Beer, snacks and, yes, The Bachelor.
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Monthly Archives: February 2012
brown butter fried eggs
My friend and classmate, Amanda, was recently helping me come up with brunch ideas. She introduced me to brown butter fried eggs.
This is my rendition:
In a pan, melt butter over medium-high heat and cook until it starts to brown. Maintaining the same heat, add finely chopped shallots to the butter and cook until they turn golden brown. Crack eggs into the pan and cook until the whites have set and the yolks are still runny. (I find it best to fry the eggs for a minute or two so that the edges become crispy, then place a cover over the pan, which traps air and steams the whites.) Sprinkle S & P and parsley over the top and eat, guiltily, in your underwear.
Amanda, I love you. But I also hate you.
curried cauliflower
I’m sure there are plenty of fancy techniques to enhance this dish, but for me, the slop-together approach does wonders to elevate this alabaster veggie into a colorful side full of flavor.
Toss cauliflower florets with a generous amount of curry power, S & P and a bit of canola oil. Roast in a 400-degree oven until tender, about 35 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh torn cilantro and eat. Now.
bar nuts
Nuts are good for us, but sometimes they’re a bit boring (not yours, of course. Yours are great). Get creative with your nuts with the bar nuts recipe from Union Square Cafe. It’s the perfect combination of salty, sweet, savory and spicy and will keep you coming back for more. (Did I kill that pun yet?)
The recipe can be found here (note the typo: 1/4 pound each OR 1 1/4 pounds unsalted, assorted nuts).
super bowl chili
As promised in this recent post, I prepared a mean chili for last weekend’s Super Bowl.
Start by rendering bacon in a bit of oil in a large pot. Once slightly crispy, remove the bacon, leaving the bacon fat in the pot, and set aside. Sweat chopped onions and garlic in the fat. (For a spicier version, add chopped jalapeños to the party at this point.)
Once the onions are translucent, add the spices and toast for 1-2 minutes: paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, cinnamon and cocoa powder all made it into my chili. (Here is when you should deglaze with a bottle of beer and allow it to reduce, a step which I forgot.)
Now add ground beef and cook until it just loses its pink color, stirring often to break the meat apart. Pour in canned diced tomatoes, rinsed canned black beans and the reserved bacon and add enough chicken broth to cover.
Over low heat, strirring occasionally, cook the chili until the liquid has mostly evaporated, which, for me, took about two hours. Season with salt to taste.
eating in your underwear 