A Spanish Sojourn

by Sarah Grimball, intern

Over the summer I had the pleasure to travel to Madrid and Barcelona for a study abroad program with LSU. We spent a week in Madrid and a week in Barcelona. Before taking this trip I was unfamiliar with the different types of Spanish delicacies, but this trip opened my eyes to a whole new world of culinary delights: paella, tapas, jamon iberco -- and who could forget the Sangria.

Trying Fideuà for my first bite in Spain.

The first dish that I ate in Madrid was called Fideuà. My friend and I stumbled upon this place as we were exploring the streets of Barcelona. We couldn’t speak any Spanish, so we went with the first restaurant that had a picture on the menu.

I can’t speak to how authentic this first dish I enjoyed was, but I can say that it was delicious and a wonderful welcome into the great country of Spain. Fideuà is a type of paella that uses noodles instead of rice as the base ingredient and is served with mussels, fish and prawns. The flavors all blended together to create a beautiful, garlicky pasta that probably has the ability to change lives.

In a country where the wine is cheaper than the water, it’s not hard to find good sangria. The best sangria that I had in Spain was at this little restaurant that my friend and I stumbled upon randomly. They served each pitcher of sangria with some kind of small dish of food called a tapa. This is traditionally done because the idea in Spain is to drink to have a good time – not to get drunk. We had a tapa of olives, but these weren’t just plain old olives. These olives were flavored with smoked paprika and garlic. The salty, savory flavors of the olives combined with the sweet, bubbly burst of sangria is the stuff dreams are made of.

Sangria and marinated olives.

Another beautiful, uncommon occurrence is seeing ham legs in the windows of restaurants waiting to be shaved into Spain’s famous jamón ibérico. This delicious ham comes from the black Iberian pig, and up until 2007 it was illegal in the United States.

Jamón Ibérico

Leave it to the American to find a delicious burger in Barcelona! Though there were many delicious foods to choose from in Barcelona, sometimes you just have to have a burger...with sangria...on the beach--it’s Spain. This burger was served with thick cut fries and a sauce similar to a patatas bravas sauce (a robust tomato sauce). It was the best of both worlds.

Burgers on Barcelona's coast #organic #barcelona #beachlife

A post shared by @sgrimball on May 23, 2016 at 1:49pm PDT

Finally, you can take the girl out of Louisiana, but you can’t take the Louisiana out of the girl. Even in Barcelona I sought out a delicious Strawberry Daiquiri and enjoyed it overlooking the sunset of the beach. It really doesn’t get much better than this.

Life's good with a drink and a view #barcelona #beachlife #strawberrydaiquiri #fun

A post shared by @sgrimball on May 25, 2016 at 1:26pm PDT

Recipes: September Class at Fresina's with Anolon

Each month I block out a couple days to do a cooking class at Fresina's Pasta Company at the Drusilla Shopping Center in Baton Rouge.  Since they are an Italian specialty shop with homemade pastas, I make an Italian inspired menu for a group of up to eight people.  Over wine or local beers, I teach some tricks and show off some recipes.  It is always a good time and everybody leaves full from a homemade lunch.

Tomato Sauce for Bruschetta in Analon's "Everything Pan"

In September I made a menu of Italian Sausage Caprese Bruschetta, Chicken Canzanese over Creamy Polenta, and Double Chocolate Fennel Biscotti inspired by fellow Virtual Potlucker Food Hunters Guide.  I also got to use my new pans that Anolon sent me for the first time.  I cooked the sauce for the bruschetta on the 9.5" Nouvelle Copper Stainless Steel "Everyday Pan."  The chicken canzanese was cooked in the 5 quart covered saute from the Anolon Advanced series.  Feel free to check out Anolon on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about their pots and pans.  These two were certainly incredible, especially the Anolon Advanced saute pan which held ten chicken thighs and cooked them up wonderfully with no sticking anywhere in sight!  Here are the recipes for the class.  I hope you enjoy!

Course 1: Bruschetta with Fresina’s Italian Sausage, Creamy Mozzarella, Spicy Tomato Sauce, Fresh Basil, and a reduction of Fresina's Balsamic Vinegar

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 lbs Fresina’s Italian Sausage
2 cups white wine of drinkable quality to cook with
10 cloves of garlic, peeled and divided, mince half the cloves
1 leek, diced
1/2 jar of red pepper chunky tomato sauce from Fresina’s
10 leaves fresh basil
1 baguette of Italian or French bread
1 block of fresh or aged Mozzarella from Fresina’s
Makes 8-10 servings

BALSAMIC REDUCTION
1/3 Cup Fresina’s Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

Place balsamic, sugar, and cayenne in small sauce pan over medium heat.  Allow to simmer and reduce by half until it coats the back of a spoon.

Preheat the oven to 350F

Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom to a large saute pan or high-walled skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage in its casings on all sides as much as possible for 5 minutes or so.  In a second skillet, or in this case Anolon's Everyday Pan, heat enough olive oil to over the bottom of the pan over medium heat, then add the diced leak and the five minced cloves of garlic and sauté until soft, 2-3 minutes.

When the sausage has browned, add one cup of the wine and simmer the sausage uncovered in the wine.  If you need to speed up the cooking process at any time, cover the pan.  When the leaks and garlic are ready, add the tomato sauce and stir.  Reduce heat to simmer.

Slice the baguette on a bias (diagonally) into oval pieces that are approximately a quarter inch thick.  In a food processor, add the five whole garlic cloves and approximately a 1/3 cup of olive oil.  Blend until the garlic is fully incorporated into the olive oil.  Brush the garlic oil onto the bread slices that are arranged on baking sheet.  Place the bread in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes.  During the 10 minutes, stir the simmering tomato sauce, balsamic that is reducing, and flip over the sausage.  If the pan has run out of wine to simmer in, add the other cup of wine in with the sausage, or add a cup of water.  Also, slice the mozzarella into pieces that will fit nicely on the bread slices.  When the 10 minutes is up, remove the bread from the oven.  While it cools slightly, slice the sausage on the bias into pieces that will fit on the bread and are about the same thickness as the bread.  Start building the bruschetta by placing a slice of sausage followed by a slice of cheese onto each of the pieces of bread.  Place them back in the oven for another 5-6 minutes to melt the cheese.

When the bruschetta comes out of the oven, spoon the tomato sauce over each piece, followed by a drizzle of the balsamic reduction.  Top them with the basil chiffonade to garnish.  Eat immediately.

Course 2: Chicken Canzanese - White Wine Braised Chicken Thighs with Crispy Skin
served over Creamy Polenta

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
4 medium garlic cloves , sliced thin lengthwise
8-10 skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups white wine of drinkable quality to cook with
1 cup chicken stock
4 whole cloves
6-8 whole fresh basil leaves
12 whole fresh sage leaves
2 bay leaves
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed oven safe saute pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until just starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add garlic slices and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is golden brown, about 1½ minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer garlic and pancetta to small bowl and set aside. Do not rinse pan.

Increase heat to medium-high; add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and heat until just smoking. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with ground black pepper and kosher salt. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook without moving until well browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken and brown on second side, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to large plate.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan. Sprinkle flour over fat and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly add wine followed by the stock; bring to simmer, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Cook until liquid is slightly reduced, 3 minutes. Stir in cloves, sage leaves, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and reserved prosciutto and garlic. Nestle chicken into liquid, skin side up (skin should be above surface of liquid), and bake, uncovered, until meat offers no resistance when poked with fork but is not falling off bones, about 1 hour. (Check chicken after 15 minutes; broth should be barely bubbling. If bubbling vigorously, reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.)

Using tongs, transfer chicken to serving platter and tent with foil. Remove and discard sage leaves, cloves, and bay leaves. Place skillet over high heat and bring sauce to boil. Cook until sauce is reduced to 1¼ cups, 2 to 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in lemon juice, and butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Plate chicken over the polenta and pour sauce around chicken.  Garnish with chiffonade of basil and serve.

Polenta:
4 cups water, plus more as needed
4 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups polenta
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan

In a large saucepan, bring the water, milk and butter to a boil. Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the water and whisk in the polenta. Whisk constantly for 3 to 4 minutes to prevent lumps. Simmer for 45 minutes, partially covered and stirring every 10 minutes, until the polenta is thick, smooth, and creamy. Remove from heat.  Add the sour cream and Parmesan. Check for seasoning and adjust consistency by adding milk or water to the polenta.

Course 3: Double Chocolate Fennel Biscotti

2 Cups Unbleached AP Flour
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Ground Fennel
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
3/4 Stick (6 Tablespoons) Butter, Softened
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease a large baking sheet.

In a bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, ground fennel seeds, and salt. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time and beat until combined.  Add vanilla.  Mix in flour mixture a little at a time.  Stir in chocolate chips.

On the prepared baking sheet with floured hands, form the dough into two slightly flattened logs, approximately 2 inches wide.  Bake for about 35 minutes, or until slightly firm to the touch. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes.  Cut logs diagonally into slices.  Arrange cut sides down on baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Grilled Jumbo Louisiana Shrimp with Tomatoes

Our group of Virtual Potluck bloggers has teamed up with Bertolli Olive Oil and their “Let’s Cook Summer Sweepstakes.” The contest is Facebook-based (Facebook.com/Bertolli) and entrants have the chance to win a grand prize trip to LA for cooking lessons with Fabio Viviani (from Bravo’s Top Chef), or $5,000 for a kitchen makeover! Bertolli's new microsite: WhereFlavorComesFrom.com, where you can learn everything about olive oil and get Chef Fabio’s all new summer grilling recipes, is also just a click away!

Each Virtual Potluck blogger got to cook one of Chef Fabio's recipes, so for Father's Day I put together his grilled jumbo shrimp with tomatoes. The Louisiana Seafood Promotions and Marketing Board kindly donated five pounds of gorgeous Louisiana shrimp to help my cause. There's nothing quite like our rich supply of seafood straight from the Gulf!  The dish proved to be simple, quick, and quite delicious.

Here's the recipe! Enjoy.

GRILLED JUMBO SHRIMP WITH TOMATOES

by Chef Fabio Viviani

4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Marinate Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

1 lb. uncooked jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails on
12 oz. cherry tomatoes
2 Tbsp. Bertolli® Classico Olive Oil
¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl. Season, if desired, with salt and black pepper. Cover and marinate 10 minutes.

Alternately thread shrimp and tomatoes on skewers*. Grill, turning once, 5 minutes or until shrimp turn pink.

*If using wooden skewers, soak in water at least 30 minutes prior to use.



*This is a sponsored post for Bertolli® Olive Oil for the Where Flavor Comes From Summer promotion. I was compensated for promoting their links and recipe. All opinions are my own.

Turkey Day with Virtual Potluck and Marx Foods

A group of food bloggers from around the country who were brought this Fall for the Emeril's cookbook promotion has together decided to continue to work together on other projects. I'm very proud to be a member of the Virtual Potluck group and hope to continue to do some amazing things such a wonderful and inspirational group of bloggers. One of our first promotions is to cook a virtual Thanksgiving meal with ingredients from Marx Foods, a gourmet specialty food company that can send amazing ingredients straight to your door. You can actually use a promocode this week to get a discount at Marx Foods: Enter “POTLUCK” into the “Coupon Code” field at checkout for 10% of everything in the store. Valid 11/21 – 11/27.  My contribution was part of "Turkey Four Ways" meal that I prepared for WBRZ news in Baton Rouge. The special should air the night before Thanksgiving. You can find links to the rest of the Virtual Potluck meal on Cookistry, and you can find all four turkey recipes at Deep South Magazine, but below is the recipe for the Smoked Sea Salt and Puya Chili Oil Seared Turkey Thighs with Brandy Wine Black Trumpet Mushroom Cream Sauce!

Smoked Sea Salt and Puya Chili Oil Seared Turkey Thighs with Brandy Wine Black Trumpet Mushroom Cream Sauce
2 turkey thighs
2 tsp. smoked sea salt (or kosher salt) - From Marx Foods
1 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper or to taste
1 puya chili with stem removed (or guajillo or other medium-heat pepper) - From Marx Foods
3 T grapeseed, sunflower or canola oil, divided
1/2 ounce dried black trumpet mushrooms or other mushroom variety - From Marx Foods
1 cup hot water
2 shallots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 cup cream
1/4 pound butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pat turkey thighs dry with a paper towel. Lightly score the skin of both thighs with a knife in a crosshatch pattern. Sprinkle skin side with smoked sea salt and place aside to rest for at least 10 minutes. In a food processor, add the chili and 2 tablespoons of oil. Pulse the food processor to incorporate and make chili oil. Place dried mushrooms in hot water and let soak for at least 10 minutes. Heat the chili oil over high heat in an oven-safe sauté pan. Sprinkle the turkey thighs with black pepper and place skin down in the chili oil. Sear the skin side for 4-5 minutes and then flip the thigh over. Transfer pan to oven and continue to cook for 30-35 minutes until the thighs have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

In a separate sauté pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and place over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and stir for 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to stir for another minute or two. Drain the mushrooms, chop them a little if desired, and add to the pan. Add some freshly ground black pepper. Lower the heat to medium. Add in the white wine and cook until reduced by half. Carefully pour in the brandy and continue to reduce for a few more minutes. Add the cream and again cook until reduced by half. Reduce heat to low. Stir in and melt the butter. Taste and add salt as desired. Once the butter is in, do not return the sauce to a boil. Pour sauce over turkey thighs and pasta if desired.

Vote for Bite and Booze in Draft Magazine's Annual Great Grill-Out Recipe Contest!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm at it again.  This year, a recipe of mine has been selected as a Top 10 finalist for Draft Magazine's Annual Great Grill-Out Recipe Contest.  The theme of the contest was right up Bite and Booze's alley: "recipes are limited to 10 ingredients or less - one of them must be beer - and your dish should be made on the grill."  The only pantry ingredients we were allowed to include that didn't count as our ten were salt, black pepper, and olive oil.  This contest was a no-brainer for me to enter and I'm thrilled that my recipe has been chosen as a finalist.  If I win, I could get another Big Green Egg Smoker/Grill Package, a dual faucet kegerator from BeverageFactory.com, Omaha Steaks, a beer club membership, and more!

Please help me vote.  This contest has a 1 vote per IP address per day limit and only lasts until September 9th.  Give it all you've got and help me win another grilling contest!!  Share this link of Facebook, Twitter, message boards, etc. or email it to all your buddies!  Thanks so much everybody!

Vote here: http://draftmag.com/recipecontest/vote/
My recipe, which is also seen below, is the "Grilled Pork Chop with Spicy Peach Chutney."  Click on it and it'll show you the recipe... then click on the vote button and you'll cast your ballot for me.  Come back daily until September 9th to vote again!

Grilled Pork Chop with Spicy Peach Chutney

Grilled Pork Chop with Spicy Peach Chutney

Ingredients:
6 bottles of slightly fruity wheat beer
2 cups brown sugar
1 Tbsp Allspice
2 Tbsp Cinnamon
4 thick cut pork chops
1 stick of butter
2 shallots
2 jalapenos
1 garlic clove
2 peaches
salt
pepper

Step 1: Make a beer brine.

Pour 2 bottles of beer into a grill-safe pot. Heat the beer until simmering or slowly boiling. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of brown sugar, 1 Tbsp of allspice, 2 tbsp of cinnamon, 2 tbsp salt and 2 tbsp ground black pepper. Heat keep over heat until all ingredients have dissolved into the beer and come together as one. Remove from heat and chill.

Once at room temperature, add the pork chops to the brine and allow to soak for at least an hour or two.

Step 2: Drink a beer while the brine is cooling and the pork chops are in the brine. Okay, drink two beers.

Step 3: Make spicy peach chutney.

Once the pork is getting close to coming out of the brine, finely chop the shallots, jalapenos, garlic and peaches. Melt some butter in a pan over the grill. saute the shallots in the butter. Once soft, add in the jalapenos and garlic. Saute until cooked down and soft, then add the chopped peaches. Continue to cook down. Add about half of a beer (drink the other half), the 1/2 cup of brown sugar that remains, and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook it down while moving on to step 4.

Step 4: Cook the pork chops.

Remove the pork chops from the brine. Place on the grill over a medium heat. Cook for a few minutes, then flip. Cooking times will vary depending on thickness of the chop and temperature of the grill. Probably 5-10 minutes per side. Cook to a medium temperature.

Remove the pork chops from the grill. Allow them to rest for just a few minutes. Top each chop with the spicy peach chutney, and enjoy with your last beer from the six pack.


I have made this with Bayou Teche Brewing Company's Grenade, which is a Louisiana Passionfruit beer. I suggest something with some fruit characteristics but nothing overly sweet. Pork and fruit work really well together, and a lot can mix with peach, so perhaps a raspberry beer, strawberry beer, or even a pumpkin spiced beer could work.

Grilled Pork Chop with Spicy Peach Chutney

I came up with this recipe on the fly while walking around Rouse's Supermarket in Lafayette prior to doing a Louisiana MasterChef cooking demo.  I really wasn't sure what I wanted to cook, but all of the sudden it hit me: pork, fruit and booze.  I've seen that combination play out well for me before! Walking through the store I found some lovely peaches and some amazing thick-cut pork chops.  I just went with it from there.  Here is the recipe of what turned out to be a great dish.  I'd make that spicy peach chutney again any day!

Grilled Pork Chop with Spicy Peach Chutney 

6 bottles of slightly fruity wheat beer (I used Bayou Teche's Grenade)
2 cups brown sugar
1 tbsp Allspice
2 tbsp Cinnamon

1 bay leaf
4 thick cut pork chops
1 stick of butter
2 shallots
2 jalapenos
1 garlic clove
2 peaches 

Slap Ya Mama white pepper blend
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp ground black pepper

Step 1: Make a beer brine. 

Pour 2 bottles of beer into a grill-safe pot. Heat the beer until simmering or slowly boiling. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of brown sugar, 1 tbsp of allspice, 2 tbsp of cinnamon, 1 bay leaf, 2 tbsp salt and 1 tbsp ground black pepper. Heat keep over heat until all ingredients have dissolved into the beer and come together as one. Remove from heat and chill.

Once at room temperature, add the pork chops to the brine and allow to soak for at least an hour or two.

Step 2: Drink a beer while the brine is cooling and the pork chops are in the brine. Okay, drink two beers. 

Step 3: Prepare spicy peach chutney. 

Once the pork is getting close to coming out of the brine, finely chop the shallots, jalapenos, garlic and peaches. Melt some butter in a pan over the grill. saute the shallots in the butter. Once soft, add in the jalapenos and garlic. Saute until cooked down and soft, then add the chopped peaches. Continue to cook down. Add about half of a beer (drink the other half), the 1/2 cup of brown sugar that remains, and Slap Ya Mama white pepper blend to taste. Continue to cook it down while moving on to step 4.

Step 4: Cook the pork chops. 

Remove the pork chops from the brine. Place on the grill over a medium heat. Cook for a few minutes, then flip. Cooking times will vary depending on thickness of the chop and temperature of the grill. Probably 5-10 minutes per side. Cook to a medium temperature.

Remove the pork chops from the grill. Allow them to rest for just a few minutes. Top each chop with the spicy peach chutney, and enjoy with your last beer from the six pack.


And in case you missed it, here is the little video I put together of the cooking demo with myself, Brant Langlinais, and Jason Broussard... all in the Top 100 on MasterChef Season 2!

The Bullfrog Brewery in Williamsport, PA

Williamsport, PA's Bullfrog Brewery

I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend in Williamsport, PA in large part because Caroline knows me so well.  The planned activities for the weekend: pretty much nothing.  The suggested activities for the weekend: find cultural, local, and authentic restaurants and bars at which to eat and drink, then do so.  Oh, and play with Lola (Caroline's enormous and fantastic puppy) while we rubbed our bellies to recover from all the eating and drinking.  How could it get much better?  After all, it was pretty darn cold outside!  One of our first stops in Williamsport came at the Bullfrog Brewery.  This brewpub in downtown had plenty of character, so we went in, grabbed a seat, and ordered a couple pints.

Brew Kettles and Fermenting Tanks at the Bullfrog Brewery

I began with an Amarillo-ville American Wheat, one of the specialty brews on the menu.  It had a great hops flavor without being overpowering.  I'd certainly suggest it to those who are intimidated by pale ales and want to get their toes wet with hops before jumping in.  From there the logical decision was to order a sampler of various Bullfrog beers.

Beer Sampler at the Bullfrog Brewhouse and Eatery

Like a lot of craft breweries, I generally preferred the beers more as I moved down the line from light to dark.  Particularly of note from Bullfrog were the Apricot Wheat and the Pumpkin Stout.  The Apricot Wheat had a fruity nose that went away slightly upon taste.  I liked that the apricot flavor did not overshadow the beer and make it taste like juice.  Bravo.  The Pumpkin Stout had similar characteristics in that the pumpkin and pumpkin spices did just enough to let you know this was no ordinary stout, but they let the craft beer do most of the talking on my taste buds.

Bullfrog Bruschetta

While quenching our thirst with refreshing brews, it dawned on Caroline and I that we should probably eat as well.  We started things off with an order of the Bullfrog Bruschetta.  The dish consisted of diced tomatoes, feta cheese, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, olive oil and cracked pepper. After placing the spread on some sliced focaccia bread I flew the plane to the hanger, so to speak.  The bruschetta actually impressed me a fair amount.  Light, refreshing, fresh, and pretty delicious.

The Pittsburger

Still, I couldn't resist going from that reasonably healthy bruschetta to a greasy, beefy burger.  The Pittsburger caught my eye since I did happen to be in Pennsylvanian at the time.  This contribution to the burgering world combined bacon, provolone, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, and cole slaw.  Added to that were some pretty fantastic garlic fries.  I'm not a huge cole slaw fan, but it actually worked on the burger.  The beef had plenty of juice while all the other toppings were piled high enough to fall off the bun at times.  Despite being rather tricky to eat, the Pittsburger got my approval.  Then I washed it down with more beer.

Downtown Baton Rouge's The BUZZ Cafe

A Pastrami Panini of some sort at BUZZ Cafe

The BUZZ Cafe in downtown Baton Rouge was one of my favorite lunch spots back when I used to work in the area.  It opens up early for breakfast and coffee but I always showed up around the noon hour to grab a sandwich, soup, or an occasional salad if I was feeling particularly rabbit-like that day.  Most of the time I stuck with the hot grilled Italian panini sandwiches, of which they had multiple to choose from.  All sandwiches come served with some of their "gourmet" potato chips and a pickle wedge.  I typically throw the pickle on the ground, go wash my hands, then enjoy the chips and sandwich.

BUZZ Cafe offers a rather friendly environment to enjoy your breakfast, lunch, coffee, or snacks.  They've got some comfortable tables fit for meeting colleagues, wi-fi for people trying to surf the web or get some work done, and a coffee bar where you can read the paper and chit-chat with the baristas.  Good times!

As I said before, the panini's are usually my go-to item on the menu.  Priced around $8, the sandwiches aren't a bargain, but they aren't ridiculous either.  Many offer grilled chicken with various cheeses like bleu cheese crumbles, melted mozzarella, and cheddar.  I'm not usually a big mayo fan, but their garlic mayo is certainly worth getting on your sandwich.  They also had other sandwich toppings like Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, and hickory smoked bacon.  Hard to go wrong there! And, of course, you could always go with a bowl of soup, one of their pretty good salads, some quesadillas, a deli sandwich, or a wrap.  Pictured above is a bowl of BUZZ cafe's vegetable soup and and a turkey panini.  Naturally, no meal is complete without a little something sweet.  This fresh baked chocolate chip cookie sure hit the spot!  It is places like this that make me miss working downtown.  There's something great about being a brisk walk away from multiple dining or hang-out establishments.  The BUZZ Cafe certainly made my list for its casual, relaxed atmosphere and pretty decent sandwiches!

Project Food Blog Round 2: Classic Korean BBQ

The second round of Project Food Blog asks bloggers to step out of their comfort zone and cook a classic dish from another culture.  Having never traveled there or attempted to cook any of their cuisine, I felt a desire to take my talents to Asia where Jeremy Wells, author of the blog Faire Les Courses, helped me narrow that down to Korean Barbecue.  I've never eaten Korean BBQ before despite writing about the food and drinks of both North Korea and South Korea in my World Cup series, so I knew this would most certainly be a challenge.  Still, I figured that with my love and talents for American barbeque, I'd be up to this task!

Oriental Food on Lee Drive in Baton Rouge, La

I started by doing a little research on Korean BBQ by browsing other food blogs and doing some Internet searches.  I quickly decided that I'd try to make some galbi, or beef short ribs.  In Korean, galbi literally translates into "rib".  Most Korean ribs are marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, sugar, and sometimes fruit like Korean pear.  To make my galbi, I first had to do a little grocery shopping around Baton Rouge, Louisiana to find the right ingredients.

Stop number one took me to a store that is aptly named Oriental Food.  One great thing about exploring the underbelly of Baton Rouge is that this city really offers an outstanding collection of specialty stores from various ethnic and national cuisines.  Oriental Food is actually owned by a Korean family so their selection of sauces and authentic spices was pretty impressive.  After a few recommendations from the owner, I left Oriental Food with some Korean soy sauce, sesame oil, a couple Asian pears, and some kimchi.  More on that later.

Oriental Food's Selection of Sauces

After buying the essential Asian ingredients the time had come to procure some beef.  I took off to Hi-Nabor, a local grocery store with an above average selection of freshly butchered meats.  I wound up buying some beef spare ribs and a few pounds of boneless beef short ribs.  Since I've never cooked Korean-style ribs before I thought it might be good to try a couple different cuts to play around with on the grill.

Ingredients used in the Korean BBQ Marinade

When I got home I created my marinade.  After reading several different galbi recipes I took a stab at making my own sauce in which to soak the meat.  I first collected all the ingredients that I needed.  I used the soy sauce, sesame oil, and Korean pear that I got at Oriental Food.  Added to those items were some garlic, brown sugar, onion, and black pepper.  I finely chopped up most of the onion, the whole pear, and about 2/3 of the garlic bulb and added that mixture to a blend of the other ingredients.  After combining everything together, I poured the marinade over the beef.

Boneless beef short ribs and spare ribs in Korean-style marinade

Jay Ducote places the meat on the Monstrosity

Fresh beef on the hot grill

I let the beef marinate overnight and then lit up the grill for an afternoon barbeque on Sunday.  The preferred Korean method is to grill galbi over charcoal, so that's exactly what I did.  Using the wonderful Third Row Monstrosity barbeque pit, I prepared the grill and placed the meat over the hot coals.  Knowing that beef doesn't take long to cook, and being a fan of medium-rare temperatures, I knew it wouldn't take too long to cook the galbi over the sizzling coals.

Korean-style beef spare ribs

The spare ribs turned out to be ridiculously flavorful.  The combination of soy and pear came through the most and was followed by the tastes of the sesame oil and garlic.  I'm definitely going to play around with this idea a little more and try to get some bolder flavors by perhaps making a barbeque sauce that would complement the marinade.  Even still, I deemed this first attempt at Korean ribs to be a great success.

Korean Kimchi

I also took the liberty of picking up some kimchi while at Oriental Food.  Kimchi is a Korean staple that is basically fermented cabbage with a red pepper sauce.  There are a bunch of different variations on kimchi throughout South Korea, and this one tasted pretty darn good.  It is typically served as a side dish with almost any meal, so naturally I used it to help dress my galbi.  I sliced up the boneless short ribs in order to make lettuce wraps.  With some thinly sliced beef cooked to an ideal temperature and the addition of a little kimchi in the lettuce wrap, this Korean BBQ ended up satisfying quite a few hungry appetites!  I really enjoyed playing around with some new flavors and exotic ingredients.  Hopefully this Project Food Blog journey will continue so I can try a few more new recipes!

Korean galbi and kimchi on a leaf of lettuce

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Seattle Part II: The Pyramid Alehouse

After wrapping up with drinks and a snack at The Pike Brewing Company in Seattle Part I, Eric and I took a nice little walk to SoDo where we found the Pyramid Alehouse right next to Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners.  Stop number two on our Friday-Funday awaited us with more beer and delicious food.  We met up with Meech Crowley, a "brandvangelist" for Pyramid Brewing, who hung out with us at the bar as we talked about Seattle, Louisiana, travels, and, of course, beer.    

The Pyramid Alehouse in Seattle, WA

Once again we began our beverage intake with a sampler platter.  Pyramid's sampler came with five brews to choose from out of the majority of the beers they had on tap.  Picking the first five to try proved to be a bit of a challenge, but after I accomplished that task I promptly had some assorted liquid refreshments awaiting my taste buds.

A Beer Sampler Pyramid Style

I tried to get as much of a variety pack as I could when choosing my sampler dejour.  My selection included the Audacious Apricot Ale, the Haywire Hefeweizen, the Thunderhead IPA, the Alehouse Amber Ale, and the Grifter IPA.  The Audacious, Haywire, and Thunderhead are three of Pyramid's flagship, year-round brews.  I found the apricot ale to be a great fruit beer.  After the walk from the Pike Place Market, a refreshing, summertime beer really hit the spot.  The wheat malt and unfiltered appearance added to the beer's overall aroma and appearance.  The hefeweizen was very similar to the apricot ale minus the fruit influence.  A typical unfiltered wheat beer, the Haywire didn't blow me away.  The Thunderhead IPA is a lighter, golden IPA that is not over-hopped and is quite enjoyable.  While it does not deliver a "thunderous" Pacific Northwest hop overload to the tongue, it is quite nicely balanced with malt to make a pretty good light IPA.  The Amber didn't impress me much, but like almost all cold beer, it was certainly drinkable.  The Grifter IPA may have stolen the show though.  One of Pyramid's summer seasonals, the Grifter IPA delivered a much stronger bite than the Thunderhead.  Using two different malts and four different types of hops, this beer packed a punch of flavor just like what I was looking for in Seattle.  Bravo to the brewer!

Pyramid's Garlic Cheese Roll

Needing to put a little more food in our stomach's, we opted for our waiter's suggestion for an appetizer.  The garlic cheese roll is a well-portioned pizza roll filled with mozzarella cheese and rep pepper flakes, and brushed with roasted garlic olive oil.  Ours also came stuffed with pepperoni and served with marinara for dipping.  While the garlic cheese roll did nothing to bring out Seattle culture or flavor, it did pair nicely with my empty stomach and all that beer.  The dough tasted hot and fresh while the filling and sauce made me happy.  Hard to argue with that.

The Sausage Sampler at Pyramid

Needing to fill up with a little more pub-grub in between vessels of liquid courage, I opted to try Pyramid's sausage sampler.  The entrée came with three links of Uli's Famous Sausages, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, grilled onions, Audacious Apricot Ale BBQ Sauce and honey beer mustard. The sausage came in three different styles which I found quite appealing.  There was a traditional English banger, a German bratwurst, and a Cajun chicken sausage.  All of the sausages were quite appetizing and the sauces were delicious.  But the main thing was that I had some subsistence in my stomach because I was really there to drink.

The sampler obviously could not satisfy my thirst alone, so I drank several more pints.  And then a few more... I think.  The bar filled up as the pre-game Mariners crowd started to arrive.  We had a couple of visitors stop and chat with us for a while about the oil spill and other things, but the main thing Eric and I did was keep drinking.  My favorites included the Fling Pale Ale and the Dark IPA, though there were several more that added to the flavor profile of Pyramid.  They did seem to be missing a dark beer though.  There was no porter or stout option, which would have been nice to try.  Still, the cold beer satisfied every bone in my body during the Seattle heat wave.  Thanks to Meech for chatting with us about the brewery, and I'll make sure to go back next time I'm in Seattle!

Now on to Seattle Part III for more debauchery and amazing cuisine!

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