Have I mentioned I am in a bit of a beer phase? Well, I am. I don’t know what’s gotten into me! But, I don’t really care. I am quite pleased with this current fascination. I’m reading The Naked Pint, walking down to Beer Bar more often than I should and sort of neglecting my wine cellar (sorry guys)(but not for long!). When I decided to fire up my grill for the first time, I went down to Silverlake Wine to pick up some beers for a little tasting of sorts. Because, really, what else could make a perfect sunny day with grilled meats any more perfect?
The Bruery‘s Saison Rue. Brewed with rye and…brettanomyces. Brett! On purpose! Wine lovers everywhere gasp. It was delicious. Not my favorite Bruery bottling I’ve ever had, but everything they make is pretty freaking great. Would be interesting to see how this beer is in another year or so. Never thought about cellaring a beer before, but The Bruery encourages it for this particular beer.
Koshihikari Echigo beer. Kind of like Kirin. It’s made with Koshihikari rice and malt from Niigata’s first microbrewery. It’s a “gulp it on a hot day without thinking about it” kind of beer. Nothing mind-blowing here.
I’ve heard about Moose Drool (I mean, how can you not pay attention to such a name?) and always wanted to give it a try. I’m not much of a brown ale kind of gal. And I’m still not. Big ups to Missoula though! And the people with the balls to name their beer after an animal’s saliva.
As the sun was setting, we got down to some eating with the Saison Rue as our beer of choice. Hot dogs, grilled corn, sweet potato fries. Summer- I’m ready for you. I’ve prepared. I’m certainly getting this whole beer drinking thing down.
by whit on January 16, 2011
On The Lamb touched down again yesterday to officially ring in the new year with a good luck brunch. We served 4 courses of yummy stuff and I started everyone off with a cocktail- what I’m going to call the Winter Citrus Dreamsicle Fizz. Where my love of push-up pops and prosecco collide.
I needed sherbet to make this drink happen and I had never attempted to make one before. So, why not give it a shot? I followed NY Times recipe tester Jill Santopietro’s video and recipe for Tangerine Sherbet. I adapted it a bit. See the recipe below with my substitutions.
1/2 teaspoon gelatin
2 1/4 pounds tangerines ( I used pomelos, oranges and sweet lemons)
1/2 cup sugar (I used just a little over a 1/4 cup)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled. (I used 1/2 heavy cream and 1/2 coconut milk)
Check the video for how to bring it all together and how to make it without an ice cream maker! Also- I recommend leaving in some of the orange zest (Jill’s recipe calls for straining it out). It makes the drink, well, prettier and gives added citrus flavor and aromas as the sherbet melts in the glass.
To compose the drink, it’s pretty darn simple. Scoop sherbet with melon baller or small ice cream scoop, drop in champagne flute. Top with prosecco (I used one of my favorites- Sommariva) and float a few drops of orange blossom water right on the crest of the bubbles.
by whit on December 26, 2010
Ever wonder what the “liquor cabinet” of a teetotaller looks like? While making kibbeh this morning at my grandparents house, I went snooping and I spied some REALLY old bottles of booze. As well as the piece de resistance – a bottle of Mogen David vino. Ha!
I also spy a photo of my 7 year old self in a red satin pajama set and a pair of my Nana’s knee high black boots. Always at the height of fashion.
A price tag revealed that this Mogen David bottle was purchased at Rite Aid for about $3. Who knows when it was purchased, but my guess is sometime around the year of my birth. Concord grapes, ya’ll. It’s a party.
Don’t you just love the design and colors of these labels? These bottles are from the late 70′s and early 80′s. After I inspected and properly documented them for the relics they are, I put them back in their dark home above the fridge. Which is where I’m sure they’ll stay for at least another few decades.
If you missed what I found in my parent’s cabinet last Winter, take a look.
by whit on September 26, 2010
Current temperature: 104.
While I am slightly delirious and borderline heat stroked, let’s play a little game of word association for a minute. OK- It’s hot as hell and I’m sweatin’ like a whore in church. Church. Where do I go with the family to worship (only at Christmas…let’s get real)? A Presbyterian church. Presbyterian.
The Presbyterian. This is all going to make sense shortly…just hang in there.
My mother sent me this fantastic book in the mail the other day. She earmarked page 4. That page has two cocktail recipes: The Presbyterian and The Most Famous of All Kentucky Breakfasts. I am focusing on the former at the moment, clearly, but please take a gander at the top of the page if you want a chuckle.
On a day like today all I want to do is sit around in the least amount of clothing as possible and drink cold beverages. Therefore I have decided to “worship” the combined genius of cocktail god Dale DeGroff and the author of the book Albert W.A. Schmid (who took some inspiration from DeGroff with this cocktail.) I must add that I’ve been drinking “bourbon on the rocks with a splash of ginger and a lime” for years. So, I’m taking this as an opportunity to improve upon my age old libation AND cool off from this sweat-soaked heat wave.
I take advantage of every chance I can get to bring out my Ice-O-Mat. Crushin’ ice sure is fun.
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