Blueberry Soda

Folks-

Tonight I fixed my new Crab Rolls and served this Blueberry Soda with it. They went well together, but I expect the soda would be just fine by itself.

You first make a blueberry simple syrup, then mix that with club soda, Tonic Water, or similar in a 1:3 ratio. I recommend 1/3 cup syrup and 1 cup soda water. Ice is good in it.

Here's the recipe for the Blueberry Symple Syrup I got from Berly's Kitchen:

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and mash fruit immediately with a wooden spoon or potato masher. Allow to cool for 10-20 minutes, and strain through a mesh sieve to get the fruit pulp out. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Note: The blueberry pulp you strain out is wonderful on ice cream.

Crab Rolls

Folks-

I've been watching too many eating/travel shows lately. Specifically Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix.

As a result, I created a completely experimental dinner tonight. I fixed my own Crab Rolls with chips (as in fries) and homemade blueberry soda. The fries were experimental in that I cut the potatoes into chunks and boiled them, drained them, let them cool, then fried them.

The Crab Rolls in this case are sandwiches with warm crab and Cole slaw.

I'm going to post the Blueberry Soda recipe next. Here's my homemade Crab Rolls!

Ingredients:

4-6 sandwich rolls or 8 hot dog rolls

16-24 oz cooked crab meat

14 oz thin sliced cabbage or a package of angel hair Cole slaw 

3/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1-1/2 tablespoons vinegar (white or apple cider)

3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cut a flat side on the top and bottom of the sandwich rolls, slather them outside and in with mayonnaise, and grill them inside and out. Mix the mayo, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, black pepper and salt together and reserve 1/4 cup. Mix the cabbage into the rest of the dressing. Stir-fry the crab meat in butter just until hot. Drain off the juices,then add the reserved dressing to the warm crab. Serve a roll by covering half of a sandwich roll with Cole slaw, and the other with chunks of crab.

Ice Cream

 My dad used to make really good ice cream back in the '80's and '90's using an old recipe that was not cooked, but contained raw eggs.

"Wait, did you say raw eggs? In food? You'll get sick from that!" you say.

 I ate that ice cream for roughly 30 years completely safely, so no, raw eggs do not automatically mean salmonella poisoning by a long shot.

Actually, my French Silk Pie recipe also is served using raw eggs.

I consider the ice cream safer though, because freezing helps kill pathogens.

I had to find this recipe online, and it's fairly close. I changed a few things about it here and there, but that was mostly about the method, not the ingredients.

Rant incoming. You've been warned.

You do need an ice cream freezer (sometimes called an ice cream maker) to make this recipe. I know that the industry is pushing us towards the kind that uses a bowl you stuck in your freezer for 24 hours before making the ice cream, but I freaking hate those. There is nothing terribly convenient about being forced to either plan your frozen dessert at least a full day before making it, or being forced to sacrifice freezer space to hold your ice cream freezer bowl all of the time.

Just let me use ice cubes and salt fercrissake!

Luckily Nostalgia has a countertop model that uses ice cubes and salt (table salt is fine.)

So, here's the recipe!

Ingredients:

3 eggs (cold)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 cups whipping cream (cold)

1 cup milk (cold)

1/8 Tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract*

Beat eggs and sugar for 5 minutes until thick and pale. Mix in the whipping cream, salt, and vanilla extract. Add mixture to the bowl of your ice cream maker and follow the directions for your unit.

Note: Counter to what you'll find on the internet, there really isn't any reason to chill the custard before freezing it if it's never cooked and the ingredients are cold. It's a total waste of time. I've tested both ways and got the same results. The few degrees of warmth you add by beating the eggs makes no material difference. Now, if you intend to just let this sit on the counter for a couple of hours before sticking it in your ice cream freezer while you catch a game on TV, that's something else. Chill it.

*You can make this with other flavors, such as a nice maple pecan by adding 1 tsp Mapline and toasted pecan chips. I'll post a chocolate version later.

Chef John's Black Lentil Soup-Vegan Style

I ended up in possession of a bunch of black lentils a few months back, and had no idea what they were or what to do with them.

Being me, I pulled up Google and got about looking for a recipe. I modified it for my sister, who is vegan, to serve at our Christmas dinner.

If you want the original, check here at Allrecipes, because this is my vegan version that my sister asked me to post here, and the original recipe is decidedly not vegan.

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow onion
• 2 cups diced carrots
• 2 cups diced celery
• 2-1/2 cups black lentils
• 10 cups vegetable broth
• 1 Teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 Teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley

In a large pot, sautee onions, carrots, and celery in the olive oil just until onions are softened and translucent. Season with thyme, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper and stir in. Add lentils and stir to coat thoroughly in oil and seasonings at the bottom of the pot. Add vegetable stock and bring to a simmer, then add the liquid smoke and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Stir in half of the parsley and serve in bowls with a dash of the parsley on top.