Eat, Drink, and be local! A unconventional food blog!
Today I have teamed up with Chocoley Chocolate to bring you a delicious recipe, right in time for the holidays. I don’t fancy myself a baker whatsoever, but I do make a mean Baklava! I did a rolled version today, which simplifies the process a bit, and infused some new flavor combinations that rival any of the traditional versions I have made. Continue reading “Chocolate drizzled pistachio and cherry baklava”
Lately I’ve been obsessed with Farm to table chef Dan Barber’s Cauliflower steak recipe, Food 52 is the site I found it on, so basically I adapted his recipe but put the “Oscar style” spin on it. I was thinking to myself….what is my favorite steak house order? The answer is Oscar (steak, usually sirloin or tenderloin, topped with crab, asparagus, and hollandaise). I figured if I was going to replace beef with cauliflower I better make it just as decedent as a steak house meal is. His recipe calls for one head of cauliflower/seared till golden/salt & pepper/finished in a 350 oven for 10 or 15 minutes. I cut the sides off the cauliflower and used the middle to make two 1 1/2 inch slices to be consistent with a prime cut of steak. I also used a orange cauliflower, my store carries this, but you can always use regular, white cauliflower. So with the side florets you boil those in 2 cups water, 1 cup milk (you can use whatever you like, easily made vegan) for 10 minutes until very tender, in Dan’s recipe he puts the florets with one cup of cooking water and blends to make a puree, I did this as well but I added in butter, 2T (sub smart balance to make vegan hollandaise), and lemon, 1/2 juiced to make it faux hollandaise, because my cauliflower was orange it made the perfect color to be hollandaise, if using white cauliflower add 1/2 teaspoon of tumeric to get that yellow “egg yolk” shade. Blanch asparagus/prepare crab, remove shells etc. For assembly I put my “hollandaise” at the bottom, topped with the “Steak” added asparagus topped with crab (omit for vegan or use a vegan product), a lil more sauce a bit of cayenne (typical in hollandaise), and topped with some micro greens. It was AMAZING!!! Originally I was planning on a traditional egg based hollandaise but as I was cooking I realized I could use cauliflower in place of eggs and make a totally vegan hollandaise sauce! Dan Barber’s philosophy was a wonderful muse for my own creation, using veg cooked in methods usually used for meat is an awesome way to bring out the satisfying side of our veggie friends, and I think making it “Oscar style” really elevated it to a whole new level! Seriously try this, even the biggest carnivore will be begging for more and this is a healthy alternative!
So I’ve been totally wanting French onion soup lately, but it’s not soup weather. When it’s sunny and bright outside and the house is muggy soup isn’t the most appealing thing to serve. So I decided to make a French onion tart, with all the flavors of its soupy rival, but in a portable, can be served room temp with salad alternative. This recipe is totally easy and my whole family loves it! Great for meatless Monday, and no one will miss the meat!
Softball sized onion, I got a Texas sweet onion, use what you like, but I would suggest a sweet variety. Slice all the onions and place in a heated sauté pan (medium) with 1 tbsp olive oil. Let sauté till light brow (15 minutes), add 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 tsp pepper…cook 5 more minutes, and add 1 Tbsp. butter, 1 Tbsp. parsley, 1 Tbsp. Soy sauce (great for richness and color, turn off heat. Set aside. Pre heat oven 400 degrees.
Cut one box of thawed puff pastry into eight squares, pre bake for 10 minutes….push down centers when they come out of oven. Top with even parts onion mixture and 1 oz of gruyere chesse, bake twenty minutes or until brown and bubbly, like a bowl of French onion soup! Serve with salad, mine was comprised of Organic spring mix, 2 Tbsp. olive oil, 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp. ground pepper, 2 Tbsp. pecorino cheese….salad is so easy and fresh! My kids love this salad and it so simple you can make it in 5 min, but elegant and tasty enough to serve at a dinner party!
So spring here in Portland has been beyond amazing this year, last weekend we had the pleasure of attending a friend’s birthday celebration which included a very delicious smoked, pulled pork. It was awesome to be outside with friends enjoying a home smoked pork extravaganza. When you smoke a pork shoulder (also referred to as a butt) you get the most amazing bark (chewy,crunchy outside) and gorgeous smoke ring….it really is one of those things, that when done well is quite extraordinary. I do not have a smoker however, so I decided I would try to “fake” it and see if I could at least get it to a reasonable facsimile. I make pulled pork occasionally and its pretty damn good….but this time I lowered the oven temp and did it slow without any additional liquid….and uncovered to imitate the tasty “bark” on the outside.
Cast members:
• Pork shoulder 5lbs or so
• Rub
1. ½ cup brown sugar
2. ¼ salt…sounds like a lot, but you are using a lot of meat
3. 2 tablespoons chili powder, I used chipotle for smokiness
4. 2 tablespoons granulated garlic
5. 2 tablespoons ground pepper
6. 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
7. 1 tablespoon onion powder
Combine and rub into your butt (pork), and place in a large roaster. In a preheated 250 degree oven cook your roast for 8 hours….yes 8….it will be fork tender and full of pan juice. Rest for 20 minutes and its ready to serve! Great with BBQ sauce, our friend Kevin made a great one with bourbon and red wine, or serve with the pan juice, I also like to make pulled pork chili and chili verde with this pulled pork, great filling for tacos and enchiladas. This is a super easy technique that anyone can master and you don’t need a smoker! Although I must mention you won’t get that great smoke ring that you get on a smoked pork butt…but this is aimed for the average joe/jane without the fancy equipment. Happy porkin! Cheers!
Yes, it’s raining in Portland…..but that is really ok because it’s great stout beer weather!!! My featured brew du jour is Alameda’s Black Bear XX. Moving to PDX two years ago from Utah, I never really understood what a “brew house” really is! A true pub is like a neighborhood gathering place, a much better alternative to what many a Utahan has done…going to the ole’ TGImcNasty pants chain restaurant, where if one asks for a beer it takes an hour to get and you are looked at like a criminal…no joke one time at a BBQ chain in Layton I got ID’d five times!! I was done eating before I got my beer. Here in the rose city you can take your kids at “happy hour” (Alameda has especially great food, btw…a lacking theme with some other brew houses with great beer but less then mediocre fare) reduced price brews, great $5 meal options (Lemon pepper chicken strips, beer battered goodness…yes please!), on Tuesdays Alameda even has all their brews for $3, which should make ya holla! The service is competent without being phony and you CAN BRING KIDS!! Bringing kids saves us parents who like to enjoy a brew without dropping $20 an hour for a babysitter….God I love you Portland! Stout beer should be rich, delicious, creamy, a head of copper, and like any good stout tastes great with chocolate (they make an out of this world milkshake with it!). I take everyone that comes and visits me to the Alameda. If you are native to P-town or planning a visit they are located at 4765 Fremont or check em’ out on the web alamedabrewhouse.com. I am just a fan, and wanted to share my love of what they do….yellow wolf imperial IPA is also a must try. Have the black bear on nitro! Also they frequently have awesome seasonal beers depending on what is in season My bloody valentine saison (blood orange), white peach IPA, huckleberry IPA, bad bunny cream ale….never a dull gulp.