Okonomiyaki

When I was a teenager I was obsessed with the anime Ranma 1/2. One of my favorite characters, Ukyo, is an okonomiyaki chef. I had never heard of this dish before but it looked good in the anime, so I decided to learn to make okonomiyaki at home. Back then the results were pretty bad - I ended up with a plain, bland cabbage pancake. This was before the internet, so I had no readily available way to look up a recipe and learn the correct ingredients. 

Fast forward twenty three years and I've enjoyed real okonomiyaki many times at various izakaya. Leah and I were thinking about making something different for dinner one night, and the idea just popped into my head. With online shopping at our fingertips, we were able to easily procure the necessary ingredients and condiments, i.e. okonomiyaki flour, dashi, tenkasu, aonori, okonomi sauce, and bonito flakes. We didn't buy kewpie mayo because our Sir Kensington's is already much tangier than typical American mayo. 

I was also able to look up the proper technique for cooking the dish, i.e. laying strips of pork belly (or bacon) over the top while it cooks on one side, then flipping to render the bacon, and then flipping again to let the first side cook a few moments longer in the rendered pork fat. I'm happy to say that these came out identical to the taste at our favorite izakaya, so after almost two and a half decades, I can say I've accomplished my goal of making authentic okonomiyaki at home. 

Beer From Harlem Hops

A while back, Leah did a favor for our friends Doug and Marisa. They kindly reciprocated with a generous gift certificate to a bar in our area, Harlem Hops, which we had been meaning to visit but never made it to. Harlem Hops specializes in a wide variety of craft beers, so we were very excited to check out their stock and bring some cans home. 

Over the course of two trips, we sampled a dozen brews, collected here in this craft beer extravaganza post! Below are all the cans we tried, including my rating and review for each as posted on Untappd. 

Harlem Hops
2268 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd, New York, NY
harlemhops.com

Even More Jesus

Imperial Stout

Evil Twin Brewing

4.0 / 5

Less sweet than expected. Very dark and roasty, like burnt toast. A little bit salty. Oily and viscous. Almost no head. Good for a cold winter night next to the fireplace.

Triple Swirlpool: Coconut, Strawberry, Orange

Milkshake IPA

Brix City Brewing

4.5 / 5

Aroma of mangos. Surprisingly sweet with only mild hoppy bitterness. Huge coconut flavor up front. Light fruit flavor on the back end. A bit of dankness as the flavor settles. Thick, creamy mouth feel. A very nice surprise. 

Imperial Biscotti Break

Imperial Stout

Evil Twin Brewery

4.0 / 5

Very boozy but very nice. Strong coffee flavor and more carbonated than most stouts. Would be great paired with dessert, i.e. the eponymous biscotti. 

W8 Belgian Wit

Witbier

Transmitter Brewing

3.0 / 5

Lighter and clearer than expected for a Belgian Wit. Subtle notes of spice and citrus. Dry and crisp but not much flavor. Serviceable but nothing special. 

Blueberry Drip

Imperial Stout

Finback Brewery

3.75 / 5

Nice thick, oil, deep brown stout. Vague jammy hints but tastes more of prune than blueberry. Very minor peanut butter flavor. Good but not as exciting as the description. 

EKU 28

Doppelbock

Kulmbacher Brauerei

4.25 / 5

Strong alcohol taste up front, quickly fading into sweet bourbon barrel or brandy flavor. Smooth caramel finish. 

Stimulus Package

Imperial Milk Stout

Hackensack Brewing

4.5 / 5

A great straight up stout. Nice coffee flavor but not overpronounced. Minor cocoa bitterness with subtle sweetness. Delicious and very drinkable. 

Matsurika

Czech Pilsner

Japas Cervejaria

2.5 / 5

Light and crisp with mild bitterness and floral essence, but not much to write home about. Supposedly brewed with jasmine, but basically no flavor of that. Not bad but not really worth it. 

B7 Session Milk Stout

Milk Stout

Transmitter Brewing

2.5 / 5

Thin in flavor and texture, especially for a stout. Strong burnt coffee flavor, but not much else. One-dimensional. Fine but nothing special. 

Essential Juice

New England IPA

District 96 Beer Factory

3.25 / 5

Juicy, full of tropical fruit flavor but very bitter. Nice creamy texture. Good for IPA lovers but a bit too bitter for me. 

C Lime Pie

American Pale Ale

Equilibrium Brewery

4.0 / 5

Very interesting. Both sweet and bitter. Creamy, milkshake-style mouth feel. Lime and coconut fruit flavors. 

Capsule I

Vienna Lager

Hudson Valley Brewery

2.0 / 5

Disappointing. Drinks way more like an ale than a lager. Quite bitter and only the smallest amount of oak barrel flavor coming through. 

Dream Wave Inception

Double IPA

Equilibrium Brewery

4.5 / 5

An IPA that I can get behind. Huge, juicy mango and citrus flavors as well as something unusual I can only describe as dried apricot. A bitter finish but not overwhelmingly so. Very unique, a real eye-opener. 

The Very Dream of Drinks - Joshua Soule Smith, c. 1890

Then comes the zenith of man’s pleasure.
Then comes the julep -- the mint julep.
Who has not tasted one has lived in vain.
The honey of Hymettus brought no such solace to the soul;
the nectar of the Gods is tame beside it.

It is the very dream of drinks,
the vision of sweet quaffings.
The Bourbon and the mint are lovers.
In the same land they live,
on the same food they are fostered.
The mint dips its infant leaf into the same stream
that makes the bourbon what it is.

The corn grows in the level lands
through which small streams meander.
By the brook-side the mint grows.
As the little wavelets pass,
they glide up to kiss the feet of the growing mint,
the mint bends to salute them.
Gracious and kind it is,
living only for the sake of others.

The crushing of it only makes its sweetness more apparent.
Like a woman’s heart,
it gives its sweetest aroma when bruised.
Among the first to greet the spring, it comes.
Beside the gurgling brooks that make music in the pastures
it lives and thrives.

When the Blue Grass begins to shoot
its gentle sprays toward the sun,
mint comes, and its sweetest soul
drinks at the crystal brook.

It is virgin then.
But soon it must be married to Old Bourbon.
His great heart, his warmth of temperament,
and that affinity which no one understands,
demand the wedding.

How shall it be?
Take from the cold spring some water,
pure as angels are;
mix it with sugar until it seems like oil.
Then take a glass and crush your mint within it with a spoon.
Crush it around the borders of the glass
and leave no place untouched.
Then throw the mint away -- it is a sacrifice.

Fill with cracked ice the glass;
pour in the quantity of Bourbon which you want.
It trickles slowly through the ice.
Let it have time to cool,
then pour your sugared water over it.
No spoon is needed,
no stirring is allowed -- just let it stand a moment.
Then around the brim place sprigs of mint,
so that the one who drinks
may find a taste and odor at one draught.

When it is made, sip it slowly.
August suns are shining,
the breath of the south wind is upon you.
It is fragrant, cold and sweet -- it is seductive.
No maiden’s touch could be more passionate.

Sip it and dream -- you cannot dream amiss.
Sip it and dream -- it is a dream itself.
No other land can give so sweet a solace for your cares;
no other liquor soothes you so in melancholy days.
Sip it and say there is no solace for the soul,
no tonic for the body like Old Bourbon whiskey.

Wednesday Night Dinner - Chicken Livers

We were looking for something different to eat this week and came across some really cheap packages of chicken livers on Fresh Direct. I'm nuts about liver and have been wanting to cook it for some time, so this was a no-brainer.

Sautéed in butter with onions, a bit of vinegar, and veal demi-glace, and served over polenta. One of my absolute favorite dishes!

Smoked Old Fashioned's

I saw this drink on Mike Colameco's Real Food and felt compelled to recreate it. I had just been telling Leah that we hadn't used our smoking gun in a while and then happened to see this, so it was perfect timing. 

It's basically just a standard Old Fashioned. Angostura Aromatic and Orange Bitters, demerara syrup, overproof rye whisky, and lemon and orange peel. The catch is that it's served in a smoked glass, which makes all the difference. Not exactly a summertime drink, but fantastic nonetheless!

Tuesday Night Dinner - Artichokes and Macaroni Pie

Leah has been looking for something different vegetable-wise, so she's been trying to make artichokes happen. The first couple times the quality wasn't so good, but she finally was able to get a couple good-looking chokes. We stuffed them with breadcrumbs and garlic and roasted. 

For the main course, we used leftover spaghetti cacio e pepe to make my family's macaroni pie, which we usually eat at Easter. We normally use tube macaroni, but it actually came out even better with spaghetti!

Date Night Dinner!

It's been a while since Leah and I had a special meal together, and with the pandemic still keeping us from safely/comfortably going out, we decided to cook something nice together.

Leah picked up a couple fine-looking lobsters at Fairway, which we steamed at home and served with warm potato salad and corn. Meanwhile, I baked a chocolate cake for dessert, which we enjoyed with fresh cherries and some Scotch. 

Wednesday Night Dinner - Pork Chops

Nothing super-fancy here, just some nice thick boneless pork chops served with green beans and a hash made of potatoes, onions, garlic, pickled chilies, bacon, and corn. Served with a cold bottle of Peaches En Regalia cider we picked up at Critz Farms. A great little mid-week meal!

Saturday Night Dinner - Chiles Rellenos

Leah picked up some nice-looking poblano peppers at the grocery store recently. We charred and peeled the skin, then stuffed them with a mixture of ground pork, onions, jalapenos, black beans, and cheddar. Topped it all off with my homemade enchilada sauce (ancho, guajillo, and pasilla chiles, onions, garlic, tomato paste, chicken stock, herbs and spices) and more cheese. Baked in the oven until brown and bubbly, and topped with fresh cilantro, lime, and avocado. 

Saturday Afternoon Lunch - Oysters and Guacamole

Fresh Direct is finally usable again, so we splurged on some oysters and avocados for a nice light lunch. Yum.

Un-Quarantine Dinner! STEAK!

First time since the outbreak that we've seen my parents - we decided to give it a go and visit them in NJ for the day. They surprised us with these incredible ribeyes, which I cooked on the grill along with a few garlic scapes and my mom's delicious sides. Amazing!

Wednesday Night Dinner - Fried Chicken Sandwiches

We had some leftover buttermilk, so my gears started turning as to how to make the best use of it. We settled on these fried chicken sandwiches, recipe courtesy of Bon Appetit. They came out great, though I thought the overabundance of ingredients in the dredging mixture worked against the chicken rather than enhancing it.

Cooking Posts - 2020

This will be my final backlog post since I revived this blog in Feb 2019!  From here on out, all  posts will be brand new content. In the meantime, please enjoy my cooking adventures and misc. food-related photos from the start of 2020 to present. 

French Onion Soup

Deschutes Brewery - The Abyss, 2017 Reserve

For Leah's 2019 Christmas present I got her two bottles of relatively rare craft beer. The first of the two was the limited edition The Abyss from Deschutes Brewery, an imperial stout aged in a mix of bourbon, wine, and oak barrels. It was outstanding, but not the absolute best of its type I've ever had (scroll down for that). 

From the Deschutes website: "A deep, dark imperial Stout, The Abyss has almost immeasurable depth and complexity. Hints of molasses, licorice, and other alluring flavors make it something not just to quaff, but contemplate."

From my own notes after tasting: "Aroma of leather, raisins, cherry, port wine. Jet black slick pour, thin brown head. Complex flavor, coffee finish." 4.5 / 5

Homemade Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese

Firestone Walker - Stickee Monkee, 2015

What a beer. The best barrel-aged expression I've ever had and truly a memorable experience. 

From the Firestone Walker website: "A Belgian Quad by recipe, but aging it in spirits barrels garners its own category: Central Coast Quad. A beer formulated to sit on the sweeter and malty side so that we could utilize it for blending. Turbinado brown sugar from Mexico and Belgian candi sugar add wonderful molasses flavor. It has a full body and lush texture with barrel expression all over this beer: toasted oak, coconut, leather, and cigar tobacco."

From my own notes: "Sweet, caramel, vanilla, raisins, port wine, leather. Super smooth, almost no head, coffee-brown color. Incredible." 5 / 5

Paella

Thanks to my wonderful in-laws for this delicious dinner!

Grillmaster

2 oz Añejo Tequila

2 tsp BBQ Sauce

1/2 oz Lemon Juice

1/2 oz Agave Nectar

Chipotle Chili Powder & Salt (Rim)

I enjoyed reading a cocktail book from Casa Migos (the tequila brand famously founded by George Clooney) while visiting my wife's family at Thanksgiving. I had saved a few recipes that stood out to me, including this fun cocktail that incorporated barbecue flavors. 

Steak Salad

Manicotti

Sadly, due to the pandemic, we were not able to get together with my family for Easter this year. I still made a point of cooking the annual manicotti recipe, which was just a little less delicious without the company of my family.

Lemon Cake

One unexpected result of the quarantine has been an unfortunate uptick in mine and Leah's sweet tooth. Craving a dessert and remembering that we had a brick of cream cheese in the freezer, I made the executive decision to bake a lemon cake with lemon-cream cheese-buttercream frosting. It was absolutely stellar, and gave us sweet sustenance for 8 delicious evenings.