Thursday, October 2, 2014

The Beer Wench Keeps Cooking: Fall

 
Since Mid-Summer  I have, apparently, been unable to stop cooking.  I've raided my mom's and cousin's and great aunt's gardens, accepted friend's overflow of their family's garden goodness, ordered multiple CSA boxes from Fresh Direct and been to the Union Square Greenmarket every Wednesday.  I can't stop.   My roommate is not complaining.    


With the start of Fall and the gray weather this week, I felt inspired to actually use my oven.  An important seasonal switch, if ya ask me, because once that sucker's on my apartment's climate rides the line between tropical and Hades.  My jaunt to the Greenmarket had yielded one gigantic 5 pound butternut squash, an equally mammoth Jonagold apple, a yellow onion, some beautiful oyster mushrooms, and a loaf of extremely dense Hawthorne Valley Farmer's Bread.   I split the squash into three pieces, scooped out the seeds and set them aside.  After pre-heating the oven to 425, I brushed the squash with melted butter and put it in to roast for an hour (or until it's fork tender).  While waiting for it to cook, I rinsed the seeds, patted them dry and tossed them in olive oil, diced the apple and half of the onion and caught up on Sons Of Anarchy.  After an hour of motorcycles and mayhem, the squash had softened enough.  I set it aside to cool while I sautéed the apple and onion in butter and sage.  I spread the seeds on a baking tray and popped them in the oven for approximately ten minutes to toast. 


    Once the apple and onion were soft, I scooped out the flesh of the roasted squash and added it to the pot with 4 cups of vegetable stock, a pinch of salt, pepper, and a dash of cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne.  Since the oven was already on and I was eating at home with my roommate, I decided to roast a head of garlic with olive oil and sage to spread on the Farmer's Bread.  Garlic in, seeds out and tossed in salt and chili powder, the soup pot was beginning to boil. I reduced it to a simmer to allow the flavors to get to know each other.  My apartment might have been a balmy 80 degrees, but it was starting to smell delicious!  


   When I cook, I like to employ the Julia Childs method and sip while I stir! The cooler weather brings with it the chance to enjoy dark rich beer and spicy full red wine.   For the roasted butternut squash soup, a perfect autumnal pairing could be a warming Smuttynose Brown Ale or a toasty Sam Smith Nut Brown, or take a different route and go for a Bell's Two Hearted IPA.  

                                  

My roommate was in charge of beverages and opted to celebrate the change of season with a bottle of Rioja.  Half a glass later, I took the soup off the heat and added 1/3 cup of coconut milk.  I sliced up the Farmer's Bread to toast it in the oven and, after seeing how dense of a bread it was, opted to brush it with olive oil first.  The oyster mushrooms also got drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with sea salt and put in with the bread.  
    
                                     

Bread and shrooms toasting, I grabbed my handy immersion blender and pureed the apples, onion, sage and squash mixture.   The garlic came out perfectly caramelized and buttery, I put it in a small bowl with olive oil and cracked pepper.  The soup got ladled into bowls and topped with the toasted seeds and mushrooms.  Wine poured, we started eating. My roommate looked at his bowl and said "yeah, I'm ok with October now." 

              



 Want to celebrate fall with Roasted Butternut Squash Soup? 
4 or 5 pounds of butternut squash 
1 large apple, diced 
1/2 yellow onion, diced 
8 sage leaves, torn 
4 cups vegetable stock 
1/3 cup coconut milk (or heavy cream)
 salt pepper cayenne cinnamon cumin

Friday, August 1, 2014

The Beer Wench Goes Home


It's been a crazy few months--holiday season, NYC Craft Beer Week, hosting a surprise birthday, my birthday, and my best friend's baby shower, competing in the NYC Hot Sauce Expo's Bloody Mary Mixdown (second place in Queens baby!), not to mention attending the first two of seven weddings I've been invited to this year, the second of which necessitated a trip home for me.  Home, you ask? None other than the Sunshine State my friends, that gloriously weird southernmost penis shaped area of the country that, when it makes the news, often leaves the rest of us shaking our heads in wonderment.  I'm from a very special little area in Florida, the one, the only-- Daytona Beach: Birthplace Of Speed, Spring Break, drive in churches and drive-thru liquor stores! Amen.
                      

Every time I make it home (roughly about once a year) I like to observe a usual routine: lunch at the Ocean Deck, walks on the beach, subs from Publix, and a party in my Dad's backyard.  If I have time, I make the trip up A1A to Snack Jack's.  Since this particular trip was centered around a family wedding and I'd brought a plus one who'd never been to Florida before, my usual routine got vaguely tweaked.  I did pick the Ocean Deck as our first lunch spot and were greeted by five bus-loads of inebriated college kids in swim suits singing along to Jason Mraz.  For the first time EVER I sat in the upstairs dining area of the Ocean Deck, according to my dear old disgruntled dad it has changed owners and he no longer frequents Reggae Sundays.  My Mahi Sandwich was excellent, as always, and my date's Bahama Mama tasted of the beach.      
                      

Since my sister and her boyfriend had called dibs on the cabin in Dad's backyard, we'd been exiled to my Dad's girlfriend's rental house.  It came with a roomate.  He came with a schedule.    Clearly my usual routine of backyard get-togethers would have to be rescheduled.  I'm accustomed to sitting on my back deck, listening to the river and my friend's stories til all hours of the night while drinking my Florida go-to beer: Red Stripe.  Instead I was in someone else's house with a fridge containing home-made hummus (delicious, by the way) and a six pack of Beck's Octoberfest...in April.  What's a wench to do?  Luckily for me, my hometown has recently begun spawning breweries.
       

I first heard of the Ormond Brewing Company back in the fall and it made me ridiculously excited.  Since I'd been planning to check out the brewery anyway, I decided to make that my meeting place.  My family makes fun of me rather frequently for the fact that I haven't driven in years--hey, I live in New York--the reality of the situation is that they don't give me their cars, which I am more than capable of driving.  They seem to think that, since I haven't gotten behind the wheel in years, I am unable to navigate; they seem to forget that I have made my way through most major cities and a few international destinations in my day, not to mention Daytona is where I learned to drive.  The Ormond Brewing Co. is located down a side street, over some train tracks, and through a warehouse parking lot--everyone was convinced I'd steer my driver a.k.a date in the wrong direction, since most of my family friends who had ventured to the brewery had managed to get themselves lost.  I found it on the first try, I even took the backroads to get there!  You can take the wench out of Daytona but....you know.  
        
       

On first glance, the space was instantly inviting: twinkly lights strung from the trees beckoned over the top of the homey wooden fence and the antique beach racer logo harkened back to our hometown's history.  The taproom itself was clean and minimalist, decorated with historic photographs of Ormond and Daytona--the early days of car racing.  We grabbed pints of their Cool Me Down Brown Ale and their Backwater Black IBA, moving into the backyard where my friend Travis was waiting at a table by the fire pit, sipping a pint of Hop Hazard IPA.
      

I instantly fell in love with the beer garden area--kids battled each other at an enormous Connect Four board and a few dudes played a leisurely game of Gators vs Seminoles cornhole (why the hell is it called that?!).  There was an immediate sense of community, a mellow departure from most of the beachside bars.  Travis and I were able to catch up without screaming over loud music and drunken tourists, and the overheard conversations made me wonder about how rapidly my hometown was changing.  Was I really listening to a conversation between a few Florida boys about the best yoga class around?
      

Since the brewery doesn't serve food, we ordered delivery from Genovese's (my favorite pizza in Ormond).  We also opted to go for flights of beer so we could sample the Full Steam Honey Cream, The 40 Weight Dry Stout,  Pepin Le Fat, and a mysterious yet amazingly naughty bourbon breakfast brown ale that was brought out from the back.  The patio had it's own service bar window with the beers listed on a very small dry erase board and, while ordering, I misread  $5 Wine, Citrus IPA as "Swine Citrus Ipa" resulting in some odd looks until the woman next to me pointed out that what I thought was an "S" was, in fact, a 5.  
        

No trip to Daytona is complete without a trip down Seabreeze Ave to view the local Friday night wild-life.  We happened to be in town during the cheerleading championships and watching drunk 20-nothings wearing next to nothing attempt to walk in heels was highly entertaining.  Our family friends, knowing my love of good beer lists, asked me to meet them at the Daytona Tap Room for a few pints.  The Taproom's beer list took up the entire wall, and their tap handles stretched from one end of the bar to the other. A funky little cover band played a tad too loudly in the corner, making it hard to catch up.  Next door to the Taproom is their sister bar, an odd little whisky joint with a stripper pole and all of four patrons.
                       


Finally the day of the wedding arrived!  My family drove out to Deleon Springs (home of my former summer camp) to the farm that was hosting the event.  Canoes filled with ice, Miller High Life and PBR lined the reception area and caterers poured wine made especially for the bride and groom.  The day was out of this world gorgeous and the bride--my little sister's best friend--looked insanely beautiful.  Cheers Sunie and Ruby!

p.s. Yes... I wrote this back in April, since then I've worked on and completed a short film for competition, attended awards ceremony for said competition, and made my way through awesome events for Queens Beer week (more on that soon) 

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

The Beer Wench and The Bloody Mary Mixdown


This year I had the honor of competing in the second annual NYC Hot Sauce Expo's Bloody Mary Mixdown sponsored by Stoli. Preliminaries were held in every borough, where three finalists were chosen to compete on stage at the Expo
 

The Queens' preliminary was held at the former Hell Gate Tiki (formerly known as Hell Gate Social and soon to be known as Pop bar) and it happened to coincide with my boyfriend's little brother's first day in New York. He flew straight from the Big Island of Hawaii to the Big Apple and landed just in time to watch the competition.


Nicci Carnaggio and I both competed representing Sparrow Tavern and the poor contestant stuck between us in our round had the uh..pleasure..of listening to our banter for the ninety seconds allotted to make our Bloodys. I developed a new recipe for the occasion using NYC Hot Sauce Co. Hot Sauce, Rick's Picks Mean Beans, and a homemade horseradish and black pepper infused Stoli.


After the panel of judges tasted our Bloody Marys and Jimmy (of Jimmy's 43) warmed up the crowd with the raffle drawing, the winners were announced. I was already pumped that my man had won two VIP passes to the Hot Sauce Expo so when my name was called for second place, I was genuinely surprised! 
 

The Daily News misspelled my name, but the picture is great! The reporter was a judge...maybe he'd had too many Bloody Marys...

I thought it was pretty amazing that the NYC Hot Sauce Expo happened to fall two days after my birthday. I woke up jittery, managed to pack my cooler and shove breakfast in my face before heading into the city. Last year, the Hot Sauce Expo was held outside in Brooklyn. This year, the Expo found its home at Penn Plaza which, since it was chilly and raining, was a welcome venue. 
 
                                    

Inside, all twenty one bartenders checked in and milled the hot sauce booths. Food vendors and beer stands from Lagunitas were scattered around the giant space. In the VIP section, a variety of liquor brands handed out samples and the Sailor Jerry girls gave pin-up style makeovers. Tickets for the Expo had sold out by 2pm and the line to get in wrapped around the block. After what seemed like an eternity, the Mixdown was about to begin. Each bartender drew a random number, then waited for that number to be called. My anxiety was through the freaking roof! While I waited, I sipped a Lil' Sumpin, chatting with my boyfriend and our Queens' champion: DiWine's Josh Woody.

Just as my jitters were about to get the best of me, my number was called. I set up my little station: my "I Put Hot Sauce On My Hot Sauce" bumper-sticker from East Coast Taco proudly displayed on the front of my tray, which was full of ramekins containing freshly squeezed citrus, worcestershire, freshly grated horseradish and salt and pepper, my NYC Hot Sauce and Rick's Picks ready to go and, of course, my infused Stoli. 
 
                       

The following minute and a half was a total blur, but I do know that I finished early and was able to wave at my friends in the crowd, high-five my fellow competitor Charlie, and proudly display my Bloody in its custom made " Drink Local" glass before handing it in.

                                  

Sadly, my friends, I did not place at the Expo. The winners all hailed from Staten Island and Long Island and, since we didn't get to try each other's, I have no idea what made their drinks awesome! One of the finalists did turn in a crazy Bloody that was smoking from dry ice, but that's really all the intel I have. The winner's recipe will be published in this year's Stoli recipe book.

     

After the Expo ended, I headed over to the Pearl Theater to see my man's play reading. Every so often the Pearl hosts a "Pick Your Poison" play reading series, sponsored by Sixpoint. The audience watches three five minute previews and then decides which to watch in its entirety by applauding. It's always a fun evening and did I mention it's free?

Like theatre and Sixpoint? Come check out the Pearl reading of Lady Fredrick Sunday, May 11th at 7pm!!

                      


Want to make my Hot In The City Bloody Mary?
You'll need:
1 bottle of Stoli
1 horseradish root
1 lemon squeezed
1 lime squeezed
NYC Hot Sauce Company Hot Sauce
Rick's Picks Mean Beans
Worcestershire sauce
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Sacramento tomato juice
*I also used the Mean Beans' brine to pickle rainbow baby carrots for garnishing

Peel horseradish root and cut roughly ten narrow strips, leaving some of the root to grate.  Pour out some of the Stoli to make room in the vodka bottle--use extra vodka for a cocktail while you prep.  Place horseradish strips in bottle, add 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, seal and shake bottle.  Allow Stoli to infuse for 1 week.

Hot In The City Bloody Mary

2oz infused Stoli, 1/4 oz lemon juice, 1/2 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz worcestershire, splash of Mean Beans' brine, 1/4 oz NYC Hot Sauce Co. Hot Sauce, pinch salt, pinch ground pepper, top with tomato juice.  Gently pour between two shakers and back into an ice filled glass.  Garnish with Mean Beans and pickled carrots.  Enjoy!

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Beer Wench and Brown Paper Tickets: NYC Craft Beer Week

                                     


During NYC Craft Beer Week Brown Paper Tickets asked me to attend (and write about) one of their events. Being a super dork, I chose to go to a panel discussion on NY Beer and Brewing History at the brand new Covenhoven:

NYC Craft Beer Week: Beer and Brewing History With The Beer Wench