From the Other Side of the Counter

I'm at Great News this morning but I'm on the other side of the counter, rather than teaching.  My friend Jenny Goycochea is teaching Craft Beer Comfort Foods.  Jenny is passionate about food, but craft beers are her specialty.  Having worked for Stone Brewery when I first met her, she is the oracle when it comes to knowing about craft beer.  Note here, I'm not a beer drinker.

Our first pour is a Ballast Point Big Eye....this is a hoppy and acidic beer to my taste, served alongside some swoon-worthy crab cakes with a spicy IPA hollandaise and frisee salad.  The balance of the rich crab cakes with the spicy hollandaise and a bitter green salad with a champagne vinaigrette was the perfect start for the morning.

Our next dish is a Pale Ale Mac and Cheese with sun dried tomatoes, kale, aged cheddar and Gruyere.  The pairing for this was Stone Pale Ale.  Who doesn't love Mac and Cheese?  This was delicious, and I have to admit I liked the pairing of the pale ale with the richness of the mac and cheese.

Pizza is my middle name so the beer crust flat bread with caramelized onions, potatoes, goat cheese and arugula made with a Brown Ale, was right up my alley.  Paired with Golden Road Get Up Off of that Brown, the balance of flavors here is right on with the sweetness of the onions, and the creaminess of the goat cheese was spectacular.

Next up is a Moroccan Chicken and Stout Stew  with Horseradish and Herb Mashed potatoes.  Jenny has chosen a Guinness extra which is a dry stout, rather than the sweeter Guinness.  

Savory with Rash al Hanout, these chicken thighs were falling off the bone tender, and the contrast between the smooth spicy potatoes and the rich Stout enriched broth was outstanding.  I'm not a spicy food person, but all these flavors were so well balanced, you wanted another bite after the first one.

Last but not least we have Jenny's take on banana pudding, with home made vanilla cookies, roasted bananas  and Thunderweizen Lightning Hefeweizen in the pudding, candied pecans and caramel.  Not your mama's banana pudding for sure, the Hefeweizen was light, with a bit of a sweet taste, that complimented the banana pudding, and the caramel.  Between the crunch of the cookies, and nuts, the creaminess of the pudding, and the silky caramel this is a dessert worth 5 stars, with a few components that can be made ahead of time.

Just FYI, I started eating before I took the photo---it was sublime!

When I sit in on a cooking class I learn something new, no matter how long I've been doing this, I always take something away.  Jenny is an exceptional teacher; she gives you great information, and the flavors of the food show that she puts thought into balancing sweet, spicy, creamy, and crunchy to make each dish something to savor.  Great morning, drinking beer before noon. If you are interested in craft beers, Jenny is teaching a few classes at Great News in the next few months, so sign up now!

St. Patrick, the man, the myth, the legend

Just a few facts, and insights into the Patron Saint of Ireland.  St. Patrick has a lot in common with St. Francis but he didn't talk with the animals the way St. Francis did!

A picture like this hung in my Nonna's kitchen from the time I could remember

St. Patrick was born in Britain to a wealthy family; at age 16 he was kidnapped and used as a slave in Ireland, tending sheep.  His conversion to Christianity came during those rough 7 years.  He escaped back to Britain, then heard a voice calling him back to Ireland. He became ordained and went back to Ireland to convert the pagan Irish. Life was tough. Patrick was beaten by thugs, harassed by the Irish, and admonished by his superiors.Sounds a bit like Wall Street.

The legend that Patrick banished the snakes from Ireland, is just that; there have never been snakes in Ireland.  Surrounded on all sides by ice cold waters, no self-respecting snake would swim there!

  St. Patrick was largely forgotten after his death, but slowly, his myth (including the banishment of the snakes) grew, with tales that he used shamrock leaves to represent the Trinity.

These tales are all attributed to the monks who continued his work in Ireland.  Now the patron Saint of Ireland, his feast day is celebrated in Irish churches, but it seems that the Irish immigrants in the US imbued this saints day with traditions that are uniquely American.

 

Corned beef and cabbage is one which I covered yesterday, and turning the Chicago River green is another.  They don’t turn the Liffey  green in Dublin!  But they DO drink a lot of Guinness!  On any given day 5.5 million pints of Guinness, are consumed; on St. Patrick's Day,  13 million pints are quaffed according to the good folks at Guinness.

 

Parades, packed pubs, and turning rivers green have gradually found their way back to the old sod. 

My Irish grandmother wasn’t a great cook, although she cooked for some of the most aristocratic families in Boston (what does that tell you?) I remember roast mutton with gravy you could skate on.  I think she was of the school that you had to cook everything to death and use every bit.  So, I don’t remember a lot of great meals from she or any of her sisters who were also cooks for the Brahmins.  But I do know that these days, there are some amazing cooks in Ireland.  Check out http://www.ballymaloe.ie/, and http://www.goodfoodireland.ie 

I'm heading into the kitchen to rustle up so dinner for Dr. C. and I before I leave tomorrow, I'll post those later today, until then have a great day!