Amusing the Bouche

This past Saturday night a few Hot Dish chefs went where we have never gone before... The First Annual Beer Pairing Extravaganza. The brain child of a night of wine and Internet browsing, the beer pairing dinner was conceived back in February with the mission of pairing delicious food with great beer matched to provide extreme amusement and delight to the palate. Over weeks of careful planning, we created a menu of six dishes each paired with a different beer. We searched for recipes, selected the most fabuous ingredients, fetched beers of all varieties, packed our trunks and made the trek to Oneonta where a crew of tasters and chefs gathered around a ping pong table to eat, drink and be merry. What follows are the recipes, pairings and photo documentation of a night that will go down in history.

Hors D'oevre

Kalamata Olive and Feta Stuffed Focaccia Paired with Hefeweizen


Start with bread dough or pizza dough. You can use store bought or make your own. I made my own using the bread recipe mentioned in a previous post.
Flour a surface and roll dough out into 13x9 rectangle. Rub half of dough with olive oil and minced garlic. Sprinkle with chopped rosemary, feta cheese and chopped kalmata olives, sprinkle with pepper.
Fold in half, press air bubbles out and seal edges. Sprinkle top with more rosemary and salt. Bake on a grease cookie sheet at 350 for about 30 minutes or until browned. Drizzle top with olive oil and butter.
We served this with a Hoegarden Hefeweizen.

The Amuse Bouche
Bacon Wrapped Dates Paired with Scotch Ale


Bake 20 strips of bacon (or a few more you will want some to snack on) in the oven until sort of cooked but still bendable.
Take 20 dates and make a small slit down the middle to remove the pit. Combine 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese and 1/4 tsp of nutmeg. Using a pastry bag (ziploc with a clipped corner works too) fill the inside of the dates with ricotta mixture. Wrap each date in a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.
In a small saucepan, combine 1/3 cup of maple syrup and 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar. Simmer until mixture reduces in half. Drizzle over finished dates.
We served this with an Old Chub Scotch Ale *insert joke here*
Let me just say this dish was divine. Try it and be sure to pair it with this delicious beer. It will probably change your life.

First Course
Scallops with Corn Salad Paired with White Ale

Cook two bags of corn in olive oil. Cover with chili powder and garlic powder. (Note: this original recipe calls for corn on the cob grilled and cut off the cob. Since out of season we used frozen but if you make this in summer, I highly recommend the fresh because I'm sure it would be Amaz-O).
In a bowl, combine corn, 1/2 cup chopped red onion, few cloves of garlic, 1 chopped green pepper, chopped fresh parsley and cilantro, and a little fresh ground pepper. Squeeze the juice of 2 limes over top and stir it up.
On a baking sheet (we used one from dates so it was coated in bacon grease :) lay scallops. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for about 5 minutes on each side. Scallops can also be grilled if you have propane in your grill. Serve scallops on top of corn salad (We chilled the corn salad but I think it would also be splendid warm).
We served this with a Milwaukee Brewery Belgian-style white ale brewed with coriander and orange peel.

Second Course
Steak with Chimichurri Sauce Paired with IPA


In a food processor, combine 2 cups of parsley, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 Tbl of crushed red pepper, juice of 1 lemon, 1/3 cup of olive oil. Blend until combine.
In a bowl, combine 2 sliced cucumbers, 1/4 cup of red onion, a splash of garlic power, some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Grill steak on grill or in pan to your liking. Slice steak into strips.
Serve steak with field greens topped with cucumber mixture and a splash of chimichurri sauce for dipping.
We served this with a Brooklyn Imperial Pale Ale.

Third Course
Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce Paired with Brown Ale


In a large skillet, melt 1/4 cup of butter. Brown 4 chicken breasts in butter and remove. Add 1/2 cup of onion, 3 cloves of garlic and 2 cups of baby bella mushrooms to pan. Brown up. Add 1 cup of chicken broth, 1/2 cup of white wine and 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Slice chicken breasts and return to pan. Salt and pepper mixture and simmer down for about 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Serve over risotto or any type of rice. (This would also be fab over pasta!)
We served this with an Ithaca Nut Brown Ale.

Dessert
Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce Paired with Coffee Porter


In a mixer, combine 20 oz of cream cheese and 1 1/4 cup of sugar. Blend well. Beat in 4 eggs one at a time. Add 1/4 cup of lemon juice and 2 tsp of vanilla. Mix. Add 4 cups of sour cream (I used 3 cups and 1 cup of ricotta).
In a bowl, combine 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of butter. Grease a 10 inch spring form pan and line bottom with parchment or waxed paper. Press graham mix into bottom. (Note: This cheesecake can also be made without a crust and is just as delicious) Pour cream cheese mixture in pan. Place pan inside larger pan and fill with 1 inch of water on outside. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Turn off oven and let sit in oven for another hour. Remove cool and chill overnight.
In a small saucepan, combine 2 cups of raspberries (fresh or frozen), 1 cup of orange or lemon juice or combo of both, and 2 Tbl of cornstarch. Cook on low until it thickens. Add 2-4 Tbl of sugar (this is determined on taste and what juice you are using. You prob need more sugar if using more lemon juice.) Remove from heat.
In another pan, slowly heat 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Add 1 1/2 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips. Stir until melted and creamy. Serve cheesecake topped with raspberry sauces and ganache.
We served this with Three Heads Java Sutra Coffee Porter.

By this point, I am sure you are drooling all over yourself. I am and I already had the experience of eating this. By the time, we reached the end we were all fat and happy and thoroughly pleased with our increadible meal. So pleased, that we decided that this trend must continue. So if you missed this event and are feeling sad, never fear there is more beer and food pairings in our future!
 Think summer, think grills......MMmmm

mex-i-CAN.

I LOVE MEXICAN FOOD! I can't find many amazing recipes that really stick out to me and make me want to eat them over and over again. I always end up making some sort of taco because that's the fastest, easiest way to get my mexican food fix - today I wanted to try something different and I am so happy I did. these enchiladas are so much fresher and nicer tasting than the ones I've had in days past. I think I'd have enjoyed it more if it hadn't snowed 5 inches too - I definitely need these with a corona sitting in my back yard. ahhhh.

sour cream chicken enchiladas (makes 12 enchiladas)

1 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped

1 cup of sour cream (I used light)

14 oz jalapeno salsa

14 oz green chili salsa (with the salsa, just grab two that look good. I love Jack's Natural so I used a tub of his screamin' hot salsa with some wegman's roasted salsa verde. those were goooood choices. definitely nice and spicy but not overpowering)

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded

1 onion, finely diced

12 6in flour tortillas

2 c. cheddar cheese

mix the cilantro, sour cream, all of the jalapeno salsa and about a quarter of the green chili salsa (you want this sauce to have the hotter of the salsas in it, but a little of the other one) together. in another bowl, combine the chicken, onion and the rest of the salsa. put enough of the sour cream mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 pan to cover the bottom. take the flour tortillas and put about 2 spoonfuls of the chicken inside and roll them up. put them seam-side down in the pan on top of the sour cream. top with the rest of the sour cream mixture and top with shredded cheese. bake at 350 for 30 minutes and serve with guacamole and ...more sour cream ;)

Making Pie Shepherd-Stylee

Reasons to Love Shepherd's Pie
1. Pie fixes everything.
2. Meat and potatoes.. Classic combo.
3. Satisfies a variety of food groups.
4. Even better as a leftover.
5. Can be made with leftovers and random things in your fridge.
6. Topped with mashed taters and cheese.. basically 2 of the best foods ever.
7. Reminds you of your grandmother or your favorite British friend.
8. The Possibilities are Endless.....

This last reason brings me to the purpose of this post. How many ways can you configure a Shepherd's Pie? Ben Pero and I had just this question and so started the brilliant idea for a shepherd's pie cook off with contestants getting as creative as possible. Now, if you didn't know already, shepherd's pie is traditionally made with lamb on the bottom and some vegetables and gravy and topped with mashed potatoes and cheese. But tradition is not the way of my world. The showcase showdown was to be held on St. Patrick's Day and what could be more inspiring than the most traditional deliciousness of corned beef and cabbage. So here follows my crazy recipe submitted to the Official 2011 Shepherd's Pie Showdown.

St. Patty's Day Shepherd's Pie
Boil your corned beef brisket for an hour and a half.
In the last half hour, boil about 6 potatoes.
Dice half an onion and 3 cloves of garlic. Saute in 1 Tbl. of olive oil.
Chop up 5 carrots and 3 ribs of celery. Add to onion.
Pour in a bottle of stout and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Add 1 Tbl. of flour to thicken.
Remove corned beef from pot and chop into pieces. Layer on the bottom of pan. Cover in carrot mixture.
Drain and mash potatoes with 1/2 cup sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley.
Cover meat and veggies with taters. Top with breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 for half an hour covered. Remove cover. Top with shredded cheese. Bake 10 minutes more.

Now this shepherd's pie was delish, but Ben countered with Italian sausage (and you know how I feel about sausage) covered with sauted peppers, onions and mushrooms and topped with basil-garlic mashed potatoes.

Verdict: Tie game. Both pies were so delicious, different, and enjoyed by all, it was hard to pick a fav. Other thoughts/ideas: Mexican (taco seasoning and beef), Cook McCready (chili on bottom), Sweet potatoes on top Apples and Sausage on the bottom... the possibilities are truly endless.

Use these examples, get crazy, create your own, just hop on the shepherd's pie train; it's a truly delicious place to be.

Slainte!

I love Irish stew.. How bout you?

Beef Barley Irish Stew

Take one chuck roast and chop it into pieces. Soak pieces in 2 Tbl of Worchestere sauce and 1 Tbl of soy sauce. Roll in flour and brown in a pot with about 2 Tbl of melted butter. Once brown remove beef. Add 2 more Tbl. of butter. Saute 1 large onion and about 4 cloves of garlic. When you're onions are sweating, add your beef back in with a bottle of stout (Guinness is prob the most popular because I'm awesome I used the homebrew Al-gal and I made) and 1 cup of beef broth. Simmer for about 10-15.
Warning: This will fill your house with the most delicious smell evvveerr!!!
Add 3 more cups of beef broth, 3 cups of water, 5 potatoes peeled and diced, 8 carrots diced, 1 large parsnip 5 celery stalks chopped (These vegetables are all estimates. Add more. Add less. Get creative.), 1 cup of barley, 2 tsps of caraway seeds, 1 cup of fresh parsley chopped.
Bring'er to a boil and simmer this little pup for about an hour and a half. Stirring every now and again. Add more broth or water if it's too thick. Salt and pepper to taste!

Enjoy with some soda bread and another stout in your glass!!
Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Living on Bread and Water Ain't so Bad...

Sunday morning and visions of sandwiches danced in my head...
The only solution make some bread.

Whole Wheat Bread
In a bowl, mix together 1 package of yeast, 2 1/2 cups of warm water, 1 Tbl Salt, 1Tbl Sugar/Honey. 
Stir until yeast dissolves and let set 5-10 minutes.
Add one beaten egg. Slowly add 3 1/2 cup of white flour and 3 1/2 cups of wheat flour. You may not need all this flour but continue adding until it is not sticky, kneading it slowly in. Knead bread for about 5 minutes adding flour as needed and until it is as smooth as a baby's bottom.
Put in a bowl in a warm place and cover. Let rise for 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
When bread has doubled, punch down and knead again. Shape into rolls, baguettes or place in loaf pans. Let rise for 20 minutes more. Bake at 350 degrees until brown and delicous.

Now for the fun part... what I did with my bread.
Sunday Dinner: Sandwich with chicken, avocado, cheese, lettuce and roasted red pepper.
Monday After School Snack: Sliced toasted with hummus and roasted red peppers.
Tuesday Dinner: Placed in toaster oven with melted cheese and roasted red peppers.
Tomorrow: Topped with tuna fish with extra pickles.
Future Dreams: Toasted with Scrambled eggs,
Dipped in Soup,
When stale, whirl in food processor with herbs to make delcious bread crumbs that can be frozen and removed at any time to coat meat, top gratins and macn'cheez....

The possibilities are simply infinite.


The Sandwich Song...

PS Dan this song is dedicated to you for the sole reason that of all readers I think you will appreciate it the most.

The New York Times Loves Soup...

While reading an article in the Op-Ed section of nytimes.com that Allison recommended, I stumbled across this little ditty...

Customizable Soups

This man writes about the joy of eating soups and highlights four varieties: Creamy, Brothy, Earthy, Hearty.
He describes the basics for each and how they can be customized to make different varieties and flavas. Now, I know ya'll are down with your soup making skills and this is geared toward those who are not learned in the ways of soup. However, I figured it offered some interesting tips and varieties that anyone can benefit from.

P.S. I know have been only offering food related literary reviews lately (I can't stop reading about food!!), but I will be cookin up some recipes soon... and be forewarned there are some serious food and beer pairing recipes and menus in the Hot Dish future.

Modification to Colleen's Pork Chops in Mushrooms and Red Wine Post

Dan and I filmed this as a joke one night and the camera died. What you see here is no figment of fiction. It is a work of love, a work by a genius, by a genius, by a genius. Food. Love. Friends.

Love,

Betty and Dapper

She knows...

So I have been reading a most fabulous book, Farm City, about a woman who starts a small farm in an abandoned lot near her apartment in the city of Oakland, CA. She starts off growing fruits and vegetables and raising bees and chickens. She then branches out to raise ducks, geese, turkeys, rabbits and pigs. She shares the bounty with her neighbors and even attempts for an entire month to live off of food from within 100 yards (she even gives up coffee!). While reading today,  I came across a most humorous passage that rang true to the spirit of our blog. Although not a recipe, I hope this will bring a chuckle and perhaps entice you to read this witty informative little story.


"I suppose I could come up with some lofty reasons for what had gotten me here, to a swine auction in Boonville. To discover the American tradition of pig raising. To test my farmerly resolve in the face of an intelligent, possibly adoring creature like Wilbur in Charlotte's Web. To walk in the footsteps of my hippie parents, who raised a few hogs in their day.

But I'm not going to lie:  this was all about pork.

From the moment I first saw the flyer for the swine auction I had thought about all the products of the pig. Smoked pork chops, which Bill and I loved to buy from the Mexi-mart. Pork ribs, slathered in spicy barbecue sauce. Bacon, that temptress, which we preferred cut thick and spiked with pepper. Ground pork, to be used in marinara sauce, or clustered on pizzas, or rolled in sage and fried for breakfast. Sausages, glorious food that feeds the masses, I imagined snuggled in buns, doused in mustard, and served to all our friends at a barbecue. Ham, of course, smeared in maple syrup and spiked with cloves, was part of my pork daydream. I would be able to make all of these things if I could find a way to raise some pigs. There were other more exotic items I fantasized about as well, like salami and prosciutto. But these were intimidating pork products; I wasn't sure what went into making these, but I knew they were expensive and I liked eating them. I knew that before I got too carried away with my pork-fest fantasies, I had to take the first step:  buy a piglet. "

-Novella Carpenter
Farm City- The Education of an Urban Farmer

currently salivating...

I am watching Nigella Express right now and can I just tell you all how much I love her? she makes everything sound sooooooooooo...titillating. like, literally. I watch her and I get a girl boner over her food. so I haven't even tried this but the way she made it sound ("blue cheese and avocado make for a wonderful pair...so soft and creamy...") made me immediately sign on here to show you this recipe. Nigella is amazing. when can we try this?

Roquamole:

1/4 c. blue cheese - roquefort or st. agur

1/4 c. sour cream

2 ripe avocados

2 tbsp. finely sliced scallions

1 jalapeno, minced

1/4 tsp. paprika

combine everything and mash it - sprinkle with paprika and serve with blue corn tortilla chips.

some people on the reviews online say to add lime to keep the avocados green, which I'd have no problem with. some also say that the blue cheese is a bit overpowering, but obviously they're not cheese snobs like myself.

sooo WHO WANTS TO TRYYY IT!?? taco night?

Son of gun we'll have some Fun on the Bayou...

As some of you may know, next Tuesday is Mardi Gras!! So put on your fat pants and beads and get ready for one last rockin shin-dig before the arrival of Lent. In honor of this glorious occasion, I cooked up a little jambalaya for my fabulous co-workers and let me say it was a hit!

Jambalaya
In a large skillet, cook up 6 strips of bacon until done. Remove bacon and chop up.
In a large pot cook up, 3 cups of rice and 2 1/2 cup of chicken stock. Simmer until liquid dissolves over medium low heat.
In skillet, saute 5 cloves of garlic and 3 medium onions for 3-4 minutes.
Add 1.5 lbs of sausage (italian or chorizo) chopped up. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Add 2 Tbl. of Cajun seasoning and 1 Tbl of onions Parsley.
(If you do not have cajun seasoning substitute with 2 tsp cayenne, 1Tbl of paprika, 2 tsp of oregano, 2 tsp. garlic powder.)
Add 2 large green bell peppers (chopped), 1/2 lb of ham (chopped), a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes.
Simmer mixture for 10 minutes.
Add contents of the skillet to rice. Add 2 more 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes.
Stir up. Simmer until rice is done. Add more chicken stock if needed for texture or more spice for flavor.

This recipe is party sized and serves 25 people. Feel free to quarter or half'er to fit your needs.

Crank your zydeco, bust out your washboard and party on!!

I'm soooo tired

colleen and I just kicked the gym's ass and I'm so tired that I will not be remotely funny enough to entertain yous guyses...so I'm just here to drop off a recipe.

(as an aside, is there anything more lovely than zesting things? I have a zester on the side of my cheese grater. I LOVE zesting. it's so so so satisfying and I love the noise it makes and the smell...it's okay. I'm done.).

Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake

Butter for greasing pan

3 blood oranges (or normal oranges)

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. buttermilk or plain yogurt

3 large eggs

2/3 c. extra virgin olive oil

1 3/4 AP flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. butter a 9x5 in loaf pan. grate the zest from 2 oranges and play in a bowl with sugar. using your fingers mix the ingredients together until the orange zest is evenly distributed in the sugar.

Supreme an orange: cut off bottom and top so fruit is exposed and the orange can stand upright on a cutting board. cut away the peel and the pith, following the curve of the orange. cut the orange segments out of the connective membranes and put them in a bowl. this is a huge pain in the ass but well worth it. you get good at this by the 2nd orange. break up the pieces so that they're about 1/4th inch big.

halve the remaining orange and squeeze the juice into a measuring cup...about 1/4th cup. add buttermilk or yogurt until you have 2/3rds a cup of liquid altogether. pour mixture into a bowl with sugar and whisk well. whisk in eggs and olive oil.

in another bowl mix together flower, powder, soda, and salt. gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet. fold in the orange segments and pour batter into prepared pan.

bake 50-55 minutes or until the cake is golden and a knife comes out clean. let it cool before serving.

serve with whipped cream and honey-blood orange compote:

supreme 3 more oranges - drizzle in 1-2 tsps. of honey. let it sit for 5 minutes and stir gently.

Pigs Know How to Make Good Meat

Much to my delight, on a recent trip to the Rochester Public Market I discovered a delightful man who sells all sorts of grass-fed meat. His name was Joe and I purchased from him a set of pork chops.. The only question remains how to cook these little babies. I searched some books and surveyed the contents of my fridgedaire and came up with the following.

Pork Chops in Mushroom-Red Wine Sauce

In a pan, saute 1 Tbl of butter and a few cloves of garlic.
Place chops (two) in pan and brown (about 2 min. per side).
Place chops in a baking pan with about splash or two of vino (I used red because its all I ever have but if you want to use white....by all means).
Season both sides of chops with salt, pepper (you lika the peppa!!) and sage.
Cover baking dish and pop in the oven for 10-15 or until juices run clear and they are cooked through.

In the meantime...
In previous pan with garlicky buttery flava, add half of an onion to saute. Slice some baby bella mushrooms (about 8-10) (or any variety you wish) and brown up. Add 1/2 cup of red wine and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Simmer until sauce reduces to half the quantity. Remove pork chops from oven and cover with your yummy sauce.
I served this with mashed potatoes, green beans and some more red wine in a glass!