Ok, so Fall isn't officially here yet. In fact, in my area it's been an unprecedented heat wave this week. However, everywhere I go shopping the fall decor is out and the pumpkins are everywhere. 

My son loves the fall, specifically Halloween (his favorite holiday). He also looooves his pancakes. One morning I was whipping up a batch on the griddle and decided to try to make some pumpkin shaped pancakes for him. Needless to say it was a hit! 

Using a 2oz ladle to carefully make a circle of batter on the griddle, and then a little batter "stem" couldn't be easier. If you wanted to make them a bit more adult in flavor I'm sure you could add some...ahhh, "pumpkin spice" to the mix or even fold in a little pumpkin puree for a deeper flavor. 

Happy fall everyone!

Ice Cider: Move over Sauterne

My first introduction to Ice Cider was a few years ago during a decadent meal at Montreal's infamous Au Pied de Cochon. After eating course after course of rich, fatty, and wrong (and yet so so right) foods; there was dessert. I couldn't tell you what I had for dessert that night, because I fell in love with my dessert wine instead. I remember the first sip...just cold enough, with an explosion of green and red apple flavor and an acidity to match. Slowly the acid faded away, and lent itself to a glossy, velvety sweetness. Right then and there I was hooked! I asked our waiter to let me see the bottle of what was then a very obscure product, and was introduced to Cyromalus. 

Iced cider is produced in a similar way to ice wine. Varietals of apples are harvested and then crushed and left to ferment into cider. This cider is then frozen, and the alcohol is separated from the water and reduced naturally. The process is repeated many times, until there is little left. The result is a concentrated apple "wine" that can stand up to the finest of dessert wines.

My last trip to Toronto, I was determined to hunt down and obtain a few bottles of this liquid gold. After several phone calls my cousin and I headed out to an LCBO (thats the government run liquor store in Toronto for those that are unfamiliar) to buy a bottle or two. Now this stuff is made in small quantities, and the bottle size is small at 375ml. Its also not cheap at $40+ a bottle. But to me its worth every penny. 

Ice Cider is a great pairing with any dessert that you would enjoy apples with. It lends itself well to maple desserts, such as Montreal's Pudding Chomeur. Hopefully one day it will become more well known and imported into the United States. Until then, I guess you will have to travel to get a taste. Its worth the trip.

Summer Shrimp Roll with Tequila & Sangrita, Broadstreet Coleslaw

Summer is here and that means refreshing light food. While lobster rolls are all the rage right now, a very fresh shrimp roll is just as good. Paired with crisp coleslaw (homemade of course) it's a great meal. Finish it off with chilled tequila, some spicy Sangrita for a chaser and cold cerveza dipped in Lime Chili salt. Summer never tasted so good!

Shrimp Roll - Serves 4

1.25 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined.

2 large spoonfuls of mayo (about 1 cup)

2 Tbsp. Dairygold Irish Butter

Club Rolls

Minced Parsley

Paprika

1 shallot, finely diced

1 lemon, juiced and zest

S&P

Shrimp Court Bouillon:

3 stalks celery, rough cut

Shells from the shrimp

Black Pepper

Salt

1 lemon, cut in half and juiced

Fill a pot with cold water, add all ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for 25 minutes, then let steep another 15 minutes. Strain and reserve the liquid.

In a large bowl combine the shredded cabbage and all the other ingredients. There should be enough liquid to almost cover the cabbage mixture. Make sure to add enough mayo until the liquid is thick. Reserve in the fridge, best after 24 hours to marinate.

Heat oven to 425f. Butter the rolls, and toast till golden. Set aside.

Bring the shrimp court bouillon to a very low simmer, add the shrimp. Poach till the color of the shrimp turns pink and they feel firm to the touch. Don't over cook! Remove, and chop the shrimp in small pieces. Add the shrimp to a bowl with the mayo, parsley, lemon juice, shallot, 1 tablespoon butter and S&P. Add paprika to taste. Spoon into the warm rolls and serve with coleslaw.

Broadstreet Smokehouse Coleslaw

1 head cabbage, sliced thinly on a bias

Mayo

3 cloves minced garlic

2 carrots, shredded

Cider Vinegar

Half & Half

S&P

Garlic Salt

Onion Powder

Sugar to taste

Serve with Cold Blanco Tequila or a good Mezcal and the Sangrita.

Spicy Sangrita:

12oz tomato juice

6 oz Orange Juice

2 oz grapefruit juice (optional)

1 oz lime juice

2 oz hot sauce (I used habanero hot sauce, very spicy)

1 teaspoon salt and pepper each

Combine all ingredients and chill. Serve with tequila and cold beers dipped in Chili Lime Salt with lime wedges.

Sorbet, A series. Strawberry, Avocado, Lambic

As the first day of spring has just passed, it seemed fitting to tame the cold and start thinking of warmer weather. With an odd array of ingredients at hand, sorbet was spun and the results were fantastic. Each flavor had a unique texture, and the  balance of sweet, rich, and sour were highly refreshing.

Left to Right:

Strawberry, Avocado, Raspberry Lambic

The Avocado "Ice Cream" Sorbet right from the machine

Corn Soup with Chili Dorito Chicken

So I was given a challenge, to crust something with Sweet Chili Doritos and make it tasty. My thought process was corn chips and corn, spices with something cooling like cucumber. End result, corn soup with Dorito crusted chicken breast and cucumber crostini.

Caramelizing the corn

Crusted Chicken

Corn Soup after blending

The garnish in the bowl before the soup

Cucumber crostini with indian spices, peppercorns, and greek yogurt

The final dish, Spicy Sweet Chili Dorito Crusted Chicken, corn soup, blueberries, and paprika

The ingredients laid out

Rosemary Garlic Roasted Striploin

So for the 4th of July this year, I got a great whole strip loin steak from work for the BBQ. I had about a quarter of it left, and decided to do a simple roast. The flavor was incredible, and the meat was very very tender. Super simple to make, a meal like this is great cause once the prep work is done, you basically forget about it in the oven.

The Strip after being seared hard with salt and pepper, then rubbed down with chopped rosemary, garlic, pink salt, and olive oil. Roasted at 400f for about 20 minutes, then reduced to 375f for about 30 minutes.

The roast out of the oven. Resting for 15 minutes is essential. Final temp was about 140f.

The roast right after slicing.

Roasted Rosemary Garlic Strip loin with sauteed spinach and olive oil potatoes

2008 J Lohr Paso Robles Merlot

Lots of dark fruit and plum flavors, and also kind of gamey. Great with the roast.

Lamb Ravioli with greek yogurt

Homemade Lamb Ravioli with greek yogurt, mint, and piquillo peppers.