Beer for BabyTooth...

Hi all.

Mrs. Tooth has been trying to get me to post for a while now, so I guess I'll give it a go. As you can see from the previous post, we're expecting a new addition to the family. BabyTooth should be arriving in July and we're trying to get as much done in advance as we can. To that end, I figured I'd think WAY in advance and make her a beer for when she's old enough to drink.

The picture below is said beer in fermenters. I ferment in 5 gallon kegs. The two kegs are each holding 2.5 gallons of fermenting beer with plenty of head space for the foaming kraussen that this big beer should produce. There was an extra 2/3 gallon left over that I poured into the gallon jug you see in the center. I pitched a packet of wine yeast in with it as a control to make sure the English Ale yeast in the full batch reaches it's terminal gravity. You can see why I needed the extra head space in the fermentation kegs given how the kraussen is overflowing the gallon jug.


The beer itself is an Imperial Oaked Bourbon Stout that should come in around 12-13% abv, after the infusion of Bourbon. The high alcohol level and tannins from the oak will hopefully help it last until BabyTooth is ready to drink it. I'll just "lose" the keg with an oak spiral in the back of the cellar for a decade. Then I'll start considering bottling options.

If this brewing stuff is interesting to you or if you have any questions, please add a comment to let me know. I'll try to post more often if people are interested.

Why I've been away from this for ages!

Hi all, sorry I've been the worst food blogger ever. I do have a fair number of partially completed posts, but nothing finished. This is due to my forced teetotaling the last few months, not feeling well enough to cook anything interesting, and spending way too much time on some message boards. So what caused all this change? Here she is:




She will hopefully arrive in late July. We're both beyond excited! So, now that I'm feeling a bit better, I swear I'm going to catch up. Looking things over, I realize that not only do I have some work to do here, I need to make some more braised short ribs this weekend!

Barolo is a lovely thing

I've been away for ages I know, but work has kept me swamped. Hopefully things have calmed down a bit so I can spend more time in the kitchen and more time sharing recipes!




Some time ago, TheTooth was given a rather lovely bottle of Barolo: a 1990 Castiglione Falletto from the castle vineyards. We never managed to find out much about the wine, but were able to visit the castle village last summer. The castle is still a private residence, so we didn't get to get too close, but the tower is in this image. The region was one of the highlights of our trip -- incredible scenery, no crowds, great hidden art and architecture, and by far the best food and wine in northern Italy. (I'll have to share the place we stayed at some point.)


Knowing that the wine was about to enter it's peak period, and that it had a few periods of uncertain storage, we decided to enjoy it a bit early just in case. What a wonderful decision. To keep the focus on the wine, I kept the menu simple: gnocchi in a pesto cream, and a pan-seared steak. I'm still working on the whole gnocchi idea. While I was fairly happy with the results, I still need to tweak the recipe a bit before sharing. So far I'm keeping the potatoes baked and using a mix of cake flour and all-purpose. When I tried before with boiled potatoes I ended up with a heavy mess.

As for the wine, it was absolutely all that we had hoped for and more. It was seductive in the glass, a deep brick red with a nose that had hints of dark fruits and just a bit of leather. The flavor was full and lingered, and while the tannins were mellow there was still enough structure to cut through the fat of the steak. Our only regret is that we don't have another bottle to enjoy further down the road.

Kitchinspirations September challenge -- Help!

The challenge this month is apple pie. I am an abject failure at pie crust. I have tried more times than I care to count. Since we are in the middle of the first month of school, I do not have the time to make multiple attempts at yet another pie crust. Fortunately I can take the idea and get creative with it. So, are there any suggestions out there? Biscuit pies? Something based on filo or puff pastry? Cobblers? Any recipes or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

The Foodie BlogRoll

You might notice a new element on the sidebar. We've been accepted into the Foodie BlogRoll! Click on over to it and check out some great food blogs. Find some new favorites and be inspired by the recipes!

Super-Easy Lamb Meatballs

I really enjoy Nigella Lawson's work. Yes, she takes shortcuts, and yes, I wish she would embrace fresh citrus instead of the horrid plastic squeeze things, but her cooking has it's roots in great flavor and streamlined technique. On one of her shows, she highlighted a recipe she called "Merguez with Halloumi and Flame Roasted Peppers". After making it and fiddling with it a bit, I've come up with my own version that is perfect for us. TheTooth can't handle really spicy stuff, so instead of the merguez, I make lamb meatballs. We found the halloumi too squeeky, so I switched to kaseri. Served with some flatbread, tzatziki, and hummus, it is a Mediterranean feast!

Quick Greek Lamb Meatballs

For Meatballs:
1 lb ground lamb
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp greek seasoning
1 egg

For the Dish:
1 block kaseri cheese
1 jar roasted peppers
1 recipe meatballs

1. Heat the oven to 425F.
2. Mix meatball ingredients well and form into golf-ball sized rounds. Place on an sheet pan that is lined with foil and lightly oiled. Place in the oven for 10 minutes.
3. Slice cheese into 1/4 inch slices, and tear peppers into bite-sized bits. After 10 minutes, surround the meatballs with the cheese and peppers. Pop it back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
4. Serve with flatbread and whatever else you have on hand.

For our hummus, I just take a can of cannelini beans drained, a big dollop of tahini, a garlic clove minced, and a couple of glugs of lemon olive oil. (I will tell you all about my love of Pasolivo soon.) Run this through the food processor and you're good to go.

Confit and Gueuze

I was in Crate and Barrel the other week, got to talking to one of the employees about the joy of Dutch ovens, and my mind turned to velvety duck. We're big fans of duck confit. Once upon a time, it seemed perfectly logical to fork out a bunch of cash for a couple of duck legs with whatever side dish came along with it. Here's the reality: those restaurants aren't charging for skill or anything, they're charging for the time and the mystique. In reality, confit was originally peasant food. Poach the bird (or other animal) in it's own fat, cool, then cover it in said fat and keep in the root cellar for months. Thankfully we now have refrigerators, packaged duck fat, and tons of olive oil roaming the supermarket aisles.

For Christmas last year, I received the divine The River Cottage Meat Book by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstal. If you eat meat, you need this book. The appreciation for the flesh is incredible. Meat should be treated with respect, and Mr. Fearnley-Whittingstal really respects what he cooks. Inspired by his recipe for confit, and the post of Michael Ruhlman on the subject at his blog, I have developed my own version of this incredibly divine dish. And, I'm not above turning the oven to 300F for a few hours on a summer weekend to create heaven. My (and the Tooth's) heartfelt thanks to both gentlemen for the inspiration!

Duck Confit:

As many duck legs as you can fit in your dutch oven in a couple of layers at most
Kosher Salt (about 1/2 Tbsp per leg or so)
About 1 tsp thyme per leg
About 1/2 clove garlic minced per two legs
1 tsp dried orange peel (Penzey's has it!) for every two legs
4 or 5 grinds of pepper for every two legs
1 bay leaf for every two legs
A small container of duck fat and olive oil as needed

1. Combine all spices and cover duck generously.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours.
3. Wipe the vast majority of the spice mixture off the duck just before you go to cook it. You may rinse if you wish, but it won't be quite as flavorful. Be sure to dry it well if you rinse it.
4. Place legs in your Dutch oven and cover with the duck fat and olive oil. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat, then place covered in a moderate oven (300F) for about three hours, or until the meat has pulled far from the end of the legs and the legs themselves have sunk to the bottom.
5. Remove from oven and cool completely. Place duck in a container, cover with the fat/oil mixture until it is submerged, and refrigerate. It will keep a month or so if you can keep yourself away.
6. To serve, take out a couple of legs per person and wipe off as much fat as possible. Heat up a pan and cook the legs for 5-6 minutes a side, making sure to crisp up the skin. Serve with some potatoes or polenta or a simple salad. YUM.

The other night, I served this with fried polenta (fried in the duck fat), roasted asparagus, and a Belgian sour beer, Oude Gueuze from Hanssens Artisanaal. The acidity of the beer cut beautifully through the richness of the meat. The Tooth thought it was perfect. I think I still prefer wine with confit, but this would be a great second choice.