After spending some quality time at Cowgirl Creamery in the Ferry Building this past Tuesday, I fell in love with Rogue Creamery’s, Crater Lake Blue. The second I tasted this intense and complex cow’s milk blue, in my mind I immediately paired it with my favorite Creme di Balsamico. Walking through the vendors out front, I noticed my favorite green, Chinese mustard lettuce. This is so different from your typical mustard green. The Chinese lettuce gives a burst of robust mustard as you chew. Then I thought, salad. I bought the greens and perfectly ripe strawberries, then threw this together.
It is almost impossible to ignore the aromas and not stop at Acme Bread when you are in the Ferry Building. On that note, I got a fresh baguette to toast up for crostini. I put a little salad on top, drizzled the balsamic reduction and viola!
I have been meaning to make beef jerky for a while now. The meat counter at Falletti’s was all it took. I bought a pound of LEAN top sirloin and had the butcher slice it extra thin. When you get home, make sure to trim ALL of the fat off the meat. Lay the meat between layers of paper towels and press the moisture out of the meat with a wooden spoon, meat tenderizer, etc.
In a large bowl, toss the meat with the brown sugar, kosher salt, soy sauce, minced garlic, crushed red pepper, and cracked black pepper.
Lightly oil a metal rack and put it in a foil covered baking sheet. Lay the meat in a single layer covering the rack. Refrigerate the beef uncovered for 24 hours.
After the meat has been sitting in the fridge, preheat the oven to it’s lowest possible temperature. If your oven does not set to 150 degrees F, keep the oven open ajar while cooking. The meat should dry in the oven between 3 to 5 hours. Mine was ready to go in just over 3, just make sure to check if it’s cooked all the way through.
The original recipe came from Jam it, Pickle it, Cure it, however I changed quite a bit. The book’s recipe came out WAY too salty and I also changed the sugar and spice ratio.
- 1 pound very lean top sirloin, sliced 1/8 inch thick
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 Tbsp Soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp dark brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 3 tsp cracked black pepper
Keep it refrigerated up to 6 weeks!
I’ve made this a hundred times, and I’m pretty sure this recipe is perfect. Try it out, it’s easy and the prep is quick. I pick my favorite vegetables at the farmer’s market every week and usually go for zucchini and mushrooms, but almost anything will work. Chicken, tofu or the meat of your choice can be added as well, I often use extra vegetables to replace the protein. I prefer the consistency of soup but if you want it a little thicker add 1 Tbsp cornstarch and 1 Tbsp water to create a paste and add it in. With the rice though, it shouldn’t need a thickener. Enjoy it!
Continue reading ‘Vegetable Red Curry’
Black peppercorn has been my favorite flavor ice cream for a while now. I was googling different recipes for it and came across Chow.com which had a recipe for pink peppercorn ice cream! I followed the recipe exactly, with the pink peppercorns not black. The consistency came out wonderful, it was more of a custard base, but the creaminess paired perfectly with the spiciness and sweetness of the berry. Apparently this recipe comes from Chika Tillman of ChikaLicious Dessert Bar in New York City. Thank you Chika! Her recipe makes about 1 1/2 quarts.
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon whole black or pink peppercorns, crushed with the bottom of a heavy pan
- 8 egg yolks
Continue reading ‘Pink Peppercorn Ice Cream’
Pink and Avocado Salad
Salad:
- 1-2 Whole Avocados
- 2 cups Baby Spinach
- Half of Small Red Onion (sliced paper thin)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. Fresh Chopped Cilantro
- 1 Small Jalapeño (sliced paper thin)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. White Pomegranate Seeds**
- Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
Dressing:
- 3 Tbsp. Chopped Red Onion
- 3 Tbsp. Fresh Chopped Cilantro
- 1/2 Tbsp. Chopped Jalapeño
- 2 Tbsp. Pink Lemon Juice**
- 2 Tbsp. Pink Pomegranate Seeds**
- 6 Tbsp. Champagne Vinegar
- 1 Tsp. Salt
- 1 Tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
- 4 Tbsp. Light Olive Oil
(Makes two individual salads)
Continue reading ‘Pink and Avocado Salad’
