I love to cook, but I don’t love to chop. Not only am I slow, but my knife skills (or lack thereof) tend to mutilate veggies into useless blobs. I saw this gadget on the UncommonGoods website, and I knew I had to test it out.
With my new produce chopper, I’ll be able to churn out delicious dishes much faster than I could with my old chef’s knife.
Hadley, UncommonGoods’ Junior Content Creator, thinks about tortillas. (Note the glint in her eye.)
I’m an avid cook, and so is my boyfriend, Royce. We often make dinner together, and eight-ish times out of ten, we make one tasty thing: tacos. (Curry’s a common winter dish, too, but I digress.) I’d been talking Royce’s ear off for months about how we should try making our own tortillas, but we never got around to it. It follows, then, that I got pretty pumped when I saw our new Homemade Tortilla Kit for sale. It felt like I’d finally found my chance to force us into making our own tortillas, a project that would otherwise have continued to elude us for, you know, more months.
photo credit: peasandcrayons.com
Summer is coming to a close. We’ve had some good times, we’ve had some sunburns. What better way to commemorate the end of long days and good weather than with one epic last hurrah: an end of summer barbecue blow-out.
For the vegetarians among us, barbecues can be tricky. There aren’t always enough non-meat options. That’s why UncommonGoods has called upon its community of creators, bakers, and bloggers. We asked: “What’s your favorite vegetarian barbecue recipe?” This is what you all came up with.
Last summer I created the Home Brew Journal; a journal that brings back the simplicity of logging craft beer recipes with ink and paper. The more I researched about hops, yeast, beer styles and other formulas for the journal, the more I learned about the art of making beer. There is still a lot to learn, but once I started to understand more about beer styles, choosing the right beer for the right meal became a lot easier.
With the number of craft breweries booming around the country, it is safe to say that pairing beer with food is a newer concept than pairing wine with food. Wine and beer are not the same thing so there in no point in comparing them. This is what I know from personal experience; well-crafted beers offer a wide range of truly unique flavors and aromas. Hoppy, malty, fruity, chocolaty, earthy, citrus, sour, the list goes on. America (and the world) has been through a food revolution in the last few decades and the craft beer industry followed by creating unique beer flavors to go alongside the delicious food truck fish taco or a Vietnamese chicken salad.
Image via Brewers Association
Flavors, Aromas & Ingredients
Some brewers understand the ingredients so well that if you close your eyes and just smell the beer, it smells almost like food. I was lucky enough to try a PB&J Brown Ale by Catawba Brewing Co. in North Carolina that literally smelled like the real sandwich. A brew like that definitely has split opinions about it but I loved it. Not to mention the Rogue Sriracha Hot Stout, or their Voodoo Doughnut series (Pretzel Raspberry & Chocolate Ale, Lemon Chiffon Crueller Ale, Bacon Maple Ale.)
Because of the complexity of each ingredient necessary to make beer, it’s possible to find a beer that will fit your personal preference. Often times than not, flavors and aromas come from the basic ingredients themselves. If you pick up a citrus aroma, it’s likely from the hops. Biscuity flavor probably comes from malts. Clove notes are likely from the yeast. The combinations are endless, that’s why many brewers usually keep a logbook of their brewing experiments. But…
How many types of beer are there?
Two. Ales and lagers. The difference between them is the yeast strain used during the fermentation process. Lager yeasts require colder fermentation temperatures which results in a “cleaner” and “crisper” flavor than ale yeasts. Warmer fermentation temperatures produce beers that are usually high in esters and other fermentation by-products. These by-products can be both desired or undesired depending on the beer style.
Beer styles
Now it’s time to keep an open mind and try different beer styles until you find a few styles that you really like. The Beer Pop Chart is a beautiful graphic representation of beer styles and their break down. For example, the Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA is a double IPA; that is part of the India Pale Ale category; that’s part of Pale Ale style and that is a type of Ale. (pff after this I need a beer myself!)
If you would like to know more about beer styles, I strongly recommend downloading the Beer Judge Certification Program Style Guidelines. There’s a pdf version and an app. That is a great resource with detailed notes on aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthfeel, overall impression and history of each style.
For this article, I will focus on beer styles that are more popular during the summer time. While lighter beers are more popular during the warmer months, slightly darker beers pair really well with smoky and grilled flavors. Think Maibock, Munich Dunkel, American Brown Ale. These malty-forward, medium body, moderate carbonation and relatively low hop bitterness beers will enhance the flavors of grilled steak and roasted pork like a champ.
The Pairings
I like how Mark Dredge, author of Beer and Food, approaches beer and food pairing. It’s a concept easy to remember. Here it is: Bridge, Balance, or Boost. That’s it. You wouldn’t want to overpower a fillet of fish on lemon butter sauce with an imperial stout for example.
To bridge is to find similarities between the food and the beer. The brown ale and grilled steak is a good example. The roastiness of the beer harmonizes well with the burnt flavors of the steak.
To balance is to avoid flavors to overpower themselves. That’s why India Pale Ales go so well with French fries. It’s because the smooth alcohol warmth balances well with fatty and salty dishes.
To boost is to enhance flavors of both the food and the beer. It’s probably easier to understand the beer style before trying to pick the food to go with your pint. For some reason, strawberry enhances the sweetness of chocolate so a creamy sweet stout would pair really well with homemade strawberry pie.
I know this is all probably a lot of information to digest at once, so to make a long story short: here are 5 summertime beer and food pairings to try before fall season rolls in.
[Boost] Tacos & Session IPA
Session beers vary between 3 – 5% alcohol by volume. That means you can drink more without getting too… buzzed. A “standard” IPA varies between 5 – 7.5% ABV, while double IPAs fall between 7.5 – 10%. Sometimes the high bitterness and dry finish of a standard or double IPA overpowers the creaminess and freshness of some Mexican dishes like tacos or a chicken quesadilla.
Beef, tortilla, salsa, cheese, guacamole and sour cream – that’s a typical taco. While the avocado and sour cream will balance the bitterness of the IPA; the smooth alcohol warmth, citrusy aroma and medium carbonation will boost the salsa spiciness. This is probably the most common beer and food pairing in America and it’s easy to understand why: it’s delicious!
[Bridge] Marinated Lemon Chicken & Belgian Wheat
Blue Moon is such a versatile beer. Brewed with orange peel and coriander, it’s an easy-drinking vastly available brew.
There are numerous aromatic and flavor cross overs between the chicken and the Belgian Wheat beer. The orange peel and coriander aromas, with slight spicy notes from the Belgian yeast bridges really well with the texture of the chicken and the flavor of the lemon sauce.
[Balance] Pretzels and Cheese Dip & American Pilsner
Salt balances bitterness and carbonation balances richness. The high carbonation the American Pilsner balances well with the chewy texture and bready flavor of the pretzels while the salty flavor of the cheese dip harmonizes well with the rounded bitterness of the beer.
[Balance] Caesar Salad & Blonde Ale
Blonde Ales are refreshing and Caesar Salad is a light dish. That makes this pairing a well-balanced option.
The initial soft malty sweetness from the beer balances well with the Parmesan cheese from the salad, while the low hop aroma complements the freshness of the lettuce.
[Boost] French Fries w/ Cheese & Pale Lager
The crisp and dry bitterness of this beer brings forward the saltiness and richness of the French fries. The refreshing low citrus hop aroma call for warm and fresh potato fries topped with cheese and salt.
Host Your Own Beer & Food Pairing Party
If you are the kind of person who likes to host (and go) to themed events, the beer & food pairing party might be a good call for your next get together with friends. It’s different and that’s why people like it so much. At the end of the day everyone will have fun but here are a few tips to help you get started:
In case you feel like having the same pairings of this post, feel free to download all the signs here >>
Product: Tonic Making Kit
Government quinine factory, Mungpoo, India. Established in 1864 during British rule, via Wikipedia
Research:
Full-blown summer has arrived. In Cocktail Land, the hotter the weather, the lighter and crisper people want their drinks. Which brings us to the gin and tonic.
Tonic water’s bitter flavor derives from quinine, a chemical in the bark of certain species of Cinchona trees native to the Andes mountains of Peru. Quinine’s association with gin – a British booze – came about when India was part of the British Empire.
Product: Potato Seasoning Set and Potato People
Research:
There is nothing more ubiquitous than the potato when it comes to filling the role of “starch” on a U.S. dinner plate. In fact, the average American eats over 140 pounds of potatoes per year! And yet, despite a centuries-old national love affair with potatoes, our most popular side dish often gets a bad rap, because so many of our 140+ pounds each come to us fried in oil, coated in preservatives, and slathered in fatty or sugary condiments. But it doesn’t have to be this way! When eaten with a more simple preparation (and with the skins left on!) potatoes are a great source of Vitamins C and B6, Potassium, Fiber, and Iron, and the complex carbohydrates are great for keeping your energy up.
I am a firm believer that food is at its most truly delicious when it is prepared simply and healthfully, so when I saw Julie Pederson’s Potato Seasoning Set I was immediately excited to take it for a test ride. Julie Pederson is wonderful at creating food and drink kits to help you explore new flavors and combinations, from herbal tea to baking salts. Since there are over 4,000 varieties of potatoes grown, and the kit has 12 different seasoning mixes, there are seemingly endless ways to play, create, and EAT! Who could resist?
Since I was already going to be playing with potatoes, I also wanted to try out our Potato People, a super fun set of potato nails that use the natural heat conducting power of metal to help potatoes cook faster on the grill or in the oven, and look hilarious while they are doing it.
Whenever our buyers bring a new food item into the assortment, the first question everyone in the office asks is, “When do we get to taste it?!” In the case of the Peanut Butter Sampler by Jon Weed, the next question we asked was, “When can we have more?”
All six flavors in the set are good enough to eat alone and make killer PB & Js, but since we’re all about thinking outside of the bread box, we decided to give each type of peanut butter a try as an ingredient in our favorite recipes. To do this, members of the blog team each grabbed a couple of jars and got cooking.(Spoiler alert: the results were delicious.)
Snickerdoodle Peanut Butter Granola Bars (By Jen)
Photos by Deb Perelman via Smitten Kitchen.
I am a huge fan of Deb Perelman’s blog Smitten Kitchen. Since discovering her detailed, time-tested archive of delicious recipes, I rarely consult Google whenever I get a hankering to cook. So when I got my hands on the “So Happy Together Snickerdoodle” peanut butter, I knew that Deb would be my first stop in figuring out the best way to test this unique flavor. Enter the most delicious granola bars I have ever tasted!
Besides being really easy to make, what I love most about this recipe is that it can be altered with an infinite combination of fun ingredients. Deb uses a mix of wheat germ, dried cherries, walnuts, pecans and unsweetened coconut flakes. I went with a trail mix from the bulk section of my local Whole Foods: raisins, dates, walnuts and sunflower seeds. I also threw in thick chocolate chunks, and opted to use coconut oil instead of butter. Instead of plain old peanut butter, I mixed in a generous portion of our sampler’s honey-roasted, snickerdoodle variety. There’s no way you can buy snacks like this at the grocery store. If you’ve never enjoyed peanut butter popcorn chunks in your granola bars, I suggest you roll up your sleeves and give this recipe a go with our Sampler Pack. Alter it however you like, but don’t dare forgo the peanut butter!
Banana & Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter Smoothie (By Jen)
When I first found out that we had peanut butter to test, I knew that I would need to invite my most favorite appliance in the world – my refurbished Vitamix. I absolutely love peanut butter in my smoothies, so I searched the interwebs for a simple recipe that would really make this the “Don’t Worry Chocolate Coconut” peanut butter stand out. I followed this Two Peas in a Pod recipe through every step, replacing the plain peanut butter with our chocolate coconut variety. One sip instantly brought me back to my high school days, drinking Jamba Juice’s Peanut Butter Moo’d after my yearbook class. The thick chunks in this peanut butter made this blend even richer, while the coconut added a hint of sweet flavor. It lasted a solid three minutes before I finished my entire glass.
Banana Boat (By Dylan)
As the weather warms up, I start looking for excuses to fire up the grill and get cooking. One of my favorite treats is a Banana Boat. I make these because you can tell yourself that you’re getting protein from the peanut butter and vitamins from the banana. Sure it’s loaded in chocolate, but that doesn’t cancel out the other good stuff.
To make one, you need to grab a banana, some peanut butter (I recommend the Happy Trails Mix from our Sampler Pack), chocolate chips (I prefer the mini size to evenly spread out the chocolate) a knife, and tin foil. First, wash your hands, then cut a v-shaped hunk out of the inside curve of your banana. Hold onto the peel, but feel free to eat the bit of banana you pull out of there. After that you want to shovel a healthy amount of peanut butter in there. I try to leave a small space at the top for the chocolate chips, but I usually end up having to sprinkle the chocolate on top of an overflowing mound of peanut butter. That’s not a bad thing, though. When you’re adding the chocolate chips, be prepared for them to get all over the place because there is no mess-free way to do this task. Once you have your chocolate and peanut butter situation squared away, you want to place the peel on top and wrap it in foil. After that, your prep is done. You just need to pop it on the grill (or even better in the coals of a campfire) and wait until you can’t resist the delicious chocolaty smell emanating from the corner of your patio. If you want to flip them over or fuss with the alignment, feel free, but I wouldn’t sweat it.
Once you’ve given into temptation and popped your boats off the grill, cut them into two pieces and enjoy with a spoon.
The Elvis Sandwich (By Dylan)
Elvis Presley quickly established himself as the most charismatic performer ever when he burst on the scene in the 50’s. He had an enormous amount of success by combining ingredients from already popular music into something entirely new and unique. Elvis’s taste for unusual combinations went beyond his music and influenced his taste in sandwiches. He became so famous for wolfing down peanut butter, banana, and bacon sandwiches that people started referring to it as “The Elvis.”
Step one is to find some bread strong enough to withstand the massive amounts of peanut buttery goodness that you’re going to smear all over it. Since there’s no jelly involved, I like to put the peanut butter on both slices of bread to better glue the bananas in the middle. Once you’ve slathered up the bread with enough PB to make George Washington Carver smile, slice up a banana or two and lay them lovingly on top of the peanut butter. If you want to get fancy you could mash them up and spread it around, or if you want to get even fancier you can caramelize the bananas in a frying pan. As an animal-friendly company, we personally don’t put bacon on ours (but there’s nothing we can do to stop you!).
Once you’ve assembled your sandwich, pop that bad boy in your frying pan and brown both sides. If you made bacon for your sandwich you could always fry it in the bacon fat. If you’re using a crunchy peanut butter (or even better a SMUNCHY peanut butter) you will get a really nice texture difference between the bananas and peanut butter. When you’re finished, you should probably go lie down and take a nap. You earned it.
Peanut Butter Nutella Cupcakes (By Cassie)
I like baking, but I don’t have a ton of time to do it, so I like to scour Pinterest for easy recipes that don’t use a bunch of ingredients. I was on the hunt for a quick and easy cupcake recipe when I came across something amazing. This pin explaining how to make delicious cupcakes using only three ingredients. The star ingredient is one of the greatest foods of all time, Nutella. The original recipe from Indestructibles calls these delicious treats brownies, but I proclaimed them cupcakes, since they’re cooked in a muffin tin and wrapped in those little paper things.
So, how could I improve on one of the easiest cupcake recipes of all time? In addition to the Nutella,eggs, and flour, I added a scoop of Dream Big White Chocolate Pretzel from our Sampler Pack.
The white chocolate, peanut, and pretzel flavors blended nicely with the hazelnut and chocolate from the Nutella and the addition didn’t affect the texture or cooking time of the finished cupcakes. To top it all off–or just to top off the dessert–I covered each cake with a little more peanut butter.
Already almost-too-easy recipe successfully modified!
Crunchy Peanut Butter & Caramel Sundae (By Cassie)
In the spirit of super easy treats, I decided to give the last peanut butter in our pack a pretty basic treatment. Each container’s label reads “eat it with a spoon,” and while that’s certainly an option with any variety in the sampler, I had to stop myself from eating the entire jar of Go Lucky Chocolate Toffee before it made its way into a recipe. My solution was using it as an ice cream topping.
I happened to also have a couple of jars of caramel from our Caramel Sauce Set in the fridge, so I started my sundae by drizzling Spicy Dark Chocolate over a few scoops of vanilla ice cream. I added a hefty spoonful of peanut butter right on top and dug in. Technically, I still ate the peanut butter with a spoon, but each bite also contained creamy vanilla, the perfect combination of sweet and spicy, and chocolate caramel goodness.
Product: Itty Bitty Mixer, DIY Butter Kit, Egg Separator
Research:
Brunch on the weekends in Williamsburg, Brooklyn has plenty of great options. But, there are also really long lines for omelets or pancakes or waffles. My boyfriend and I love brunch at home where we can relax in PJs and sip our coffee without food-deprived crowd of folks waiting for breakfast. Only snag is that we usually want different things. He’s not big on the pumpkin craze, and I’m a fan. He prefers waffles and I like light little pancakes. Will we have a happy brunch despite our differences?
Experiment:
The two-different-items-brunch menu also gives me the excuse to use the Itty Bitty Mixer! I’m not a huge fan of kitchen gadgets, but this one is pretty great. I love the handcrafted ceramic design. It’s also very practical for making two different pancake flavors, omelets, and dressings. (Seriously, I could do a whole separate blog on small-batch dressings.)
PJ Brunch for Two Menu:
The night before my planned PJ Brunch I made some fresh butter and roasted pumpkin. I started off with the roasted pumpkin. I cut a sugar pumpkin in half. Sprayed a foil-lined cookie sheet with oil, and roasted them for 40 minutes at 425 degrees. While the pumpkin was in the oven I opened up the DIY Butter Kit so I could have fresh cinnamon-sugar butter for my waffles and pancakes.
The butter kit is really nice to look at, but not the fastest butter to make. Even though I was starting the night before, I didn’t give myself quite enough time. The kit’s butter recipe requires 3 ingredients and 120 minutes (60 of those minutes is just running a mixer). Dilemma: fresh butter is unbelievably good. It’s especially good using it as a spread rather than baking it into something. My waffles and pancakes deserve the best!
I have to confess here, I’ve used a simpler butter kit in the past that required less than 45 minutes, heavy cream, and a jar. I took this route with the butter kit so I still got the awesome fresh butter despite my poor planning.
I had already bought my favorite heavy cream, poured it into the kit’s jar and shook it for about 25 minutes. It’s fun to watch the cream turn into whipped cream then morph into a happy golden blob of fresh butter. The butter then gets rinsed in cold water. That leftover milk in the jar is buttermilk. It’s great to save for pancakes or waffles. (More on that later…)
I divided up my butter so I could make the cinnamon-sugar butter and use the kit to make tomato basil butter, and still have plain butter left over.
Butter’s done. Pumpkin’s done. Time for bed. Happy brunch in my PJs in the very near future!
Saturday morning- PJ Brunch part one! I want pumpkin waffles with the freshly roasted pumpkin. My guy wants apple sauce waffles with some of the apple sauce I made the previous weekend. I set up shop in the kitchen so I could easily get started. I first made a large batch of batter that I could split for the pancakes and waffles. I put about half the batch into my Itty Bitty Mixer (did I mention I love this thing?!). I then added about a quarter cup of my fresh pumpkin puree. The Itty Bitty Mixer allows the ingredients to blend together quickly and smoothly. It’s also easy to pour the batter out onto my pan.
While my pancakes were cooking I put the remaining pancake batter in the Itty Bitty Mixer along with the homemade apple sauce.
The fresh cinnamon-butter was the perfect addition to the pumpkin pancakes and apple sauce waffle.
Sunday morning-I was on my own for brunch. Not a glum morning, though. I had just enough eggs in the fridge for one omelet!
PJ Brunch for One Menu:
The night before, I was again making butter. This time it was just blending the fresh butter with the DIY Butter Kit’s tomato basil seasoning. I measured out a teaspoon of the seasoning mix and let it soak in ½ teaspoon of warm water as the instructions noted. Then I blended about two tablespoons of the butter using the kit’s spreader. Result: tasty and pretty butter blend.
Sunday morning and I’m ready for an omelet! I have my Itty Bitty Mixer ready to go along with the Egg Separator also made by Karen & Stephen Steininger.
Ok, so again, I’m not big on the gadgets. When I typically separate egg yolks from whites I just use the egg’s shells, pouring them back and forth until I’m only left with the yolk. Honestly, I usually ruin a fair portion of the eggs when I try this trick. The Egg Separator is ideal, however. The yolk willing hung back while the white slipped right through the gap in the cup. Also, the lip on both the Egg Separator and Itty Bitty Mixer are well-designed for cracking an egg.
I whipped up airy egg whites in the Itty Bitty mixer and poured them straight into my hot, non-stick skillet. I then added slices of heirloom cherry tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. While my eggs cooked on medium low heat I toasted my French bread.
I folded the omelet just to finish it up. Next I put the tomato butter spread on my bread, then plated it all together. Such a happy plate of goodness!
Conclusion:
The tools I used did make for two pretty great brunches. My boyfriend and I got to share brunch, get what we each wanted, and managed to stay away from crowded brunch hot spots. Plus, I had a happy brunch for one the next day. The DIY Butter Kit could be complicated, but does help make some pretty wonderful butter and butter blends. The Itty Bitty Mixer is currently my favorite thing in my kitchen. In fact the design of the mixer and Egg Separator are so nice they’ve both earned a permanent home displayed on my counter.
Recipes:
Apple Sauce Waffles
(Serves 2)
1 ½ cups pancake mix
¾ cup skim milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup chunky apple sauce
½ tablespoon oil (olive oil, vegetable, etc)
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mix, skim milk, egg, vanilla and oil. Air is your friend. Whisk so mix is smooth without chunks of pancake mix. Whisk in the apple sauce. (You may want to add more milk if the apple sauce does not make the mix into a smooth-pouring batter.)
Turn on your waffle iron to the desired temperature. I crank mine all the way to the “dark” setting for a crispy-on-the-outside waffle. While the waffle iron heats up, your batter needs to rest for a couple of minutes.
Once the waffle iron is at temperature, spray your iron with non-stick spray and slowly pour in your batter. Don’t leave it unattended—the mix might expand. Just open the waffle maker for a second if need be.
Once your waffle is browned and cooked through, pop it out on a plate. Top with happy cinnamon butter and enjoy!
Pumpkin Pancakes
(Serves 2)
1 ½ cups pancake mix
¾ cup skim milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
(You can most certainly use pumpkin spice instead of mixing your own spices.)
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mix, skim milk, egg, vanilla and spices. Air is your friend. Whisk so mix is smooth without chunks of pancake mix. Whisk in the pumpkin. (You may want to add more milk if the pumpkin does not make the mix into a smooth-pouring batter.)
While your batter rests for a moment, heat a non-stick pan on medium heat. Just before you pour out your pancakes spray the pan with non-stick spray. When the pancakes begin to bubble and they’re golden brown on the bottom flip them over. Once that side is golden brown remove the pancake. As you plate them top with happy cinnamon butter and enjoy!
Egg White Omelet with Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes and Basil
(Serves 1)
3 egg whites
Olive oil or butter
Heirloom cherry tomatoes (or any tomatoes) thinly sliced
Basil chopped
Salt & Pepper
Heat a non-stick pan over medium low heat. Whisk the eggs whites—air is an omelet’s friend! Don’t let the eggs rest. Go straight from whisking to pouring the eggs into the pan. Season the eggs. As the eggs set gently drag a fork through them so the whites cook. As the omelet is setting, add the tomatoes and basil. Once the omelet has set, with the top still a bit wet, but not runny, fold your omelet. Once heated through plate and serve.
If you have good French bread, toast this up before you start your omelet and use the Butter Kit’s tomato basil butter. Enjoy!