Food & Drink

Cinnamon Oranges

* 2 oranges
* 2 tablespoons honey
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* Fresh mint leaves, torn, for garnish

Directions

Peel oranges and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place on a serving platter.

Combine honey and cinnamon in a small bowl. Drizzle honey mixture over oranges and garnish with mint leaves.
- Bobby Flay

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Brooklyn Local 1

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* 3 pounds mussels
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 2 leeks, white parts only, finely chopped
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/4 bunch fresh thyme
* 1 cup white wine
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Rinse the mussels under cold running water while scrubbing with a vegetable brush. Remove the stringy mussel beards with your thumb and index finger as you wash them. Discard any mussels with broken shells.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, garlic, and thyme and cook until the vegetables cook down to a pulp, about 5 minutes. Add the mussels and give everything a good toss. Add the white wine. Cover and steam over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, until the mussels open. Stir occasionally so that all the mussels are in contact with the heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and a drizzle of olive oil to the sauce remaining in the pot and swirl to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.
- Tyler Florence

I had no idea it was this easy to make mussels. You literally put them in a pan with some aromatics and a steaming liquid and a few minutes later they're ready to eat. If it is of any value to you, I substituted shallot for the leeks and probably doubled the amount of garlic in this recipe (mmmmmmm).

I have a friend who makes mussels all the time and his recommendation after we discussed this recipe was to cut the wine with some water. He said that it will tame the wine flavor a little and almost smooth out the taste of the mussels. This is a trick I'll definitely try the next time I make mussels.

I recommend a toasted crusty bread with this recipe.

Chang Beer

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Egg, Potato, and Prosciutto Pie

* 1 (1-lb) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
* 2 medium onions, finely chopped (2 cups)
* 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
* 4 to 5 oz thinly sliced prosciutto
* 1 large boiling potato (10 to 12 oz)
* 12 large eggs

Put a baking sheet in middle of oven and preheat oven to 375°F. If the dough is in 1 piece, cut it in half. Roll out each piece into a 12-inch square on a lightly floured surface. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with 1 piece of dough, draping it slightly over sides. Stir together onions, oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and spread in an even layer over dough. Top with prosciutto. Peel potato and thinly slice (about 1/8 inch thick), then arrange in one layer over prosciutto, overlapping slightly. Crack eggs on top of potatoes, gently arranging yolks so they don't touch one another. Season eggs with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cut several slits in remaining pastry square and lay over top of pie, then crimp edge and trim. Bake until pastry is golden brown and puffed, 50 to 60 minutes.
Serves 6 to 8 (breakfast or brunch)
Active time: 20 min
Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

- Gourmet.com

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Yuengling

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Saison Dupont

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Right off the bat I am a sucker for gadgets...or in this case widgets. Tetley's features a Nitrogen widget which gives this English ale it's thick, creamy head. You ever just sit at the bar and watch a freshly poured Guinness? If you are as easily entertained as I, Tetley's is a great way to bring that home...without the big, bold flavor of an Irish stout. Which brings me to my disappointing news: You won't have the bold flavor of an Irish stout...but you don't have much flavor at all. There is some light malt, but not much else. This beer goes down like creamy, slightly malty-flavored, mildly-expensive water. I could drink a lot of these and feel no worse for the wear. This isn't a bad beer, but at this price point I will probably pass on it in the future.

Mushroom and Butternut Squash Empanadas

For empanada filling

* 1 cup diced (1/4-inch) butternut squash
* 1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
* 6 small garlic cloves, minced
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 (2- to 3-inch) fresh jalapeño chiles, seeds and ribs discarded and chiles finely chopped
* 1 lb fresh exotic mushrooms such as chanterelles, porcini, or hedgehogs (all one kind, not a mixture), trimmed and coarsely chopped
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/3 cup chicken broth

For sauce

* 1 dried pasilla de Oaxaca chile
* 3 garlic cloves, left unpeeled
* 1 lb fresh tomatillos, husks discarded and tomatillos rinsed and quartered
* 1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
* 1/4 cup water
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

For empanada crust

* 1/3 Café Azul's pastry dough (1 lb)
* 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water
* 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt

Make empanada filling:

* Cook squash in a small saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes, then drain in a sieve.
* Cook onion and garlic in oil in a large heavy skillet over moderately low heat, stirring, until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Add jalapeños and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms, salt, and broth and simmer, covered, until mushrooms are tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is evaporated, about 3 minutes, then stir in squash and salt to taste. Cool filling completely.

Make sauce:

* Heat a dry griddle or heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) over moderately low heat until hot, then toast pasilla de Oaxaca chile, pressing down with tongs, 15 to 20 seconds on each side. Halve chile lengthwise and discard stem, ribs, and seeds.
* Heat griddle over moderately high heat until hot, then toast garlic until lightly blackened, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Cool garlic slightly and peel.
* Simmer tomatillos, onion, water, chile, garlic, and salt in a large saucepan, covered, until tomatillos are very tender, about 20 minutes, and cool slightly. Remove 1 chile half and reserve, then purée sauce in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), adding as much of reserved chile half as necessary to achieve desired spiciness. Return sauce to pan and season with salt.

Form and bake empanadas:

* Preheat oven to 400°F.
* Divide dough into 8 equal pieces (2 ounces each) and form each into a disk. Roll out 1 piece on a lightly floured surface into a 6- to 7-inch round (1/8 inch thick). Spoon about 1/3 cup filling onto center and brush edge of pastry lightly with egg wash. Fold dough in half to form a half-moon, enclosing filling, and press edges together to seal. Crimp edge decoratively and transfer empanada with a spatula to a large baking sheet. Make 7 more empanadas in same manner.
* Lightly brush empanadas all over with some of remaining egg wash and sprinkle each with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Bake in middle of oven until golden, 25 to 30 minutes
* While empanadas are baking, reheat sauce. Cut each empanada in half with a serrated knife and serve with about 3 tablespoons sauce spooned around it.

Cooks' note: If your sea salt is very coarse, lightly crush it using a mortar and pestle or the back of a large heavy knife. - Gourmet.com

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Leffe Blonde

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