I am unsure what the definition of cloud nine is, but you could describe Dawn and my mood as like that description. Dawn is still in apprehensive-worry-mode about her M.A. exams coming up in the near future, but following shortly after we will be attending Taste of the Nation in Philadelphia, being thrown by the Share our Strength organization. Jennifer Carroll, the chef de cuisine at Eric Ripert's 10 Arts Bistro and Lounge and second runner up on Top Chef, will be speaking and cooking, as well as other chef's from around Philadelphia. The event is being held to raise money to alleviate child hunger, and we are heartily grateful for the opportunity Foodbuzz has given us.
Fortunately, we were given three tickets, which not only benefits us, but the extra ticket also benefits you. Everyone who joins our blog or is already a follower and comments on this post will become eligible for a winning ticket valued at $85.00 This is perfect if you live in Philadelphia or within driving distance. We only have one ticket to give away, but we'd love to meet whoever wins and spend some time with you, or, if you have a loved one or several loved ones you would like to bring along, tickets are still available and the money is going to a great cause. The winner will be announced this weekend. You've got to eat--might as well be excellent fare cooked by some wonderful chefs with their hearts in the right place.
I read Lebovitz's The Sweet Life in Paris recentlyand was inspired to make some carnitas, both by him and my next door Mexican grocer. She made my mouth water when she explained that she was preparing carnitas and two varieties of tamales on Sunday when we were at church. That meant I had to whip it up myself. Lebovitz's addition of cinnamon sticks and bay leaves were splendid along with a few of my additional piquant touches of ground guajillo pepper, lime juice, beer, and brining the roast for a day.
Bear & Lime Braised Carnitas
1-2 # Pork Loin Roast
Brine* (Below)
12 oz Lager Beer.
5 Tbsp Rose's Sweetened Lime Juice
1 Tbsp Guajillo Pepper
3/4 Tbsp Ground Cumin
Water for Basting
Brine
2 Quarts Water
5 Tbsp Salt
1 Tbsp Ground Pepper
4 Tbsp White vinegar
1. For the brine, heat liquid, salt and pepper to a bowl in microwave safe bowl. Stir to make sure salt is dissolved. Add ice cubes to cool brine at least to room temperature. Add pork, cover and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. Dry pork off, cut into 1" cubes and salt thoroughly. Brown pork in a heated roasting pan or large oven proof skillet over medium-high heat, 8-10 minutes. Remove pork pieces. Add beer, lime juice, and spices, scraping to remove any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet.
4. When the liquid begins to thicken, add the pork pieces into the sauce. Add water until it almost reaches the top of the pieces. Place into the oven and braise an hour.
5. Check to add more water to same height. Braise for another hour or until pork crumbles when pressed (it will look dark and almost burnt, but trust me, its not).
6. Serve with spiked guacamole, lime quarters for squeezing on tortillas, and finely diced roma tomatoes.
Spiked Guacamole
This guacamole is lively due to the pureed fresh garlic and onions.
1-1/2 Roma Tomatoes
1 Avocado
1/2 Yellow Onion
3 Garlic Cloves
1/4 Tsp Ground Guajillo Pepper
1/2 Tsp Cumin
1/2 Tsp Apple Cider vinegar
3/4 Tsp Salt
Dash of lime juice
Combine all ingredients in container for blender or food processor. Puree ingredients and taste to adjust salt if needed or add additional lime juice as desired.
When Dawn and I began planning our dinner we had tons of ideas concerning themes and concepts, and we ended with the conclusion of an American/European fusion dinner titled Americana Revisited. The reason why we settled on this was to highlight the essence of Midwest America without the humdrum standbys that no one wants to eat again any time soon. We appreciate the fact that Ohio is never considered as a wine growing paradise because that leaves more of the hidden jewels for us. I have to admit, that until recently even I sneered at the idea of excellent wine being made on the shores of bleak Lake Erie. It sounded like a ridiculous concept- but the mind must always be open innovation so it does not shrivel up into a repetitive heap. America is rarely known for a cuisine of its own, but that makes quite a statement in itself. Americana must always be revisited and remelted with shards of the old elements and shreds of the new to keep it the cultural melting pot that makes our cuisine great.
For our first course, I had the challenge of pairing some sort of a salad with a slightly sweet white. For the wine, Daniel and I selected a Gewurtzraminer wine from Fireland's vineyard, located on Isle of St. George in Sandusky, Ohio (home to Cedar Point if you're a roller coaster fan). We'll mention Firelands again later on. This course was our first test if you will, as despite our optimism, there was a slight worry in the back of my mind that the wine would be exceptionally sweet, and the stereotyped jabs to Ohio wine would hold true. Lucky for us, they were wrong! To compliment what the wine described as its "Rose Petal Fragrance," I choose a lemony brussels sprout hash topped with poppy seeds. The zesty flavor from the lemon complimented the delicate sweetness of the wine exceptionally well and created a wondefully refreshing pairing that we will probably plan to enjoy again.
As soon as we found out that we were going to be doing the pairing dinner, I knew I wanted to do some sort of ravioli dish. I love preparing homemade pasta, partly because of the process, and partly because of how versatile the dish can be. I don't get to make it very often because because it does take a little bit of time and space. Luckily though, I had my mom's larger kitchen to take over for the afternoon and an extra pair of hands to help put them together. For the wine, we selected a blend from South River Vineyard in Geneva, Ohio, looking for a sweeter, lighter red to transition to the dryer reds later. We have yet to visit this winery, but if you look at their site, the place looks quite amazing with the unique setting in the church. The Trinity blend was a blend of Chambourcin, Cabernet Franc, and Pinot Noir, and we read would be sweeter, smokier taste. So, to try and compliment the two flavors, I prepared a Mushroom Ravioli with homemade pasta and slow cooked smokey bacon onions in (in place of a sauce). One of our guests (who happens to be related...and share a love for bacon), described the pairing of the slow cooked smoky bacon onions with the mushroom ravioli as releasing a "cornucopia of flavors" when paired with the wines. By this point, Daniel and I were both relieved I think that the myth of super sweet mediocrity was quickly being debunked.
For the soup course I had a few elements in mind that fit the criteria of Americana Revisited including Spanish chorizo, split orange lentils and parmesan crisps. For my birthday a few days ago, Dawn bought me the book Happy in the Kitchen by Michel Richard in which he composes countless dishes similar to yet reinventing the wheel of common American dishes. For example, he revisits pecan pie which, explains as being pleasantly surprised by the first time he had it in the states and inserts macadamia nuts in place the pecans. There is definitely something to be said for reinventing the wheel as long as you don't forget the principles and engineering behind it. I tossed around the idea of using fresh Mexican chorizo and finally settled on Spanish although I believe they would both work in the recipe. The bright orange split lentils added the vibrancy I was hoping for in the dish as well as marrying well with the lamb stock I prepared last weekend for the soup. Just to mesh the spicy chorizo, buttery lentils, salty parmesan crisp, and sweetness of the stock- the Chambourcin added a pleasant dry peppery note that played well as a counterbalance.
Another book I highly recommend for its thoughtful reverence of properly raised meat as well as the head to tail approach that Fergus Henderson has become so famous for is The River Cottage Meat Book by another well intentioned Brit by the name of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. His ideas and commentary from the humane approach to meat to the precedence of keeping old recipes alive make the book a must for meat lovers. Near the center I wandered upon a recipe titled something like Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder Alla Donny Brasco which he gives a bit of credit to Nigella Lawson and others for also coining the cooking method, but as usual the ingredients and unique elements are what he wanted to display. I thank him, Lawson, and whoever else is responsible for the method, but like Hugh I tinkered with the flavor profile to stuff the pork shoulder with garlic cloves and rosemary, crusting it in whole grain mustard while still slow roasting it at 200 for approximately twenty hours. The mustard sauce that I prepared with the pan drippings, white wine, and extra rosemary seemed to be a hit. The combo of meat and sauce rested over white cheddar cheese grits. And, contrary to some of our preconceptions, the '05 Firelands Cab was musty and smoky with hints of fruit but not too much as a Cabernet Sauvignon must remain true to its noble old world roots which in our case was the Ohio version. A sort of Midwest Americana that the Old world would appreciate.
Last but not least for my dishes was a wine poached pear dish with homemade ricotta that adds the creaminess that seems inherently sinful yet right when uncorking a bottle of desert wine just for those special occasions. With all the hecticness of the activities which felt a bit like us hosting our first thanksgiving, yet the celebration was not even in our house, Dawn did a nice job capturing as many dishes and angles as she could but at the end of the night we ended with very few pictures of the pears. With something as sumptuous as pears, I try to keep the kiss (keep it simple stupid) approach so as not to overwhelm the natural sweetness and delicacy that comes out during poaching. I poached them in some white wine, a shot of triple sec, brown sugar, and lemon zest. The apple pie Mead from the Brothers Drake Meadery here in Columbus (who we paid a nice visit to earlier this month, and will probably again soon) went together with the pears and cheese as apple pie goes with cheddar cheese yet with a more mellow connection rather than an opposites attract relationship. Americana can always use another apple pie/cheddar combination and my nomination is poached pears and ricotta.
Finally nearing the end. The dessert course. Initially I assumed this would be the easiest course to come up with a pairing for. I love making desserts. Pairing desserts with wine, particularly an Ice Wine that's exceptionally sweet is slightly more difficult however, as you have to be careful that the two are not competing as far as sweetness goes. This type of disaster would be quite a loss with any dessert wine, but with ice wine in particular I discovered this would be quite a travesty, as the process is quite labor intensive and a somewhat more risky venture. Ice wine gets its name because it is made from grapes that have frozen on the vine. The freezing process concentrates the grape flavor and the sweetness, producing an intensely sweet but perfectly balanced wine, but is also quite risky for the wine producers as it depends on a deep freeze occurring while the grapes are still in a ripened state on the vine. Besides the risks involved in the possible loss of the crop itself, the process of production is quite labor intensive as well, explaining why the cost is slightly higher.
The ice wine from Firelands was not too expensive as far as ice wines go, and was absolutely perfect. I think we all sat in absolute silence for a few seconds after the initial sip. The cake I choose for the pairing was a toasted almond cake with a nectarine glaze, dotted with grapes to balance the sweetness. The toasted buttery flavor of the almonds and the delicate sweetness coming through from the nectarine proved an ideal pairing. I wouldn't boast to be able to say my baking is able to compliment such an amazing wine, but it definitely didn't detract from it.
All in all, the meal was absolutely incredible. We successfully found wines to debunk the super sweet stereotype from both larger Ohio Vineyards like Firelands and Debonne, and smaller operations like South River Vineyards and Brothers Drake Fine Meads. Along our journey revisiting Americana, we learned through trial and error the sweet wines created from the different grape varietals that thrive in Ohio. While visiting the Brothers Drake Meadery, we learned about the decline of interest in mead following World War II and a bee blight about the same time, and current growth of the mead industry that emphasizes both local honeys and products, and a revisiting of wine making techniques that extend back to medieval time. The experience with pairings was rewarding and the chance to share it with friends and family in a family style meal was unforgettable. We haven't included recipes we used as this post is quite long, but please ask for any that look interesting and we'd be happy to send them to you. I'm sure you're tired of reading by now, so all that's left is to thank Foodbuzz for the opportunity to not only find some wonderful examples of Ohio Wines, but to share an incredible meal with friends and family.
Dawn and I went to the North Market in the Arena District the other day to look at the cheese shop, the outside farmers market, and we refrained from some of the most incredible ice cream in the world (Jeni's). I had a pork loin brining the refrigerator that I was unsure of how I was going to cook before we went on our adventure. Call me crazy but there is some kind of last minute instinct in me concerning cooking that makes the composition of a meal fascinating . To think that the small amount of salt and vinegar with water can seal in the juices of a pork loin so well. Each element working like a collage and then topping the collage off with whole grain mustard to roast.
The mustard caught my eye as I was looking through their case for their assorted cheese curds that make me happy. On the top of the clear plastic container was written in permanent ink Pommery. I suspected this was some region of France with their mustard infatuation. I later learned after a short conversation that French Pommery mustard is typically made in Meaux. They refrained from telling me if this particular mustard was made locally or actually in Meaux, but it looked and tasted incredible, so it made no difference to me.
We also had some gorgeous golden beets and many other alliterations to go with the meal. The kind fellow at the local farm where we purchased the beets told us they purchased a planter that allows them to plant the golden beets when already partially germinated. Why does this matter you might ask? Golden beets have a much longer germination period which disallows them to be harvested at the same time as red beets if at all here in Ohio. Enough beet factoids, though and on to the recipes.
Cider Brined Pork with Pommery Crust
1- 2 1/2 # pork loin roast
1/4 C Pommery or similar whole grain mustard
6 C. Water
3/4 C. apple cider vinegar
1/4 C. white vinegar
5 T. coarse kosher salt
6 garlic cloves halved
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
Place pork loin in large bowl and submerge in water combined with vinegars and salt. Let sit covered in refrigerator for at least twenty-four hours up to seventy-two. Remove from brine and pat dry. Cut small incision in roast just large enough to insert garlic cloves. Rub with oil and cover roast liberally with pommery mustard. Pour brining liquid into roasting pan and place roast on rack inside pan and cover with aluminum foil. Make sure liquid is not touching bottom of roast. Roast at 400 degrees for approximately an hour or until thermometer registers 150 degrees. Let roast rest for about fifteen minutes before slicing.
Warm Golden Beet and Quinoa Salad
3-4 Medium Sized Golden Beets; Stems Removed; Unpeeled
1/2 Cup Red Quinoa; rinsed
1 Cup Water
2 Cloves Garlic; Chopped
1/2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Lemon
1 Tbsp Fresh Dill
1/4 Cup Goat Cheese Crumbles
1. Preheat oven to 400. Wash beets and wrap individually in foil. Once preheat, place beets on baking sheet or in roasting pan and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until can easily be pierced with a fork.
2. After removing beets from oven, allow to rest until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, add olive oil to heavy saucepan and saute garlic over medium high heat until beginning to brown. Add quinoa and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cover. Allow to simmer until grains begin to separate; approximatley 15 minutes.
3. While the quinoa is simmering, remove beets from foil. Peel, and cut roasted beets into bite-sized cubes.
4. Once quinoa has completed cooking. Remove from heat. Add cubed beets and quinoa to serving dish stirring lightly. Squeeze juice from half of a lemon over salad. Add chopped dill and goat cheese crumbles. Salt & pepper to season as desired and serve immediately.
Pork is such a versatile meat that can be both light and sumptuous in the same dish; and as of late I have found myself focused on the “the other white meat’s” versatility. The richness that pork loin provides rivals roast chicken but certainly does not topple it. It is a battle that will be going on in my mind forever as far as I can tell.
I was daydreaming about pork loin a few days ago when Dawn and I ran in the grocery store to grab some ingredients for something or other and I walked past a meat fridge with a few packs of butter-flied pork loin cutlets. After staring intently at them for a few moments I had the idea of stuffing them with something but was unsure of what until I started looking through the ingredients I had to work with at the house.
After probing through the fridge for a couple minutes, I found the plump Brown Turkey figs from Whole Foods a couple days prior. After some contemplation, couscous came to mind as the missing link to the dish that I was dreaming of but could not initially connect. Perhaps it was some kind of Freudian dream and I was repressing couscous like the overly simple relative. But despite the repression that became the opus- fig and couscous stuffed pork loin with a hint of herbaceous goat cheese.
Fig and Couscous Stuffed Pork Loin
2 butter-flied pork loins
3-4 fresh brown turkey or black mission figs
Several pats of soft herb infused goat cheese
1 C Chicken Stock
½ C small grain couscous
2 T olive oil
1 T soy sauce
1 T fresh mint plus more for garnish
Salt & Pepper to taste
Lay pork flat on grill pan and cook for three to five minutes per side or until meat registers 140 degrees in center.
Bring one cup chicken stock to a boil, add couscous, salt, pepper. Place lid on pot and remove from heat.
Chop figs in quarters and place in skillet with oil, salt and pepper, goat cheese, and soy sauce. Cook on low until ingredients are well incorporated.
Spoon several tablespoons of couscous and then fig sauce into the mouths of each pork loin. A few more crumbles of goat cheese can be added on top of fig sauce with mint shreds for garnish.
During the week, primarily Daniel or myself prepare our meals separately, with very little help or input from the other. Either I’ll do most of the cooking at night before Daniel gets home, or if I’m working on something at the house, Daniel takes care of it. Saturday evenings are more or less our only opportunity to actually cook a meal together, so often when we do, it can get a little elaborate. However, with the beautiful weather we had this weekend, and with it being Labor Day weekend, we of course had to grill something. And seeing as how this was one of the few truly collaborative meals we’ve gotten to prepare together recently, we will be writing this post together!
Unlike the typical rib connoisseur, my tendency is not toward baby back, rib tip, or any other mainstream pork barbecue cut, instead leaning toward a meaty country-style pork loin rib. These are behemoths compared to the baby back, often served at your neighborhood barbecue joint, unless you happen to live in Memphis or some other barbecue haven which utilizes some variation. My idea for the sauce mixes a recent adventure of ours to the Jazz and Rib Fest here in Columbus, which I recommend if you are in the area next July, and a trip to a tiny barbecue joint in Mobile, Alabama, called Dreamland BBQ. It is one of those establishments that if there is no indicator within a mile of what that building is, you know it is a barbecue joint. The smoke wafts through the floorboards and around the room. From the chunks of fall-off-the-bone chicken to the stacks of white bread they serve it with, I can still envision the big guy sitting by the pit on a bar stool. Anyway, memories are strong entities and gave me something to think about when I was preparing the barbecue sauce.
3 Vinegar Barbecue Sauce
6 oz. can tomato puree
1 C. white vinegar
½ C. apple cider vinegar
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 t. smoked paprika
1 t. liquid smoke
2 pieces of bacon chopped fine
3 T. canola oil
1 t. chili powder
3 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper to taste
Brown bacon and vinegar in saucepan for a couple minutes. Add vinegars, oil, liquid smoke, chili powder, paprika, and tomato paste stirring until combined. Simmer on low until thicken to desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Country Style Grilled Ribs
3 to 4 Servings
2 ½ # country style pork loin ribs
3 vinegar barbecue sauce (as mentioned above)
Soak ribs in barbecue sauce for at least an hour up to a day. Reserve some sauce for after cooking. Prepare grill for indirect cooking so ribs will not char too bad before being cooked through. Grill for approximately twenty minutes depending on grill’s temperature. Make sure ribs are 165 degrees near the bone before taking them off grill.
Although you can clearly see Daniel’s prowess at the grill, I remain unable to channel an inner Bobby Flay, which makes keeping the oven off difficult sometimes. When it came time to choose a side, all I really wanted to go with the ribs was a piece of corn bread or a biscuit. At first, I decide to give in and just use the oven, but as I pulled out the small cast iron skillet (the only real way to make corn bread), I had a flash back to a camping trip Daniel and I took for my birthday while we were living in Florida.
During the trip, we decided we were going to try to cook, and I had mixed up some corn bread before we leftand put it in the cooler, with plans to cook it over the camp fire. It makes a nice mental image imagining the corn bread slowly cooking as the campfire flames lick the edges of the pan. What actually happened however, was that by the time we had pitched the tent, it was extremely dark and I had somehow managed to leave our flashlights behind….so we had to cook in the dark. I have no idea what the corn bread looked like, but judging from the taste, it was probably a black color. Smiling at this memory, I decided to use the iron skillet in a similar manner and try to grill the corn bread.
The result was much better than we anticipated. The sweetness from the red pepper and corn complimented the slight smoky flavor created by grilling, and as you can see from the picture, the corn bread turned out to be just slightly browned on the bottom giving a nice crispy sweet crust as we took our first bite.
Grilled Corn Bread with Roasted Red Peppers
Makes 4 Servings
½ Cup Corn Meal
½ Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tsp Baking Powder
¼ Tsp Garlic Salt
Dash Salt
1 Egg Yolk, beaten
½ Cup Milk
2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil, Plus 1 tbsp
¼ Cup Frozen Corn
1 Green Onion, Diced
½ Roasted Red Pepper, diced
To grill: Grease small cast iron skillet with 1 tablespoon oil, letting most sit in bottom of the pan. Once grill is ready, place skillet on grill rack and allow to preheat 3-5 minutes before placing batter in pan.
To bake: Grease small cast iron skilled with approx ½ tablespoon oil, wiping sides and bottom of pan with paper towel to remove excess. Place skillet in oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
Blend first six ingredients. Add egg yolk, milk, and vegetable oil and mix until just moistened. Add corn, red peppers, and green onion, and stir just until well distributed. Pour batter into greased pan.
To grill: Leave pan on bottom rack, direct heat, until top appears solid, 8-10 minutes. Remove immediately carefully handling iron skillet, and allow to cool.
To cook: Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove and allow to cool.
Optional: You could add shredded cheese while still warm to top of corn bread and allow to melt while still warm.
As a side with dinner, slaw was a logical pairing with the barbecue since the two go together like apple pie and ice cream. We found a nice big head of purple cabbage at the farmers market earlier that morning. After we got home, we added some vinegar and pickled sweet banana peppers to compliment the vinegary nature of the barbecue sauce and let it marinate until supper that night. It is not a traditional slaw without the mayonnaise, but has a cleaner more earthy taste to round out and complete our colorful tribute to summer.
So, now that we’ve taken you through most of our meal, now its time for my favorite part, dessert! There are few things more refreshing or rewarding over the summer than homemade ice cream, and with the end of peach season so close, I couldn’t resist making a peach ice cream. I could agonizingly describe the rich taste and luxurious texture of the ice cream, but instead I think Daniel put it best after one bite: “Greek yogurt is delicious on its own. With peaches, even better. Make it into ice cream…[takes another bite, closes his eyes].” I think that meant he approved. Enjoy!
Peach & Greek Yogurt Ice Cream
2 Cups Whipping Cream
1 / 2 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla
8 Egg Yolks
2 Cup Greek Style Yogurt (whole)
2-3 lbs Peaches, peeled, pit removed, and diced.
First, whisk the egg yolks in a medium sized bowl. Heat whipping cream and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, just until a gentle boil, stirring to prevent scalding.
Slowly pour cream and sugar mixture into egg yolks, whisking constantly to prevent eggs from cooking. Return mixture to stove, add vanilla and cook over low heat until custard thickens. Pour into bowl over diced peaches and mix well. Fold in yogurt until well combined. Refrigerate until cold. Once the mixture is chilled, add to your ice cream freezer. Follow manufacturer’s instructions & freeze until ready.
