USVI-On-Line

liamsaunt wrote:Yum...cheese! See the runny one in the front? John smuggled that back from Portugal for me. He knows just what kinds of presents to bring!

Back when I was living on island, my then boyfriend's mom went to France for a month. She called us from France to warn us that she was sending us an International Overnight package. We got a call from Connections a couple days later to get down there immediately and pick up a really smelly package.
We had the most amazing dinner that night. I have no idea what half of them were, but it was some of the best cheese I have ever had.

Wow, what a beautiful cheese. I loved washed rind cheeses. If you want raw milk cheese in the US you have to make it yourself. Such a shame.

A good American washed rind cheese are those made by Cato Corner Farm. The Hooligan is amazing. The Bridgid's Abbey is very good.

We've been "spoken to" by our hoteliers in Europe many times for having strong cheese in our room. Delightful! If you ever get to London you must visit Neal's Yard Dairy.

Cheese, RickG

Today's cooking is BEER! We are making 22 gallons of Franconian Keller Lagerbier. This beer is a multi-award winner. It's a pretty easy recipe, give it a try.

Ingredients
- 38 pounds Weyermann German Pils malt
- 5 pounds Wyermann German Vienna malt
- 2 pounds Wyerman German CaraFoam malt
- 6.25 oz 5.7% alpha acid German Spalter hops for 60 minutes
- 5 oz 5.7% alpha acid German Spalter hops for 10 minutes
- 5 oz 4% alpha acid German Spalter hops for 0 minutes
- water
- 1 Tablespoon Calcium Sulfate/Gypsum
- 3 Whirlfloc tablets - refined irish moss/carageenan
- German lager yeast

Process
Crush grain and mix with 17 gallons filtered 165 degree Fahrenheit water for an equilibrium temperature of 147 degrees. Allow to mash for 60 minutes. Sparge to collect 25 gallons of sweet wort with a specific gravity of 1.045. Add the Calcium Sulfate. Boil for 30 minutes, then add hops in three additions over an additional 60 minutes. Chill to 45 degrees and transfer to fermenters. Pitch lager yeast and oxygenate. Ferment at 45 degrees.

No pics, it was a long and thirsty brew day with a crucial equipment failure. No beer was harmed!

Cheers, RickG

Easy my a$$. How about I just send you the money for a six pack. That sounds easier.

RickG, I wish you and sweet Christine lived closer to us. You brew beer, you like stinky cheese...we would be friends!

Here is last night's roasted lemon chicken. John is really jet lagged and only wants comfort food. The man cannot sleep on a plane, and he won't take sleeping pills. I think this trip might have finally broken him though...he is hurting bad, and he goes to India in three weeks (no I am not going along!):


<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/2320017942/" title="roasted rosemary chicken by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2276/232 ... 90aa98.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="roasted rosemary chicken"></a>

liamsaunt wrote:RickG, I wish you and sweet Christine lived closer to us. You brew beer, you like stinky cheese...we would be friends!

Stop by when you're in DC, we have four homebrews on tap and a god fromagier nearby. The Cowgirl Creamery is 20 minutes away and Cheesetique is nearby as well.

As my daughters like to say, presentation is 20 points (Iron Chef junkies), and you are the queen!

Cheers, RickG

With regards to the Iron Chef comment...I am soooo glad John Besh did not win The Next Iron Chef because I would hate to see him leave here!

Liamsaunt - can you post that chicken recipe - always looking for a new one?

nothintolose

I'm not Liamsaunt but here's a recipe I spotted today that I might try one day

http://sweetnicks.com/weblog/

Combine the zest of one lemon, three cloves garlic, minced, a sprig of rosemary, stemmed and minced, 3 tablespoons softened butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Loosen the skin of the chicken over the breast and thighs. Divide the herbed butter mix into four equal parts and place under the skin—on each breast and thigh. Rub it into the flesh, pushing it along the meat as you go. Try to cover as much of the chicken as you can with the butter. Cut the zested lemon into four pieces and stuff it, along with a couple of rosemary branches, into the chicken cavity. Thickly slice one onion and layer it on the bottom of your roasting pan. Add a couple branches of rosemary to the pan, and then put the chicken on top. Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste, and then roast, basting occasionally, in a preheated 375 oven until the bird is 170 degrees. Let rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Thanks Mary Beth and Becky!!!

You guys rock!

thought I'd share this recipe since I have used it a few times in the last few days and I really like it. Over the weekend used it on an orzo salad with feta, kalamata olives, grape tomatoes, and scallions. Tonight on a salad with pecans and parmensan. Wished I had arugula tonight but I don't so it's just romaine. I think this is a Giada recipe but not 100% sure where I got it. I make it in an old jar and just give it a good shake.

Lemon Vinaigrette

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Blend the lemon juice, parsley, garlic, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper.
Yield: scant 2/3 cup

Made a banana bread today. This was the recipe but I modified it a bit
Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread
Submitted by: PEDGI
Rated: 4 out of 5 by 174 members Yields: 12 servings

"This is a very moist, honey-sweetened loaf with only nuts and a splash of vanilla to heighten the rich fruitiness."
INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, beat oil and honey together. Add eggs, and mix well. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt. Add baking soda to hot water, stir to mix, and then add to batter. Blend in chopped nuts. Spread batter into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.
3. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 1/2 hour before slicing

I replaced the oil with unsweetened applesauce, and the honey with Agave nectar. Didn't use nuts but I added a TBSP of all natural chunky peanut butter. It's pretty good I must say and my house smells great

I'm making the north african beef stew today. it smells great. having it tomorrow though.

I have banana bread baking right now for a church bake sale. It smells so gooood!
(however, I cheated and used a box and just added walnuts. shhhhh)

I am sure yours is so much better MB.

Finally getting around to posting some pics.

The first one is shrimp I let sit in Sunny Caribbee Curry that I got from Ruth then sauteed them. Also on the plate (gotta love the Correll) are a stuffed mushroom done from a recipe from Mary Beth, a mango salsa, and a corn and black bean salsa that I got the recipe from Liamsaunt...


Second is a recipe I learned in my cooking class. The recipe was for salt baked red snapper but I used fresh redfish my dad caught that day instead. The first pic isn't that great but it's of the fish in the hard salt shell before we cracked it open. There are two fish in the pan.


The second one is on the plate. It tasted ALOT better than it looks. That's couscous on the plate along with the asparagus...