Leftover apple cider pancakes

It's apple cider time of year.  The time of year when gallon jugs of brown juice find their way into the refrigerator on a whim..... And sit there for weeks.    You should know that apple cider can make you sick if it is left in the refrigerator too long, especially if the juice is from a farm stand. 

Despite what you hear in the news about the evils of pesticides and the benefits of organic produce, "locavores" should ensure to quickly drink the apple cider from farmstands, preferably within 3 to 5 days.  Why?  Because bacteria can grow in the apple cider.  Many farms do not pasteurize the apple juice in the way that the "evil" mass-marketed juices do.  This shortens the life of the juice and can result in very serious illness that can have long-lasting effects. 

You might notice that your juice does not indicate whether it has been pasteurized or not.  You're not off the hook yet!  The FDA does not require fresh squeezed juice sold at orchards, farmstands, and some restaurants to carry a warning label about pasteurization. 

Therefore, be smart when drinking cider.  Use your nose to smell the juice before pouring in order to get a sense of the freshness.  Do not drink after the recommended date.  Seal juices tightly and store opened juice in temperatures of 40 degrees fahrenheit or below.

Uses for leftover apple cider

Leftover cider pancakes - Add apple pie spice for a delicious pancake.  Don't have apple pie spice?  Make your own from cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and cardamom.
Apple cider doughnuts - Fry your pancake batter in oil for quickie doughnuts.  Adorn with powdered sugar.
Cider popsicles - Infuse with lemon and a sprig of thyme for an herbal twist on the traditional popsicle.  This is a grown up version of the popsicle.
Mulled cider - Mix cider with orange juice and heat on the stovetop.  Add spices like whole cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, brown sugar, orange peel or lemon peel.  Spike it if you want with brandy or spiced wine.   Classic mulled cider recipe from Taste of Home

Hulu out there

Occasionally I Hulu.  Do you?

Last night the TV in my house was turned into a mud-racing pit, shark-catching boat and TV marathon of "The Big Bang Theory".  Uggghhh!!!    So...  I crept silently into another room and Hulu'd!!!

My Hulu picks were:

Pilot to The Mindy Project:   Mindy Kaling is one to watch.  She's got a lot of chutzpah to write and act in her own creation.  It was non-sensical but quick paced and FUNNY.  I don't mind the nonsense when things keep moving along. 

Trailer on Collider

Pilot to Ben and Kate:  The pilot took on an ambitious load of storytelling.  The audience needs to see more episodes to assess the true personality of this one.  In the pilot, the characters come together as a family.  Awwww.  Who doesn't like to watch that?

Next, to accompany the picks were snacks and drink of course!   This evening's picks:

Kashi Soft-Baked Squares Chocolate - Wannabe brownies with a health bend to them.  They have an odd taste but are easier on the digestive system than traditional brownies.  Whole Foods makes mini-brownies that taste less weird and are a better "Healthy" knock-off of the real thing. Verdict:  So-so.

Franz Reinhart 2010 Trettenheimer Altarchen Riesling Spatlese - This was very good, actually.  Lower alcohol content than some at 8%.  Sweet fruit flavors.

Salmon with Apricots

Huh?!?!  The salmon salad that I had for lunch had dried apricots in it.  This was the first I'd seen of the salmon-apricot combination. 

First, I tried to wrap my mind around the combined scent of... Apricots and.. Salmon?!?!

I picked up the salad and pressed my nose against the sealed plastic container.  All I smelled was lettuce.  Well, it didn't smell too bad.  Worth taking a shot.

Recipe for Salmon-Apricot Salad by Sally Spins

  
Next, the color combination struck me.  It is very modern to combine adjacent colors on the color wheel.  Color combo approved.

Salmon

Apricot

 (Look no further than the African Daisy for proof that this combination occurs in nature:)

Daisy seeds on Ebay

Last, for the taste.  You know what?  I really enjoyed it!  It did require a nutty crunch and a viniagrette tang to balance the sweetness.  My salad had that covered.  It was delectable and I would have it for lunch again!   I would try a warm version for dinner, too!   

Here are some salmon-apricot recipes from around the web:

Salmon with Apricot-Pineapple-Cilantro Salsa by Food.com

Cashew Salmon with Apricot-Cranberry Quinoa by Sumptuous Spoonfuls

Apricot-Balsalmic Glazed Salmon by UW Go Red For Women

Cedar-Planked Salmon with Apricot-Jalapeno Glaze by Sendik's Market

Other combinations to try:  Maple Syrup.  Mustard.  Dates.

Gone kiwiberry picking

The fine fall weather is a great time for apple-picking.  Did you know that you can also go kiwiberry-picking?  I went kiwiberry picking over the weekend.   It is like a cross between picking cherries and grapes.  The kiwiberry grows on a trained vine with good sized leaves.  Vines reach 6 to 8 feet tall.

First things first.  What in the world is a kiwiberry?   Answer:  It is a variation of the kiwi fruit that is miniature in size and glossy smooth in its skin (which is completely edible, in contrast to the fuzzy skin of the traditional kiwi fruit).  They are green like grapes, solid like cherries, sized like cherries, and the seeds are barely noticeable.  There is no pit.   They taste sour-sweet.

The kiwiberry goes by several names:

Kiwiberry

Arctic Kiwi

Baby Kiwi

Dessert Kiwi

Actinidia Arguta

Kiwiberry.com

Kiwiberries, like the kiwi fruit, come from Asia, where they are a mountain berry.   The plants can tolerate colder temperatures than some tropical fruits.   In the U.S., they are a trendy planting, but some states are already labeling them invasive.  They can grow up to 20 feet in one season, compromising forests if permitted to escape contained cultivation.

Recipe for Tres Leches Cake

Nutritionally, they are full of Vitamin C, Fiber, and Potassium. They also have Calcium.  Of course, they are low in fat.  They have sugar but taste sour-sweet more than pure sweet like a strawberry.  (They would combine excellently with strawberries, however.)    They are high in oxalic acid, which is the "tang" in pineapples.

Cooking with Barbera wine

Of late, I purchased a bottle of Barbera wine.  I underestimated my tolerance for the tannins in the wine, combined with the high acidity.   These are two trademark characteristics of the wine.  Barbera grapes naturally have a high acidity.  The wine often has very high tannins when oaked in order to counterbalance the acidity, is my understanding.   Very often the barbera grape is used in a wine blend, but this time I was trying a whole bottle.  As it turns out, I prefer the blends better!  Then it occurred to me:   Not every type of apple is used to make apple pie.  What if this grape and this wine were better suited for cooking than drinking?   Wouldn't barbera make a nice jam or other food?  And that is where I found my answer to the best use for the Barbera variety! 

Wine Review - Renwood 2008 Estate Barbera
The Renwood barbera is a good example of the barbera type.  Strong berry flavors.  Blackberry, Currant, Raspberry.  High acidity.  Strong tannins.  Personally I picked up the taste of the American Oak quite a bit.  The winemaker also used French Oak.  Do I love this wine?  No, mostly due to the wine variety and not the winemaker.  It was not an out of this world wine but it was good for its type.  Would I give Renwood another chance?  Yes!  Their specialty is actually Zinfandel.  Knew I'd seen that label somewhere in another section of the store.  

Cooking with Barbera Grapes
I have half the bottle to cook with.  The first thing that came to mind was jam.  Going online, I found recommendations for making wine vinegar and a wine sauce.  Here are some recipes to consider!

Beef Short Ribs Braised in Barbera - by La Cucina Italiana 
 
Red Wine Poached Pears - by the Dirty Gourmet


Red Wine Braised Chuck Roast - by Food and Wine

Risotto with Barbera Wine - by Academia Barilla - Calls for ox marrow.  Says you can substitute with beef stock.

Brussels sprouts with fennel in fruit vinagrette

Brussels sprouts are coming into season.  I couldn't resist the fresh look of them at the market last weekend.  Here's a side dish that the whole family loves.


Ingredients

Fresh Brussels sprouts, whole, 2-3 handfuls, Cleaned (remove bottoms and outer leaves), and sliced in half or thirds.  Whole is OK if they're on the small side.  Quarters will cook too quickly.

Fennel, suit your taste.  Licorice lover? Use a lot.  Not into it? Use just a couple of pieces.

Balsalmic vinegar, 1/4 cup

Fruit vinagrette - 1/8 cup (or switch portions with balsalmic if you like it on the sweeter side).  You can use any or even a dash of wine or sherry.  I had Cape May Vineyards Beach Plum Vinagrette on hand. (More on beach plums below)

1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Directions
Boil the brussels sprouts and fennel with lemon juice and drain.  Empty out the pan and add the vinegar, sweetener (fruit vinagrette or wine), sugar and salt.  Heat while stirring.  Add brussels sprouts back into pan and mix to coat.  To serve the sprouts, you can top with grated cheese, toasted nuts or breadcrumbs, or bacon or pancetta.

Related Links:

More Brussel Sprouts Recipes from Serious Eats
Brussel Sprouts Chips from Eat Real

Martha's Vineyard Times article on Beach Plums and Recipe for Jelly

Volcanic coffee

Ever had volcanic coffee?   The term is used to describe coffee made from active volcanic soils.   Today I wanted a jolt to keep moving despite the rain.  I tried out Dean's Beans "Ring of Fire" coffee.  For those who are unfamiliar, the Pacific Ocean's Ring of Fire refers to a ring of active volcanoes that are known not only for their eruptions but a ring of earthquake activity.  From the name of the coffee, I was expecting something bold and earthy, and not over-roasted. 

  worldatlas.com

The Ring of Fire coffee is labeled as a blend of coffee beans from Indonesia, Timor, and Papua-New Guinea.  The land of Timor, I recalled from college history class, is an island people who had gone through a lot of political upheaval in the last couple of decades.  I have to admit, I was a bit intrigued. I don't think I've come across Timorean coffee before, ever!  Usually my coffee hails from the usual places of Colombia or Sumatra (Indonesia). 

  Sumatran coffee region by Jetstar Magazine

Had they made peace over a cup of coffee?  In answer to my question, the Dean's Beans website had an article describing what the conditions in Timor were like these days.

Back to the brew.   The coffee beans were very finely ground.  Upon opening the package, I was very pleased with this.  Taking a whiff, I had a hunch of what it would taste like and I was mostly right.  For anyone who has tried the coffee blends at Whole Foods grocery in the mornings, this coffee is a less-acidic and more palatable cousin.  It is more smooth than the Starbucks or Whole Foods varietals.  Still, there is plenty of acidic punch.  Be sure to monitor intake accordingly!  All in all, I am happy with the purchase.  I will probably purchase a second light variety of coffee to keep on hand for fans of light roasts while I am making my way through this batch in the fall.  The bold flavors of the Ring of Fire would work nicely with cinnamon or cardamom sprinkled in.