tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46732795760179117812024-02-07T05:56:54.907-05:00Epicurette in New YorkHeatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01141813609139839134noreply@blogger.comBlogger165125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-87716820857648203312010-11-03T08:50:00.000-04:002010-11-03T08:50:10.091-04:00Tomato Sauce with Onion and ButterBefore we start this week's blog I have a bit of an announcement. This will be the last "regularly scheduled post" you are going to see until January. I have decided to apply for grad school, and am currently knee deep in application hell. Pile on top of that an insane November full of family visits both in NY and PA, and a number of other events I'm involved with. (One of these things is the Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01141813609139839134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-80354230538249683242010-10-26T22:11:00.002-04:002010-10-26T22:11:54.301-04:00No Food Blog this WeekHi guys.
Well, I was 3/4 of the way through a blog about butternut squash ravioli. Then blogger randomly deleted everything and Auto-Saved before I could react. After 3 hours of work. Yup, the internet ate my blog. I'm going to bed.
See you next week,
HeatherHeatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01141813609139839134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-85573714931681511422010-10-25T08:45:00.001-04:002010-10-25T08:45:00.915-04:00Hot Buttered Bourbon and CiderI've been talking about beer a lot lately and it's probably not going to stop anytime soon. At least not until next summer when the apartment starts feeling like it's on top of a lake of fire. I can't help it; it's just so interesting. Brewing beer is perfect practice for being a father. Those little yeast cells are relying on me and me alone to create the perfect Willie J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07603350351231549577noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-34227670348189631342010-10-20T08:45:00.001-04:002010-10-20T08:45:00.688-04:00Beer UpdateThe Belgian Tripel that I have in the fermenter right now is going beautifully so far--not bragging or anything. The temperature is holding at a steady 68°F which is like Disneyland for yeast. The airlock has been steadily bubbling for the last week or so and it's been very encouraging. So encouraging, in fact, that I've decided to bang out another five gallon batch of brew Willie J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07603350351231549577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-6646464140643325152010-10-18T09:09:00.000-04:002010-10-18T09:09:00.490-04:00Risotto with Kale and Toasted Pumpkin SeedsThere are foods out there that are legendary for being challenges. Dishes that have a number of very precise steps, dishes with chemical reactions, and if one step goes astray the whole dish collapses on you. This is why I've never attempted a soufflé. Or anything that requires a sheet of gelatin as an ingredient. For the longest time I have avoided a staple of Italian cooking, the risotto. Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01141813609139839134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-58417845399410935412010-10-13T09:13:00.001-04:002010-10-13T19:19:36.564-04:00Pumpkin Tea BreadI am so excited for Fall. Last year we were so slammed at this time with the wedding preparations, I'm really not certain October 2009 actually happened. I'm pretty sure it was just a lie. Last weekend on a visit to PA I wore heavy sweaters, I sat near a bonfire, and I drank cider. It was lovely, but that's not why I'm excited. The pumpkins are back. They have returned to my muffins, my lattes, Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01141813609139839134noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-54586840926115963992010-10-11T19:02:00.000-04:002010-10-11T19:02:25.905-04:00Tripel PreviewNow that the temperature has gone down quite a bit, it looks as if I'm ready to start brewing again. I did some research into which style I should pursue next; porter is something I've wanted to try for a while but it might be a little to similar to my nut brown ale. I thought I should do something interesting, new and challenging. It is in that spirit that I went with a Willie J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07603350351231549577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-34920800406498249742010-10-06T09:23:00.001-04:002010-10-06T09:29:08.410-04:00Red Wine Porcini Pot RoastSunday morning I poked my nose out from under my comforter. Then I darted it back under. Yup, it was October all right. A chill has set in New York City, the kind that makes the air crisp and makes you think of little else but cider and pumpkins and hayrides. In my chilly apartment, however, it had me thinking about getting warm. The heat is not yet on in our building, so suddenly I had the Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01141813609139839134noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-48599250376887356762010-10-04T08:45:00.001-04:002010-10-04T08:45:00.798-04:00Dominating the AirwavesAs many of you may know from the previous post, I was featured on WDEL's lovely Thirsty Thursday segment of The Rick Jensen Show. Gina, a good friend from college, has made herself a staple at WDEL 1150 in Wilmington, DE. About a month and a half ago, she visited our apartment and tried some of my nut brown ale, probably my best beer to date.
I was buzzed into the studio and met up Willie J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07603350351231549577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-90608666428888738322010-09-30T23:13:00.000-04:002010-09-30T23:13:06.970-04:00On the AirWill spent Thursday traveling to visit our friend Gina who works at WDEL 1150AM in Delaware. He appeared on the Rick Jenson segment "Thirsty Thursday" to talk about home brewing and the assembled group sampled his Nut Brown Ale. Rick scored it a 5 out of 6 and refereed to it as "Mapley". Listen to the full segment. (Quick tip, the beer stuff doesn't start until about 6 min 30 seconds in)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01141813609139839134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-83586550446636999932010-09-29T08:13:00.001-04:002010-09-29T08:18:54.896-04:00Eggplant and Ricotta SauceQuick Announcement! For our Delaware readers, Will will be on WDEL 1150 AM on Rick Jensen's "Thirsty Thursday" show, talking about home brewing. The show is conveniently on Thursday at 3:30pm. For those of you not in Delaware the station live streams on their website by clicking the "Listen Now" button. They also post the show for a week after its broadcasting, so check back for the link if you Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01141813609139839134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-84429371138210418852010-09-27T08:45:00.001-04:002010-09-27T08:45:00.364-04:00Long Island Iced TeaIn my effort to embrace gin as the staple of drinking culture that it is, I find myself revisiting the things I cast aside in my gin rebuking wake. One of the drinks that I saw as an opportunity to ease myself into gin was a long island iced tea. According to wikipedia "Long Island Iced Tea, a summer drink, was first served in the mid 1970s by Robert (Rosebud) Butts, a bartender at Willie J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07603350351231549577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-68373016071907978182010-09-22T08:45:00.002-04:002010-09-22T08:45:00.200-04:00Almond Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese FrostingFor long time readers of this blog, you will remember that at one point I regarded baking with suspicion and indifference, only taking on the task when I came across recipes I wanted to eat desperately and knew no one else was going to make for me. There's a bit of a kitchen stereotype, men are chefs, women are pastry chefs, and the idea of making cakes and cookies was an affront to my sense of Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01141813609139839134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-33547560328534826232010-09-20T08:45:00.003-04:002010-09-20T08:45:00.997-04:00Cocktail HourI've spent my entire post 21 life having an aversion to gin. Never cared for the stuff. I remember trying it for the first time quite a while ago and thinking that it tasted like bug spray. Later on, in my young innocence, a friend recommended a Tanqueray and tonic without realizing that Tanqueray is a brand of gin. Burned again. I'm not proud of it but it's true. &Willie J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07603350351231549577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-61196660099356148342010-09-14T08:45:00.000-04:002010-09-15T00:13:29.625-04:00Sweet Cider Apple Butter or Canning Experiment #1Apparently I can't do anything the easy way. When I first made my own pasta Will stood dumbfounded, not having realized that pasta was something people made and didn't just get out of a box. This from a man who brews his own beer. I've made a few attempts at bread, but nothing worth reporting on as of yet. But this past weekend I really may have gone to the dark side of DIY projects, becoming a Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01141813609139839134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-70865262014292565512010-09-13T08:45:00.002-04:002010-09-13T08:45:00.465-04:00Witte ScrewdriverI'm not usually one to incorporate beer into my cocktails, but sometimes the occasion calls for it. One of the newer bars that we've been frequenting is called Sweet Afton. It has a good atmosphere, knowledgable staff and these deep fried spicy pickles that are to die for.
Anyway, Heather and I learned that they serve brunch on the weekends and some of the items looked intriguing. &Willie J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07603350351231549577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-21864664624695550472010-09-08T08:45:00.000-04:002010-09-08T08:45:00.531-04:00Boozy CupcakesOkay, so I haven't been 100% honest with all of you. Remember how I spent all of August cooking healthy, vegetarian food? Well the vegetarian part I was very dedicated to. The healthy part...
August 13th marked Will's 26th birthday, and what was I supposed to do, hand the boy a dish of hummus with a candle in it? Birthdays require cake. Yummy cake. And I'd be damned if he wasn't going to have Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01141813609139839134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-69164936980089871302010-09-06T08:45:00.002-04:002010-09-06T08:45:00.044-04:00Brandy SidecarThis past couple of weeks has been good for our liquor cabinet. Regular readers will recall that I recently received absinthe and pear brandy for my birthday. I would like to add that I came to visit PA and my mother gave me a bottle of Courvoisier and Danny Devito's Limoncello.
It occurred to me as I was staring at my Courvoisier that I've never made myself a proper sidecar. Willie J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07603350351231549577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-16325135604281106832010-09-01T08:45:00.001-04:002010-09-01T08:45:00.069-04:00Indian Pumpkin Split Pea StewHappy September! It's the last day of healthy vegetarian cooking! It's been quite the adventure this past month, walking staight past the meat case, playing with all kinds of edible plants and legumes. It's working pretty well on the diet front, I am weighing in at 132.9 as of this morning, which means I reached the goal of 132.2 to133.2 that I set for myself at the begining of the Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01141813609139839134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-40729255967707805422010-08-30T11:15:00.001-04:002010-08-30T11:15:18.130-04:00Champagne CocktailsYesterday, Heather and I attended the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor's Island, an event at which the attendees are encouraged to dress up in period clothing--1920s or so--and enjoy live jazz music and dancing as well as some vendors and various planned events such as a tug of war. They had all sorts of food, beer, and other refreshments, but only one type of cocktail.
One of the event's Willie J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07603350351231549577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-63408779212064400082010-08-25T08:35:00.001-04:002010-08-25T08:39:19.674-04:00Vegan Corn SoupI didn't start out trying to rid my kitchen of meat. Once I got started though, I couldn't stop! It became a challenge: how long can I keep the meat-free kitchen going? And so healthy eating month gradually became Vegetarian Cooking Month, with the eggplant, squash, and chickpeas dominating my cooking. And boy howdy has it worked. That's right ladies and gentlemen, with a week to go I weighed in Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01141813609139839134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-2184620650347990872010-08-23T08:45:00.024-04:002010-08-23T08:45:00.313-04:00Absinthe I celebrated my birthday about a week and a half ago. In the weeks leading up to it, my parents were trying to decide what to get me. I sent them a list of stuff on my amazon.com wish list, but I also told them that there were a bunch of spirits that I wanted as well--things that I've wanted but couldn't work up the nerve to spend money on right now. Things like 15 year single malt scotch, Willie J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07603350351231549577noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-69691901477113068322010-08-18T08:45:00.004-04:002010-08-24T17:35:56.560-04:00Hummus Three Ways"But is it Vegan?"
Will loves asking me this question every time I prepare a vegeatrian dish. He doesn't really care, If there's a burger on the menu at a restaurant, that's probably what Will's going to order. Cheeseburger? Even better. There's something just amusing to him about making a dish that conforms to a whole laundry list of things you can't have. And I personally feel that cheese and Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01141813609139839134noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-32403932895617986432010-08-16T08:45:00.001-04:002010-08-16T08:45:00.476-04:00Blueberry Mojito We were strolling through our local farmer's market on a beautiful Sunday morning--Heather with her parasol and I with my handsome vest and pocket square that I purchased that very morning from a shrewd young haberdasher--when we saw a carton of blueberries and dared to dream. Four dollars a pint? Why that's nary more than a tuppence. "Will, don't you have a fancy muddler at home?" says myWillie J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07603350351231549577noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673279576017911781.post-81216847858332189592010-08-11T08:45:00.000-04:002010-08-11T08:45:00.109-04:00Brace Yourselves for the Hurricane Up next in this series of dark rum drinks is something called a Hurricane. This is another recipe taken from the annals of Pennsylvania's Wine and Spirits Quarterly. I was intrigued by their section on dark rum and this recipe caught my eye because it looked fun and summery and it incorporates three different kind of rum: namely light rum, dark rum, and 151 proof rum. I already had all the Willie J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07603350351231549577noreply@blogger.com1