A Moment of Zen Amidst the Hustle and Bustle

I've had this blog up for a little over a week and feel that I should put up one of the recipes I originally had in mind when long ago the seed for the idea that is this blog began to sprout. Technically there are 2 recipes that fed the flames to where we are today, but as I'm making something similar to one later this week already I'll focus on the other for now. Besides, this recipe is award winning, like giant Le Creuset award winning. And one of my good friends and faithful followers has been bugging me to send this to her and I've continuously procrastinated. But finally, a small little something happened pretty recently (and we're talking less than 24 hours recently) that made me think that it might be a good time to break this out. That's right. I'm sharing my short rib recipe.

We all have those recipes. The ones you know by heart and can make from scratch, blindfolded and hands tied behind your back (ok, well maybe not that extreme but you know what I mean). At one point there may have been a physical copy, most likely something torn from a magazine or written on a well worn recipe card, but now it's all in your head. And when you make it you can just zone out, let your hands do all the work and when it's done and plated it's almost like you're coming out of a trance, feeling refreshed and accomplished. It's your zen recipe.

A Different Kind of Dough

Last Christmas I received Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread Book from my wonderful little sister and went a little crazy for a while testing out some recipes. My favorites were the classic basic bread, the pizza bianca,  the stecca and stirato but the one I had the most use for was the basic pizza, as it was something that didn't require a lengthy rise. So when my sister introduced me to this article I was intrigued with possible other pizza dough options.

According to the article beer is supposed to make the dough a little more supple and I had a little leftover beer from the beer braised spiced pork. After looking at a few different recipes for pizza dough with beer, I decided to go with the one I knew best, and just see what happened. So I took Jim Lahey's pizza recipe and instead of the whole portion of water did half water and half beer.

 

Old Pogue

Oh yes. We're starting with the best.

Old Pogue Master's Select is a small batch Kentucky bourbon with a rich history dating back to the years following the Civil War, starting in 1869. Family run from the start in Maysville, KY, they briefly shut down for Prohibition and then again closed their doors during World War II when the factory was sold. Over a decade ago though the Pogue family began again, this time in Bardstown, KY using the original family recipe. Their bourbon requires 9 years in the barrel (as opposed to 2-5 years for mass marketed bourbons) and it certainly shows.

The scent of vanilla, maple and brown sugar on your nose makes it most easily imagined drizzled over a bowl of vanilla ice cream, or better yet as the liquor of choice in a flaming bananas foster. It is a luxurious, smokey, and delicious bourbon that envelopes you in a daydream of sitting around a campfire, surrounded by your friends and family, your belly full, your heart happy, your life content. It tastes like caramel and burning wood, bold but smooth with an intense depth. And while it's on the more expensive side, if you can find it, buy it! It's worth every drop.

This is what great bourbon is made of.