BBQ Sauce

We made pulled pork again. This time around I thought it would be nice to kick things up a notch and make our own bbq sauce. These days it seems like everyone and their momma has a bbq sauce, many recipes are closely guarded secrets and equally as many are available for imitation. There is a seemingly infinite combination of bbq sauce regions, flavors, consistencies, special ingredients and cooking methods. To cut through the noise I turned to my most trusted source in the culinary world: America’s Test Kitchen. America’s Test Kitchen is a long running PBS program that takes a scientific approach to crafting a recipe. They test out all of the leading recipes and techniques for a particular dish and create a hybrid recipe from the best results. If you are not watching you are missing out.

My slightly augmented version of their bbq sauce recipe:

1 yellow onion, fine mince

4 cups chicken broth, low sodium

1 cup dark corn syrup

1 cup root beer

1 cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup tomato paste

½ cup molasses

½ cup ketchup

2 tbsp Gulden’s mustard

1 tbsp Tabasco sauce

½ tsp garlic powder

1. Heat vegetable oil in large saucepan, large enough to hold the 9 or so cups of ingredients
2. Cook onion over medium heat until soft and translucent, 10-15 minutes
3. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil
4. Reduce heat to little less than medium and simmer uncovered until sauce has reduced by half, 1-1.5 hours

H2Oh No

It’s heat wave season. If you are like me, it is the season of sweating profusely while doing any sort of outdoor activity. In response to the increased perspiration I follow the advice given since the first day of T-ball: drink plenty of water to rehydrate.  The other day I noticed that I drank the entire Brita pitcher during the course of some afternoon chores and began wondering if it was a bit excessive, after all everyone’s herd the stories of people dying from drinking too much water. So I did a little research and discovered you can in the rarest of cases die from too much water, it’s called water intoxication.

Basically water intoxication occurs when someone drinks so much water that electrolytes, namely sodium, in the body become so diluted that the body fails on a cellular level. Sodium is used by the body to regulate blood pressure and muscle function. Cells maintain a specific level of sodium concentration by moving water (which contains sodium) in and out of the cell. If someone has taken on excessive amounts of water in a short amount of time without replacing any electrolytes, cells will attempt to increase sodium levels by taking in large amounts of the diluted water. Since the sodium levels in the water is so low, cells will continue taking in water to reach their desired  sodium level and as a result cells swell in size.

Many cells can accommodate swelling and easily expand, but brain cells confined by the skull cannot. This leads to water intoxication whose symptoms are similar to alcohol intoxication including nausea, altered mental state, headaches, muscle weakness and vomiting. In rare cases brain swelling can lead to brain cells actually bursting. Extreme and untreated cases of water intoxication can result in coma and death.

Don’t be worried, death by water intoxication is exceedingly rare in daily life and reserved for the most extreme cases. One would have to go out of their way to drink a hugely uncomfortable amount of water without taking in any sodium (salt NaCl).  In distance sports water intoxication it is a known risk and distance athletes replace electrolytes by drinking sports drinks.

For some extreme examples in water intoxication we turn to the fraternity system which has provided us with so many good examples of the dregs of human behavior over the years. A freshman pledge of Psi Epsilon Chi at SUNY Plattsburgh, was forced to drink gallons of water through a funnel, after a 10 day pledge binge which caused his brain to swell and lead to his death.  A junior at Chico State was forced to drink excessive amounts of water while performing calisthenics in a frigid basement as part of initiation rites. He collapsed and died of heart failure due to water intoxication.

Water intoxication is easily treated if discovered with IV fluids and even more easily avoided by consuming electrolytes. So drink as much as you need to stay hydrated this summer, water intoxication shouldn’t be an issue unless you are a triathlete or a frat boy.

Lamb Kebabs with Piri Piri Rub and Chacalaka

It's easy to get in habit of using the same recipes over and over again. This isn't a bad thing of course, where would we be without Nana's pizza and cookies, Mom's chicken ziti broccoli, or Dad's pancakes? It's amazing when you prepare a recipe so many times that you can leave the grocery list at home, and cook whatever it may be with ease and finesse.

Although we absolutely love our usual lamb kebabs with chana masala meal, we agreed it was time to try something new considering we purchase the meat at least twice a week during the summer. Chuck gave the go-ahead and I immediately began flipping through the extensive Planet Barbecue! by Steven Raichlen and found exactly what I was looking for: another unique lamb kebab recipe, but with a different spice blend and a new side.

For this meal, we still serve it with a side of jasmine rice and some naan. The marinade for the lamb is very spicy, and is still best cooked over the grill on a stick. The chacalaka, or spicy tomato relish, also has a bit of a kick so if you aren't into hot and spicy food I do not recommend this recipe for you. Both dishes originate from South Africa.

If you have leftover chacalaka, cover it and put it in the fridge. I've been using it quite often as a salsa with pita chips. It is so clean, healthy, and incredibly tasty. It is also great to serve with most grilled meats.

Both recipes are from Planet Barbecue! by Steven Raichlen

Piri Piri Lamb Kebabs (serves approximately 3-4 people)
1.5 pounds lamb kebabs (or goat if you can find it!)
1 large sweet onion (sliced)
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Skewers (if they are wooden skewers, make sure you soak them for at least an hour before putting them on the grill)

Combine all spices. Put lamb kebabs in a Ziploc bag, pour in spices and drizzle with vegetable oil. Seal the bag and coat lamb with the spice mixture. Let this sit in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.

Remove lamb from the Ziploc bag and skewer, alternating onion slice with lamb. Grill for approximately 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare to medium. Test doneness by cutting lamb with a knife, or use a thermometer and follow this cooking temperature chart.

Chacalaka (aka Spicy Tomato Relish)
1 large or 2 medium ripe red tomatoes (diced, you do not need to discard the juices and seeds - keep them for the relish)
½ large sweet onion (diced)
1-2 jalapeno peppers (minced) - remove the seeds for a milder salsa
Juice from ½ lemon (optional)
1 teaspoon coarse salt

After everything is chopped up, combine all ingredients in a bowl and season with salt to taste.

Zakarian v. Clime

TWSF and Chef Zakarian

Over the weekend I was invited to be a local blogger judge for the Cadillac Challenge in Reston Town Center. The other blogger tagged along and was able to steal both a judges seat and some of my thunder when one of the other judges did not show up.

The competition featured Chef Geoffrey Zakarian of Food Network fame (including Chopped and Iron Chef) and Chef Christopher Clime of local fame (most recently Passionfish). Chef Zakarian made a deliciously light white gazpacho and peekytoe crab salad, it was amazing how the gazpacho was creamy even though there was no cream in the recipe. Chef Clime did a jumbo lump crab cake with sweet corn chow-chow, he constructed the best crab cake I have ever eaten.

TWSF and Chef Clime

I voted for the crabcake the other two judges went with the gazpacho. Both dishes were amazing but I found the non-cooking aspects of the competition the most interesting.

Although the requirements of a judge were minimal (state your name and a vote by show of hands) I was taken by surprise when the host suddenly put the microphone in my face and the camera turned to me. I was only able muster up a few pathetic culinary insights including "its all gone so it must be good" and "its going to be a tough decision." I was caught off guard, panicked and began speaking in cliches like an athlete during a halftime interview. Being witty at home in front of your computer in your underwear is much easier than ad-libbing in front of a crowd and camera.

The difference was also noticeable between the two chefs, Chef Clime was very good as he described his dish and process, but he lacked the pedigree that comes with a Food Network education. Chef Zakarian's charisma, interaction with the crowd, timing and comedic sensibilities were more refined than his gazpacho recipe. He really did a good job working the room and you could see why he would be asked to do TV.

The best part of the event was talking with the chefs after the competition and got some insider information. Chef Zakarian was wearing band-aides all over his hands because he had filmed an episode of Iron Chef the night before and cut himself hacking at some meat. Confidentiality agreements prevented us from learning who the winner was. We spoke with Chef Clime about his restaurants and the recent closing of TenPenh. He told us that the FBI wants to keep the area around Pennsylvania and 10th next to the J Edgar Hoover building as  deserted as possible even going as far as to limit street lighting to create a dark and deserted corner of the city. TenPenh struggled with the low foot traffic and inability for patrons to catch a cab (it is a pain at night) and eventually closed. He said that our favorite restaurant, Central, is struggling with similar issues.

All in all the Cadillac was a great experience, we cant wait to try these recipes and work on our on-camera banter.



Chef Geoffrey Zakarian
White Gazpacho and Peekytoe Crab Salad

Gazpacho

• 1/4 cup fennel, large dice
• 1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and seeded
• 1/4 cup seedless green grapes
• 1/4 cup toasted Marcona almonds
• 1 oz white verjus
• 1 oz sherry vinegar
• 2 tbsp simple syrup
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt to taste

Crab Salad Garnish

• 8 oz peekytoe crab, shell fragments discarded
• 1 oz creme fraiche
• zest of 3 lemons
• 1/4 cup sliced chives
• 8 seedless green grapes halved for garnish
• 8 toasted marcona almonds, halved for garnish
• 20 large yellow celery leaves for garnish
• Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle

1. Combine fennel, cucumber, grapes almonds, verjus, vinegar and syrup in a blender
2. Puree on high and drizzle in the olive oil
3. Taste and season with salt
4. Pass it through a fine-mesh chinois
5. Combine the cleaned crab, creme fraiche, lemon zest and chives in a stainless steel mixing bowl
6. Taste and season with salt
7. Place a small amount of the crab salad in each serving bowl
8. Randomly place four grape halves, four almond halves, and four celery leaves around each bowl and drizzle with olive oil
9. Pour the gazpacho over the crab salad garnish

Chef Chris Clime
Jumbo Lump Crab Cake and Sweet Corn Chow-Chow

Crab Cake

• 1 lb Maryland jumbo lump crab meat
• 3 dashes Tabasco sauce
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
• 1 tbsp chopped chives
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp breadcrumbs (not made from bread crust)
• 1 tbsp grape seed oil
• drawn butter

Sweet Corn Chow-Chow

• 3 ears yellow or white corn
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1 tsp chiffonade cilantro
• kosher salt
• cracked black pepper
• tartar sauce and fresh chives, as condiments

Crab Cake

1. Carefully pick the crab meat and refrigerate until needed
2. In a mixing bowl combine Tabasco, lemon juice, old bay, chives, salt mayonnaise and egg. mix until all ingredients are well combined
3. Gently add about 2/3 of this mixture to the chilled crab meat, carefully folding in so you don't break the lumps
4. Check the seasoning, you want to add just enough wet mixture to the crab so that it is well seasoned without adding so much that you have to add extra breadcrumbs
5. Gently add in the breadcrumbs to bind the mixture together
6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
8. Divide the mixture into 4 portions and form crab cakes, you can also do mini crab cakes
9. Add 1 tbsp grape seed oil to a non stick pan and saute the cakes until golden brown on both sides
10. Transfer the cakes to a baking sheet, top each with a little drawn butter and finish in the over for 5-7 minutes
11. Serve on sweet corn chow-chow

Sweet Corn Chow-Chow

1. Roast the corn in the husks at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, shuck and slice kernels off ears
2. Combine corn, oil, vinegar, peppers onions and cilantro in a bowl
3. Season to taste with oil and vinegar

Don't Judge

I have been asked to be a judge for the Cadillac Culinary Challenge this weekend in Reston, VA. I am not sure what I did to deserve such an honor, so I quickly agreed, plus I'm not one to pass up a free meal or a chance to publicly embarrass myself #humblebrag

There will be 6 challenges over the weekend and I am slated to judge the 2pm battle on Saturday where Geoffrey Zakarian of The Lambs Club and Christopher Clime of Passionfish will try to wow my taste buds and sway my vote. So over the next couple days I'll be watching old episodes of Top Chef, American Idol and The People's Court to bone up on my judging skills. Hopefully I can learn enough to pass as a judge, but unlike Padma, Simon and Wapner my vote can easily be bought..... with a new Cadillac.

The third judge for every Challenge will be pulled from the audience so come on out to Reston (11900 Market Street) and check it out.

** I was told by organizers that you have to register for 'food and test drives' at http://www.cadillacchallenge.com 

You are what( the government says) you eat: one seventh butter

The other blogger had some family in town over the weekend and we once again found ourselves playing DC tour guide. We hit up the usual National Mall highlights like the monuments, Lincoln’s hat, Juila Child's kitchen, the Hope diamond, the Declaration of Independence, the oppressive DC summer heat and deceivingly long walks (fyi: its 2 miles from the Capital to the Lincoln Memorial).

Everything was pretty much the same as the last tour we guided until we got to the National Archives (although the pop culture section in the American History Museum keeps getting smaller and smaller).

The Archives is having a special food exhibit called "What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam?"  which explores America’s “love affair with, fear of, and obsession with food” and the government’s impact on our diet.
We had heard about the exhibit when it opened but, as with most Smithsonian goings ons, the news was immediately forgotten, so it was a nice surprise to see the sign as we went through our sixth security check of the day.

The exhibit is very interesting as it chronicles the governments successes, failures and sometimes comical interventions into how Americans produce and consume food. My favorite part was looking at the government's advice from past generations and seeing how it applied (or didn't apply) to the 2011 food consumer.

Don't want to spoil too much but some parts I found interesting were

• The 1943 food chart (pictured above) where butter was one of the 7 food groups. I love the advice at the bottom "In addition to the basic 7... eat any other foods you want" No wonder why our waistlines are so big
• Food charts from the depression making sure people ate enough calories rather than the charts of today which make sure we limit caloric intake
• A poster urging people to save land resources by eating from the infinite supply of seafood
• A young boy scout’s letter to his congressman asking him to take action against rising sugar prices because a nickel isn’t buying the same amount of candy as it used to

As interesting as this exhibit was, I would not recommend it as the sole reason for a trip into DC as it is only a small temporary exhibit and lacks the refinements and cool technology that the permanent Smithsonian exhibits have. It would be the perfect compliment to an already planned visit or a cool pre-dinner date activity if you have reservations in Penn Quarter or Chinatown (it will make you look smart and it's free).

TWSF Meets Chef José Andrés

José Andrés and Me

 As you know from previous posts, TWSF loves farmers markets. The Dupont farmers market, located near the circle on Massachusetts Avenue is one of our favorites in the District (open every Sunday from 8:30 AM - 1 PM).

Upon our arrival at Dupont yesterday we were incredibly excited to see a giant paella pan at the entrance of the market. We could only anticipate that the sight of the pan meant that a special guest would be appearing to use it, so we began shopping around keeping a hopeful eye on the entrance. We made one last attempt at the pan before leaving and there he was. José Andrés, one of our favorite DC chefs, was right there in front of us calling out instructions in Spanish to his crew who began preparing the paella pan with bottles upon bottles of oil.

For those of you who are not familiar with Chef José Andrés, he is the chef and owner of ThinkFoodGroup, which is responsible for some of DC's finest restaurants. TWSF was introduced to José's restaurant concepts during our first restaurant week reservation at Café Atlantico. We were immediately hooked and have continued to enjoy his other DC establishments including Jaleo, Oyamel, and our favorite, minibar. If you aren't a local, you can catch Chef José Andrés on the PBS series Made in Spain.

Unfortunately, we were unable to stay for the cooking of the paella, but were able to see pounds of meat thrown on the heated pan and scored a photo with the man himself. Thanks Chef!

Road Trip: Williamsburg Winery

One of our favorite "out in the country" activities (besides country concerts) is to sample wines at one of the many vineyards in beautiful Virginia. When TWSF booked our two-night stay in Colonial Williamsburg, further exploring the Virginia wine scene at Williamsburg Winery was quickly put at the top of our itinerary.

Williamsburg Winery is located on Wessex Farm. The land was originally owned by Gabriel Archer, who sailed to the New World on one of the three first Virginia Company ships. Patronage is paid to Archer to this day by way of Gabriel Archer's Tavern which serves lunch and dinner on a beautiful patio across from the main tasting room.

Me in the Red Cellar

The Reserve

We arrived at the vineyard on a perfect sunny day and after a long drive the country scene was just what the doctor ordered. The winery offers $10 tours (includes tastings and a glass to take home) of its extensive grounds every half hour and we arrived just in time for the next tour. It began with a movie about the history of the winery, followed yb a walk through the red, white, and reserve wine cellars. We were given a peak at the reception room (note: if you are looking for a romantic indoor wedding venue, this was really neat) and the history room complete with artifacts from the land.

Reception Room

The tour ended in the tasting room where we sampled 7 different wines. Keeping in mind that our price points are a bit skewed with the Northern Virginia prices, we were floored when many of the bottles were priced at just $7. Besides Trader Joe's, we don't even know where we could find quality Virginia wine for such a low price and as a result, bought a whole case, which I must add gave us an extra 20% off. At the end of the tour, we headed over to the Gabriel Archer Tavern and enjoyed basic sandwiches and a $4 glass of the house wine on the patio covered in a living canopy. It was quite the afternoon and a perfect start to our weekend getaway.

Daring Bakers’ June 2011 Challenge: From Phyllo to Baklava!!

Baklava

Erica of Erica’s Edibles was our host for the Daring Baker’s June challenge. Erica challenged us to be truly DARING by making homemade phyllo dough and then to use that homemade dough to make Baklava.

When I want to make a stress-free appetizer, I often turn to the frozen aisle and buy a box of pre-made phyllo dough. My initial reaction to the announcement of this challenge was slight panic. Make my own phyllo dough? What is this, Top Chef: Just Desserts?

Like I've said before, the point of joining the Daring Kitchen is to really challenge myself and learn new cooking and baking techniques. So here I am, making phyllo dough and baklava.

Recipe after the jump!