Eight bacon "hacks" : http://lifehacker.com/5837068/8-essential-bacon-hacks (best hack: bacon cups).  OK, one more bacon hack: homemade bacon salt: http://lifehacker.com/5838933/make-your-own-bacon-salt .  OK, last bacon hack, a Cooks Illustrated method for using bacon paste (their term, not mine) to help chicken kabobs: http://www.101cookingfortwo.com/2011/04/bacon-coated-chicken-kabobs.html 

Another fun hack (or a disaster) - sous-vide cooking salmon in your sink: http://lifehacker.com/5830856/cook-salmon-sous+vide-in-your-kitchen-sink-for-...

A nice roundup of the uses of sorghum in modern cuisine and drink: http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2011/09/southern_spell_sorghum_syrup_a...

Does liking quality microbrew mean you're an anti-union, neoliberal? http://crookedtimber.org/2011/08/19/small-beer/  (quick answer: almost certainly not).

Math, eggs, and getting your boil on: http://lifehacker.com/5833410/the-egg-cooking-calculator-uses-math-to-help-yo...  . Source in Norwegian.  Really.  "Initial temperature of the egg" is "Eggets starttemperatur."

On a more serious note, Nestle's chairman is "skeptical" of organic food.  Of course, it might be partially because Nestle is making money hand over fist on high-impact chemically-based agriculture.  No word on whether these farming techniques that we're supposedly dependent on are themselves even remotely sustainable themselves.  FC effectively rips in to the failures of the anti-organic arguments here.  http://www.fastcompany.com/1779059/nestle-chairmans-attacks-on-organic-food-a... 

Finally, here's a grilled cheese martini, offered without comment:

 http://boingboing.net/2011/08/19/grilled-cheese-martinis.html

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Tamarind = new school
Rita-Hayworth-looking pin-up = old school

Don’t cross the streams!

(Tamarindo Mexicano in Lugano, Switzerland; originally posted at http://wp.me/pRWfZ-cZ)

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In DC, we are at the peak weeks for stone fruit. Peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums. If it's a drupe, it's in season. For those of us with generally laughable growing seasons, this is pretty exciting. So, well, we might have gone a bit overboard in buying the past few weeks. We bought Marvin out of apricots the first week he had them to make jam for the winter, and keep ending up with, well, more peaches and nectarines than most sane people would try to tackle in a week.

That being said, these things lend themselves well to jamming, baking, and... drinking. So, I present to you a Manhattan with peach-infused brandy. While "Fredricksburgian" didn't quite work as a name, Georgian was workable.

Using the nitrogen cavitation method, Infuse 4 oz Brandy with half a peach, sliced.

Mix with 2 oz sweet vermouth, a dash of maraschino liqueur (or cherry brandy syrup left over from making maraschino cherries)

Add the sliced peaches and a maraschino cherry.

Serve over ice in a lowball or shake the liquid ingredients with crushed ice and serve in a cocktail glass.

For future consideration: adding a dash of cinnamon or vanilla during the infusion.

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Ackee and Saltfish can only remotely be considered a confused cuisine.  I mean, it's the national fruit of Jamaica made into the national dish of Jamaica.  Wikipedia even posits that it "spread to other countries with the Jamaican diaspora."

Of course, the Ackee fruit itself came to Jamaica from Africa, and owes its scientific name (blighia sapida) to Captain Bligh (he also brought breadfruit to the Caribbean, but didn't get to name that one).  Improperly prepared, ackee can make you deathly ill.  The saltfish is generally salted cod.

Confused enough?  I swore I'd never ever let the stuff cross my kitchen after being ... well, overwhelmed by salty, fishy fish served as breakfast a teensy bit too often while I was a Peace Corps trainee in Kingston, Jamaica.  My position towards the meal softened once I started living in a house with three very productive ackee trees in the yard, and I have grown to love it as that quirky, hard-to-love meal that I only get to make when I'm home alone (boiling saltfish makes a stench that is hard to find acceptable).

If all this has made your mouth water, here's my recipe: http://www.audreyandjon.com/recipes/ackee-and-saltfish .  If not, well, you simply don't know what you're missing.

Served here with a fried dumpling and a seabean salad

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We came to the realization that if we want to preserve treats from this summer for the winter, then we need space to do that.  We've done pretty well on our house-canned goods, but lacking a Freezer of Unusual Size (I don't think they exist), this meant we had to find uses for some items stored away in there currently.

Among those items were some cornmeal tamales we'd gotten from truth-in-advertising champ, Mega Latin Market.

Note that these were all corn.  Sweet corn masa wrapped in husks.  Steamed, they're amazing.  But for breakfast?  We've got to up the ante a bit.

Tools at hand:

• Tamales
• Fresh berries
• Crema
• Flour tortillas
• Usual kitchen staples
• Unusually pleasant summer morning for eating outside
• Coffee-fueled imagination

Results:

Tasty steamed then pan-fried tamale with a great fried "crust" and gooey interior with a crema/agave nectar drizzle, fresh berries, dried banana chips, and a melon wedge, with flour tortilla "churros"

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This is too good not to share  -- Cooking Issues' Dave Arnold lost a bet, and ate "raw" vegan food -- nothing warmed over 118F -- for a week.

To put it mildly, he was unimpressed by the options: http://www.cookingissues.com/2011/06/17/raw-deal/

He goes so far as to mull how to make distilled liquor without boiling:

"The rotovap: The rotary evaporator lets me do distillations well below 118 F.  I can take a raw vegan wine (wine was my savior on the week long raw stint), and turn it into a raw brandy to make honest-to-god raw cocktails.  I had a small amount of raw brandy lying around from an old experiment, so I took a swig, but because my rotovap is packed up right now, I couldn’t make any more. Drat. "

...to using nitrogen cavitation to brew dried tea for a caffiene fix (coffee beans tend to be, well,  roasted).

In sum: 

"Unless you are
-rich and can buy many prepared foods and go to nice raw restaurants all the time, or

-have enough time to go through the raw-food time-consuming recipe rigamarole, or

-someone for whom food is merely fuel

you are in for a shock when you go raw vegan.  Most mornings I  pounded all sorts of fresh fruit, which gave me a sugar high but sent me crashing hard mid-day.  I ate a lot of avocados.  A lot.  Avocados are the Jesus-fruit for raw foodists –they taste great and are high in fat.  "

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Roasted peeps!

J-P had the idea. I insisted on the follow-through. Liza bought.

Roasted peeps are much better than you would imagine. The outside gets brown and crackly while the inside gets gooey--kind of like a marshmallow creme brulee. On a stick. Around a campfire.

The way their eyes melted first was very <i>Raiders of the Lost Ark.</i>

It was amazing the way we all suddenly got much more skillful with the peeps than with the regular marshmallows, once we figured out how good they were.

Everyone except Liza, that is. She melted her first one, then dropped her second one in the ashes. She enjoyed them anyway. (We convinced her to roast the debris off the dropped one and eat it.)

Also, the Golden Gate Bridge is gorgeous from Kirby Cove on a clear night.

I like to think that the bridge is painted that color because it's so dramatic and high contrast against any kind of blue sky. Not far off. They (in the person of architect Irving Morrow) did in fact chose that color because it goes well with the natural surroundings.

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1. A pound of gulf shrimp marinating in the juice of two limes, about a tablespoon of chile oil and a tablespoon of olive oil, four minced cloves of garlic, and some salt. 2. Another pound of gulf shrimp, each wrapped around some asparagus, then wrapped in parcooked jalapeño-flavored bacon. (I grabbed the first package that stood out. My choice-paralysis is fierce when faced with twenty shelf-feet of bacon.)

It was the first time I'd ever had to clean my own shrimp (that's what parents are for). I hoped Mike would do it, but it turns out his hand swell up when he touches raw shrimp. So it was just me, the shrimp, and the paring knife.

3. The rest of the asparagus in a foil packet. 4. Planks of pineapple rubbed with Indian red chile powder. 5. Three or four poblano peppers. I also made a green salad with roasted beets, chevre, candied pecans, grapefruit sections, and a lime-and-grapefruit dressing.

Alex made pitchers of margaritas. J.T. was the star BYO, making jalapeños stuffed with strawberry jam and cream cheese (really good!) and almond cookies with chocolate chips. Victor and Sabrina brought chicken sausage (tasty, I must add, as I'm a skeptic) and the chips for Mike's Tamale House salsa.

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Haven't tried this, but it could really add some fun topping for a gazillion different recipes.  Savory pop rocks?  The sky's the limit!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Pop-Rocks/

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With a cool San Francisco rain threatening, what could be better than hot soup and a grilled cheese sandwich?

Broccoli-cheese soup cooked (mostly) according to the recipe in the most recent <i>Cook's Illustrated.</i> I substituted a mustard-ale cheddar for the sharp cheddar, on the idea that the mustard would complement the broccoli. I also added a cornstarch slurry at the end in an attempt to imitate the beautiful, silky texture of the (sadly rather bland) broccoli soup I had at Le Zinc a couple of weeks ago. This came close, but that was before I read the section on hydrocolloids in Aki Kamozawa and Alexander Talbot's <i>Ideas in Food.</i> Next time, I'll have science on my side, and it will be perfect. (I'll also transfer the small batch of soup to a smaller container, so that the immersion blender can break up all the bits. It didn't handle shallow so well.)

The sandwiches are quesadillas made with homemade tortillas, king trumpet mushrooms, scallions, and a haba&#241;ero jack that went oddly but pleasantly sweet when melted. I tried a first batch of tortillas with this locally grown whole wheat flour that I bought at Mission Pie, but they were a disaster: tough and crumbly. I'll save the rest of the fancy flour for bread. The second batch of tortillas was, by contrast, a joy to work. Oh, <i>there's</i> the baby's-butt texture I'm looking for! So familiar, compared to the whole wheat dough, that I didn't even fret much that I was doing it wrong.

Meanwhile, J-P put together the cutest little salad of radishes, cherry bomb peppers, oranges, a little spinach left over from the soup, and more scallions.

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This was partially inspired by the Jose Andres' Gambas a la Plancha recipe.   I found myself with some beautiful, local, organic, and heads-on  shrimp from Arganica.  I was craving for southern shrimp-and-grits, and figured I might as well go all-in and add in some creole flavors as well. I left the grits simple, and focused on the shrimp and the chutney-like, creole-flavored goop.

for the shrimp:

A ton of salt
3 whole shrimp per person
grits, plus water and butter for their preparation.

Follow the Gambas a la Plancha recipe for the preparation of the shrimp, timing below.

For the creole chutney:

1/2 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 mild jalapeno
1/2 bell pepper (red preferred)
1 small tomato
1 tsp molasses
4 TBSP red wine vinegar
1 tsp liquid smoke
2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP celery salt
1 tsp gumbo file (sasafrass)
1 dash Old Bay

Warm the olive oil in a small sautee pan. Add in onion and garlic, and sautee until soft. Add in the molasses and liquid smoke . Reduce heat to low and allow to carmelize - 10-15 minutes. Add in the jalapeno, bell pepper and tomato and the spices, let soften. Add the vinegar and let reduce. Add more vinegar if needed.

While that's simmering down, heat the griddle and prepare the grits.

Grill shrimp on an indoor griddle with salt piled up to the level of the griddle. Grill whole shrimp for 3-4 minutes on the first side, 3 on the second. See Jose Andres' Gambas a la Plancha recipe for cooking details there.

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Is this a ridiculous recipe to post?  I mean, strawberry Rice Krispies' treats?!  Pink, nonetheless.  But seriously, I think that this is the best Valentine's Day dessert.  Hear me out: It's the simplicity of a plain Rice Krispies' treat that is not only delicious (let's not kid ourselves), but also incredibly nostalgic.  The unique thing about this pretty flawless treat is that it incorporates strawberry flavored marshmallows (pretty low on the dessert ingredient hierarchy, I'll admit), with freeze dried strawberries (pretty high on the dried fruit hierarchy, right?).  It's like a cereal treat, of course, but it's pink!  Sure you can go the chocolate souffle route for Valentine's Day, but why not take the road less taken.  And this road is rarely taken. They're amazing in that unassuming way and I think that they're perfect for tomorrow.  They will make a statement.

V Day Rice Krispy Treats (original recipe from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody)

1 bag strawberry flavored marshmallows
2 tbsp. butter
4-5 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup freeze dried strawberries

Butter a 8x8-inch pan.
Over low heat melt butter in a large pot.
Once butter has melted, add marshmallows. Continue to cook over low heat while they melt.
Remove from heat and add the cereal and freeze dried strawberries.
Stir until all the cereal is fully coated.
Pour into prepared baking pan.
Press the cereal/marshmallow mixture down into the pan to create a flat surface.
Cut into squares (or heart shapes!) and enjoy.

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Prepare the turnips as a puree with rice, from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol II, available online here.  Keep warm. You'll need turnips, rice, butter or cream, milk and thyme for this.

Sea (large) scallops (3-4 per person)
1-2 apples
1 lemon (optional)
1 cup apple cider or juice
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 oz bourbon
1 Tbsp sugar
Lots of butter
A bit of a high-heat oil (safflower, optional)

Thinly slice apples longitudinally to get enough slices to match with the amount of sea scallops you're preparing.  Optionally fine;y dice the leftover pieces of apple and toss with lemon juice to make a quick relish to top with.

Rinse and pat dry the scallops.

Caramelize the apple slices in butter, sprinkling a dash of sugar on top to speed the process.  Apples should char slightly.  Plate the apples.

In the apple sautee pan, add apple cider (or juice) and apple vinegar in a 4:1 measure.  Bring to a simmer, add unsalted butter and the alcohol.  Continue to add butter (for ~1.5 cups of initial liquid, I used ~3TBSPs of butter) as it reduces, to thicken.  It should approach a thick syrup.  When syrupy, use to decorate plate with a big spoonful of each smeared across.  Reserve some to top the scallops with.

In a separate, stainless-steel (not non-stick) pan, heat butter mixed with a higher-heat oil (safflower).  Sear the scallops until lightly browned and opaque throughout, 1-2 minutes per side.  

Place on top of the apples, lightly daub with the reduction, and serve with the warm puree.

I'd consider adding a dash of cinnamon into the preparation, but it would be difficult to do this without overpowering the poor scallop.

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Our Boston pescatarian friends Paulie and Jessamin made it through airport security a while back with 20 pounds of venison backstrap that Paulie cut out of a deer in Texas. Pan-frying part of it as steaks turned their diet what Scott Thomson calls "complexitarian." (I love that term.)

They turned a second part of the stash into "something vaguely carne guisada-esque, with quinoa, corn, and black beans, and avocado on the side."

I really need to convince my dad to send me home with some venison. I'm not killing it or cleaning it, though. That's still his job.

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Frozen grapes!

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We mashed up two recipes for braised lamb shank to create this: http://audreyandjon.com/recipes/braised-lamb-shanks, combining a recipe from The Constable's Larder ( http://constableslarder.blogspot.com/2009/03/braised-lamb-shanks-with-orzo.html, based on this recipe  http://kalisasorexi.blogspot.com/2009/02/kotopoulo-youvetsi-chicken-baked-with.html  in the greek cooking blog Kali Orexi ), and an Epicurious recipe ( http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Greek-Style-Braised-Lamb-Shanks-107081)  .  It turned out OK, but could have probable braised for even longer with more savory flavors.

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Jael and Julie were in town from Brooklyn, celebrating Jael’s birthday, so yesterday we had them over for brunch. I had a vision: a baking dish full of kale and black beans, with eggs baked on top, served with salsa, California chevre, and corn tortillas. I realize that it doesn’t sound like much, but it turned out fabulous.

And despite the fancy presentation, this is not far off a typical breakfast in the Guatemalan campo, where the kale is replaced with unspecified wild greens usually referred to as monte: brush.

I am inordinately fond of kale, so I am told, because of my long exile in Boston. I am also told that I can make it taste like there’s bacon in it, even when there isn’t. The secrets to kale are thus: season liberally with salt, garlic, and red pepper flakes, and sauté, do not boil. That’s all. (If you’d rather show a Texan influence than a Boston, use collards instead. It’s basically the same plant.)

Black beans, as I’ve said before, take a little extra work, even if you start them in the pressure cooker. The ideal pot of black beans is half broken down and luxuriating in a pool of reduced bean juice. With salt.

The tortillas were a pound and a quarter of fresh-milled and fresh-cooked goodness from La Palma. The four of us were just three short of finishing off the stack.

Thanks go out to Ian Greer (living in London) for giving me idea of greens with eggs baked on top, and to Mark Bittman for coincidentally featuring baked eggs and giving me a temperature to bake them at: 375 F. My eggs baked unevenly and took twice as long as his suggested 12 minutes, but I figure I could even that out by baking in ramekins instead of a big baking dish. It’s just that my ramekins looked so small when it came time to stuff them with kale.

For dessert, Mitchell’s Ice Cream, to celebrate the fact that while it may have been 7 degrees in Brooklyn, it was 67 here.

--Esther

Originally posted at: http://wp.me/pRWfZ-aH

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