Whoever he is.

The 4th of July should be celebrated on the first Friday in July, so that the 5th of July never has me sitting in an office trying to participated in work related functions with the remnants of my "casual get together turned late night party" still hanging onto me like a overly tired toddler. I do realize that if you name a holiday after a date, then it really messes people up if it doesn’t occur on that date, as in, "Are you coming over for The 4th of July on the 6th of July?" But, Holiday Naming Guy is to blame for that.

So my suggestion is that Independence Friday is now to  replace (or rather move) Mid Week 4th of July celebrations. All the same patriotic fun with out the comprehensive country wide lack of productivity the following day. I might have to start lobbying for this as soon as I can beat the crap out of who ever invented Day Light Saving time, that Guy is a real A-Hole. 


Goat Cheese Stuffed Apricots

12 apricots

6 to 8 ounces goat cheese

3 tbs raw honey

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Cut the apricots in half and remove the pits. Grab a small piece of goat cheese, about the size of the pit you just removed and roll it into a ball. Place it in the center of the apricot. Drizzle with honey, sprinkle with pecans.

I also cut these in half again before serving, but that’s your call.

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BLT Mini Tarts With Bacon Jam

In my world, 4th of July is a lot like Thanksgiving. But with sunburns and pyrotechnics. An underlying feeling of patriotism and national gratitude, a day off work and an evening of food and celebration with friends and family. 

But unlike Thanksgiving, the food is all fair game. There are no requisite poultry centerpieces, or traditional casseroles, you are free to cook and eat whatever you like. Most people gravitate towards easy, low maintenance grill style food, or appetizers and dips that can just hang around the kitchen waiting patiently for attention. 

Here are some of my favorite foods for low key afternoon get together:

1. Brown Sugar Chili Chicken Wings

2. BLT Caprese Slider with Puff Pastry Buns


3. Jalapeno Popper Potato Bites 

4. Boozy (Or Not) Watermelon Stars  

And the Man of The Hour:

BLT Mini Tarts with Bacon Jam, Arugula & Grape Tomatoes

For the tart dough:

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 1/2 sticks of butter

1/3 cup ice cold water

For the topping:

A double batch of Bacon Jam

1 cup arugula leaves

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half

In a food processor, combine 1 1/3 cup flour, salt, sugar and butter, process until well combined. Add the remaining flour and process again until combined. Transfer to a bowl and add the water with a wooden spoon (don’t add the water while the dough is in the food processor or your dough will be brittle and cracker-like). If the dough isn’t moist enough, you can add more water, a tsp at a time until the consistency is right. Form dough into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Preheat your oven to 375.

Roll your dough out on a floured surface. Using a 3 inch biscuit cutter, cut out 20-25 circles. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the dough circles on the bakign sheet. Prick eat circle with a fork. Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

Spread each mini tart circle with bacon jam, top with arugula and grape tomato halfs. 

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