Events
Ciderhouse Whiskey
Alright, here is the first of the recipes and of course I start with booze! This recipe I found on Saveur’s website. I thought it sounded amazing and it was! How can you go wrong with bourbon and cider? I make a similar version that involves bourbon, cider, and sparkling wine — very festive. Anyhoo, here’s what you’ll need:
- 2 oz. bourbon
- 1 oz. cider syrup
- strip of lemon zest
- ice
Combine bourbon and cider syrup over ice and stir. Twist the lemon zest to release the lemon oil and drop into the drink. Stir again and serve!
Notes — Cider syrup is essentially some cider that has been really boiled down. I started out with about 6 – 7 cups of cider and boiled it down to about a cup or a cup and a half. It maybe filled the syrup dispenser shown in the pics to about 80%. According to the recipe, you’ll need to boil it down gently for about 2 hours; mine took about 3. . . The bourbon that I used is from the Grand Traverse Distillery in Traverse City. I had gone up there for a vacation just before the summer tourist season started. I was absolutely floored by it! This was one of the places that I had definitely wanted to visit while up north and I was not disappointed. They only make some small batches and they only had a few bottles left when I was there. Luckily I had picked up a bottle for me and one as a gift. What’s nice is that they do their very best to use locally produced grains to make their spirits. I believe that everything is Michigan made, except for the bourbon — I think they need to get the barley from out-of-state. If I remember correctly, it is 70% corn, 20% rye, and 10% barley. I was familiar with their high quality vodkas and now they are working on making a gin and rum as well. I can’t wait to go back and see what else they’ve got and luckily they are building a tasting room in Novi, MI so I won’t have to drive up to Traverse City to get myself a taste!. . .
Pumpkin Carving 2013
Hey everybody! Happy Halloween! I just had my annual Pumpkin Carving this past weekend. Sure it was cold and it did rain a little bit, but I think everyone had fun. We even did it up a little bit and put some bales of hay around the fire pit so folks could carve and still stay warm. And we did have a fire extinguisher on hand because having a bunch of dry straw next to an open flame isn’t exactly the safest thing to do.
Folks brought some stuff to share like a nice rice salad and a yummy warm spinach dip. We provided the pumpkins and made a big batch of chili. I baked a whole bunch of stuff as well:
Gluten Free Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Pepita Lavender Brittle
Savory Pumpkin Rugelach
Ciderhouse Whiskey (Saveur)
I also made a Harvest Spread, but that was from a mix (I know). I’ll get the recipes up as soon as I can. Well, maybe not the Brittle recipe because I have done a Lavender Pepita Croquant before and the recipe is very similar. On a weird side note, apparently I am the country’s leading expert on Pepita Croquant. I did a Google search to do some research and there I was — I took up the top three spots. Weird and unexpected, but still kewl. Anyhoo, keep an eye out for the recipes and be safe during the holiday!
Friday Foodie Funnies, ep. 6
Happy Friday, everybody! It’s Friday and that means two things: 1) the weekend is almost upon us, and 2) more foodie funnies are heading your way. Now this one really rings true for me. I’m glad that I’m not the only one!
Have a safe weekend y’all! And don’t forget to follow me on Facebook!
New look and fun with the Beekmans!
Hey everybody! Sure it’s been awhile since I’ve here, but it’s another injury-filled couple of weeks for me. Maybe I should actually rest instead of still playing volleyball for once. Humbug on that! Anyhoo, I just have a couple of announcements.
First of all, Jereme’s Kitchen has a whole new look! It took me awhile to decide on one and I will probably be tweaking it over the next few weeks. Of course, I could just change it altogether. I’d appreciate any feedback and thoughts!
Secondly, I got a chance to spend the afternoon with the Fabulous Beekman Boys earlier this month! And this time they were both here (well, not here exactly, but close enough in Lansing, MI)! If y’all remember, I was able to attend a reading by Josh Kilmer-Purcell back in April of 2011 when he came back for a visit of his old alma mater (Go Spartans!). This go around, he came back and he brought his partner Brent Ridge MD with him! The focus for this talk and book signing was for their new Heirloom Dessert Cookbook. The recipes they have assembled are a collection of time-honored gems that have been a part of their own family traditions and histories. Like the previous cookbook, they do leave a space for you personalize the recipes with your own special twist or just leave some notes on what to do. There is also a space for you to add any family recipes and include it in this heirloom collection. It’s a nice touch that other cookbooks don’t offer! And one lucky Jereme’s Kitchen reader might just get their own signed copy to cherish (hint, hint — stay tuned)
At the book signing, Brent had told me about a blog project that the Boys and Kenn the Biscuit Guy were planning. So I got to talking with Kenn the Biscuit Guy (there is a very entertaining story about how his name came about, and it involves Martha Stewart!) and he gave me some of the details about it. The blog is called Bake Like a Beekman over at Blogspot. What is so great about this is that they will look at one of the recipes in the book, participants will then attempt to create them, and then everyone gets to share their experiences with the recipe. You can talk about any changes you made, serving suggestions, concerns that you may have, or just share your results.
Now the project did already start this past Sunday, with the first recipe being the Walnut Cake. There are already some results from the participants posted. A new recipe will be selected every Sunday, and there will be a deadline for submissions. That way we can all learn everything we can from each other and then all move on to the next recipe! I think it’s a wonderful project — it’s like we all are taking an online class together. I look forward to participating and I encourage y’all to join in too! If you do decide to partake, tell Ken-with-two-“N”s that Jeremy-with-an-“E” sent ya!
Fall is almost here!
Fall is my favorite time of year. I love everything about it — the smells, the cooler days, the crisper nights, the colors, the pies, Halloween, Thanksgiving, volleyball and football start up again — what’s not to love? Alright, I admit there is one thing I don’t like — cleaning up all those damn leaves on my property. I own about an acre of land with maybe 20 giant oak trees. So the leaves can pile up and pile up quickly. And unlike in some neighboring cities, I can’t just push my leaves into the road, so I either have to do it myself or hire someone else to do it. But that’s a whole other issue. . .
Anyhoo, I saw this the other day on Facebook and wanted to share. This appeared on my feed from the magazine Midwest Living. This sums up everything that is awesome about Fall and I wanted to share it with y’all. What do y’all like about Autumn? Just let me know — either here or on Facebook! I gots a recipe for some Gluten-Free Rocky Road Brownies coming up later this week, and hopefully some other fun stuff.
Stay tuned!
Where the hell have I been?
Alright, so it’s been some time since I’ve been writing. I know, I know — I am ashamed 😦 But things happen in this thing called life. Not to make excuses, but I was trying to adapt to the new schedule caused by my new job. Then I got a weird volleyball injury that took up my time trying to rehab that. Then I got really sick really fast around Christmas and found myself admitted to the hospital several times. Lucky for me this happened in December and January so I got to fulfill two massive deductibles back to back. Hurrah! And hospitals are not fun — especially when you get the bill months later and can’t decipher what charges came from where and from whom and for how much. I will say to my insurance company that your estimate on what a CT scan costs is sooooo completely off from what the hospital says ($800 estimate vs. $1700 charge). All that fun and the multiple docs couldn’t even tell me what was wrong; just treated the symptoms and see what could be managed.
Then after getting to know the hospital, I got a weird infection that sidelined me for over three weeks. Meds didn’t work, I was weak all the time, I couldn’t walk without getting dizzy (which is a challenge if you have to navigate stairs to get to your truck — not that I could drive anywhere even if I managed to make it to the garage). Things eventually cleared up, but since I missed so much work, I ended up losing my job. Which I guess is alright aside from the fact that I am penniless. I don’t blame them for firing me; it just sucks for me. So much for my first stint in Corporate America!
But losing my job meant that I could focus on the physical therapy for the injury that happened months ago. And lucky for me (or unlucky for me), I met my out-of-pocket maximum for the year back in January so no charge! Well fast-forward a couple of months and my knees are still shit. I can’t afford COBRA anymore so I guess I will have to tape them up and just go on with life.
And that is what I am trying to do — go on with life. I think I’ve done enough wallowing in self-pity and it is time to git goin’! I’m finally able to work out again (with some obvious limitations) and I’m getting back to what I love — FOOD! And booze, of course. Actually, right now I am in the Corner Brewery here in Ypsilanti trying to raise my spirits. Some pulled pork tacos and a Buzzsaw IPA can sure help with my mood, but more on that later! Although it is a bummer that no one wants to join me here — stupid friends and their stupid jobs and families and prior commitments!
But in all seriousness, I plan on getting back to blogging and sharing my foodie adventures. I did just take another trip up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and found some amazing pasties, and breweries , and wineries, and distilleries. . . . I’m also trying to make a theme cake (note the emphasis on trying). What’s wrong with a round cake? I can do those, no problem. Dinosaur shaped? Ugh, I need to practice this. A lot. Plus I have some posts that should have gone out last year (oops!), but they’re still relevant.
So Stay tuned! More food and booze and hijinx heading your way! And for no good reason — here’s my sweet idiot dog Cooper enjoying the summer sun!
Taste of Ann Arbor and Ya’ssoo!
Happy June and Happy Hazelnut Cake Day! Alright this may be more appropriate for locals, but some of y’all might be visiting. Plus it might give some of y’all some incentive to visit us here in SE Michigan (if you need more incentive, Frommer’s just named us as one of the top 20 Best Vacation Destinations!). But we have a couple of our annual summer events coming up this weekend. First of all there’s Ya’ssoo — the Greek Festival of Ann Arbor. It starts today and runs through Sunday so there are lots of chances to head on over. Here’s a link to the event flyer and here’s the website. Of course, there’ll be specialty foods (here’s the menu!), concerts, raffles, and tours. Lot’s of fun and I’ve been craving Saganaki and some Paximathakia (if you don’t know, look it up!). Ooo, I should post my baklava recipe sometime.
There is also the 17th Annual Ann Arbor African-American Festival, Saturday, June 2, 9am – 9 pm. This festival pays tribute to the historic black business district of Ann Arbor. Now I couldn’t find a website, but I did find an email where you can get more information — clpfestival@gmail.com. There’ll be music, food, dances, and theatrical performances. The cost is free and this will take place downtown.
Also this Sunday (June 3) is the Taste of Ann Arbor. I’m excited and hope to attend this year! Tasting tickets are $0.50 and it runs from 11am – 5pm. Games and music will be a part of the festivities, but the food is the main draw! A lot of my favorites will be there and some places that I’ve been dying to try. And it’s great that a sample will just cost me 50 cents! And if you’re interested there’s the Dexter Ann Arbor Run on Sunday; registration ends tonight. They schedule concurrently with Taste of Ann Arbor; all that food at the finish line is motivation enough for me. I wonder if runners get some free tasting tickets 🙂 There’s a half marathon, 10k, 5k, and kids’ run. If the races are still open, you can register online here.
Sure this is short notice, but these are just some of the fun things going on around town this weekend. They involve eating food, which is something I do everyday! And they also give you a chance to learn, and play, and maybe run a half marathon.
And the winner is. . .
Alright, so I have been really busy lately, not that I have anything to show for it. So that explains why I haven’t been keeping up with my blogging responsibilities. The truth is that (like an idiot) I have started working out again. Well, since I am apparently unemployable, might as well be constructive with my time. But I am remembering how much working out takes out of me — time-wise (takes me about 2 1/2 hrs. each time), recovery-wise (I’m not in undergrad anymore and all that extra work hurts!), plus all the extra shower and laundry time!
But I digress. . . I’m here to announce my first blogiversary giveaway winner. And the winner is. . . Sarah at The Cook’s Life!!! Congrats to Sarah!!! And check out her blog where she shares her thoughts on cooking, family, and all adventures in between!
So I will try to catch up with some posts. I have several in the pipeline, including a couple focusing on Chef Eve Aronoff, who was the big subject of my giveaway!
Quick cocktail party appetizers #3 — Gluten-Free Black Forest Cakelets
Yes, yes — this isn’t an appetizer; that’s confession #1. But this is Part 3 of my “series” about a not-so-recent bourbon tasting / cocktail party. This was my dessert offering and it’s gluten-free! Confession #2 — this really isn’t a Black Forest Cake. Actually this is a version of Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Chocolate Feather Bed, which is the background image of my blog. One variation is that I have a middle layer of cherry preserves — so not a real Black Forest cake. I do make a mean Black Forest Cake though! And Black Forest Cake Day is on March 28th (which is my blogiversary in case I didn’t mention it before 🙂 And I think I’ve figured out my blogiversary give-away, but more on that later). Confession #3 — it’s not exactly quick. The cake itself bakes in 16 minutes, so that part is quick, but there is a lot of chilling involved, which takes time.
In my opinion, this cake is definitely better presented pre-sliced, as opposed to whole. If it was whole, it would look like a giant chocolate slab covered with chocolate curls. Which might not be too bad, if that’s what you’re going for. But again — just my opinion. It might be nice to have a giant chocolate block on your table; it could be reminiscent of the monolith in Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. What a great theme party!!! Everyone could wear space suits or ape suits, you could use one of those pod things as an entry portal, or maybe make one of those warp-light-tube thingies, and just play the Blue Danube on a loop. But I digress, here’s what you need:
For the cake: (you will need 2 batches)
- 4 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
- 6 eggs, separated
- 1/4 c. sugar, plus 2 T.
- 3/4 t. cream of tartar
- chocolate curls (for garnish — I used dark, milk, and white chocolate just to add some visual interest)
- Cherry preserves
1. Coat a half sheet pan (17 1/4″ x 12 1/4″ x 1″) with shortening and line with parchment with a 2″ overhang. Spray parchment with baking spray with flour (like Baker’s Joy or something like that).
2. Preheat the over to 350 degrees F. Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven and allow to heat for about 20 minutes, which should be more than enough time to put together the batter.
3. Melt the chocolate in a bowl (either in the microwave or over a double boiler). Allow to cool until still fluid but no longer warm to the touch.
4. Beat the yolks and 1/4 c. sugar in the bowl of a mixer on high for 5 minutes, until ribbon stage. Scrape the chocolate into the bowl and mix on medium until fully incorporated, scraping the sides of the mixing bowl as needed. Transfer to another bowl.
5. In a very clean bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. With the beater off, add the cream of tartar; beat on medium until soft peak stage. Raise the speed to medium high and gradually add the 2 T. sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.
6. Mix in about 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten. Gently fold in the rest of the meringue and when incorporated, scrape into prepared pan. Level off with an off-set spatula.
7. Bake for 16 minutes; until . In the meantime, prepare the batter for the next cake so it is ready to go when the other cake comes out of the oven. Cover with a dry towel and allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
8. Gently remove cakes from the pans using the overhang to lift. Stack the parchment-lined cakes one on top of the other and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes. This makes the cakes easier to work with.
For the chocolate whipped ganache:
- 8 oz. dark chocolate, chopped fine
- 2 c. heavy cream
- 1 t. vanilla
1. In the bowl of a food processor, chop chocolate until very fine.
2. Scald the cream and with the motor running, gradually add the cream to the chocolate. Process until smooth, just a couple of seconds. Chill until cold, either in the fridge or in an ice bath. Stir while chilling, about every 30 minutes; if using an ice bath you need to stir frequently. Ideal temp is around 65 degrees F / 20 degrees C. If it is too cold, it will not aerate well; if it is too warm it will not stiffen.
3. In the chilled bowl of a stand mixer, add the vanilla to the cream and beat on low for about 30 seconds, being careful not to overbeat.
Assemble the cake:
There are a couple of ways that you can do this depending on what you want to do. You could assemble this on a serving plate and treat it as a regular cake (hold it in place with some frosting and then assemble). I just kept the bottom section on the parchment, trimmed it after I assembled it, cut it into slices, and then served it. Rose trims the cakes before assembly; I do it after because I wanted that very very clean edge. Again, all depends on what you want.
1. Using a sharp knife, cut the cakes into equal rectangles so that you have four equal layers. Dislodge the cakes using a long metal spatula.
2. Spread a layer of the ganache about the same thickness of the cake on top of the first layer. Top with a second layer of cake. Spread with a layer of the cherry preserves. Top with another layer of cake, followed by the ganache, and the final cake layer.
3. Spread a layer of the ganache on the top of the cake. I sliced it into servings / cakelets at this point and then covered the tops with the curls. You could just keep it whole and cover everything with the curls. Serve!
Be sure to visit my page on Facebook! You get access to exclusive content! Jeez, I can’t say that without laughing. But I do some quick posts, share some links and resources, and share some local events / retailers that may be of some interest to folks. My bakery has a page as well; stop by there for a quick visit too!
Quick cocktail party appetizers #2 — Cheese and Endive
This is round #2 of my cocktail party appetizers. Now I don’t necessarily recommend making all of these at once, especially if it’s just you hosting because there is a lot of assembly involved with everything I made (check out my last post for the full listing). Even if all the prep work is done, getting things to look right takes time. But taking these in small steps and you should be alright. Or you could be better at planning than me even though timing really was a non-issue since everyone was at least an hour late!
Anyhoo, the quick recipes in this post revolve around goat cheese. One is a double cheese Napoleon and the other is Endive with Herbed Goat Cheese. What makes this easy is that the goat cheese filling is the same for both! So I don’t know if this then actually qualifies for 2 recipes, but I’m going with it.
Endive with goat cheese.
The big step here is making the herbed goat cheese. Which, again, is also a step for the napoleons, so essentially one step = 2 appetizers. And it’s not even a big step — you just mix everything in a bowl. This one I adapted from Martha (again! but that’s a good thing!). Here’s what you need:
- 1 11-oz. pkg. goat cheese
- 1/2 c. cream
- 1/4 c. olive oil
- 1 T. chopped herbs (I used oregano and tarragon)
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 4 heads endive, washed and separated into leaves
1. In a medium bowl, mix together the cheese, cream, and oil until smooth. You can use a food processor if you like or even a hand mixer, but I didn’t want to have to wash extra things afterwards.
2. Gently mix in the herbs, salt, & pepper. Place a teaspoon on the individual endive spears and serve.
Double Cheese Napoleons.
The two cheeses here are parmesan and goat cheese. You make tuiles of parmesan and have some herbed goat cheese in between the layers. I am not really sure how I came up with this one, but i really wanted something with some height. These look a little rough, but again, I felt pressed for time since I had several things to assemble. No real specifics here; I just grated some parmesan and kept on making crisps until I ran out. You can use any extra ones as croutons on salads or in soups. Or just eat them as is. Here’s what you need:
- herbed goat cheese (see above)
- grated parmesan
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Drop 1 t. grated parmesan onto Silpat lined baking sheets. Slightly flatten the cheese and bake for about 5 minutes or until nice and golden.
3. Allow to cool for about a minute and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Assemble napoleons starting with a parmesan crisp. Place a small amount of the goat cheese, about 1/2 teaspoon. Gently press another crisp on top and repeat until you have three layers of each. You can put a garnish of herbs on top, but I just served them as they are. If you want to be extra fancy, you can use a pastry bag with a star tip to place the goat cheese.
