Guinness Ice Cream

So, this recipe is from Suzanne Goin's book, Sunday Suppers at Lucque's (surprise, surprise...) However, I did change it up a bit for two reasons:
1. Laziness and 2. My lack of vanilla beans. Oops.
It did turn out amazing though- so so delicious that I would totally be lazy and forget to buy vanilla beans all over again.

Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup Guinness Stout
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons molasses
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method:
In a small saucepan whisk together the guinness stout and the molasses. Bring to a boil and the turn off the heat.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract. Next, slowly whisk a few tablespoons of the guinness mixture into the eggs to temper them. Very slowly, continue to add the rest of the warm guinness to the egg mixture, continuously whisking the mixture. Add the milk and cream and return the mixture back to the sauce pan and cook over medium heat for about 6- 8 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken. You will have to scrape the sides and bottom of the pan with a spatula as the custard gets thick.

Place the custard in the fridge for at least 2 hours until it is very cold. Then, put the custard in an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Beer Braised Sausages with Leeks, Peppers, and Brussels Sprout Hash

If I could braise a shoe, I would. No joke.
Gosh, I love braised meats.
Buutttt pork is generally yummier than leather, so last night I decided to go with some sausages instead.

Yes. Delicious pork sausages slowly simmered in ale until they are perfectly tender and smothered in leeks and peppers.... I was quite proud of myself last night. I mean, I pretty much could have had date night with myself and totally sealed the deal, but it was nice having my hubby there, too.

Beer Braised Sausages with Leeks, Peppers, and Brussels Sprout Hash

Ingredients:

4 mild Italian pork sausages

2 large leeks, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups ale or lager

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Freshly ground pepper

1 bay leaf

Salt

Brussels sprouts, chopped

Olive oil

Method:

In a pan over medium- high heat, brown the sausages until golden on all sides. Remove them from the pan and set aside. Add the chopped leeks, bell peppers, and bay leaf. Sauté until the leeks are beginning to caramelize and the peppers are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the vinegar, beer and salt and pepper and add the sausages back to the pan. Simmer on low heat until the sausages are tender, about 20 minutes. 

In another pan, sauté the chopped Brussels sprouts in olive oil until caramelized and a little crispy, but be careful not to burn. 

Spoon the Brussels sprout hash on to a plate, transfer the sausages to the plate and top with the sautéed leeks, peppers, and braising liquid. 

This is such a quick and easy dinner and if you want to get real crazy you can make some Guinness Ice Cream for dessert. Yeah, I sure did.... recipe coming soon!

Eating Out: The Hart & The Hunter.

I am not very good at remembering to write about my restaurant conquests. To be quite honest, the Mr. and I dine out so often and enjoy so many amazing meals that it's pretty rare that I feel the urge to come home and share the details of our evening. However, on occasion, my mind is blown.

We ate at The Hart & The Hunter last night. A wonderful recommendation from our friend Whitney. (she has an awesome blog: Brunellos Have More Fun.) It is a small restaurant inside the Palihotel on Melrose and it is what my dreams are made of. Amazing southern food that is foodie in the really good way because I HATE the word foodie.  It is no secret that I wake up in the morning craving southern cuisine. I am obsessed with it.... so when I walk into a restaurant (flawlessly decorated, might I add) and the menu consists of biscuits, collards, grits, and fried chicken livers (to name a FEW) you know I am on board.

Let's start at the beginning.... which for me is ALWAYS with a glass of wine. I ordered a glass of their 2011 Westward Expansion Pinot Noir from Potter Valley. It was to die for. Made by Hobo wines (I also had a glass of their cabernet which was wonderful) this is seriously one of my favorite pinots that I have ever had. Yes, I said it.... EVER. It was full bodied, not too sweet and just delicious. I am actually sitting here begging Rich to order a case for me as I type (I am so good at multi-tasking.)

For dinner we ordered four plates. First off, all of the food comes out on mismatched china plates that you would find in your grandmothers garage-- AMAZING. Our server told us that everything on the menu was "small plate" portions, but "small plates" is in quotations because that statement just isn't so. The portions were fairly large and perfect for sharing. I would suggest ordering and sharing, but 3 things per person, as suggested, is a TON of food.

So, we started with the brussels sprouts and peanut salad with aged cheddar and a bacon sherry vinaigrette. It was pretty perfect on all counts, like the best pile of leafy greens that I have put in my mouth in a real long time.... so so satisfying that I honestly could have stopped there and still left a very happy girl. But no.

Next, our server (who was also pretty spectacular) brought out the smoked trout, boiled egg, and pickled onion avocado toast (see top photo.) This too was absolutely wonderful.... and I don't even really like fish. The presentation was also perfect with the majority of dishes we ordered coming out in cast iron and on very cool wooden platters. Next we had the melted raclette, butterball potatoes, corichons, ham, and mustard. This was a mini cast iron skillet of melty, cheesy perfection. I, of course, had to order a side of the cheddar and chive grits and ohhhh were they fantastic. SO cheesy and so yummy. We may have ordered a side of bread to dip in the because they were pretty much like a fondue. I'm not embarrassed- you should try it.

For dessert we had the coffee ice cream sandwich topped with hot fudge and it did not disappoint. It also paired perfectly with the amazing port that we had. Remember how I mentioned how awesome our server was? Well, after dinner he brought us out a taste of Heitz Cellars Port. Yup- just my absolutely favorite port ever from Napa. Needless to say, we tipped him accordingly.

From the service, to the food, to the decor, to the wine list.... I seriously cannot say one bad thing about The Hart & The Hunter. It was truly one of my favorite places we have eaten in Los Angeles.

Go asap and invite me, please.

Napa, I love you.... and BBQ sauce, too.

I know, I know. It's been a while.
I will start with excuses...again.

The Mr. and I just got back from yet another lovely trip to Napa. We had a wonderful weekend filled with friends, wine, amazing food, and me lusting over farmhouses and the dream of owning a horse and chickens. I love Napa.

Cue photos.....

We stayed in an amazing B&B in downtown Napa (courtesy of my wonderful parents) called The Inn on First. The food was wonderful. Really, really wonderful. Not to mention it was as charming as one would ever hope an early 1900's mansion turned romantic inn could be. The owners were so kind and helpful and made our stay seriously flawless. If my farm fantasy doesn't pan out, I will just live there. 

We were also joined by our wonderful friends, Caroline and Ben, from D.C. which was the absolute most fun! And what's my favorite rule in Napa? The more people in your group.... the more wine tastings you must squeeze into each day. That's a rule right?

We stopped at many of our favorite wineries including Stags' Leap, Cliff Lede, Opus One, Heitz Cellars, Marimar Estate, Etude, and Saintsbury (to name a FEW.) We also were introduced to a new favorite......

Scribe Winery.

All in all, as usual, Napa was dreamy. And also as usual.... I probably gained 67 pounds. 

Let's get to the good stuff....

Quack and Cheese from Carpe Diem in Downtown Napa. 

Creamy mac & cheese (a personal fave.) But oh no, it didn't stop there. Top it with caramelized onions and duck confit and you have a dish that will haunt your tastebuds for weeks. So delicious. 

We also ate at Bounty Hunter, which I have to say is one of my new faves in Napa. Please, any restaurant that serves rare wines with a heaping side of pulled pork, ribs, and coleslaw has my vote. Seriously worth the wait (they don't take reservations) and the shame of walking back to your B&B with your jeans unbuttoned. Don't judge. While I loved the BBQ there, my snobby southern hubby turns up his nose to almost all BBQ that doesn't come from a hole in the wall joint off of the interstate in the middle of nowhere. This was no different. In his opinion, the sauce was not up to par.... so, I will leave you with two absolutely to die for barbecue sauce recipes from my sweetie.

South Carolina Mustard Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients:

2 cups yellow mustard
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon tabasco sauce

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons chicken bouillon

2/3 cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons dried rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon celery seed
3 teaspoons mustard powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Method:

Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan and simmer over low/medium heat. 

Tennessee Whiskey Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients:
2 cups Jack Daniel's Black Label or Bourbon
1 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons malt vinegar
4 tablespoons dark molasses
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)

Method:
Combine ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and reduce by 1/3.

Slather onto some smoked ribs and eat your heart out.