I have to admit I was a little dubious about any hard cider that comes with the suggestion to "serve over ice!"

I was born and raised in Asturias, a region of northern Spain that is very similar to where I live now in western Pennsylvania. Apple orchards are a common sight in both of these landscapes. In Asturias, hard cider is one of the most popular and commonly enjoyed alcoholic beverages, but not in Pennsylvania, nor (as far as I know) anywhere in the U.S.

Hard cider is starting to develop a following in this country, but is still viewed by many as an inferior choice to beer. Maybe because of different marketing strategies, I find that many hard ciders in this country have many other ingredients other than just fermented apple juice, which is basically the main ingredient in fine European hard ciders. A good example is Crispin Hard Cider, which offers the suggestion of serving over ice–a bizarre idea bordering on sacrilege for someone raised on Asturian sidra! This beverage contains hard cider, filtered water, apple juice concentrate and natural apple essence. As a sweet apple flavored drink, well, it’s not bad. It’s probably a drink that would be enjoyed by many, but it’s not hard cider, not my kind of hard cider that you would drink as you would a beer. This Crispin cider beverage reminds me of an appletini or dessert drink–something like granny smith sorbet, not hard cider. But who knows–maybe it’s an encouraging sign to see more ciders on the market, even if they don’t necessarily match my idea of what hard cider should be.

Farnum Hill semi-dry hard cider, a great choice for our Thanksgiving feast!

Now, a good American hard cider is made in New Hampshire at Farnum Hill. Farnum Hill ciders are–in my modest opinion–great hard ciders. I have much to say about Farnum Hill, but for this entry, I will just say that Farnum Hill Semi-dry cider was my choice for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner, and it was a great pairing to our harvest feast.

Buen provecho!

first bloom of the coffee plants

There are a couple of blossoms I could write about all the time, our twins, but I don’t want to bore you. So, let me tell you about some other blossoms in this cook’s life.

About three years ago, a lady I worked with got me a coffee plant (Coffea arabica) for my birthday. It was tiny, but there were actually a bunch of plants in one pot to make it look fuller and leafier. I took good care of them and they did well. As they grew taller I was able to spread them out individually in a long planter. We put this planter in our kitchen window in Oakland. The plants seemed to like Oakland, and they seem to like it here in the ‘burbs, too.

Last week one of the plants had its first blossom, and a few others have followed since.

Maybe in the near future I’ll be able to make me a cup of coffee from beans that were fully grown in house. That would be the ultimate “house blend!” Are you up for the challenge, corner coffee shop?

If you are interested in having your own coffee plants, check out http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/coffee-plant.html

Buen Provecho!

japanese knotweed

There are very few empty lots, roadsides or poorly kept yards that don’t have Japanese knotweed growing in them. This weed is one of the most powerful invasive species in the U.S. and it’s incredibly difficult to get rid of. It’s a tough weed all the way around. Its roots will grow under your sidewalk and in no time a large bush, bamboo like, will over take what once was a slab of concrete.

My wife hates this stuff with a passion. For years I’ve been telling her that a plant this strong and resilient must have some redeeming qualities. And it does: I found out that Japanese knotweed is an excellent source of resveratrol and emodin, both used for nutritional supplements and medicine.

But I was really interested to discover that bees love the nectar of the Japanese knotweed flowers. It makes a delicious monofloral honey called “bamboo honey.” This honey is like a dark, mild-flavored version of buckwheat honey and reveals a dark red color when held to the light. Joe Zgurzynski from Burgh Bees tells me that the dark honeys tend to be higher in antioxidants than light honeys, the same way red wines are higher in antioxidants than white wines. Bamboo honey is readily available from local beekeepers in this region in the fall. I haven’t had any of this honey yet, but I’m really looking forward to trying this local treat.

grilled pound cake with "cherries on the bone" (photos courtesy of Christian Kahle)

It’s grilling time again and here at Vivo we take grilling very seriously–OK, so maybe seriously is not the word, but grilling is a way of life for us. In our latest event here at Vivo we grilled everything, even the dessert.

The dessert, cherries on pound cake–or as Christian Kahle, one of the event’s attendees called it, “cherries on the bone”–was a big hit.

We all have seen the fruit and grilled pound cake desserts before, nothing new here. What was so great about this dessert is that I used all the elements of the cherry–not just the cherries, but the branches of the tree and leaves were used in the making of this dish.

I blanched the leaves and shocked them in preparation for the grill. The cherries were pitted and skewered on the cherry brunches, and this is why Christian called them “cherries on the bone”. Then I made a simple syrup (same amount water and sugar) and reduced it with a shot of cherry liquor.

I put the cherries on the grill for a quick caramelization and to give them that “grilled” flavor. And I slid them off the branch and into the cherry liquor syrup.

While the cherries were resting in the syrup I put the pound cake on the grill. As the pound cake caramelized on the grill it smelled like smores; everyone wondered if that was what they were getting for dessert. I placed the cherry leaves on top of the pound cake, flipped it on to the leaf side for a quick sear, and it was done.

I placed the pound cake leaf side down on the plate. I arranged a couple cherries on top of the pound cake and then drizzled a little of the by now grilled cherry liquor syrup, and there it was. A great grilling out dessert.

Buen provecho!

This variation on the classic linzer torte recipe was made with local--"yinzer"--quince!

This is my second winter in Pittsburgh, and like many new comers to the ‘Burgh, I quickly fell in love with the beauty of the changing seasons that you can so distinctly observe in the city. Fall is perhaps my favorite season–it’s not so warm anymore and my vegetable garden is at its peak. Nice memories for these colder winter days.

Between gardening and work, my wife and I find time to take our dog on walks around the city. We have walked through neighborhoods, like Oakland, that were home to many immigrant Italian families. These people might no longer be here but you can still get a glimpse of what once was when you come across the many fig, chestnut, and even quince trees left behind.

unripe fruit on the quince tree (cydonia oblonga) in Pittsburgh in May

Quince trees are loved by Italians and many others, especially Mediterranean cultures, and they are a big part of Spanish culture and cuisine. Membrillo–quince paste–is most popular in Spain and is commonly enjoyed with cheeses like Manchego or used in savory sauces.

So, needless to say, finding a quince tree in the ‘Burgh made it feel even more like home to me. I kept an eye on that quince tree all fall. I quickly realized that the quince fruit was just rolling all over the street and going to waste. The Italian family that once lived there was now replaced by college students with no knowledge of what they had in their yard, and probably no desire to take the time to do anything with it.

I felt I needed to do something with this fruit, I couldn’t let it go to waste! So, I took advantage of this situation and after an almost effortless urban gleaning I had a sack full of quince fruit.

I laid the quince on cardboard in the cool basement to "blett" them

This was a special treat for me, and I decided I didn’t want to just make membrillo (quince paste). I felt the best way to preserve it and use it, not only as a sweet addition but as a savory ingredient, would be to make a quince butter. For this I basically went about it the same way as you would to make the paste, but I used only half the sugar and I reduced the cooking time.

The butter had a bitter, sour citrus quality and could be a great addition to a sweet desert or a chutney.

Everyone was making their cookies and nut rolls for the holidays and I really wanted to use my quince butter for some sort of cookie. Linzer tortes came to mind. They are nothing but a large cookie with some kind of fruit jelly, jam on them–maybe even a fruit butter? I had to try it.

I halved the quince and put it in the pressure cooker

And this is how the Yinzer Torte came to be. “Yinzer” is what some people call Pittsburghers, because locals often say “yinz” instead of the plural “you.” (Pittsburghers say “yinz” the way Southerners might say “y’all.”) The German/Austrian immigrants brought the tradition of this torte to the Burgh, the Italians brought the quince. I combined them.

The sweetness of the dough and the tart finish of the fruit makes this a simple and delicious dessert. Only in Pittsburgh–Yinzer Torte.

Below are a few more photos showing how I processed the quince fruit into the quince butter that I used in my torte recipe.

I put the quince through the food mill to mash it up and remove the seeds and skin

I only used about half the sugar that you would use to make a traditional membrillo (quince paste) recipe

The quince butter took so long to cook that the dog became bored. You can see how thick the mixture is; the spoon is standing on its own!

]]> http://dinnerwithdaniel.com/2010/01/25/yinzer-torte-linzer-torte-made-with-local-quince/feed/ 12 http://dinnerwithdaniel.com/2009/09/05/featured-ingredient-lemon/ http://dinnerwithdaniel.com/2009/09/05/featured-ingredient-lemon/#comments Sat, 05 Sep 2009 18:51:00 +0000 Chef Daniel http://dinnerwithdaniel.com/?p=12 The lemon (Citrus limon) is a small, yellow rounded fruit, pointed at its ends, with acidic juice. The origin of the lemon is unknown,

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