Sweet Onion Marmalade

     I started to develop this recipe due to a Taco Throwdown that we're having at work this weekend.  The build of the street taco is:
                                               Corn Tortilla
                                               Sweet Onion Marmalade
                                               Habanero & Papaya Slaw
                                               Pepper Crusted Smoked Pork Belly

     We tried this recipe a few weeks ago and give it a trial run to see how well it would sell, crazy popular.  We made them small using a 3" tortilla so they were easier to eat.  Also, the Pork Belly is somewhat fatty so there's only so much that you would want to eat at one time.  What I'm focusing on for this entry is the Marmalade.  Marmalade is typically a word used when fruit is boiled with sugar and water but that's the great thing about food, so many items are interchangeable.
     The recipe is very simple.  I know that I wanted to make a nice, rich onion base for this taco and marmalade was the first thing that came to mind.  I've made a red onion marmalade before, just different ingredients so I figured it would be easy enough.  As you can see below, I started with basic yellow onions and caramelized them in their own moisture.  Nice and slow on moderate heat so you can achieve a balanced caramelization with no burnt pieces.
     Next, I deglazed the pan with a mixture of red wine and balsamic vinegar to gather any flavors that may have gathered on the bottom of the pan.  As soon as the liquid is mixed in, add brown sugar, sugar, and salt.  Looking at the third picture, the mixture kind of looks like a pot of worms but believe me, it gets a lot better.  From this point, I turn the heat to medium low and just let the mixture cook until it thickens and resembles marmalade, or jam for the individuals who've never worked with marmalade.  A mistake commonly made when cooking with balsamic vinegar is that if you cook on too high of a heat during reduction, there's a good chance that the vinegar will scorch.  Also, when you're trying to reduce any liquid, it's always good to not boil the mixture because it's believed that you'll lose a lot of flavor.
     The mixture looks very rich and thick as if it were made with beef stock or something similar and that's how it should look.  The finished product has a bold onion flavor with a slight tang from the vinegar which will help balance out the sweetness.  You have to keep the pairings in mind though.  Eating onion marmalade by itself will not be very pleasing, but with the slaw and pork belly, it's one great combination.

Blackened....or lack thereof

     A popular modern invention of blackening food creates a very complex and intriguing flavor.  The classic way of blackening food is to dredge the item in butter, a mixture of spices and sear hard in a very hot cast iron pan.  There isn't a lot of spices in the mixture so it's easy to mix your only blackening spice and get cooking.  The containers of blackening spices that you can purchase are not a bad choice, its just a bad choice of the cook that doesnt really know what they're doing.
     The inspiration of this entry was a "Blackened Ahi Tuna" dish that I had previously.  The sides that accompanied the Tuna were a good choice and would have matched very well if the Tuna actually had blackening spice on it.  While the spice and proper sear were missing, the texture was great so I can't be that mad.  I really enjoy a piece of fish that's blackened so I just wish that I can help others understand what the real procedure is so they get a superior product on a more regular basis.
     The common mixture of spices are paprika, ground black and white pepper, oregano, thyme, chili pepper flakes, garlic, and salt.  These are common spices found in Cajun cuisine and the ratios that are used are left up to the one cooking.  Personally, I like to balance the earthy with the heat so that you can still enjoy the protein without blowing out your palate.  If properly done and you have a piece of fish sitting in front of you with that nice, crispy shell of blackening spice that breaks into the soft and flaky flesh, it really plays to all senses in both taste and texture.  Butter is always a great choice to pair with fish so dredging first in butter, then crusting with spices definitely adds another element to the experience.
     I believe that I've had only one experience in a restaurant where I ordered a Blackened Salmon and it was actually blackened.  It was very delicious and complex both in aroma and taste and it left me wanting more and more.  So I'm going to leave this somewhat vague to hopefully entice you to go try blackened food for yourself, if you haven't already.

Bread

 We all know that too much bread in one's diet can and is bad for one's health.  Who cares?  To have a fresh baked loaf of bread in front of you is a great thing.  I know that I could never be a baker by profession but home baking, for me, is very rewarding.  Bread baking is meditative for me and it's something that I really enjoy to do on my days off.  Something about the smell of the yeast blooming and the semi-crispy crust that crackles under the pressure of your hand is something that I really get into.  Bread making is a hobby of mine but I never thought that I would make bread to sell to others.

     October 2010, the 1st annual Taste of Place in Boulder took place.  My wife was the driving force for me to sign-up to sell my breads.  I thought about doing something like this but I never really pursued it.  When we first moved to Colorado, I had some difficulties in finding a good job.  With the little spare time that my wife had, she looked through ads to help me out.  That's when she stumbled across an ad that was calling for local artisans to sign up for this first annual event that was hosted by the Root Sellers, a local artisan group that focuses on local, sustainable products. 
     So, I bit the bullet and signed up.  Why the hell not right?  I did my research on making my breads that much better.  I experimented with different flours, sweeteners, fats, and pans.  I had about two months to get it together and get my breads where I felt comfortable with selling them to the public.  I'm sure my family grew tired of me feeding them bread after a while with all the test samples that I kept creating.  I got my recipes where I wanted, bought the packaging, and had a friend of ours create business cards for me.  I was ready.  I never did one of these events before so I had no idea on how much to make.
     This was the final list:
        -Honey Oat Wheat Bread
        -Light Rye Boule
        -Butter Yeast Rolls
        -Pumpkin Ginger Bread
        -Banana Bread

     It was great.  I never expected people to enjoy the bread as much as they did.  I set up a cutting board and sampled two of the breads and people started buying.  I finished the day with a couple hundred extra dollars in my pocket.  The great thing about it was, I didn't care about the money.  I enjoyed making all of that bread and participating at the event that the money was an added bonus.
     
     We'll get more into breads as we go along.  I'll definitely have more to say about this.

Pimento Cheese

     Have you ever had one of these?  Growing up in the South you heard about pimento cheese sandwiches all the time.  As a kid, I never really liked it.  I tried it a handful of times and it just wasn't for me.  It wasn't until I went to the Masters Tournament last year when I had one for the first time in a very long time.  It's amazing how one's palette changes as you get older because it was delicious.  It's very easy to make but if you're on a diet, you better stay away.
     The typical application is a sandwich.  It's used in many different ways but the sandwich is the most common.  The most common ingredients are Pickled Cherry Peppers, Mayonnaise, Cheddar Cheese, Salt, and Pepper.  The texture to which you blend this is completely up to the person making it, but it's usually left somewhat chunky. 
     Some of the other ingredients that are frequently used are Cream Cheese, Velveeta Cheese, Jalapenos, Worcestershire, Cayenne, Hot Sauce, Paprika, Onions, Garlic, and Pickles.  I do enjoy the original ingredients, even though mayonnaise has a bad rap, I just don't mind it.  I wouldn't mind trying this sandwich with any of the other ingredients added to the mix, just keeps it that more interesting in my opinion.
     When I ask people about the pimento cheese sandwich that live here in Colorado, some don't know what I'm talking about, while some remember it from their childhood living in the South.  I know that most health conscious people do not care for anything with mayonnaise but try it at least once.  If you go to the right place, you could really get an amazing sandwich.  There are restaurants that currently do their own version of the Pimento Cheese Sandwich with some added ingredients that really spice up this classic southern recipe while giving it a high-end appeal.

What I want to learn next

     You don't see this that often but it still exists.  Some places are known for their Coffee Art and they're even showcased on food shows.  I like to be surprised.  I like it when I go to some random coffee shop, just looking for some caffeine and the barista makes an attempt at Coffee Art.  Sometimes, it is really, really bad.  Everyone has to start somewhere right?  Then there are a few times where the barista seems to make this effortless.  I think that perfecting Coffee Art will give me that special touch for the future shop.
     Of course it looks easy.  What could be so difficult?  You brew the espresso, froth and steam your milk, start pouring the milk and then make the slick little zigzag side-to-side to make the above design.  Sounds easy, but not so much.  I've tried and it just never seemed to pan out.  Not only do you want it to look good, it has to taste good.  A common mistake is to over steam the milk to try and get more and more froth.  Also, too much froth will not help you in making Coffee Art.  There's that perfect stage where the milk and froth are right where they need to be, something that I still have yet to get a hold of.  So now it's time to learn and practice.

Like I said, Coffee

     I have this addiction to all things coffee.  Not only do I need the caffeine to start my day, as a lot of people do, it carries another quality with it.  There's an intriguing aspect to the bean, everything from where they originate to the various ways they're utilized.  I've spent time in countless numbers of coffee shops just studying their operation and getting ideas for what works the best.  Some shops are just a hole, with tables, chairs, a counter, the essential equipment and nothing else.  While other, "high-end" coffee shops are popping up all over the place that are starting to look more like dance clubs than a coffee bar, but I still enjoy the more relaxed, peaceful location.  That's the type of atmosphere that I'm looking for when we start our own coffee business.
     I've spent the last several years studying coffee because of this hopeful future business.  Learning the origins, the varying farms, the care those farmers give in roasting (if they roast them at all), the charities they support, and most importantly, the numerous ways the beans are brewed and enjoyed.  I started out drinking the heavy sugared coffee drinks that barely tasted like coffee back in the day.  I just thought that black coffee had such a bitter flavor that drinking something with vanilla and caramel flavoring would be my only option.  As is also true with wine, I needed to build my palette and expand on my choices.  I think that the number one reason why people are turned off by coffee, is due to the heightened levels of acidity in most cups that are sold these days.  Believe me, there are so many better options out there than what's offered by the major corporations.
     Even your non-coffee drinkers typically have a connection with coffee.  It may just be the aroma that they enjoy, or that smell conjures up past memories that have a special meaning.  One typical phrase that I hear is, "I love the smell of coffee, I just can't stand the taste".  There's nothing wrong with that.  The aroma that comes from a properly cared for and brewed bean can be stimulating to the senses, in many ways.  I do believe that the average person has not enjoyed a proper cup of coffee.  A lot of commercial brands sell coffee more for the profit than the quality.  These companies commonly fill their coffee bags with fillers, or overroasted beans.  Even though overroasted beans have a bitter taste to them, their cheap.  No one else is going to buy them so why not add them to the rest of the beans so they can continue to make more and more money.
     As mentioned before, I have a feeling that coffee will be a topic that I visit frequently, so we'll dig more into the expanding world of coffee further.

Beginning of Something New

     This is something that I've thought about doing for quite some time now.  I've wanted to have a source to share my experiences with food and I think this is a useful medium to do just that.  A life in food can be rewarding and at the same time, extremely frustrating.  Given that, it's a passion that I just cannot do without. 
     I have some types of cuisine and ingredients that I especially like to work with but hopefully, by continuing with this blog, I can reinvigorate the love affair with all aspects of this obsession.  I'm positive that my entries into this blog will bounce around from time to time and one topic you may here a lot about is coffee, something that I must have to get through my days.
     I hope that this blog is entertaining and informative to those that follow it.