I don’t know about the rest of you, but all weekend long I have been reaching, itching, longing for some crisp fall weather. I toiled for a while about what the hell to put in a jar this week. Fruit…again? I wanted comfort food. Something sweet, with chocolate…maybe some peanut butter and malt! Ok. OK. I told myself to get a grip. It’s August. I’ll have months and months of savory food up ahead. So, what did I decide to do instead…?
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BEEF, it’s what’s for dinner (and beer). Really, you can’t go wrong with beef and beer (unless you’re one of those stuck-up vegetarians…no offense of course). At first I was thinking I’d just soak a nice cut of steak in some stout, maybe crust it with espresso, and call it a day. Then, the genius of my other half suggested shishkabobs.
With the sweltering heat after a day at the beach, it was the perfect time to grill up some raw meat, veggies and shrimp. I don’t believe in segregation, so I’m all for including the shrimpies with the beef. But before I get ahead of myself—onto the beer potion.
We decided on some homemade teriyaki sauce. Teriyaki sauce is one of those things that should be sweet and tangy with just a hint of a bite to it. Turns out, finishing the sauce with a good brew gives it a complementary tang. When used as a glaze or dipping sauce, you can actually taste the beer as an end note of this beefy chef-d’oeuvre.
We used it as a marinade and let the steak bathe in the sauce for a long time before finally grilling it. We also marinated the shrimp in it, which was equally titillating. Brushing some veggies (and pineapple) with the sauce when it hit the grill gave them a little extra sizzling flavor too. Finally, I made corn roasted on the grill, in husks—the only way to truly have corn on the cob. It’s a great recipe for a summer day to impress your friends. You’re welcome.
I’ve been thinking about Hawaiian pizza lately. How weird is it that pineapple, ham, cheese and tomato sauce would get together and make it work? It works, though.
So, I cracked my knuckles and did some research on Hawaiian pizza. Ok, I just went to Wikipedia—whatever. So apparently it is not a Hawaiian invention and it is the most popular pizza of choice in Australia. Huh. Who knew?
I know one thing. This flavor combo goes beyond pizza. I have made a Hawaiian pizza grilled cheese that was the bomb-diggity, so I figured it would also be an awesome burger.
It is.
I don’t do this often, but this week I’m going to say: pony up, baby! That is, pony up to the tune of thriteen bucks for some Pama Pomegranate Flavor liqueur. I generally try to stay mainstream with the booze to keep the cost down on these poptails, but I’m pimping Pama because it’s well deserved and has earned a spot near the front of my bar. Alright, the pantry—I don’t actually have a bar. You would think any place that touts”luxury apartments” would feature a wet bar, but nope, my fancy booze sits edge-to-edge with some not-so fancy stuff like store-brand frosted flakes and oreos.
This week’s Poptail is in response to a request from AnaMarie, who wrote ES saying, “I need one with sex on the beach pleaseeee! that is my favorite drinK!” Here you go. . .
That’s sex on the beach using a pineapple body and a pomegranate liqueur instead of Chambord. If you are wondering why I used raspberries instead of a pomegranate — the latter is out of season here. If anyone can find pomegranates and makes this with it, please come back and tell the rest of us how you like it. For now, we will be enjoying a sweet and tart blend of fruity goodness shot up with vodka and sweetened by Pama.
Here at ES, we love to hate on unitaskers, or at least make fun of them whenever possible. And with good reason. I mean, if you haven’t yet learned to crack an egg, no ridiculous kitchen gadget is going to save you. Also, my kitchen drawers are filled to maximum capacity, so if it it comes down to a choice between a bottle opener or a lettuce knife, the booze wins every time.
There are times, though, when a unitasker is certainly called for. If I had a cherry tree, I would definitely acquire a cherry pitter, although perhaps not one that costs $50. Same with an apple tree and those amazing peeler/corer/slicer things. And actually, those do more than one thing, even if it is to a single piece of fruit, so I guess it’s not a unitasker after all.
And there is a certain gray area when it comes to unitasker ownership. What if, for example, you are really bad at cutting pineapple? Every time you cut one up, you get the distinct feeling that this can’t possibly be the best way, as you seem to have wasted about a third of the fruit. But no one has been able to show you a better way, except your brother-in-law, and that is because he owns on of these. Yes, a pineapple cutter. A perfect pineapple cutter. It’s brilliant.
So, is it worth owning something that you only use three times a year, if it does exactly what you need it to do? This, my friends, is a question that I have yet to answer satisfactorily. I can promise you this, though. I will never, ever, own a corncob cutter.
Dreaming of snow this Christmas? Let coconut flakes stand in for the real stuff on top of your drink. If you get your guests boozed up enough, they may even think it’s snowing.
You could do this with pretty much any drink; Isaac Elbhar at Bryant Park Hotel Cellar Bar in New York offers it atop the Purple Snowflake Martini:
The worst thing about Monday is that even though it’s universally acknowledged as the hardest day of the week, it’s somehow also the one on which it’s least socially acceptable to drink.
But wait a minute — us boozehounds have the upper hand this week, because Monday marks the 78th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition, which we’re pretty sure is a national holiday. Enjoy this original cocktail recipe — The Rodriguez Sour — from Kevin Diedrich of Jasper’s Corner Tap & Kitchen in San Francisco, or find your favorite poison in Endless Cocktails.
Rodriguez Sour
2 oz Partida Blanco tequila
.75 oz Lime
.75 oz Pineapple juice
.5 oz Jalapeno syrup
.25 oz Green Chartreuse
Shake all ingredients together.
Strain and pour into a rocks glass.
Garnish with slices of jalapeño.