Home Brew Saturday

It's the first day of November but feels more like December outside - cold and rainy - making this a perfect day to catch up on caring for our latest batches of home brew.

What a mess! Pedro racked the 12 gallons of Chardonnay juice we fermented this year. We're not going to induce malolactic fermentation in order to keep the raw, acidic crispness of the Chardonnay grape in tact.

He also racked the ~7 gallons of Sangiovese grapes we pressed and steamed 75 grams of French oak chips to add to the carboy. Steaming the French oak is an alternative way to sanitize the chips and enhance their flavor release vs. boiling them (more common method of sanitization).

As if all this weren't enough (Thanksgiving is coming up after all and we're excited to be hosting Pedro's family), next on the list of things to prepare is a ~5 gallon batch of American Amber Ale with a kit containing ore measured ingredients from South Hills Brew Supply. These kits are really convenient for making a limited number of basic brews.

Crepes two-ways ::: Sweet

Once you've mastered how to make a crepe (see previous post on savory crepes), you can now build kn the base to make anything!

Pedro and I hosted my parents for dinner recently and made these for desert. Fold a warm crepe into forths. Drizzle warm cajeta (caramelized goats milk) on top alongside toasted, chopped pecans. Enjoy immediately... Mmmm!

Crepes two ways ::: Savory

First thing's first. Make a good crepe. Pedro follows a consistent recipe for his crepes, which involves a simple mixture of 1 c. Bread or all-purpose flour, 2 eggs, ~1.5 c. milk (depending on consistency you may need a little less), 1 tbsp. butter and a pinch of salt. The trick with this batter is to incorporate all of the dry ingredients with the eggs, butter and a splash of milk to eliminate any lumps. Use a wooden spoon to avoid frothing the batter. Once you have the batter incorporated start adding the rest of the milk slowly and keep incorporating.

Let this mixture sit for a couple hours.

Once it's time to make the crepes, we use our electric, hand-held crepe maker (available at target or amazon for around $40). After about 1 minute, the crepes are ready to peel off the crepe maker and can be stacked on a plate until you're ready to use them. This recipe makes 10 -12 medium sized crepes.

Keep the crepes fresh in a ziplock bag and resuse them for up to 3 or 4 days after making them... They're much easier to reheat, and much more versatile then pancakes.

For the savory crepes, we put a finished crepe in a skillet like a tortilla and grated just a little sharp cheddar (gruyere would be delicious), a slice of prosciutto and some arugula, and sprayed some truffle oil on it before folding the crep on itself until everything was warm and gooey. Enjoy immediately. Eat with your hands like a sandwich to keep the arugula from falling out. Basically one of the best snacks you'll ever have.

Thai Mahi Mahi Filets

Pedro made these and they came out like a thai restaurant dish - but without all the msg and vegetable oils.

Of course the Mahi Mahi filets we used are from Costco (wild caught). Once thawed, place them in a skillet with about 1.5 tbsp of coconut oil. Spread some crushed garlic and coriander on top of the filets with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet to allow the filets to steam for about 6 or 7 minutes depending on their size.

To finished the filets add a few sprigs of thai basil and let steam for another 30 seconds until the basil is just tender. Once you plate the filets, sprinkle roasted almond slices on top for a garnish.

A couple of additional ingredients we decided would go well in addition is some fresh crushed ginger mixed with the garlic, and maybe some crushed chile flakes.

We served these with baked sweet potato chips as a side. Yum!

Antojitos Mexicanos

Best translated as "Mexican Snacks," the Spanish word "Antojitos" literally means "little cravings." When I lived in Mexico, I used to eat antojitos every Sunday night. I'd enjoy them with a cold tequila or Tecate Rojo beer, and the experience was always very comforting to me and got me ready for the work week.

I guess in my mind, antojitos are sort of like tapas (but think more fried, and less healthy) in that they come in any number of varieties and differ greatly by region.

Pedro made these antojitos as an appetizer, but they were so yummy that we just kept eating and skipped dinner.

Here's what you do for this particular antojito. Buy instant corn masa from your local Mexican grocer. The great thing about this flour is that all you have to do is add water until you achieve the desired consistency. Add salt to taste. Then form small golf-ball sized pieces and press them with a tortilla press to make a corn tortilla.

Trick: use ziplock bags for the perfect nonstick surface.

Stuff the tortilla with sharp white cheddar, bacon pieces and mozzarella. Fold the tortilla on itself like an empanada or pot sticker. Pan fry in olive oil until golden brown on both sides.

Enjoy plain or with your favorite salsa, and tell me that salty warm crunch isn't addictive.

2014 Wine Season

Pedro and I look forward to wine season every year. We typically wake up extra early on a Saturday and head down to Consumer's Produce in Pittsburgh's Strip district. 

Ron Castletano is Consumer Produce's Italian wine guy. He's notoriously difficult to get ahold of, but always friendly once you find him. On Saturday, Sept. 27, Pedro and I ventured downtown for our grapes. The California harvest was a little late this year. We bought ~110 lbs of Sangiovese (red Italian variety) from Lanza Musto vineyards on California's North Coast. We bought this grape in honor of our recent trip to Italy where we learned about the Chianti wine-making process (must contain at least 80% Sangiovese). We also bought two buckets of Chardonay juice.

In the Consumer's Produce warehouse, bees hum around the sweet grapes, Ron takes customer orders from atop a wine barrel, old Italian men discuss wine-making secrets passed to them from their fathers, and free home made Italian sausages, cured meats and cheeses are available to those who rise early enough to beat the crowds.

This year, Pedro built and ingenious destemmer with a perforated metal sheet, cutting the grape prep time down to one hour exactly including destemming and crushing. Last year destemming alone took about three hours. Quite an improvement in process efficiency!

While we finished up the crushing, Pedro opened a bottle of 2013 Cabernet (we think! - lots of bottles got shifted around during my move in and so we're not entirely sure which vintage is which in some bottles now). That wine tastes VERY promising.

After killing the natural yeasts in the grapes on Saturday Pedro added the red wine yeast to the three buckets last night. I will be in charge of punching the caps this week while Pedro is in Chicago.

Hope this year's vintage is a good one! It was made with lots of love (and a little quality control from Taco Garcia since we were dog-sitting him for the weekend).

Grilled Baby Portobello Sandwich

An early fall treat for your taste buds. Remove the mushroom caps and marinate them in a cup of red wine with 3 tbsp of soy sauce, 5 tbsp of red or cider vinegars, pepper flakes, 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, crushed thai basil and olive oil.

Grill the caps for 3 minutes per side. Place approx 3 caps on a toasted bun with light smear of Dijon mustard, lettuce, tomato and a thin slice of sharp, hard cheddar.

Enjoy this earthy, vegetarian friendly masterpiece.