As I delve back into fermentation there are a number of recipes, tips, and tricks that will make an appearance in this forum.  With so many excellent books on the topics, I don’t want to repeat all of the beginner information here when people better than myself have done a much better job already.  Listed below are a few of my favorite books on the subjects.  You can also use your favorite search engine to look up “making beer at home” or “making wine at home” and get a lot of information.

The Complete Joy of Homebrewing

This is the best place to start for anyone who wants to make beer, and many of the techniques and equipment relate directly to making wine and mead as well.  I have two copies of it and always look for more at rummage, garage, yard, and book sales so I can pass it off to friends who want to learn about the hobby art of homebrewing.  Some may fault it for the layout, or being long-winded in places, but it is very readable and is the best book I have found to start with.

How To Make Wine

This is a recipe book for making wine that comes from the local wine and beer making supply shop, Scotzin Bros. and was written by one of the founders of the store. Most of the recipes are for wines not made with grapes, generally known as a “country” wine.

By itself it gives only a cursory overview of making wine and quickly follows with recipes, however, with a little bit of knowledge from one of the other books in this assortment, it can be put to good use.  Armed with an understanding of how ingredients interplay it is also a great way to develop new recipes for what you have on hand.

To order, follow the link above for the store’s contact information.

The Compleat Meadmaker

Though compleat is spelled a little differently it doesn’t take away from the thoroughness of this book.  Though meadmaking itself is a simple process the manner by which the ingredients blend together to make the wonderful finished product are a mystery.  Thankfully, Ken Schramm turns that otherworldliness and shares with us the art of a good mead bolstered by the history and science beneath it.  You won’t be an expert in making a finished mead when you are done reading, but will have the knowledge and tools to develop the experience to become one.

I have had a craving for a steak lately and am thankful for my wife.  I asked and did receive from her latest grocery trip a 12oz Angus New York Strip.  As soon as I saw that thick piece of well marbled beef I knew exactly how to cook it: pan sear over high heat and finished in a 350 degree oven.

The sear creates a nice heavy crust on the outside.  Transferring it to the oven lowers the heat, allowing a nice slow finish, making it easier to control the temperature and monitor the progress. Total cooking time is about 16 minutes, 6 in the pan, 10 in the oven for  medium rare. Add 2 minutes for every degree up you want to go: medium, medium well, well.  For a great rare, just pull it out of the pan once you have the sear on.

I like at least a 1″ steak to cook like this.  Thinner steaks tend to be cooked too much by the time you are done with the sear, or just wind up tough.  Get the thicker cut.  You will thank yourself for it.

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

• Pat the steak dry and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper or your favorite spice mixture.

• Heat a heavy cast iron or All Clad Stainless skillet over medium-high heat.

• Add your steak.  Cook on each side for 2 minutes.  Hold the edges to the hot pan for a minute or so until the whole thing is well seared.  Note: Depending on how much fat is rendered off of your meat, you may want to deglaze the pan and discard the drippings.  Make sure and use a room temperature or warmer deglazing liquid.  You could crack your cast iron or warp a lightweight pan.

• Once the entire steak is seared, pop it in the oven to finish.

• Enjoy!

The chips in the picture are Martin’s Waffle Cut Bar-B-Q, my favorite. And gluten free.

Note: I mention the All Clad Stainless by name for a reason: it holds up to anything and is a workhorse in the kitchen.  If I could own only one frying pan, my 12″ would be it.  It works on the stovetop and in the oven or broiler up to 500 degrees. I’ve also used it to pound chicken into cutlets, graham crackers for cheesecake crusts, and crack open walnuts for my daughter’s snack.  They are worth every penny, even though a single one can cost more than a complete inexpensive cooking set.  You don’t need a full set of them, but a single 10″ or 12″ should live in your cupboard.

We have not planted any of these for years and continue to get harvests as they self seed wherever a rogue tomato may fall.  They are prolific producers that grow like weeds here in central PA.  Thriving on the warmth and humidity of mid summer, the first harvests begin to appear in early to mid July. Hundreds of tomatoes sprouting up on each plant in little bunches.  If left to run wild, with no pruning or staking, they will cover a 2′x2′ square and produce for several weeks as long as you continue to pick the ripened fruit.

Though advertised as having a high sugar content (11 Brix), described as being like candy, ours are rather neutral in sweetness, but full on flavor.  Very tomato-ey. Exactly the flavor for a salad or sandwich.  If anyone has tasted a slicing tomato like this, post it to the comments and I will plant it in a heartbeat.

All around it is a wonderful tomato and if you are looking for a cherry for your garden, this is the one I recommend.

Here are some places to buy them:

http://www.seedsofchange.com/garden_center/product_details.aspx?item_no=S13479
http://www.localharvest.org/matts-wild-cherry-tomato-seeds-C12442
http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/4924-product.html

This is a question that has as many answers as there are people asking the question.  I am no expert, so leave you with this answer from someone who is:

From Gluten-Free Diet , 2006 ed, by Shelley Case, BSc, RD:

Although gluten-containing ingredients (barley malt syrup and starch hyrdosylates) can be used in the production of caramel color, North American companies use corn syrup as it has a longer shelf life and makes a superior product. European companies use glucose syrup derived from wheat starch, however caramel color is highly processed and contains no gluten.

Be safe, eat well, and enjoy those caramel colored foods.

The Kitchen Shoppe, in Carlisle, PA, is hosting a gluten free cooking class entitled “No  Flour Power – Gluten Free Foods!” with Chef Amber Clay and Jennifer McCahan, RD, LDN.

This class will deal with making a gluten free diet more flavorful and easier. Recipes include: goat cheese and roasted corn quesadillas, homemade pasta, pizza crust, blintzes, and marble snack cakes.

I am already signed up and looking forward to it.  If my previous experiences are any indication, it should be a great class.

My wife and I took a class at The Kitchen Shoppe several years ago and it was a very enjoyable experience.  The class size was around 20 people and everyone who asked was given individual attention.  The classroom and demonstration kitchen are setup so that no one is left out of the action and you can clearly see what is going on with the instructor, whatever  they are presenting.

The three hour class is $49.  You can get more information and register here:

http://www.kitchenshoppe.com/istar.asp?a=6&id=144368

Be safe, eat well, and I hope to see you there.

I love what my wife can find in the freezer aisle of our local Giant grocery store.  For some reason this is where they decided to put the clearance/damaged goods rack.  It has become routine for her to stop there and see what crops up.  Quite a few of the natural, organic, and/or gluten free items show up here regularly.  That was the case with the Nature’s Path Crunchy Vanilla Surprise cereal.  The box was crushed at the edge but the contents were in great shape and oh what a great product this is.

Corn puffs that remind me of Kix.  Flakes made of amaranth, quinoa, and buckwheat.  Rice puffs round it out.  Holding up well under the influences of milk it remained crunchy from the first to the last bite, all of which was permeated by a light vanilla flavor.  Whether I picked out a single puff or a heaping spoonful it was not overpowering and complimented the grains perfectly.

This is a nice breakfast cereal for a change.  Though I got it at a discount this time around, it is going on my list of cereal choices when I’m looking for a cold breakfast option.

I hope you and your loved ones are enjoying one another today.  Prepare a nice meal together and share in the pleasure of food.  We will be doing the same today.

Be safe and eat well.

I have had some problems when locating gluten free seafood products.  Gorton’s is clear about the ingredients of their products, but they seem to change.  Obviously, the breaded products are right out.  Much to my surprise, so are many of the products that include sauces.  From my first research on their website it looked like quite a few items were safe.  Only when I started grabbing them and bringing them home did I realize, much to my chagrin, re-reading the labels revealed unidentified food starch and yeast extracts.  With my sensitivity I can’t trust them to be pure so passed on eating them.

As I sit down to write this I have three different boxes of Gorton’s Grilled fish.  They are current production purchased this past weekend. Below is each product and the latest ingredient list.  I hope this helps you eat better, allergen free.

Grilled Salmon – Lemon Butter

Wild Salmon, Water, Canola Oil, Salt, Butter (Cream, Salt, Annatto Color), Natural Flavor, Sugar, Fructose, Citric Acid, Monosodium Glutamate, Dehydrated Lemon Peel, Gum Arabic, Maltodextrin, Nonfat Milk, Dehydrated Parsley, Whey, Sodium Caseinate, Lemon Juice Solids, Xanthan Gum, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Soy Protein Isolate, Turmeric Color, Sodium Tripolyphosphate (To Retain Fish Moisture), Propyl Gallate (added to Protect Flavor)

Contains: Salmon, Milk and Soy.

Grilled Fillets – Garlic Butter

Pollock, Water, Olive Oil, Canola Oil, Sea Salt, Corn Starch, Nonfat Milk, Butter Solids (Cream, Salt) Garlic Powder, Spice, Gum Arabic, Parsley, Sugar, Xanthan Gum, Natural Flavoring, Tocopherol (added to Protect Flavor)

Contains: Pollock, Milk.

Grilled Tilapia – Roasted Garlic and Butter

Tilapia, Water, Canola Oil, Salt, Roasted Farlic Powder, Modified Corn Starch, Butter Solids, Natural Flavor, Spice, Maltodextrin, Parsley, Hydroxypropyl Methycellulose, Monosodium Glutamate, Citric Acid, Nonfat Milk, Whey, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Caseinate, Caramel Color, Sodium Tripolyphosphate (To Retain Fish Moisture), Enzyme Modified Butter, Calcium hydroxide, Annatto and Paprika Extract Color, Propyl Gallate (to protect Flavor), Carrageenan, Ascorbic Acid, Tocopherol.

As you have probably heard, it has been snowing along large swaths of the East Coast, dumping record and near record snows on many regions.  So far we have received a combined total of some 24 inches, substantially less than other regions.  Friends in Shippensburg, PA, dug out from that much inches during the last storm and have another 8-10 inches right now.  My father, in Hagerstown, MD, told me that he has over 30″ in his yard right now with more still falling.

With all of the snow and blowing winds there are few reports of power outages, but it is taking a toll on commerce and traffic.  Interstate 81 is closed from the Maryland Line to I-80 due to blizzard conditions.  I-76, 78, 83, 176, 476, 676, and PA 581 are also closed.

I’m thankful for the snow as a reason to spend time with my family in the warmth and comfort of our home.  It also is a great insulator for the strawberry beds.

Here are some pictures of our backyard.

This is the table I’ve been using to monitor the total accumulation.  It isn’t completely accurate as I lost a few inches to compression and melting since the last storm but gives you an idea of what it’s like.  A friend of mine in Canada, who does snow removal for a living, is laughing his head off at this “light dusting of snow”.

If you have been following the news lately you have heard about the snow storm that was being dubbed “Snowpocalypse” or “Snowgeddon” in the Washington, D.C. area.  Unfortunately we were in the path of the storm and it dropped 14 inches on us Friday night into Saturday.  It took 5 hours and multiple shifts between me and the rest of the family to dig out.  Combine that with the roads not being plowed until 9am and there was no way to make it to State College.  I’ll have to wait until next year to let you know how it is.

For anyone else caught by the storm, the best to you and your families as we get out from under it.