Beer, It's Not Just for Breakfast Anymore: SSC's Breakfast Club Edition

One of the most unfortunate casualties of the on the go, hard working, school going, joke telling lifestyle is breakfast. Like beer, breakfast isn’t just for breakfast anymore for this crew, especially now when I, SSC resident photographer and scheduler, take the helm.



This week I took over Jamie’s kitchen to host Sanity Supper Club. Unfortunately, my studio apartment is no bigger than a breadbox, but she happens to have an amazing kitchen. Thanks again Jamie!

Now, I’m not going to lie, though I do love food, and always try to eat the best I can and what’s the point of food not being delicious at every meal? Correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s just a big waste of caloric intake if it's not. However, breakfast at 6a.m. before work for me is usually coffee, cigarettes, somewhere between two and four ibuprofen, and if I’m lucky, some horrible fiber bar until lunch. I miss the sweet and savory breakfast food I made on lazy days in college, and at home on holidays with my family!


For this Supper Club I drew from my East Coast roots (I'm from Maine,) and borrowed some ideas from my family of farmers (mainly the sausage recipe, and chicken eggs,) to make a hardy New England style breakfast for this diverse bunch. With everything from good old blueberry pancakes, to smoked herring pate with cucumber, and all the breakfast themed cocktails and beers in between, the night was a calibration of all things A.M., without the hangover! (Well, hangovers this time were post rather then pre...)

Eggs were cooked to serve by Phoebe; Eggs courtesy of Cranky Rooster Farm, Cape Elizabeth Maine, (Thanks Mom!)

- Phoebe



Country Style Maple Pork Sausage Patties
These are super easy, and totally delicious!

3 lbs ground pork
half tablespoon of Kosher salt (hehe Kosher salt and pork)
tsp sage rub
tbsp maple syrup (or brown sugar if you’re a lame cheapo)
ground pepper
1 cup of water


Add all the ingredients together (be careful not to over salt). Fry a small test patty up in a frying pan just to make sure it tastes right, the add seasoning as you see fit.

Make sausage patties on a big plate, separate with wax paper or a paper towel. Refrigerate for about 20 min.

Fry those babies up until they are a little blackened on each side!





Blueberry Silver Dollar Pancakes
I will always love good old Bisquick pancakes, today I make them with blueberries!

Directions are on the box but here are some tips:
Add a bag of fresh blueberries, frozen works fine too.
Always add more milk then the box suggests.
The first two pancakes are always duds, don’t worry its not you.




Old Bay Seasoned Home Fries

4 Russet potatoes, cubed and boiled until halfway cooked
1 clove garlic
onion
Old Bay seasoning
Kosher salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
butter
1 tbsp bacon fat or 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Heat butter in a medium to large skillet on medium high heat until sizzling. Add sliced onions to pan and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the potato pieces, spread out as much as possible along the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle generously with salt, freshly ground pepper, and Old Bay.

Cook until nicely browned on the bottom, without stirring (about 7-8 minutes). Add 1 Tbsp bacon fat, or more oil to the pan. Gently flip the potatoes and cook until the bottom of the flipped potatoes are nicely browned.


Smoked Herring, Lemon & Herb Pâté

smoked herring skin and bones removed, flaked
cream cheese
lemon, zested and juiced
1-2 tbsp creamed horseradish, to taste
wheat toast sliced into quarters
sliced cucumber

Combine smoked herring, cream cheese, lemon juice and zest in a food processor, or in my case just mixed until it looks good.

Stir in any extra herbs that you would like (ie. parsley and/or chive) and horseradish. Chill until ready to serve.

Toast bread, slice into quarters, add dollop of Pâté, and place sliced of cucumber on top.
Yum!


Classic Bagel with Lox

Assortment of bagels, cut in to quarters (works great to serve as appetizers)
smoked salmon
sliced red onion
capers
fresh tomato
cream cheese

Toast bagels, slice into quarters. Put all that jazz on the bagel bites!



Jamie's Broiled Grapefruit with Yogurt Sauce

Grapefruit
4 grapefruits
cinnamon, to taste





Set oven to broil. Slice Grapefruit in half, or quarters. Place on Baking sheet. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Pop in oven: broil 7-10 minutes, until they looks slightly puffy and the skin is peeling away from fruit a tad.

Yogurt Sauce
1/4 c nonfat plain yogurt (Greek or European)
tsp honey or agave necter
fresh or ground ginger, to taste

Mix yogurt, honey or agave nectar and ginger. Serve on top of cooked grapefruit.



Christa's Kickass Coffee Cake

Cake
3 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp baking powder
1 pint sour cream
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 c sugar
1/2 lb margerine

Topping
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c sugar
2 tsp cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13in x 9in x 2in pan.

Mix all topping ingredients in a small bowl. Blend all cake ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Pour cake batter into greased pan.

Dust topping on top of the cake batter and cut into batter. (This involves sticking a butter knife into batter and lightly swirling it around, sort of giving it a marbling effect. Don't do this too much, there should still be a lot of topping on top.)

Bake 45min.


Booze Pairings!

Better than a Mimosa
I have a rule that you never mix sparkling wine with anything since it is so
delicious on its own.. But this drink is so delicious, I made an exception.

1 part Vodka
1 part lemonade
2 parts bubbly

Stir Vodka and lemonade together in glass with ice and add bubbly!


Beer: Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout

Besides the fact that this beer was an obvious choice because it has breakfast is in its name, it also complemented nearly everything we ate that night from the sweet fruit and fluffy pancakes to the savory home fries and spicy sausage. And just like our meal, this beer was delicious with its hints of raisin, nuts and toffee. Interestingly enough, this beer was actually first brewed back in the early 1800’s for nursing mothers with nutrition in mind. Apparently, we were not the first to want to start our day with a beer!


Wine: White
Marquee Chardonnay $13.99

This is a truly unique chardonnay in that it has more than the typically exceptionable level of sweetness to it, but remains creamy and crisp. This wine has wonderful bright hints of melon and bananas, and more subtle coconut and pineapple notes, with a vanilla nose this wine goes great with breakfast fruits and pancakes. Sourced from the Yarrra Valley of Australian, the 2005
vintage was picked with great care and has been kept near the citrus spectrum of flavors (86 points in wine spectator, if that's what you're into). All that aside, this wine is truly unique!


Wine: Rose
Bonny Doon Vin Gris De Cigare $15

This wine will make a believer of any rose-hater. Although there is some red fruit on the nose, it is complex and interesting not just candied strawberries like others that shall not be named. It has beautiful minerality and texture in the mouth and enough acidity to make the wine balanced but not too much that it would clash with eggs and pancakes...


Wine: Sparkling
Gruet Sparkling Brute $13.99

Mimosa's of course are a staple of breakfast, but when breakfast happens in the P.M. weather it be noon or 9 i say lose the juice. The Gruet Brut has a great balance of everything you want in a sparking wine without the jacked up prices; ripe fruit, a little creaminess, and excellent crispness in the finish. Their big secret? it's made in New Mexico. You may say to yourself "New Mexico? meh," but trust me, its worth a try. It's the perfect pick me up if all the greasy deliciousness did not do the trick, and what better way to wash down home fries and sausage then bubbles?











Holy crap! Real maple syrup from Maine, straight out of the tree!...Also, some of our random antics.


Remember kids, if you're not getting drunk before 9am, you're not staying up late enough!

Cheers!
Christa, Rachel & Phoebe




About Phoebe

Phoebe is comedian, and wine shop manager, who is also somehow pursuing a masters degree in clinical social work. Though she has no real food credits on her resume, she's well versed in wine and food pairing. She was raised on farm fresh food in Maine, learned about Asian cooking during her time in Thailand, became a seafood fanatic living in Newport RI, and is now well on her way to becoming a full fledged foodie/functioning alcoholic in Boston.

SSC Wicked Awesome Edition: A Taste of New England

As you may have noticed, our supper clubs usually have a theme. This does not mean, however, that if you are the host you are obliged to pick a country, a holiday, or even a course (as you will see next week). As our fearless leader for the night, you get to do whatever you want, which is exactly what Laura did. She ditched the labels and just made damn good food.



I suppose you could have called our dinner New England traditional since it involved kale, white fish, succotash, and New Englander cocktails, but this was way better than the traditional fare we are used to (and the cocktails were a lot stronger!).

We did maintain some traditions, however and as always the evening was wildly inappropriate and wicked fun!


Pureed Broccoli & Roasted Garlic Canapes

Roasted Baguette
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp dried crushed red pepper
16 1/2-inch-thick baguette slices

Puree
2 cups broccoli florets plus 1/2 cup peeled thinly sliced stalks (from about 8 ounces broccoli)
1 c canned cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained
2 tbsps fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine garlic, oil and crushed red pepper in small custard cup. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until garlic is tender, about 35 minutes. Cool slightly. Arrange baguette slices in single layer on baking sheet. Bake until lightly toasted, about 15 minutes.

Steam broccoli florets and stalks until very tender, about 8 minutes. Rinse with cold water. Drain. Transfer to processor. Add cannellini, lemon juice and oil-and-garlic mixture. Process until smooth. Season broccoli puree with salt and pepper.

Spread broccoli puree atop toasts. Transfer canapés to platter and serve.

Laura's Succulent Succotash

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 c chopped onion
Coarse kosher salt
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 c chopped red tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 1/4 c corn kernels cut from 4 ears of corn (preferably 2 ears of white corn and 2 ears of yellow corn)
2 c fresh lima beans (from about 2 pounds pods) or 10 to 11 oz frozen lima beans or baby butter beans, thawed
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sprinkle with coarse salt. Sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, corn, and lima beans. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until corn and lima beans are tender and tomatoes are soft, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm before continuing.

Stir in basil and serve.

Potato and Kale Cakes with Rouille

Rouille
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon extra-virgin Olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper



Cakes
1 1/2 pounds unpeeled russet potatoes, scrubbed, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, divided
3 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup chopped onion
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 pound kale, center rib and stem cut from each leaf, leaves coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For Rouille
Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl. Season rouille to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

For Cakes
Cook potatoes in large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain; return potatoes to same saucepan. Add milk and butter. Mash potatoes (with peel) until smooth. Season with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Transfer 3 cups mashed potatoes to large bowl and cool (reserve remaining potatoes for another use).

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in large deep skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until onion softens, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add kale and thyme. Toss until kale wilts, about 5 minutes. Add kale mixture, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg to potatoes; blend. Cool potato mixture 30 minutes.

Shape potato mixture by 1/4 cupfuls into 1/2-inch-thick patties. Arrange on rimmed baking sheet. DO AHEAD: Can be made up to 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cakes and cook, without moving, until cakes are brown and crispy on bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully turn cakes over. Cook until brown on bottom, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer to plates. Top each cake with dollop of rouille.

Black Cod with Miso
For Miso
saké
3/4 cups mirin
2 cups white miso paste
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

For Cod
4 black cod fillets, about 1/2 pound (230 g) each
3 cups (800 g) Nobu-style Saikyo Miso
1 stalk hajikami per serving

Miso Prep
Bring the saké and the mirin to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Boil
for 20 seconds to evaporate the alcohol.

Turn the heat down to low and add the miso paste, mixing with a wooden spoon.
When the miso has dissolved completely, turn the heat up to high again and add
the sugar, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon to ensure that the
bottom of the pan doesn’t burn. Remove from heat once the sugar is fully
dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

Cod Prep
Pat fillets thoroughly dry with paper towels. Slather the fish with Nobu-style
Saikyo Miso and place in a non-reactive dish or bowl and cover tightly with
plastic wrap. Leave to steep in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C, gas 6). Preheat a grill or broiler. Lightly wipe
off any excess miso clinging to the fillets but don't rinse it off. Place the
fish on the grill, or in a broiler pan, and grill or broil until the surface
of the fish turns brown. Then bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Arrange the black cod fillets on individual plates and garnish with hajikami.
Add a few extra drops of Nobu-style Saikyo Miso to each plate.



Mini Whoopie Pies with Peanut Butter Filling

Cakes
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa, such as Droste
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 cup milk

Peanut Butter Filling
2/3 cup natural, creamy peanut butter
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
Fine salt

Arrange the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat
the oven to 425°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cakes
Whisk together the flours, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer at high speed
until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the egg and milk and beat at medium speed
until incorporated. At low speed, add the flour mixture in 2 batches,
alternating with the milk, mixing until just blended.

Using a half-tablespoon measure, drop 18 generous teaspoons of batter onto
each sheet, leaving about 2 inches between cakes. Bake the 2 sheets at the
same time, 5 to 7 minutes, until springy to touch. Let cool on the sheets for
5 minutes, and transfer to racks to cool completely. Change the parchment and
repeat using the remaining batter (72 cakes in total).

Peanut Butter Filling
Cream peanut butter and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with
the paddle attachment on high speed. On low speed, mix in sugar until
combined, then beat mixture on high speed until fluffy and smooth, about 3
minutes. Add salt to taste, if desired. Use immediately.

Simply the Best Scones Ever!
This is a great recipe that I got from my mom's friend Kathy, and believe me, she's right in saying these are the best scones ever!

Scones
4 c flour
1 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 c unsalted butter
1 c vanilla yogurt, nonfat
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup white chocolate chips*
1/2 cup dried cranberries*

Icing
1 1/2 c powerderd sugar
3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract (clear is preferable, regular will make icing off white, but it tastes the same)
2 tbsp milk

Scones
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 2 large cookie sheets.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients. Add white chocolate chips and cranberries after the other ingredients are well mixed.

Turn dough out on lightly floured surface. Cut into two pieces and form into balls. Pat each ball into 1/2 in circle. It will measure approx 9in across. Cut each round into 12 wedges with a pizza cutter or pairing knife. Place 2 in apart on cookie sheet.

Bake 15-20min, until golden brown. Cool.

Icing
Combine powered sugar, butter, vanilla & milk, beating until creamy. Thin with water to achieve desired drizzling consistency. Drizzle over cooled scones with fork or pastry bag with a small writing tip.

* You can replace white chocolate chips/cranberries with toffee bits, chocolate chips, walnuts, raisins or anything else you like. Lots of different combinations work well with this recipe so get creative!



Booze Pairings!

Cocktail: Phoebe’s New Englanders
2 parts Vodka
1 part soda water
1 part blueberry juice (this can be really hard to find so I used the juice from Del Monte fruit naturals, all natural blueberries.)
1 part cranberry juice
blueberries
lime slices

Garnish the rim of the glass with sugar. Add ice, blueberry and cranberry juices, lime slice and vodka to glass. Pour soda water on top. Drop a couple blueberries into glass.


Wine: White
Sybille Kuntz Riesling Mosel $18

This week’s weather was sign of things to come: flip flops, beach days, and the
return of white wine. This Riesling was the perfect way to celebrate the coming
of spring and it also happened to go beautifully with our dinner! On the nose it
was an exciting bouquet of pear, apple and honey and in the mouth it was
graceful with powerful but elegant acidity. It went beautifully with the dish
because it could hold its own without overpowering the fish and its hint of
minerality was a perfect compliment to the vegetables.


Wine: Red
Erath Pinot Noir Willamette Valley $18

It only seems fitting that we had a wine made in Oregon while we noshed on food
cooked by Laura, who was also made in Oregon. This Pinot is one of my favorites
from this region. It is exactly what it should be: black cherry, vanilla and
earth. It is very versatile so you can eat it with almost anything but I have to
say, it was perfect with our dinner…


Beer: Berkshire Brewery Company Golden Spike

This local preservative free beer is shipped and stored cold so it always tastes
incredibly fresh. It was brilliant light gold in the glass with a beautiful
thick head. It smells of lemongrass and bread and it is easy drinking with great
acidity and a dry finish. It was medium bodied and very refreshing- exactly what
you want when eating fresh veggie succotash and white fish...


Cheers!
Christa, Rachel, Phoebe & Laura









About Laura
Laura manages consumer marketing for Sonos, a wireless music system. Her great loves are travel, music, eating and drinking – a nice pairing, don’t you think? Since she’s managed to find a job that has to do with music, all her spare time is spent traveling the world tasting local libations and looking for her next great meal. Born and raised in organic Oregon, Laura has always had a taste for fresh and local food and recently has been getting pretty good at making it on her own,thanks to her weekly vegetable delivery from Boston Organics!

Nobody Expects the Spanish Supper Club Edition!

Today's SSC is not just an excuse for a Monty Python pun. We actually didn't know what to expect. Jen took the night this week and kept us in the dark until the very last second, but as usual, we were pleasantly surprised. What lay before us was a smorgasbord of simple, satisfying and sultry Spanish food (Along with an excuse for a massive amount of alliteration,). Jen is also a bit of a health nut, so everything on the menu was not only delicious, but quite healthy, so we can all stay sexy (Ha! I'm unstoppable!).

Per usual, the night descended into devilish drunkenness where we discussed strippers/ the usefulness there of, our lack of actual careers and the various shenanigans that we had engaged in. Then we ate flan and decided to buy pregnancy tests. Get over it guys, we're modern women.


Beautiful Beet Salad

Salad
Romaine lettuce
roasted beets
apple
feta cheese

Dressing
Balsamic vinegar
honey
djion mustard
olive oil


Jen's Spanish Tortilla

A low-fat version of a regular Spanish tortilla, a bit like a fritatta, with steamed potatoes, instead of fried.

1 pound boiling potatoes, peeled if desired and sliced thinly about 1/8 in
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow or red onion, finely chopped
Swiss chard*
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (about 3/4 teaspoon)
6 large eggs



Steam the potatoes until tender, about eight minutes, and set aside.

In the meantime, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy 10-inch nonstick skillet, and add the onions and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until tender but not browned, about five minutes. Add the potatoes to the pan, and toss together gently so that the potatoes don’t break apart. Season generously with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

Beat the eggs in a bowl, and add 1/2 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper. Stir in the potatoes and onions.

Return the pan to the stove, and heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Drizzle in a drop of egg; when it sizzles and cooks at once, scrape the eggs and vegetables back into the pan. Shake the pan gently while you lift the edges of the frittata, and tilt the pan to let egg run underneath and set. When the bottom of the frittata has set, turn the heat to low and cover the pan. When it's cooked place a large plate over the frying pan and flip the tortilla onto it. Return to the pan and fry the other side until golden brown.

*This is the basic recipe, so you can add any other finely diced vegetables or meats. For this meal blanched Swiss chard was added but mushrooms, spinach, ham or bacon would also work well.



Spicy Spanish Style Garlic Shrimp

1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, shelled and de-veined (Look for domestic farmed shrimp or Oregon pink shrimp.)
Sea salt or kosher salt to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped or thinly sliced
1 bay leaf, broken in half
Red pepper flakes to taste
2 tablespoons minced parsley


Sprinkle the shrimp with salt, toss and let sit for 15 minutes.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy nonstick frying pan, and add the garlic, bay leaf and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until the garlic begins to color, about one minute. Turn the heat up to medium-high, and add the shrimp. Cook, stirring, until the shrimp turn pink and are cooked through, two to three minutes. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with the parsley and serve.



Jen's cooking really reflects her
personality, also, her face.








Booze Pairings!

Wine: White
2009 Domaine Saint-Peyre Coteaux du Languedoc Picpoul-de-Pinet $10

This wine is an absolute steal! And as a bonus, it went perfectly with Jen’s Spanish meal… On the nose this wine was a beautiful mix of pear, mineral, and a hint of white pepper. In the mouth it was fairly high in acid but it had a hint of pleasant mustiness that added to the wine’s complexity. The sourness of the wine complimented the vegetables in the tortilla perfectly and even though it had lots of flavor, it definitely did not overwhelm the subtly of the shrimp.


Wine: Red
2009 D. Ventura Vina do Burato Mencia Ribeira Sacra

When most people think of Spanish red wine they usually think Tempranillo (Rioja) or Garnacha but there is another Spanish varietal that has long been neglected but tops our list, Mencia. This wine was light and fresh, which was wonderful for this meal because it did not overpower the tortilla or shrimp. This did not mean, however, that the wine was simple. Its aroma was an elegant bouquet of exotic red fruit, spice, dried flowers and mineral. In the mouth it was all that and more. It was absolute perfect with dinner but to tell the truth, this juice is so good I could drink it with just about anything (or with nothing at all)…


Beer: Blue Hills Brewery Dunkelweizen

This medium bodied beer from a local brewery in Canton had yeasty caramel notes in the front and then nutty banana bread in the finish. It was very drinkable and its sweetness, alcohol and hoppiness was perfectly balanced. It was light enough to pair beautifully with Spanish fare but it definitely did not lack in personality...


Cocktail

Sherry has long been dismissed as a cooking ingredient or just that weird mushroomy stuff. Well guess what? Sherry is back! The growing popularity of tapas restaurants in America has also been good for the fortified beverage and now it is the new hipster drink of choice. We thought we would celebrate its rebirth with a delicious sherry cocktail...
2 parts sherry
1 part brandy
½ part orange juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Shake in glass with ice. Strain into martini glass. Delish!



Cheers!
Christa, Rachel, Phoebe & Jen



About Jen

Jen has only recently learned how to use a stove to cook healthier
meals using fresh ingredients, mostly as a way to avoid having to go
outside to obtain meals during Boston winters. She still much prefers
great food cooked by others and especially enjoys traveling to more
exotic places and sampling the local cuisine.

Going Green: SSC's Drunk(er than usual) Edition

St Patrick’s Day is one of our favorite holidays here at Supper Sanity Club. So, of course this past March, we decided to have a party celebrating just that. I know what most of you are thinking, we love having the excuse to day drink. But while any reason to have an extra cocktail always makes us smile, we like St Patrick’s Day for other reasons. We love that Boston is beaming with (drunk) smiles, we all really enjoy Irish fare, and lets face it, we do like that everyone is abuzz with talk of beer, wine, and cocktails.

Sadly, Fiona, our only Irish member was transferred to New York just a couple weeks before her big day, so we had to make do without her. Luckily, we had her recipes and a ton of Irish whiskey to get us through the night…


Rachel's Shepherds Pie (Serves 6)

Stew
2 1/2 lbs lamb stew meat, carefully trimmed
2 leeks (wash well), white and pale green parts only chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 yellow onions, cut into ½ inch wedges
1 shallot, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
4 parsnips, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
3 portobello mushrooms, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup white mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
1 bottle of full bodied red wine
2 cups beef broth
3 tablespoons butter
flour as needed
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 3 tablespoons oil (I prefer canola bc it gets hotter and does not impart flavors) in large pot. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. Brown meat on all sides, working in batches (about 3/4 minutes each side). Put meat aside.

Add leeks, garlic, onions, and shallots and cook until onion is light gold (about 10 minutes), deglazing pan as you do this.

Add carrots, parsnips, rosemary and thyme and cook on high heat until veggies are roasted but not mushy (about 12-15 minutes), stirring every few minutes.

Add mushrooms, sprinkle salt and pepper and continue to stir for about 3 minutes
Transfer all veggies to bowl. Add wine and broth to pot and reduce until 2 cups (about 20 minutes).

Add meat and vegetables and butter to pot and simmer for 1 1/2- 2 hours (lamb meat should fall apart easily), skim top of stew occasionally to get rid of extra fat.

Thicken with flour as desired. Season with salt and pepper.


Mashed Potatoes
(Everyone has their own “super secret, super awesome” mashed potato recipe so I say use yours, or if you want try mine.)

3 yukon potatoes, cleaned, chopped into 1 inch pieces, skin still on
½ stick butter
½ cup fat free Greek yogurt
salt and pepper to taste (but the stew can get pretty salty so be careful)

Boil potatoes until completely soft. Drain potatoes and then put back into pot
Mix in all other ingredients with electric mixer.

Final Prep
Put stew in ovenproof large shallow pot (I had to use 2). Dollop potatoes over stew.

Bake for 10 minutes at 400. Broil for 7 minutes (Broilers all work differently so I would do 3 minutes at a time, rotating pan every time you check.) EAT!


Corned Beef and Cabbage

3 pounds corned beef (I bought it pre-brined)
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
2 12 ounce bottles of dark ale or stout
2 tablespoons mustard
1 medium head of cabbage, cut into small wedges

Set slow cooker to low.

Place corned beef (fat side up) and vegetables in slow cooker. Pour beer over beef and vegetables. Spread mustard on beef.Cook beef for 8-9 hours or until very tender.

Remove beef. Place cabbage in slow cooker, turn cooker to high and cook for 30 minutes
Slice beef against grain and serve with cabbage, vegetables and creamy horseradish sauce.


Creamy Horseradish Sauce

½ cup fat free Greek yogurt
¼ cup drained prepared horseradish

Mix well. Done!


Christa's Guinness Brownies
These brownies are a bit fudgier than regular brownies and have more of a dark chocolate flavor. Sort of a grown up version of regular brownies...and by that I mean, a bit less sweet and more prone to alcoholsim.





1 cup flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temp)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (divided)
1/2 block unsweetened bakers chocolate
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1-1/4 cups (10 ounces) Guinness Extra Stout beer (room temp)*
confectioners' sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt combined. Set aside.

Put butter, 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, unsweetened chocolate and white chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl. Microwave for a minute. Stir. Continue to microwave in 15 sec increments, stirring in between until everything is melted together. This can also be done in a double boiler...but umm, I don't have one, so this is what I did instead.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add melted chocolate mixture, beating until combined.

Beat the flour mixture into melted chocolate mixture. Whisk in Guinness. The batter will seem kinda thin. Drop the remainder of semisweet chocolate chips evenly on top of batter.

Pour into baking pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.

Let brownies cool, uncovered, to room temperature. Cut and dust with confectioners' sugar.

*Note: Make sure the Guiness is extra stout. For some reason it works better for baking, I have no clue why. Also, don't include foam in the measurement. You can either spoon off the foam (and eat it...heh) or let it rest until the foam subsides.


Booze Pairings

Wine: Red
2009 Puydeval $15

This wine is a blend of Cab Franc, Syrah, and Merlot from the Vin De Pay D’oc. It emits a beautiful bouquet of flowers, blackberries, licorice, pepper, and a hint of basil. It is a perfect representation of all its varietals. In the palate it is rich, spicy and very well balanced and its lingering finish is elegant and complex making you rush to your next sip. Needless to say, it was absolutely perfect with our stew!




Wine: White
2009 Burgans Albarino $14

Okay, lets be honest here, we only chose this wine because it had an Irish looking label.. Luckily though, it was also delicious! It had a nose of mineral, flowers, tropical fruit, and citrus. On the palate it was medium bodied with an abundance of herbs and natural fruit. I would not necessarily recommend this with heavy stew but it was the perfect aperitif!




Beer
What else? Guinness!!

Cocktail
Irish Eyes

1 part Irish Whisky
¼ part green crème de menthe
2 parts cream

Combine ingredients with ice. Shake well and strain into glass.

Cheers!
Christa, Rachel, Phoebe & Fiona (from afar!)