mint | Allison Cooks Alton's Good Eats

Posts Tagged ‘mint’

Episode 142 – “Raising the Bar”

Posted: June 18, 2020 in Season 9
Tags: alton brown, bar, beverage, bourbon, cocktail, daiquiri, drink, gin, good eats, julep, lime, martini, mint, rum

I relish in the tradition of cocktail hour. I remember my maternal grandparents having an evening cocktail – Grandma’s drink of choice was a Manhattan. When I was little, my dad would come home from work and indulge in an evening martini, using the little etched martini glasses that were his father’s. I now have two of those glasses, but I save them only for special days.

Our barware also includes two decanters that came from Dad’s side of the family. For Ted’s 40th birthday Dad gave Ted a decanter he had received from his mother when he graduated from medical school, and we typically keep Scotch in there (when we have it). We keep dry vermouth in a teardrop-shaped decanter that Dad’s father got at an estate sale. Three generations of our family have now used that decanter for vermouth.

This episode of Good Eats features three types of cocktails, so we tried them for cocktail hour on three different nights. Alton also went over his bar necessities: old-fashioned and Collins/highball glasses for drinks on the rocks, stemmed cocktail glasses and champagne flutes for drinks not on the rocks, a jigger (1.5 oz)/pony (1 oz) combo, ice, a Boston shaker, and a julep strainer.

Cocktails can have three components: a base, a mixer, and an accent. A martini, for example, would have gin as a base, vermouth as a mixer, and an olive or lemon twist as an accent. Some cocktails only use two components, such as a rum (base) and coke (mixer). Now, let’s get to Alton’s drink recipes.

AB’s Martini

Alton’s version of a martini is pretty dry, meaning it has little vermouth in it. To make his version, place a cocktail glass in the freezer or fill it with ice to chill.

Martini glasses filled with ice to chill.

Put 1 C of ice in a cocktail shaker and add 1/2 a pony (1/2 ounce) of dry vermouth. Slosh the vermouth around to coat the ice.

Vermouth to go in shaker.

Vermouth in shaker with ice.

Using a cocktail strainer, pour the vermouth out of the shaker, leaving only the vermouth-coated ice.

Strainer on shaker to pour out excess vermouth.

Add 2 1/2 ounces of gin (1 pony plus 1 jigger). I believe Alton may have used Gilbey’s London Dry gin, but he had the label covered. Stir the drink thoroughly. Alton prefers stirring because shaking makes the drink too cold, causing it to lose some of its aromatic qualities.

Gin added to vermouth-coated ice. Stirred, not shaken.

Place a single olive in your chilled martini glass and strain the drink into the glass.

A lone olive in each glass.

Alton’s martini.

So, it’s interesting that Alton liked his martini this dry in the past because he has been doing some live cocktail demos on Instagram lately, along with his live YouTube cooking show at his house. On one of the shows, he made a martini, and his current version contains much more vermouth. In fact, he uses a 2:1 ratio of gin to vermouth, stirring the ingredients together without pouring anything out. I suppose his preferences must have changed over the years. I typically drink a pretty dry martini because my dad drank them that way – it’s really the only way I’ve known them! In fact, I’ve made my martinis Alton’s original way since I first started making them years ago, so it’s really my go-to method. I happen to think that this makes a really fantastic dry martini. If you prefer your martinis with more vermouth, feel free to add more! I will admit that a wetter martini is more complex. Really, dry and wet martinis are completely different cocktails, so it’s worth it to try both. If you think you dislike gin martinis, give a wet martini a try. You just may find that you dislike super dry martinis, but that you enjoy those with a bit more vermouth. If you like your martinis on the drier side, Alton’s method is a surefire way to make a good one.

Daiquiri

I’m betting that when you think of a daiquiri, you picture a fruity, icy drink with whipped cream on top. Am I right? Well, there’s also a version that is served ice-free. For this drink, you will need to first make some rich simple syrup. Simple syrup is made by heating equal amounts of sugar and water until the sugar dissolves. Although he doesn’t mention it, Alton actually uses rich simple syrup in this recipe, which means it has more sugar than water. To make the syrup, combine 2 C sugar with 1 C water and heat on the stove until the sugar has completely dissolved. Let the syrup cool before using. You can store extra syrup in the refrigerator.

Making rich simple syrup by dissolving 2 C sugar in 1 C water.

To make the drink, chill a champagne flute or a martini glass by placing it in the freezer or filling it with ice. Put a pint of ice in a cocktail shaker and add 2 oz of light rum.

Ice and rum in shaker.

Add 1 oz fresh lime juice and 1/2 oz of the rich simple syrup.

Lime juice to add to shaker.

Simple syrup to add to shaker.

You will want to shake this drink because it has cloudy/viscous ingredients. Shake the drink vigorously and strain it into your chilled glass.

Chilled glasses.

Alton’s daiquiri.

We don’t really drink rum very often at all, so this was a little different for us. This is sort of a pretty drink, as its pale green opacity looks appealing in the glass. I find this to be a very balanced drink, as it is simultaneously pleasantly sweet and tart. The alcohol flavor is not super strong, and this is an easy-drinking cocktail, which could be a potentially dangerous combo. This is a simple and delicious cocktail to add to your repertoire.

Mint Julep

The third cocktail in this episode is the bourbon-based mint julep. I have made mint juleps once or twice in the past (on Derby Day, of course), and they have been pretty underwhelming. I wondered how Alton’s recipe would make me feel about this drink. To make one mint julep, place 10 mint leaves (I used mint from our garden) in the bottom of an old-fashioned glass and add 1 1/2 t superfine sugar; you can make superfine sugar at home by blending sugar in a food processor.

Mint and superfine sugar in a glass.

Muddle the mint and sugar together until you have a green paste.

Mint and superfine sugar after muddling to a paste.

Add a splash of seltzer water to the glass and fill the glass 3/4 full with ice. Add 2 1/2 oz of bourbon and a final splash of seltzer.

A splash of seltzer added.

Ice and bourbon added to the glass.

Stir the drink, garnish it with a mint leaf or two, and serve.

Alton’s mint julep after topping off with a final splash of seltzer.

I have never had a mint julep that I haven’t made at home, so I don’t have a large frame of reference, but this was by far my favorite mint julep. The mint was very apparent, but not overpowering, and the drink had just enough sweetness. The little bit of carbonation from the seltzer was a nice touch. Perhaps southerners would disapprove of this rendition of a mint julep, but I can only say that I really enjoyed this for a cocktail hour change of pace.

Episode 130 – “Churn Baby Churn II”

Posted: September 18, 2019 in Season 9
Tags: alton brown, chocolate, cream, dessert, good eats, ice cream, mint, mint chip, sweet, vanilla

I am partially writing this post to distract me because I am heading to the hospital this evening to be induced for labor. I was actually scheduled to be induced yesterday, exactly at 37 weeks, but they called about 90 minutes before my scheduled time to tell me there was not a single room open in Labor and Delivery. Let’s hope there will be a room open this evening because I’m ready to get off this roller coaster.

While I’ve been pregnant, people always tend to ask me what my primary food cravings are. Honestly, I have not had any cravings beyond foods that I tend to like to eat anyway. The only real thing I have noticed is that my sweet tooth is definitely more noticeable than normal, and one thing that seems to taste particularly good is ice cream. I can, in all actuality, say that I have eaten more ice cream this year than I have ever consumed before, and I have a bowl nearly every evening as dessert. I was, therefore, not disappointed at all to see that a second Good Eats ice cream episode was next in my lineup. Three flavors of ice cream to make? Yes, please.

Vanilla Ice Cream

The first ice cream flavor in this episode is a classic vanilla. The basic formula for all of the recipes in this episode can be remembered by the following sequence of numbers: 9, 8, 3, 2, 1. Nine stands for 9 oz of sugar, eight is for 8 egg yolks, three is for 3 C of half and half, two is for 2 t of vanilla, and one is for 1 C of heavy cream.

Ingredients for Alton’s ice cream: heavy cream, egg yolks, vanilla extract, sugar, and half and half.

For the vanilla ice cream, Alton prefers you to use vanilla sugar, if possible, which can be made by leaving a vanilla pod in the sugar for a week or more. I was ready to make my vanilla ice cream the day I watched the episode, so I made my vanilla ice cream with plain sugar. Alton’s ice cream begins with placing a medium saucepan over medium heat, adding the cup of cream and the three cups of half and half. Bring the dairy to a bare simmer.

Cream and half and half placed over medium heat, and being brought to a simmer.

While the dairy heats up, whisk the eight egg yolks in a medium bowl until light and creamy. Slowly add the sugar to the yolks, whisking as you add. The resulting mixture should be very thick, light yellow, and should fall from the whisk’s tip in a thick ribbon.

Eight egg yolks whisked until lightened.

Slowly whisking sugar into yolks.

Mixture after adding all the sugar – thick and light.

When the dairy has begun to simmer, remove it from the heat. It is now time to temper the eggs by very slowly whisking 1/3 of the dairy mixture into the yolks; don’t rush this process or your egg yolks will curdle.

Ready to temper the egg yolks by slowly whisking in the simmered dairy.

Once you have added about a third of the dairy to the yolks, it is safe to add the rest of the dairy all at once.

Egg mixture (right) after adding about 1/3 of the dairy.

Pour the entire mixture back in the medium saucepan and place it over low heat, stirring as you bring it to 170 degrees.

Custard back in saucepan and heated over low heat to 170.

Once at 170, remove the custard from the heat – it should be thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. When you run your finger across the back of the spoon, a clear line should remain in the custard; this is called nape.

Nape: thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and stay parted.

Transfer the custard to a bowl and place it in the freezer until it has cooled to room temperature. Stir in the 2 t of vanilla.

Vanilla stirred into cooled custard.

Cover the bowl with plastic and refrigerate it until it is below 40 degrees, which will take several hours. I made my custard a day prior to churning.

Custard to be chilled overnight.

When your custard has sufficiently chilled, churn it in any ice cream maker you prefer.

Custard chilled to below 40 degrees.

Chilled custard being churned in ice cream maker.

Place the finished ice cream in an air-tight container and let it freeze for six to eight hours before serving.

Alton’s vanilla ice cream.

I was really happy with this basic vanilla ice cream recipe. The custard was rich, creamy, and had a bit of an egg flavor to it, along with a slight yellow hue. Sure, you could improve this recipe by adding some vanilla pulp from a vanilla bean, but this is a great standard recipe for just utilizing vanilla extract.

Mint Chip Ice Cream

Apparently, mint chip ice cream is (or at least was) Alton’s favorite ice cream flavor, so he included a mint chip recipe in this episode. This recipe follows the same 9 (oz of sugar), 8 (egg yolks), 3 (C of 1/2 and 1/2), 2 (t of vanilla), and 1 (C of cream) formula as outlined in the vanilla recipe above.

Mint chip ice cream ingredients: 1/2 and 1/2, sugar, egg yolks, mint oil, and cream.

Again, begin by pouring the 3 C of 1/2 and 1/2 and the cup of cream into a medium saucepan over medium heat.

1/2 and 1/2 and cream in a medium saucepan.

Meanwhile, whisk the eight egg yolks in a bowl until they have lightened. Slowly whisk the nine ounces of sugar into the yolks until you have a thick mixture that falls in a ribbon from your whisk.

8 egg yolks

Slowly adding sugar to whisked egg yolks.

Yolks/sugar whisked until a thick ribbon falls from the whisk.

When your dairy has reached a bare simmer, remove it from the heat. Slowly temper the cream into the eggs, gradually whisking about a third of the dairy into the eggs. It is then safe to add the remaining dairy all at once.

Ready to temper the dairy into the eggs.

Yolks tempered with ~1/3 of the warm dairy.

Pour the egg/cream mixture back into the medium saucepan over low heat, stirring until the temperature hits 170 degrees and coats the back of a spoon.

The custard reheated to 170 degrees and removed from the heat.

The custard, heated until it coats the back of a spoon.

Remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into a freezer-safe bowl. Place the bowl in the freezer until the mixture has cooled to room temperature. Stir in 1 t of mint oil instead of the vanilla extract used for the vanilla ice cream recipe.

Adding the mint oil to the cooled custard.

Place the custard in the refrigerator to cool until it is below 40 degrees, which will take hours; I always just do this part overnight. The following day, or when you are ready to churn, chop three ounces of Andes mints.

Custard after chilling overnight.

Andes mints

Andes mints, chopped.

Add the mints right after you begin churning the custard, as Alton says the mints will contribute more flavor if added earlier in the churning process.

Andes mints added at the beginning of the churn.

Once churned, transfer the ice cream to an air-tight container and place it in the freezer for 6-8 hours before serving.

Alton’s mint chip ice cream.

IMG_0154(1) This is a really good mint chip ice cream. The addition of Andes mints gives an extra kick of mint, as opposed to just using chopped chocolate. The basic custard is rich and slightly eggy in flavor, and the mint oil manages somehow to make an ice cream that is simultaneously indulgent and refreshing. I’m actually wishing right now that I still had a little bit of this in the freezer right now because it sounds really good. This was probably our favorite ice cream recipe of this episode.

Chocolate Ice Cream

Last in this episode is Alton’s chocolate ice cream. This recipe uses the same formula as in the vanilla and mint chip recipes, but the first step is to place 1.5 ounces of cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process) and 1/2 C of 1/2 and 1/2 in a medium saucepan, whisking until the cocoa powder has dissolved.

1.5 ounces of cocoa powder placed in a medium saucepan.

1.5 ounces of cocoa powder placed in a medium saucepan with 1/2 C of 1/2 and 1/2.

Once the cocoa powder has dissolved, the formula continues as in the vanilla ice cream recipe. Add the remaining 2 1/2 C of 1/2 and 1/2 to the pan, along with 1 C cream.

The remaining 1/2 and 1/2 and a cup of cream added to the chocolate paste.

Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring it to a simmer. While the dairy heats, whisk eight egg yolks until lightened and slowly whisk nine ounces of sugar into the yolks, forming a light, thick mixture.

8 egg yolks

Adding the sugar to the yolks.

Whisked mixture.

When the dairy just begins to bubble, remove it from the heat and temper the yolks by slowly whisking about 1/3 of the chocolate/cream into the yolks.

Ready to temper the chocolate into the yolks.

After adding 1/3 of the dairy to the yolks.

Once 1/3 of the warm dairy has been added, you can add the remaining dairy to the yolks. Place the pan back on low heat and stir until the custard reaches 170 degrees and will coat the back of a spoon.

Custard on low heat.

Custard after reaching 170 degrees.

Custard after reaching 170 degrees, and able to coat a spoon.

Transfer the custard to a freezer-safe bowl and let the mixture cool in the freezer until it is about room temperature. Once chilled, stir 2 t of vanilla extract into the chocolate custard and place the custard in the refrigerator to chill overnight, or until it is below 40 degrees. When the custard has chilled, you can churn your ice cream.

Custard after chilling overnight.

Place the churned ice cream in the freezer for 6-8 hours before serving.

Alton’s chocolate ice cream.

Alton’s chocolate ice cream is rich and packed with chocolate flavor. If you are a chocolate ice cream lover, this is a quick, easy chocolate ice cream recipe that is sure to satisfy. Chocolate ice cream has never been my absolute favorite flavor, but I sure wouldn’t turn down a bowl of this.

Episode 127 – “Give Peas a Chance”

Posted: June 21, 2019 in Season 9
Tags: alton brown, burger, cheese, curry, good eats, herb, mint, patty, peas, salad, side dish, soup, split pea, vegetarian

With episode 127, I have officially begun the 9th season of Good Eats. It’s crazy to think how much has transpired since I started this project and how many recipes/methods I have attempted. In case you have not heard, Alton is bringing Good Eats back to TV with new episodes starting in August, so that is definitely something to look forward to. By the way, I have read online (It must be true then, right?) that this episode was the only Good Eats episode that was actually filmed in Alton’s home kitchen, so there’s a random fact for you! With that, onto peas!

Curried Split Pea Soup

To first showcase the mighty pea, Alton begins this episode with a recipe for split pea soup. Requiring less than 10 ingredients, this soup is one that can easily be whipped up on a weeknight. To start, rinse 12 ounces of dry split peas under cool water and place a large saucepan over medium-low heat.

T Twelve ounces of dried split peas.

Add 2 T butter to the pan and, once the butter has begun to melt, add 1 C chopped onion and a pinch of Kosher salt. Let the onion cook for a couple minutes or until softened.

Onion and Kosher salt added to melting butter.

Next, add 1 T minced garlic and let the garlic cook for a minute or two.

Garlic added to the pan.

Add 1 T curry powder to the pan, increase the heat to high, and pour in 5 C chicken broth. At this time, also add the rinsed split peas.

Curry powder stirred in.

Chicken broth and rinsed split peas added to the pan.

Bring the liquid to a boil, decrease the heat to low, and cover the pot. Let the soup cook for 45 minutes, or until the peas are falling apart. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Soup after cooking for 45 minutes.

Finally, puree the soup with an immersion blender.

Pureed split pea soup.

Alton’s curried split pea soup.

I served this soup with goat cheese toast for a light dinner and we both thought it was pretty tasty. I opted for a Madras curry powder in my soup, which resulted in a medium level of spice. The curry flavor was definitely prominent, so you really won’t care for this if you do not care for curry. I found this dish to be comforting home fare, and it is certainly healthy. Split peas are packed with protein and fiber, and you could easily make this soup vegetarian by using vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth. This is just a good, simple, everyday soup recipe.

Split Pea Burgers

Speaking of vegetarian recipes, Alton’s split pea burgers are a protein-packed vegetarian entree. Veggie burgers are not something I make regularly, so it was funny that this recipe happened to pop up right after I had made some other veggie burgers the week prior. At least this was good for comparison’s sake! For Alton’s burgers, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat, adding 1 T olive oil, 1/2 C chopped onion, 1/2 C chopped red or green bell pepper, and a big pinch of Kosher salt.

Onion, bell pepper, and Kosher salt added to olive oil.

Stir the vegetables until they have softened and add 2 t minced garlic and 4 ounces of sliced mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms for four minutes.

Mushrooms and garlic added to softened veggies.

Next, add 1 C dry split peas, 1/2 C uncooked brown rice, 1 t ground coriander, 1 t cumin, and 3 C vegetable broth.

Split peas, brown rice, coriander, and cumin added to the pot.

Split peas, brown rice, coriander, and cumin added to the pot, along with vegetable broth.

Increase the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil. Once boiling, decrease the heat to low, place a lid on the pan, and simmer the mixture for one hour.

Mixture after simmering for an hour.

After simmering, transfer the contents of the pot to a food processor and pulse the mixture 5-6 times or until combined; you do not want to puree the mixture, as you want to retain some texture.

Cooked mixture in food processor.

Pea mixture after pulsing a few times in the food processor.

Transfer the pea mixture to a bowl and add 3/4 C bread crumbs, and Kosher salt and pepper to taste.

Bread crumbs added to the burger mixture.

Final burger mixture, ready to be chilled.

Chill the mixture for at least 30 minutes. To cook the burgers, divide the pea mixture into five ounce portions, flattening them and lightly dredging them in bread crumbs. Cook the patties for 3-4 minutes per side in a nonstick skillet over medium heat that has been lubed with olive oil.

Veggie patties cooking in oiled skillet.

Serve the burgers on buns with your desired accompaniments.

Alton’s split pea burgers.

These burgers weren’t the best veggie burgers I have ever had, but they were decent. I found their texture to be a little one-note, but they were pretty flavorful. We ate our burgers with some spinach, tomato, pickles, and mustard, and they were pretty good. If you happen to have a vegetarian in your family, these are probably worthy of a try. Otherwise, they are just kind of okay. You can freeze the portioned patties for later use, which does make them super convenient for a fast meal.

Green Peas with Cheese and Herbs

And now, for my favorite recipe of this episode: peas with cheese and herbs. For this recipe you will need a pound of shelled fresh or frozen peas; I chose to go with frozen peas, as it takes a lot more time to shell fresh peas. Regardless of whether you are using fresh or frozen peas, boil three quarts of salted water and add your peas.

A pound of peas added to salted boiling water.

If you are using fresh peas, cook them for three minutes, while you will only want to cook frozen peas for one minute. Dump your cooked peas into a colander and set the colander in ice water to cool the peas quickly; I actually just ran my peas under very cold tap water until they were cool.

Peas, running under cold water after cooking.

To make the dressing for the peas, mix 2 T red wine vinegar, 1 t Kosher salt, 1 T minced shallots, and 1/2 t pepper in a medium bowl.

Red wine vinegar, Kosher salt, shallot, and black pepper to make the dressing.

Once combined, drizzle in 3 T olive oil as you whisk the mixture to emulsify.

Olive oil, ready to whisk into dressing.

Add 2 t chopped mint and 2 t chopped parsley, along with four ounces of cubed Ricotta Salata, Fontina, or Swiss cheese. I had a shaved mixture of Parmesan and Fontina, so I used that. Last but not least, fold in the peas.

Mint and parsley added to dressing.

Cheese and peas added to dressing.

Cover the salad with plastic and place it in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

Alton’s peas with herbs and cheese.

This was a delightful salad to have as a side dish, though we both felt it could use more mint. I will make this salad again, but I will be sure to double the mint next time. The sweetness of the peas pairs fantastically with the salty richness of the cheese, and the vinaigrette adds a pop of acid and brightens the whole salad up. Add a touch more mint and this one is a keeper!

Episode 112 – “Soups On”

Posted: November 6, 2018 in Season 8
Tags: alton brown, apple, cold soup, corn, fresh, garden, gazpacho, good eats, grape, kid friendly, leek, mint, soup, tomatillo, tomato, vegetable, vegetable soup, vegetarian

Garden Vegetable Soup

As with the last episode of Good Eats, Alton’s goal in this episode was to develop kid-friendly recipes; this time, though, he tackled soup. The first soup he made was a vegetable soup. This soup starts by heating 4 T olive oil in a soup pot over medium-low heat. Add to the oil 2 C chopped leeks (be sure to wash them well), 2 T minced garlic, and a pinch of Kosher salt.

Leeks, garlic, and salt added to hot oil.

Cook the leeks and garlic until they have softened.

Leeks and garlic after sweating.

Next, add 2 C peeled/chopped carrots, 2 C peeled/diced potatoes, and 2 C green beans, broken into bite-sized pieces.

2 C each of peeled potato, peeled carrot, and green beans.

Potatoes, carrots, and beans added to leeks.

Increase the heat under the vegetables, cooking them for 4-5 minutes. Pour in 2 quarts of chicken or vegetable broth; Alton says he is fine with using purchased broth here. Of course, homemade would always be better, though!

Vegetables after cooking 4-5 minutes.

Broth added to the pot.

Once the broth is in the pot, increase the heat to high, bringing the broth to a simmer. When simmering, add 4 C peeled/seeded/chopped tomatoes, 2 ears of corn kernels, and a few grinds of black pepper.

Peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes.

Two ears of corn kernels.

Corn, tomatoes, and pepper added to the soup.

Turn the heat to low, place a lid on the pot, and simmer the soup for 25-30 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork tender.

Lid on the pot for 25-30 minutes of simmering.

Soup after simmering.

To finish the soup, stir in 1/4 C parsley and 1-2 t fresh lemon juice.

Lemon juice and parsley stirred in.

A bowl of Alton’s vegetable soup.

This is a pretty basic vegetable soup recipe, and I have to admit that I assumed it would be quite bland. I also was unsure of whether Ted would like it, as he is not a huge tomato fan. Ted and I, however, were both pleasantly surprised at the amount of flavor in this soup! The individual vegetables maintained their textures and vibrant colors, and the soup had a bright, fresh vegetable flavor. The lemon gave the soup a perfect pop of much-needed acidity. The only thing you may need to adjust is the amount of salt, depending on how much you sprinkle in when sweating the leeks and garlic. This is a super easy, healthy recipe that you easily could make with kids in the kitchen, and it is a great way to eat a bunch of fresh vegetables.

Grape Gazpacho

Now that the weather is cooling off, we really aren’t in gazpacho season anymore. The ingredients needed for Alton’s grape gazpacho, though, are available year-round. Gazpacho is always better if allowed to sit for a few hours before eating, so plan to make this a few hours ahead.

Tomatillos, cucumber, and Granny Smith apple.

The soup begins with seeding and chopping one cucumber.

Seeded cucumber.

Place half of the cucumber in a food processor and the other half in a large bowl. Next, peel, seed, and chop a Granny Smith apple, placing half of it in the food processor and the other half in the large bowl.

Peeled apple.

Chop 1 C husked tomatillos, and do the same as with the cucumber and apple, placing half of the tomatillos in the food processor and half in the large bowl.

Half of the cucumber, apple, and tomatillos in a large bowl.

Half of the cucumber, apple, and tomatillos in a food processor.

Add the following ingredients to the food processor: 1 pound green grapes, 1 C toasted walnuts, 1 C plain yogurt, 1 C white grape juice, 1 t rice wine vinegar, and 6 mint leaves.

A pound of green grapes added to the food processor.

Toasted walnuts added.

Plain yogurt added to the food processor.

White grape juice and rice wine vinegar.

White grape juice, rice wine vinegar, and mint added to the food processor.

Pulse the ingredients in the food processor nine or ten times, until blended but still maintaining some texture.

Mixture after pulsing 9-10 times.

Pour the mixture from the food processor into the large bowl with the cucumber, apple, and tomatillos, stirring to combine.

Blended mixture added to bowl of fruit/vegetables.

Cover the soup with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for two-three hours before eating.

Green grape gazpacho.

As with most cold soups, this one comes together super quickly, and it is super convenient since you can make it ahead of time. This soup was just okay for me, though it did have some interesting flavors. I found that it really called for the addition of some Kosher salt. The soup was certainly light and refreshing, and the walnuts gave it some body. I would definitely prefer this soup in warmer weather, as it has a slightly sweet and tart flavor from the grapes and tomatillos. This is another healthy and easy recipe that kids could certainly aid in making, but this wasn’t a favorite for me.

Episode 54 – “Chile’s Angels”

Posted: January 22, 2016 in Season 4
Tags: alton brown, chile, dessert, good eats, habanero, ice cream, jalapeno, mint, pepper, pineapple, salsa, sauce, scoville

It is hard to believe that this post will mark the end of the 4th season of my Good Eats project. Only 10 seasons to go, plus some special episodes! It is also hard to fathom all that has happened since I started this blog 19 months ago. In addition to moving to a new house, Ted was diagnosed with cancer and underwent 5.5 weeks of chemo/radiation, along with two major operations. Thankfully, he just began (what should be) the final phase of his treatment: 12 rounds of chemo that should finish up at the end of June. One down… 11 to go, and boy are we counting down. This project has served to be a great distraction for me when I have had the opportunity to put time into it. Here’s to hoping that the next several months fly by!

Salsa

I love spicy food, and thankfully I have a relatively high tolerance for it. The final episode of season four was all about chile peppers and the Scoville unit of measurement for their heat levels. Always remember the general chile heat rules that smaller peppers are hotter than larger peppers, longer peppers are hotter than short ones, and green peppers tend to be hotter than other colors. To demonstrate the variations of heat and flavor among different chile peppers, Alton whipped up a batch of his salsa. To make Alton’s salsa, you will need 6 Roma tomatoes, 4 cloves of garlic, 1/2 a red onion, 1/2 a red bell pepper, 1 T olive oil, the juice of one lime, chili powder, Kosher salt, black pepper, 4 jalapeno peppers, 1 dried New Mexico chile, and something green (scallions, cilantro, and/or parsley). Note: the online recipe calls for dried ancho chiles, but Alton used a New Mexico chile in the episode.

Ingredients for Alton’s salsa: red bell pepper, Roma tomatoes, scallions, garlic, jalapenos, red onion, lime, olive oil, chili powder, Kosher salt, and pepper. Not pictured: dried New Mexico chile.

You will need to roast two of your jalapeno peppers. If you have a gas range, you can do this right over the burner, rotating the pepper over the burner until blistered on all sides. Alton placed his jalapenos on a collapsible stainless vegetable steamer to do this. We do not have a gas range, so I roasted my two chiles on a baking sheet under the broiler, turning them until all sides were roasted.

Roasting jalapenos under the broiler.

Whichever method you use, watch your peppers carefully! Once your peppers are roasted, place them in a plastic wrap-covered bowl or in a paper bag for a few minutes; this will steam the peppers, allowing their skin to come off easily. While your peppers steam, place your chopped tomatoes, minced garlic, chopped red onion, diced bell pepper, olive oil, lime juice, and chopped scallions (or parsley/cilantro) in a bowl.

: Chopped Roma tomatoes.

: Minced garlic.

: Chopped red onion.

: Diced red bell pepper.

: Olive oil added to salsa.

: The juice of one lime.

: Chopped scallions.

As for the two raw jalapeno peppers, seed them both, as the seeds are not digestible. Finely chop one raw jalapeno, leaving its white membrane in place; the membrane will add more heat. Remove the white membrane from the second raw jalapeno and chop it into slightly larger pieces. The second jalapeno will serve to add more fruity notes to the salsa. Add both jalapenos to the bowl.

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Season the salsa to taste with chili powder, Kosher salt, and pepper.

Salsa seasoned with chili powder, Kosher salt, and pepper.

Next, cut the end off of your dried New Mexico chile, and shake it to remove the seeds. Using scissors, cut the dried chile into strips, and then fine pieces. Mix the dried chile pieces thoroughly into the salsa. They will initially be chewy, but will hydrate from the liquid in the salsa.

Dried New Mexico chile, snipped into small pieces with scissors.

Finally, remove the skins from your roasted jalapenos by rinsing and rubbing them under running water. At this time, open the peppers up and pull out the seeds. Roughly chop the roasted peppers and add them to the bowl. They will add a sweetness to the salsa.

Roasted and steamed jalapenos, ready for their skin to come off.

Roughly chopped roasted jalapenos.

Taste the salsa again, adjusting the seasoning if needed. Cover and refrigerate the salsa for at least an hour before eating, so the flavors can blend and the dried chile can hydrate.

Alton’s finished salsa.

I made this salsa early in the day, and we had it as an appetizer (with tortilla chips, of course). We actually ate it two nights in a row, and it was just as good the second night, though Ted insisted it was less hot the second night.

A perfect bowl of Alton’s salsa with tortilla chips.

We like homemade salsas in general, though we do not make them enough, and this recipe ranked right up there with some of our favorites. Though this salsa has a lot of chiles in it, it really only has a moderate heat level, which really allows all of the varying flavors to shine. While I like really hot salsas, sometimes hot salsa is only that – hot. This salsa is a perfect balance of heat, freshness, and acidity, and really does showcase the ways chile peppers can be used to create different effects. Plus, it’s super colorful. I mean, really, salsa is a cheery food. This one is a keeper.

Spicy Pineapple Sauce

The second, and final, recipe in this episode is for a pineapple sauce with habanero pepper. To make the sauce itself you will only need three things: a can of pineapple tidbits, a habanero pepper, and 2-3 sprigs of mint, bruised.

Ingredients for Alton’s pineapple sauce: 1 can of pineapple tidbits, fresh mint, and a habanero pepper.

The online recipe calls for pineapple chunks and for you to cut your mint into chiffonade, but I prepared the recipe as done in the episode. Simmer the pineapple, habanero, and mint together in a saucepan for five minutes.

Pineapple, mint, habanero, and a hound.

Mint, pineapple, and habanero being brought to a simmer.

Sauce after simmering 5 minutes.

Cool the mixture to room temperature and remove the mint.

The sauce, after removing the mint.

As a serving recommendation, Alton recommends frying some corn tortilla wedges in corn oil, dusting them with sugar while they are still warm; though there is cinnamon in the online recipe, Alton did not use cinnamon in the episode.

Corn tortillas cut into wedges for frying.

Frying corn tortilla wedges in corn oil.

Hound #2 carefully keeping an eye on the chips.

Fried tortilla wedges sprinkled with sugar.

Serve the pineapple sauce and warm, sugared tortilla chips with vanilla ice cream.

A fun and tasty dessert.

We ate this two nights in a row for dessert and both thought it was great. The sauce packs a good punch of heat, but is also sweet from pineapple. Honestly, the mint really did not come through much for me. The sauce on its own would be quite hot, but the ice cream really cools it down, and the chips add a completely different textural component. This is a fantastic combo and I think I will make this again. This is a fun, easy, and unusual dessert.

Episode 53 – “True Brew 2: Mr. Tea”

Posted: January 15, 2016 in Season 4
Tags: alton brown, beverage, black tea, drink, good eats, green tea, hot tea, iced tea, lemon, loose, mint, oolong tea, simple syrup, sweet tea, tea, tea bag, teapot

I have been a tea drinker for as long as I can remember, and particularly during the colder months of the year. Like many people, I often reach for a tea bag when making a cup of tea, due to their convenience and simplicity. I have, though, occasionally been known to brew a fresh cup using loose leaf tea. A couple years ago for Christmas, my parents gave me a tea variety basket from Murchie’s Tea, which consisted of numerous types of loose tea and tea bags. Having so much loose tea around the house led me to really appreciate the superior quality and flavor of a cup of tea made with loose leaf tea. A tea bag just truly does not produce a cup of tea that matches that made with loose leaf tea.

Perfect Cup of Tea

To make Alton’s perfect cup of tea, you will really only need a few things. You will need a vessel for boiling water (preferably a kettle), a vessel for brewing your tea (preferably a teapot), fresh water, and loose tea. While loose tea is composed of full tea leaves, tea bags contain leftover dust and fannings, which can produce bitter tea. When making tea, Alton stresses that you should always use fresh water, as it has lots of oxygen in it; our tap water tastes fine, so I just used tap water. Heat your water in a kettle or in the microwave (in a microwave-safe container, of course).

Heating water in a kettle.

If heating your water in the microwave, place a wooden skewer or chopstick in your water; this will give bubbles a place to form, thereby avoiding explosive bubbling when you remove the hot water from the microwave. If you are using a teapot to brew your tea, Alton recommends that you preheat your tea pot with warm water prior to brewing. I do not have a teapot, so I just used a glass Pyrex measuring cup, which is not nearly as sexy as the cute cast iron teapot Alton used in the episode. Depending on the type of loose leaf tea you are brewing, you will want to adjust your water temperature accordingly. Note: black, green, and Oolong are the three major styles of tea. For black tea, you will want full boiling water. For Oolong tea, your water should be 200 degrees F, while for green tea, your water should ideally be 180 degrees F. I brewed some Darjeeling, which is a black tea.While your water is heating, place your loose tea in your teapot or brewing vessel, allotting a heaping teaspoon (Alton uses a regular teaspoon instead of a measuring teaspoon) per cup of tea.

One heaping teaspoon of tea per 5.5-6 ounce cup of tea.

Since I do not have a teapot, I used a glass measuring cup to brew my tea.

If your teapot has an infusing insert, Alton recommends that you do not use it, as the tea leaves need room to bloom. Now, for the water, you want to use 5 1/2-6 ounces of water per cup of tea, but it is best to add an additional ounce or so of water for the tea leaves to hold onto. When your water is at its ideal temperature, pour the water directly over the tea leaves.

Thirteen ounces of boiling water added to tea leaves. Six ounces of water per cup, plus an additional ounce of water for the leaves to retain.

How long to let the tea brew? Brew black teas for 3-5 minutes, Oolong teas for 4-7 minutes, and green teas for 2-3 minutes. Brewing for too long will result in tea that is bitter. When your brewing time is up, pour your tea through a strainer into a cup.

Strainer to pour tea into mug.

If desired, you may add sugar, honey, or lemon. If adding milk, though, you should always pour the milk in your cup prior to adding the tea. Why? Adding cold milk to hot tea can cause a “skin” to form on top of your cup. Sit back, relax, and enjoy your perfect cup of tea.

A perfect cup of Darjeeling tea.

Prior to watching this episode, I brewed all loose leaf teas the same way – using full boiling water and letting the tea steep for about five minutes. I also have typically used a tea infuser. Is Alton’s method for tea brewing really superior? It’s tough for me to say because I am also using fresher, better tea; how much is the tea and how much is the method? That being said, the tea I made with Alton’s method was excellent.

If you are curious about Alton’s method of tea brewing using tea bags, here you go:

Using a microwave-safe container, tie five tea bags together and place in a quart of fresh water. Top the container with a small plate.
Microwave the tea for eight minutes, or until it starts to simmer.
Remove the tea from the microwave and check its temperature – you want the temperature to be between 180 and 190 degrees F.
Cover the tea again and let steep. For mild tea, let steep for two minutes. Allow three minutes for medium tea, four minutes for strong tea, and five minutes for bitter tea.
Remove tea bags and do not wring them out.

Sweet Tea

In addition to hot tea, I really enjoy iced tea when the weather is warm. My mom always made sun tea by steeping tea bags in a glass jug, allowing the sun to warm the water. Somehow, sun tea always seemed to taste better than typical iced tea.

Alton’s iced tea is really a two-step process; if you prefer your iced tea unsweetened, you can stop after the first step, whereas if you like your iced tea to be sweetened you can carry onto the second step. For the first step, steep an ounce of loose black tea in one quart of boiling water for 4-5 minutes.

A full ounce of loose leaf tea is used to make Alton’s iced tea.

A quart of boiling water steeping with the ounce of tea.

It is not necessary to use your best tea for this process, as some flavors get masked when tea is iced. Once your tea is done brewing, strain it into a two quart pitcher.

Strainer ready to strain tea into pitcher.

To your tea, add one quart of lukewarm water; you do not want to use super cold water, as cooling the tea too quickly can result in cloudy tea.

A quart of room temperature water to add to the tea.

Place your tea in the refrigerator and allow it to chill thoroughly. If you do not wish to sweeten your tea, go ahead and enjoy the tea as is.

The finished unsweetened iced tea.

If you prefer to have your tea sweetened, Alton recommends making a simple syrup. Why make a simple syrup, rather than just adding sugar to your iced tea? While granulated sugar does not dissolve easily in cold liquids, a simple syrup will mix in quite easily. Plus, you can add some additional flavor to your tea, if desired. To make plain simple syrup, in a pan combine 5 C sugar and 3 C cold water. Bring this to a boil over medium heat, cover, and let it cool to room temperature. Seal and refrigerate for up to a month. Alternatively, to add some additional flavor to your simple syrup, add six sliced lemons and a few sprigs of fresh mint to 3 C water and 5 C sugar.

Lemons to flavor simple syrup.

Fresh mint and lemon to flavor simple syrup.

Again, bring to a boil.

Lemons and mint added to 5 C sugar and 3 C water.

Simple syrup brought to a boil.

Cover the mixture for 10 minutes before straining.

The syrup, after steeping for 10 minutes.

The strained lemon-mint simple syrup.

Let cool, refrigerate, and add to iced tea as desired. You will have quite a lot of simple syrup, but you can always freeze any extra. Simple syrup is also great in some cocktail recipes.

Though it really isn’t the season for iced tea, I made Alton’s sweet tea this week. I used some old Lapsang Souchong tea that I had sitting around, which resulted in iced tea that was quite smokey and intense. I would probably use a different type of black tea if I were to make Alton’s iced tea again. I opted to make the lemon-mint simple syrup for my tea. We found that placing 1.5 ounces simple syrup in a pint glass, and filling the glass to the top with iced tea resulted in the perfect level of sweetness.

A perfect glass of Alton’s sweet tea.

The lemon and mint flavors really shine through, and it would be quite refreshing on a hot day.

Episode 41 – “Grill Seekers”

Posted: May 25, 2015 in Season 3
Tags: alton brown, good eats, grilled lamb, lamb, leg of lamb, meat, mint, mustard, sirloin

Growing up, my family had a variety of animals – dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, and lambs, among others. I had a bit of an obsession with the name Timothy, insisting on bestowing the name on each subsequent lamb. There may have even been a female Timothy in there somewhere! Though we had lambs as pets, we really did not eat much lamb when I was growing up, but I have come to really like it as an adult. My lamb consumption has been almost exclusively at restaurants, so I was excited to get to try cooking a leg of lamb to finish off the third season of my Good Eats project.

The recipe for Alton’s grilled leg of lamb can be found here. Unless you are cooking for 8-10 people, you will want to cook half a leg of lamb. The sirloin end of the leg (the end furthest from the hoof) is the portion you want to get, and you can often get your butcher to cut this portion for you. I went to good ol’ Costco to get my lamb, so mine came in a vacuum-sealed bag; Alton is not a big fan of this, as you end up paying partially for the liquid in the bag, but it was a convenient option for me. Once you get your lamb home, you want to unroll it into a flat slab.

Leg of lamb.

Opened leg of lamb.

Note that just because you get a “boned” leg of lamb, a portion of the joint may still be in place; if this is the case, you will want to remove the joint by cutting around it and pulling it out. My leg of lamb was truly boneless. Also trim off any huge chunks of fat or connective tissue, but you want to be careful not to over trim the meat, as the leg of lamb consists of several muscles held together by connective tissue. Flip the meat over so the skin side is up and trim off the fell, which is the impermeable membrane over the fat. The fell can be very tough, so you want to remove as much as possible, using the tip of your knife to get under the membrane.

Fell trimmed off.

Once your lamb is trimmed sufficiently, in a mini chopper combine 4 cloves of garlic, 8 mint leaves, 1 T brown sugar, 1 T Kosher salt, 2 t black pepper, 5 T Dijon mustard, and 2 T canola oil.

Ingredients for Alton’s lamb: Kosher salt, black pepper, Dijon mustard, mint, garlic, canola oil, and brown sugar.

Four cloves of garlic in the chopper.

Chopped garlic.

Eight mint leaves added to garlic.

1 T brown sugar added.

and 1 T Kosher salt.

Plus 5 T Dijon mustard and 2 t black pepper.

2 T canola oil added.

Mint/mustard mixture.

You will need to truss your meat, so cut five pieces of butcher’s twine that are 17-18 inches long. You will also need one longer piece of twine that is about 36 inches long. Flip the meat so the skin side is down and spread the mustard/mint mixture all over the meat, using all of the mixture.

Mint/mustard mixture spread over lamb.

Roll the lamb up into a neat tube shape and flip it so the skin side is facing up.

Lamb rolled into tube shape.

Starting in the middle of the meat, tie one of the shorter pieces of twine around the lamb, using a surgeon’s knot. You want to tie the twine tightly, but not overly so, as the meat will expand when it cooks.

Butcher’s twine tied around the center of the lamb.

Continue tying the shorter pieces of twine around the meat, evenly spacing them.

Additional pieces of twine tied around lamb.

Once all of shorter pieces of twine are tied, use the long piece of twine to tie the meat lengthwise, looping it around the shorter pieces of twine. Again, finish with a surgeon’s knot.

Longer piece of twine looped around the shorter pieces of twine.

Alton used a charcoal grill to cook his lamb. We do not have a charcoal grill, so I used our gas grill. You will want to cook the lamb over indirect heat, and be sure to lube the grill grates with canola oil prior to putting the roast on the grill.

Lamb ready to go on the grill.

Place the lamb on the grill, skin side up, and throw some rosemary sprigs below the grates to act as a smoking agent.

Lamb on the grill.

Sprigs of rosemary added to the grill.

Close the lid and allow the lamb to cook for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, flip the meat and turn it 180 degrees.

Lamb flipped and rotated after 20 minutes.

Insert a probe thermometer at an angle and set it to beep when the meat hits 135 degrees. In the episode, Alton’s lamb took only an additional 25-30 minutes to reach 135 degrees, but my lamb took considerably longer to be done.

Lamb after reaching 135 degrees.

Once your lamb is done, remove the twine and allow it to rest under foil for at least 15 minutes before serving. We ate the lamb as our entrée, simply slicing it.

Lamb after resting 15 minutes under foil.

Alton’s grilled leg of lamb.

We shared some leftover lamb with my parents who used the sliced lamb to make sandwiches, which they said were really good. I used the remaining leftover lamb to make my grandma’s curry. Alton’s lamb was really quite delicious and tender, and the mint mixture really flavored the meat well. If you are looking for something different to grill this summer, Alton’s lamb is a great choice, especially for a group.

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