What I'm Drinking (Tonight!)

Avery Brewing Co. Hog Heaven Dry-Hopped Barleywine Style Ale
This is a beer I grabbed in Colorado before heading to the land of shrimp and rice.* I don't see a date anywhere on the 22 ounce bottle, but I've had it for at least 9 months.

Avery's (faux) barleywine is pretty tasty. The bitterness was a bit of a turn off, at first. Its 104 IBUs are neither subtle nor masked. But once over my initial shock, I'm going to have to say, "This is one tasty beer!" I guess it's similar to some people...it just takes time to warm up a bit. The 9.2% ABV definitely brings the warmth on rapidly though. The hoppiness probably adds to the addictive component. (Unless of course that's the alcohol.)

The beer pours a clear, copper-amber color with a nice head (which dissipates rapidly, but not entirely). It has rich caramelish undertones that help alleviate the ale's bitterness.

I very much enjoyed drinking this strong ale. It's a definite yes for all the barley swines out there!

Pairing Suggestions: Try hard cheeses aged at least a year (think Parmigiano, Cheddar). Or pasta dishes heavy on the cheese.

*note: not craft beers

Food Predictions of 2012

Here are my predictions for 2012's new and sustained food happenings. It's definitely going to be an Andean kind of year (at least it will be for me, I head to South America next month and will remain there for the following six months...).

What's To Come!
1. Potatoes potatoes potatoes--no matter how they're prepared, it's hard to say no. (And really, why would you want to?) With over 4,000 varieties, it's hard to ignore this tasty tuber. Ask your farmer what varieties she or he grows. There's a variety that's right for your every need.

2. Pisco, however you like it. Try it sour or punchy for starters. Braver souls may learn to appreciate this Andean grape brandy neat. Really, there's no telling!

3. Homemade bitters, falernums, and tinctures go main stream. After all, if frugality goes viral, why would anyone purchase what can easily be made?

4. Forget the pizza toppings. It's all about the wood fired oven.

5. Bread baking: make it yourself! I've been doing this a fair amount this year. I'm not alone. Try starting a sourdough, and branch out with fun concoctions like a five seed loaf or a Parmigiano, cracked pepper loaf. Once you've got it down, find a restaurant with a wood-fired oven and ask if they do communal bake days.

6. Whole roasted yard bird. Every good cook (and chef) should be able to roast a whole chicken. Quality pastured birds are something meat eaters should look forward to this year.  Simplicity is bliss. (I'm sorry you won't find any recipes on this site... like I've said before, I don't dish yard bird.)

7. Vegetarian pho. Because cows are holy. And vegetables are too!

8. John Mariani, Esquire's food critic and a serious "Man" about town, will find enlightenment, and go vegetarian.

9. High quality, mid priced ($17-$35) South American wines. As quality improves, and prices remain accessible, we will discover that Chile, Argentina, and yes, Uruguay have some fun, tasty, and increasingly complex wines to offer our jaded palates.

10. Single source chocolate. This has been around a while--just not enough here in the U.S. Thankfully we will be tasting a lot more of it from craft chocolatiers in the future.

11. And a little lagniappe: A beautiful cup of coffee. It's the perfect way to start the day, and it helps cap off a delicious meal. Thank you Italy, for what you taught us, but we are moving on. Welcome to hipster America, where the art of talented baristas wonderfully enhances fair trade, sustainable, single source, shade-grown, meticulously roasted coffee.

What we want to see in the year ahead!
1. More urban gardening and farming. Let's grow vertical (including more rooftop food growing enterprises)!

2. Labeling of GMO foods.

3. More agricultural marketing from states other than California... Hello, Louisiana citrus, rice, and sugar. Hey there, Colorado potatoes, lamb, and stone fruits. Where for art thou, Michigan apples? Why can't I find you, Georgia Scuppernong? How does your oinker go, Carolina pig?

4. More Food Policy Councils helping urban and rural areas access and market local food.

5. People challenging themselves and those around them to learn more about their food. Where does it come from? Why do we eat it? Who grows it? Who harvests it? How is it made? How do we make it or grow it ourselves?

Happy growing, eating, and drinking in the year ahead!

Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone luck, wealth, and happiness in the new year!

Peppermint Ice Cream

Mixing peppermint pieces into ice cream before freezer storage

Talk about tasty! There is something terribly addictive about mint (especially when it's paired with sugar and chocolate). I don't know why we only eat mint at the holidays. Mediterranean cultures are way ahead of us in this regard. The recipes in my Greek cook book call for mint on a level Italians associate with basil. (When I had wild mint growing (or invading) the creek by my studio in Colorado, I used it in abundance. (And not just for mojitos!)) Then there's Moroccan mint tea...

In the mean time here's a recipe for super tasty ice cream. I'd pour some chocolate sauce over the top, or use it to make ice cream sandwiches. This ice cream is cream colored. It will not be pink (unless you use peppermints with artificial coloring). It is best eaten within a couple of days of being made. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
14 tablespoons sugar
10 egg yolks
4 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract (or 2 cups packed peppermint leaves)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup crushed candy cane or peppermint pieces (I used organic, not-made-with-corn-syrup candy canes)
1 tablespoon Drambuie or B&B

Mix cream, milk, half of sugar, and salt (and peppermint leaves if using) in sauce pan and heat to a simmer. Remove from heat, cover and set aside for 30 minutes. (If using fresh peppermint let infuse one hour then remove peppermint and continue).

Mix yolks and remaining sugar in a bowl. Reheat cream sauce. Add 1 1/2 cups of cream sauce slowly to yolk and sugar mixture to temper it. Pour this egg mixture slowly back into cream mixture and heat on low-medium heat to 170 degrees or until a wooden spoon comes up with a thicker custard on its back and a finger drawn through the custard leaves a clean line.

Pour through a strainer into a metal bowl which has been sitting over ice bath and stir occasionally until cooled. Add peppermint extract and mix. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Add B&B or Drambuie. Pour into frozen ice cream machine and process according to machine instructions (about  45 minutes). Once finished, mix in crushed peppermint pieces. Eat or freeze to harden.

(If making ice cream sandwiches: after processing in ice cream machine, line a baking tray with plastic wrap and pour in ice cream. Freeze. Once frozen use a cookie cutter or knife to cut into desired shapes. Refreeze then make sandwiches.)

*Recipe for Peppermint Patty Ice Cream Sandwiches coming soon!

Pairing Suggestions: Hot chocolate anyone? Make classic hot chocolate by melting dark semi sweet chocolate and adding a bit of sweetened condensed milk... and maybe a bit of (homemade) peppermint liqueur.

Peppermint Patties

Here is a not-so easy (and maybe not worth it!) after dinner treat. Of course one problem I ran into was the dough. It was quite tasty. I kept licking my fingers and then running to the sink to wash my hands. So do yourself a favor: don't even try the dough until you have finished forming the patties!

It is crucial that the patties be dry and firm when you paint them with chocolate. (If it is warm and humid you may have trouble making these.) The hardest, and most time consuming, part about this recipe is coating the patties in chocolate.

You may not think these are worth the effort--but those that eat them will think them divine.

Ingredients (Makes approximately 65)
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 1/4 teaspoons peppermint extract
6 cups confectioners' sugar
9 oz. semisweet chocolate
 2-3 tablespoons butter

Directions
 In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer (fitted with paddle and then switched to hook), combine condensed milk and peppermint extract. Mix in confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time, to form a stiff dough that is no longer sticky. At 5 cups sugar it will become difficult to mix so start using your hands. At 6 cups it will stop sticking and become easy to knead.

Form into 1/2 inch balls, place on waxed paper, and flatten with fingers to form patties. Let patties dry at room temperature three hours, turning once. 

In a double boiler melt the chocolate and butter. Place a patty on a fork. Holding the patty over the double boiler, use a silicone pastry brush and paint the top side of the patty. Flip over the patty and paint the other side (make sure to include the sides). Slide from fork onto waxed paper. (I flip the wax paper I used for drying the patties over to the clean side). Let dry until the chocolate firms up-- a couple of hours. 

Pairing Suggestions: Try with a cup of Vietnamese ice coffee (just make sure you saved a bit of that sweetened condensed milk!). You could also pair these peppermint patties with a Spanish muscatel. Or a rich Russian Imperial Stout.