– In a case of two wrongs definitely making a very wrong, now available: Bud Light with Clamato. [via the Champagne of Blogs]
– Basilcello! Now that’s more like it. Throw in some pine nuts and I’m sold.
– Who knew Dr. Pepper was supposed to be heated before serving? I’m ’bout to try that one of these cold winter nights. Maybe with some Dr. Schnapps mixed in. [via SoGood]
Photo: Cruft
Picking a book for my book club tends to be a slightly contentious undertaking each meeting. Although we are a small group, our different tastes in literature can provide us with a challenge in deciding what to undertake next. While a book club is a great excuse to read and catch up with friends, I also see it as an opportunity to test my culinary skills.
The hostess of each meeting is charged with providing the entire meal for the group. Personally, I love tying my meal to the book as closely as possible. Sometimes this is a daunting undertaking – A Million Little Pieces proved too much for my culinary creativity. Luckily, last month I had Reading Lolita in Tehran as my inspiration. The internets came to my rescue and provided me with an easy, scrumptious stew to serve my book club: Khoresh-E Bademjan.
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Editors Note: Don’t worry, the Thanksgiving posts will soon be over.
Here’s a review of Britannia’s meal of thanks.
Turkeyday in DC, and as the English dude, I’m the *obvious* host. Irony alright. The following is the outcome of mixing a bunch of gays, food, holiday and alcohol.
Roasted Pumpkin Stew
Roast a bunch of vegetables – leek, fennel, tomatoes, carrots, peppers, garlic, onion. Add the roasted vegetables to a pot of wine, water, and porcini mushrooms, and let stew. Strain the stew to create a stock. Turn the stock into a sauce by making a roux. Roast celeriac, parsnips, fennel, carrots, and shallots. Hollow out the pumpkin, added a bit of the aforementioned sauce, and roast in oven with olive oil and seasonings for an hour. Add roasted vegetables to pot of seitan and forest mushroom/chanterelles. Put vegetable/mush/seitan sauce into pumpkin and let roast until hot. Serve.
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Rutabaga and Carrots Mash
Who said rutabaga can’t be fun and yummy, steam with equal parts carrots, drain, add butter, cream and s&p then mash, mash away. You’ll get this tasty yummy healthy treat. (butter is healthy, damn you)
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Roasted Potatoes
These roasties are a great alternative to the mash or sweet potatoes, peel and boil the spuds for twenty minutes, drain then shake in the pot until the potatoes are all fluffy, throw in the oven with lots of evoo, fresh chives, garlic and the usual seasoning, s&p. Roast until golden brown, about an hour and a half.
More recipes post jump.
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My brother made this cranberry pie for t-day, and I am officially of the new-found belief that cranberries should be enjoyed year-round. This delicious dessert is tart and sweet, with not even a passing resemblance to that canned cranberry stuff that always finds its way to the corner of the t-day table.
Cape Cod Cranberry “Linzer” Pie in Classic Home Desserts by Richard Sax pg 512-513
2 crust pie – 9 inch
1 orange
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 c. fresh or frozen cranberries washed and picked over
1 1/2 c. sweet apples or pears peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 in. diced
1 TBSP minced crystallized ginger
1/4 raisins golden or regular
Milk and cinnamon sugar for glaze
Preheat oven to 375
Remove the zest from the orange in strips with a vegetable peeler and
squeeze the juice from the orange. Place zest in a food processor with 1/2
c. of the sugar. Process until zest is finely chopped. Add about 1 c. of the
cranberries and pulse until the berries are coarsely chopped. Transfer the
mixture to a bowl and stir in remaining 1 c. whole cranberries, 3/4 sugar,
orange juice, apples or pears, ginger, and raisins.
You can lattice the top crust or leave it whole, just add slits in the top
for air to get out. Lightly brush the top crust with milk and sprinkle a
little of the cinnamon sugar over that.
Cook about 1 hour or until the crust is golden and filling is bubbly
Of course, we can’t just leave you with instructions to use a store-bought pie crust – after the jump, a recipe my sister-in-law uses for a perfect, flaky pie crust. Plus, a bonus pie recipe.
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