popplers

Today's accomplishments

Vacation Day: Agenda

• Sleep in.
• Read newspaper.
• Drink iced latte.
• Eat waffles.
• Clean up the kitchen.
• Do laundry.
• Watch Jekyll and Burn Notice.
• Play Guitar Hero II for at least 3 hours, or until I finally get 5 stars on Institutionalized, thereby unlocking The Viking.
• Check e-mail.
• Order take-out because I don't feel like cooking.
• Switch to playing Guitar Hero: encore because I can't do any more songs on "Hard" without getting booed off the stage.
• Sleep.
  Posted by rv at 11:59 PM to home | Comments (2)

Beer, beer, beer, beer

• The New York Times had a nice article on Belgian Pale Ales. I've tried beers from Corsendonk Abbey and Orval Trappist, but I'm not sure if I've ever had any of the pale ales.
• The British Beer Company in Pembroke, MA is hosting a Samuel Smith Brewer's Dinner on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. Unfortunately, the Acme Theater rehearsal schedule will preclude me from partaking, but man, what a menu… Aged Stilton Cheese And Multi Grain Crostinis [sic] With White Grapes (paired with Oatmeal Stout); Poached Salmon and Crab Louis Martini (paired with Organic Lager); Cold Green Chili and Tomato Gazpacho (paired with India Ale)… There are more courses to the menu, but I think I'd be full by then. The dessert course is apparently fried chocolate brownie and strawberry skewers: "mini fudge brownies deep fried and skewered with fresh strawberries served with a chocolate porter ice cream (Taddy Porter). Gah.
• Recommended beer for summer: Dogfish Head's Aprihop. It's an I.P.A. brewed with apricots (reminiscent of a hoppier version of Magic Hat's #9). It goes well with Indian food (homemade or take-out).
• Not for me: St. Crispin's Chipotle Beer. "This 7.7% ABV IPA is light bodied with a coppery hue. […] Believe me, you will not be craving more than 12oz of this unless you are crazier than me. It is HOT. First sip, for a second I was like, oh, OK, and then within a second, BAM it hits you and you're gasping for air." I prefer my chili hot and my beer COLD.

Mah jongg and ice cream

Our homemade ice cream was a hit with the mah jongg crowd last night. We did two variations on The Minimalist's Cornstarch Ice Cream… the previously mentioned Biscotti Chocolate Chunk and a new one. One bag of Daim (thanks, IKEA) + espresso powder = bestest Coffee Heath Bar Crunch evar. The Swedish Chef's Espresso Daim Explosion (bork! bork! bork!) will keep you wide awake through the long Scandinavian nights.

Espresso Daim Explosion (bork! bork! bork!)

Time: 20 minutes, plus chilling

1 1/2 cups heavy cream (next time, try light cream)
1 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (next time, try 1 or 1 1/2 teaspoons)
4 1/2 ounces of Daim, chopped

1. Put 2 cups of cream/ milk, the sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until mixture begins to steam.
2. In a bowl, blend cornstarch and remaining cream, half-and-half or milk; there should be no lumps. Add cornstarch mixture to pot. Cook, stirring, until it starts to thicken and barely reaches a boil, about 5 minutes. Immediately reduce heat to very low and stir for 5 minutes or so until thick. Stir in vanilla extract.
3. Place one ladle-full of warm cream/ cornstarch mixture in storage container. Add espresso powder and stir to combine. Transfer cream/ cornstarch mixture to storage container, snap on lid, and cool in an ice-water bath.
4. When mixture has cooled sufficiently, stash it in the fridge. Chill until really cool, a couple of hours (or overnight). Pour into an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.
5. About 5 minutes before the ice cream is done, add Daim. Let it finish, scoop into a container, and freeze overnight.

Yield: 1 generous pint. (Serves 2.)

Three things that made me laugh

• Via fark.com: this photo (which prompted the realization that I need to keep such a sign with me at all times)
• This headline from The Onion: Hard To Tell If Wikipedia Entry On Dada Has Been Vandalized Or Not
• I knew that I wanted to read Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E.: This Is What They Want as soon as I saw this entry on warrenellis.com. Chris ordered it for me, and it arrived last week. I didn't realize, however, that I would read it in one sitting, cackling madly the entire time. Must. Have. More.
  Posted by rv at 01:24 PM to humor | Comments (0)

Ice cream! Ice cream!

We've been downloading some of the New York Times TiVoCasts, especially Mark Bittman's The Minimalist. We recently watched him cook up some Cornstarch Ice Cream and were intrigued enough to try it. (If you have a Series 2 TiVo, you can check out the ice cream episode here.)

Our version was reminiscent of Ben & Jerry's Holy Cannoli. I thought it was wicked good.

Cornstarch Ice Cream

Time: 20 minutes, plus chilling

2 1/2 cups light cream, half-and-half or milk (whole or skim), or a combination
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 biscotti (biscotto?), coarsely chopped
2-3 oz. dark chocolate, chopped

1. Put 2 cups cream, half-and-half or milk, the sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until mixture begins to steam.
2. In a bowl, blend cornstarch and remaining cream, half-and-half or milk; there should be no lumps. Add cornstarch mixture to pot. Cook, stirring, until it starts to thicken and barely reaches a boil, about 5 minutes. Immediately reduce heat to very low and stir for 5 minutes or so until thick. Stir in almond extract.
3. Cool top part of double-boiler in an ice-water bath, then cover with plastic wrap and stash it in the fridge. Chill until cool, a couple of hours (you can skip this step if you have a machine with a built-in freezer). When cool, pour into an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.
4. About 5 minutes before the ice cream is done, add chopped biscotti and chocolate chunks. Let it finish, scoop into a container, and freeze overnight.

Yield: 1 generous pint. (Serves 2.)

Sunday foodblogging (after a long hiatus)

I love going to the Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings. Everything always looks so fresh and appetizing. We walked over yesterday and bought sweet corn, blueberries, peaches, muskmelon, carrots, beautiful eggplant, scones and bread, and eggs, cream, and half & half (for making ice cream). We also scored a few books at the Library book sale, and stopped off at the fish market for some "pastrami salmon" (but that's another recipe).

While I weeded in the garden, Chris started making the latest Boston Globe recipe for corn chowder (Creamy Corn Chowder with Very Little Cream). It seems like they print a corn chowder recipe every summer: Grilled Corn Chowder (2004), Smoky Leek, Potato, and Corn Chowder (2005), Light Corn Chowder with Fresh Basil (2006)… you get the idea. The dairy was out of heavy cream, so we substituted light (but added a little more). Other substitutions: fresh chives for thyme, stick blender for conventional blender. All in all, a yummy dinner. We served it with Nashoba Brook Bakery's pepper jack bread.

Next time, Chris wants to add some Yukon Gold potatoes; I would probably go for some small red ones.

Creamy corn chowder with very little cream (with a few minor modifications)

Serves 6

STOCK

1 tablespoon butter
1 Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon coarse salt
6 large ears fresh corn, kernels removed and reserved for chowder
2 quarts cold water

1. In a large soup pot, heat the butter. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables soften.
2. Add the cobs and water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer the stock for 30 minutes.
3. Strain the stock into a bowl. Discard the vegetables and cobs.

CHOWDER

2 tablespoons butter
1 Spanish onion, finely chopped
Kernels from 6 ears of corn
Coarse salt and pepper, to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste
1/3 cup light cream
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

1. In a large flameproof casserole, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 8 minutes, or until the onion softens.
2. Add the corn kernels, corn stock, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and simmer the soup for 30 minutes.
3. Ladle approx. half the solids in the soup into a large measuring cup. Add 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Puree the mixture with a stick blender until smooth.
4. Return the pureed mixture to the remaining soup in the pan. Add the nutmeg and cream. Bring to a simmer. Stir in the parsley. Taste the soup for seasoning and add more salt, pepper, or nutmeg, if you like.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with chives.