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Monatsarchive: October 2012

Hefeweizen Honey Rolls

 I have wandered into a complete obsession with making bread. It started slowly, and really, rather timidly. When I first started, I was afraid of yeast, and a wee bit convinced that it hated me.

I threw several mounds of fail dough in the trash after it refused to rise. I learned a few things long the way that I am more than happy to share with you and save you from the "What the EFF is wrong with this damn bread!" frustrations that I suffered.

First, check the expiration date.  Yeast expires in a biblical sense, it actually dies. Yeast is a bit of a living beast, and once it reaches it’s expiration date, don’t even think about it. It’s not like that bottle of Ibuprofen in your  cabinet that expired last year but is probably still going to cure your headache. If the yeast has been in your cabinet a while, throw it out.

Salt kills yeast too. Don’t let inactive yeast come in contact with salt. I learned this the hard way when adding salt to the cream before microwaving it.

Yeast will rise between 40 and 120 degrees. Any higher than 120 and it will be killed by the heat (unless you use rapid-rise which will work until about 130), stay away from the high end of the scale in case your thermometer is a bit off. If the yeast is colder than around 90, it will take a long time to rise. At 40 degrees, it will still rise, but it will take days. 110 seems to be a bit of a sweet spot, but I live in LA, and even when the East Coast is being ravaged by Frankenstrom, it was still 85 degrees yesterday. Bread rises faster when it’s warm, slower when it’s cold. Yeast types are not interchangeable without major recipe modifications. Use the yeast the recipe calls for.

Dry milk powder is a bit of a secret weapon when it comes to bread making. I discovered this in the Secret Ingredient section of King Arthur Flour, it may be to blame for my bread making fixation.  Your bread will be softer, taller and more tender. Buy a bag just to keep on hand for Thanksgiving and Christmas rolls, because if you are going to all of the trouble to make homemade rolls, you should really pull out all the tricks in your bag.

Beer. Of course, the beer. Bread is my favorite thing to make with beer. Even if you aren’t a beer kind of girl, it gives your bread a lighter, slightly more leavened quality that makes it a perfect baking liquid. And because it’s bread, a wheat beer is a natural choice.

 

 

Hefeweizen Honey Rolls

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 envelope dry active yeast
  • 5 cups bread flour
  • 1/4 cup dry milk powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2/3 cup wheat beer room temperature
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 4 tbs unsalted butter softened to room temp

To Brush On Top:

  • 4 tbs melted butter
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1/2 tsp coarse salt

Makes 16 rolls

    Instructions
     

    • Add the cream to a microwave safe dish. Heat for 20 seconds, test temperature and repeat until cream is about 110 degrees. Add the yeast, set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. If the yeast does not foam, it isn't good. Discard it and try again.
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer add the flour, salt and dry milk powder, mix until well combined.
    • Add the cream and the beer, mix until combined. It will look dry and shaggy.
    • Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing between additions.
    • Add the honey and butter and allow to mix until the dough forms a smooth and shiny ball that isn't sticky, about 8-10 minutes.
    • Coat the inside of large bowl with oil. Form the dough into a ball and add to prepared bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm room until doubled in size. This will take between 1 and 2 hours depending on the temperature of the room.
    • Punch the dough down, and knead lightly for about 1 minute.
    • Cut the dough in half, then cut each half in half. You will now have 4 equal size pieces. Cut each piece in half to create 8 equal sized pieces. Cut each of those in half to give you 16.
    • Roll each piece of dough into balls, place into a baking dish with a bit of space between each roll (you might need two baking pans to accommodate 16 rolls).
    • Cover and allow to rise until about doubled in size.
    • Heat oven to 400 degrees.
    • Combine the melted butter and honey. Brush the top of the rolls with honey butter mixture, sprinkle with salt.
    • Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

     

     

    Brown Butter Sage Hummus & And The Web’s Top Ten Hummus Recipes

    There seems to be something so paltry and vapid about trying to talk about hummus when half of the United States is bracing for an epic natural disaster.

    Because it seems to be only in those times when the brushes with disaster get top billing in our lives that we take the time to be thankful, today seems to be the prefect hour. Take a moment to relax the expectations you had for today, step back and be grateful and thankful for what you do have. And send thoughts, prayers and love to those on the East Coast who could possibly lose today what you forgot to be be thankful for yesterday.

    Brown Butter Sage Hummus

    Ingredients

    • 4 tbs butter
    • 3 sage leaves, minced
    • 3 tbs tahini
    • 1 clove garlic, smashed
    • 15 oz Chickpeas
    • 3 tbs olive oil (plus additional as needed)

    Instructions

    1. Add the butter to a pot over medium heat. Stir continuously until it has turned an amber brown color and has a nutty aroma. Remove from heat. Add the sage and stir.
    2. In a food processor, add the remaining ingredients along with the browned butter.
    3. Process until smooth. Add additional olive oil for a smoother texture.

    White Bean & Garlic Hummus – Bran Appetit

    Truffle Roasted Tomato Hummus – Bake Your Day

     

    beet Hummus – Heather Christo

     

    Zucchini Paleo Hummus – Amazing Paleo

    Edamame Hummus  – Oh My Veggies

    Jalapeno IPA Hummus – The Beeroness

    Pumpkin Hummus – Domestic Fits

    Bacon Hummus – Just A Taste

     

    Chipotle Hummus – Domestic Fits

     

     

    IPA Cherry Tart

     

     

     To be honest, I haven’t always loved IPA’s. It took me a while, although not as long as resolving my mint aversion, and now I can pretty firmly place myself in that Hop Heads category I used to shy away from. I discover that a dry hopped IPA gives me the delicate flavors of the hops that love, that are lost without the dry hopping process. I also found myself lurking on the Home Brew Talk website in a creepy way that usually lands someone in a face to face interview with Chris Hansen.

    If I was going to homebrew, jump feet first into the mash tun world, I’m not sure if an IPA would be first on my list. My love of stouts would probably pull me in that direction first. But once I made it around to an IPA, it would most definitely involve dry hopping. And possibly Sriracha.

    It’s probably a good thing I don’t homebrew, sounds like I’d waste a lot of money on crazy ideas.

     

     

    IPA Cherry Tart

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 sheet puff pastry thawed
    • 3 cups sweet dark cherries pitted (I used Bing Cherries)
    • 2 tbs corn starch
    • 1/2 cup IPA
    • 2/3 cup sugar
    • 1 egg lightly beaten

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 375.
    • Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a tart pan with a removable bottom, press into shape, remove excess. If you don't have a tart pan, cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, place puff pastry in the middle, fold about 1 inch of the sides inward to form edges. Place puff pastry in the fridge until ready.
    • In a pot over medium high heat, add the cherries, cornstarch, IPA and sugar. Allow to boil until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
    • Remove pastry from the fridge, prick all over with a fork, make sure the holes are small. Brush with lightly beaten egg.
    • Pour the cherries into the tart.
    • Bake until the pastry has turned golden brown, about 20 minutes.

     

     

     

    5 Boozy Whipped Cream Recipes

    Boozy whipped creams!

    Not just one, but 5 recipes for you. This is a great way to bring your holiday desserts to the next level. Because serving a Chocolate Tart is great, but people remember a Chocolate Tart with Orange Cointreau Whipped Cream. And you don’t even have to tell them that it only took you 3 minutes to throw that whipped cream together.

    And Homemade Hot Chocolate with Peppermint Schnapps Whipped Cream will give you the win at Girls Night In this December.

    Making homemade whipped cream is incredibly easy, but here are a few tips to make it completely fool proof:

    1. Cold, cold, cold. Seriously, cold ingredients or you will be churning butter.

    2. You can whip it by hand, with a whisk, of you can use  a stand mixer. Don’t over beat, stop when you have soft peaks.

    3. Make it right before you serve it, it tends to break down fairly quickly at room temperature and doesn’t last all that long in the fridge.

    4. Taste and adjust as you go. If you want it sweeter, add more sugar. More booze? Go nuts.

    Orange Cointreau Whipped Cream. I love this on a rich dark chocolate tart, cranberry apple crumble or a vanilla sponge cake with berries.

    Orange Cointreau Whipped Cream

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
    • 1 tsp orange juice
    • 1/2 tsp orange zest
    • 1 tbs cointreau

    Instructions

    1. Put all ingredients in a stand mixer, beat on high until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.

    Vanilla Elderflower Whipped Cream. I love this on a lemon cake, peach pie, or strawberry tart.

    Vanilla Elderflower Whipped Cream Recipe

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
    • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
    • 2 tsp elderflower liquor (like St. Germain)

    Instructions

    1. Put all ingredients in a stand mixer, beat on high until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.

     

    Pumpkin Bourbon Whipped Cream. Of course, this is great on pumpkin pie. But also great on pancakes, waffles, caramel cupcakes and pecan pie.

    Pumpkin Bourbon Whipped Cream

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • 2 tbs pumpkin puree
    • 2 tbs bourbon

    Instructions

    1. Put all cream, sugar and cinnamon in a stand mixer, beat on high until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Gently stir in pumpkin and bourbon.

    Peppermint Schnapps Whipped Cream. This is perfect for your Christmas Hot Cocoa, garnish with a mini candy cane. Also great with chocolate fudge cake, or just chocolate mint cupcakes.

    Peppermint Schnapps Whipped Cream Recipe

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
    • 2 tsp peppermint schnapps

    Instructions

    1. Put all ingredients in a stand mixer, beat on high until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.

     

    Tequila Lime Whipped Cream. Of course, this is awesome on key lime pie. But it’s also great on pineapple cake, and vanilla pound cake with strawberries.

    Tequila Lime Whipped Cream Recipe

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
    • 2 tsp lime juice
    • 1/4 tsp zest
    • 1 tbs tequila

    Instructions

    1. Put all ingredients in a stand mixer, beat on high until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.

    Chocolate Stout and Bacon Skillet Brownies

     

    I hope you don’t mind my excessive use of stout over the past few weeks, but to be honest I’m really not sorry. I love stouts, I’m  unreasonably excited about stouts being back "in season," and we are only about 2 weeks away from International Stout Day.

    I’m geting you all stocked up on stout recipes, in case you want to celebrate via beer infused baked goods.

    Which, of course, I hope you do.

    You can use a chocolate stout for this, and that will be perfectly fine. You can also use a smoked porter or stout, or you can use a coffee or espresso stout.

    Whatever you choose, this is best served warm, in the middle of a table full of fun people, each with a spoon in one hand and a stout in the other.

    Chocolate Stout and Bacon Skillet Brownies

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 strips thick cut bacon
    • 1 stick unsalted butter
    • 3.5 oz 100g dark chocolate (60%), broken into pieces
    • 1/2 cup stout chocolate or coffee stouts work best
    • 2 eggs
    • 2/3 cup sugar
    • 1 tbs espresso powder
    • 1/2 cup flour
    • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
    • 1/4 tsp baking powder
    • Preheat oven to 350.

    Instructions
     

    • In a 8 or 9 inch cast iron skillet cook the bacon until done. Remove bacon from skillet. Swirl the bacon fat to coat the pan, discard the excess bacon fat.
    • Add the butter to the skillet, return to heat and cook until melted. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Add beer and stir.
    • In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until well combined. Sprinkle the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and espresso powder over the eggs, whisk until just combined.
    • Add the egg mixture to the chocolate skillet and stir until just combined. Chop bacon and sprinkle over the top.
    • Bake until the top has set (don't over bake) about 25 to 30 minutes.
    • Remove from oven, top with vanilla ice cream if desired (and I'm pretty sure you should desire) set in the middle of a table full of hungry people. Add spoons.

    Pad Thai Soup

    Love veggie meals? Try my Vegan Mushroom Quinoa Beer Chili! or Beer Battered Avocado Tacos

     

    Living in LA during "fall" makes you feel like a bit of crazy person.

    I’ll pull on my tall boots and a chunky sweaters that I am rightfully entitled to wear in late October, later realizing that the weather will creep up into the 80’s by mid day. And I’m the crazy lady at Starbucks ordering a pumpkin latte, wearing vintage Frye boots, jeans and a thick wool sweater while I could be wearing a jersey knit sundress like the normal, non-crazy, girl behind me in line.

    And still, I persist. I even go home and make soup. Sweating the entire time I eat it. In my sweater, with the air conditioner running.

    I spent three years as a vegetarian. The best thing I ever did when it comes to cooking, it opened up a world of produce to me and reminded me of all the foods I would often overlook just because they didn’t contain meat. To this day there are still things I prefer in a vegetarian or vegan form.

    When it comes to thai cooking, fish and oyster sauce are frequently called for. Here is an article about how to make those, DIY style in your own kitchen using non-meat products.

    There is also a company that sell vegetarian fish sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, and Golden Mountain Season Sauce is a great alternative when those are called for.

    And for Gluten Free, I hear this Kikkomon GF Soy Sauce is great.

    Pad Thai Soup

    Ingredients

    • 3 tbs oil
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 egg (omit for vegan)
    • 3 oz extra firm tofu, diced (or cubed chicken)
    • 4 cups broth (veggie or chicken)
    • 4 oz rice noodles (also called pad thai noodles)
    • 3 tbs soy sauce
    • 1/4 tsp sriracha
    • 1 tbs fish sauce (For vegan, use adaptation listed in above post)
    • 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, crushed
    • 1/4 cup green onions
    • 1 tsp crushed red peppers

    Instructions

    1. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the oil. Add the garlic and stir. Add the egg and cook until softly scrabbled. Add the tofu (or chicken), cook until lightly fried about 3 minutes.
    2. Add the broth, then add the noodles, soy, sriracha, fish sauce, and peanuts. Cook until noodles have softened, about 5 minutes.
    3. Serve topped with peanuts, green onions and red chili flakes.

     

    Chocolate Mint Stout Lava Cake

     

     

     

    Let’s talk about mint for a second.

    If you know me well, you know I have an issue with mint. Although it would be hard to tell, given that I’ve made you Chocolate Porter Brownies with Mint Frosting, Chocolate Mint Stout Ice Cream, and our neighborhood beer float hussy, The Dirty Girl Scout. You could have even assumed that I LOVE mint by all of those recipes, but the truth is that this is my culinary equililant of Exposure Therapy.

    The devolution of mint in my life happened in Morocco. I was traveling though Middle Atlas a few year ago with my sister, being carted from one town to another in the back of what was surely the car of a Moroccan drug dealer (or at least drug dropper-offer-guy, *actual term). I can’t even really pinpoint which incident linked Mint with Morocco in my brain. Maybe it was the cave dweller in Middle Atlas who made me mint tea, or the three Moroccan rug makers who locked me in the back of the factory plying me with mint tea in an effort to convince me to spend $6000 on a rug, or maybe it was the mint vendors waving their wares at me in the walled maze that was the old City Medina.

    To be honest, the experience wasn’t entirely bad. Terrifying and life changing, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to have gone to the other side of the world, even if it did involved running for my life through the late night streets of Fez. The rumor is that your sense of taste is more strongly linked to memories than images. Which makes sense. Because even when I see my photos from that trip, it doesn’t even come close to evoking the memories that come screaming back when I smell or taste fresh mint.

    I want to like mint, it’s an incredible flavor. It’s fresh and bright, and makes me gag. But I’m working on it. Exposure therapy, one chocolate mint dessert at a time.

    Months ago, when I found out about the Ken Schmidt / Iron Fist / Stone Mint Chocolate Imperial Stout I was excited that my self imposed mint affliction could extend into my love of craft beer.

    This might do it. And with a bold and creamy taste, and a gentle, but not sweet, mint flavor, I have high hopes that I will someday be the cure to my mint aversion. I think I need to send Ken Schmidt a mint flavored thank you card.

     

    Chocolate Mint Stout Lava Cake

    Ingredients
      

    • 3.5 oz 100 g Dark Chocolate 70%
    • 1 1/2 sticks butter 10 tbs
    • 2/3 cup Chocolate Mint Stout or chocolate stout
    • 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
    • 3 eggs plus 3 additional yolks
    • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
    • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
    • 3/4 cup flour
    • 1 tsp espresso powder this will not make the dessert taste like coffee. Espresso intensifies chocolate
    • 2 tbs dark chocolate chips

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 425.
    • Butter six soufflé dishes very well. The best way to do this is to soften butter (or use vegetable shortening or margarine) and a wadded up paper towel, smear a large amount inside each dish, making sure to get into the edges.
    • In a saucepan over medium heat, add the chocolate and butter. Stir constantly until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add beer, and peppermint extract, stir to combine.
    • In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, yolks and powdered sugar.
    • Pour chocolate mixture over egg mixture, stir to combine.
    • Sprinkle cocoa powder, espresso powder and flour over chocolate mixture, stir until just combined.
    • Divide equally between souffle dishes, making sure not to fill more than 2/3 full. Press about 4 to 5 chocolate chips into the very center of each cake (can be made one day ahead, cover and chill).
    • Bake at 425 until the outside is set, but the center is still liquid, about 9 minute no more than 13. (Note: Glass baking dishes cook much faster then ceramic dishes. Take these out of the oven when it looks as if they "need a few more minutes," you want a very runny center.)
    • Run a butter knife around the edge of the cake. Place a plate on top of each ramekin, turn upside down, lift ramekin to reveal cake. Serve immediately.

     

    Chipotle Stout Sloppy Joe’s Sliders

     

    I spent a few days up in Napa last month. While I was hanging out at Bear Republic those guys were nice enough to show me around and even let me jump behind the bar. While I was behind the bar, most likely annoyingly in his way, the bar manager asked me what my favorite style of beer was. To be honest, I didn’t have an answer. I wanted to try his special release stuff, those beer that never make it into bottles. And the Peter Brown Tribute that I had heard about but hadn’t been able to taste yet, but I still am not sure if I could pick one all-time favorite.

    It depends on what I’m eating.

    I do tend to favor lower alcohol beers, because I live in LA and we like to drive here.

    I like a dry hopped IPA.

    Or a circusy White.

    And I will always stand in line for a spicy beer.

    But, if I had to choose only one style of beer to cook with, that would be easy. Stouts are by far my favorite beer to cook with. They work well with beef and fabulously with chocolate. Spicy stouts are always intriguing, and although the go-to recipes for those seems to be a meat product, I  also want to figure out a really great chili chocolate cake recipe made with a spiced stout.

    Lucky for us, more and more breweries are making beer with spices so check out your local beer store and ask around. Here are some of my favorites:

    Stone Smoked Porter W/ Chipotle Peppers

    Mikkeller Texas Ranger 

    Bootlegger Black Phoneix Chipotle Coffee Stout

    I really encourage you to find a great beer for a brewery close to home. Stop in some day and see what they suggest. Maybe there is even a brewery close to you that won at last weeks Great American Beer Festival. Take look, make  some notes on what you want to try, but don’t forget to drink what you love, because you love it, regardless of how many or how few prizes it has under it’s belt.

     

     

     

    Chipotle Stout Sloppy Joe’s Sliders

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 tbs oil
    • 1 lb 80%/20% premium ground beef
    • 1/2 white onion chopped
    • 3 cloves of garlic
    • 1 1/4 cup Chipotle Stout or Porter
    • 1 small chipotle pepper from can in adobo sauce
    • 1 tsp adobo sauce from can
    • 4 oz tomato paste
    • 1 tbs mollasas
    • 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
    • 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
    • 1/4 tsp cumin
    • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 14-16 slider buns warmed

    Instructions
     

    • In a pan over medium high heat, add the oil and ground beef, cook until browned, stirring and breaking up meat. Using a slotted spoon, remove meat from pan.
    • In pan with residual oils, cook the onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir.
    • Add the beer, stir to combine.
    • Remove a small chipotle pepper from the can. Using a sharp knife and fork, chop very well until nearly reduced to a paste like substance. Add chipotle to the pan along with tomato paste, adobo sauce, molasses, cumin, paprika, salt, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Allow to cook until well combined and slightly thickened.
    • Add meat to the sauce pan, stir until well combined.
    • Fill slider buns with meat, serve warm.

     

     

     

    Creamy Butternut Soup With Pomegranate and Goat Cheese

    I’m so excited to share this with you. It is my favorite soup right now, and one of my favorite recipes so far this year.

    It’s interesting to see which posts get tons and tons of traffic and which ones get ignored, because really, you never know. My highest trafficked post isn’t even in my top twenty favorites.

    My most popular post, Inside Out Caramel Apples, makes me cringe a bit. Although it has been pinned about 200,000 times and shared on Facebook and Twitter thousands more, I don’t really love it. It was posted about a year ago, and there seems to be mixed results with success. As a blogger, that’s hard. I want everyone to have a home run every time they make the recipe, and that one seems to be hit or miss. I hate that. And I hate that I have no idea why it fails for some people, and works for others.

    And sometimes, the recipes that I love and can’t wait to share, get ignored. You just never know what is going to be a runaway pinterest hit, and what is going to get nothing more than a passing glance.

    But this soup, I LOVE this soup, and I hope you do too.

     

    Seriously, I’m going to make it again this week.

    Creamy Butternut Soup With Pomegranate and Goat Cheese

    Ingredients

    • 1 head garlic
    • 1 tbs olive oil
    • 1 large (or two small) butternut squash
    • 2 shallot, minced
    • 3 tbs olive oil
    • 2 cup chicken broth
    • 2 cup water
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp pepper
    • pinch cayenne
    • 1/2 cup cream
    • 1 cup pomegranate seeds
    • 3 oz crumbled goat cheese

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 425.
    2. Cut the tip of the head of garlic, exposing the tops of the cloves. Place on a small sheet of aluminum foil, drizzle with 1 tbs olive oil. Fold foil around garlic to form a tight package.
    3. Cut the butternut squash in half. Scoop out the seeds. Place on a baking sheet. Place garlic package on the baking sheet as well.
    4. Roast at 425 for 25 minutes, remove the garlic and allow to cool. Continue to roast the butternut squash for an additional 20 to 30 minutes (45 to 55 minutes total) or until flesh is soft and easy to scoop out.
    5. Scoop out flesh (should be about 5 cups) and puree in a food processor until smooth.
    6. In a large pot or dutch oven, add the shallots and olive oil over medium heat. Caramelize the shallots over medium heat, stirring occasional, for about 10 minutes, or until a dark golden brown. Don’t cook over high heat or the shallots will burn.
    7. Add the chicken broth, water, butternut puree, salt, pepper and cayenne. Squeeze the soft garlic head until the cloves push out (should be soft and mushy) add cloves to the soup. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and to maintain a simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
    8. Remove from heat, add cream and stir.
    9. Scoop into bowls, garnish with pomegranate and goat cheese.

    Makes 6 servings.

     

    Sweet Potato Beer Biscuits With Maple Sage Butter

     

     

    I didn’t grow up eating Sweet potatoes.

    I never saw them on my Thanksgiving table or at Sunday dinner. They just didn’t exist in my world. Until one chilly afternoon in College when I stopped by the dorm room of a Souther friend of mine who had just pulled a Sweet potato, covered in butter and brown sugar out of the microwave. She was nuts. A Vegetable with sugar on it? I couldn’t get over how strange it was to enjoy a vegetable as if it was some kind of dessert. She offered me a bite, and my instinct to recoil was overtaken by my overwhelming curiosity. I was hooked.

    I shocked at how much I love it. It was a comfort food, and it was a vegetable. Biscuits, made from scratch, are a bit the same. Although I didn’t grow up with anything other than a biscuit from a tube with a fear inducing opening method, those always seemed amazing to me. Another incredible comfort food.

    And the beer isn’t just here for the novelty of it. Beer is a mild leavening agent, giving this biscuits a lighter, more tender texture. For this recipe, I like a Hefeweizen or a Pumpkin Ale.

    Sweet Potato Beer Biscuits With Maple Sage Butter

    Ingredients
      

    For the Biscuits:

    • 1 large sweet potato
    • 2/3 cup beer
    • 2 cups flour
    • 2 tsp baking powder
    • 1 tsp baking soda
    • pinch salt
    • 1 tbs sugar
    • 1 stick butter cold, cut into small cubes
    • 1 tbs melted butter

    For the Butter:

    • 3 tbs butter room temperature
    • 1 sage leaf minced
    • 1 tsp pure maple syrup

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 425.
    • Pierce the sweet potato all over. Microwave on high until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to work with. Remove and discard skin, add sweet potato to a bowl (should be about 3/4 cup of sweet potato mash).
    • Add the beer to the sweet potatoes and using a potato masher, stir and mash until completely combined.
    • In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Mix to combine.
    • Add the butter cubes and using your fingers or a pastry blender, rub the butter into the flour until completely combined.
    • Add the sweet potato beer mixture and mix until just combined.
    • Form dough into a ball and place on a lightly floured surface. Form into a square, about 1 1/2 inches high, and about 1 foot long. Cut into square biscuits. Place on a baking sheet covered with a Silpat or parchment paper. Brush with melted butter.
    • Bake at 425 for 15-18 minutes.
    • In a small bowl, add the maple syrup ingredients and stir until combined.
    • Serve biscuits warm, with maple sage butter.

     

     

     

    Broccomole: Broccoli Guacamole

     

    It’s broccoli guacamole. You’re skeptical, I can tell. But this is really great, and with a creaminess that was slightly shocking, I will be making this again.

    And, if you set a serving size at an ounce, as Livestrong is telling me to do, it’s only 22 calories a serving. And only about 250 calories if I eat the entire bowl, which I am prone to doing.

    I love guacamole. I profess honest culinary devotion to avocados and guacamole. It is chocked full of healthy fats, vitamins, and protein. A great food that can not be improve upon. This recipe isn’t about improving guacamole. It’s a new food, a lower calorie creamy green dip that is about 1/3 the calories of that guacamole I love. But with twice the protein and less fat.

    And broccoli is known cancer fighter, bone strengthener, cardiovascular health champion, bone-fide superfood and one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. We could all stand to be a wee bit addicted to a bowl of this stuff.

    And it was so tasty, I ate it for lunch. And dinner. It’s like a dip with a mission, you don’t even have to feel bad about it. You are preventing heart disease and stroke one bite at a time. Really, it’s like medicine.

     

    This recipe was inspired by Ludo Lefebvre. While giving an interview about his book, Ludo Bites, he spoke about a Broccomole he made. This is my version.

    Broccomole

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups chopped broccoli
    • 1 jalapeno, chopped, seeds removed
    • 2 tbs green onions
    • 1 tsp olive oil
    • 2 ounces fat free cream cheese (or silken tofu, goat cheese, sour cream, cashew cream, something creamy)
    • 1/4 tsp chili powder
    • 1 tbs cilantro
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1/4 tsp black pepper
    • 1/4 tsp garlic powder

    Instructions

    1. Cook the broccoli in lightly salted water until very soft. Overcook the broccoli in comparison to the al dente cooking that most recipes recommend.
    2. Drain broccoli very well.
    3. Transfer to a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth, add additional olive oil for a smoother texture.
    4. Serve warm

     

     

    Stove Top Beer And Bacon Mac And Cheese

    I’m not a beer snob. To be honest, the term has always rubbed against the grain.

    I’m a beer fan, a beer lover, a girl fascinated by beer, but I’m not a snob.

    I spent years on the fringes of the music industry in LA, and the beer snobs I meet now echo those same phrases I heard then. And so do my responses.

    If you loved The Killers when we saw them play free shows at The Spaceland, you should still love them when they win Grammys.

    Good music, is good music. Regardless of how many, or how few, other people like it.

    If you loved Rogue Dead Guy Ale when no one carried it, you should still love it when it has mass distribution.

    Good beer, is good beer. Regardless of how many, or how few, other people like it.

    At a beer event a few months ago I asked the rep from North Coast Brewing why he hadn’t brought any Scrimshaw, "The Beer Snobs would eat me alive if I poured that!" And then whispered to me that it was what he drank more than anything else.

    Stop doing that.

    Good beer is good beer. Don’t be afraid to drink what you like, even if everyone else likes it too.

    In celebration of good beer, I give you my favorite one pot, quick and easy, make this for Thanksgiving, you will never make it from a box again, Mac & Cheese. Hope you still love it even when everyone else does too.

    Stove Top Beer And Bacon Mac And Cheese

    Servings 4 servings

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups elbow macaroni
    • 4 strips of bacon cut in half
    • 1/2 cup sour cream
    • 1 egg
    • 2/3 cup beer pale ale, blonde, bock, and Hef work well, an IPA will give you a very strong beer flavor
    • 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese fresh grated, pre-shreaded has additives that prevents it from melting properly
    • 2 tbs butter
    • 1/2 tsp black pepper
    • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
    • pinch cayenne pepper
    • salt to taste

    Instructions
     

    • In a large pot of boiling water, add the noodles and cook until just before done. Don't over-cook the noodles or this will end up mushy.
    • Drain the pasta, return the pot to the stove and cook the bacon until crispy, remove from pot and allow to cool.
    • Drain off bacon grease and return drained noodles to the pot.
    • In a separate bowl, add the beer, egg and sour cream, beat until well combined.
    • Add the butter and the beer mixture to the noodles and return to medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted.
    • About 1/4 a cup at a time, add the cheese. Stir until cheese has melted before adding more.
    • Add the spices and chopped bacon, stir.

     

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    Pizza Stuffed Pretzel Rolls

     

    I’m going unprocessed this month. Which, as my favorite byproduct of this exercise, has pushed me out of my grocery buying comfort zone and reminded me to wander into local bakeries and specialty food stores to rely on what they have to offer. I love supporting local mom & pop shops, and even though I eat a very unprocessed diet on a regular basis, this is a great way for me to double check all of my eating habits.

    When I had the idea for these stuck in my head, I wanted to make it as easy as possible for the both of us. I found out a few interesting short cuts for pizza dough. While I am working on perfecting a pizza dough recipe, I realize that good dough takes time and my pizza making cravings don’t allow me the requisite 24 hours that good dough really needs. I did learn that most pizza places will sell you raw and ready to use pizza dough if you just ask, but don’t count on them delivering. Also, look for an Italian deli, I have two really great ones in my neighborhood. They usually sell homemade pasta, home cured meats, homemade cheese AND (you guested it) raw and ready to go pizza dough. Sometimes you even get handmade recipes passed down from generation to generation shipped over from the Motherland. So much better than I could ever do myself. As much as I WANT to make everything from my own hands, even on my best day I could never top an Italian Grandmother on her worst. So, my secret to these is "store bought" dough is getting it from my local Italian deli.

    You can also look at your local regular-guy markets (Trader Joe’s, Fresh & Easy, Whole Foods) if you don’t have any Italian culinary entrepreneur  in your neighborhood. But it’s worth a Yelp search, just incase they flew under your radar, or call the nice folks at your local pizza restaurant to see if they will break you off a hunk of their dough.

     

    Pizza Stuffed Pretzel Rolls

    1 batch Pizza dough

    1/2 cup marinara sauce

    2 oz peperoni, chopped

    1/2 cup cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, whatever you want)

    1/4 cup baking soda

    2 tbs sugar

    3 tbs melted butter

    course salt

     

    Preheat oven to 350.

    Start by placing the hunk of dough on a lightly floured surface.

     

    Shape the dough into a long log. Cut into two equal halves, then cut each half in half (giving you four equal logs)

    Then cut each log in half the other way

    Now you have 8 pieces! Cut each piece in half and you are finally done with the cutting and you have 16 dough pieces ready to be filled.

    Roll each dough piece on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin. Top with about 1 to 2 tbs sauce, 2 tbs cheese and 1 tbs pepperoni.

    Wet the edges of the dough (the best way to do this is to place a small bowl of water near you and wet your fingertips) and pinch the edges tightly together.

    Place on a baking sheet, covered with a Silpat.

    Fill a large pot with water, making sure you have enough room for it to bubble up, but deep enough for the rolls to fit in. Add the 2 tbs sugar and allow to boil, add the baking soda (there will be lots of bubbling), add the buns (about 4 at a time) and allow to boil for about 30 seconds, remove with a large slotted spoon and return to baking sheet.

    Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt.

    Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until a dark golden brown.

    *Note: if you want to freeze these, allow to cool, place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 weeks. To re-heat, bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until cooked though.

     

    Triple Berry Blueberry Beer Cobbler

    You inspire me. You really do. One of my favorite moments of my day is reading emails from you, those of you who read my blog and like what I’m doing.

    And sometimes,the emails have a common theme. A thread that runs through out the world, across the internet, and remind me of how we are all connected, in one way or another, and more similar than we all think.

    In the past month I’ve received four emails from all over the world about blueberry beer. Not so much along the avenue of, "I love this, you MUST try it!" but more in the vein of, "This is interesting, but not totally drinkable, what do I do with it?"

    And to be honest, I feel the same way. At a beer event six months ago, an overly zealous beer server shoved a glass of Shipyards Smashed Blueberry into my hand. And, as one who will never let a beer go untasted, I began to drink. It was interesting. The presence of blueberry with bready, toasty notes that where really well balanced. It wanted to love it, but it just wasn’t for me. It’s a great example of a blueberry beer, one that you should go out and drink, if fruit beers are your thing, but just not for me. Even still, it stayed with me, because in my world there is a different place for cooking beers. And this was a great cooking beer. One that I believe in, in theory, a well crafted beer with great flavors, but one that I wasn’t eager to run home and drink.

    So here we are, me and you, with blueberry beers that we find interesting but not necessarily ones we want to fill our glasses with.

    So here is what I propose: an easy berry cobbler made with this intriguing beer. And here are some great ones to go out and try:

    SLO Brewing Blueberry

    Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Beer

    Bluepoint Blueberry Ale

    Shipyard Smashed Blueberry

    Triple Berry Blueberry Beer Cobbler

    Ingredients
      

    • Six cups of berries I used 2 cups each blackberries, strawberrries, and blueberries Frozen is fine
    • 1/2 cup brown sugar plus 2 tbs divided
    • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
    • 2 tbs corn starch
    • 1 1/2 cups blueberry beer
    • 2 cups cake flour
    • 2 tsp baking powder
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 12 tbs butter 1 1/2 sticks cut into small cubes
    • 1/2 cup beer
    • 1/4 cup milk
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
    • 2 tbs beer

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 450.
    • In a pot over medium high heat, add 4 cups berries (reserve 2 cups mixed berries for the end), 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, corn starch and beer. Allow to simmer until reduced and thickened, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
    • Remove from heat, add reserved 2 cups of berries, stir to combine. Add to a deep dish pie pan.
    • In a bowl, add 2 tbs brown sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and stir to combine.
    • Add the butter, rub into the flour until well combined and resembles course meal.
    • Add the milk and 1/2 cup beer, stir until combined.
    • Gently add the flour topping, a bit at a time, to the pie pan until the berries are covered.
    • Bake at 450 until the topping has turned a light golden brown, about 18 minutes.
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 2 tbs beer. Whip on high until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.
    • Serve the cobbler topped with whipped cream.

     

    Kale Caesar with Goat Gouda, Avocados and Homemade Croutons

     

    A few weeks ago I was invited to the opening of Messhall in Los Angeles to partake in an amazing media dinner. I was stuffed with steak tartare tacos, lobster mac n cheese, incredibly memorably cheese grits, the best pork chop of my life and a kale caesar salad I can’t stop thinking about. I was fortunate enough to accompany the incredibly dashing Greg Henry of Sippity Sup, sit with a small group of food writers, publicists, bloggers and magazine editors on the patio of the iconic space that once housed The Brown Derby. a Los Angeles landmark turned into the hip new Mess Hall with a summer camp chic vibe and a menu that is both familiar and vibrantly new.

    Although all the food was memorable (how can I forget corn on the cob with smoked tomato butter?), there was something about that salad that I couldn’t stop thinking about. The simplicity and perfectly balanced flavors, how the kale was such an improvement over Romaine, how had I never thought of this?

    Even weeks later, when a waiter at a different Los Angeles restaurant attempted to talk me into ordering the kale salad at his place, I had to mention to him the perfection of Mess Hall salad.

    So here is my version, a Kale Caesar with Goat Gouda, Avocados and Homemade Croutons. But if you’re in Los Angeles, stop by Messhall for the real thing.

    Kale Caesar with Goat Gouda, Avocados and Homemade Croutons

    Ingredients

    • 1 egg
    • 3 tbs lemon juice
    • 1 clove garlic, chopped
    • 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
    • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
    • 1 tsp dijon mustard
    • 1 tsp anchovy paste
    • 1/2 cup parmesan
    • 1/2 tsp black pepper
    • 3/4 cup canola oil
    • 2 cups dry crusty bread, cut into cubes
    • 2 tbs butter
    • 1 head of kale, chopped into thin ribbon
    • 1 large beefsteak tomato, chopped
    • 1 large avocado, chopped
    • salt and pepper
    • 1/4 cup freshly grated goat gouda

    Instructions

    1. In a food processor, add the egg, lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire, red pepper, mustard, anchovy, black pepper and parmesan. Allow to process until frothy. Add the oil to a microwave safe bowl, microwave for 1 minute or until very hot and steamy. While the food processor is running, very, very slowly add the oil and continue to process until dressing has emulsified, about 3 minutes. Place the dressing in a container with a lid and refrigerator until chilled, about 1 hour (can be made up to 3 days ahead of time).
    2. If the bread you are using for croutons is fresh, place on a baking sheet and dry out in a 250 oven for 10 minutes.
    3. In a skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add the prepared bread cubes and cook, tossing occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes.
    4. In a bowl, add the kale, tomato and avocado. Add the dressing and toss to coat, salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with goat gouda and croutons.

    Makes 4 to 6 servings.

     (I was provided with a delicious free dinner & cocktails from Messhall,  

    however I was not monetarily compensated for this review.

    All ideas and opinions are my own.)

    How To: Make Corn Tortillas From Scratch

    Homemade corn tortillas are one of the perfect food trifectas: easy, cheap & delicious.

    SO much better than anything you have ever found at on a store shelf, takes about 5 minutes, and only a few cents each.

    This needs to be added to your "To Make" list. Right now.

    Check out the step by step guest post I did for Andrew of Eating Rules, and sign up for the pledge if you get a chance!

     

    Get the recipe here!