Monday, December 26, 2022

Gluten-free Non-Dairy Chocolate Orange Cake

Most readers know that I try (and fail miserably) to follow a gluten-free diet, but have I mentioned that what I really need to stay away from is dairy? As of May 2022, I am lactose intolerant. One day I could put half and half in my coffee, and the next day I couldn't. It's hard to avoid dairy, since many commercially manufactured foods contain milk in some form (WHY?), and restaurants love to use tons of butter in everything. The best and most obvious way to keep lactose out of my body is to cook everything from scratch, which is fine, if I was into that sort of thing. Instead, I have invested in large jars of Lactaid pills, which need to be taken every 30-45 minutes if I'm eating something that might contain dairy. And as I said, it seems to be everywhere. 

I was dreaming about cake the other night (literally) and when I woke up, I decided it was time to bake one. Specifically, Nigella Lawson's clementine cake. We had a big bag of clementines, plenty of eggs, and a new bag of almond flour. It's an oddball cake in that the clementines are first boiled, then cooled, and finally plopped into a food processor for a spin. Peels, flesh, all of it. This makes for an extremely moist cake with a ton of orange-y flavor.

I've made this baby a number of times over the years, and this time I thought I'd make it a little differently. I wanted a chocolate orange cake, one that might taste like those Droste or Terry's chocolate oranges. If you've never had one, they're balls of orange-flavored chocolate made up of orange-wedge-shaped pieces, all wrapped in foil to resemble--you guessed it--an orange. I already had the orange portion of the program under control, but needed to incorporate chocolate. I did this by subbing out 1/3 cup of the almond flour for cocoa powder, and I made a non-dairy chocolate ganache for the top. Can't have too much chocolate! And to make it pretty, I decorated the cake with candied orange slices from TJ's. If you don't have those, leave the cake as is. It will be delicious no matter what.

This cake is not super sweet, so if you like 'em sugary, you might want to try a different recipe.

Chocolate Orange Cake

For the cake:
4 to 5 clementines (about 1 lb total)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 large eggs
2 cups ground almonds
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

For the ganache:
1/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
1/4 cup sugar (optional)
1/2 cup non-dairy chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate Chips. If you use sweetened chips, omit the sugar.)
1 teaspoon non-dairy butter substitute (I like Earth Balance original)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Candied orange peel or candied orange slices from Trader Joe's

To make the cake:
Put clementines in a pot with enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Turn temperature down so the water is at a hearty simmer and cook for 2 hours, adding more water if the pot looks like it's running dry. Drain and allow fruit to cool. Once the fruit is cool, tear them open, remove the stem bit from the end and any seeds.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Place the clementines--skin, pith, and all--into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade. Add the sugar and puree. Add the eggs and pulse to combine. Add the almonds, cocoa, and baking powder and pulse until completely incorporated.

Line an 8-inch springform pan with a circle of parchment and coat bottom and sides of pan with butter or release spray. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake for 1 hour then check doneness with a toothpick. If the pick comes out with moist crumbs, it's done. If it comes out with batter on it, add more time. At this point, the cake might start to burn, so cover the top with a piece of foil for any remaining time in the oven.

Remove the pan from the oven and cool completely on a rack before loosening the pan sides. Move the cake to a cake plate by putting a plate on top of the cake and inverting it. Remove the pan bottom and carefully peel off the parchment. 

To make the ganache:
Put the non-dairy milk and sugar (if using) in a microwave-safe bowl. (A 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup is perfect for this.) Cook on high for 2 minutes, then stir. If the mixture hasn't yet boiled, put it back in the microwave for another 30 seconds or so. Watch so it doesn't boil over! Remove the cup from the microwave and add the chocolate chips. Stir to melt chocolate. Once the chocolate is nearly all melted, add the butter substitute and the vanilla bean paste. Stir until smooth. 

Ganache will thicken as it cools. When it reaches a consistency that is thick but still pourable, pour over the top of the cooled cake. Use an offset spatula to smooth out the top. Decorate with candied orange peel or slices.

Serves 8.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Monday, December 19, 2022

Pepperoni Beans

I was musing about what to do with two partial meat sticks--sopressata and salami--left over from Thanksgiving and decided I could cut them up and simmer the bits in a sauce. And then I remembered the pepperoni sauce that former DC restaurant emperor Mike Isabella created on Top Chef All Stars back in 2012. I tried it then, and like Isabella, I served it with chicken. This time, I didn't have any chicken on hand. What I did have was a plethora of beans from Rancho Gordo, including some big-ass Royal Coronas. The website describes these beans as "enormous, thick-skinned runner beans with a surprisingly creamy interior. One of our all-time best sellers, it's a versatile giant that works in all kinds of cuisines. A true pantry staple." 

I figured they'd be a fine meat substitute in a brothy tomato sauce studded with cured sausage.

Royal coronas partway through soaking. They are at least twice as large as limas.
I made some changes to the original recipe. I used crushed tomatoes rather than whole, omitted the bay leaf and olive oil, and didn't puree the sauce. I also used half salami, half sweet sopressata, and rather than slice the meats thinly, I cut them into 1/4 inch slices, stacked several of them, then cut them into strips and then dices. The first time I made the sauce, I used pepperoni, which I added after cooking the onions in olive oil. The result was an oily mess that needed a lot of skimming. This time, I cooked the onion and the meat together. The fat that oozed from the sausage was the perfect amount in which to cook the onion, and there was no oil slick on top. I guess pepperoni is greasier? 

I wanted a thicker and more homogenized sauce, but before I added it to the beans, it was more of a tomato liquid with bits of tomato and meat. A spoonful of tomato paste and a cup of starchy bean broth was just the thing to bring it all together. The sauce also needed a touch more acid, so I chopped up some grape tomatoes and stirred them in at the last minute. 

Some arugula gave the dish color and a little extra pep. I also couldn't resist adding a spoonful of The Flavor Society pizza chili crisp, though Mr Minx didn't think the dish needed anything else.

I was pretty happy with the beans. They are very meaty, and though the skins are a tad firm even after several hours of soaking and cooking, the insides are lovely and creamy. Will definitely be purchasing them again in the future.


Pepperoni Beans

For the beans:
1 lb Rancho Gordo royal corona beans
2 stalks celery (leave whole)
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 teaspoons salt 

For the sauce:
2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 pound Italian hard salami-type sausage, like pepperoni or sopressata, cut into 1/4" pieces
1 medium or 1/2 large onion, diced
5 medium cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 15-oz ounce can imported crushed Italian plum tomatoes
1 15-oz can of water

To finish the dish:
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup reserved bean liquid
1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup raw grape tomatoes, cut in half (optional)
Parmesan cheese
Something green, like baby arugula or spinach

To make the beans:
Check beans for debris, and rinse thoroughly. Place in a large pot and fill with water to cover by about 2 inches. Let soak at least 2 and up to 8 hours. Drain the beans and either refrigerate, covered, until the next day, or proceed with recipe.

Put fresh water in the bean pot to about 2 inches above the level of the soaked beans. Add the celery, carrots, and salt and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to a simmer and cook for two hours, or until the beans are tender. The skins will remain somewhat firm and will not look cooked, so you should cut a bean in half and taste it to check the texture.

Once done to your liking, remove the beans from the heat. Fish out and discard (or eat) the carrot and celery debris. Strain the bean broth into a lidded container and set aside. Leave the beans in their pot.

To make the sauce:
Put the fennel seeds in a skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Shaking the pan and/or stirring the seeds frequently, cook until seeds smell toasty and start to brown, 2-3 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and pour seeds into a small bowl.

In a 12" skillet, cook the meat and onion together over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the onion starts to get brown and the meat begins to render its fat. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or so. Stir in the toasted fennel seeds and red pepper flakes. Cook for about a minute, stirring. Then dump in the can of crushed tomatoes and another can of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat so the sauce is gently simmering. Cook for 1 hour. If an excessive amount of oil pools on top, skim it off and discard (or use it to make a vinaigrette for a salad).

To finish:
Pour the sauce over the drained beans. Stir the tomato paste into the cup of reserved bean broth and add that to the pot of beans. Stir to combine, then turn the heat on to about medium. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Stir in the raw grape tomatoes. 

Place some arugula in the bottom of a bowl, spoon over some beans and sauce, and sprinkle with cheese.

Makes about 2 quarts.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Monday, December 12, 2022

Woodberry Kitchen is Back! Who Cares?

Woodberry Tavern menu. Click to embiggen.

When Woodberry Kitchen originally opened to rave reviews, including from people whose opinions I respect, I just rolled my eyes. I'd been to other of Spike Gjerde's restaurants, the ones owned with his brother, Charlie, and while they were good, none were particularly impressive. One was memorable, however., as it was the location of a birthday dinner on a particularly bad birthday. I won't bore you with those details. Let's just say that a whole Maine lobster served in a bowl of oily sauce is almost impossible to eat. Had I been in charge, that lobster would have had its claws and tail pre-cracked, or better yet, I would have removed the meat from the shell and arranged it daintily on a plate. Instead, the Powers That Be dictated that I wrestle with the whole greasy beast, which refused to submit to the cracker (which was also greasy, as were my hands). I should have sent the dish back, but I was already having a terrible day and some part of me must have felt that I deserved my fate. In any case, I've had it out for the Gjerde brothers since then.

Well, mostly Spike. Charlie seems like a nice guy, and his restaurants are all accessible places with decent grub. Spike, however, has long suffered from delusions of grandeur, which can only have been exacerbated by winning a James Beard Award. (Meanwhile, poor Cindy Wolf of Charleston, et. al., is the food world's version of Susan Lucci.) 

Mr Minx and I ate at Woodberry Kitchen a couple of times. Once was for our anniversary in 2011; while the overall experience wasn't optimal, we did have some good food. Another time was a free dinner sponsored by an olive oil producer; I assume I was invited because I was attending the Natural Foods Expo going on at the Convention Center that same week. And the third time was for Restaurant Week a few years back. I chose paw paw pie for dessert. It had the most unappealing curdled texture, beige/vomit color, and little to no flavor, yet somehow it made it out of the pastry kitchen. And while we didn't despise the restaurant, we always wondered how it was so popular. Honestly, I can cook homey dishes like chicken and dumplings myself, so why should I pay good money for it? Yes, it's nice to know that the animals that go into my food have been treated humanely, but I don't want to feel like I'm paying their condo fees.

Woodberry Kitchen has been closed for a while because of Covid, and Spike took advantage of the time off by revamping the place. He sold off the old fixtures and kitschy country barn decor crap and is dedicating what used to be the restaurant dining room to private events. The old private event room on the side is now the restaurant, rebranded as Woodberry Tavern. Just for shits and grins, I put myself on their mailing list so I could find out when they were reopening. Maybe he was going to take a page from Charlie's book and reopen the restaurant as a place the common man can go to enjoy a nice meal. Or maybe not. In advance of the Tavern's opening on December 8, I received an email with a link to the menu, which I have inserted above. 

Spike's out of his fucking mind. $59 for fried chicken with dumplings! $35 for "red pepper squash" and tofu. Perhaps he plans to use part of that $35 to buy a comma. The pig would have to come out in a top hat and do a little soft shoe for me before I'd pay 49 bucks for a schnitzel. Yeah yeah, entrees come with "miso-roasted" carrots, creamed kale, and potatoes with a fancy name that translates to "like a straw doormat" in French. Mr Minx makes incredible pommes pallaisson (note to Spike--you also need to buy an S) regularly, with about .75 worth of ingredients.

I'm sure Woodberry Tavern (hmm...perhaps the prices include an overnight stay?) will still pack in the people who have nothing better to do with their money. The least expensive 2-course meal there, without beverage, will cost $61.50pp including the 23% service fee. (The menu notes, "You are welcome to add additional gratuity for the service staff." Perhaps you should pay your staff a living wage, eh, rather than expect your customers to do it for you, on top of your ridiculous food prices.) We Minxes will only eat there for free, which of course ain't happening. LOL In the meantime, we'll be spending our money at places like True Chesapeake, Cosima, La Cuchara, Petit Louis, and all the mom-and-pop Chinese restaurants we favor. 

Published on minxeats.com

Friday, December 09, 2022

Gluten-Free Non-Dairy Sunflower Seed Crackers

Pazo was a pan-Mediterranean restaurant in Fells Point/Harbor East that closed in 2016. Why did it close? Because it was one of my favorites, and somehow my affection for a place dooms it to failure.

As far as I'm concerned, small plates are the way to go when dining out. Appetizers are usually more inventive and interesting than entrees, and I'd rather have 2-3 (ok, 4-5) of those than a slab of protein served over a starch. If the menu lists mostly appetizers/small plates/tapas, chances are good that I will like the place. (The food has to be good, too, of course.) Pazo had tons of tapas-style options and we ate there a number of times. While all of the food was delicious, my favorite nibble was the sunflower seed crackers. I loved the crisp texture, the light sweetness, and the toastiness of the seeds. Lucky for me, the recipe is on the interwebs. I adapted it to fit with my mostly gluten-free, lactose-intolerant life, and I think my version is as good as the original.

Gluten-free Sunflower Seed Crackers

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup gluten-free flour
Pinch of salt
3 large egg whites
1/4 cup non-dairy butter substitute, melted (I used original Earth Balance sticks)
2 cups sunflower seeds 

Whisk together the sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk in the egg whites until well combined. Dribble in the butter substitute a bit at a time while continuing to whisk. Chill the batter for one hour. 

Preheat oven to 375F.

Spread a thin layer of batter on a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with the sunflower seeds. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until firm and browned. Let cool for a few beats and score into 2" squares. Break apart the squares when the crackers are completely cool.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days--if they last that long.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Monday, December 05, 2022

To Misquote Bon Jovi, You Give New Jersey a Bad Name


My friend Kim and I were born at the same hospital exactly a week apart, but we didn't meet until high school. Forty-plus years later, we're still friends. We try to get together a couple times per year, and in 2022, we decided a joint birthday celebration was in order. I made a reservation at the Fogo de Chao in downtown Baltimore and waited eagerly for the day we would indulge in a festival of meats.

Fogo de Chao has always been a personal favorite of mine, though I don't think it's as good as the Brazilian bbq restaurant my family would frequent in the 90-00s, Green Field Churrascaria, in Rockville. Back then, $25 would get you a crazy selection of meats, including beef and pork, but also chicken hearts, duck, and sometimes rabbit. The salad bar was loaded with everything from cheese and salads, hearts of palm and asparagus, to various starches and soups. The shrimp and chayote squash soup was delish, and I'd put away a couple bowls of that before I started my meat fest. I once consumed so much protein I ended up with a nasty hangover the next day. Fogo's menu is similar to that of Green Field, minus the weird bits and duck, and they have feijoada rather than chayote soup. I've enjoyed some fabulously tender cuts of beef and flavorful pork there and the bacon-wrapped chicken shouldn't be missed. But I learned something on this most recent visit:

Don't go on a Saturday.

The restaurant was packed. It's a huge space, and every inch of it was filled with diners and gauchos (servers) bearing sword-like skewers of proteins, everyone talking at once. The din was incredible. And if I didn't get COVID after sitting in that space for two hours, I'll never get it.

The best thing about eating at a Brazilian bbq, besides the food, is that there's no wait to eat. Once you get to the table and decide you're going for the full churrascaria experience, you can go fill a plate at the salad bar and once re-seated, the gauchos will begin their parade of meaty goodness. And that still happens when the restaurant is packed. Still, we didn't have an optimal experience--or even a good one. I cannot fault the kitchen, as hot and juicy meats came out in a steady parade all evening. Our waitress was a little slow with the drinks, however, as she waited by the bar to fill several tables' orders--including water--at once. I get it. We were seated in Siberia, waaaay far from the bar. But I needed water. And wine. But mostly the water. I feel like I'm being nit-picky, but when one pays $61.95 per person, not including appetizers, drinks, dessert, tax, or gratuity, one wants impeccable service. At some point during hour two (!), our waitress' shift ended.... <crickets> Fortunately, the somewhat giggly young man who took her place was attentive. More on that later. 

(You're probably wondering where New Jersey comes in. I am getting to that. Finally!)

As I said, I am being nit-picky. But there was also a huge non-food/non-service issue that made me somewhat angry. Directly to my left was a table of twelve people who were shouting at each other across and down the table. Not angry shouting, just conversational shouting. There were distinct New Jersey accents involved, and the loudest of them emanated from a female personage at the end of the table. She was on her cellphone for a good 45 minutes, dropping the f-bomb frequently, and get this--complaining regularly about the noise level in the restaurant. THEN GO OUTSIDE, YOU RUDE $@*#! Also, GET YOUR FEET OFF THE CHAIR! This chick wasn't a toddler, or even a teenager. She was at least in her mid-20s, and clearly had been raised by hyenas. The whole group of...individuals...(I promised Mr Minx I wouldn't use the pejorative that initially came to mind, one that might be used to describe folks involved with the manufacture of cement overshoes) seemed ill-mannered, but she was the worst. Part of me wanted to say something, but the rest of me didn't want to end up in the Inner Harbor, swimming with...is there any sea life in that cesspool?...the fishes. 

After about an hour of this noise pollution, the group--many wearing hoodies bearing the name of an automotive industry-related company from northern NJ--left. Suddenly, the decibel level of the restaurant decreased. I looked around and saw several other large parties of ten or more, and all seemed to be conversing at normal tones while enjoying their food. I could finally hear my dining companion, who had been as disgruntled as I was while the noisy ______s were next to us. Sadly, they had bothered me enough that my food didn't taste particularly good, even after they left. (I continued to eat, however, to get my money's worth.) I have to wonder if that group was in Maryland because they've already been kicked out of the restaurants in their own area. 

Our new waitperson came over to see if we wanted dessert, and Kim mentioned that it was our birthday, angling for a complimentary slice of cake. We were brought a menu so we could choose. Unfortunately, said menu included calorie counts. Did you know that a piece of Fogo key lime pie has 820 calories? Suddenly, I felt very full and thought if I ate pie after all that meat, I'd be sick. I suggested that we share a dessert. When we told the waiter, he exclaimed that we must each choose a dessert because it was our birthday! Then, sotto voce, he said we could take it to go. So we ordered pie to go and requested that the check be split between us. Neither of us are fond of calculating tip, but the bill included calculations for 18%, 20%, and 22% "for your convenience." So we added the 20% amount to our bills and left. 

I'm not sure why $99 dollars didn't seem like too much money. And only now that I am writing this blog post am I noticing that the convenient tip calculations were on THE ENTIRE $143 TAB, not half of that. After I noticed the error, we each called the restaurant and asked for a refund of the extra 20%, which they honored.

To add insult to injury, when I got home after that dinner, I found an email from OpenTable claiming that I didn't show for my reservation. With that particular reservation service, it's 3 strikes (or no-shows) and you're out. I've been a member of OpenTable for at least a dozen years and in all that time I've had one no-show, and it wasn't my fault. I would never leave a restaurant hanging like that. When Mr Minx and I got food poisoning on a trip to Los Angeles in the mid-00s, in between trips to the bathroom I called the restaurants at which we had dinner reservations and cancelled them. The reservationist at Spago thanked me and said few people bothered to cancel. They just didn't show up. At Spago! 

I guess not only the Joisey Wench at Fogo was raised by hyenas.

I'm not sure how I feel about Fogo anymore. It might still be a good place for lunch, as the Market Table is less than $20pp and is essentially a vegetarian buffet with a few cold cuts and sugared bacon. But it will be a while before I go there for dinner. To be honest, the huge jump in price, from $40-something last year to $62 this year is a deterrent. I understand that inflation has put food prices through the roof, and they probably have to pay higher wages to retain that many staff, but the experience is not worth it to me. If I'm going to pay $71pp (that's including my glass of wine), I'd rather be in a quieter restaurant with fewer patrons. Or one with Michelin stars. Or in New York. But hey, if you have an expense account, by all means go to Fogo. The food is good, as are the drinks. It's just maybe not for me anymore.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Dorot Roasted Brussels Sprouts Recipe Revisted (sponsored)

As promised, here's my interpretation of George Duran's brussels sprouts recipe, as published here just before Thanksgiving.  

I took at look at the Dorot Gardens website to see where their frozen herb cubes were sold. Not only does the site say in what stores their products are available, but also which products. Originally we were going to go to Safeway, but the one nearest to me only had the garlic and basil. The closest ShopRite, however, had all three herb cubes, plus the garlic and the glazed onions. As it turned out, they were out of parsley. No worries, I substituted the onion cubes for the parsley, and it worked out just fine. See below for my additional changes.
 
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Herbs and Alliums

2 lb brussels sprouts
2 T extra virgin olive oil
Salt 
2 cubes Dorot Gardens Basil
2 cubes Dorot Gardens Sauteed Glazed Onions
2 cubes Dorot Gardens Cilantro
2 cubes Dorot Gardens Garlic

Trim the stem end off the sprouts, remove the outer layer of leaves and any others that look less than fresh, and cut the sprouts in half.
 
Preheat your oven to 375°F

Put the prepared brussels sprouts on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with a few pinches of salt. Roast for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and stir (or use tongs to turn each piece individually). Return to oven for another 20 minutes.

While the sprouts are roasting, place all frozen Dorot Gardens cubes in a microwave safe bowl and nuke for 1 minute until cubes are mostly melted. Stir to combine the various flavors.

After the second 20 minutes in the oven, remove the baking sheet and pour the herbs over the sprouts. Using tongs, toss the sprouts with the herbs so they are well mixed. Put back in the oven and cook an additional 10 minutes. At this point the sprouts should have some serious brown bits and crispy leaves here and there. (Sometimes I turn the oven off and leave the sprouts in for 15-20 minutes in the residual heat to get extra crispy without really cooking them further.) Dump into a serving bowl and pass around the table.

Serves 4-6. 

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Monday, November 28, 2022

Holiday Gift Guide, 2022, Part 2

I'm thinking that I should have made this food gift guide part 1 and the appliances part 2, just so I could title this post Gift Guide Part 2: Electric Boogaloo. And if you don't get that reference, you're probably not as old and decrepit as we are.

Sigh.

Anyhoo...let us proceed, shall we? 

I discovered a while back that a good gift for the person "who has everything" is food. We all need to eat. Some of us have dietary restrictions and need special products. Others of us are snackaholics. Still others are just weirdos. I'd give my Dad a half dozen jars of jams and preserves for Christmas because he was fond of eating them straight from the jar with a spoon. I enjoy receiving food gifts because once they're consumed, I can just recycle the jar or wrapper and there's nothing left to clutter the house--unlike books (which we have stacked in piles here and there), "collectibles" (ahem, Neal's action figure collection), mountains of craft supplies, and tchotchkes like candles, photo frames, and single-function kitchen gadgets like quesadilla makers (an actual thing that we actually received from an actual friend). Want to give me a gift that will make me smile? Send me a box of See's caramels


Gifts for People Who Drink

I don't mean boozers, necessarily, but people who like to drink all sorts of drinks. But yes, booze, too. 

ROOT 23 makes tasty simple syrups that can be used in cocktails, of course, but also poured on ice cream or in coffee or combined with a little seltzer to create a homemade soda. I'm partial to the Yuzu Citrus flavor, but Pear Rosemary is also nice.
 

BeetologyWonder Melon, and Wonder Lemon are tasty juices that are certainly drinkable on their own, but also make fine cocktail mixers. The cucumber version of Wonder Melon also makes a tasty gazpacho when added to a blender full of cucumbers and roasted red bell peppers seasoned with sherry vinegar and salt. You can get packs of 9 bottles at Amazon, but if you just want to try one or two, I've seen them at Giant supermarkets.

Fancy fizzy water subscriptions might be a nice gift, too. I like Aura Bora.

And yes, fine, your favorite liquor emporium might offer up a ton of gifts for family members. I could use a bottle of Amaretto d'Amore, and would love anything from Eden Ciders.


Gifts for People Who Like Hot Stuff

My friend Laurie gave me a bottle of TRUFF hot sauce a couple years ago. She's a fan of hot sauce in general, and a fan of this stuff in particular. I like hot stuff, too. Now, I'm going to say that the black label TRUFF isn't super hot. But if you like a gentle warmth, and the flavor of truffle oil, you might enjoy it. There is a red label version that is hotter, though I haven't tried that one. 

This sauce is a littler thicker and sweeter than most hot sauces, so to me, it's like the best kind of ketchup. I like putting it on my scrambled eggs, and it's fantastic on french fries and burgers and anything else you might put ketchup on. Also, it's a perfect sauce for buffalo wings. Man, I'm drooling at the thought of that. (I haven't eaten dinner yet and I am hungry. Not the best time to write food blog posts.)

Don't discount Old Bay Hot Sauce, which might be inexpensive at ~$4 per bottle. The stuff flew off the shelves when it was introduced a couple years ago, and with good reason. It tastes like Old Bay, the beloved seafood seasoning of the Mid-Atlantic region. 

Then there's the world of chili crisp/chili crunch, which I plan to cover in an upcoming post. One of my favorites is made by a newish brand called Oomame, which makes the increasingly popular, originally Chinese, condiment with flavors from other lands, like Morocco, India, and Mexico. China too, but Mexico's the best one. Dave Chang's Momofuku restaurant/tv/cookbook empire now includes food products like soy sauce and dry noodles, but they also have multiple versions of chili crunch, including extra hot and truffle.

Mighty Sesame produces various tahini-based products, including a spicy tahini that is no joke. It makes a mighty fine spicy hummus but can also add needed oomph to avocado toast.


Gifts for People Who Avoid Gluten

Absolutely! gluten free crackers and snacks are not only gluten free, but also grain free. But rather than using almond flour, Absolutely! uses potato and tapioca starches, so their crackers are light and crispy and low in calories. Their snacks include coconut macaroons, coconut chews, stacked potato crisps (think Pringles, but gluten free), and even cauliflower crust pizzas. We are a cheese-loving household, so I'm always thrilled to find yet another brand of tasty gf crackers to go with.

Tate's Bake Shop makes the best gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. Honestly, they taste pretty close to homemade toll house cookies, without the gluten. I love them, and even before I started avoiding gluten, I preferred Tate's gf version to other commercial cookies. They have a variety pack that is calling my name.

Another favorite gluten-free snack that also comes in non-gf flavors is Sheila G's Gluten Free Brownie Brittle. So yummy! The thin cracker-like cookies remind me of the crispy sides of a pan of homemade brownies. I've tried all the flavors, thanks to the annual Summer Fancy Food Show, and to be very honest, the gluten free ones are my absolute faves. I finished off a bag of the dark chocolate sea salt flavor as I was typing this post. ::::brushes away chocolate crumbs from mousepad::::

I also love the gf crackers from Hungry Bird Eats.


General Savory Gift Items

Oryx Desert Salt is an unrefined salt from the Kalahari Desert region that has no additives or non-caking agents. It's harvested from a 55-million-ton underground salt lake and has a clean salt flavor. The glass container with ceramic grinder is refillable 10 or more times, making it more environmentally friendly than the typical supermarket salt grinders. They have pepper, too, and both have become fixtures on our dining table. 

I hope I don't have to remind you that Nuts.com has tons of fine snacky items and nuts. My favorite snack is the plaintain chips, and I'm partial to their gluten free brownie mix. Buy a basket, fill it with bags of nuts, and put a bow on it.


General Sweet Gift Items
I've been buying this particular brand of Pumpkin Panettone as a birthday gift to myself for the last couple of years. It's super moist, and the pumpkin filling only adds to the moisture. It's become our traditional Thanksgiving day breakfast. Ordinarily, I make french toast with leftover panettone, but this has far too much filling for that sort of thing. It doesn't get stale fast, so it doesn't matter if it takes a week to finish.

Who wouldn't love a 2.2 lb jar of Nutella

If you've never baked your own gingerbread house because you don't like gingerbread cookies, you may like making one with chocolate Oreos instead. This Oreo gingerbread house kit looks like it might be a lot of fun for the kiddos.

Also, I can't say enough good things about Yummy Bazaar, a mail order food company based in South Jersey. They have a wide variety of international foods all year 'round, but right now they are offering Italian and German holiday breads like Panettone and Stollen in many flavors. And they have all the flavors of Milka and Ritter Sport candy bars!

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Friday, November 25, 2022

Holiday Gift Guide 2022

The gift-giving holidays are approaching faster than most people would like, so I thought I'd make a few recommendations for those of you who might be shopping for small appliances and other kitchen-y items. Everything listed below is something that I own and love and would buy again if I had to. I've had some of them for DECADES and they're still going strong, so I'm not in the market to buy replacements just yet. Actually, we Minxes aren't doing any gift exchanges this year, which is a relief to both the wallet and to the brain. After giving my brother a set of green pans and a toaster oven last year, an Instant Pot the year before, AND he has custody of my Ninja Foodi grill/air fryer thingy, so I'm sure he doesn't need anything else. And my brother-in-law is impossible to buy for so we usually resort to giving him an adult libation. Mr Minx and I tend to receive booze and books, which we both appreciate, but there's already too much of both in this house. (My goal for the rest of the year is to finish three partial bottles of spirits and get them into the recycle bin. There are four bottles of various rums that are excellent candidates for this project. And we're making a trip to The Book Thing this month to donate a couple boxes of books.) 

Since I'm not giving anything this year, and I LOVE to give gifts, I'll just have to live vicariously through all of you. Leave a comment and let me know what you're planning to gift this year, especially if it's something from the list below.


I got my first food processor in the 1980s, the classic bulky Cuisinart. It's great, but it's too big to keep on the counter, and too heavy to continually bring out of its storage cupboard every time I feel like making hummus. Enter the Mini-Prep, which doesn't take up much room and holds the perfect amount of hummus or muhammara for a two-person household. I use mine at least once a week, especially in the summer when the basil and mint are growing like crazy, or I have other green herby stuff that would make a good pesto.

This guy is sleeker than my squared off model from the aughts, but my little old guy still works, so why buy a new one? Not just yet, anyway. When I do, this is the one I want.

We got a classic Waring blender for a wedding shower gift 22 years ago, and it's my go-to for most things that need liquifying, gazpacho, for example. But then I got on a protein smoothie kick, making them for breakfast and occasionally lunch 5 days per week. Cleaning the Waring was annoying, as the blade is attached at the bottom of the jar and not removable, and the jar itself is heavy glass. So Mr Minx bought me a Jusseon smoothie maker, which comes with two sizes of plastic jar, and a screw-off blade. There are even caps to turn the jars into to-go cups, so there's no need to dirty a glass. 


Decades ago, my Dad brought home a Cuisinart immersion blender, which my Mom dismissed as another useless kitchen gadget that would take up room. And in her kitchen, that was definitely the case. Somehow, she never required a blender or food processor of any kind. (I guess we ate a lot of chunky foods back then.) When I moved out of my parents' house, I took the immersion blender (along with the dining room table, some sofas, and more). I still have it (and the table), and I use it to smooth out soups and gravies regularly. It can also be used to make homemade mayonnaise. This newfangled model comes with a chopper/grinder and whisk attachments that make it much more versatile. Again, my old late-80s version works just fine, so I won't be getting a new one anytime soon. But you or someone you love might need one. Right now.


I've had a frozen-capsule-style ice cream maker since Donvier came out with their plastic crank handle jobbies in the 80s. Cranking ice cream is a PITA, so I abandoned that old one for a new-fangled electric model that essentially does the same thing. Before I make ice cream, I have to make sure there's room in the freezer for the capsule--which usually means I have to cook/reheat a bunch of stuff, as the capsule isn't small. After a couple days, once I'm sure that thing has frozen solid, I make my custard and commence to ice cream making (and eating).

If you're really into ice cream, you can buy the capsules separately and store them in the freezer for whenever the mood strikes and make two flavors at once! (Also, you need to not have an overfull freezer.) My Cuisinart ice cream maker is red, but I do like this baby pink one. (Other colors are available.)


Another item I ordered because it was pink (though I was tempted by the lime green model!) is this Ovente electric kettle. We drink a lot of hot tea here at Casa Minx, all year 'round. Sometimes we just brew loose tea in the Mr Coffee, but other times we don't need that much tea. For instance, when I want a cup of chamomile before bed. Yes, I know I can put a cup of water in the microwave and magically have hot water a couple minutes later, but I've had a mug explode before. Dummy me didn't check if it was microwave safe, and it wasn't, and now I'm a bit hesitant to try again. So I just boil a pot of water in my cute electric kettle. 


* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Thursday, November 24, 2022

The True Meaning of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving 2020 cheeseball
I've received some flack recently about my dislike for turkey and refusal to make it for Thanksgiving. As if an obese flightless fowl on an overburdened dinner table is what the holiday is all about. Just the other day, we ran into my husband's cousin, who questioned us on our holiday plans. I piped up about eating charcuterie and chicken legs on the coffee table while watching football and he acted as if I had uttered the most blasphemous statement ever spoken. He implied that our difference, more specifically MY difference, was a bad thing (and always had been). Because I didn't fall in line with the majority of the country in celebrating with rote tradition, I was wrong. But he's always seemed to view me as an aberration on my husband's part, and while his judgement could have hurt, if I let it, because he was criticizing me as much he was sneering at my desire to actually celebrate the holiday rather than force myself to do something I didn't enjoy, I actually felt a little smug. (As I am wont to do.) 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to have a stress-free holiday, eating food that one wants to eat with people one wants to spend time with. There's something to be said, of course, for large family gatherings--if one has a large family. But if one has a family of three, then the pressure of impressing relatives that one doesn't see often is off. Honestly, isn't the Thanksgiving holiday really about being thankful? About appreciating what we have? I have to think that large gatherings with turkey and all the usual sides involve at least a little resentment, at least on the part of the people who are preparing the meal (traditionally the women). I realize that this is the 21st century, and family structures are different--at least for us coastal elites--but I imagine that there are still plenty of households where the women work their asses off while the men belch beer at the Lions and Cowboys. Cuz that's 'Murica, right? And I'm not saying that's wrong, if that's what people want to do. What I want to do is enjoy a day off from my job, eating what I want to eat, with the two most precious people in my life (three, if you count the dog), thanking the cosmos for loving and being loved. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, however you plan to celebrate.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Monday, November 21, 2022

Walnuts for Thom

While I enjoyed school, I can't say I was the best student. There were times that I made excellent grades, but I think that's mostly because the classes were too easy. I breezed through reading and whatever passed for English class in a Catholic grade school, doing well enough to earn me a spot in honors English at Catholic High. There it got much tougher. When we started talking about the pluperfect tense and diagramming sentences, my brain turned to mush. And sorry, but I found literature to be a bit of a snooze. The Red Badge of Courage. The Old Man and the Sea. Heart of Darkness. The Scarlett Letter. No thanks. Huckleberry Finn and Jane Eyre? Barf. My grossly underdeveloped prefrontal cortex was not up for the job. (Vocabulary, however, I grokked.) Despite my lack of enthusiasm for the subject matter, I managed to absorb many of the complexities of grammar. Proof? My living room bookshelf bears three well-written books with my name on the cover.

After the publication of each of those books, I wanted to thank the teacher who for two years stood in front of the 19 young women in my English class, attempting to instill in us his passion for Shakespeare and proper sentence construction. However, I had no idea where he was or how to contact him--though at some point after graduation I did have his home address and we corresponded by good old-fashioned postal mail. (This was the 1980s, people. I am old.) Recently I found a mention of him on Facebook and realized we have a friend in common. She was happy to share his contact information, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that he looked forward to hearing from me. And now he reads this blog. (Hi, Thom!) 

When we met up a while back, I asked him if there was any particular subject he might like to see me cover on Minxeats, as I have been trying to post regularly again and am always up for suggestions. He said he went through the recipe directory and didn't see anything that specifically mentioned walnuts. While I do have a few walnut recipes here and there, most have been posted in the last few years, and I have not updated the directory in a very long time. I have linked some of those posts below. I also thought it might be nice to create a new recipe starring one of Thom's (and my) favorite nuts. 

Recipes on Minxeats using walnuts as a featured ingredient:
Salad with Warm Sausage Vinaigrette, Walnuts, and Goat Cheese (You could use another nut, but walnuts work best for me.)
Nutty Bars (Again, you could use other nuts, but why would you?)
Maple Walnut Biscotti (It's in the name, so absolutely essential!)
Muhammara (This is a delicious red pepper and walnut spread of Syrian origin.)
Savory Granola (While I might not eat it with milk, it's a great topping/garnish.)
Koresht-e Fesenjan (My take on the Persian walnut and pomegranate stew, with lamb.)

And now the new recipe. This is for you, Thom. 


Chicken with Walnut Pepper Sauce
I find myself making muhammara frequently, and the chicken fesenjan is my favorite order at Villagio Cafe, a Persian restaurant in my neighborhood. I've already included separate recipes for both muhammara and fesenjan, but I wanted to create a new dish using them as inspiration--a chicken dish with a walnut sauce that also features roasted red bell pepper, plus the pomegranate molasses common to both. 

Chicken thighs are one of my favorite proteins to cook. They cook relatively quickly, but can also be braised. They aren't as likely to dry out as chicken breasts <shudder>, and they have superior flavor. This recipe would work with both boneless and bone-in varieties, but would be best without skin. There's enough fatty richness in the walnuts. Besides, the skin would get soggy.

8 ounces (by weight) walnuts
Extra virgin olive oil
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
Kosher salt
1 cup diced onion
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup chicken stock
1 12-ounce jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and roughly chopped
1 large or two small 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon or more fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons or more pomegranate molasses*
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or Urfa Biber, or a pinch of cayenne
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
Fresh soft herbs (parsley, cilantro, mint, chives) for garnish

Put a large skillet over medium heat and add the walnuts. Stirring frequently, cook until walnuts are golden and fragrant, 3-4 minutes. (Keep an eye on them--nuts can scorch easily.) Remove nuts to a bowl and allow to cool.

Wipe out the pan and add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chicken, sprinkle with salt, and brown on both sides over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside. Add a little more oil, if necessary, the onions, and another pinch of salt. Cook onions until soft and beginning to brown, 10 minutes or so, stirring frequently. Add the cumin and stir well, allowing the spices to toast for a minute. Pour in the stock and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken back to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently, covered, for 30 minutes.

While the chicken is simmering, make the sauce. If you used walnut halves, put them in a ziptop bag and bash them with a heavy object like a meat tenderizer until they are in small pieces. (This makes them easier to blend. If you used walnut pieces, you can skip this step.) Remove a couple tablespoons of walnut pieces and set aside for a garnish. Place the remaining walnuts, bell peppers, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor with the lemon juice and molasses and blend to a paste. It's ok if it's not totally smooth, you just don't want it chunky. Add the hot pepper and smoked paprika and season to taste with salt. Here's where your taste buds come in! Imagine you're going to eat this stuff on a piece of pita. Is it bland? Add more salt. Still not right? Add a little more lemon juice or molasses. I like my muhammara a little sweet, so I add a little bit of maple syrup. When it tastes great, like you want to eat it with a spoon, scrape the sauce into a bowl and set aside. 

After the chicken has simmered for half an hour, add the walnut red pepper paste and stir to blend the sauce with the liquid in the pan. Heat until warmed through, about 10 minutes. Taste. If the sauce needs more salt, add it. You could also add more cumin, lemon, pomegranate molasses, smoked paprika, pepper flakes, even garlic (use garlic powder at this point, as raw garlic won't have enough time to cook and lose its sharpness). 

Serve over basmati rice. Garnish with some of the reserved walnuts, chopped or torn herbs, and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses, if using.

* Pomegranate molasses is a sweet-tart syrup made from the juice of fresh pomegranates. If you don't have pomegranate molasses, use equal parts balsamic vinegar and real maple syrup. Cranberry juice or grenadine--which is made with pomegranates--work, too, though the former can be quite tart and the latter is very sweet. As always, taste everything!

Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Friday, November 18, 2022

Another Brussels Sprouts Recipe! (Sponsored)

Brussels sprouts are one of our favorite vegetables, so it's not surprising that I have multiple recipes for preparing the mini cabbages on this blog. Normally I make something with a sweet-spicy edge, like roasted sprouts tossed in a gochujang-maple syrup glaze, but I really like the idea of this recipe. I'd make it in the summer with fresh herbs from my garden, but it's November and the weather forecast called for snow flurries this weekend (!) so I'm officially kissing my basil plants goodbye. Sometimes I buy herbs from the supermarket, but that tends to be wasteful. I end up tossing as much or more than I use into the compost bin. But I love these frozen herb cubes by Dorot Gardens, and buy them when I can. The garlic is especially useful, as I really hate chopping garlic (and get Mr Minx to do it when I can). One frozen cube = 1 clove of garlic. The herb cubes each equal a teaspoon of chopped fresh herb. 

George Duran's Herbed Roasted Brussels Sprouts
I like my roasted brussels sprouts to be really brown and crispy, so I'd make changes to this recipe. I'd toss the sprouts in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and roast them at least 30 minutes to start, then toss them with the defrosted herbs + other tablespoon of oil and roast another 10-15 minutes until they are much browner and very tender. I wouldn't add the onion at all. Carrots are optional, but I might like to roast those separately, in larger pieces, and then combine them with the sprouts. I'm going to make this for Thanksgiving and will post the photo here and on Instagram later.

3 cubes Dorot Gardens Basil
3 cubes Dorot Gardens Parsley
3 cubes Dorot Gardens Cilantro
3 cubes Dorot Gardens Garlic
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed, trimmed, and cut in half
2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
 
Preheat your oven to 425°F

Place all frozen Dorot Gardens cubes in a microwave safe bowl and add 2 tbsp olive oil. Microwave for 1 minute.

Place brussels sprouts in a medium bowl and add carrots and onions. Mix in microwaved herbs and garlic, season generously with salt and pepper, and place on a baking sheet.

Roast for 30-45 minutes, just until it begins to brown. Remove from oven and season more to taste.

Serves 4-6. 

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Monday, November 14, 2022

Thanksgiving!

WARNING! there are no turkey recipes in this post. 
For a brief period of time, Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday. Why? Because, at its heart, it's all about food. And y'all know I love to eat. And cook. We never really celebrated Thanksgiving in my immigrant Polish childhood home. In fact, I have no memories of it. Zero. Zilch. None. The only turkey we ever ate was in deli meat form and I wasn't fond of it. Smoked turkey was too dry, and unsmoked turkey was too wet. Both, unfortunately, tasted like turkey. My unpopular opinion: you can keep the bird. The sides were and still are more interesting to me. 

I roasted my first turkey in my parents' house as a new wife at the ripe old age of 35. Mr Minx had skipped his own family's celebration to start a new tradition with my clan. Because his family did the whole turkey-and-multiple-carbs thing, his new bride would do the same. I used Alton Brown's recipe, minus the brine, and to be perfectly honest--it was a triumph. I didn't (and still don't) understand why anyone made dry turkey when a moist and juicy one is so easy. 

Sadly, my mother died the following February, so we Minxes, plus my younger brother but minus our dad, started celebrating with my mother-in-law and her regular holiday crew. After my first Thanksgiving there, which included turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, supplemented with canned corn, canned peas, and canned cranberry sauce, frozen rolls, and sweet potato casserole made with frozen glazed yams, I decided to take over help with the cooking. The following year, I brought a corn pudding and homemade cranberry sauce. In subsequent years I started making the sweet potatoes and the gravy, and added brussels sprouts and green bean casserole. If the holiday was about food, then I wanted it to be tasty and abundant. I loved my mother-in-law dearly, but in her later years she cooked primarily for sustenance purposes. I, on the other hand, loved to cook and eat delicious things and truly enjoyed preparing my contributions. 

A few years later, we moved the celebration to my brother-in-law's house as my MIL had various ailments and became too ill to cook. BIL Craig made the stuffing and provided the kitchen, and Mr Minx and I made everything else. I took off from work the day before Thanksgiving in order to get as much cooking done as possible in advance so it only needed rewarming the next day. Lugging bags of cooked food, raw ingredients, and some cooking implements, we started to feel like caterers. After my MIL passed, Thanksgiving finally moved to Minx Manor. Dad's girlfriend had dumped him, so he became part of the crew. And while it was more convenient to cook and serve food at our own house, going from caterer to restaurant owner involves more expense, decision-making, and house-cleaning, and much less enjoyment. One year, after vowing never to wash so many dishes again, we made lasagna and salad. It raised slightly less furor than the year I decided to make roast duck

Then Craig got married and Dad died. Buh-bye Thanksgiving feast! Seeya never, turkey! The holiday crowd that once included Mr Minx's 99-year-old grandfather and MIL's work friend Wayne in addition to five other family members was down to Mr Minx, Minxbro, and moi. In 2019, we started a new tradition: the grand Thanksgiving meal was pared down to a giant charcuterie platter that we grazed upon as we watched football and drank copiously all day. That first year, I cooked nothing, though I did make a cheeseball. Our coffee table became a buffet of cheese, crackers, sausage, and stuff like olives and cornichons. We used paper plates which we refilled over and over again. It was great, and we weren't stuck with 3 pounds of leftover turkey in the fridge. We did the same in 2020, and I added broiled bacon-wrapped dates to the party. 

Then my brother announced that it seemed wrong not to have a cooked poultry product on our holiday table.

There was no way I was going to make a turkey for three people, one of whom wasn't even going to eat it. I decided to make chicken wings, which seemed appropriate considering we'd be eating them in front of the annual Lions and Cowboys games. But I couldn't find reasonably priced wings last year. Chicken legs, however, were budget-friendly, with more meat and less waste. I coated them with a seasoning based on the wings served at Earth, Wood, and Fire and baked them. And since I had the oven on, I roasted brussels sprouts and tossed them in a spicy-sweet sauce of gochujang and maple syrup. We still had charcuterie, but much less of it. This year will be a repeat of last year, with the addition of stuffing. I know what you're thinking--in a year or two, I'll be back to making the whole holiday shebang again. No! I promise I won't go back to that. The only reason I'm making stuffing is because Olivia's Croutons sent me a box of products that includes both regular and gluten free stuffing mixes. So I'll make a small pan of each. Stuffing is simple: sauteed mirepoix; broth; herbs; bread. Maybe a little pork. We'll see what I feel like tossing in. Bake until crusty. Hey, the oven's gonna be on anyway....

For those of you who read this far and are still looking for Thanksgiving recipes, I'm including some here at the end. Please remember that I'm not like those bloggers who make turkeys in June just to have something to post in advance of the holiday. BO-RING! There are 109 million hits on the google for "roast turkey recipes," so you don't need mine. Sides is where it's at, people, so here's a handful of recipes for good stuff to eat on the side of a nasty ol' turkey. (Yes, I realize most of the recipes are for brussels sprouts. We like brussels sprouts!)

Corn Pudding
This is the corn pudding that I made every Thanksgiving for 15 years. I could have sworn I posted it here at some point in the past, but I couldn't find it. Luckily, I have the original printout safely tucked away someplace I can actually find it.

3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups frozen corn kernels, defrosted

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, mix the eggs, cream, and milk. Stir in the salt, sugar, and corn.

Pour into a greased 8" square baking pan. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.
---------------------------------------
Blackened Carrots with Harissa Yogurt I didn't make this for Thanksgiving originally, but I think it would make a great side dish. 
Celery Root Remoulade Try something totally different and make a cold salad. It's like cole slaw, but not at all like cole slaw.
Cheesy Drop Biscuits are much better than heat-and-eat dinner rolls.
Collard Greens are traditional in some homes. I do believe I made them to accompany my first turkey.
Spicy Sweet Potato and Bacon Casserole Make this at your own risk. I posted it on Food52 and someone commented that it was a "hot mess." I thought it was pretty tasty, and far better than the stuff with mini-marshmallows on top.

The Brussels Sprouts Collection
Raw Brussels Sprout Salad
Shaved Brussel Sprout, Meyer Lemon, Quinoa Salad

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Monday, November 07, 2022

Best Burger in Baltimore

spicy buffalo burger from Alonso's
On toast, brioche, or on a ses'me bun
And crown'd with molten gold, or bleu, or bare
of cheese, instead top'd thick with more than one
wet squirt of sauce: ketchup? mustard? compare
the benefits of each plus mayonnaise.
Relish the addition of onion,
raw or sauteed, I can have it both ways.
Mushrooms are great, in my opinion.
Now comes the matter of temperature.
Well done's a cruel thing to do to good beef!
Nice med'um rare is what I do prefer,
and not too lean, fat's fine in my belief.
Now to my eager lips this juicy beast,
I sigh and bite into a beefy feast.

The burger is so universally loved, it inspired Shakespeare to write a sonnet. Well no, that's not true--I wrote the sonnet--though had burgers been around in Elizabethan England, the Bard may well have tossed a rhyming couplet or two its way. Of course, a burger in those days would have been a different animal entirely. Literally. It might have been made with mutton or pigeon, maybe a soupcon of eel, and as the sandwich wasn't invented until nearly 200 years later, it would not have been served on a bun. More than likely it would be enveloped in a crust of some sort. Yes, an Elizabethan burger would probably have been a pie, or a pastie. 

Yeah, sooo...there was no such thing as a burger in Shakespeare's day. In our time, however, burgers are everywhere. Chain restaurants dedicated to churning out mass-produced burgers are legion and even fancy restaurant menus include hifalutin versions of the ubiquitous beef-and-bun creation. There's the Black Gold "burger" from H Bar in Houston that involves black truffles, foie gras, and a pound of sliced wagyu beef, served on a 24K gold-leafed black brioche bun, with a bottle of Dom Perignon on the side...for $1600. I'm not sure why they call it a burger if it's actually a steak sandwich, but the price is ridiculous either way. I've eaten Daniel Boulud's signature burger at db Bistro Moderne in NYC and was not impressed. For about $30, I got a sirloin burger stuffed with short rib and foie gras on a parmesan-crusted bun. Sounds good, huh? Except the burger itself was maybe 3 ounces of underseasoned meat, the short rib had zero flavor, and the perhaps teaspoon of foie had completely melted out. The sandwich was about 4" in diameter and at least as tall, which made it difficult to pick up and bite into without first cutting it in half. Much better is the Minetta burger at Minetta Tavern, a well-sized patty topped with cheddar and sauteed onions and served with pommes frites for $30. (There's also a "Black Label" version made with dry-aged prime beef for $38.) 

While the Minetta burger was pretty damn fine, I'm going to go out on a limb and say the best burger I have ever eaten comes from Alonso's, in Baltimore. This Cold Spring Lane stalwart has been around seemingly forever. When I was a kid, we'd go there for pizzas but even then their 16oz burgers were legendary. I've never tried the enormoburger, though I did watch two relatively scrawny men attempt--and fail--to finish one apiece at a meal there about 25 years ago. I had the smaller, but still very large (8oz) burger and don't recall it having been anything particularly special.

Alonso's has gone through a few owners in the last 20 years or so, which has led to menu changes and expansions, and even Indian food (the current owner is the proprietor of Namaste, next door), but the burger remains, and is as close to burger perfection as I've eaten. I don't know what exactly makes their burgers so good. A mere $13 gets ya 8 thick ounces of juicy meat (see photo above for evidence) and a decent amount of fries, so it's not fancy beef, though it is nicely seasoned and flavorful. I am not wild about brioche buns, so I have to ding them on that. There's no point to consuming what is essentially breakfast or dessert* with a burger, and brioche doesn't always hold up to dripping fat and meat juices. That said, the buns at Alonso's are always impeccably fresh. 

On occasion, we eat at the restaurant, but more often that not we get delivery. The burgers and fries arrive in compostable containers, which is nice, but we always put them on plates because they are special and deserve to be eaten with respect. Apart from a few of Alonso's signatures that involve specific sauces like the Russian dressing on the Rachel or the herbed mayo on the Frenchie, the burgers are condiment-free. No ketchup, mustard, or mayo. They are moist enough that they do not need any of that wet stuff. And there's always plenty of cheese. I like bleu cheese with my beef, so my normal order is either the spicy buffalo (bleu, buffalo sauce, green onions) or the black and blue (bleu, sauteed mushrooms and onions, Cajun spices), cooked to medium or medium rare. Even though Alonso's is not a steakhouse, when one orders a medium rare burger, it arrives at the table medium rare. Astonishingly, even a delivery burger arrives medium rare. So...juicy meat, cooked perfectly, lots of bleu cheese, no sauces to hide the flavor of the beef = my favorite burger. 

Now if they would only put it on a non-brioche bun....

*Brioche is made with what is called an enriched dough, containing milk, butter, eggs, and sugar in addition to yeast and flour. Most breads contain only flour, water, and yeast, with a tiny bit of sugar added to feed the yeast.

Posted on Minxeats.com.