Finals Breakfast

It's finals time.  That means it's finals diet time.  Nothing too green, lots of bacon, and spiked coffee.  So, this morning I made two breakfast sandwiches and some spiked coffee.

I start with two toasted English muffins cut in half and with pimento cheese.  I make my pimento cheese with cream cheese instead of mayo, and add various peppers (Scotch bonnet, habanero, jalapeno, and the obvious pimento).  

Next, pan fry some thinly sliced pork belly (basically uncured bacon).

Drain access grease.

Next fry some eggs.

Flip.

Assemble.

Do some lazy-ass plating with sambal oelek aioli (AKA: Samurai Sauce). 

Meanwhile, brew some coffee.  I used some whole bean Honduran coffee I was gifted.  Grinding your own beans is so much better.  Using a non-blade grinder is so much better.  Using a Chemex (http://www.amazon.com/Chemex-6-Cup-Classic-Series-Coffee/dp/B0000YWF5E) is so much better.  But sometimes you can only be so snobby about things in life.  I think I've reached that point (for now), so I just use the refillable K-Cup for my Keurig.  Also, we're spiking this so it's not that important.

 

After brewing the coffee, add the magic.  We're trying to be happy and productive, not buzzed.  So I stick with low ABV liqueurs/amaros/cordials and a few dashes of bitters.  Maybe have one total ounce of booze for a whole cup of coffee.  I used:

1/2 oz Amer Picon

1/4 oz Amaro Ramazzotti

1/4 Luxardo Maraschino 

3 dsh Fee Brothers Orange Bitters

Breakfast is served.

Prosit!

Moules Frites and a Beer Cocktail

My dear noble two readers,

It's been too long, I know.  You've missed me.  I've missed you.  Let's make amends.  My peace offering?  A food AND cocktail post.  Tonight I made Moules Frites (Mussels and Fries) and a cocktail with beer.  I'll start with the food.

Moules Frites

Frites:
4 russet potatoes
1 quart peanut oil
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Mussels:
1 lb mussels (live):
325 ml dry white wine
Grapefruit bitters
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 large carrot (skinned)
1 serrano pepper (seeds removed)
2 oz olive oil
Shallots
Fresh ground black pepper

Spicy mayo
Mayo
??????
Profit

Bitter Berry (not at all influenced by Matthew Berry.  Not even a chance.  *ahem*).
1.5 oz gin
.5 oz Aperol
3 dsh grapefruit bitters
IPA (Beer, I used Sierra Nevada Torpedo)

Skin and slice potatoes.I have a shortcut device thanks to my wonderful cousin but if you aren't so lucky, check out my boy Kenji's knife skills post on how to replicate the process the old fashioned way, here:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/06/knife-skills-how-to-cut-french-fries.html?ref=search

Blanch the fries.  Boil water with a little bit of vinegar and salt.  Add potatoes.  Boil 10 minutes

Dry fries on a paper towel lined thing.

In the meantime, add all the veggies and such to a heavy bottomed pot.  Also, heat up the peanut oil to 400 degrees in a cast iron skillet.

Add the fries to the oil in batches.  Let them cook for a minute or so, then remove and dry.  YOU ARE NOT DONE HERE. YOU WILL FRY THEM TO A CRISP SOON.

Once done frying for the first time, let all the fries dry on a paper towel-lined something or another.

In the meantime, dump all the mussels into a bowl of cold water.  If any are open, tap them.  If they don't close shut, throw them away.  They're dead and nasty.  They shouldn't smell like spoiled seafood.  Also, remove anything from the exterior of the shells, like the little scraggly "beards." Now heat up the veggies and oil from earlier on high.  Get wine and bitters ready.

Once the veggies and such are starting to make some noise, add the mussels (sans water) and cook for about a minute and a half with the lid on.  Strain in a caldron over a bowl.  Then add the mussels back to the heavy bottomed pot and cover with the broth and reheat for a couple minutes.

While that is happening, combine 1.5 oz of gin and .5 oz of Aperol with 3 dashes of grapefruit bitters.  Pour over ice in a tall glass (if it's a pint glass, you'll have to recalculate the ratios.  Should be full of ice, then half filled with gin mix and half filled with beer) and garnish with a lemon twist, being sure to express the oil around the rim of the glass.  Don't stir.  The specific gravity of the ingredients will force mixture after a little bit.

It's a thing of beauty.

Consume while watching Archer.

Prosit! 

Barrel Aged Cocktails

For those of you at UGA Law with me, you know that this weekend is the Equal Justice Foundation's charity auction.  In honor of this great event, I've created a barrel aged cocktail to auction off.  If you like what you see, stop by on Saturday and place a bid.

I started with a base of Whistlepig 10 Rye.  If you haven't had the chance to try Whistlepig, I strongly suggest you do so.  It's got the ferocious bite of a strong Rye, but it still retains the smoothness of the finest of whiskies.  Coming in at 100 proof, it's going to take over whatever cocktail you put it in.  Subsequently I did my best to dress it up and show off its bold flavor profile (ginger, vanilla, clove, and pine).  My efforts are detailed below:

1.5 oz Whistlepig 10 Rye Whiskey
.5 oz St. Germain
.5 oz Aperol
.25 Amaro Ramazzotti
1 dsh Orange Bitters
1 dsh Angostura Bitters

Aged in a Port Wine Barrel

Serve straight up.


UPDATE: Sold for $105.  This might be a recurring thing.  Stay posted.