hamtramck food

Mar 16

Pickled egg recipe

kevin bars, recipes Send feedback »

I've been meaning to blog about food here for awhile and I think the time is now.

Here is the the way that I make pickled eggs that are available at the Painted Lady Lounge.

Ingredients

3 dozen large eggs

4 cups white vinegar

2 cups pickle juice

jalapenos peppers

mild peppers

salt

pepper

You will need a one gallon sized pickle jar or other suitable container before you get started.

I've done some research and I've found some good information on successfully boiling eggs. First, don't use fresh eggs, they need to be past the expiration date or close to it. This will make peeling the eggs much, much easier. Second, when you boil the eggs only use a single layer in the pan and cover them with one inch of water only. Third, once the water comes to a boil, I remove the pan from the heat, cover it and allow it to sit for 17 minutes. Fourth, immediately after the time is up, drain the pot and run cold water over the eggs (this will make your yolks stay yellow).

While you're peeling the eggs, bring the 4 cups of white vinegar and 2 cups of pickle juice to a boil (add salt and pepper to your liking). I've found that it is best to layer the peppers and eggs evenly throughout the pickle jar so that the peppers are more easily accessible when dispensing the eggs. Once all the eggs and peppers are in the jar, add the vinegar/pickle juice mixture.

The pickled eggs will be ready to sample in one week, but will be at their best after two weeks. I recommend shaking the jar every day or so for a week to make sure everything is well mixed. Make sure when you eat the egg you have jalapeno slices from the jar and tabasco sauce along with salt and pepper. And, of course, it is well-advised to wash the egg down with a beverage of your liking!

Dec 02

Lacto-fermented granola

Hillary recipes Send feedback »

Since buying the herd-share from Hampshire Farms at Eastern Market, I've been exploring all sorts of traditional foods made with raw milk. One of my shocking discoveries was that a traditional way to eat whole grain cereals for breakfast is to pour raw milk over it and leave it on the counter over night. While you are sleeping, the bacteria in the milk feeds on the sugars in the grain, creating lactic acid and unlocking enzymes, such as the natural phytase within grains and nuts.

With this in mind, I set out to find a fermented granola recipe that could be made in advance and stored, and discovered this Delicious Raw Breakfast Cereal. After making 5 or 6 batches, this is the variation we have developed.

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Lacto-fermented granola

If you don't have access to diastatic malt or sprouted wheat flour, replace with 1/2 cup wheat pastry flour and 1/2 cup sugar, like date sugar, brown sugar or turbinado.

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup sprouted wheat flour or diastatic malt powder
3/4 cup yogurt
3/4 cup whey
1/2 cup melted butter
2 tsp cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice
1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
optional dried fruit

Mix everything but the dried fruit and salt together and let it sit at room temperature for at least 24 hours. On the second day, mix in the salt. Cut the dried fruit into chunks and sprinkle them over the top. Using two spoons, divide the batter into bite-sized pieces onto cookie sheets or food dehydrator trays, distributing the fruit as you go. Dehydrate or bake the granola until it is absolutely dry at a low temperature, no higher than 135 degrees, to preserve the enzymes.

Sep 25

Fermented ginger carrots

Hillary recipes Send feedback »

I've been too busy canning to write about it, but I need to take a break to tell you about my best experiment so far this season. These ginger carrots are strongly flavored and raw by themselves, but blend magnificently with grilled meats and stir fry. I like them so much that I am planning to make more this weekend while carrots are still in season.

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The following ingredient list is from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.

Ginger carrots

For every quart:
4 cups grated carrots, tightly packed
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon sea salt
4 tablespoons whey (if not available, use an additional 1 tablespoon salt)

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and pound with a fist or wooden pounder to release juices. Pack into a wide-mouth quart size jar and press down until juices cover the carrots. Fallon's directions say to cover tightly and leave them at room temperature for three days, but my carrots bubbled fiercely, and I had to let off the pressure several times per day to prevent the jars from exploding. I will leave more than a 1-inch space between the carrots and lid next time.

Lactobacillus, bacteria that produces the natural preservative lactic acid, are present on the surface of all living things. It is especially prevalent in whey, which can be obtained from yogurt with live cultures. The salt is added to inhibit unwanted organisms just until enough lactic acid has formed to preserve the vegetables. This is why less salt can be used if the fermentation process is jump-started with whey.

Sep 05

Tim's birthday cake

Hillary recipes Send feedback »

Last night, in celebration of Tim's birthday, we feasted on firehouse chili at the Hamtramck Labor Day Festival. Running late on glazing this cake, I missed the birthday kielbasa, but I think the end result was worth it. This recipe was adapted from Sweet Maria's Italian Desserts, substituting the cake recipe with one from Cook's Illustrated, and substituting the frosting with chocolate sauce.

Cake
2 sticks unsalted butter, kept at room temperature for 20 minutes
3 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 c. sugar

Filling
1 cup ricotta
1/4 cup sugar
grated rind of 1/2 an orange

Glaze
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 c. cream
1 tblsp Grand Marnier

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 8x4 in. loaf pan. Beat eggs and vanilla together and leave on counter until they are needed. In an electric mixer, beat butter and salt until creamy, two to three minutes. add sugar gradually. Beat until fluffy, 5 to 8 minutes. Gradually add eggs. Beat three to four minutes. Sift four over the top in three additions, folding it in with a rubber spatula. Pour into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 70 to 80 minutes.

While the cake is cooling, mix together the filling ingredients and refrigerate. Heat chocolate and cream together in a double-boiler until smooth. Blend in the liquor and refrigerate.

When the cake is cooled completely, slice it horizontally into three layers. Place the bottom of the cake on wax paper, cut side up. Spread half the ricotta mixture on top. Repeat with the second layer. Top with the last piece. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate two to three hours or overnight.

Spread the chocolate over the top and sides and garnish with candied orange peel or orange slices. Transfer from wax paper to a serving plate. Refrigerate until serving.

Sep 05