Spirited Infused Eggs

As we all know, eggs have a porous shell, and will absorb flavors when introduced either for a long period of time or under extreme conditions.

Place 6 eggs in a sauce pot with 2 cups of cold water. Add:
1/2 cup of vodka
1 Tbsp wine vinegar
1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
6 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
3 cloves
2 tsp sea salt

Cover and heat to boil, after which add a drizzle of olive oil. Keep cover on, turn off heat, and let sit for 15 minutes. Cool the eggs in a bath and peel.

The flavor infusion is invisible, but detectable, like the slight hint of a person's scent that draws you in....

Toast a slice of baguette or bagel, whatever bread can withstand an olive oil / garlic / salt massage (I prefer a baguette, but did not have one on hand).

I would pair this with a dry sparkling wine, which will assist in bringing out the delicate, subtle notes. Santé!

Milk Bathed Chicken with Shitake Mushrooms, Herbs and Spices

This one is delectable. The chicken is succulent and tender from the milk, and the mushrooms absorb the herb and spice combination fervently ;-)

Oven at 400

One whole chicken breast
One cup Shitake mushrooms
One cup milk
1/3 cup chicken stock
Tbs olive oil
Tbs butter
tsp dijon
Tbs fresh chives
tsp dried oregano
tsp whole coriander
Half a cinnamon stick
One bay leaf
Pepper (wait for salt)

Bake covered for 45 minutes. Add salt. Cook uncovered another 15 minutes.

The result is not pretty, but a gastronomic success. If you are a curry person, I would add a tsp for punch, then serve it over rice. Or, if you want more carbs, add a cubed potato in before baking.

As for the wine, I surprisingly went with a Van Ruiten Carignane. It complemented the robust flavor combination of the dish quite well, and in itself is a supreme bottle. Cheers! Stevie

Jamaican Allspice Canary Beans

Had a fabulous time with this one today... the aroma in the kitchen was absolutely luscious. Another for the extract book. Needs "tweaking" but I have a great guinea pig ;-) Marinating salmon for the BBQ tonight to go along with it -- basic marinade, tamari, brown sugar, lemon extract, pepper flakes, white wine, rice vinegar, capers with juice, salt, pepper (treating it like lox)....

Jamaican Allspice Canary Beans

Preheat oven to 350°F

Place in Dutch oven:

1 C Canary Beans
2 C Filtered Water (Beans do not like hard water)
1 C Chicken or Vegetable Broth
1/2 C White Wine
1 Tbsp Jamaican Allspice
1 tsp Coriander seeds
2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Lemon Extract
1/2 tsp Clove Extract
1/2 tsp Cayenne (heat to taste, this yields medium)
1 tsp Course Sea Salt
1 tsp Ground Peppercorns
1 tsp Granulated Honey
2 Shallots (peeled, halved)
1/2 banana (whole)
1 tsp Grated Fresh Ginger
1 tsp Rice Vinegar
1 tsp Tamari

Heat for 2 hours and check tenderness. If a cold salad is desired, make sure to check al dente and cool. If a mash is desired, cook 3 hours. Add optional curry and coconut milk if a curry over rice sounds appetizing. However, a playful road is....

If desired, after 1 hour add:
1 tsp Mustard Seed
1 C Long Grain Brown Rice
1 Jalapeño (whole)
5 Large Shitake Mushrooms (or Fungi of choice)
1 inch Chunk of Fresh Ginger (with skin)

After half hour more, add:
1/2 C Broth
Lemon Rounds coated with Brown Sugar and Pepper Flakes

Reduce to 300 and cook for another hour or so.

Used a Sauvignon Blanc in the preparation, but I think I will serve with a Chardonnay -- a Cakebread would nestle so well if I had one on hand!

Cheers!

Three Extract Banana Bread

Working on recipes for Extract book. Section 1 -- Extracts, Research and Basics, Section 2 -- Recipes.... It will work itself out :-) Need a sexy name.....

4 overripe bananas (previously frozen, and thawed)
1/4 C melted butter
1/4 C yogurt
1/2 C light brown sugar
1/4 C granulated honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp each vanilla, cinnamon, clove extracts
1 C wheat flour
1/3 C sweet potato flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 C pecan pieces


This is a bread, moist with texture and character, that takes minutes to prepare and throw in the oven in the morning to wake up the house with sweet and spicy. Blend all ingredients, first wet then add dry. No need to over mix -- actually better if you take the rustic approach. Bake in a loaf pan at 350° F for about 1 hour.

Good for tea time, or if after dinner a spot of coffee liquor (I prefer a snifter of cognac).

Cheers!

Germany in June...

Birgit and I cooked up a storm. She invented her version of a Monte Cristo, with grapefruit, sun dried tomatoes, and lemon thyme. Served with a duo of Tuscan wines (from my private reserve in her cellar that we obtained on our road trip to Italy), our tongues were exalted playing Sherlock Holmes in locating which taste buds to access in the identification process....

Birgit made fresh pasta dough, and we assembled fresh parma ham ravioli with a crisp sage and butter sauce. So simple, so rustic, so absolutely wonderful.

The gold writing on the plate with the ultimate apple tart from an organic farm in Stuttgart means "Hip Gold."

And of course I had to try their sausage and sauerkraut....

More pics to come from an incredible Bayrische meal in Munchen.

Prost! Stevie

Braised Curried Lamb with Garden Garlic and Mushrooms

Last night I had the simplest, but most ambrosial dinner for one....

Curried lamb shoulder arm chop, seared then braised at 350 for a half hour (small cut) in red and white wine, chicken stock, olive oil, butter... with just pulled out of the ground garlic (used bulb and stalk), mushrooms, lemon, safron, and cayenne. The aroma alone was heavenly. Served with toasted pumpernickel, Greek yogurt, cucumber, on a bed of sprouts. Of course I reduced the braising liquid and plated with it -- the pumpernickel had a pregnable job to do....

I paired it with a 2007 Australian Cabernet Shiraz. Simply delightful.

Off to attend to my brining pork shoulder... pulled pork coming... to be continued....

Cheers! Always find pleasure in true contentment, never guilt.

The BBQ is meritorious of much more than meat....

I have started to inhabit the most comforting place in the world again... the kitchen. However, just outside the door is an amazing grill, with a meister that accepts what I hand him wrapped in foil, sometimes in odd little shapes....

Tonight, in addition to cayenne lime chicken and peppered steak, were kale in citrus, cognac, sauvignon blanc and honey... rosemary cognac potatoes... and the most delectable artichokes, grill bathed in olive oil, clove extract (vodka and cloves that sat for a week), olive oil, butter, fresh ground nutmeg, sea salt and pepper. I served it with a blue cheese, lemon, soy, fresh sage and olive oil dip. We were in ecstasy.

Believe it or not, I had a 20 year old port, and he had a Mondavi Cabernet.

It feels good to feel good again :-)

Cheers! Stevie