The Shed: Mississippi BBQ

The Shed in Ocean Springs, MS had been on my list of places to visit for a long time.  This is the original of what is now a five-location barbecue trail from Louisiana to Florida.  Still, I hadn't been to any of them because I wanted the Ocean Springs location to be my first experience.  On the way to Pensacola for a bachelor party, my brother Eric and I worked up a hunger.  I remembered that we ought to wait until Ocean Springs so that we could feast on some swine from The Shed.  Memory served me well.  We arrived at The Shed a little after normal lunch hours, which only meant that we were more ready to tackle a plate of barbecue.  As we drove up I realized that place truly is a joint as opposed to a restaurant.  The smell of smoke filled the air, and my excitement level intensified as I laid eyes on The Shed Barbeque & Blues Joint.

Like I said, The Shed obviously didn't even try to pretend to be a normal restaurant.  With a massive outdoor seating area on the water, gravel floors, and portable toilets, joint may have even been an over-statement.  But this is exactly the kind of character I had been looking for.  Eric and I found our way to the ordering line where I went with a two meat combo - spare ribs and brisket, as well as some beans and macaroni salad.

The ribs, which are always what I'll judge a place by, were outstanding.  Pull-off-the-bone tender, succulently sauced, and well flavored, these ribs were everything I had hoped they would be.  So they passed the test, but I still had more to eat.  I enjoyed the macaroni salad and the beans, but didn't find them to be outrageously amazing.  They certainly weren't inventive or to-die-for.  And overall the side selection seemed a little weak.  As for the brisket... it got saved by the sauce.  Without the sauce I found it to be a little dry and flavorless.  Still, I'd say the trip proved to be a success.  As I said, the spare ribs were right on the money and I couldn't have appreciated the atmosphere of a true BBQ joint any more.  Bravo, Ocean Springs, you have something Baton Rouge doesn't have... yet.

Three Gluttonous Sins Class: Butter

Fresina's Whole Wheat Elena Piccola Pasta, Mushroom-Oregano Brown Butter Sauce

Since February I've been doing monthly cooking demos at Fresina's Pasta Company in the Drusilla Shopping Center in Baton Rouge.  Fresina's is a family-owned pasta company that makes their Italian specialties from scratch.  You can go check out the great Italian market with more amazing food crammed between the walls that I can imagine.  In the back, between where the pasta is made, Frank and Linda have a little Tuscan-style kitchens where chefs conduct cooking classes and guests get to learn, socialize, and eat!  I'll be there with my brother Eric from BR Beer Scene on June 15th and 16th to do a pizza and beer class, then again July 27th and 28th for some TBD Italian specialties.   To sign up for any classes that I'm teaching or that anybody else is teaching, just stop in Fresina's or give Linda a call at 225-926-1341.

Pinot Grigio with Course 1, Sangiovese with Course 2, Presecco with Course 3

I titled a recent class "Three Gluttonous Sins: Butter, Bacon, and Chocolate."  Each course was also paired with an exceptional Italian wine from International Wine and Spirits. Here is the recipe and result from course one.  The other two will follow in other posts.

Course 1: Fresina's Whole Wheat Elena Piccola Pasta, Mushroom-Oregano Brown Butter Sauce

1/2 Pound (two sticks) of Sweet Cream Butter, Divided
1 Yellow Onion, Finely Diced
8 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1/2 Cup of Fresh Oregano Leaves, Plus More for Garnish
1 Tbsp Veal Demi-Glace
1 Cup Chopped Mushrooms (Mini Portabellas)
Fresina's Whole Wheat Elena Piccola Pasta
Parmesan Reggiano Cheese
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Boil slightly salted water over high heat to prepare for the pasta.

As water is heating, prepare the sauce.  Over medium high heat in a sauce pan, melt 2 Tbsp of butter.  Add the chopped onion and sauté until they start to become translucent.  Add the garlic, oregano, demi-glace, and mushrooms and continue to sauté for a few minutes.  Add the remainder of the butter and melt into the sauce, stirring all the flavors together.  Reduce heat and allow the sauce to simmer, browning the butter slightly.  Taste, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

With water at a rolling boil, add the 8 ounce box of Fresina's Whole Wheat Elena Piccola Pasta.  Stir until the water returns to a rolling boil.  Cook for approximately 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta reaches and al dente stage.  Remove the pasta from the water and add it to the sauce pan with the sauce.  Stir it all together and plate.  Add freshly chopped oregano and grated Parmesan cheese.  Bellissimo!

Balvenie DoubleWood 12: Whisk(e)y Wednesday presented by The Cove

Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Scotch Whisky

The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 year single malt Scotch seemed promising but ultimately left our Raise a Glass group a little disappointed.  While it still scored a somewhat drinkable 62.5, there were clearly some holes in its game.  According to Jeremy, the scotch smelled of "fairy farts."  Rather sweet on the nose, it carried some floral tones with hints of mead.  The taste presented a fist fight of flavors.  The palate emerged conflicted and undefined leading Eric to state that it was disappointing and overrated.  The finish spiked on the back of my tongue and while it had a mild burn, it certainly wasn't offensive.  James concluded that the Balvenie DoubleWood 12 had a promising nose and finish sandwiching sadness.

Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year
62.5
Average Score


Whisk(e)y Wednesday is a blog post series on Bite and Booze presented by The Cove.  Check out The Cove in Baton Rouge, LA to browse their selection of over 200 whiskeys (including bourbons) and 325+ Scotch whiskys.  Whisk(e)y Wednesday is created and rated by the hosts of Raise a Glass.  Scores are marked for Nose, Taste, Finish, and Balance and Complexity using our own propriatary scoring system.  Marks are then added and averaged, leaving us with a final score out of a 100 point scale.  Our scale should be looked at on the full range of 0-100 rather than an academic range where 70 is passing and anything less is failing.  A 50 should be considered a very mediocre whisk(e)y while anything below 10 is absolute horse piss and anything above 90 is rather extraordinary.

Margherita Pizza with King Arthur Flour and Red Star Yeast

The latest challenge from Virtual Potluck was to create something amazing using some gifts from King Arthur Flour and Red Star Yeast.  I'm not much of a baker, so I knew I wasn't going to do any crazy breads (though I would like to experiment one day).  Instead I thought I'd make a pizza.  And not just any pizza, but a very simple yet delicious margherita pizza.  In my book, a margherita pizza should basically have three toppings: great tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and chopped basil.  After that, you're risking ruining the simplicity of the dish.  That being said, I thought I'd try something, just because it seemed right.  I also included an optional balsamic reduction with the recipe.  Use it to taste, if at all.  But tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and balsamic does work really well together, so I thought it couldn't hurt!

Basic pizza dough, rolled out for 2 (12-inch) pizzas:

2 1/4 tsp Red Star Active Dry Yeast (1 package)
1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
2 cups white whole wheat King Arthur flour plus more if necessary
1/2 cup semolina flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Ingredients
Pizza dough from above
1 can (28oz) San Marzano Italian tomatoes, drained of juices, sliced lengthwise several times
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chiffonade cut
2/3 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced roughly 1/4 to 1/8-inch thick

Optional: Balsamic Reduction Drizzle

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cayenne pepper

(combine ingredients in a small sauce pan, simmer and stir until reduced by half and you have a syrupy consistency)

In a large bowl, combine yeast with water, olive oil, salt and stir well to proof. After 5 minutes, add half of the flour and mix well to thoroughly incorporate. Add all remaining flour and mix well with your hands. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead dough for at least 5 and up to 7 minutes, adding enough additional flour as necessary to form a smooth and elastic dough. Dough should not be sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled 2 or 3 quart bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, usually at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F and if you have one, place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven.
Divide dough into 2 portions (for 2 (12-inch) pizzas) and form into balls. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and cover with a damp towel. Let rest for 15 minutes, then transfer to a lightly floured surface, shape as desired and roll out to a thickness of 1/4-inch.

Arrange the slices of tomato around the pizza dough, covering over half of it but leaving space in between each slice.  Place the slices of fresh mozzarella in between the tomato slices.  Bake at 500 degrees F for roughly 12 minutes, waiting for the outside of the crust to turn golden brown and for the cheese to bubble.  Remove from oven.  Sprinkle chopped basil on top of the pizza.  Allow the pizza to cool slightly, slice, and serve.  Drizzle the optional balsamic reduction over the pizza slices to taste.

Yield: 2 (12-inch) pizzas, serves 4

Margherita Pizza with homemade dough using King Arthur Flour and Red Star Yeast

Interested in winning some products from King Arthur Flour and Red Star Yeast??

I'll be giving away all of this to one lucky winner:

From KA flour: a dough whisk, a coupon for a bag of flour in the supermarket, and a special item!

From Red Star: 3 strips of yeast, a bread pan, apron and bread knife.

Want to win?  Make sure to like both King Arthur Flour on Facebook or Twitter as well as Red Star Yeast on Facebook or Twitter.  Then leave a comment about something you learn from visiting each company's website.  Bonus points if you learn something about the social responsibility of each company!

The Bite and Booze Radio Show is Going Strong!

Londoner Luke, Natalie Ducote, and Myself

The Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket has been going strong for well over a year now.  The first episode aired April 23, 2011, right after the launch of the all-talk FM radio station from Guaranty Broadcasting: Talk 107.3 FM.  With a year and a month under my belt now, I thought I'd give a little update just to make sure everyone knows the multiple ways you can tune in!  Of course, the first way is to catch it when the show airs from 5-6 PM on Saturdays.  You can also steam it at that time on the Talk 107.3 website or using the Tune-In Radio app.

The show is available as an iTunes podcast.  Follow that link or search "Bite and Booze" on iTunes and subscribe!  Having more subscriptions really helps me out, plus you'll easily be able to listen on your computer, phone, tablet, or anything else that works for you!

The below player is embedded into the Bite and Booze Radio Show page as well as on the Bite and Booze Facebook Page under the radio show tab.  You can access it from your computer any time and listen to all the archived shows.  As a special treat, below you can listen to this week's show before it actually airs!

Podcast Powered By Podbean

I've also added a co-host to the show.  Natalie Ducote (not related) has joined me for the past couple months and has done a great job with the show.  Natalie is helping me out with other Bite and Booze things as well, so don't be surprised to meet her or hear from her soon!

The Bite and Booze.com Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket features original, local content about food and beverages in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, New Orleans, and everywhere I may happen to want to talk about. I'll regularly inform you about culinary events and festivals, interview local chefs, talk to representatives from food based charities and non-profit organizations, chat about my favorite places to eat and drink around town, and much, much more. Please join in on the fun by listening, sending me topics to talk about, let me know your thoughts about bite and booze, or be my guest in studio or over the phone!

The Bite and Booze.com Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket: Radio Fit for Human Consumption!

Thanks to my fine sponsors:

The show is looking for more advertisers and sponsors. If you are interested or know anybody who might be, I'd be happy to send over a sponsorship packet with more details. Just let me know what I can do!  You can always reach me at jay@biteandbooze.com.