I haven’t really needed any help getting to the bottom of my brine, but I’ve been looking for different ways to drink it. The soju is calling, but I want other options.
On the hunt for ideas, I ended up on a site that indexed drinks by ingredient. I realized how much going out has changed for me by just reading the names. I know I used to drink Buttery Nipples* way back when, but there’s one called a Crotch Kicker. Really?
I only found versions of Bloody Marys and Martinis. Have you used your brine to spice up a cocktail? Have you ventured beyond the Pickltinis and Briny Marys?
What about non-alcoholic drinks? Have you added a splash of a pickle liquid to give juiced veggies or smoothies a kick?
I’ve taken to this pickling thing and would love to get some input and inspiration.
Please tell me that sometimes bad words come-a-tumbling out when you make something that tastes better than you could have expected. I’m not alone, am I?
Here’s the crazy part. I had eaten most of the Nigella Lawson’s Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake cold, right out of the fridge. It was fine. Brownie-like. Then, I kinda left cake out on the counter for a couple of hours. I had another piece and started cursing. Seriously.
It was everything everyone says. Moist and heavy. Rich, but not super sweet. Decadent, but on the hush. It’s not a cute cake. The beauty is in its simplicity.
The Nikki Bits. Surprise! I actually followed the recipe. That was real work. Plenty of alternating spoonfuls of boiling water and flour. It was just me, a whisk and a bowl. Surprise! I added something else. I put in a tablespoon, I think, of instant espresso powder. You know I can’t leave well enough alone.
I knew there was going to be a good bit of butter in it, but the night I baked the cake, my apt just smelled like trouble. It’s like the air was sitting in a butter ride with chocolate calling shotgun.
What’s Next. Well, my favorite librarian* had suggested the recipe when she saw that I had the book on hold. And since, somehow, another bag of bittersweet chocolate has moved in and refuses to pay rent, I think I’m going to make another loaf to give to the staff of my local.
Nikki♥
*Yes, I have a favorite librarian. I♥Los Angeles Public Library. There are some some really cool folks at my local and the central branch.
*Update*… I thought I’d, you know, add the recipe.
1 cup soft unsalted butter
1 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 lg eggs, beaten
1 tsp of vanilla extract
4 ounces of really good bittersweet chocolate, melted
1 tsp of baking soda
1 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup + 2 tblsps of boiling water
9×5 loaf pan
parchment paper
CLWEA* says: add espresso powder or fresh ginger.
Preheat oven to 375.
Put a baking sheet in the oven. It will save you from any errant drippage later. Grease and line your loaf pan. Now, I’ve never kept parchment paper in the house. I scoffed a bit when I saw the price for a roll at the grocery. But, even, CLWEA didn’t want to chance the muy moist cake not coming out of the pan.
Melt chocolate. I don’t have, wait for it, a microwave. So I’m a bit old school. Hell, I don’t even use the double boiler I have. It’s just a bowl over a pot of gently simmering water.
Cream the butter and sugar either by hand or use a mixer.
Add the eggs and vanilla.
Fold in the chocolate after letting it cool slightly.
Nigella advises against overworking at this point adding that you want the ingredients just combined before you start to add the flour.
Add the baking soda to the flour. Quick question: Are we all sifters? I was raised always sifting the flour, especially when incorporating other dry ingredients. Here’s the slightly work-y part if you’re not using a mixer. Seriously, my muscles are twitching from the memory. Add the flour in alternating spoonfuls with the boiling water. Yes, I said alternating spoonfuls. You should get a fairly loose batter.
Pour into the lined loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes.
Turn the oven down to 325 and continue for another 15 minutes.
Okay, so with this cake, inserting a toothpick or knife won’t indicate doneness. It’s going to come out with cake bits clinging. Don’t worry about it.
Let the cake cool before turning it out. I tend to bake this pretty late, so, I leave it out overnight. I end up dreaming of chocolate with every buttery breath.
Now, the sinking part. Nigella takes pains to prepare you for the un-prettiness due to a dense saggy middle. I’ve made it where it sinks. I’ve made it where it doesn’t. Don’t worry about it either way.
Makes 8-10 slices
MoreNikkiBits: I’ve tried this three ways: recipe to the letter, with instant espresso powder and with fresh ginger. Hands down, I’m so loving it with a tablespoon of freshly grated ginger. I made it for an office potluck/baby shower thingy. I had people following the smell of butter down the hall. It was quite well-received. Someone brought vanilla ice cream. Someone else brought strawberries. It all seemed to induce moans of decadent delight. The best part about this dense beautiful thing was that it wasn’t so outrageously rich that you had to stop mid-slice and unbutton. I’m kinda over icing right now, so this was so perfectly simple and not cloyingly sweet. It’s just right.
What’sNext: Time to buy more chocolate. There’s a going away/potluck thingy on Friday. The Dense Beauty was requested. I hope no on calls HR. I don’t deserve fault or the praise. This goodness is all Nigella.
You make things so easy. When you’re around, you’re all I can think about. I, honestly, don’t know how to not lose myself in you. We have such a great time together. But, we just aren’t good for me.
I’m still going to hang out with some of our friends. I’m just not sure you and I should talk.
it was wrong from the start, but i kept on anyway.
I’m into the idea cooking from what’s in the fridge. Now that I actually put things in it, I don’t want some random food blog induced epiphany that will send me to the grocery store. You know, I quite like the grocery, but too many things are going to waste with each trip.
I knew I had eggs. I’d remembered David Lebovitz’s post on French tart dough. And there’s this scene in I’ve Loved You So Long that is just the family at dinner, but it is stuck in my head. So, I decided that I wanted to make a quiche.
I watched a Martha clip. Pulled out Georgeanne Brennan’s French Veg Cookbook. Then, I opened the fridge. Tah-freakin-dah. Homemade goat cheese, scallions, garlic chives, and crushed ginger.
The nikki bit. I didn’t follow a recipe for the eggy bit. (♥: Really?) I used 3 eggs. Buttermilk and plain yogurt replaced the cream. I added in a tablespoon of flour. Salt and pepper to taste. Then I added the eggs and chopped garlic chives.
Well, what happened? I wasn’t using a tart pan and didn’t evenly work the dough in the pan I was using. Hey, it was my first ever crust. So, when it came out uneven, I had the urge to, you know, touch it. Poke it, rather and made a hole. I wasn’t going to chuck it and start over. So, I just put in the scallions and goat cheese. Poured the custard and and stuck it in the oven for a half hour.
Favorite mistake, huh? Ummm, yes. This is good and super onion-y and garlic-y. I will have to brusha brusha brusha before I speak to another human.
The tasting: It’s early, but I’m def going to cut back on the salt. I’m not sure if I’m a pickled bean person, yet. And I think I might like a thinner skinned pepper to pickle.
What’s next: The final verdict for the first tiny batch of dill should be in in a few days. I def want to try less salt and maybe, white vinegar. Also, I think I’m going to have to give the cukes a cut, either spears or chips.
I just had a Nic Cage/Moonstruck/”Chrissy bring me the big knife” flash. Great. Now, I can’t stop thinking about oily fish, bloody steak and bread, bread, bread.
replace bubbles with batches and yes, that is me getting my Don Ho on.
IthinkIcan: It's the new waiting game that all the kids are playing
OMG!OMG!OMG! I’ve been good. It’s been four days and I’ve not devoured my homemade pickled cukes and peppers. I will admit I did have a taste the other day, but I think I can wait until Saturday to fully enjoy them. I’m a little proud of my patience. I, usually, like my jars of pickles inhaled in one sitting straight from the grocery bag.
tiny batches. Why so wee, you ask? Well, I’ve got a tall tiny fridge. I don’t really have the space to store copious amounts of product or produce. So, I keep everything that needs to be fridged or frozen to a minimum. Thus, we get the chance to explore the freshest that Mr. Grocery and Miss Market have to offer.
You say putting up is for pantry living. And, I agree. What I lack in the cold is more than made up for in other manners of storage. I’m just not processing and putting up until I’ve worked out the flavor. So, Saturday, can you hurry?(♥:Or maybe not. 2009, pls don’t leave so soon.)
There are a couple of things I’ve found that got me all giggly. First, this is EASY. Let me say that again, so even I can hear it. This is EASY. Second, the way Ruhlman breaks down the method for making Symon’s pickled chilis is perfect for me. Not because I’m allergic to recipes, but because I’m always having to figure out how to make less.
The solution was sooo simple. Like for the jar above, I just filled the jar with the produce. Added water to the fill line. Poured out the water in to a measuring cup. Replaced half the volume with vinegar. Tah-freekin-dah. Houston, we have the start of some pickling liquid. I need more Ruhlman’s Ratio in my life, but I’m like 13th in the queue for the book at the library. I guess I’m learning to wait for a lot of things.
very, very nikki. In an effort to be the me-est me possible, I, mistakenly, put in a tablespoon of pickling spice, instead of a teaspoon. Even when I try to follow a recipe, the plan often goes awry. I’m not sure how it’s going to taste in a few days, but I noticed a spicy warmth and undercurrent of sweetness upon the first sampling. I’ll update with the specifics after the feasting.
something my neighborhood has taught me. Be mindful of what foods and traditions other cultures and communities find important. I live in a heavily Korean & Latino neighborhood. If I’ve missed the farmer’s market for the week, I know that the produce at stores that cater to these two communities is so much cheaper and more abundant than that of the national supermarket chains up the street.
I’ve talked too much about the pickles. I kinda want them now. Must. Wait. IthinkIcanIthinkIcanIthinkinIcan.
this may be a fool’s errand. i don’t know if it’ll ever be as good as i remembered.
And so it began
I’ll admit it. I’ve never made macaroni and cheese that wasn’t from a box full of pasta and powder. I didn’t think I could make it as good my Aunt Lorna’s, so why try? I’ve been thinking about her mac and cheese since she didn’t make it at the last family gathering. And don’t think I was the only person to ask or be disappointed.
There was another contender for the but I remember it was so good way back when prize. Let’s call it the Uncle Sam factor. That 5lb block of orange processed goodness called Government Cheese. (♥:I’ll let you slide on the processed goodness nonsense)
I had a thing for Gov’t cheese. It was like my vacation fling. I couldn’t get it at home. Our only time together was during summers spent with family outside of Chicago. I was so in love that I flew home one year with block in my carry-on. For real.
It had the bite of a great sharp cheddar and melted like a good american should. It had more body than that other block of cheese that Mommy would never buy. You had to be careful, though, and not slice GC too thick or it wouldn’t melt evenly in a grilled cheese or would overwhelm the bread and mayo of a regular cheese sandwich. Oh, how I get a little tingly thinking about it.
So, I have it stuck in my head that I want to make some really good Mac & Cheese. I decided to start with a more southern trad recipe. Hello, Miss Edna Lewis.
The making. This is a work-in-progress all-about-the-process exercise. I’m not including the recipe. It’s not there yet.
I substituted and discarded a lot actually. The only ingredients to stay from the original were the sour cream, salt & peppers and flour. I also followed the instructions to cube half of the cheese and grate the other. And the recipe called for using a custard. That was it, really. So I would probably say I used their guidelines.
Martha’s take allowed me to feel comfortable not using the Worcestershire and mustard powder. I’m on a buttermilk kick so that went in. I’ve been oddly fascinated by evaporated milk since Thanksgiving. So, I used that instead of the half and half and heavy cream that Miss Edna called for. A little Louisiana hot sauce found its way out of the fridge and into my hand to add a vinegary kick along with the heat of the black and cayenne peppers.
It was relatively quick and easy to put it all together. It baked in 30 and rested for 15 or so before I cut into it.
The tasting. It was okay. It wasn’t bad, actually. There was this hot, mellow, sour flavor that I was really digging. I would have added a bit more cheddar but I liked the mix of cheddar, Gruyère, and hint of pepper jack.
Ultimately, I didn’t like the egg-y texture. I’ve never liked my M&C that way. I didn’t like the way the cheese melted, either. Cubing it left pockets of cheddar all over the place. Eh, wasn’t feeling it. I, also, got cute and used penne. Ummm. Right, I know. Elbow, please. Thx.
Oh, Penne.
Overall, I like knowing right off the bat what didn’t work for me. It’s not like I’ve thrown any away. It’ almost gone actually. I just didn’t do a little dance. Or get down. Or put my foot in anything on this try.
What’s next. No more eggs. I know that. There’s something else it’s asking for in the balance of flavors as well. And instead of guessing what’s in Aunt Lorna’s Lawd Help Me M&C, I just might have to ask. I want to try the white sauce version before I go the family route. Because honestly, if I can’t find my own way first and then I fail at hers, there will be no more Mac making in my future.
I’ve been working on homemade dumplings for almost a year. It started with the Kenny Lao recipe on The Kitchn and then I watched Anita (♥:Iloveher) Lo on Epicurious. I went to their Rickshaw Dumpling Bar site to study and stare. A woman I worked with, Bouasone, was a great help at the beginning of my adventure. She explained how her father cooked his dumplings.
I started googling recipes. I took out various Asian cookbooks from the library* because everyone stuffs dough with stuff. Just threw myself into making dumplings. Pork with ginger and mint was my favorite, until yesterday.
What Goes In
This is my really lo-fi what’s in the house take on dumplings. The napa cabbage at my local Korean market is huge and I end up wasting more than I use. So, as of late, I haven’t been using it. I will the next time I make them because I want to get a feel for how the new ingredients change the flavor and enhance the texture.
Dumpling Royalty
I’ve always liked my dumplings. So, why was yesterday different than all the other times I’ve made them in the last year? I did a few things.
fish sauce. I’ve had that fish sauce sitting in the pantry since the first time I made dumplings. I wasn’t feeling it at all in the beginning. For some reason, I just decided to try it again. I’d read a lot about how it added a special something to everything it’s used in.
rice vinegar. I caught the pickle fever, so I picked up some rice vinegar at my local Korean** market. With so much to choose from, I figured sugar/fructose free was a good place to start.
taste test. After everything was mixed, I cooked up a bit of the filling to see what it tasted like. Mmmm. Hi, Heaven.
The making. I’m an eyeballer who likes it spicy and full of bite. It was a little weird for me to measure and write things down. But this helps make it easier for me when I make it next.
3/4 lb of ground pork
2 bunches of scallions, sliced
a couple of cloves of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon of fresh ginger, crushed
3 teaspoons of sesame oil
3 teaspoons of sriracha
7 shakes of fish sauce
3 shakes of soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of rice vinegar
1 egg
black pepper, freshly cracked to taste
1 pkg of gyoza skins/wrappers, round
small bowl of water
Add everything except skins and water to a bowl. Mix. Spoon a bit of the filling into the center of the wrapper. Dip finger in the water. Dampen edge of wrapper. Fold in half gently like a taco without sealing. Pinch the end… Aww, heck I can’t explain this. Learn it they way I did…by watching Anita Lo.
Things to remember. I like it HOT. Use less sriracha if you are sensitive to the heat. Pleating is all about practice. How much goes in each skin/wrapper is trial and error. Try different brands of soy sauce, sesame oil and gyoza skins to get a feel for what you like. Just make sure that the skins/wrappers aren’t too thin or they’ll tear easily. I usually have a little filling left over. I freeze it for later or cook it up. I had it in my ramen the other day. Could be fab with your eggs.
The cooking. In a non-stick pan, add enough oil to lightly cover the bottom. I turn the flame up to medium high. Add the dumplings so that they sit flat in the pan. With the top off, I let them brown on the bottom. Because my pan is jacked and so needs to be replaced, I play a game of pick up. I wait about a minute or so after arranging them in the pan, I pick all of the dumplings up to make sure they’re not sticking as well as to see how they are browning on the bottom. the spike. Into my small bowl that holds 1 1/2 cups of water, I add a cap full of lemon juice. Once the dumplings are sporting that Saint Tropez tan, it’s time to steam. With the lid almost covering the pan, I add half of the water. I let it steam until the water evaporates and I hear it sizzling again. Since I don’t cook my filling beforehand, to make sure the pork is fully cooked, I do the sizzle/steam again.
The eating. I make a quick dipping sauce out of the lemon juice, sriracha, sesame oil and soy sauce. I like most things hot and tangy. That so doesn’t sound right, but it’s true. In the bottom of the dish I squirt a figure 8-ish line of sriracha. I pour in a little sesame oil, maybe 1/2 teaspoon? I’ll add a splash or two of soy sauce and a tablespoon of lemon juice. Tweak for taste.
What’s next. I’m still working on perfecting a recipe/eyeball method so that yesterday and today are everyday. I’m not sure if I should care about the slightly greasy sheen to the dumplings. They are not usually long for the table anyway. I’m excited to make them again. I think I’ll just wait until the new year. Chinese New Year. Year of the Tiger, yall.
Nikki♥
*I♥LAPL hardcore… support your local libraries.
**With the exception of the produce, the Korean market near me isn’t always cheaper than the average grocery store Asian food aisle in my neighborhood, but the variety is out of control.
