DIY Bitters?

Making your own bitters - I mean ... why not?

http://wonderlandkitchen.com/2012/06/diy-housemade-bitters-and-t...

Steak

IMG_1458.JPG

I basically don't eat steak out anymore. It's just... I can make it better, reliably.

Quick guide: Sear :30/:30; Near heat: 3/3m Smoke 1.5/1.5, Sear :30/:30, Rest 3

Sourcing

I only buy the "Natural" (no antibiotics, grass fed, grain finished) prime, bone-in delmonico (ribeye) steak from Canales Quality Meats in Eastern Market here in DC. Grass fed beef is much leaner than grain, but with an amazing taste - and, it's better for you, with a much better balance of Omega fatty acids. Get the most marbled cut you can find, but realize that it'll still be about half as marbled as a grain-fed steak. And for the love of all things tasty, get the bone in.

Preparation

Up to four days ahead, but ideally at least 24 hours, rinse the steak and pat dry. Wrap in cheesecloth (~1 layer per day). Place it on a rack in the top back of your fridge. This is an at-home method to dry-age your cut, and it tenderizes the meat and deepens the flavor. Watch a video on the technique here: http://lifehacker.com/5865849/dry+age-steak-at-home-for-steakhou... . Vary the smoke/indirect heat time by the aging length - the more aged the meat, the closer to 1.5mins/side you want. For a steak you bought today, I'd move that to 2-3 mins/side.

Two hours before you're going to put it on the grill, take it out and unwrap the steak. Plop it down on some waxed paper and salt both sides (I like using a bit of alderwood smoked salt and some kosher salt, about a teaspoon or two per side). Let it sit - it will juice and then re-absorb, bringing in the smoke and salt flavors deep into the meat.

5
Your rating: None Average: 5 (2 votes)

Grilled Marlin with a lime-butter sauce

Grilled Marlin, roasted cherry tomatoes and asparagus

Blue Marlin steaks, salted and with lemon pepper. Spritz with lime juice a few minutes before grilling.

Lime caper butter sauce, per steak:

3 T butter
1/4 red onion or 1/2 shallot, chopped. Sub in garlic scapes for part of this.
1/4 cup white wine
2 limes, juiced
1 T capers, drained

Chili/lime powder for serving.

Sautee the onions/shallots in the butter while grilling the marlin. When soft, add the lime juice and wine, reduce by half and add in the capers, continue reducing until no liquid remains. Serve on top of the marlin with chili/lime powder.

3
Your rating: None Average: 3 (2 votes)

Texas Smoked Brisket

Brisket

Notes for next cook: review the smoke ring guidance here: https://amazingribs.com/more-technique-and-science/more-cooking-...

Planning/Purchasing

  • Brisket -- (give at least 60 minutes per pound, though thicker or larger non-point cuts might take as much as 90 mins / pound) 4 Pounds is a good base point.
  • Mesquite chunks and chips
  • Charcoal (duh)
  • Mopping sauce (see below)
  • Smoked salt
  • dry rub

The night before

  • Trim the fat off the brisket's exterior to improve smoke penetration
5
Your rating: None Average: 5 (2 votes)

Pickled Beets with Juniper Berries

Beets

Adapted from Tart and Sweet:

Yield: 1-2 pints (or 1 pint and 1 half-pint)

About 1 pound of baby beets (approx 8 small beets)

1 cup champagne or white wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp kosher salt

Per pint-size jar:
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp juniper berries
1 bay leaf (fresh if you have it)
Optional: 1 star anise pod
1/4 tsp vegetable crisper granules

3
Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

(Spicy) Pimiento Mac and Cheese

Spicy Mac and Cheese

I made a tweaked version of this Bon Appetit recipe. It was good, especially from a mac and cheese perspective - gooey and all the rest of that. I'm not sure how I actually felt about the spicy pimiento cheese aspect of it. Perhaps next time I will downplay the spicy pimiento and just use the basic recipe as a base for a more traditional mac and cheese dish.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

3.5
Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (2 votes)

Tasty Ideas: Blog link roundup

Social kitchen brings us an intriguing tea biscuit tweak: http://socialkitchenblog.com/2012/05/10/cumin-and-caraway-tea-bi...

GoodBooze brings some spring cocktail ideas - this one, with strawberries and fizzy wine: http://goodbooze.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/the-friday-tipple-moth... and this one, with beer syrup (!) http://goodbooze.wordpress.com/2012/05/18/the-friday-tipple-goin...

Poached Salmon with Peas and Mushrooms

Poached Salmon with peas and mushrooms

This recipe, modified from a Bon Appetit recipe, was an instant spring hit.

2 6–8-ounce center-cut wild king salmon fillets (each about 1 1/2-inch thick)
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons kosher salt plus more for seasoning
2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter
4 ounces fresh morels; sliced, or oyster or shiitake
½ cup shelled fresh peas
⅓-⅔ cup heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives or finely chopped garlic scapes

4.5
Your rating: None Average: 4.5 (2 votes)

Pound Cake

Pound Cake

This is Jon's Mom's Sour Cream Cake recipe

1 cup butter (softened)
3 c. sugar
Cream together until well blended.

Sift together in a large bowl:
3 c. flour
¼ t. baking soda
½ t. salt

6 eggs (may be separated, beat egg whites until almost stiff and fold in last) Or just add one whole egg at a time (this is what I do)
1 c. sour cream
1 t. vanilla

Add one egg at a time to butter/sugar and beat well after each.

4
Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

Orange you Glad

Based on a cocktail at Restaurant Eve

1.5 parts Cointreau or Grand Marinier
1 part dry gin
1 part vodka
orange syrup
orange bitters (3 dashes)
lemon bitters (5 dashes)

Shake with ice, serve up in a cocktail glass. Flame an orange peel over the glass, rub rim.

Orange you glad
3
Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)
Syndicate content