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Minimal Monday: Fresh Raspberry Vinegar

Last Monday’s Blackberry Vinegar set off a chain reaction here at TVFGI… it was so delicious I’ve been experimenting with all sorts of flavors. The whole thing started with an obscenely expensive bottle of strawberry vinegar that I bought at a farmstand a while back. When I got it home and tried it I was surprised at the sauce-like consistency and vivid fresh fruit taste. This kind of fruit vinegar isn’t anything like the stuff you buy off the supermarket shelf, it’s a thick, vibrant combination of fresh fruit puree and good white wine vinegar. At a ratio of about 1 to 1, they are so full of flavor they can transform a meal. You can make an instant salad dressing by mixing them with oil, or drizzle them on meats, fish, or grilled vegetables. You can substitute them whenever a marinade or other recipe calls for vinegar. It’s too easy not to try, and you will fall in love, like I did.

Fresh Raspberry Vinegar
one 6 oz package of fresh raspberries, rinsed
1/3 cup white wine (or champagne) vinegar

Puree the berries in a small sized food processor. Strain out the seeds by passing the puree through a mesh strainer. Push out all the puree with the back of a spoon. You should be left with about 2/3 cup of puree.
Add about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of vinegar, just taste it and see how you like it. I ended up using 1/3 cup.
Store in a capped bottle in the refrigerator. Use within a few weeks.

It goes without saying that you can and should try this will all
kinds of berries and fruits. Along with today’s raspberry and last week’s blackberry, I’ve also used pale orange raspberries. I already know that strawberries make an awesome vinegar, so I think I’ll try peaches or blueberries next.

For me, this is one of the great discoveries of the
season, right there alongside the one ingredient chocolate mousse, and
the 30-second mayo. It’s a healthy way to wake up about a million different kinds of foods…and one more way to get every last bit of enjoyment out of summer’s fresh fruits.

One year ago today—

Fresh Grapefruit Mojito

Banoffee Pie

Time for another English dessert! Banoffee pie. According to the internet, the inspiration for banoffee pie came from an American dessert, but the pie as we know it today was created in Sussex. Apparently when the US heard wind of this incredible pie, we began serving it in our restaurants and selling it in grocery stores, and we said it was an American pie. Hah! Silly, America. We lost that argument, but I can absolutely see why we’d want to take credit for this pie. It’s delicious. If banana pudding was made into a pie and doused in caramel, I imagine it would taste something like banoffee pie. (banoffee=banana + toffee)

The recipe I used has a few ingredients that aren’t so easy to find in American grocery stores. As I’ve mentioned, I’m still upset about our lack of “double cream” over here in the US, but heavy whipping cream will work instead. You can tell in the top picture how the double cream produces an almost meringue-like sheen. Amazing. If anyone knows where I can find this in the US please let me know.

Digestives are available at some US grocery stores, but if you can’t find them, plain graham crackers will do. Digestives taste to me like a less flavorful mix between Biscoff cookies and graham crackers. I realize that doesn’t sound appetizing, but I enjoy them. The use of store-bought dulce de leche instead of homemade will save you time and trouble. I have no idea why it is necessary to add more butter and brown sugar to the dulce de leche (aka caramel) in this recipe, but I don’t ask questions when I know the results will be incredibly delicious. Is this pie good for you? No. Is it incredible and simple? Yes. Cheers to you and your delicious Banoffee Pie, Britain!

Banoffee Pie
Recipe from The Guardian (adapted slightly for substitutions)

Base
225g (8oz) digestive biscuits
100g (3.5oz) pecans
125g (1 stick/8 tbs) salted butter, melted

Filling
125g (1 stick/8 tbs) salted butter, diced
100g soft brown sugar
400g dulce de leche or caramel
½ tsp salt

Topping
60g (2 oz) pecans*
15g (3tbs) icing sugar or confectioners sugar
4-5 ripe bananas
Squeeze of lemon juice
275ml (1 1/4 cups) double cream or heavy whipping cream
¼ tsp coffee granules

*Note: I skipped the addition of candied pecans on top for lack of time, but I recommend adding them if you have a few minutes to spare. I think they’d make this recipe even more delicious.

Pulse the biscuits to crumbs in a food processor until finely crumbled. Stir together biscuit crumbs, roughly chopped
pecans and melted butter until completely blended. Press the mixture into a
23cm (10-inch) loose-bottomed tart tin/springform pan to line the base and sides. Chill while
you make the filling.

Melt the butter and sugar together in a pan,
and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the dulce de leche and the salt and
bring to the boil, stirring constantly until smooth. Pour over the
base, and chill for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F), line a
baking tray and rinse and drain the pecans. Put into a bowl and sprinkle
with the icing sugar, then spread out on to the baking sheet and bake
for 15 minutes, shaking occasionally. Allow to cool. (The pie can be
made up to this point up to 48 hours in advance.)
Thinly slice the bananas and toss with the lemon juice. Arrange on top of the cooled caramel in concentric circles.

Whip
the cream and the coffee granules into soft peaks and spread on top of
the bananas. Arrange the candied pecans on top and serve.

Grilled Pork Chops

There is not much better or easier than a grilled pork chop. Pork and a grill just go together. Start with a simple brine followed by a short grilling and your in “hog heaven” so to speak.

Let’s talk chops for a minute. I like to use an inch thick slice of pork loin as my “pork chop”. Buy a whole or part of a loin and cut 1 to 1 1/2 inch slices. You can asuse them for pork chops, for shredded Mexican or they freeze great.

This method would be fine for the more traditional bone in chop but it is the thickness that matters. This is for 1 to 1 1/2 inches. If you have the normal American pre-cut 3/4 inch chop, it will cook a lot faster. Do it over high heat about 4 minutes per side and then check the temperature.

Rating

I have gone back and forth here. A high 4 or low 5… but I love me some pig.

Notes: Skip the brine for speed but it does add some moisture and avoids that “dry pork” thing that is easy to get. I added some garlic to the brine since we must have garlic at our house. Eliminate it or add other flavors of you want.

This should work fine on a charcoal grill as well as a gas grill. Just the heat down a little from maximum.

Trim a couple of 1 to 1 1/2 inch pork chops. I like 1 inch center cut pork loin “chops” well trimmed.

Mix brine in 1 gallon zip lock: 2 cups cold water, 2 T table salt, 2 T
brown sugar and 1 t garlic powder (optional), Mix well and submerge the pork. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Salt note: 2 tablespoon of table salt is 3 T of Diamond kosher salt or 4 T of Morton kosher salt.

When ready to cook, preheat grill to medium high (about 450 surface temperature). Rinse the pork under running water.
Pat dry, add pepper to taste. Do not add salt if you did the brine. If you skipped the brine, also add salt.

Grill on a well oiled grill for about 5 minutes per side initially then flip about every 5 minutes aiming for an internal temperature of 145-150. About 20-25 minutes depending on grill and thickness. If you want BBQ than add sauce the last 5 minutes.

Remove from grill and let rest for 5 minutes or a little more before serving.

Grilled Pork Chops

by DrDan at 101 Cooking for Two August-4-2013

There is not much better or easier than a grilled pork chop. Pork and a grill just go together. Start with a simple brine followed by a short grilling and your in “hog heaven” so to speak.

Ingredients

2 one inch pork chops
pepper to taste
kosher salt – only add if not brining

Brine

2 cups cold water
2 T table salt (more of using kosher salt)
2 T brown sugar
1 t garlic powder

Instructions

1) Trim a couple of 1 to 1 1/2 inch pork chops. I like 1 inch center cut pork loin “chops” well trimmed.2) Mix brine in 1 gallon zip lock: 2 cups cold water, 2 T table salt, 2 T brown sugar and 1 t garlic powder (optional), Mix well and submerge the pork. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Salt note: 1 tablespoon of table salt is 1 1/2 T of Diamond kosher salt or 2 T of Morton kosher salt.3) Mix brine in 1 gallon zip lock: 2 cups cold water, 2 T table salt, 2 T brown sugar and 1 t garlic powder (optional), Mix well and submerge the pork. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Salt note: 2 tablespoon of table salt is 3 T of Diamond kosher salt or 4 T of Morton kosher salt.4) When ready to cook, preheat grill to medium high (about 450 surface temperature). Rinse the pork under running water.5) Pat dry, add pepper to taste. Do not add salt if you did the brine. If you skipped the brine, also add salt.6) Grill on a well oiled grill for about 5 minutes per side initially then flip about every 5 minutes aiming for an internal temperature of 145-150. About 20-25 minutes depending on grill and thickness. If you want BBQ than add sauce the last 5 minutes.7) Remove from grill and let rest for 5 minutes or a little more before serving.

Details

Prep time: 1 hour Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 1 hour 20 mins Yield: 2 chops

Updated

August 4 2013

Dan Mikesell