Now, let's get things clear; we're speaking of bratwurst. German sausage. Under no circumstances should you boil your children in anything, even if they did just wreck the new Benz.
Jen was all nostalgic for a taste of the Northland, so we did up some beer-boiled brats(pronounced "brahts"). For those who are curious about this delicacy, a few tips are in order, thus:
1) Johnsonville is synonymous with bratwurst. Period, end of story. Ask anybody from Minnesota, Wisconsin or any other north-central state--if it ain't Johnsonville, it ain't a real brat.
2) When beer-boiling, use a real, straight-up German beer, such as Beck's. This will add something amazing and wonderful to the brats, known as "flavor." Cooking with American corporate beer is on the level of using soda water, for all the taste it ends up adding.
3) Use just enough beer to cover the brats in your pan/skillet/whatever. Boil, covered, for about 10-12 minutes and they're ready to go.
4) Brat purists top them with sauerkraut only, though some people consider relish and/or mustard to be acceptable toppings. If you put ketchup on a brat in Minnesota, I'm pretty sure you can be legally shot.
It's a simple and hearty meal. Give it a try sometime!
Showing posts with label Beer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beer. Show all posts
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Monday, May 27, 2013
Restaurant find: San Diego
Well, my wife and I decided to take a weekend jaunt to San Diego(pictures to follow), and we found a truly wonderful sushi joint right off the beach. Since I love good food in general and sushi in particular, I had to share this with all my nonexistent readers.
We entered Sushi Kuchi and were greeted and seated pleasantly and promptly. Edamame with sea salt was provided as an appetizer. For beverages, my wife had a Coke and water and I had an Asahi.
Dinner was the Salmon & Shrimp Roll for Jen and the Rose Roll for me. Both were fantastic, in presentation and flavor. The Salmon and Shrimp Roll came on a square plate with a lemon topped with literally flaming pink sugar.
It had a subtle, delicate interplay of flavor and texture that kept every bite interesting. You can see some of the Rose Roll in the background. Its presentation was a bit more understated, but that certainly didn't harm the experience at all. The Rose Roll has a spicy kick which--while authoritative--never crosses over the line into being overpowering.
As we finished, we were treated to a deep-fried dumpling of lobster and crab, cut in half, sort of like an after-dinner mint for two. Jen decided to have the Green Tea Ice Cream, which came in a just-right portion, topped with whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate syrup.
And the whole experience came to less than thirty-four bucks. (You'd better believe we tipped well!) The night before, we'd eaten at our hotel restaurant, which was about ten bucks more expensive and consisted of preprocessed frozen crap. Thank heavens we discovered this gem of a place, to end our vacation on a high note.
If you're in San Diego for any reason, I cannot recommend SushiKuchi enough. For quality, presentation, taste, service and value, I give them five 'Forks Up!'
We entered Sushi Kuchi and were greeted and seated pleasantly and promptly. Edamame with sea salt was provided as an appetizer. For beverages, my wife had a Coke and water and I had an Asahi.
Dinner was the Salmon & Shrimp Roll for Jen and the Rose Roll for me. Both were fantastic, in presentation and flavor. The Salmon and Shrimp Roll came on a square plate with a lemon topped with literally flaming pink sugar.
It had a subtle, delicate interplay of flavor and texture that kept every bite interesting. You can see some of the Rose Roll in the background. Its presentation was a bit more understated, but that certainly didn't harm the experience at all. The Rose Roll has a spicy kick which--while authoritative--never crosses over the line into being overpowering.
As we finished, we were treated to a deep-fried dumpling of lobster and crab, cut in half, sort of like an after-dinner mint for two. Jen decided to have the Green Tea Ice Cream, which came in a just-right portion, topped with whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate syrup.
And the whole experience came to less than thirty-four bucks. (You'd better believe we tipped well!) The night before, we'd eaten at our hotel restaurant, which was about ten bucks more expensive and consisted of preprocessed frozen crap. Thank heavens we discovered this gem of a place, to end our vacation on a high note.
If you're in San Diego for any reason, I cannot recommend SushiKuchi enough. For quality, presentation, taste, service and value, I give them five 'Forks Up!'
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Guinness-Braised Beef Brisket
This is how we roll around Casa del Wraith on St. Paddy's Day. It's crockpot cooking, so it's easy--just toss it all together, set it and forget it.
The great thing about this dish is that, if you find a good deal on brisket, it's dead cheap. OK, you might have to buy a whole six of Guinness, but that means you'll just have to drink the other five yourself. Boo hoo. So eat hearty, be merry and wear something green today.
* Briskets usually come with a spice packet. Remember to make sure it doesn't go into the crockpot with the beef. DAMHIK.
2 cups water
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 12oz. bottle of Guinness stout
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh or 1 tablespoon dried dill
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can low-salt beef broth
6 black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1 (3-pound) cured corned beef brisket, trimmed*
Combine first 11 ingredients in a large electric slow cooker, stirring
until well blended; top with beef. Cover and cook on HIGH 8 hours or
until beef is tender. Remove beef; cut diagonally across grain into
1/4-inch slices. Discard broth mixture.
The great thing about this dish is that, if you find a good deal on brisket, it's dead cheap. OK, you might have to buy a whole six of Guinness, but that means you'll just have to drink the other five yourself. Boo hoo. So eat hearty, be merry and wear something green today.
* Briskets usually come with a spice packet. Remember to make sure it doesn't go into the crockpot with the beef. DAMHIK.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)