Balsamic Caramel

I realize not many people have caramelized balsamic vinegar around the house. I stole this from The Improvisational Cook, by Sally Schneider.

1/2 cup of Madeira
1 cup balsamic vinegar (cheap is fine)
2 tsps dark brown sugar

Reduce Madeira to 1 tbsp, add vinegar.
Reduce to 1/4-1/3 cup
Add sugar
remove from heat when dissolved.
store and when cool cap.

Addendum:
Forgot to mention that this is designed to be used as a substitute for good (e.g. 15+ year aged) balsamic vinegar.

Great on my famous peach grunt.

Honey Tuna with Leek "Pasta"

I came up with this dish as something that could be intensely tasty, without too much fat or sugar. Given, I did use honey.... but the veggies make up for it, I swear!

Tuna Steak Marinade
Enough honey to coat each steak
2 tbsp shredded ginger (via cheese grater)
3 cloves smashed then chopped garlic
1 tbsp olive oil, unflavored
5 mint leaves

Bring pan to heat, add oil, saute garlic and ginger until fragrant. Should only be a few minutes. Oil should be used up. Place honey rubbed fish in an airtight container with garlic, ginger, and shredded mint leaves. Add some extra honey to coat bottom of storage vessel and toss a few times to coat and store for at least 8 hours.

To Cook:
Right before cooking, heat a cast iron skillet(1) in a cold oven set to 400*F and squirt 1/2 a lemon's worth of juice over the steaks.

When the oven is preheated so is your pan. Place on a burner on high with a little bit of canola, vegetable or peanut oil to lubricate the pan.

Add the steaks and cook on each side for two minutes, or until delicious looking. The steaks should be almost raw (not cold) on the inside.

Sauce:
Any extra marinade you have from the fish throw into a pan on high until foamy. Makes a delicious counterpoint to the leek pasta

Leek Pasta
2 leaks, halved and then thinly sliced
2 Swiss chard, julienned [Any green (bok choy, escarole, kale, collard, beet, etc) would be fine]
1 clove garlic, crushed and chopped
3 tbsp caramelized balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil

Saute leeks in oil until softened and almost pasta like (2) and then add the garlic and your greens. Add salt and cook for 5-7 minutes. Slash some rosemary olive oil if you wish.

(1) I used cast iron because it gets wickedly hot and you want that in this case. Non stick just can't compete with this.
(2) Start the tuna around this point, also the sauce

Coconut Shrimp

This recipe borders on madness for because I gave up math for lent (well... no, but I didn't measure anything at all for this recipe, ergo it will be mostly hypothesis)

Shrimp:
seasoned cornstarch (salt, pepper, cayenne)
eggwash
shredded coconut

Roll shrimp in cornstarch, removed excess cornstarch
dip in eggwash
press into coconut
fry
drain

Sauce:
Chunky Peanut butter
White Wine (Trebbiano is what I used)
1 lime's worth of juice (1/4 cup)
1 coconut's worth of juice (broken into 3rds... think I had about 1.5 cups total)
4 jalapeños (sliced)
1 red bell pepper Julianed
tablespoon of ginger toot shredded
3 garlic cloves
vanilla extract
sugar
salt

heat pan to high heat with a little oil
add ginger and garlic, after about a minute add the jalapeños and red bell peppers.
Add salt
When peppers soften add lime juice, 1/2 cup white wine and 1/3 of the coconut juice.
reduce
add sugar enough sugar to up the sweetness and balance the lime juice.
add another third of coconut juice
reduce
add sugar/salt if necessary
add peanut butter and rest of coconut juice and a splash of vanilla extract (if so inclined.)
stir over medium low heat until a thick sauce is obtained.


The end result is something borderline insane tasting, but incredible.

Kahlua and Cream

So lately, I've been drinking this:

Andy's Kahlua and Cream:
Combine, in order
enough vanilla extract to cover bottom of glass
1 part Kahlua
1 part heavy cream
1 part milk agitated until foamy
dusting of cinnamon

I serve in a Old Fashioned... mostly because Kahlua will sneak up on you and it looks nice.

Tastes great with (warm) cookies.

I need a name for this....

Seriously.... anyone that reads this I need a name for this disk

Ingredients:
3 Bacon strips, chopped
1 leek sliced thin
1 celery stalk chopped
1/2 cup brandy
a few pinches of salt

cook bacon until done, remove from pan but leave rendered fat.
add leeks and a pinch of salt, when they start to coil around a fork as you move them around the pan add celery and a tiny pinch of salt. When leeks are soft and chewy add back the bacon and CAREFULLY add the brandy to avoid flame ups. Cook for a couple of minutes and eat.

Tastes.... interesting. The brandy is the key element. Give a very nice subtle flavor. Though, a minced garlic glove and a 1/4 cup of diced onions and peppers would suit nicely.

Any suggestions? So far I got Bacon brandy over leek pasta.... which sucks ass.

Crepes Praline

I've successfully made crepes... and flipped them and sweet baby Jesus are these buggers good.

Crepes Praline
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup + 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (you know, I should make my own.... hmmmm)
1 tbsp Frangelico
1 tbsp melted butter (Microwave 30 seconds on high)
3/4 cup milk

Other Stuff:
> 1/2 cup vegetable oil
some Lyle's Golden Syrup (not the same as me) and powdered sugar for garnish

Whisk Eggs and flour until creamy. Add sugar, vanilla, liquor, butter and milk. Whisk until smooth but thick and runny.

Coat pan (a small one... about 8") with a little bit of oil and remove excess.
Drop ~2 oz of batter into pan and form a disc. Flip when edges brown slightly. Eat when bottom looks good. Top with Lyle's Golden Syrup (or whatever... honey is good) and sugar.

Notes:
I want to add a filling.... like this one:
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
1/2 flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 oz Praline Liquor (probably use Frangelico instead)
1 1/2 tbsps pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp softened butter

Bring cream to boil then simmer
Whisk sugar, yolks, flour and salt until creamy.
While whisking add 1 cup of boiling cream (tempering would be better I think)
Add to pot of simmer cream and stir constantly
Remove from heat and add vanilla and liquor
Cool and fold in butter.

WINE:
Trebbiano d'Abruzzo is an excellent white wine that is fruity but not too sweet. I think I'll try it with these crepes. Maybe with some chopped fruit on top?

Pain Perdu

A few days ago I attempted Pain Perdu (or "Lost Bread" in French.... basically, it is French (freedom) toast) for the first time (well, technically second, but first using this method.)

Anyway, it basically went like this:

Syrup on bottom of pan made from:
2 tbsps Cane Syrup (Lyle's Golden Syrup in this case)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar

heat till bubbly and pour into a baking pan 2" high

place French bread croûtons in syrup

Batter poured over the bread:
5 eggs
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of light whipping cream (instead of heavy, make it lighter, duh)
1/4 tsp cinnamon (doubled from recipe, omitted nutmeg)
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp Frangelico

(whisk)

pour over croûtons in syrup

chill overnight

bring to room temperature for 1 hour

bake at 350F for 40 minutes

serve with cane syrup and powdered sugar

Notes: delicious, but the bread floated too much because I used a pan smaller than 8 1/2" x 11," and the syrup denatured a little bit (cook longer?) Maybe increase Frangelico for fun.

Addendum 1/1/08: I cooked the syrup longer and while it set faster it completely denatured while cooking, though after it sat it hardened a little bit. Letting it sit longer would be better.

Adjustment: 5x Frangelico (hand slip) and added Kahlua 1 tbsp

Wine

Cheers, lads and lasses.

This is my diary of recipes, hypothetical recipes, and things I've tasted.

Before I bombard your brains with my notes on recipes and thoughts about taste I will present the wines that I've been drinking as of late.

Coppola Rosso: spicy and smooth and easy to get at the restaurant.

Werewolf Cabernet Sauvignon: tart and musty

Allegrini La Grola: simple and friendly

Allegrini La Poja: complex and showy and a little minerally, but very nice

Bosco Montepulciano d'Abruzzo: spicy and silky and very enjoyable.

Bulls Blood of Eger: brutal and simple, but possible the most enjoyable of all my wines... also brown in color.

Tomorrow I hope to procure some Fat Bastard and maybe some Midori, Triple Sec, Grand Marnier, Calvados, some sort of Burgandy Pinot Noir, and maybe a Tawny Port. Maybe a few gallons of whiskey (of the bourbon type possibly)

Probably won't, but hope to stuff some pork chops Wednesday.

Ah well, should figure out what I'm going to eat.