Friday, July 29, 2011

ELYSIAN LOSER PALE ALE

TASTING NOTES:

Pours orange/amber with fluffy off-white head. Aroma is malts, some vegetal & floral notes, yeasty. Kinda thick body with lots of lacing and a bit sticky. Flavor is very malty, sweet, salty, finishing with a slight bitterness. Leans a bit toward the old ale, but without the character. I wouldn't be disappointed to get this at a pub, but I might not order it again, depending on selection. Not a bad beer though. What does bug me is the tag line, "Corporate Beer Still Sucks," from a brewery in the midst of a major money expansion. I still feel their stout is the best beer they make. Tasted from the bottle @ 54F.




COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION:

Celebrating 20 years of celebrating Sub Pop Records, with beer. Specifically, this beer: Brewed with Carahell malts. Bittered with Sorachi Ace and finished with crystal hops.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Abba Pickled Herring open faced sandwich recipe with Finn Crisp bread

Ingredients

For six sandwiches;
1 jar (240 g) Abba  Herring
6 slices Finn Crisp Crackers
6 pieces (about 150 g) Norvegia Ost or other mild cheese
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 small red onion

Description
Add one slice Norvegia cheese on a slice Finn Crisp. Add a few pieces of Abba  Herring. Top with some chopped chives and a few onion rings.

Norvegia Ost:  Tine Norvegia is a best selling cheese, and "everyone" in Norway has a relationship with the gentle, good Norvegia flavor. Norvegia has a mild taste and can be used for any meal. Norvegia is suitable for slicing and shredding, and has good melting properties that fit well in both cold and hot dishes. Such as: salads, sauces, tacos, pizza and pie, as well as cheese sandwiches. Product of Norway. Ingredients: Pasteurized milk, salt, rennet, raising agents (calcium chloride E 509) and preservative (sodium nitrate E 251).

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Sausages Unplugged (origins 1900's)


This is a sausage primer that is supposedly from the 1900's I thought it was kind of interesting from a website call old and sold.
Since definitions of various cuts of meat have been furnished, because they are of real interest to every meat retailer, he is naturally interested in definitions of various kinds of sausages. Therefore recipes and definitions have been furnished for the benefit of the meat retailer.

Dry Sausage
What is "dry sausage"? Dry sausage distinguishes itself from "fresh" or "domestic sausage" in several ways. One of the most important is that no cereal is used in the manufacture of first class dry sausage and more labor and time is spent in its manufacture.

As the name indicates, it is more or less dry, although fresh summer sausage is also sold out of smoke, that is, it is not allowed to dry but is sold in a soft condition. Summer sausage will keep for months under proper care.
Dry sausage is a very tempting delicatessen product. It is highly spiced and very appetizing. In Europe the people are more critical in their tastes than the people of this country and dry sausage has long held an important place in the every day meal of all classes.
The demand for dry sausage or summer sausage as it is more commonly called, is increasing every year and the sale is quite general throughout thé United States.

This is readily explained by the fact that though a meat product, it has not an ounce of waste, requires no cooking or preparation with the exception of a few varieties, and will keep for months without ice. The housewife finds it very convenient to keep on hand for chance visitors or quick lunch boxes, picnics, camping, motor trips, etc.

Dry sausage should be hung in a cool, dry place during the summer and kept from freezing in the winter. If the casing becomes mouldy or sticky, it should be washed in luke warm water with salt and immediately hung up to dry. It will appear as bright and fresh as before. Mould does not harm dry sausage as it does not penetrate the casing.

Cervelat Sausage—Is very much relished by the German and the American people and all delicatessen trade. It is the best selling product in the dry sausage line. It is made of beef and pork, the best brands contain more pork than beef, chopped fine, delicately seasoned without garlic, stuffed in wide pork bungs, about 24 to 25 inches in length, smoked slowly and air dried.






The best grades are made of lean beef chucks extra trimmed, free from fat or gristle, selected lean pork and solid fat backs. In the cheaper grades less expensive meat and less labor are used in their manufacture.




Gothaer Cervelat—Is made from the choicest selected pork. It is chopped extra fine and seasoned without garlic. It is stuffed in wide export hog bungs cut about 20 inches in length, smoked and air dried. Gothaer sausage is usually wrapped in tinfoil and yellow paper.
Thueringer Summer Sausage—Is made from nearly all beef, with just a small portion of pork added to it. It is chopped fine, seasoned without garlic and stuffed in wide sewed pork bungs about 28 inches in length. It is smoked but not air dried and is usually sold fresh out of the smoke. Thueringer summer sausage is very popular with the delicatessen trade.

Menage—Means household or domestic economy. It is a pork sausage made and specially seasoned for French and Italian trade. Stuffed in small ends of hog casings, air dried, and unsmoked.

Frisses—A coarsely ground, well seasoned sausage, stuffed in crinkly casings known as hog middles. Unsmoked and air dried.

Arles—In this the meat is cut coarsely It is very similar to Milan salami, and is usually stuffed in both beef and hog casings, from 16 to 20 inches long. Relished especially by French and Italians.
Sopressata—Very similar to Arles sausage—stuffed in crinkly hog casings, unsmoked and air dried. Preferred by Italians.

Bari Sopressata—Is the same as Sopressata, with the addition of Italian red pepper.

Mortadella—Is made up of a blending of pork, beef, cubes of fat and spices. It is chopped very fine so as to have a smooth texture, nicely seasoned, stuffed in beef bladders, twined and baked.

Sicilian Salami—Is made from selected materials properly seasoned (no garlic) with whole black peppers mixed through-out. It is packed in beef middles, twined, air-dried, and unsmoked.

Sausage In Oil—Is sausage, in either frankfurt, bologna or smoked sausage style, put up in white cottonseed oil, in tin containers. It is used extensively in the South, and when container is opened the sausage should always be covered with oil.

Sosera In Oil—Very similar to Sausage in Oil, except a little cereal is added It ordinarily comes in three styles—smoked links, sandwich links and round sosera.

Proscuitto—Is the Italian name for ham. Finest grade pork hams are dry salt cured, pressed long shank, unsmoked. It can be cured only in winter. Proscuitto has a sweet nut-like flavor and as it continues to dry, it increases in value. It is very thinly sliced from the side, and eaten uncooked.

Chorizo—Is primarily a Spanish sausage, but is also consider-ably in demand by the French, Italians, Cubans and Portuguese. It is made of pork, seasoned with imported sweet Spanish pepper, and stuffed in links about four inches long.

Hispanosa—Is the same as Chorizos, with beef substituted for pork in the formula.

Bobbio—This is a high grade salami, made of pork trimmings with some beef added. Seasoned and put up similar to Genoa salami, and is very popular with Italians.

Coppa—Choice calla butt, closely trimmed, sweet pickled, stuffed in casings and dried. It is seasoned very slightly with a touch of garlic. Very tasty.
German Salami—German salami as the name would imply, is a German sausage. The meat is chopped somewhat coarser than summer or cervelat sausage and shows a reasonable amount of fat. It is composed of beef and pork, and is flavored with spices and garlic, smoked and air dried.
The cheaper grades are sold directly out of smoke. German salami is stuffed in beef middles, average about 14 inches in length, and wound with twine.

Italian Salami, Milan Sausage—Italian salami is made of pork with a small amount of beef. It is chopped coarser than cervelat, highly seasoned with spices and flavored with garlic to suit the Italian trade. It is stuffed in pork bungs averaging 24 inches in length and then closely wound with twine. It is air dried but not smoked.

Frisses Salami—Frisses salami is made the same as Italian salami but stuffed in pork middles which are curly shaped casings. It is air dried but not smoked.

D'ArlesD'Arles is similar to Italian salami in regard to meat and seasoning. It is chopped coarser, stuffed in pork bungs about 18 inches long and is air dried but not smoked. It is greatly relished by the French and Italian people.

Genoa Salami—Genoa salami is prepared with the finest grade of pork. It is seasoned and made according to the tastes of the people of northern Italy. The sausage is stuffed in straight pork casings about 16 to 18 inches in length. It is closely wound with twine both lengthwise and crosswise and is air dried. Genoa salami is very attractive in appearance.

Lyons Sausage—Lyons sausage is a French sausage, and is made from lean pork, although small portions of lean beef may be added. Lyons sausage is chopped very fine and small pieces of fat are mixed in after chopping. It is highly seasoned with a small portion of garlic added. The sausage is stuffed in pork bungs, air dried but not smoked. It is usually wrapped in tin-foil. Lyons sausage is one of the highest price sausages made.

Pepperoni—This sausage is made principally of pork with a small quantity of beef, chopped coarse, stuffed in pork casings in pairs about 12 inches long. It is seasoned with red pepper and other spices to suit the Italian trade. This sausage is air dried and unsmoked.

Holsteiner—Is made of about equal parts of pork and beef, chopped coarse, stuffed in beef rounds casings, smoked and well dried. Holsteiner is popular with the German, French and Italian trade.

Farmer—Farmer sausage is made about the same as Holsteiner as to ingredients, but stuffed in beef middle casings about 16 inches in length. It is smoked but may be unsmoked and air dried.

Swedish—Swedish sausage or Goteborg consists of 75% beef and 25% pork. The meat is chopped coarser than cervelat. It is stuffed in beef middle casings and smoked hard. In appearance it is similar to Farmer sausage. Swedish sausage is popular with the Swedish and Norwegian trade.

Landjaeger—Is made from beef and a small quantity of pork. It is highly seasoned and stuffed in hog casings. It is linked in pairs about 6 inches in length and pressed flat on all sides to give the sausage a square appearance. It is heavily smoked and dried and is popular with the German people and the Swiss trade.

Capicolli—Is made from boneless pork shoulder butts, trimmed lean and mildly cured. It is seasoned with cayenne and pimiento peppers. Stuffed in beef bungs smoked and dried. Owing to the cayenne pepper, it is very spicy. Sweet Capicolli is made by omitting the cayenne pepper and substituting sweeter spices.
Boneless Pork Butts—Boneless pork butts in casings are similar to Capicolli in appearance but are prepared without spices, smoked and dried.
Boneless Picnics—Calla butt cured and smoked, and put up in beef bungs.
Boneless Picnics (cottage brand)—A calla butt cured and smoked and put up in paper wrappers. Especially good for boiled pork.
Loin Roll—Is made up of boneless pork loins, cured in sweet pickle, tied with white cord to retain shape, and smoked and pressed in a cylinder.
Lachschinken—Is made of boneless pork loins, all excess fat being trimmed off, and cured in mild sweet pickle. Two loins are faced and stuffed in larger beef bungs, smoked and twined.
Austrian Pork Sausage—Made from selected pork trimmings stuffed in hog casings. linked about 4 inches apart. It is smoked, seasonèd with garlic and caraway seeds.
Italian Pork Sausage—A well seasoned, smoked or unsmoked pork sausage made for Italian trade.

Stroopwafels Dutch syrup cookies

Buy Stroopwafels HERE Stroopwafels (English translation: syrup waffles) are thin waffles with a syrup filling. They were first made in Gouda in the Netherlands, during the 18th or 19th century.

A stroopwafel is a waffle made from two thin layers of baked batter with a caramel-like syrup filling in the middle.
The stiff batter for the waffles is made from flour, butter, brown sugar, yeast, milk, and eggs. Medium sized balls of batter are put on the waffle iron. When the waffle is baked, and while it is still warm, it is cut into two halfs. The warm filling, made from syrup, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon, is spread in between the waffle halfs, which glues them together.

The stroopwafel originates from Gouda in the Netherlands. It was first made during the late 18th century or early 19th century by a baker using leftovers from the bakery, such as crumbs, which were sweetened with syrup. One story says the first stroopwafel was made by an anonymous baker in 1784. Another story ascribes the invention of the stroopwafel to the baker Gerard Kamphuisen, which would date the first stroopwafels somewhere between 1810, the year when he opened his bakery, and 1840, the year of the oldest known recipe for syrup waffles. In the 19th century, there were around 100 syrup waffle bakers in Gouda, which was the only city they were made until 1870. After 1870 they were also made on parties and markets outside the city of Gouda. In the 20th century factories started to make stroopwafels. In 1960 there were seventeen factories in Gouda alone, of which four are currently still open. Thank you wiki!






Wednesday, July 13, 2011

ficoco fig and cocoa spread

Last night we had a very special treat! For a fresh picked strawberry dessert (a rarity) DH made dipping sauce with a Rachel's Pomegranate Acai yogurt mixed with some delicious ficocoa spread It was amazing!




This simple photo explains it all!
Fat free, gluten free, sugar free and full of flavor.






Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Toro Norwegian Lofoten Fish Soup

TORO Lofoten Fish Soup
I love making this soup, people usually think -ugh fish soup!  I then ask - do you like clam chowder? Most people are will to try, and come to love this soup when they are reminded that it is not so unusual after all!

TORO LOFOTEN FISKESUPPE  Net Weight 69g,  3 servings.

This fish soup from the Lofoten area in Norway is ready in 5 minutes!

Simply mix the contents of the package with 3 cups of water (6dl) and 3/4 cup milk (1,5dl).

Heat to a boil while stirring and the simmer for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally.  Serve with bread.

Ingredients: Corn Starch, wheat flour, whole milk, vegetable fat, fish (pollack, salmon) 7.5%, salt, glucose syrup, onion, sugar, carrot, flavor enhancer (glutamate), potato, rice, yeast extract, shrimp, celery, leeks, flavors, milk protein , acid (citric acid), spices,chives, dill, color (beta carotene). 

Serving Tip- Broiled Cheese topped Seafood Gratin
1 bag TORO Lofoten Fish Soup Mix
50 g peeled shrimp
50 g mushrooms
50 g cauliflower
grated white cheese

Prepare soup according to instructions with 4.5C milk. Replace a little of the milk with cream. Add the shrimp, mushrooms and cauliflower. Distribute your content into 3-4 small ramekins. Sprinkle with grated white cheese and gratin in the oven at 200 C for approx. 8 minutes or until soup has a golden brown top.  Gratin Lofoten Fish soup tastes excellent in puff pastry shells.

Purchase TORO Lofoten Fish soup mix here

Monday, July 11, 2011

DESCHUTES HOP IN THE DARK

TASTING NOTES:

Sharp hop aroma from the bottle. Pours dark brown with a huge, frothy tan head. Crazy head! Nice fruit, hop, and malt nose, and bark. Flavor is resinous, pine, bitter hop, light malt, and dark chocolate. Mouthfeel is lighter than I expected for such a dark ale, but it does cling to the mouth and glass. First taste was a little too bitter for me, but it mellows as I drink the glass. Half a glass gone and there's still a thick head on it, with lacing all the way to the rim. Tasted from the bottle @ 55F.




COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION:

Can an IPA be black? Semantics aside, this noir version has subtle coffee undertones born of a blend of oats with dark, Munich and crystal malts. What emerges is something deeper, less orthodox, and all its own. After 22 trial runs in our Bend and Portland pubs, we got it right.


King Oscar Tiny Tots Sardines in Olive Oil

Among the smallest fish used for sardines, these brisling are world-famous for their dainty size, delicate texture, and consistent quality. King Oscar Tiny Tots are Wild-caught when fully mature at just 9.0cm to 13.5cm long, using ocean-friendly fishing methods in the clear waters of the Norwegian fjords and the North Sea.



Sardine and beet salad

ingredients
1 can King Oscar Tiny Tots Sardines in Olive Oil

100 arugula lettuce leaves
400g can beets, drained and cut in half
1/2 red onion, cut into thin slices

yogurt dressing
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup chopped chives
1/4 cup fresh dill
1/4 cup fresh parsley

preparation

Arrange leaves on a large plate. Add King Oscar Tiny Tots Sardines, beets, and onion. In a bowl, mix herbs and yogurt. Pour over salad. Serves 4.

KING OSCAR TINY TOTS SARDINES The finest Brisling Sardines in Olive Oil Two Layer 106G. Small and delicate, King Oscar Brisling Sardines are a favorite around the world. They contain 2.8g Omega-3 fatty acids per serving, with no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. King Oscar Brisling Sardines, a delicious tradition for over 100 years. Ingredients: Brisling Sardines, Olive Oil. 


Wondering where you can Buy King Oscar Tiny Tots Sardines in Olive Oil

Alex's Meat Sausage Salo or Fat Back bacon fat

Bacon Salo with the rind on- Fat back is processed into slab bacon by many methods, including brine curing, dry curing, smoking, or boiling. Usually the skin (rind) is left on.

Hungarian Pork fatback (fat back salo) with Paprika



This fatback bacon is widely eaten throughout Europe. In Polish, it is called boczek, since it comes from the side of the pig and has long been a key component of bigos. In Italy it is called lardo, and a notable example is Valle d'Aosta Lard d'Arnad. In Ukraine, Russia, and other Russian-speaking areas of the former Soviet Union, it is called salo. In Hungary, where it is called szalonna, it is very popular for campfire cookouts (szalonnasütés). In Germany, where it is called Rückenspeck (back pork fat), it is one of two cuts known as Speck (cold smoked ham, made from the hind leg of pork).


 You may have heard of salo or lardons in cooking . Homemade lard rendered from fatback   In French cooking, very thinly sliced fatback is used to line the mold when making a terrine or pâté, and thin strips of fatback are inserted under the skin of lean gamebirds for roasting. These techniques are barding and larding, respectively, and in both the fatback is used without the rind. Fatback also is used to make lardons, salt pork, and lard.