TongoRad

I haven't brewed in more than a couple of years (though I have been able to make mead quite easily), so for now I'll have to live vicariously through you guys I made a witbier once- used flaked wheat, oats, and wheat malt along with the base malt. Unfortunately I couldn't get rice hulls and wound up with a stuck sparge. It all worked out in the end, I really loved that beer, but I would definitely take proper precautions next time. How about something that would show off that grain like a scotch ale, with perhaps a bit of peat smoked malt?

Great start to the blog, Monica. My own monkey is in 2nd grade and recently they spent an extended portion of the curriculum on health and nutrition. My wife reports that, of his own volition, he only wants 'healthy' snacks packed in his lunchbox (carrot sticks and the like) from now on. I'm wondering how long this is going to last...no complanits, though. The potato dish intrigues me, it's definitely something that I could see myself doing fairly regularly. I'd appreciate it if you could post some more details on how it was made.

I had another Ommegang Three Philosophers ( their Quadruple blended with cherry lambic) tonight and took some notes this time. I think i'm going to follow it up with a choke cherry mead that I made a few years ago. Here's what I got- Color is a cloudy yet rich copper/brown with a dense, albeit not so long lasting, tan head. The head easily resurrects itself with a little swirl of the glass. Bouquet is luxuriously malty with a good helping of cherries and caramel. Hints of a spicy nature in the background suggest coriander and perhaps sweet orange peel. Overall very inviting- nothing even remotely out of place- and possibly this beer's best feature. Flavors are dominated by the caramel first and cherries second- essentially following through on the nose. Mouthfeel is moderately full. A sharp whack of bitterness and acidity brings it all home, minimizing any cloying tendencies the beer might have. The finish is a lingering sensation of dried cherries. Alcohol (9.8%) is barely noticible. A tremendous effort- very well concieved and executed. Any thoughts one might have of a gimmick concept should quickly disappear upon the first sniff of this wonderful brew.

You might want to start with the sub-style known as 'West Coast Stouts'- their defining characteristic is hoppiness, though it does require a platform of malt to pull it off (the bitterness does tend to offset the heaviness, and the best ones are not cloying at all). These are the ones I was refering to in my previous post. Dark(?)- well, they do tend to have that in spades, but, again- it's all about balance. The thing is- the roasted malt combined with the citrusy hops is a wonderful combination, not unlike a bit of lemon peel in an espresso. If you can get a reasonably fresh Sierra Nevada (the date is marked on the case, not the sixer), that's where you should start. If you were in Oregon, I'd recommend something different.

I like to do a takeoff on something I've had a number of times at one of my favorite Indian restaurants. It's fairly simple, but delicious. I've never jotted down a recipe, so I guess this is more of a method- Cut the beans into 1" long pieces. Blanch and shock the beans- drain and set aside. Heat oil in a saute pan. Add finely chopped shallots, saute for a bit and then add: Mustard seeds Dried chilli pods (I use either DeArbol or Japoness) Curry leaves These items should pop and crackle within a few seconds. At that point add the beans, saute for a bit until heated through and then add salt. I'll have to take better notes next time, but that is it in a nutshell.

Bwah! Unbelievable- I had no idea there was a thread about this topic. Well, summer is coming, and there seem to be a lot of good ideas here...

I did mine on Thursday and it came off quite well. The version I was trying to copy did not utilize pre-cooked veggies (eggplant and zucchini) but has them thinly sliced on a mandoline. As my thoughts evolved on the matter I came to the conclusion that the restaurant in question probably blanches these slices so that they can assemble their moussaka to order, in individual servings, and then just pops everything under a broiler. Nevertheless, I decided I would stick with a large casserole and see what happened. I placed about 4 layers of zucchini (tossed with olive oil and salt) on the bottom with a sprinkling of bread crumbs. The meat mixture went on top of that, then about 5 to 6 layers of eggplant. I covered that with the bechamel topping and baked for an hour. What I didn't like was that the zucchini seemed to be a non-entity, and cooked too long to boot. What I did like was how the eggplant was cooked but still retained a bit of texture and had a 'straightforward' eggplant flavor (for lack of a better term.) Overall I liked it a lot and so did my wife- we both finished it the next day for lunch. She has already asked me to do it again soon, only this time with potatoes on the bottom (she is, of course, the 'idea man' in the family. I should listen to her more often.)

Between this thread and the "what beer did you have yesterday" thread you folks have gotten me seriously pining for Pike's XXXXX Stout. I wish a lot of PNW beers were available on the east coast, but that one more than just about any other. The Shakespeare is great as well, but I tend to find myself consuming good old Sierra Nevada Stout more than any other of the west coasters. Though I'm going to have to try that cookie thing. Also- I know a guy who used to make ice cream floats with the Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout all the time.

chromedome: So far that has been my favorite of Unibroue's amazing lineup- well worth seeking out. I haven't had the pleasure of sampling the Ephemere Apple yet, though. Matsusaka Ushi: I tend to do the same thing, myself. Sometimes it takes forever to put a case together in the store. You also listed a few of my all time favorites up there- a good selection indeed.

Thanks, Susan. It was a total impulse purchase- when I heard the shopkeeper describe it I just had to give it a shot. I have three more left- I will endeavor to take notes one of the next times and post more detailed impressions. I think this thread is a great idea- a lot of times I'll drink something interesting but be reluctant to start a whole new thread about it, but this way there can be a place for all of those quick recommendations. Plus, it's interesting to see what people are drinking. And- you Pacific Northwest people have totally got me jealous- Alaskan, Bridgeport, etc. -you folks have got it good!

Dee- I do have a couple of questions about the fenugreek leaves. I read that one can substitute celery leaves for them- do you think that would work in the context of this dish? Also- if I do get some, can I freeze the extras with no ill effect? (I do this all the time with my curry leaves, which allows me to be a lot more spontaneous should the mood strike).

Jaymes Thanks, I saw it, and I've done something similar. Great stuff. I think it definitely makes a difference to run the tortillas through the oil if you're going to make the stacked version. Of course, I'm at the point now where I add shredded lettuce and radishes to all of my enchilada endeavors. Like hwilson41 pointed out- the temperature/texture contrast just kills.

The progression last night was... Otter Creek Copper Ale (a darn solid version of a German Altbier) Samuel Smith's India Ale Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout (another thread put that idea into my head) And... my first experience with Ommegang's Three Philosophers. Holy cow- that beer is freaking good! It is a Belgian style Quadruple (Strong Abbey Style) blended with cherry lambic. A positively superb beer in every way!

Dee- That sounds like it is right up my alley, I will definitely try to make some soon. Thanks a whole lot.

Samuel Smith's makes an excellent example of the style. Highly recommended- if you ever come across any do not hesitate to pick it up.

Great beers. I haven't had one in a few years because the store I used to get them from has stopped carrying them, but I looooved their Riggwelter! Look for that next time. The brewery is in Yorkshire, in the northeast of England. You may notice a stylistic similarity with another famous Yorkshire brewery- Samuel Smiths. They use fermenting vessels known as 'Yorkshire Squares'- which are open tanks. The square shape makes it easier for a person to walk around it and manually rouse the yeast, which has a tendency to floculate out of suspension very quickly. High floculating yeasts are not very good diacetyl reducers (diacetyl is a byproduct of fermentation, and has a buttery flavor.) As a result these beers will have a telltale nutty/ butterscotch characteristic. This can be overbearing and unpleasant in high concentrations, but Samuel Smith's and Black Sheep are not guilty of that. I have had three of their offerings and found them all to be winners.

There's also a Han Ah Rhum in Englewood, Exit 1 on the Palisades, as well as a bunch of worthwhile places to eat. If you post on the New Jersey board I'm sure you'll get a number of suggestions.

NulloModo: Your idea sounds interesting but there may be a couple of hurdles for you to overcome. The first is getting any smoke character into the eggplant slices via the smoker- they probably won't be in there too long before getting too mushy, and there is no fat (I find that lean meats or non-oily fish don't smoke up too well.) Maybe you could poke the slices with a fork and rub some olive oil onto them, penetrating the holes. I've been trying to perfect my babaghanous recipe over the past few months and I'll tell you that you don't need a smoker to get a really smoky characteristic into the eggplant. But you also wind up with an amorphous blob when you're done, not suitable for a casserole. You may have to settle for slightly smoky slices, and derive a lot of that flavor from the pork. Also- make sure your cheese is genuinely smoked. Some brands just take regular cheese and apply liquid smoke to the outside, which could lend a bit of harshness. Other than that, go for it- and good luck!

markk I went to one of them recently. I regognized the name because I was introduced to the Edison Harold's last November ( I was attending a function in south Jersey and one of the guys couldn't resist stopping off on the way down and picking up two sandwiches. Six of us managed to share those bad boys.) I was driving up Oradel Ave (?) by the Fashion Mall and spied the sign. I didn't think it would be the same experience but figured 'what the heck' and stopped in. This one is more of a grocery store with a deli section in the back. I got one pastrami and one corned beef (normal sized sandwiches, btw). The pastrami was good- I liked the flavor but thought it was a bit too lean. The corned beef, however, was heavenly. Great flavor and a really luscious texture- with no big hunks of fat. Maybe I just like corned beef better because that seems to be my reaction across the board, no matter where I go- but I would go back just for that sandwich, whereas I would get the pastrami only if I was in the nabe. Of course, this is only a first impression.

OK, I'm a little late to the party but I'm here! I'm definitely going to make the version I alluded to in my earlier post but I just managed to borrow a mandoline yesterday. I've got all of the ingredients ready and will do it tonight or tomorrow. I have been thinking about possible problems with this method and have come to the conclusion to take my cue directly from what I remember having at the restaurant. Translation: "that's really good, but kinda skimpy". I think that if I pile the veggies, meat mixture, and then bechamel too high the vegetables may not cook the way I want them to (which is just beyond al dente, but still with some texture) or it will take too long and start to burn around the edges. So smaller layers will probably work in my favor. I'll keep you posted...

I haven't done this yet, but... There is a Turkish Restaurant near my parents' house on Long Island (Wild Fig in Glen Cove) that does an interesting take on moussaka that I have been meaning to duplicate. The interesting part is that they use both eggplant and zucchini, but do not pre-cook the slices. Instead they are sliced very thinly on a mandoline and placed in alternating layers in the casserole, which is then topped with the meat mixture and bechamel. The thin slicing eliminates the need to precook the veggies, and it's a fairly light and elegant presentation. Again- I haven't tried this yet, so there may be complications that I am unaware of, but still...how hard can it be? This may be the nudge I've needed to give it a shot.

We had a pretty favorable experience at Sapphire this past weekend, and they do feature Doner sandwiches. I'm pretty sure that Samdan only does the platter. They used one of their flat breads, about 6" or 7" dia. and an inch or so high, split like you would a bagel and filled with the meat, onions, etc. No sauce, however, so you might want to get some yogurt on the side. My wife got it and found it to be quite good and filling. We normally go to Samdan, mostly because it's closer to our house, but I find the two places to be comparable. I'd give the edge to Samdan, myself, but that could really depend on what you order (their babagannus, ezmi, pilaki and lentil soup all totally kick ass). Sapphire's babagannus really could have been smokier for my tastes, but it was good. The pilaki also needed a bit of a flavor kick. The grape leaves, on the other hand, were awesome. We got a combination mezze plate but I think I'll get a full order next time. For my main I got the Sis (lamb) Yogurtlu (OK- it was called something else on the menu, but I can't recall it at this time, but it is under the yogurtlu header). I really liked the layer of tomato sauce on top of the yogurt, and the meat was flavorful and tender. It could have had a bit more of the bread squares, but I was pleased with it. We finished up with some really good kadayif.

My overall tendencies will generally dovetail with Jason's but I must admit that one of my favoritest wines in the world clocks in at 15% (AbV)- Bertani Amarone. My experience with amateur winemaking (as well as meadmaking) favors the low temperature approach that Bertani claims to use. The difference is that the slower, and longer, ferentation gives a lower concentration of fusel alcohols (aka higher alcohols) to the end product. Those fusels will give a 'hotter alcoholic' sensation. Ultimately I will bow to Mary's expertise as far as the practices in California are concerned, but I do notice a difference in how alcohol can be percieved which may transcend the numbers and favor European producers. Just something to throw into the mix...

NulloModo I definitely prefer flavor over heat, so you're singing my song there. I will have to give it a shot. Generally, though, things that promise to be 'the hottest sauce in the world' don't really get my attention. I tend to use a lot of the stuff when I use it, for sandwiches, tacos and the like.

Jaymes- Thanks. I figured as much, just couldn't say so definitively. I do prefer the non baked version, myself. Pat- great photos. And you even improved upon what I remember having, by accompanying it with a beer (instead of my usual Jarritos)! I don't have a recipe, but another memorable enchilada dish I had utilized smoked duck and mole poblano. I suspect if you have those two items on hand they sort of make themselves. I wouldn't want to add any other competing flavors.