Urban Hunting

Here's a great video on how we city slickers can learn how to wield a weapon to kill moving meat, strip it from its support structure, and cook it up on a box of fire.

Almond Torte

This is one of my favorite desserts from my Aunt. It is a snap and people go nuts with delight when they've tried it.

5 eggs
1/2 cup butter...plus extra for the pan
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups sliced almonds
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup mini chocolate chips ..................(package of mini chips is sometimes hard to find. If you can't find them, slightly chop the regular sized chips with a knife, not the processor).

Butter a 10 inch springform pan on the bottom and side. Mix all ingredients except chips in a food processor for one minute. Scrape down sides of processor and process for one more minute. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool cake on rack (or balanced between two cups or bowls); remove the circular side and then frost the cake.

Frosting
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3 Tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

Melt ingredients on LOW heat while stirring mixture (should only take a minute or two).

Tastes Like Summer: Double Crust Peach Pie

Nothing says summer like fresh peaches. And nothing says summer treat like peach pie. For this recipe, I decided to go back to the basics, with a few minor tweaks. The crust and filling are care of the Joy of Cooking.

For the crust: Delux Butter Flaky Pastry Dough

This crust is amazing. It has the delicious flavor of butter with a little shortening thrown in for flakiness. Handle it carefully and be sure to refrigerate it for the full amount of time. This recipe makes enough for a top and bottom crust.

Mix together in a large bowl:

2.5 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon white sugar OR 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar

(I prefer white sugar for this recipe because of the long baking time.)

1 teaspoon salt

Working quickly to prevent softening, cut into 1/4 inch pieces:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter

Add the butter to the dry ingredients. Use a pastry cutter to chop the butter into pea-sized pieces.

Add:

1/4 cup sold vegetable shortening

With a few quick strokes, cut the shortening into large chunks and distribute throughout the bowl. Continue to chop with the pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pie-sized pieces. Do not let the mixture soften and begin to clump; it must remain dry and powdery.

Drizzle over the mixture:

1/3 plus 1 tablespoon ice cold water

Cut with the side of a rubber spatula until the mixture looks evenly moistened and begins to form small balls. Press down on the dough with the flat side of the spatula. If the balls of dough stick together, you have added enough water. If not, drizzle over the top:

1 to 2 tablespoons ice water

Cut in the water, then press with your hands until the dough coheres. The dough should look rough, not smooth. Divide in half, and make two rounds. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably several hours, or for up to 2 days.

For the filling:

(Be sure to preheat the oven to 425 F)

Blanche peaches for about 1 minute for easy peeling

Peel, pit, and slice 1/4 inch thick:

2.5 pounds (about 5 cups) peaches

Combine with:

1/2 to 1/3 cup sugar

3 to 3.5 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca or cornstarch

(Use cornstarch for a lattice pie. I also recommend using cornstarch over flour as a thickener for pie.)

3 tablespoons strained fresh lime juice

(Here's where I depart slightly from Irma. She calls for lemon, but I think the lime flavor is better.)

1/8 teaspoon salt

Let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Roll out dough right before baking, then ladle fruit onto bottom crust, leaving some of the juices behind. Cover with the top crust (or lattice), then seal the edge, trim, and crimp. If using a closed top crust, cut steam vents. You can also lightly brush the top of the pie with milk or cream and dust with 2 teaspoons of sugar.

Bake the pie for 30 minutes. Slip a baking sheet beneath it if it looks extra juicy. Reduce heat to 350, then bake until juices bubble through the vents, about 25 to 35 minutes more. let cool on a rack before serving. And definitely serve with vanilla ice cream.

Hot Pepper Jam

I am getting a lot more production off of the front patio habanero plants than I expected. When it is all said and done, I think we'll have at least 15. They aren't shaped or colored like habaneros, but they are pretty spicy. Ever since returning from Bologna, I've dreamed of recreating the hot pepper jam I used to eat with pecorino on lazy afternoons there. With fresh hot peppers on hand, I'd be a fool not to take a shot at it now. I'll be making and canning hot pepper jam using this recipe.

UPDATE: I made the jam this weekend. The flavor came out well. Spicy, but not face-melting. The color is a nice red orange with a few pepper bits. I put 1 pint in the fridge and it set up well. The other two pints are in storage and are still a little runny. I'll try a few more times before the next meeting.

Get on the Bulk Purchase Train

As you might expect from the sausage world, it is very hard to find anything in small quantities. Therefore, I am about to buy enough curing salt and hog casings to cure 200 pounds of meat or make 100 pounds of sausage. I can feel Colleen's eyes rolling back in her head as I write this. If anyone is interested in splitting the cost and the supplies, let me know.

Limoncello

I'm in the process of making a limoncello which should be ready on 8/27. At this point it's simply mellowing out, but here's how I've put it together:

1 1/2 cup decent vodka (I used Skyy, which isn't that decent)
8 lemons
1 cup Sugar
1 cup water
A mason jar
A middling amount of upper body strength
The passage of time

1. Peel zest from 4 lemons avoiding the white pith if possible
2. Pour vodka into the mason jar and add the zest
3. Seal and label jar
4. Let sit for two weeks, shaking daily

Musical interlude…

5. Strain out and discard zest
6. Creat simple syrup by combining sugar and water in saucepan and heating until sugar dissolves
7. Let syrup cool completely
8. Squeeze remaining 4 lemons, removing seeds, and add juice to the syrup
9. Add lemon syrup to infused vodka and let it mellow for 6 weeks

Extremely long musical interlude…

10. Realize that you are too poor to afford an airplane ticket and the only way you are getting back to Italy is by closing your eyes and downing the entire mason jar in one gigantic swig OR slightly chill and take little sips out of a thimble glass like a mystical fairy

I'd imagine that, should this recipe produce something ingestible, it will make for a refreshing summer libation. I for one will be thinking fondly of my trip with Sam to Capri while I drink. Salut!

Rubs

I've been working on some dry rubs for grilling season. Here is one that I think is closest to primetime:

2 parts ground coffee
2 parts fresh ground black pepper
1.5 parts salt
1 part brown sugar
1 part cumin
Cayenne pepper to taste

I've tried this on pork tenderloin, flank steak, and chicken and been happy with the results. This is best on a grill because a little smoke wakes this up. I'm still experimenting with marinade times, but longer is often better.

http://www.diena.lv/lat/multimediji/dienatv/dzive/video-martins-sirmais-gatavo-svaigu-sieru-un-salatus

This will be my project for the next EOW gathering.

Easy Strawberry Jam

I was still 20 feet away from the stand when I knew that strawberries had arrived with a vengeance at the Bloomingdale farmer's market. There were only about a dozen quarts of red goodness left, but had out-perfumed the nearby flower stand and staked an olfactory claim to nearly half of the block-long market. It wasn't long before my bag was 2 pounds heavier.

I am not much a strawberry enthusiast, and I soon realized that consuming that many strawberries before they went bad would be nearly impossible. I decided to look for an easy recipe for jam. Here is what I did:

1) The recipe said to hull 2 pounds of strawberries. I am not exactly sure what that means, but I think it involved paring knife surgery on each berry. It was Monday night and I wasn't in the mood for that level of patience so I just cut the tops off.

2) Crush the strawberries. I just used my hands to do this and it was pretty fun. It also really lets you control how lumpy the jam will be.

3) Add 1/4 cup of lemon juice (about 1 big lemon) and 4 cups of white sugar and stir. Honestly, you could probably get by with 3 cups of sugar, particularly if the berries are already fresh and sweet.

4) Pour mixture into a saucepan and dissolve sugar over low heat. Once the mixture is no longer grainy, crank up the heat and boil it. The juice should get to 22o degrees. Use a candy thermometer if you have one. I found the last few degrees to be a challenge for some reason.

5) Once at 220, turn down the heat to maintain that temp and put a small sample of the mixture on a cold plate. Run your finger through it and if it stays apart, then you are most likely going to have the right consistency. I just read about this tip, so I don't know yet whether it is true.

6) Turn off the heat and pour jam into warm, sterilized jars. To sterilize, fully wash the jars of any major junk and then use a no-rinse sterilizer (these are available at brewing supply stores). Just follow the instructions on the sterilizer. In a pinch, Josh or I probably have enough to share.

7) Seal and refrigerate.

UPDATE:  Just tried the jam with a little fresh ricotta and bread and it was delicious and just the right consistency.  I'll definitely be doing this one again and freezing it for the winter.

Croissants c/o DCist

A rather involved but tasty-looking approach to croissants.

http://dcist.com/2009/06/croissants_get_the_butter.php#comments

This leads me to think we should consider having some EOWC meetings during the brunch hour, to bring DIY to the AM. And yes, a good bloody mary counts as DIY.

Other blog/newsletter suggestions?

Is there a way to aggregate a list of members' favorite DIY/cooking/culinary blogs and newsletters?

ie: my friend Mike's blog from the DC Homebrewer's club

Beef Jerky Recipe

OK - I finished the beef jerky last night...and then promptly ate nearly all of it with a friend. It only takes two days to make, so I will bring a batch to the next meeting. Here's the recipe (again from my fabulous new DIY cooking book):

Ingredients
1 lb. Top sirloin or flank steak
2 tblsp. Soy sauce
2 tblsp. Brown sugar
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. Crushed red pepper (optional)
1 tsp. Crushed black pepper (optional)

Directions
1. Go to the supermarket and get either 1 pound of top sirloin or flank steak. Try to get your butcher to slice it into 1/8"-1/4" slices against the grain. When they tell you that they won't do it, bring it home and throw it in the freezer for 30 minutes, which will make it easier to cut yourself.

How to Cut Beef Against Grain -- powered by ExpertVillage.com

2. After you've sliced the beef, lay it out between two kitchen towels to soak out as much liquid as you can. Then, with the beef still between the towels, tenderize it with anything you have available.

3. Mix brown sugar, soy sauce, kosher salt (and red and black pepper if desired) in a large bowl and then toss the beef slices around in it with your hands, making sure to cover all of the meat.

4. Place the slices as flat as possible on a rack (like the one from your grill or oven) and place the rack on top of a baking sheet with aluminum foil on it. Put the whole thing in your refrigerator, uncovered, for at least 24 hours.

5. Preheat your oven to 150 degrees. If, like most modern ones, your oven only goes down to 170 degrees, that's ok.

6. Put the beef tray in the oven for 3-5 hours, checking on it after 3 hours. If you put the beef in the oven at 170 degrees, keep the door ajar with a wooden spoon while it is drying. The beef should not be raw, but slightly stringy when you pull it apart.

7. Curse yourself for only having made 1 pound of beef jerky.

Notes: I found the beef jerky to be a bit salty. I know that beef jerky is supposed to be salty, but I wonder if I should have used a little bit less salt or if the soy sauce I used was some weird organic crap from Whole Foods. Anyway, would be interested in hearing what people think if they make this.

Field Trip: Rusticos

As I mentioned to some of you, I recently mentioned the EOWC to Frank Morales, the owner of Rusticos, while buying a loaf of his beer bread. The guy is a total class act. He generously (and I hope seriously) offered to allow us to come down to Rusticos to learn how he makes bread and, as a bonus, to meet with the guy who makes his charcuterie. For those of you who don't know, Rusticos is an Alexandria restaurant that focuses on simple, delicious, and local food and a staggering array of beer. They will be opening a DC branch on 14th and P in the old Dakota Cowgirl location. When we spoke 2 weeks ago, Frank indicated that they'd be cooking there in a month or so.

So, I'll get back to him because I would sure as hell like to learn to bake bread and dry meat from an expert. Before I get back to him, though, I'd like to gauge interest. Can I get a show of hands?

Homemade Butter Recipe

Recipe taken from this book.

1. Get yourself a mason jar, some heavy cream, and some kosher salt (optional).

2. Insert heavy cream (1 cup) into mason jar and close top tightly.

3. Shake hell out of mason jar for 30 minutes, pausing every so often to pour off the buttermilk as it separates from the curds that will become your butter (the buttermilk can be saved and used for something else).

4. Scoop remaining junk (your butter) out of mason jar and place it in a smaller container. The butter should still be pretty loose in consistency.

5. If you prefer salted butter, add one teaspoon of kosher salt to the butter and mix it in with a spoon. Note: Salted butter will keep longer when refrigerated.

6. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.

Share!

Post your misadventures in food DIY in the form of reciplogues (food travelogues) -- especially the items you brought to an EOWC meeting.  Make sure to add recipe as a label, please.

The Cured Pork Loin

Let me start by saying that I shamelessly copied most of the steps from this site. Here is what I did.

1. Wandered aimlessly through Safeway looking for curing salt for about 20 minutes. Turns out it is in the "We Don't Sell That" aisle. I then spent an additional 10 minutes mulling the relative benefits of salt with iodine versus without. Since I had no idea what the implications were of the choice, I decided to go with the one in the red canister. I can't remember which that is now.
   
2. Unpacked, washed, and dried one pork tenderloin.
   
3. Dropped the tenderloin into a plastic freezer bag with a half cup of salt and a tablespoon of brown sugar and mixed it up well.
4. Let this sit in fridge overnight...at least 24 hours or so. The result is a pretty unpleasant looking tenderloin floating in swamp of salt turned pinkish by pig blood and water. When I do this again, I am going to figure out how to elevate the pork so it stays off this horrific looking shit.
5. Removed the loin from the salt, washed it again, rubbed it generously with brandy The recipe calls for cognac and I am sure that is better. I got confused in the liquor store and asked for brandy by accident. Brandy is much cheaper anyway.
6. Rolled the pork loin in Herbes de Provence. I'd probably skip the HDP and go with another spice blend or nothing at all. In the end, I don't think they added much.
7. Mummified the loin in cheese cloth and tied it inexpertly with kitchen string. This was another area of potential improvement for future attempts. My trussing folded the semi-pliable loin and really detracted from the sausagey linear look I was going for.
8. Let sit until the loin had a little give but wasn't overly hard. These were the official instructions.
   
9. Stress over the inexactness of the recipe and bacteriapocalypse unleased by an incorrect guess at doneness. Try a slice when you are not having guests and have no where to be.
10. In the end, I thought this was slightly saltier and uglier than my prom date - which is saying a lot. I'd make it again with some changes. I am just happy no one died.
    

Local CSA

I am especially interested in the raw milk CSA for our next attempts at butter and cheese. Anyone with me?

http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2009/05/community-supported-agriculture-csas-coming-to-dc/#comments

The End is Well Nigh

Thanks to everyone that was able to make it to the first ever End of the World Club meeting. Food included farm fresh pecans, brownies, cookies, homemade butter, sourdough baguettes and a boule that proved that the funk is in the air in DC, hummus, two types of tapenade, cured pork loin, fresh italian sausage, pizza dough, guajillo salsa, sangria, 4 types of homebrew (Dortmunder, Russian Imperial Stout, Pilsner, and a Maibock) and homemade lavandar honey ice cream. That is pretty damn impressive for a first outing.