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'Wich of the Week: Cream Cheese and Pepper Jelly

YumSugar — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:00:51 -0800

Don't knock it 'til you've tried it: Cream cheese smothered in pepper jelly and served with crackers is an easy and irresistible party appetizer. (Seriously, try it for Super Bowl.) Left with a deliciously sweet and spicy jar of Tabasco jelly from a recent gathering, I assembled an adult rendition of the old-school kiddie combo of cream cheese and jam.As a nod to childhood bagged lunches, I cut the crusts off the bread for a sandwich as pretty as it is simple. Decadent and gooey, the pepper jelly has just the right amount of spice, which is gracefully cut by the creamy spread. I also threw in some baby romaine leaves to create a festive color palette of orange, white, and green and to add a bit of extra texture. The only danger of this sandwich is that I could easily eat five in one sitting. To get the recipe and step-by-step photos, read more.

Cream Cheese and Pepper Jelly Sandwich
Original recipe

Ingredients

2 slices of wheat or multigrain bread
2 tablespoons whipped cream cheese, lowfat or regular
2 tablespoons spicy pepper jelly, such as Tabasco
6 leaves baby romaine lettuce

Directions

With a sharp bread knife, cut the crusts off the bread.
On each slice, spread one tablespoon cream cheese, followed by one tablespoon pepper jelly.
On top of one jelly-coated slice, carefully lay the romaine leaves.
Press other slice over the lettuce, cut diagonally in half, and serve.

Makes 1 sandwich.

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Happy Hour: Tabasco Tequila

YumSugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:15:05 -0700

My favorite condiment in the entire world might just be Tabasco hot sauce (DearSugar and I both put it on everything!) - so when I heard the hot-sauce empire was developing its own tequila, I got my hands on a bottle stat.

If you're a fan of tequila and not afraid of heat, you should definitely give Tabasco Tequila ($21.99) a try. The spirit has the toasty-tart flavor of tequila with a bit of spice that's not overpowering. It would make for a great round of shots at the bar. I tried it in my Bloody Maria, and didn't have to add as much hot sauce to make it spicy. I'm most excited about using it in margaritas where fruit will marry with the tequila to make a delicious, sweet-hot cocktail! I'll be serving the spicy stuff at my next taco dinner.

The 750-ml bottles are currently being rolled out in Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Dallas, and Houston markets. Will you be on the lookout for them?

Happy Hour: Wikipedia's Bloody Mary

YumSugar — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:29:51 -0700

Last week, I was headed to the grocery store and drove past one of the best Bloody Mary spots in the city. I saw the line of people and knew I had to have one. So while at the store, I picked up some tomato juice, celery, and olives - I was positive I had everything else at home - and rushed straight home.

When I asked YumJimmy which recipe I should make, he told me to try Wikipedia. He said, "Well if it's on Wikipedia it must be the 'classic' one right?" I couldn't really argue with this, so I decided to go for it. It ended up being a delicious - and yes "classic" - version. I opted to add a bit more spice - more cracked pepper and a dash or two more of Tabasco - but flavor it to suit your needs. If you want to see what goes into the Wiki version of a Bloody Mary, just read more.

Wikipedia's Bloody Mary
From the New York School of Bartending via Wikipedia

Ingredients

1 oz. to 1 1/2 oz.vodka
tomato juice
1 dash celery salt
1 dash ground black pepper
1 dash Tabasco
2-4 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. horseradish (pure, never creamed)
Dash of lemon juice
celery stalk
olives

Directions

Add vodka to a Highball glass filled with ice.
Fill glass with tomato juice.
Add celery salt, ground black pepper, tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, lemon juice.
Shake or stir lazily, your choice.
Garnish with any or all of the following: celery stalk, a skewer of olives, pickles, carrots, mushrooms, or other vegetables; or even meat or fish (salami, shrimp, etc.) and cheese (see photos).

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Yummy Links: From Tabasco Tequila to Partisan Ice Cream

partysugar — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:45:37 -0700

Will you give Tabasco brand spicy tequila a shot? - Epi-Log
Pests begone: Here's how to get rid of fruit flies. - The Kitchn
What kind of food tattoo would you get? - Simply Stated
In case you ever wanted to carve jicama in the shape of Jar Jar Binks, now you can! - Craftzine
The back stories behind baguettes, boules, and other bread names. - Slashfood
Just how rude is it to steal pint glasses from bars? - Chow
Weigh in on the TV ads promoting high-fructose corn syrup. - Serious Eats
What exactly are cacao nibs anyway? - Baking Bites
Flavor Debate '08 begins with two politically themed flavors of Baskin-Robbins ice cream. - CitizenSugar

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Is It Rude to Ask For Condiments (Tabasco, Ketchup, etc.) at Restaurants?

partysugar — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 09:11:18 -0800

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Make Your Own Harissa

YumSugar — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:00:50 -0700

Any gourmand with a hankering for something spicy would be right at home in my kitchen, where the fridge is stocked with scorching sauces from every corner of the world. From Tabasco to Sambal Oelek and Sriracha, I'm extremely well-supplied in the store-bought specialties department.

I recently came to the conclusion, however, that I'm lacking somewhat in the homemade hot sauce category. Enter harissa, a fiery garlic and chili paste that hails from Tunisia and is used in stews, pasta sauces, grilled meats, and couscous. Although the chili paste is sold in tubes and jars at many supermarkets, it's easy - and much more fulfilling - to make from scratch yourself. See how I did so when you read more.

Harissa
From Saveur

Ingredients

8 dried or 1 1/2 oz. new mexico chiles, stemmed and seeded
8 dried or 2 oz. guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded (I substituted aji panca peppers)
1⁄2 tsp. caraway seeds
1⁄4 tsp. coriander seeds
1⁄4 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. dried mint leaves
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
5 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 lemon

Directions

Put chiles into a medium bowl, cover with boiling water, and let sit until softened, about 20 minutes. Heat caraway, coriander, and cumin in an 8" skillet over medium heat. Toast spices, swirling skillet constantly, until very fragrant, about 4 minutes. Transfer spices to a grinder with the mint and grind to a fine powder. Set aside.
Drain chiles and transfer to the bowl of a food processor with the ground spices, olive oil, salt, garlic, and lemon juice. Purée, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until the paste is very smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a sterilized 1-pint glass jar and fill with oil until ingredients are submerged by 1⁄2". Refrigerate, topping off with more oil after each use. Paste will keep for up to 3 weeks.

Makes 1 cup.

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Must Read: 2009 Food & Wine Annual Cookbook

partysugar — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:15:50 -0700

Food & Wine magazine is one of my favorite glossies. I love it so much that at the end of the month I page through each issue and rip out interesting and delicious recipes.

Little did I know that the fabulous folks over at Food & Wine have already done the dirty work for me! Every year they release an annual cookbook ($29.95) with an entire year's worth of recipes.

Lucky me: I got my hands on 2009's copy. To find out what I thought of the compilation of over 700 recipes, read more.

Pros:

The book reduces paper waste. Now I don't have to rip out of the magazine or print up a recipe from online.
It's like a nostalgic look back on the year. Many of the recipes I've already made or remember thinking I wanted to try them.
No topic is left uncovered. There are recipes for everything from vegetarian starters to Thanksgiving dinners to pitcher cocktails.
Each recipe has a different author resulting in a wide range of cuisines and culinary point of views.

Cons:

There's something lacking in terms of organization. While it's broken up into sections (including breads, pizzas, and sandwiches; breakfast and brunch; and beef, lamb, and game), they're hard to navigate.
With so many recipes, sometimes the pages feel crowded.
Without the accompanying magazine story or headline, some recipes seem out of place.

Recipes: The recipes are written in Food & Wine's straight forward, easy-to-follow style. Here are some I hope to make:

BLT salad with blue cheese
Creamy asparagus soup
Sticky marmalade-glazed baby-back ribs
Pop-open clams with horseradish Tabasco sauce
Warm potato salad with arugula
Sour-cherry gin slings

Imagery: Not every recipe has a picture, but the book's smooth pages are filled with photos. Each image is in color. Some are full sized, while others take up only a quarter or half of the page.

Overall: If you're a fan of the magazine, you'll enjoy this book. Because there is a year's worth of recipes, it also makes a good basic cookbook.

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Domino's Embraces Carbs, Offers Pasta in a Bread Bowl

YumSugar — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 03:30:01 -0700

It's only been one week since Domino's Pizza apologized for the unsanitary behavior of its employees, but the pizza delivery chain has already attempted to move on to bigger and better things.

In what would appear to be an Atkins diet nightmare, Domino's has begun offering five flavors of pasta - served inside an edible bowl of bread. For as little as $4.99, you can choose between Three Cheese Mac-N-Cheese, Italian Sausage Marinara, Chicken Alfredo, Chicken Carbonara, or Pasta Primavera flavors. If that's not quite enough, there's the option to build your own pasta bread bowl, choosing from a variety of toppings that include but aren't limited to Philly steak, salami, bacon, and tabasco sauce.

I must admit I'm shocked. Of all products to come out with, this pasta in a bread bowl creation would certainly not have come to mind first. Still, I can't wait to taste test these! What do you think of the concept? Do you think it'll help Domino's regain the faith of its customers?

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'Wich of the Week: Fried Oyster Po'boy

YumSugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:00:07 -0800

If you're a fan of oysters, you may be sneaking the seafood into your Thanksgiving stuffing. But the batter-fried bivalves are even more divine stuffed inside a sandwich - in this case, the famous New Orleans French-bread creation known as an oyster po'boy or oyster loaf.Just how divine is the oyster loaf? In the 1800s, the sandwich was nicknamed la mediatrice or "the peacemaker," because husbands brought them home to placate angry wives. Some skeptics wonder how a po'boy is different from a sub or a grinder, so for further insight and two great recipes, read more.

If you've ever eaten an oyster po'boy, you know that it's no sub sandwich. What sets a po'boy apart is the fluffy but flaky French bread that's native to New Orleans. The way the crusty loaf hugs the cornmeal-crusted oysters, squishing them down to manageable sandwich size, elevates an otherwise simple recipe to regal status. This version, which I devoured on a sunny Monday morning at Nola's Acme Oyster House, is "dressed" with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo, plus a touch of Tabasco and lemon. But the minimalists among you can skip the dressing. Below, get the recipes for both the oyster loaf and the cormeal-crusted oysters that go inside it.

Oyster Loaf
Modified From The New Orleans Cookbook

Ingredients

1 dozen fresh fried oysters
1 small loaf French bread (about 1 foot long)
1/4 cup salt butter
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
2 slices tomato
Mayonnaise (optional)
Tabasco (optional)
Salt (optional)

Directions

Prepare the fried oysters according to the recipe for Fried Oysters in Corn Meal.
Slice the French bread in half across and then in half lengthwise.
Place in a 300 degree oven to warm for about 6 minutes.
Spread butter generously over the inner surfaces of the bread and heap the fried oysters on the bottom pieces.
Add mayonnaise and Tabasco, or just a bit of salt if you prefer, and cover with the top pieces of bread. Serve hot.

Makes one sandwich.

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Fried Oysters in Corn Meal
The New Orleans Cookbook

Ingredients

1 1/2 pints fresh shucked oysters (about 2 1/2 dozen medium-sized oysters)
Vegetable oil for deep frying
1 cup finely ground yellow corn meal
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon fresh, finely ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Directions

Drain the oysters thoroughly in a colander. Meanwhile, heat the oil to 375 degrees in a deep fryer.
In a bowl combine the corn meal, salt, black pepper, and cayenne and mix thoroughly.
Roll the drained oysters about 6 to 8 at a time in the seasoned corn meal, taking care to coat each one evenly and thoroughly.
Fry the oysters in batches of 6 to 8, taking care to keep the frying temperature between 360 and 375 degrees; wait a few minutes after frying a batch for the oil temperature to rise again to the desired level. (If you use a heavy kettle or saucepan, be sure to clip a deep frying thermometer to the side of it and to adjust the burner heat to keep the oil temperature constant.) Fry each batch of oysters for about 2 minutes, or until golden brown.
When done, drain thoroughly by raising the frying basket out of the oil or by using a long-handled skimmer.
Place each cooked batch on a large platter lined with paper towels, then set in a preheated 200 degree oven to keep warm until all the oysters are fried.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen fried oysters.

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How To Host a Chili Cook-off

partysugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:00:40 -0800

Yesterday morning I had the pleasure of speaking with three of San Francisco's busiest chefs, the men behind the PlumpJack restaurant kitchens. Jack Falstaff's Jonnatan Leiva, PlumpJack Cafe's Rick Edge, and Balboa Cafe's Jose Lemus each stopped by Balboa to deliver a batch of their ultimate chili. The chefs, along with the firefighters of Station 16, are taking part in an annual chili cook-off, benefiting the San Francisco Firefighter Toy Program. Each chef submitted a recipe for a different type of chili. From now until Friday, November 7th, diners at Balboa will have the chance to sample all four and vote on their favorite. If you don't live in San Francisco you may not be able to taste the chili, but you could host your own chili contest! A chili cook-off is the perfect alternative to a formal Thanksgiving dinner or ideal for game day. To check out my ideas for hosting your own chili cook-off and the PlumpJack chefs' tips for making the best chili, read more.

When Hosting:

Start by asking a few friends (who enjoy cooking) if they would like to submit a recipe for your contest. Be sure you have enough space to keep the chili warm. For example, if four guests are bringing chili, you'll need four stove tops or oven space for several large pots.
A batch of chili serves a large group, so invite a bunch of people over to be judges.
To ensure that the kitchen isn't over crowded, have guests bring the finished chili dish.
Keep the menu varied and interesting by assigning each chef a different type of chili. The Balboa menu includes a beef chili, a pork chili, a vegetarian chili, and a super spicy chili.
Set up a toppings bar with grated cheese, sour cream, charred limes, chopped cilantro, tortilla chips, cornbread, etc.
Make the judging anonymous. Give each chili a letter. Print out score sheets and grade the chilis based on taste, texture, smell, color, etc.
Decorate with dried corn and colorful chili peppers.
Serve plenty of cold beer.
Have prizes (a bottle of wine, a limited-edition flavor of Tabasco) for the winning chili.

When submitting a chili recipe:

Keep the recipe simple.
Get a good flavor base by slowly cooking the onions and garlic.
When making vegetarian chili use a lot of vegetables. Grilled mushrooms and grilled tofu are hearty substitutes for meat.
For maximum flavor-melding, cook the chili for a long time. If you need more stove top space, cook the chili in the oven.
Roast chili peppers before adding to the chili.
Take the time to brown the meat before adding it to the chili pot.

Have you ever hosted or attended a chili cook-off? What is your secret for making the perfect chili?

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