I am a firm believer that the best gifts are edible/drinkable and don’t take up a lot of space. That being said, two of the best gifts I received this Xmas were a beer of the month club membership and a growler of a delicious American style barley wine a pint glasses from the Portsmouth Brewery.
Happy Holidays!
Basically, we are in the middle of the big three end of the year eating holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. Since my family missed out on the FriendsGiving I had, I will fry a turkey in their honor this morning. I have the bird prepped on the counter, a tasty Hefeweizen (just in case you’re interested, it’s a Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen-Weisse, technically a weizenbock )in the fridge and a big ol’ pot of oil waiting for me in the back yard.MERRY XMAS!
I’ve recently started working with a company called CityDusk doing beer and food related events. The basic idea behind CityDusk is to put on interesting events in and around Manhattan with a common theme. Since am a self-anointed beer and food guy I am focusing on these finer points of life. The first event is a down home, chill out sort of deal. In the future we will be doing some exclusive stuff regarding various breweries, including tastings, dinners and pairings, but for now, I’m just going for a good time.The event is focused on Beer, Bowling and Pizza and is guaranteed to be a rollicking good time. Ten-Pin destruction and fine craft beers—is there anything more you need?Check out the CityDusk site for complete information.
“Will fermentation work the same in weightlessness? What happens to carbonation when there's no buoyancy to bring the bubbles to the top? Can space beer form a proper head? Scientists who study the physics of gas-liquid mixtures would love to know!”There are few questions that keep me awake at night more than “Can space beer form a proper head?” I often lie awake pondering the ability of a beverage brewed in the Milky Way to produce a voluminous, frothy cap of foam. If I ever got the chance to orbit the planet, you can rest assured that a tasty brew will be the first thing I am concerned about after dusting Mars for signs of human life.All kidding aside, Space Beer has been a curiosity for a few years now. An article posted by NASA in 2001 describes the efforts of Kirsten Sterrett, a University of Colorado student and former Coors employee, who set to discover if brewing in space was possible. Backed by BioServe and the Coors Brewing Company, Sterrett produced 1-mL of Space Beer. The basic conclusion of the beer was that the space beer produced less live cells—the work of the yeast—than beer brewed back on Earth. Very interesting results, but I find the recent experiments by the Russian Academy of Science, the Okayama University in Japan and the Sapporo brewery much more interesting:In May of 2008, Sapporo took barley grains that were being cultivated in space to brew beer. The barley was part of an ongoing experiment aboard the International Space Station to see if cultivating edible plants in outer space was possible. Whether or not the cabbage and other produce aboard the ISS tasted good is beside the point; Sapporo has officially completed 100 liters of their Space Beer!Although the beer probably won’t find its way to your local super market, 30 lucky Japanese folks will get to try the brew. This really is one giant leap for mankind.
North Meets South: Brooklyn Beers, Latin Cuisine
Last Thursday I made my way to a small Brooklyn restaurant called Palo Santo. Beer lovers would recognize this as the aromatic, South American hardwood used by Sam Calagione for Dogfish Head’s Palo Santo Marron. In Brooklyn, New York, however, Palo Santo is a hidden culinary gem whose compact menu is dependent on what’s available at the market and is fittingly described as “eclectic-Latino”. Jacques Gautier, the Haitian chef, was celebrating his 30th birthday that night while located in the back room a puffy shirted Argentinean guitarist gave classic Beatles tunes a flamenco treatment. Despite all of this, the reason I ventured to Park Slope was for a beer dinner held by Brooklyn Brewery’s Garret Oliver.
Over the past fifteen years Mister Oliver has become a world-class authority on food and beer pairing while attempting to bring beer the same culinary respect as wine. As I arrived at seven o’clock, the brewer was hunched over the main bar, scribbling some notes and chatting with the chef about a few of the dishes. I gawked as I was escorted to my seat and poured a pale, frothy glass of Brooklyn Weisse. After catching up and clinking glasses with my friends, my eyes fell upon the small menu positioned in front of me.
My mother’s family is Puerto Rican, so I grew up with Caribbean and Latin tinged food. None of my grandmother’s simple dishes prepared for the onslaught of flavors I was about to sample: Braised Rabbit with Lemon and purple potatoes to compliment the Weisse; an IPA to ease the spice of a curried duck with coconut milk and mustard greens; vanilla ice cream in a pork reduction with lard cookies and Black Chocolate Stout.
The fine folks at Brooklyn Brewery have always been very helpful about pairing their beers with food. Their website is full of tips and recipes and Mr. Oliver wrote a book dedicated to the art of creating the perfect meal with a harmonious marriage of drink and food. Despite all of this, I was not prepared for the avalanche of flavors that were about to engulf me.
Conejo en Escabeche was the first course. Literally translated as Rabbit in Brine, the gamey taste of the meat was offset by the tart lemons. I’ve eaten rabbit many times and the classic Spanish dish of mejilones en escabeche was as familiar to me as the banana-tinged taste of Brooklyner Weisse. When combined, however, the brisk, bouncy tang of the beer played with the acidic lemon in the dish and really highlighted the dark, earthy flavors of the rabbit and potatoes. These taste bud enlightening moments only intensified as the evening went on and I learned about the beauty of a finely matched meal and beverage.
My favorite plate was Duck Buss-Up-Shut paired with East Indian Pale Ale. Although IPA’s are not my first pick for a drink, their compatibility with spicy food is undeniable and the Duck buss-up-Shut was the perfect foil for this beer. Crispy skin acted as the first layer of a symphonic display of flavors. The crunchy exterior led to a thin layer of gooey, savory fat before leading to the dark and juicy meat. A small mound of mustard greens contrasted the textures while a pool of spicy curry sauce enveloped the entire package in heat. The spice was intense, but not enough to detract from the flavors. Also, the East Indian Pale Ale—a beer more in tune with its English ancestors than its modern, American counterparts—was able to match each step, extinguishing the fire and fat while letting the flavors shine through. I could have eaten this meal forever, and you couldn’t imagine how both the beer and the food merged to create an entirely new flavor profile when experienced together.
Garret Oliver is an interesting and passionate individual. As he lamented on the fact that 10% of the beer produced in the early 1900’s came from Brooklyn and over 1400 independent breweries existed, he spoke optimistically about the emergence of fine foods and beers in this country.
The beers that Mr. Oliver brews are like the man himself, luxurious but down to earth, opulent but manageable. Brooklyn brewery aspires to pair its beers with lobster, quail, caviar and other big dollar meals but it never loses sight that nothing goes better with a smooth lager than a juicy hamburger. He, like his beers, marries old fashion dependability with flair. You can drink a Brooklyn in the finest restaurants in New York City just as easily as the cheapest dive bar. Fortunately for the beer enthusiast, both white cloth cuisine and deep fried tavern fare will benefit from a well-matched brew.
A bit of Dark Matter and some beer braised short ribs.
Both photos courtesy of Graham Kates
After taking care of 3 gallons of boiling peanut oil, washing the oil splatters from the floor and scrubbing the fried bacon smell from my clothing, I can look back and say that frying a turkey is something everyone should try. My FriendsGiving started as a way to fulfill my goal of deep-frying large poultry and a means to get rid of the extra turkey sitting in my freezer. Once I found out that a co-worker had all the necessary hardware to do some heavy-duty frying, I made plans for Thanksgiving part 2. The idea was simple—provide the food and place and everyone else provides the beverages. Frying a turkey not only provides lots of food, it is an excuse to stand around a huge pot of hot oil while drinking beers in thirty-degree weather. The procedure to transform a turkey from the heaping, pale mass of flesh and bone seen here:
…To the delicious mound of fried goodness seen here…
…is not too difficult. If you can get your hands on a frying setup, the cooking itself is a cakewalk. Granted, I wouldn’t want to do it everyday—cleaning it up is a hassle—but if you have a few good folks around it is worth the effort. We quickly found that the worst part is waiting. Just like real Thanksgiving, FriendsGiving was full of grumbling stomachs churning at the scent of the forthcoming meal. Also like real Thanksgiving, your guests have the opportunity to eat oodles of cheese and crackers as they consume more libations in an attempt to ease the hunger. Unlike Thanksgiving, however, the delicious scent of fried meat will permeate your clothing and hair and stick around far longer than it takes to digest all the food. Who doesn’t want to smell like their dinner two days later?Everyone I spoke to about turkey frying told me the same thing—submerge the bird slowly. There are more than enough horror stories about decks, houses and body parts going on fire to make sure I heeded the warning. After bringing the oil to a briskly bubbling 350-degrees, I used my high-tech nylon-rope-and-ratchet mechanism to lower the bird into the pot. There were all sorts of horrifying gurgles and billows of smoke, but the ensuing aroma was enough to know that the sacrifices were well worth it. The smoke smelled bacon-like at first, but once the bubbles returned my yard was full of the garlicky, pepper-infused scent of rub I used. Every time the wind picked up my nostrils were pummeled with the delicious sent of meat and spices. After experiencing this, I couldn’t imagine who wouldn’t put their limbs on the line to eat 22-pounds of fried fowl? 
About an hour later we pulled out the bird. I probably could have left it in a bit longer to achieve are deeper brown, crunchy skin, but we were starving and all the booze was taking its toll. After making sure the bird was fully cooked, I pulled her out and set her up to rest. The turkey was a hearty bronze, crisp to the touch with a strong savory aroma. Being the methodical cook I am, I had trays of parboiled fries and breaded zucchini ready to go. As we waited on the resting bird, I stood out in the cold waiting for the oil to reach temperature; this is where I encountered a few problems:
Three gallons of turkey fat filled oil takes some time to reach 350 degrees. While this isn’t any ground breaking news, when there are 6 people waiting to eat it becomes a problem. I prematurely dumped the taters in the oil and pulled them out cooked but limp. As I spread them out under the broiler, I administered a similar slop-job frying to the zucchini (they were destined to be finished on the stove). The table was full of carved turkey, corn bread, cranberry sauce, bean salad and beers so I couldn’t keep everyone waiting. We sat down and dug in.Again, all I can say is that you must fry at least one turkey in your life. The skin is unbelievable—dark, crispy and fragrant—while the meat is juicy. Even the traditionally overcooked and dry breast meat remains moist and flavorful. Combine the delicious crust with the soft interior and you have the makings of a great meal. Also, if you break it down 1-2 hours of frying is much quicker than the mandatory 3+ hours for a traditional roasted bird. Start convincing your family to bypass the oven and fry next year’s turkey. If you do, I’ll swing by to help and bring the beer.
There are a few interesting events coming up soon for me. To start, I am attending a beer dinner hosted by Garret Oliver of the Brooklyn Brewery on Thursday. Also, I’ve received word from CityDusk, a new events company in Manhattan that I’ll be working/writing for, that my first event will be going down January 20th. We are still working out some details, but I can guarantee you it will be awesome and involve delicious beer.Despite these ridiculously awesome coming-soons, I am happier to report that I will be having some friends over for a GiveThanksAgainGiving Day. Basically, I decided that I really want to fry a turkey and since the Thanksgiving is now really far away—and I don’t think my family would want to stand out in the cold with me while attending a vat of hot, boiling oil—I am going to have some friends enjoy a delicious fried feast with me. A year or two ago I found this schematic for a safe way to fry turkey via Alton Brown. However, you can rest assure that I will be using a coat hanger to lower my turkey into 350-degrees of hot fat.Pictures coming soon.
