Jason’s favorite cheese has always been mozzarella, so for Christmas this past year I got him a cheesemaking kit through Zingerman’s! It has the rennet and citric acid you need to add to whole milk in order to make many batches of mozzarella and ricotta cheese.
The directions are very clear, and the process is actually quite simple, but it involves large pots, a thermometer, and some careful timing. After the milk, citric acid, and rennet sit together for five minutes they magically transform into a custard-like curd; a few minutes later and that curd is elastic and shiny and actual cheese! The box says salt is optional but it is flavorless without it, and the directions also stress the importance of a stepped-down cold-water bath that we skipped but will be sure to do next time.
(Jason pulling fresh mozzarella)
We made use of the cheese in homemade pizza tonight: a mushroom, pepper, and onion as well as a taco pizza. Creamy, soft, and delicious! We’ll make a post about our homemade pizzas another time.
To celebrate our friend’s 40th birthday, his wife organized a surprise birthday party complete with a program, elaborate decorations, a bitters tasting, a take-your-own-infused-spirit home, and a roast! She enlisted Jason’s help ahead of time for all the graphic designing, of course. He made an 8-page program, designed a banner, and more.
On the day of the party we made ourselves available early to help set up, and Erin was put to work making a “40” out of photographs of the birthday boy, friends, and family. It was really a lot more tricky to get this onto the wall than you’d think, and it took a while to get just right!
We cooked, cleaned, organized, and more with a few other friends and got everything ready for the big moment. No one was quite clear on the best way to handle the “surprise”—do we turn off all the lights and hide in the dark? Do we leave the lights on to create a semblance of normalcy? Do we even shout “surprise”? There was a lot of frantic whispering but the truth is, it doesn’t matter: In the confusion of entering your home and finding people there shouting at you, it probably doesn’t much matter how well lit it was or what exactly they’re saying! Finally, we could eat the food.
The organized activity for the night was a bitters tasting. Six different bitters were provided (Angostura, Peychaud’s, Regans’ No. 6 Orange, Dutch’s, Bittermens Xocolatl Mole, Fee Brothers Grapefruit) and they were each sampled 3 ways: plain, in seltzer, and in an otherwise bitters-less Back 40 cocktail (bourbon, maple syrup, lemon juice). It was really interesting how each could be so different in all 3 tastings. One that smelled delicious was vile to Erin. A few were transformed completely when added to a drink.
We also got to make our own infusions. Rum and bourbon were the base liquors; choices for additions included lots of herbs, zest of many citrus, dried fruit, and spices. We chose quite different flavors: Jason went all citrus with Meyer lemon, lemon, orange, and lime, while Erin went with her favorite herb, rosemary, along with Meyer lemon and apricot. We’ll crack them open in a few days and see how they came out!
The February issue of Bon Appetit couldn’t have been more timely. A feature on great pasta dishes just in time for Valentine’s Day? Perfect. Of the seven delicious-sounding recipes in their feature, one caught both of our eyes for immediate consumption: the Orecchiette with Kale and Breadcrumbs. We planned it for our Valentine’s dinner at home, complete with flowers and candles on the table. And it was so delicious, we both went back for seconds . . . and thirds!! There’s a decent amount of prep (blanching kale, chopping it), but it is all completely worth it. If you’re on the fence about kale, this will win you over. Spinach wouldn’t be the same.
Orecchiette with Kale and Breadrumbs
1 pound Tuscan kale, or other variety (about 2 large bunches), stems trimmed
Kosher salt
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
1 cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs (we used 1 cup panko)
3 garlic cloves, minced (I used the microplane), divided
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
4 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained
1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound orecchiette (little ear-shaped pasta)
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano (we used less, about 1/4 cup)
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the kale, about 4 minutes at a time. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. When you’ve finished blanching, bring the pot of water back up to a boil.
Squeeze as much water as you can out of the kale, then cut out the stem and finely dice the stems. Roughly chop the leaves.
Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and stir to coat, then stir often until beginning to brown. Add one-third of the minced garlic and stir to distribute. Remove from heaat when the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Add salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
Drop the pasta in the boiling kale water and cook until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat butter and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot or pan over medium-low heat. Add the anchovies, red pepper flakes, and remanining garlic and cook, mashing anchovies until they are melted into the oil. Add the reserved kale and 1/2 cup of water and stir until the kale is covered with the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
Reserve 1 cup of the pasta liquid, then drain the pasta. Add it to the kale (or if your pan isn’t big enough like ours, return the pasta to the pot and then add the kale to it) and mix, adding half the reserved liquid and then more as needed to get a consistency you want. Add the Parmesan and half the breadcrumbs and stir to combine.
Serve sprinkled with additional breadcrumbs and freshly grated Parmesan.
When we first met, we discovered that we both did tacos the same way: sauteed ground beef, a packet of seasoning, and various toppings, including shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, lettuce, and onion, on a soft flour tortilla. Over the years we started introducing variations on this: shredded beef instead of ground, new toppings including cilantro and jalapenos, even grinding our meat ourselves. But this past summer Bon Appetit had a taco issue that changed the way we do tacos entirely.
Gone is the ground beef and packet from the grocery store. Toppings have been changed out. We make our own shells from scratch. We always pickle onions. And it’s so, so good. You should make this immediately. We slow-cook pork shoulder to make carnitas, but you could shred a roasted chicken or go vegetarian with beans—we often add beans, too. To save time, one of you (Jason) makes the shells and heats the meat while the other (Erin) dices all the toppings.
Set everything out and build your tacos! Mix and match the toppings as you please—in truth, sometimes the shells are just too small to accommodate all the toppings all at once. Erin’s tacos always get stuffed with fresh jalapenos (never spicy enough) and finished with some lime crema, while Jason’s always have fresh tomatoes and plenty of queso.
Carnitas (makes lots of servings)
1 whole pork shoulder, trimmed of fat and skin
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 bottle of beer, preferably a lighter beer or lager (cider works well too, if you want it to be gluten free)
Rub the trimmed pork shoulder with the onion and garlic powder and place in a slow cooker. Pour the bottle of beer over, put on the lid, and cook on low for 8-11 hours. Drain the meat and shred roughly. Either eat immediately or saute briefly in a pan with a small amount of oil until crispy. Add salt to taste (we rarely add salt, and never miss it). This makes a TON of meat, so you’ll have leftovers for ages (or have a big party!). Reheat in a pan with oil.
Quick-Pickled Onions
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
½ red onion, thinly sliced
Combine the salt, sugar, and vinegar in a shallow bowl until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Add the onions and toss to combine. Add cold water to cover the onions. Let sit about 20 minutes or more (while you prep everything else).
Corn Tortilla Shells (makes 2 servings, about 6 shells)
½ cup masa
6 tablespoons water
pinch of salt
Combine all ingredients in a bowl until a ball forms. It should have the consistency of Play-Doh; add more masa or water as needed to get the right not-too-wet, not-too-dry quality. Roll into golf ball sized balls and use a tortilla press lined with parchment paper (or a cut plastic bag) to press into tortillas. Meanwhile, heat a griddle over medium-low heat and brush lightly with oil. Place the shells onto the hot pan; flip when the edges curl. The tortillas should be warm and still malleable—we love when they puff up! Transfer to a plate.
Other Topping Suggestions
Sliced radishes
Diced jalapenos
Cilantro leaves
Diced grape tomatoes
Lime crema (1 tsp lime juice mixed with 1 tablespoon sour cream)
Queso fresco (crumbled)
Pinto beans (heat up a can of beans)
Happy new year! We’re looking forward to a fantastic 2013, but wanted to take a moment to look back at 2012. It was a fun year, though not all of it has been documented here (we only started the blog in June, after all!). Not only did we finally walk across the Manhattan Bridge, listen to the Philharmonic in the park, and take a trip to San Francisco, we weathered Superstorm Sandy, hosted a delicious Thanksgiving, and had our annual beach week vacation.
But there’s more, of course, that never made it onto the blog (we promise to be better documenters this year), and we wanted to share some of them with you.
For Jason’s birthday, we took a trip to Chicago, where we went to see Second City with Lauren and Peter.
Our holiday card this year may not be exactly seasonal…
We took it on a hot summer day in July, donning full winter gear and heading to the water’s edge in Seaside Heights. We’re sorry that we didn’t get enough printed to mail to all our friends (we’ll fix that next year!) so we’re sharing it here—now with outtakes!
Wishing all of you a healthy and happy new year, from Jason and Erin.
