Too Hot To Cook

FRESH FRUIT CROSTINI – awesome poolside food!

Ingredients:

2 large baguette loaves

1 large cantaloupe

1 large honeydew melon

1 pint strawberries

Butter, Garlic, and Italian Seasoning

Fresh choice of berries (optional)

Goat Cheese (optional)

OK this does a take a  few minutes with the oven on, but 20 minutes later the oven comes off and never comes into play again.

Take standard baguette loaves and slice into 1/4″ slices, brush with garlic butter and italian seasoning and toast in oven for 10 minutes per batch (if you are careful you can get this done in one batch).  Crostini should be lightly browned and allowed to cool completely on racks.

Peel, trim, and seed, and hull, and prepare all fruit.  Cut into thin slices (you will need one slice of each for each crostini).  Sprinkle with a little sugar or splenda if so desired.

Alternate thin slices of fruit so the cantaloupe is on the bottom, the honeydew in the middle, and the thinly sliced strawberry on top – shingling the fruit makes it more attractive.  Garnish plate with fresh berries, or simply sprinkle a few blueberries on top of each crostini.

I top each crostini with a small slice of goat cheese, but that is completely up to you – I think it adds a bit of unusual freshness, and this is ridiculously easy to make without having to go outside!

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FOR CLAYTON HUNTER – Sodium Free BBQ

A great friend recently had open heart surgery to remove something he accidentally placed on his aorta. He has been instructed to remove salt from his diet, with the added stipulation that he increase his protein (meat) intake. I am an avid smoker (not just cigars, but bbq items as well). One of my biggest complaints and challenges have always been the amount of salt in both prepared products and most recipes found published. And so with my good buddy in mind, I set out to create a recipe for a salt free dry rub. it is a little bit on the spicy side (the way I like it), but can easily be toned down to suit your taste. Enjoy and live well – less bloated – and maybe even a little longer.

Salt Free Meat Rub

Just mix all ingredients well and rub into Brisket or Pork (probably works well on Turkey, Chicken, Lamb – whatever.)
6 Tbls. Smoked Spanish Paprika
9 Tbls. Granulated Suger
9 Tbls. Dark Brown Sugar
3 Tbls. Toasted Cumin Seeds
3 Tbls. Chili Powder
3 Tbls. Chipotle Powder
3 Tbls. Fresh Ground Pepper
3 Tbls. Cayenne Pepper
3 Tbls. Onion Powder
3 Tbls. Garlic Powder
2 Cups Salt Free Italian Seasoning
6 Tbls. Ground Jalapeno Powder

Makes enough for two flats of brisket and 6 pork tenderloins.

Fun New Pork Tenderloin Recipe

Pork Tenderloin Florentine

Ingredients:
2 – 2.5# Pork Tenderloins
1 bunch fresh spinach
8 oz. cream cheese
3 Tbls. fresh ginger root
1 cup craisins
1 cup hot pepper jelly (see June 9 blog for perfect recipe, or store bought)
½# Prosciutto
3 eggs, lightly beaten with 1 tsp. water
2 cups Panko (Japanese Breading Flakes)
Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper, freshly grated parmesan, all to taste

Wash, rinse, and pat dry spinach

Filet, flay, and pound out two pork tenderloins

Mix cream cheese, fresh ginger, craisins, and pepper jelly – spread on one side of each tenderloin. Follow with a thin layer of prosciutto. Follow with a thin layer of fresh spinach. Roll as tightly as possible, tie.

Make egg wash and dip each rolled tenderloin until thoroughly covered. Dredge each tenderloin in Panko/Italian Seasoning/Garlic Powder/Fresh Parmesan mixture (with a little salt/pepper to taste). Sauté in butter until browned on four sides, then bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Slice in ringlets and serve with roasted root vegetables.

Serrano Raspberry Jelly

4 pounds Raspberries, carefully sorted, unrinsed
1 1/2 pounds Sugar
8 Red Serrano Peppers, chopped

1. Place the berries and peppers in a large, heavy stockpot and place them over medium heat. Cook, shaking the pan, until the mixture begins to boil, which will take 10 to 15 minutes. Remove them from the heat and put them through a food mill, to extract the juice. You should have about 1/2 gallon of juice. You can choose to cheat (and make the recipe year round) using whole cranberry juice from a bottle – just assure the main ingredient is not water, and if there is a lot of sugar in the processed product, you will want to cut down the amount of sugar you use in the recipe).

2. Place the juice and the sugar in the stockpot and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is boiling gently. Skim off any impurities (there aren’t likely to be many), and cook until the mixture falls thickly from the spoon, which should take between 20 and 30 minutes.

3. Remove from the heat and seal according to the jar manufacturer’s instructions.

This is great on cream cheese, served over pork or chicken, or my personal favorite – peanut butter and raspberry pepper jelly sandwiches.

And don’t forget this is perfect KCRiverFest celebration food. It just feels like Fourth of July food (red and hot as a firecracker)- and since KCRiverFest is actually celebrated this year on the 2nd and 3rd of July – you are free to use this great concoction with your family on the actual Fourth of July this year! Had to find some kind of a plug for the KCRiverFest event somewhere in here – it’s right around the corner!

Do The Math

Harold Camping promised I would not need to write a blog this week, or any week hereafter. I never spoke with Harold directly, but he assured me (and his followers) that the world would end on May 21st, 2011. He painstakingly mapped out the timing for the end of the world using the calendar (admittedly the calendar used by Noah and the Gregorians – not the Julian Calendar which the rest of the world sans Aztecs use). His math skills are a little suspect – if you pick seemingly random numbers to make your point, you can probably prove or disprove anything. For instance:

Mr. Camping’s solution is to simply take the Holy Numbers (more about these later) 5, 10, and 17. Multiply each of these numbers consecutively times themselves twice and you will find the number 722,500. The estimated date of the crucifiction according to Camping is April 1, AD33 (April Fools Day?) If you add 722,500 days to the crucifiction date, you come to May 21, 2011 – Voila – the end of the world! The math checks out – how he came up with 6:00 PM is conjecture – none of the disciples had functioning watches, therefore the bible is relatively mum on exact times. But we are not finished with numbers yet.

Roughly 2% of the earth’s population is scheduled to be “raptured” into heaven – the remaining 98% will remain for “tribulation”, a five month conciliation period during which God will accept no excuses and everybody goes to hell in a handbasket literally and figuratively. According to Mr. Camping, God is waiving the rules and will no longer sit in judgment for 5 months, but will instead clean up the whole mess on October 21, 2011. I am siding with God on this one – let’s just get it over with.

On May 21, 1988, God finished using the Churches and Congregations of the world (again according to Camping). He says the bible also dictates that the great tribulation will occur exactly 23 years after this bold move by God – precisely May 21, 2011. Would this brilliant use of mathematics have fared well in the 5th grade? I think not – it is just too simple.

Finally, here is where the Holy Numbers were found. According to Noah’s calendar, the flood started on May – hence the magic number 5. It also occured on the 17th of the month – hence the second magic number. We must assume that the number 10 is a holy number because there is not an explanation for it’s existence in the formula. Much of this formula is an assumption – the numbers really don’t matter – insert your own – create your formula for determining the end of the world. Then please call me so I will know when I need to post my next blog – I hate scheduling things to be published after earths’ expiration date has passed.

Goat Cheese with Chipotle and Roasted Red Pepper

I know – another food article on this blog. Sorry – it is the lazy way to write something, but you will be glad you tried this. It is easy to prepare, light, refreshing and feels like Summer is just around the corner.

Warning: there will be another food recipe coming your way in June when the Raspberries are peaking. It can be used for multiple recipes and you will love it! For now, here is a recipe for the growing warmth of May. Event Planners and Professionals love the warmer seasons – please enjoy with us!

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 11-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese
1 cup drained roasted red pepper strips from jar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons chipotle hot sauce
1 small garlic clove, pressed
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons toasted salted pumpkin seeds (pepitas), toasted
Baguette slices or crackers

To Prepare:
Toast cumin seeds in small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Cool.
Place goat cheese log on platter. Cover with sheet of plastic wrap. Press into large rectangle approximately 8 by 3 inches. Sprinkle with cumin, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix roasted red peppers, olive oil, hot sauce, garlic, pumpkin seeds, and chopped cilantro in small bowl. Pipe mixture on crostini or your favorite hearty crackers. Makes between 40-50 pieces.

Cigar Thoughts 4

How the Master Blender Determines Flavor

Based on popular demand, as well as a few threats, this will likely be my final Cigar based blog. I may drop in a few comments at a later date on extraordinary sticks that I have stumbled upon, but this information has been Basic Training for afficionados, and boring as hell for people who could care less about anything cigar related. Without further ado, here are my final meanderings on the subject.

The flavor and strength of tobacco grown in different soil will gain its characteristics from the genetic signature of the soil. A master blender will use their knowledge of the different tobaccos at their disposal and will set out to create a cigar masterpiece by blending several different tobaccos. The master blender will usually start out with an idea of the type of cigar they want to blend. Perhaps they want a full-bodied cigar with more spice and less sweetness. Or maybe they want a medium-bodied blend that has a lot of sweetness and shows more complexity. Whatever the case, they will choose from their stores of tobacco to achieve their goal.

As the master blender works with the different tobaccos, he or she may end up using 3-5 different tobacco types (and sometimes more) in the filler blend. The strength, body and flavor characteristics of these different tobaccos will determine the extent to which the wrapper tobacco will contribute to the flavor of the cigar. The filler blend must be matched with the wrapper and binder leaves and the talented master blender can control the contribution of the wrapper and filler to the overall flavor of the finished cigar.

If a cigar maker wants more strength in a cigar, their recipe will favor fuller-bodied, stronger, and more flavorful tobacco varietals and will favor higher priming leaves. To create a lighter bodied blend, the master blender will favor lighter tobacco types and will use a higher percentage of lower priming leaves.
A filler blend with more body, strength and/or flavor will compete with the wrapper in terms of its contribution to the overall flavor of the cigar. On the other hand, a mild filler blend will compete less with the wrapper tobacco. A wrapper that is stronger and fuller in body and flavor will assert its flavor characteristics over a light to medium bodied filler blend.

I am going to enjoy a “God of Fire” cigar now – I am tired of trying to convert neophytes. Experiment at your own leisure and time – it is much more fun than trying to write something remotely interesting every week. From here on, if you have an interest in anything “cigar” oriented, please just call Tom at Fidel’s. He has forgotten more in the last two hours than I will know in a lifetime of cigar smoking.

Cigar Thoughts 3

How Leaf Placement Affects Flavor

Leaf placement is another factor that will determine how much a wrapper (or filler blend) will impact the overall flavor in a cigar. Tobacco plants are harvested in stages called primings. Each priming removes 2 leaves starting at the bottom of the plant and each priming is separated by approximately 1 week. There are typically 5-8 priming’s on a tobacco plant (depending on the tobacco variety). Therefore it will take approximately 5-8 weeks for the priming process to reach completion.

The uppermost leaves of the tobacco plant, the corona and ligero, are primed last. Because they have remained on the plant longer, the leaves have faced harsher weather conditions of direct sunlight, wind, and other elements, and have been nourished longer by the stalk. As a result, they are thicker and contain more oleoresins and possess a stronger flavor. The viso, or mid-level leaves of the plant, contain tobacco of medium-full strength and flavor. Viso tobacco strikes a balance between flavor and burn characteristics and is very useful in providing both a good-tasting and good-burning cigar. The lower primings of the plant, the seco and volado contain tobacco that is lighter in flavor and strength. This tobacco possesses great burning characteristics and provides the bulk of the combustion qualities in your cigar.

If more of the filler blend in a cigar is comprised of leaves from the top of the plant, then that will reduce the effect of the wrapper on overall flavor. But if the cigar blend uses more tobacco from the lower part of the plant (i.e., seco and volado), this will allow the wrapper to assert itself more. Conversely, if the wrapper comes from the higher primings of the plant, it will have a greater impact on the overall flavor, compared to a wrapper from the lower part of the plant.

For more information about cigars and their manufacture, check out the website at Fidel’s in Westport – Tom Foster is the owner, and a great guy!

Cigar Thoughts 2

How Tobacco Varietal Affects Flavor

When a master blender constructs a cigar blend, they work with different tobacco varietals from different countries. They manipulate these tobaccos in much the same way as a winemaker uses different grape varietals to produce a fine wine. The properties of these tobaccos have been determined by the seed, soil, and climate, as well as by the curing, fermentation and aging processes.

Tobacco flavor starts with the genetic characteristics of the tobacco varietal. Different tobacco types have different properties with respect to body, flavor and strength. Common tobacco varietals include: Habano, Connecticut Shade, Cameroon, Corojo, Piloto Cubano, Broadleaf, and many more. Nowadays, tobacco growers are experimenting and forming many hybrid tobaccos by crossing common varietals and crossing them again with other hybrids. As a result, there are an unlimited number of tobacco types that can be produced and used in a cigar blend. Unfortunately, there is no way to give a generic profile of the flavor, body, strength and aroma characteristics of each tobacco varietal or hybrid because it is the combination of the seed, soil and climate conditions that will produce the distinctive characteristics of the tobacco. Thus, planting the same seed in different countries will yield different results. Furthermore, planting the same seeds in different regions within the same country and/or different farms within the same region can also produce a tobacco with different flavor characteristics. Add to this, the different methods for curing and fermentation and the differing lengths to which the tobaccos can be aged and you come up with myriad possibilities for flavor characteristics within a tobacco type.

Master blenders will acquaint themselves with the characteristics of each type of tobacco from each harvest year. During the curing and fermentation stages, they can learn about the tobacco characteristics by the look, feel and aroma of the tobacco. The master blender will touch the leaves to feel for thickness and the amount of stickiness (i.e., a measure of the density of oleoresins). They will smell the leaves and even burn through a leaf to perceive the aromas. Often they will construct “puros,” or small cigars of just one tobacco type that they will smoke and keep notes on the characteristics. This allows them to focus on that particular tobacco type without the flavors being “tainted” by the effects of the other leaves in a typical cigar blend.
Fidel’s in Kansas City (Tom Foster) is a great resourse for further questions about cigars.

Cigar Thoughts

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah – it’s a stinky habit – but it is addictive on more than just a nicotine level. It is a relaxing way to download and play with new iPad apps. A quiet day watching news and sports – listening to opinions on everything from education reform to the importance of the Kardashian’s in modern culture (none).

The “cigar” blogs are shared articles from Cigar Aficionado that begin to relate why this unhealthy, expensive, and obnoxious habit is so appealing. If this topic does not appeal to you, I don’t blame you – but I am not reaching out to justify myself. One of the beauties of smoking a cigar is there is no real need to justify your behavior.

If we had based our early cigar purchases solely on the reviews in Cigar Aficionado, we may never have started smoking cigars. All their highly rated cigars seem to be nicotine powerhouses with the potential to level any newbie cigar smoker. To understand why this is so, we must remember that the reviewers at Cigar Aficionado smoke cigars all day and night and have built up a tremendous tolerance to nicotine. Additionally, strong tobacco tends to have a more intense flavor and today’s cigar makers are pushing the envelope on both these fronts. There now seems to be a competition among cigar makers to create the strongest, most flavorful cigars possible. This has resulted in cigars of extraordinary flavor but of unprecedented strength (nicotine levels). Seasoned cigar smokers can appreciate this level of cigar making and the resultant positive reviews reflect this appreciation. But smoking super strong cigars on a regular basis can sometimes feel like work.

The key is to experiment – much like learning to appreciate great wine. Did you try a heavily oaked Chardonnay or a Cabernet with hearty tannin overtones when you started trying to develop your wine palate? If so, you might have decided to stay with Boone’s Farm for life. Some wines are just a little overwhelming for a novice. The same holds true for cigars.

I am not recommending that anyone start drinking and smoking, just commenting that if you do choose to try these things, approach with caution. I have moved beyond any alcoholic drinks for personal reasons – but I love espresso in my dark roast coffee and full bodied cigars every day.

Life is a rich experience, and yeah, yeah, yeah – it can be pretty stinky.

For more information about cigars, contact Tom Foster at Fidel’s in Kansas City. Friendly and extremely knowledgeable!