Author: AJ

Bacon Bread Pudding

By Iron Chef Leftovers
Photos By AJ Coltrane

Oh so tasty and oh so bad for you.

The Odd Bits dinner I made a while back was supposed to end with a Pig’s Blood Ice Cream. Everyone cringes when I say this, but don’t knock it until you try it. It is actually healthier than traditionally made ice cream as the blood replaces the eggs as the thickening agent and you need to use less volume of blood than you do eggs and the blood is higher in vitamins and minerals and lower in fat and cholesterol than the eggs. It is also the most intensely flavored chocolate ice cream you will ever have and no, it does not taste like blood – you actually wouldn’t even know blood is in there unless someone mentioned it.

That being said, it is freaking impossible to find usable blood in Seattle. You can get a “blood solution” but it is like jelly and will not return to a liquid state, which is fine for making blood sausage, but not so much for ice cream. As a result, I had to go to plan B on desert and went with Bacon Bread Pudding. Not exactly odd bits, but you generally don’t find many people having bacon for dessert (although you should). The nice thing about this recipe is that it is easy and can easily feed a large number of people with a minimum of effort. I adapted this recipe from Chef Larry Monaco’s original Maple Donut and Bacon Bread Pudding.

The Software

Bread Pudding:
2 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 loaf (1.75 lbs) brioche, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup bacon fat
1 lb thick sliced bacon, cooked crispy

Sauce:
1 1/2 cup of cream
1/2 cup brandy or bourbon
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup bacon fat or 1 stick of butter

The Bread Pudding
Spread the cubed bread on 2 rimmed baking sheets and put into a 300 degree oven for 1 hour a to 1 hour, 15 minutes until they are dried, rotating the pans half way through the process. You are essentially making brioche croutons. Let cool and place in a large bowl

Cook the bacon until it is crispy, reserving all of the fat. Dice the bacon into 1/4 inch pieces and set aside

In a bowl, combine the eggs, sugar milk and vanilla and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture over the bread and toss gently to combine (you don’t want to break up the bread). Let sit for 10 minutes for the liquid to absorb.

In a separate bowl, combine the bacon fat, brown sugar and bacon and toss to combine.

Grease a 9x13x2 baking dish with either butter or bacon fat. Put the bread mixture in first, arranging in one even layer, adding any remaining liquid from the bowl. Sprinkle the brown sugar bacon mixture on top in an even layer and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes until set (you are looking for an internal temp of about 165-170 degrees). Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

The Sauce
Add the fat, sugar and cream to a saucepan over medium heat, whisking until the sugar is incorporated, approximately 3-5 minutes. Add the alcohol and bring to just below a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes until slightly thickened. Drizzle over the bread pudding.

Notes
I used bacon fat, but butter can be substituted for it. I would recommend using very high quality bacon in this dish as it is going to be a dominant flavor. I would caution using bacon that has been cured in maple syrup as it might cause this dish to become too sweet. The drying out the bread in the oven is critical to the creamy texture of the dish – stale bread does not absorb the liquid as well as the dried bread and will lead to a less creamy dish. If you can’t find brioche, you can use just about any bread (challah will work really well), just make sure you can slice it thickly. This recipe will serve 12 people easily, so you can scale it down accordingly.

Beer of the Week: Latona 25th Anniversary by Anacortes Brewing

By Iron Chef Leftovers

One of the beer week events that we went to was the Latona Pub’s 25th anniversary party which featured some beers from Anacortes Brewing. I have never been shy about my love of the beers brewed by the guys there – they are my favorite Washington brewery and I think they consistently put out the best beers in the state. For the Latona’s 25th, Anacortes brewed a Rye IPA – which was available in both cask and regular draught that night. The draught was great, the cask was amazing.

A very typical IPA from Anacortes, light amber in color; very hop forward and floral on the nose with lots of citrus; both the hops and citrus were more pronounced in the cask version. Hints of rye and malt show up initially on the palate, but they quickly give way lots of citrus (grapefruit mostly) fading into a long and intense lingering bitterness from what I can only imagine is copious amounts of hops (I am sure this beer was 100+ IBU). This beer is hoppy to the extreme, if you don’t like an overly hopped beer; this is definitely not for you.

I love the regular IPA from Anacortes, but this version might actually be better than their standard – I would drive the 80 miles each way from Seattle to Anacortes just to have this beer.

The Anacortes Latona 25th Anniversary Beer scores a 4 out of 5 birthday cakes for the regular version and 5 out of 5 birthday cakes for the cask version. Regardless of the version you have, you would be a very happy hop-head with this beer.

Santonio Holmes and a Two QB System

By Blaidd Drwg

If you want to run a 2 QB system, you should talk to Mike Mularkey.

What is it about New York athletes running their mouths off?

Santonio Holmes, the talented but unstable receiver for the New York Jets, is complaining about the Jets using a 2 QB system involving Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow.

Holmes says:

“… You have to allow one quarterback to get into the rhythm of a game and it starts from the preparation in practice,” he said. “(It’s) knowing the first couple of plays that he’s going to take these reps, it’s getting the feel for coming onto the field with the crowd awaiting you, it’s making the mistakes early in the game to finishing the games at the end.

“You don’t just change a guy out just because he has a few mistakes early into a game.”

Holmes had some issues with Jets QB Mark Sanchez last season, and personally, I think that most of those problems were because Holmes feels like every pass play should go to him.

Will a 2 QB system work in NY – I personally don’t think so. Sanchez isn’t that good and Tebow isn’t a QB, so I think you will have a few games of playing with this until the Jets abandon it.

Can it work? Sure it can. The Steelers had a ton of success running an offense with Antwann Randel El and Kordell Stewart (before he tried to become a QB) lining up under center and moving the QB (for many of those years it was Neil O’Donnell, Tommy Maddox and Kordell Stewart – after he became a QB) into a flanker position. It probably helped that the Steelers in those seasons had a killer running game, a great offensive line and the best blocking WR in NFL history (Hines Ward); none of which the Jets currently possess.

A Fun Gift for a Foodie

By Iron Chef Leftovers

This would be a fun gift for a foodie, or for Mrs. Iron Chef Leftovers who’s stock answer to “What do you want for dinner?” is “I don’t know.” They are $20 available here.

The easy way to decide what is for dinner.

Heck, you could have a very interesting dinner party using these dice.

The Mariners, Run Differential, And Lookout Landing

by A.J. Coltrane

I’ve been going to Lookout Landing for the majority of my Mariners news. Today I was rewarded with this Jeff Sullivan post:  Mariner’s Rub Shoulders With League’s Elite In Land Of Positive Run Differential

The Seattle Mariners had been looking in through the window since June 5. On June 5, the Mariners lost in Anaheim by five runs, and they were escorted by security out of the ballroom, through the front door, and into the yard. They were escorted no further, but they heard the door lock behind them, just as they heard the clinking of glasses and the din of laughter from within. The Mariners had mingled with the best of the best, but suddenly they were no longer welcome. They could only stare longingly at all of the fun teams having fun, having fun without them, having fun without missing them.

In time the Mariners stopped feeling sorry for themselves and set about earning re-entry. They didn’t know if re-entry was possible, or if it was even allowed, but there was only one way to find out, and they eventually found out. On the night of July 31, the Mariners heard the door unlock. The door swung open, and there was security, ushering the Mariners in. As they looked at each other and approached, they were handed silver necklaces bearing “+1” medallions. The Mariners put them on, and proceeded cautiously and then confidently back into the ballroom.

There, in a corner, pouring punch, were the Cardinals. +99. On the dance floor were the +74 Nationals and the +37 Red Sox. The +77 Yankees hung back, nodding their heads to the music. The +7 Tigers and +6 Giants stood meekly against the wall. The +40 Diamondbacks approached and welcomed the Mariners to the party, unaware that they had been in before. “We’re all the same in here,” they said. “We’re all haves. There are haves, and there are have-nots.” They gestured to a distant window. A group of necklace-less Cubs outside scattered and hid in the bushes.

The Mariners lit up. “Really, the same? We’re all just peers, one no better or worse than the next?”

The Diamondbacks eyed the Mariners’ necklaces and laughed. “No, of course not, we were pulling your leg, haha.” They didn’t stop laughing for several minutes. “Haha, haha.” At last, they composed themselves. “We shouldn’t even be talking to you, honestly. But you’re in the way of the drinks.”

The Mariners stepped aside to give the Diamondbacks room. “But, hey, you know, +1? That’s not bad. That’s not bad. Congrats on not being super shitty.” With that the Diamondbacks advanced to the open bar, and the Mariners tried to catch the Giants’ eyes, while the Giants tried not to let them.

The point is that the M’s haven’t totally sucked this year. (There’s a strong correlation between a teams run scored/runs allowed ratio and their winning percentage. Or to put it another way, if a team scores as many runs as they allow it follows that they don’t *suck*.) Sullivan says it in what I think is a really entertaining fashion. The blog also features excellent graphics and game wrapups. Click on the Blogroll at the right for more good stuff from Lookout Landing.

Beer of the Week: Joseph James Hop Box Imperial IPA

By Iron Chef Leftovers

I was in The Dray recently enjoying a cold malt beverage and I noticed that a large number of people were ordering a beer they had on tap that I had never tried – Joseph James Hop Box Imperial IPA. In case you are not familiar with them, Joseph James is located in Henderson, Nevada and has been brewing beer since 2006. The Imperial IPA is described on their website as follows:

… has a large Hop Aroma and sweetness from dark caramel malts. This brew uses Simcoe and Cascade hops and is hopped at 5lbs per barrel. The brew is 9.3% ABV, 90 IBU’s, and best enjoyed at 55F. Serve in a 25cl goblet.

Hop Box pours amber, almost ruby in color with an off brown head. Malty with a slightly floral nose and I was picking up something that I could not quite place my finger on (rosemary?) Lots of grain on the initial taste, with hints of flowers and citrus. There is a slight bitterness that fades rapidly with tons of tannins. Lots of sugar coated my palate, which is very odd for an IPA. My opinion kept changing on this beer as it warmed – one sip I thought it was a fine version of an imperial IPA and the next, it tasted like a liquid sweet tart. I can best describe this beer as confusing and inconsistent and I really think I need to retry it.

Overall, Joseph James Hop Box scores a preliminary 3 six-shooters out of 5, with me reserving the right to change the score on a retaste.

Don’t Cry For Me, Miguel Batista

By Blaidd Drwg

Batista has been around so long, that he pitched for the Montreal Expos when they were still playing in Montreal.

Miguel Batista was recently released by the Mets and it appears his career is over. He will be “best” remembered around these parts as one of the worst free agent signings of the Bavasi era, sporting 2 mediocre and 1 terrible season for a 3 year, 24 million dollar contract.

Batista was exactly league average (his OPS+ according to baseball-reference.com is exactly 100) over his 18 year career and he did have a couple of decent seasons with the Diamondbacks back in the early 2000’s, but he was never great.

One interesting fact if he does indeed retire before the end of the season: He is the last remaining active member of the 1992 Pirates team, having appeared in one game for them back in ’92. Why is that significant? Well, 1992 happens to be the last time the Pirates had a winning record. That is how long Miggy has been around

Avocado Yogurt Dressing

By Iron Chef Leftovers

It is summer and it is hot out, so you probably don’t feel like cooking anything in the kitchen and you don’t always have veggies that can be grilled easily. I tend to eat a lot of salad in the summer – they are quick and easy, refreshing and tasty salad greens are easily found during the summer. Another summertime treat are avocados. Mrs. Iron Chef loves them and they are very versatile. They also make a great salad dressing that is so good that you can actually use it as an accompaniment to fish, chicken or pork (and probably beef, although I have never tried it). All you need is 5 minutes, a few simple ingredients and a blender.

The Software
½ of a ripe avocado, pitted, skin removed and roughly chopped
½ cup good quality yogurt
¼ cup cilantro
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
Salt
Pepper

The Recipe
Take all of the ingredients except the oil and add the blender. Pulse a few times to break up the avocado and then with the blender running, add the oil slowly until the dressing comes together. Add salt and pepper to taste and you are done. Toss with salad or serve as a sauce for meat or veggies.

Notes
A clove of garlic, a squeeze of lime or a small hot pepper would also be nice in this dressing. If you would like the dressing thinner, add some water slowly to dilute until you reach the ideal consistency. This makes about 1 cup of dressing, which is a lot of a salad, but it is so good you might not end up with leftovers anyway.

Beer And Honey Bread

by A.J. Coltrane

I thought this bread compared not unfavorably to the No Knead bread we’ve all been enjoying.

To back up a bit, I was looking to make a bread with the following characteristics:

1.  It needed to be out of the oven within two hours of when I got home from work.

2.  I wanted to use the No Knead Covered Dutch Oven method. I wanted a 75% hydration dough, since that’s the same hydration as the No Knead. I went online to find out how much of butter and honey is represented by water weight — it’s about 15% for each. (That’s right, it was another mathy baking thing.)

3.  I wanted to use honey, inspired by a Cheese Board Collective recipe that I’m still meaning to try out.

4.  I wanted a flavorful end product, so I thought I’d add beer to the mix. And butter.

Ingredient Quantity
350 g Bread Flour
50 g Wheat Flour
8 g Kosher Salt
2 tsp Instant Dry Yeast
1/4 cup (57 g) Melted Butter
1/8 cup (43 g) Honey
256 g Beer (Pyramid Hef)
30 g Water

The Process:

1.  Combine all of the ingredients and mix at low speed for 6 minutes. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.

2.  Coat a bowl lightly with oil, then dust with flour.

3.  Shape the dough into a ball and place seam side down in the bowl. Use damp hands so that the dough won’t stick as much.

4.  Let rise 60 minutes. With about 10 minutes to go preheat a dutch oven at 450F.

5. Carefully invert the bowl so that the dough gently falls into the dutch oven. Slash the dough if desired. Place the lid on the dutch oven.

6.  Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 minutes more.

The bread had a lightly crispy, buttery crust. The wheat flour, beer, and butter all combined for a flavorful interior. And it went from the mixing bowl to the table in under two hours. Next time I’m going to try a few stretch and folds before placing the bowl in the final rise bowl. Slashing didn’t do anything for it, but if I can get a little more gluten development maybe I’ll get a better shape next time — I’ll definitely be making this one again when I don’t have much time for baking before dinner.