Rippin' Another Blog: Poulet au Riesling

Good morning darling readers!

I was thinking this morning... How often do we food bloggers - and food blog readers - prowl the internet in search of the most amazing looking, sounding, tasting recipes, only to bookmark or pin or comment on them...and then they go forgotten...?

They go unmade.

And as a food blogger myself, I rarely make the same dish more than once, even if it was fucking spectacular. The exception being of course, if I have company over for dinner and I want to share a recent culinary success story with them.

But because I need new posts, I need new recipes. New ideas. New new new! So I prowl. We prowl. We find inspiration in each other. But rarely, do we actually follow someone else's recipe. We think it makes us more distinguished if we create our own. What food masters we are! Yeaaahhh.....

That's why I love Haydn and my series, Rippin' Another Blog. I actually get the opportunity to make someone else's dish. Of course there are the odd modifications or substitutions based on availability and personal preference but generally, it's their recipe. And what makes a food blogger feel better than when someone actually makes their dish? Pretty much nothing. Except letting them know you made their dish. Comments my friends, we all love comments. We pine for comments!

Something else I pine for? More of Katie's Poulet au Riesling. Chicken? Good! Riesling? Good! And I relish the opportunity to use a sweeter white wine in savory cooking than a dry one. Why the heck not, right?

I first became acquainted with Katie's blog, So Tasty, So Yummy, through The Secret Recipe Club - another fantastic medium I participate in @ Gastronomical Sovereignty through which I make recipes from other people's blogs. And let me tell you, I'm glad I did. She's clever, inspiring and kind of hot. And by kind of, I mean the chick is smokin'.

...and so is this dish. Bland chicken? Hells no! Sweet, creamy, herby, fantastic chicken? Yes!

Poulet au Riesling

(printable recipe) - serves 4.

Recipe c/o So Tasty, So Yummy

Ingredients:

3 Slices of Bacon, chopped.

4 Pastured Chicken Thighs.

1 Medium Onion, peeled and chopped.

2 Garlic Cloves, peeled and thinly sliced.

½ Lb Forest Mushrooms, thinly sliced.

6 Medium Sized Carrots, sliced.

2 C Riesling.

2/3 C Heavy Cream.

2 Tbsp Parsley, chopped.

1/2 Tsp Freshly Ground Nutmeg.

Coarse Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

What to Do:

Heat a Dutch oven or enamel roasting pan over medium-high heat. Throw in the bacon and cook until crispy. Remove from pan and set aside.

Season the chicken well with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Arrange skin side down in the bacon fat and cook until brown and crispy. Remove and set aside with the bacon. 

Discard all but 4 tablespoons of the fat. Reduce the heat to medium and sauté onions and garlic until soft. 

Add the mushrooms and carrots, stir and continue cooking until heated through, approx. 3 minutes. 

Turn the heat to high and pour in the wine. When it comes to a rolling boil put the chicken and bacon back in the pot. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Simmer uncovered until the chicken is cooked through, approx 45 minutes. 

Remove the chicken from the pan. Add cream and boil until sauce is reduced somewhat and starting to thicken. Return chicken to the sauce. Add parsley and serve.

Eat.

Do you ever actually make the recipes you find online? Or do they get lost in Pinterest land?

Strange Brew Diaries #1 - Driftwood Brewery

The Lowdown:

["This movie was shot in 3B - three beers - and it looks good, eh?" - Bob McKenzie.]

Remember being a kid in a candy store? All those choices. All those, seemingly, difficult decisions. Well, this same feeling can be recreated when you're 19+ in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia. I've heard a rumor on more than one occasion that we have more micro-breweries per capita than anywhere in the world. With a population of 344,000 for the greater Victoria region (a mere 80,000 for Victoria), we support five breweries, four brewpubs, and two cider houses. Needless to say, we love our local brew. I am no exception to this. 

Unlike a lot of cities that boast abnormally high amounts of beer-snobs, Victoria is fairly mellow. We know what we like and we have no desire to defend or push our opinions (at least while we are sober). That, and we don't have the urge to produce the hoppiest beer ever (that a lot of west coast American Breweries seem to do). Don't get me wrong, I love me a good IPA and the distinguished bite that it gives. But seriously, extremely hoppy does NOT always equal extremely good. I'm sick of going to beerfests and listening to people only talk about the hoppiest beer they've had. News flash, there are dozens of varieties of beers for a reason. So get off your high-horse, get rid of your pompous attitude, try thinking for yourself (aka not just following fads), and explore the amazing variety of craft beers that your local region has to offer.

[(To Pam in a beer tank that's being flooded with beer) " My brother and I used to say that drownin' in beer was like heaven, eh? Now he's not here, and I've got two soakers... this isn't heaven. This sucks" - Bob McKenzie.]

This, as the title kinda sorta states, is my first ode to one of my favourite local breweries and one of my favourite movies. This episode features three beers from the all-star line up that Driftwood Brewery offers. I personally love their desire to create west coast variations of traditional beers (excuse for for 5 minutes while I refresh my refreshments). Yup, that was good.

I've never cooked with beer before. I mean, how could you possibly have the will power to let a beer sit in the fridge all lonely, begging you to consume it, while it waits for the day that it can be used in some (hopefully) glorious experiment. Mmmmmmm beer. I mean, it's the only alcoholic beverage that is acceptable to drink for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Seriously, I'm sure Captain Crunch even has a beer pairing (although,that shit will still cut the roof of your mouth). Anyway, this is the first three course beer-oriented meal plan that I have produced. I hope you enjoy all, or one of these recipes, and that they maybe inspire you to try this with your local breweries. I will definitely be doing this with the remaining 10 local breweries so check out the Strange Brew Diaries periodically.

[(Bob Mckenzie to his dog) "Eh... Hosehead, once you get there you can have all the free beer and sausages you want" - Bob McKenzie.]

The Playlist:

Driftwood Ale Onion Soup

4 Red onions, sliced thinly

4 cloves Garlic, minced

1/2 cup Butter

3 cups Driftwood Ale

4 cups Beef stock

3 tbsp Red wine

1 tbsp Grainy mustard

1 sprig Rosemary

Parsley, chopped for garnish

Driftwood Farmhand No-Knead Bread

4 cups Wholegrain flour

1/2 cup Wholegrain flour

1/2 cup Water (as hot as your tap goes)

12 oz Driftwood Farmhand Ale

2 1/2 tsp Yeast

1/2 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Salt

Cornmeal

Driftwood White Bark & Lemongrass Muscles on Pappardelle Noodles 

2 lbs Salt Spring Island muscles

1 lb Manila Clams

2 cups Driftwood White Bark Belgian-Style Wit

3 Shallots, diced

3 cloves Garlic, minced

1 stalk Lemongrass, inner core only minced

1 tbsp Parsley, minced

2-4 tbsp Butter

1 tbsp Olive oil

1 tsp Red mustard seed, freshly ground

1 tsp Orange zest

1/2 tsp Chili flakes (optional)

1 box Pappardelle noodles

Salt & Pepper, to taste
Cornstarch & Water, to thicken sauce if desired.

Beat Caprise Insalata w/ Driftwood Ale Balsamic Reduction

3 Beats, boiled and pealed

250g Buffalo mozzarella*

3 Tomatoes, sliced in disks

10 - 15 Fresh basil leaves

10 - 15 slices, Spicy smoked meat**

1/2 cup Driftwood Ale

1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar

2 tsp Orange zest
1-2 tbsp Honey, depending on sweetness desired

*I prefer a sharp cheddar though.
** Capicollo works well, or any spicy salami.

The Skinny:

 Driftwood Ale Onion Soup

1. Melt butter in a large sauce pan. Add the onions and garlic and saute for about 40 minutes.
2. Add wine to deglaze pan for about 3 minutes.
3. Add remaining ingredients, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove rosemary sprig and serve warm. You may also serve with crusty bread and Gruyere cheese to make it a more authentic French onion soup.

Driftwood Farmhand No-Knead Bread

1. Mix water, yeast, sugar, and 1/2 cup flour into a large bowl. Cover with a dampened cloth and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
2. Mix in Driftwood Farmhand ale. Once mixed in, add the remaining flour and salt and mix until a tacky ball forms. If it is too dry add more beer, and if it is too tacky (sticking to bowl and not forming a ball) add more flour. This is not a science.
3. Cover with a warm damp cloth and allow to sit for 4 hours. If you want to speed up the process, place in an oven that is around 70*F for 2 hours. It works best if you turn on your oven and set it to 150* then turn it off for about 10 minutes (of course, every oven is different).
4. Form dough into a ball by scraping the outside of the bowl with a non-stick rubber scraper and putting in towards the centre. Take this ball and place it on a well floured surface. Form it into the desired shape (I prefer the shape of a French loaf). Sprinkle flour on top.
5. Put cornmeal on a heavy baking pan and place the loaf shaped dough onto the baking pan. Cover with a dry towel and allow to rise for another hour. Take a sharp knife and put a long slit down the centre of the loaf.
6. Place an oven-safe dish half full of water on the lower oven rack and the baking pan (with the dough) on the middle oven rack. Bake at 425* for 35 minutes.
7. Place bread on a cooling rack and allow to cool.

Driftwood White Bark & Lemongrass Muscles on Pappardelle Noodles

1. Rinse and de-beard the muscles and clams under cold water. Discard any of the muscles or clams that do not close, as they are dead. Set aside.
2. Cook the pasta as directed on the packaging. Set aside.
3. In a large, shallow pot add the oil, shallots, garlic, salt & pepper, and lemon grass. Cook on medium heat until shallots start to become translucent (about 3 minutes). Add the Driftwood White Bark and bring to a rolling boil, then add the clams and muscles and cook until they open (about 5-10 minutes). After cooked, transfer the muscles and clams into a separate bowl.
4. To the pot: add parsley, 2 tbsp of butter, chili flakes, orange zest, and mustard seed. Bring this to a boil and add more butter if desired (helps reduce the bitterness).
5. Place the muscles and clams onto the noodles and drizzle sauce onto the pasta.
6. Crusty bread can be used to soak up the remaining sauce.

Beat Caprise Insalata w/ Driftwood Ale Balsamic Reduction

1.  Slice the beets, tomatoes, and cheese about 1/3 inch thick. Layer the salad so that equal amounts of each ingredient are present (IE: beat, tomato, salami, cheese, basil, etc.)
2. In a large, shallow sauce pan combined the Driftwood Ale, honey, orange zest, and balsamic vinegar. On medium-high heat bring to a simmer and allow for the mixture to reduce to a syrupy texture (about half of the volume).
3. Add 2 tbsp more Driftwood Ale to the reduction and mix well (this will make the beer's flavour more pronounced).
4. Drizzle on the caprise insalata and enjoy.

Featured on: Food Renegade, Chef in Training, 33 Shades of Green, Premeditated Leftovers, 

Stay Rad - h

Citrus-Habanero Hot Sauce

The Lowdown:

I just returned from a lovely trip with my family from the Dominican Republic. It was great; however, the trip lacked one thing (other than a direct flight home without a million hours of lay overs), and that was food with a kick to it. I often forget that when I don't cook for myself, I don't get what I want. I'm a very craving-based person. I guess you could say that I'm the male version of a pregnant lady. I want what I want, and I want it now. What I want now, is some freakin' spicy food. Not spicy like, "I put this shit on everything." Spicy like, "I just shit on everything." I want sweat to form under my eyes. If any of you are into spicy food, you know that when your eyes sweat it's the real deal. I understand that the scoville scale describes heat levels in a scientific manner, however the under eye sweats (UES) were around way before anyone fathomed that scale. The scale is below for those of you who'd like to readjust the spiciness of the hot sauce.

cookthink.com (2012)

I suppose my cravings for spicy food started with my father. Bless his heart. It's nice going into any variety of ethnic restaurants and saying, "bring it bitches, I got what it takes." When I was a child, my father prepared several meals loosely based on dishes from one of Chef Paul Prudhomme's cookbooks. Of course, I complained about the heat back then, like any child that was good at annoying the hell out of their parents would. That is, until the timer was put on. Oh yes, the timer. It was my arch nemesis for many a year. The rule was simple: finish what you served yourself. If you didn't, the consequence was simple: a timer was set to finish your food, and if you didn't do it in the allotted time your food was doubled. I'm sure they did this out of pure torture so they could laugh about it in future years. But, it worked. Oh did it ever work. To be honest, it may be one the sole reason that I'm much more adventurous with my food now. I digressed. The point was that I was exposed to UES from a very young age, and I'm now at the point where I need a good UES every so often.

One point to make! Cut the onions before you handle your peppers! I've had habanero in my eye before and it is about the same pain as getting your balls run over by Optimus Prime. If you'd feel safer, or are particularly injury prone please wear gloves and don't wear contacts. Shit, if you still have your chemistry safety goggles I suggest you wear those. Habaneros are nasty little things and you'll regret your life if you screw up.

 

This all started when I looked at the ingredients on the back of one of my hot sauces. There was literally six ingredients, two of which were words that clearly weren't natural. Instead, they were man-made crap. Well six ingredients soon turned into 13 to add some flavour, so that when this is all said and done, it should be about 25,000 - 50,000 scovilles. So here begins another culinary escapade.Without further ado, I'm going to make a UES worthy citrus - habanero - total - destruction - mouth - numbing - ass - burning - under - eye - sweating hot sauce. Take that timer, who's the bitch now?! Apparently revenge is best served... HOT!

The Playlist:

13 Habanero peppers, stems removed

6 Morita peppers (slightly smoked red jalapenos)**

1 Orange, zested and juiced

1 large Carrot, chopped

1 medium Red onion, chopped

3 cloves Garlic, chopped
2 tsp Salt

1 tbsp Spanish paprika (for colouring)**

1 1/4 cup Lime juice

1 cup Apple cider vinegar (unfermented)*

3/4 cup Champagne berry vinegar*

1/2 cup Canola/Vegetable oil

1 cup Water

* I chose to use these for their distinct flavours, but you can substitute for white vinegar.

** Optional ingredients. I chose the morita peppers to add a distinct smoky flavour and the paprika is solely to add a nice red colouring without adding any flavour.

The Skinny:

1. Add all ingredients into a sauce pan except for the oil, paprika, orange juice, and habanero peppers. Cover with a tight fitting lid and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and allow enough time to cool.
3. If you desire a liquid hot sauce like Frank's, then strain the liquid into a blender and add the whole habanero peppers, orange juice, oil, and paprika. Blend for 2-3 minutes until mixture is smooth with no chunks.
   
   If you desire a less spicy, but more flavourful hot sauce combined the contents of the pot with the remaining ingredients and blend all together. This will create a more viscous hot sauce. As previously stated, it is substantially less spicy, but more flavourful.
4. Put into glass jars and refrigerate. The sauce will become spicier over time, so be patient if it isn't quite up to snuff.

 Stay rad - h

Featured in: Mandy's Recipe Box 33 Shades of Green Chef in Training Food Renegade  Premeditated Leftovers