oleosaccharum

with orange and lemon zest, for holiday whiskey punch:

Ingredients

For the oleosaccharum:
4 lemons and/or oranges
1 cup sugar

For the punch:
Oleosaccharum
1 750-ml bottle of rye whiskey
12 hard shakes of Angostura bitters
Large block of ice

Preparation:

Peel the lemons with a Y-shaped vegetable peeler, avoiding as much of the white pith as possible. Combine the lemon peel and sugar in a bowl, and muddle them together with a cocktail muddler or a heavy wooden spoon. Allow the mixture to rest, covered, for an hour or more, or until the sugar has melted. Stir again before using. (Alternately, you can combine the peel and sugar in a vacuum-seal bag, and allow them to break down for 4 to 6 hours.)

Add the oleosaccharum to your punch bowl, including the peel. Add the whiskey and stir until all sugar is dissolved. Add bitters, stir, then stir in 750 ml of very cold water. (Use the empty whiskey bottle for measuring.) Add the ice, and stir a few times to further cool the punch. Ladle into glasses to serve.

the gift of pastured pork

A meal promised as a gift from Christmas 2012. Prepared over the course of a couple days, served January 22, 2013:


local pastured pork shoulder, almost five pounds


brined overnight and slow cooked a day in advance, per this recipe from momofuku


setting up on the night of the meal


risotto in the works


cheesy appetizer


butternut squash for the risotto


brussels sprouts ready to roast while the pork glazes with brown sugar and a few gobs of it's own lard


shredded pork shoulder with roasted brussels sprouts and butternut squash risotto, and a dash of fig-balsamic vinegar

zucchini muffins

so many zucchinis

mix, mix, mix

extra large muffin cups

all the sugar

generously sprinkle on top, midway through baking

extra zucchini (unpeeled), light on the cinnamon

lightly toasted, with butter. g.b.d.

beer can chicken

garden fresh green beans


old forge overbite pennsylvania ipa, fresh herb bouquet


kitchen cut


canned artichoke hearts, halved


marlborough sauvignon blanc


baby bellas


perched on a beer can throne - started on the grill, finished in the oven




the gift that keeps on giving

creamy quinoa, sockeye salmon, garden salsa

with crispy salmon skin chip

turf, surf

food on parade


prime strip steaks broiled with herb butter


no pain no gain


garden salad imported from delaware


dispatched homerus americanus

cornbread

bam - crisped to cheesy perfection in the trusty square skillet with chopped frozen jalapeños from previous year's garden

squash blossoms

herbed ricotta mixture


four beauties


ginger carrot purée, quinoa, sriracha and heavy cream drizzle, simple batter of seasoned flour and beer in background


ready for a batter bath


pan fried in bacon fat


the finished product, g-b-d (golden brown and delicious). click for martha stewart's recipe.