Serious Eats |
- Chicken Dinners: Spicy Sambal Chicken and Shrimp
- Chicagoland: Back Alley Burger Serves 'The Most Insane-est Hottest Burger Ever-est'
- Tips on Finding the Best Olive Oil With Eataly Expert Nicholas Coleman
- Great Breakfast Cheese Straws and Glazed Brioche at Silver Moon Bakery
- Sugar Rush: Honey Lavender Scone at Little Flower Candy Co., Pasadena, CA
- Gadgets: The WhipStir, a Double-Sided Whisk
- First Look: Block + Tackle, A Modern Fish House in Portland, Oregon
- Shake Shack Coming to Paramus, NJ, This Fall
- A Sandwich a Day: Pork Loin Sandwich at Table, Donkey and Stick
- How To Make Mexican Street Corn (Elotes)
- How to Make (and Use) Apricot Liqueur at Home
- Video: The Indonesian Food Bazaar in Astoria, Queens
- Milwaukee: Drive-Ins Big Star and The Spot Dominate Kenosha Burger Scene
- Boston, MA: Ice Cream Sandwiches at the Frozen Hoagies Truck
- Top This: Eggplant Parmesan Pizza (à la Pitfire Artisan Pizza)
| Chicken Dinners: Spicy Sambal Chicken and Shrimp Posted: 10 Jul 2013 01:41 PM PDT [Photograph: Yvonne Ruperti] Last year I took a Southeast Asian cooking class on Pulau Ubin, a tiny island in Singapore. Nestled in the jungle in an old kampung style house, I learned how to prepare an important ingredient that forms the flavor base for much of the cooking in these parts: chili sambal. Though more complex, sambal is the Southeast Asian equivalent to a French mirepoix (celery, onions, carrots) or Spanish sofrito (garlic, onions, peppers). As chili forms one of the main ingredients, sambals are usually extremely hot. It's used to flavor everything in Singapore, from vegetable dishes, to fish, to meat. It's even served on the side to be dabbed onto your food at will, just in case your dish wasn't making you sweat enough. Here, a dish isn't proper unless it makes you feel the pain. To make the sambal in class, we pounded out the ingredients (dried chilies, Thai chilies, shallots, garlic, ginger, and salt) by hand using a mortar and pestle. In my kitchen, I often skip that step and plug in the food processor. To cook, the mixture is fried until softened, golden, and the oil begins to separate from the aromatics. My chef instructor said to "cook it till the aroma of the chili makes you cough." A warning here: it does. Tart tamarind pulp and palm sugar are mixed in to balance out the heat. Though we didn't fry up the sambal with chicken and shrimp in class, I decided to wing it here. I marinated the chicken and shrimp in a portion of the sambal (cut this step if you're in a hurry), then tossed it all into a wok to quickly stir fry. This is no humble dish. Intense heat and spicy, full flavor is what you're in for here. Serve this delicious meal with a bowl of white rice and a towel nearby to dab your forehead with. Get the RecipeSpicy Sambal Chicken and Shrimp » About the author: Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and author of the new cookbook One Bowl Baking: Simple From Scratch Recipes for Delicious Desserts (Running Press, October 2013), also available at Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Powell's, and The Book Depository. Watch her culinary stylings on the America's Test Kitchen television show. Follow her Chocoholic, Chicken Dinners, Singapore Stories and Let Them Eat Cake columns on Serious Eats. Follow Yvonne on Twitter as she explores Singapore. Get the Recipe!       |
| Chicagoland: Back Alley Burger Serves 'The Most Insane-est Hottest Burger Ever-est' Posted: 10 Jul 2013 06:01 PM PDT Aptly named, the Back Alley Burger's The Most Insane-est Hottest Burger Ever-est ignites. [Photographs: Jennifer Olvera] Since moving to its larger location and getting a second outpost in Elmhurst, my love for Back Alley Burger grows. Sure, purists could call its toppings-loaded namesakes overwrought. Fair enough: most all of the options are over the top. Still, even plain Janes can be sated since the all-natural, grass-fed Wisconsin-bred beef patties can be custom-built or left simply unadorned. But I like toppings, and lots of 'em. I'm also a sucker for heat. And while I'll admit to having some trepidation, I opted for a newbie, "The Most Insane-est Hottest Burger Ever-est" ($9.99). Let's just say it lives up to its name, what with its generous slathering of habanero jam, Thai chili cream cheese, and Trinidad Scorpion sauce, along with fried jalapeño coins, Ghost Pepper flakes, and red onion on a cayenne-showered Kaiser roll. Thanks to the jam and cream cheese components, it's just a tad sweet. As for the burn, well, it's there, and it only intensifies. You might want to go halfsies on this baby, offsetting with something else. Even if spicy isn't your thing, winners abound. I can attest to the Coke n' Fries burger ($6.99), topped with Coca-Cola sauce, classic condiments and spuds; the Meister burger ($8.99), finished with Merkts, salami, kraut mustard and onion on a pretzel roll; and the taco-spiced Mexicali ($9.99), topped with nacho cheese, pico de gallo, chili, and lettuce on a cayenne Kaiser ($8.99). The salads even sound fantastic (though I have yet to give them a try). My money's on the pollo fresco salad swathed in cilantro-lime vinaigrette ($7.25). Another thing I love about this place is the sides. A standout is the sturdy chili cheese onion rings ($3), their generous garnish standing up to the batter admirably until meal's end. Then there's the mac and cheese bites ($3.99), seriously addictive, admittedly, yet appealingly, greasy triangles with a beer batter-like casing that crackles with crunch. More disappointing was the nicely flavored but over-dressed slaw ($2). A lighter hand and this would have been a cooling counterpart to help tame my burger's aforementioned flames. You'll find sweet treats as well. Be prepared because they're tempting in their own right: slices of homemade pie ($3.50), plate-sized chocolate chip cookies ($1), and hand-spun milkshakes in flavors from Nutella to banana pudding ($3.75 to $4). Back Alley Burger 1 S. La Grange Rd., La Grange, IL 60525 (map) About the author: Jennifer Olvera is a veteran food and travel writer and author of "Food Lovers' Guide to Chicago." Follow her on Twitter @olverajennifer.
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| Tips on Finding the Best Olive Oil With Eataly Expert Nicholas Coleman Posted: 10 Jul 2013 01:40 PM PDT
[Photograph: courtesy Nicholas Coleman] I first met Nicholas Coleman at the first ever New York International Olive Oil Competition in April at the International Culinary Center. It was an exciting event, with the who's who of olive oil (and there is a who's who of olive oil!) there in spades. Hundreds of hopeful olive oil producers had entered their products—their babies—with hopes that the panel of judges would bestow distinction upon the fruits of their blood, sweat, and tears—their beloved oil. Coleman was the youngest judge on the panel. He also is Eataly's resident oleologist, and half the team behind Grove and Vine, where he creates custom olive oil and wine tasting seminars with sommelier Dan Amatuzzi, Eataly's Wine Director. He's given olive oil seminars at Eataly, NYU, and Columbia University, and worked with big-name chefs to dream up olive oil tasting menus. Last year, Coleman graduated Summa Cum Laude as a certified technical olive oil taster from ONAOO (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Olio di Oliva, or the The National Organization of Olive Oil Tasters), Italy's premier olive oil tasting school. In other words, when it comes to olive oil, Coleman is the man. We spoke to Coleman about his passion for the lordly lipid (his term) and how to choose and taste the best olive oil at home.
[Photograph: Brent Herrig] What made you pursue a life in olive oil? After graduating college, I took a trip from the Arctic Circle in Finland down to the Sahara Desert in Africa with nothing more than a backpack. I wound up in Italy in late October during the olive harvest, and an old friend put me in contact with Nadia Gasperini Rossi, who is a master oil producer just outside the town of Arezzo Mulinmaria. Together we harvested and cleaned olives by hand. When I asked her why she didn't sell her oil, she said with great satisfaction, "My olives are like my children...and you can't expect me to sell my children." Harvesting and pressing oil with Nadia was amazing. I began to returned annually to Tuscany for the harvest, and over the years Nadia has become my mentor. So how did you go from a kid with olive oil wanderlust to being an olive oil big wig? I brought Nadia's olive oil to O&CO., the oil specialty store in Grand Central Terminal, and convinced the manager to taste it. She offered me a position. When I went to check out Eataly's grand opening, I noticed they had an incredible selection of single estate Italian oils. People seemed overwhelmed by the sheer number. I showed up the next day introduced myself to Mario Batali, who was hanging out in the olive oil section. He hired me on the spot and I started a few weeks later as Eataly's resident oleologist. What about olive oil lights you up? It's king of the Italian pantry and the backbone of the Mediterranean cuisine. If you have a quality bottle of extra virgin olive oil, you only need a few simple ingredients to make a truly delicious meal. It's the ultimate sauce. For the most part America is an olive oil desert, and it's exciting to be part of changing that. Olive oil is going to be the next big thing for the American people. It's where cheese was 20 years, and wine was 40 years ago. Almost all supermarket olive oil is adulterated—it's simply not what it says it is. The more Americans choose fresh, quality oil, the more we are sending a message to the industry that we will no longer tolerate defective oil being labeled as extra virgin and sold in our supermarkets. The American people deserve the real thing.
Coleman tasting oils. [Photograph: courtesy Nicholas Coleman] What's one question everyone asks about olive oil? People tend to ask: 'What's the best olive oil?' There is no single best olive oil. That's why tasting is so important. What speaks to you? The proof is in the taste. I try to get people to think about olive oil like they do about wine—consider the harvest date and when it was bottled, the olive cultivars its composed of, and the region from which it came. It matters what you will serve it with, and of course your palate matters, what you love. How does one taste olive oil? Olive oil should be tasted alone, like any ingredient. At official tastings, we use opaque, blue stemless glasses. The color of the glass keeps tasters from being influenced by the color of the oil. The glass's shape is meant to fit perfectly in the palm of a hand, so we can warm the oil and release its aromas. Once you warm the oil, stick your nose in the glass and take a big whiff. So much of what we taste comes from its smell. Then slurp a bit of olive oil as you would wine, coating the whole mouth—aerate it to allow the full flavor to emulsify and develop. Swallowing is important, too. A peppery burn in the back of the throat is caused by oleocanthal, which is a powerful antioxidant. The more of that tingle you experience, the higher the presence of antioxidants in the oil. We refer to that sensation as pungency. What else do you taste for? First, we're looking for the absence of defects. A common defect is riscaldo. The best translation is "fusty," and this happens when olives have been piled up and sit around for too long after harvest, before they are pressed. Without oxygen flow, the olives start to undergo anaerobic fermentation. When oil sits in vats for too long, particles of the olive can degrade the oil, causing the defect known as muddy sediment. Grubby oils occur when the olive fly infests the fruit while its still on the tree. Rancidity happens as olive oil ages and becomes oxidized. Then we taste for attributes, the smells and flavors that make oil great. Oils can taste of green apple skin, fresh cut grass, banana, pine nuts, almonds, green tomato. They can be wonderfully bitter and pungent. These are the things that make olive oil interesting and unique.
[Photograph: Brent Herrig] Do you have to have an expert palate to taste for these things? You don't have to be an expert to taste olive oil. Good olive will taste good! If you can taste the difference between clean water and dirty water, you can taste olive oil. We taste olive oil independent of food to get insight into how it will function in a dish. Olive oil goes well with all food, but tasting the oil on its own can trigger ideas about how to cook it, serve it, and pair it. What does "extra virgin" actually mean? To be classified as extra virgin, an olive oil must have less than 0.8% acidity and no sensory defects as judged by a panel of certified, technical olive oil tasters. So it doesn't mean that it necessarily tastes exceptional, just that it's not riddled with defects. Are early harvest oils better? They're different. They're more expensive to produce. Young olives are more flavorful, but yield less oil. All olives begin their life green, and turn a dark purple over time. The color of the olive directly reflects its stage of maturation. The earlier the olive is harvested, the more robust its oil will be. Later harvest oils are mellower. Someone hands me a bottle of olive oil. What do I look for? Three things: the harvest date, where it comes from (this means the specific region, not just the country), and the cultivars, or what olives the oil is composed of. If these essential elements are missing, it doesn't speak well to the quality of the oil or the producer. You want to choose olive oil from the most recent harvest. In the northern hemisphere, olives are harvested in the fall. In Tuscany, harvest begins somewhere at the end of October and continues into November. So right now, the freshest oils are from the 2012 harvest. Like with wine, different seasons and different years make for unique oils. But unlike wine, fresher is better. Like fresh fruit juice, oil does not improve with age. Once you open a bottle, try to go through it in 60 days. Keep it somewhere cool—not near your stove. The best conditions are those of a wine cellar, with protection from heat and light.
Coleman teaching a group of chefs at Del Posto in NYC. [Photograph: courtesy Nicholas Coleman] Oils of dubious origin will sometimes say "Product of Italy" on their labels. They might be a blend of oils from all over the world, simply bottled and shipped out of Italy. Good olive oils nearly always state the specific region they were produced in. No one country has a monopoly on quality olive oil. There are world-caliber oils being made in Australia, North and South America, North and South Africa, and of course the Mediterranean. The true beauty of olive oil is in its regional diversity. Different microclimates and growing conditions get expressed through the oil. Do oils from a specific region share a motif? Like wine, the terroir matters a lot and influences everything about the oil. Oils from the Liguria and northern Italy tend to be light, buttery, and sweet. They work well for delicate dishes, and won't overpower vegetables, fish, eggs, or potatoes. They are perfect for pesto. These oils tend to support other flavors without overcrowding flavor real estate. Oils from Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio in central Italy are more assertive and bitter, with a peppery finish. They often taste like freshly-cut grass. They are great for steak and soup. Is cooking with olive oil okay? Olive oil has a smoking point of about 400 degrees, which is quite high for cooking at home. My advice is to put oil in a cold pan and warm it slowly, simmering it gently, so that you don't destroy the oil's flavor. Cook with a mid-priced oil, and save your expensive oil for drizzling and finishing. Have a few oils in your arsenal, for different purposes and recipes. But wait, there's more! Follow Serious Eats on Facebook, Twitter and Pintrest! About the author: Hannah Howard is a food writer who spent her formative years eating, drinking, serving, bartending, hostessing, cooking, and managing restaurants. She now writes about delicious things for a living, for great places like Fairway Market.    |
| Great Breakfast Cheese Straws and Glazed Brioche at Silver Moon Bakery Posted: 11 Jul 2013 11:24 AM PDT [Photograph: Niko Triantafillou] Silver Moon Bakery is perhaps best known for making excellent breads. Two years ago their baguette was judged to be the best in New York City, and we think it's still way up on the list today. Though they do sell a few fancy French pastries, I believe their very best products contain more flour than buttercream. Here are two bread-based items from Silver Moon, one savory, one sweet. The Cheddar Chive Breakfast Swirl ($2.95) is a top tier cheese-and-herb baked item. Too often, cheese-based biscuits and scones are weak on flavor, undersalted, and generally lacking in cheesiness. That is not the case here. The swirl has a sharp cheddar flavor that separates it from the pack. Pungent chives are also present in every bite. A salty finish and crispy top layer completes the breadstick, and it's small enough to to tackle in one sitting. Glazed Brioche starts with a perfect execution of a classic French brioche. The interior is soft and uniform, and there's a hint of sweetness and buttery aroma. The lightly browned crust gets a thin layer of sugar glaze. if you like a classic French brioche but find them a little boring, you won't be disappointed with this jazzed up, glazed version. About the author: Native New Yorker Niko Triantafillou is the founder of DessertBuzz.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @DessertBuzz.    |
| Sugar Rush: Honey Lavender Scone at Little Flower Candy Co., Pasadena, CA Posted: 11 Jul 2013 11:35 AM PDT In a few short years, Christine Moore's sea salt caramels became an iconic candy of Los Angeles. When she opened the Little Flower Candy Co. Café in Pasadena, Christine proved her prowess extended well beyond her wax paper wrapped caramels. The bakery and café serve an array of sweet and savory baked goods. I haven't had a misstep, but for me, one rises to the top: the Honey Lavender Scone ($2.50). The scone is buttery with a relatively dry crumb. The salty-sweet body is balanced with perfumed icing and dusty blue lavender buds. Though lavender can teeter dangerously close to the flavor of laundry, the light candy crunch of the floral icing is akin to the shell of Les Anis de Flavigny's pastilles. The lavender is complemented by the hint of honey, whose warm floral air permeates each hunk of candied scone. Little Flower Candy Co .1424 W Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91105 (map)626-304-4800; littleflowercandyco.com
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| Gadgets: The WhipStir, a Double-Sided Whisk Posted: 09 Jul 2013 03:26 PM PDT Everyone needs a whisk, right? And these days, it's not a bad idea to have a coated whisk for use in nonstick cookware. There are plenty of whisks from so many different gadget manufacturers. And they're pretty much all the same, right? Mostly. What makes the WhipStir 2-in-1 Whisk ($14.99) from Chef'n different from the competition is that it's a double-sided whisk. Instead of a traditional handle, the smaller end is a hard plastic whisk while the larger end is flexible coated wire. My first thought when I saw this was that it might be awkward to hold, but since the smaller end is hard plastic, it's not that different from holding the handle of any other whisk. Holding the larger end to use the small whisk doesn't feel odd either. It might be less comfortable than a traditional handle if you're whisking something for a long time, but you probably wouldn't use a small whisk for that purpose. When I use a small whisk I'm usually doing something quick like mixing some cornstarch and water in a small bowl or mixing a small amount of dry ingredients, not making whipped cream. It's hard to muster up a lot of enthusiasm for a whisk, either pro or con. Whisks have been around for a long time, and unless you do a lot of hand whisking, there's probably not that much difference between them once you've decided whether you need a coated whisk or not. The bonus here is that you get two whisks in one tool—nice for starter kitchens, people with limited storage space, or those who need an extra whisk and like the idea of two tools in one. About the author: Resident yeast whisperer and bread baking columnist Donna Currie also has a serious gadget habit. When her father-in-law heard about this column, he upgraded the nickname for her kitchen from "gadget world" to "gadget heaven." You can find her on her blog, Cookistry or follow her on Twitter at @dbcurrie. Disclaimer: Testing samples were provided to Serious Eats.    |
| First Look: Block + Tackle, A Modern Fish House in Portland, Oregon Posted: 11 Jul 2013 12:05 PM PDT  VIEW SLIDESHOW: First Look: Block + Tackle, A Modern Fish House in Portland, Oregon [Photographs: Kirsten Saladow] Portland blinked and a ramen hub became a fish house. Chef Trent Pierce's ramen spot Wafu was incredibly popular in its SE Division Street home, but Pierce was aching to try something different. "My heart just wasn't in Wafu," he said. "It was a conceptual restaurant." So Pierce took the space and transformed it into Block + Tackle, a seafood restaurant rooted in his personal history. In the sixties and early seventies, Pierce's family owned a fish house called the River Queen in downtown Portland. Look around closely in Block + Tackle, and you'll notice that the light blue walls are dotted with black and white photographs snapped from Pierce's childhood, mostly taken at the Oregon coast. Other nautical touches float throughout the space: a refurbished boat steering wheel here, a hand-drawn seascape on the chalkboard oyster list there. Even the back of the bar is lit with an aquamarine glow. Block + Tackle isn't Pierce's first shot at serving Portland seafood; in 2010 he opened a modern take on fish called Fin to much fanfare, but the restaurant didn't last long. This time, Pierce tested the waters in the back space of Block + Tackle (then Wafu) with an exclusive and special-occassion small restaurant called Roe, which is open just three days a week. "The response from Portland has been great," says Pierce. "Diners have really been open to me pushing the envelope with seafood." The menu, which features seafood dishes and a few salads, has some staples like a Fish Sandwich ($11) with pickled ramps and tartar sauce, and Clam Chowder ($7) with house-made oyster crackers. European influences appear throughout, like the Clams and Chorizo ($12) in saffron white wine broth, and the Grilled Octopus Salad ($12) with chickpeas, frisee, and a Sherry vinaigrette. When asked about the decision to have an all-seafood menu, Pierce replied with a shrug and a smile, "We originally had a steak on there, but just no one seemed interested." Block + Tackle3113 SE Division St Portland, OR 97202 (map) About the author: Kat Vetrano currently lives in Portland, Oregon where she's eating her way through food carts, farmers markets and pho joints. Follow her on Twitter @kat707    |
| Shake Shack Coming to Paramus, NJ, This Fall Posted: 11 Jul 2013 09:40 AM PDT Having been to Stacks, I'm pretty sure Shake Shack is a bagillion percent improvement. [Photograph: Robyn Lee] Paramus, New Jersey, is racking up the fast-casual burger choices with Smashburger, Bobby's Burger Palace, Steak 'n Shake Signature, Bucu, and soon, Shake Shack. Shake Shack is opening it's first New Jersey location in Paramus this fall, reports NorthJersey.com. It'll be located at 479 Route 17 South (map), formerly the home of the pancake-centric restaurant Stacks. About the author: Robyn Lee is the editor of A Hamburger Today and takes many of the photos for Serious Eats. She'll also doodle cute stuff when necessary. Read more from Robyn at her personal food blog, The Girl Who Ate Everything. Love hamburgers? Then you'll Like AHT on Facebook! And go follow us on Twitter and Pinterest while you're at it!    |
| A Sandwich a Day: Pork Loin Sandwich at Table, Donkey and Stick Posted: 11 Jul 2013 10:44 AM PDT [Photograph: Amber Gibson] Several friends suggested that I check Table, Donkey and Stick out, saying that it would remind me of my days in Germany. While I've heard great things about their charcuterie and cheese plates, I was in the mood for something a little heartier and preferably served warm for abendbrot. There are a couple interesting sandwiches on the menu, and I chose the pork loin sandwich ($13), which features several layers of sliced pork loin with Taleggio cheese on a housemade buckwheat baguette, the same bread the charcuterie "wanderteller" is served with. I loved the pork flavor and how the meat seemed to fall apart in my mouth. There were plenty of fatty bits and the sandwich was definitely a little greasy, but not too much. Let's just say I was careful to Instagram before picking up the sandwich and taking a bite. A little dijon mustard and thin pieces of pickled rhubarb cut through the pork fat nicely. Alongside the sandwich was a marinated kale and white bean salad, which added nice texture and nutrients. Much as I liked the pork loin, I think I liked my friend's smoked chicken sandwich ($13) even more. Pity I didn't take a photo. We ended up going halfsies on our sandwiches and I'm glad we did. I loved the sunflower oat bread, which reminded me so strongly of the Sonnenblumenbrot and Dreikornbrot I adored so much as a student studying abroad in Hannover. I used to love eating these breads once they'd been sitting out for several days and started hardening. Table, Donkey and Stick achieved the same crunchy but toothsome effect by toasting their sandwich bread. The best German breads give my jaw a good workout. Here, smoked chicken was topped with pickled sunchoke for a sour crunch, and the bread was smeared with sage pesto , definitely not something I might find in Germany or Vienna. I think Table, Donkey and Stick is doing great things with traditional German and Austrian flavors and dishes, but adding their own flair to create a type of cuisine that is unlike anything else I've had in Chicago. They have created a strong identity for themselves and I'm looking forward to returning soon. Table, Donkey and Stick2728 W Armitage Ave., Chicago, IL 60647 (map)    |
| How To Make Mexican Street Corn (Elotes) Posted: 11 Jul 2013 10:17 AM PDT [Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt] This is the best way to serve corn, period. I know that's a bold statement, but it's one I've backed up with years of detailed scientific studies into the eating habits of my wife and the occasional friend or neighbor. I've calculated to several decimal places exactly how much faster the average ear of corn cooked in this manner disappears from the table and down the gullet of an unsuspecting dinner guest than an ear of corn cooked through other means, cross-referencing and controlling for seasonality, the °Bx of the corn, and the starting appetite of the diner. I've conducted blind, double-blind, and even triple blind* taste tests and ran the results through sophisticated analysis algorithms I had specially programmed. *That's when even the corn doesn't know it's being eaten. As luck would have it, I've since lost all of this data in an unfortunate diving accident (note: never attempt to free dive without rubber pants your size), but believe me when I tell you that I have rigorously proven this corn to be more delicious than any other. Don't believe me? Just try out this recipe risk-free. If you are in anyway unsatisfied, I offer a 100 percent, no-questions-asked, money-back guarantee.* *Cost of time, ingredients, internet connection fees, paper, printer ink, gas, coal, cooking equipment, beers, or any other costs with actual monetary value not included. The basic premise is to start out with really great grilled corn, already unarguably* one of the most delicious things on the face of the planet. There are many ways to grill corn, but in this case, you want to go with fully shucked cobs, cooked directly over very hot coals. If all goes well, the corn should be completely cooked through just as it begins to char, rendering each kernel bursting with sweet juice with a rich, nutty flavor from the toasting. *To the wiseguy trying to argue with the unarguable right now: you're fooling no one. Next up, you'll want to combine a few more delicious things together. Cotija cheese, crumbled finely (if you can't find it, a good crumbly feta will do well), Mexican cream (or sour cream), mayonnaise, garlic, cilantro, and powdered chili. There are those strange folks out there who can't seem to stomach mayonnaise or mayonnaise-slathered food. To those, I would first suggest attempting to try to start thinking about finding more joy in your life, then immediately follow it up by filling their mouths with deliciously saucy grilled corn before they can begin to argue otherwise. The most delicious thing about all those delicious ingredients is that they become even more delicious when you combine them all together into a creamy sauce. Want to know how to take what's already more delicious and turn it into something that's more than more delicious? Slather more delicious item A over more delicious item B to create more more delicious item C. A + B = C, but magically, C > A + B. That's the magic of synergy in foods, and it comes out in spades in this recipe. The final result is sweet, salty, savory, creamy, nutty, and—with the help of a squeeze of lime—tart. To my mind, it's the very best way to get a taste of summer. Gloriously drippy, fat-smothered summer. When I make corn like this, I plan on at least an ear and a half per person, though realistically, it's better to go with two, it's that darn delicious. And if you're in the mood for something a bit more demure, you can always go the fork-and-plate route by making esquites, a close cousin to this dish, and equally delicious.* *How can the most delicious way to eat corn be just as delicious as a different way to eat corn? Because they're both the most delicious way. Just go with it. Get The RecipeMexican Street Corn (Elotes) » About the author: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is the Chief Creative Officer of Serious Eats where he likes to explore the science of home cooking in his weekly column The Food Lab. You can follow him at @thefoodlab on Twitter, or at The Food Lab on Facebook. Get the Recipe!    |
| How to Make (and Use) Apricot Liqueur at Home Posted: 11 Jul 2013 12:25 PM PDT [Photographs: Autumn Giles] After coming across many classic cocktail recipes calling for apricot brandy or apricot liqueur—and feeling underwhelmed by the most widely available retail options—I set out to make my own. My first instinct, especially at this time of year when apricots are coming into season, was to cover some fruit with some booze and be done with it. However, while researching recipe inspiration, I found enough that called for dried apricots to make me curious. So, I tested a number of variables and scheduled a pretty serious apricot liqueur tasting session to determine the best method. Homemade Apricot LiqueurBefore I tasted any of my homemade apricot liqueur trials, my money was on an infusion of fresh apricots with the pits included. But I wanted to be sure I had the best possible liqueur method, aiming to figure out if fresh or dry apricots were best, if the apricot pits added anything to the flavor, and whether adding the sweetener before or after the infusion period was better. I used Tito's vodka in four different test infusions: I was surprised by the results. As much as I wanted my liqueur to be a celebration of seasonal fruit, dried apricots turned out to be a necessary inclusion. Even in season, fresh apricots can be a bit inconsistent and sometimes bland, and my infusions using exclusively fresh fruit ended up with a nicely tart, but pretty one-note flavor. The dried apricots provided balance and brought in the sort of round sweetness that we typically associate with apricots once they're cooked. I liked the bitter nuttiness that adding an apricot pit gave the infusion, but it really changed the character of the final liqueur, overshadowing the fruit in a way that kept my final product from screaming 'APRICOTS!'. If you're looking for a fruit-forward infusion, I'd advise leaving the pits out. I discovered in my tests that adding the simple syrup early resulted in a slightly less flavorful final product. I would guess this is because the syrup lowers the proof of the alcohol (and the higher the proof, the better flavors infuse). So, our final winning recipe: a 50/50 mix of fresh and dried apricots, no pits, and simple syrup to sweeten after the infusion is done. How best to enjoy the results? Well, cocktails, of course! Here are two recipes that will help your homemade apricot liqueur shine. Apricot AviationThe classic Aviation includes Crème de Violette, which gives the cocktail its quintessential pale, sky-blue color. But here, I swapped it out for homemade apricot liqueur, which comes together with London dry gin, fresh lemon, and Maraschino for a result that highlights all the best parts of summer stone fruits. It has a bit of pucker, but still has the honeyed flavor of apricots, rounded out by the bitter almond flavor of the Maraschino. Apricot and Averna Bourbon SourMaybe it's just my tastebuds, but I often find sours much too—well—sour. With bourbon and apricot liqueur as the base spirits, this drink is just a touch more sweet than a traditional bourbon sour. Averna adds complex flavors of citrus and mint, a hint of bitter bite and richness that complements the whiskey, while lemon juice keeps everything in balance. About the Author: Autumn Giles is a writer in Queens, NY. You can see her work on Autumn Makes & Does, listen to her talk on the Alphabet Soup Podcast, and talk at her on Twitter. Recipes!    |
| Video: The Indonesian Food Bazaar in Astoria, Queens Posted: 11 Jul 2013 08:49 AM PDT Editor's Note: Welcome to a new episode of 1 Minute Meal, a series of video snapshots documenting the places, people, and foods that make New York a vibrant food community.
Gado-Gado ladies at Astoria's Indonesian Food Bazaar. [Photograph: James Boo] Masjid Al-Hikmah, a mosque in Astoria, is well known as a hub of New York's Indonesian Muslim community. Since 2005, however, its reputation as a house of worship has been matched by its reputation for hosting one of the city's most mouth-watering food events: the Indonesian Food Bazaar. Taking place several times throughout the warm-weather season, the Bazaar brings Indonesian home cooks—including a merry band of women who make the city's best gado-gado on behalf of the mosque—out of the woodwork to celebrate Indonesian cuisine. In this episode, Masjid treasurer Ade Hadiz lays out the impact of the event, which has been embraced by food enthusiasts from all over New York. Masjid Al-Hikmah48-01 31st Avenue, Astoria, NY 11103 (map) Previously on 1 Minute MealThe Lemon Ice King of Corona, a Queens Classic >> About the author: James Boo has been a Serious Eats contributor since 2010. Working as a freelance journalist, he is also the founder of Real Cheap Eats and a documentarian. Check out his food-and-travel blog, The Eaten Path, for more journeys to the real meal.    |
| Milwaukee: Drive-Ins Big Star and The Spot Dominate Kenosha Burger Scene Posted: 11 Jul 2013 07:22 AM PDT [Photographs: Lacey Muszynski] Big Star vs. The SpotCooking Method: Griddled The heyday of drive-ins may be decades in the past, but drive-in culture still flourishes in Kenosha, a far-out suburb of Milwaukee. There are at least four old fashioned burger drive-ins still operating, and most have been operating for over 40 years. In most cases, the appeal comes from the throw-back car-hop service, nostalgia, and cheap-as-dirt prices. I enjoy all three of those, so I decided to visit two of the most popular drive-ins and see if the burgers stand up for themselves or if nostalgia carries most of the weight. Big Star's double cheeseburger. The first stop was Big Star. Their burgers come in various sizes, starting at the small size of about 1.5 ounces in the standard "hamburger" and going up to quarter-pound and half-pound patties. I ordered a double cheeseburger with fried onions ($2.29) and a half-pound cheeseburger with the works ($4.60). Big Star's double cheeseburger innards. The patties on the regular cheeseburger were pretty comparable in size to McDonald's, if not slightly smaller. There wasn't much crust or char on them, unfortunately, so they were a bit bland. Interestingly, the cheese they use is Cheez Whiz. It had the disconcerting tendency to disintegrate into vaguely creamy stuff and seemingly disappear into the meat while I was eating the burger. At least the fried onions had some nice caramelized bits and made the burger more interesting. Big Star's half-pound burger with the works. The works really did the half-pound burger in. It was a soggy mess, especially for eating in the car. The beef tasted the same as the smaller burger, just in larger quantity, which wasn't necessarily a good thing since it was pretty bland. Big Star's fried cheese curds. What stood out the most at Big Star was their fried cheese curds ($3.45). They were actual curds, so they retained their sponginess (really, the only situation where "spongy" is a complimentary food adjective). Fries ($1.75) were crinkle cut and really dried out. Definitely stick to the fried cheese. Their homemade root beer was also a little bland, just like the burgers. The Spot's single cheeseburger. Stop two was The Spot. Overall, I'd choose the Spot over Big Star. Their baseline single cheeseburger ($3.09) is more expensive than Big Star's, but it also has a larger patty. The real standout of The Spot over Big Star was that the burger patties had a crust from the flattop. That added a lot or flavor—as did the salt they seasoned the meat with. American slices were the cheese of choice, and I found them to have a better texture than the Whiz. When I ordered my cheeseburger with onions though, I got raw, so if you want fried, be sure to specify. The Spot's Spotwurst Supreme. One new special burger on their menu, the Spotwurst Supreme ($6.29), was composed of, as our car hop put it, "a brat patty, cheese, bacon, burger, bacon, cheese, bacony cheese burger brat." She summed it up nicely, really. The brat patty was seasoned aggressively and held its own against all that bacon, cheese, and beef. The bun held up pretty well, too. This is a monster sandwich. The Spot's sides. Points for the sides goes to The Spot, too. Fries ($2.39) here were much better, though they lacked salt. Our tray was brought with a salt shaker, so it appears they let customers season themselves. Onion rings ($2.39) were delicious. The breading was super crunchy and the onion was soft enough that it didn't come out of the breading after one bite. The root beer whirl is like a mixed root beer float, made with their homemade root beer. It was thinner than a shake but delicious anyway. They also make their own orange soda. It tasted like a Dreamsicle, heavy on the vanilla. The Spot won this Kenosha drive-ins food war. Both have been around for decades, and Big Star was much busier than The Spot, so clearly people enjoy both places. I have a feeling they'll both be around for a long time. About the author: Lacey Muszynski is an editor, freelance writer and restaurant reviewer from Milwaukee, WI. When she's not burgerblogging on AHT, she might be updating her food blog, making fun of the Food Network, or wondering what her art degree has to do with all of this. Her idols growing up included Martin Yan, Chairman Kaga, and whoever was on Great Chefs, Great Cities that day. Love hamburgers? Then you'll Like AHT on Facebook! And go follow us on Twitter and Pinterest while you're at it!    |
| Boston, MA: Ice Cream Sandwiches at the Frozen Hoagies Truck Posted: 11 Jul 2013 08:55 AM PDT Black raspberry and chocolate caramel Chilly Cow custards with chocolate chip cookies. [Photograph: Liz Bomze] You're familiar with fro-yo. This is fro-ho*. Or more formally, Frozen Hoagies. The ice cream sandwich truck shuttles between the Charlestown Naval Yard and Cleveland Circle, making several downtown stops in between where it sells homemade cookies (available large or small, called "sliders") packed around thick scoops of Chilly Cow frozen custard. A home run concept, to say the least. Chilly Cow is great stuff: dense, satiny, with clean, true dairy flavor. I think the Arlington-based creamery gives the local ice cream joints a run for their money, and that's saying a lot for a shop that shares its local clientele with Toscanini's and Christina's. Frozen Hoagies stocks about a dozen flavors. Chocolate caramel is pretty great; black raspberry is exceptionally good. I wasn't as impressed with the chocolate chip cookies, but that's because to me, cookies built for sandwiches should be wide and flat and provide some good crunch. These are on the squatter side with a cakey center that I don't prefer when I've got a thick, creamy filling. (Admittedly, I'm generally just a crunchy, not chewy cookie kinda girl, so take my assessment with a grain of salt.) And yet, they taste pretty good and capably serve their purpose of acting like edible bookends. Bottom line: Frozen Hoagies is a keeper. Maybe next time I'll try the Heath Bar cookies; where there's toffee, there's usually good crunch. *Wish I'd come up with the cheeky nickname, but I gratefully borrowed it from a Yelper. Frozen HoagiesLocations vary; check the website for details frozenhoagies.com About the author: Liz Bomze lives in Brookline, MA, and works as the Senior Features Editor for Cook's Illustrated Magazine. In her free time, she freelances regularly for the Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, the Improper Bostonian, and Martha's Vineyard Magazine; practices bread-baking and canning; takes photos; reads; and watches baseball. Top 5 foods: fresh noodles, gravlax, sour cherry pie, burrata, ma po tofu.    |
| Top This: Eggplant Parmesan Pizza (à la Pitfire Artisan Pizza) Posted: 11 Jul 2013 08:08 AM PDT  VIEW SLIDESHOW: Top This: Eggplant Parmesan Pizza (à la Pitfire Artisan Pizza) As summer rolls in, Pitfire Artisan Pizza rolls out its new seasonal menu, peppered with farmers market favorites. I took an immediate liking to the Eggplant Parmesan Pizza; though the name evokes warm, heavy comfort food, Pitfire takes a lighter approach to the hefty nightshade. At the base of the pie are translucent sheets of grilled eggplant, aubergine skin peeking out from beneath the blanket of blistered cheese and sweet cherry tomatoes. Executive Chef Andrew Lakin—who recently joined the Pitfire team after stints at The W Westwood and Gjelina—walks us though the making of this summery pie. What You'll Need
Pitfire Artisan PizzaMultiple Locations throughout Southern California About the author: Kelly Bone lives in Los Angeles writing The Vegetarian Foodie. She spends the rest of her time designing office cubicles... you might be sitting in one right now! Follow her on Twitter at @TheVegFoodie    |
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