2 Things @ Once

Bacon Thursday Meets Buttermilk Biscuits

I had some leftover buttermilk from the weekend's lemon buttermilk cake so, naturally, I had to make biscuits using the single best recipe ever to come out of a year's worth of Cook's Illustrated. With bacon. Cause, you know, it's Thursday.

Goose Island Belgian Ale Taste Test

After talking about it for weeks, my beer drinking buddies John, Karen, Anne and I finally got together for what I hope will be the first of many beer tastings. All four of us have become big fans of craft beer and we decided to start local with a tasting of four Goose Island Belgian Ales. Bottles of Matilda, Pere Jacques, Sofie and Fleur were procured and we all gathered on Karen's back deck last night to sample and compare. The evening was warm and the beer was cold--a perfect combination.

I've enjoyed many a Matilda in the past few months and have tried Sofie and Fleur in the past as well, but I've had a hard time choosing one favorite over the other so I was very interested to try them side-by-side. After trying all four, Matilda (a Belgian Style Pale Ale) remains my favorite. It's described by Goose Island as having a "spicy yeast flavor" that's "dry and quenching" and since I tend not to like the malty brews, this fits. I also find Matilda is a good choice for drinking solo or with food.

My second favorite was the Sofie, a champagne colored Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale, crisp and refreshing with notes of citrus and vanilla. The flavor and it's lower alcohol content make it a good choice for summer. Leffe Blonde is a current favorite of mine (always on tap at The Grafton!) and Sofie put me in mind of that. 

Matilda, Pere Jacques, Sofie and Fleur

Anne favors IPAs in general and John and Karen both like their stouts, so the three of them picked Pere Jacques (a Belgian Style Abbey Ale) as their favorite. I was in the minority, putting this strong flavored beer, described by Goose Island as "malty" and comparable to a vintage port as my least favorite.

That leaves the Fleur, another Belgian Style Pale Ale. With it's hibiscus flavor and distinct red color, it's aptly named. Initially, this beer underwhelmed most of us, which came as a surprise to me and Karen since we'd shared a big bottle last week and really liked it. It dawned on us it might have been that we were drinking it with a farm box dinner and sure enough, pairing it with the cheese, sausage and crackers we had on hand improved our enjoyment of Fleur.

Missing from our taste test was the Juliet, Goose Island's Belgian Style Sour Ale. I'm already looking forward to trying it; "fermented with wild yeasts and aged in cabernet barrels with blackberries, Juliet is a tart, fruity, complex ale. Notes of wood, tannin, dark fruit and spice..." Though I've never had a sour ale, I'll be surprised if I don't like it. 

Yesterday Was a Good Day

Here's a little wrap-up on my whirlwind day yesterday. If you follow me on Twitter, I apologize in advance because this will be old news for you. I'll include some of my Tweets and elaborate beyond the 140 characters.

A roller coast day today: acupuncture (calm), Cubs game (frustration) and sailing (relaxing.)

Started the day with a visit to the acupuncturist. She worked on my upper back and pectoral muscles which haven't gotten a whole lot of use since the surgery. She loosened me up, working out some of the tightness. I'm going to start a little yoga on my own to stretch, strengthen and increase my range of motion. I'll start easy with some sun salutes.

After a general, restorative acupuncture treatment, Karen and I stopped at the Julius Meinl in Lincoln Square for coffee and an early lunch. (I had the melange: frothy milk, espresso and a dusting of dark chocolate. Delicious.) And, because it was Bacon Thursday, I had to try the bacon sweet roll, which had a generous slice of bacon baked right into the cinnamonny dough, with a light creme cheese frosting on top. I also had the red pepper, bacon and blue cheese quiche. Amazing. The blue cheese really made it.

Then, it was over to Wrigley Field for my first Cubs game of the season. The day was sunny and warm with little humidity and a breeze in the stands to keep it cool. Absolutely perfect weather to sit and enjoy a game. 

I didn't mind the new controversial Toyota sign over the left field bleachers. The "see-through" design is much preferable to a standard billboard and frankly, I prefer it over the ugly Horse Shoe Casino ad on the roof behind it. (Though I don't like the beer, I liked the bright Budweiser roof that had graced that house for years.) I do hope this is it for signage in left field but I'm not holding my breath for the next changes to hit Wrigley, whatever they may be. Time will tell as to whether the Ricketts family is starting down a slippery slope. 

The other big change (besides the spiffy upgraded restrooms--with their strangely low toilets) was the addition of prerecorded "walk on" music for each of the Cubs. (Gone is the organ music that accompanied players as they walk up to take their turn at bat.) Now, like other big league parks, Wrigley has begun playing snippets of prerecorded music. Half the time we couldn't really make out what the song was and they didn't blare it nearly as loudly as at other parks. Whether the music was helping to fire-up the players seemed doubtful, since the Cubs continued with lackluster hitting. That was, until the ninth inning when the bats got hot and they beat Oakland in walk off, 3-2. 

"Ouch. Throwing my arms up in the air when the Cubs win in the bottom of the 9th hurt but it was spontaneous and worth it."

So far, one change the Ricketts haven't made is the one I'd be 100% behind: changing the stupid song that's sung after every home game win. "...the Cubs are gonna win today..." No, idiot, the Cubs WON today. Ugh.

We had a few hours to kill before our 7 o'clock sail date at Montrose Harbor, so Karen, Anne and I headed over to Hopleaf for a craft brew and dinner. I tried a saisonniere, this one by Urthel. It was very tasty, the perfect crisp beer for a summer day. Had the Tilapia sandwich with, of course, some of their delicious pomme frittes. The beer paired nicely with the food.

Then, down to Montrose Harbor. It was a beautiful evening. Calm winds, clear skies, with a few clouds that promised a great sunset. Got on board, prepped the boat, headed out and as soon as we cleared the harbor entrance, we entered a non-stop washing machine, bobbing this way and that way, up, down, back and forth. The lake, coming from different directions and bouncing off the shore and the breakwater was just a sloppy mess. This combined with a minor sail problem that we were unable to fix on such bouncy seas. We tried to sail with the jib only, but there wasn't enough wind, and by then, a mere 30 minutes on the water, I was starting to feel a little green. I wasn't the only one and so we headed in to get out of the mix and fix the sail.

After we'd buttoned up the boat and were sitting on deck enjoying the evening and watching the sun set, the Captain recommended a little whiskey on ice to settle our stomachs. Have to say it worked and we ended the day on a sweet note.

Bacon Thursday: Bacon Ice Cream!

Happy Bacon Thursday everyone! And have I got a treat for you.

Actually, it's for me, but I absolutely had to share. Allow me to present the ultimate in sweet-meets-salty:

Maple Brown Sugar Bacon Brittle Frozen Custard!!!!

How awesome is that?! My friend Victoria, a culinary master with a creative streak a mile wide, created a specialty ice cream treat for me based on my love of bacon. I have to say, it's probably one of the oddest things I've ever eaten and I had to laugh as I took the first few bites, because there's REAL BACON in the ice cream!! But I also have to say, it's really good. And complex. There are lots of different flavors and you taste them all in turn with each bite.

I shouldn't be surprised though. I mean, what's not to like, right? Maple? Oh yeah, show me a box of maple candy and I'll show you an empty box. Brown sugar? Everything's better with brown sugar. Bacon? Hell yeah.

This ice cream (I guess it's technically frozen custard, but I'll keep calling it ice cream because it tastes just like premium ice cream) is terrific. Creamy and delicious, full of real maple flavor; that alone would be worth sitting down and devouring the entire pint. But the bacon brittle is the star of the show here.

If you look at it and think, there's meat in that ice cream, you might not get any further, but trust me, it's good. Bacon brittle is the perfect description. The bacon bits are crispy and hard like candy and as the ice cream melts in your mouth, the bacon gets chewy like caramel. As the maple flavor that hits you in the beginning of each bite gives way, you really taste the bacon. And it's good. This is rich stuff, as you can imagine bacon in cream would be--a little goes a long way.

This Creamotherapy takes Bacon Thursday to a whole new level. Victoria, I can't thank you enough!

(And Victoria, you might want to patent this idea. People would buy this. Oh yes they would.)

Saturday 3 p.m.: IPA Beer Tasting at Binny's

Saturday 3 p.m. ~ Tea & Sandpaper

Playing a little catch-up here, posting Saturday 3 p.m. photos from the past two weeks. The first is from the first Saturday of the month when Karen was over and we tried a new tea from Halcyon Tea. Aged Yunnan, a Pu'erh tea, is described as "earthy" and is touted to have great healthful qualities, such as lowering cholesterol and blood sugar.

Very unlike most tea I drink, it was distinctive right out of the bag. Smelling it, I was immediately reminded of the zoo or a farm--and I mean that in a good way. Karen said it called to mind her uncle's barn. Hay was what we were both smelling. The flavor was earthy as promised and I very much enjoyed it. This tea brews fast and dark. It's the first tea I've had that involved a rinsing of the tea leaves prior to steeping, which was a quick twenty seconds.

Last Saturday, we had our first day of pre-sailing season boat prep. Rick's sailboat has been in dry dock for the winter and spring means time to clean her up and prepare for another summer on the lake. The hard work (cleaning and painting the hull) will be hired out. That leaves us crew to sand and varnish the wood and give the boat a good general cleaning.

Then, sometime in May, the boat will be dropped back in the water, we'll motor down the Chicago River and back into the lake, where the crane operator at Belmont Harbor will help us put the mast back up. An afternoon spent rigging the boat with the sails and lines and we're ready for another summer on Lake Michigan. Sounds like a lot of work but it's actually quite fun, all of us there working together. And it's a small price to pay for many relaxing and invigorating hours on the water throughout the coming months.

Bacon in the Microwave = Fail

In the interest of time, I decided to microwave the bacon, something I never do. And judging from the result, I won't be doing it again.

The Tea Fairy Was Here

This afternoon, just as I put the tea kettle on to boil, the postman delivered my order of tea from Halcyon Tea in San Diego. You may be wondering, don't they have tea in Chicago? Halcyon is special. Not only is it an inviting storefront filled floor to ceiling with aromatic, delicious teas from around the world, they are independently owned (always a plus in my book) and in this case, one of those entrepreneurs just happens to be my step-brother. Double reason I'm happy to support them.

Up until about four months ago, I wasn't much of a tea drinker. It all tasted like hot water to me, which figured since most tea I'd had came from grocery store tea bags. Weak at best. Brewing and enjoying fresh tea is flavorful and enjoyable and I actually look forward to the ritual of preparing a cup or pot of tea each day.

Now, thanks to my most recent shipment of tea, I've got a whole new array of flavors to choose from. This should keep me in tea until warmer weather comes along and I'll be ready to experiment with some tea on ice.

BTW--My tea collection includes peppermint, rooibos chai, restful calm, ginger peach, organic earl grey, organic vanilla orange rooibos, and aged yunnan. As you can see, I'm not yet quite brave enough to venture too far into the black or green teas. Fruity and herbal are, ahem, my cup of tea.

The Bacon Thursday Taste Test

What began as a random comment posted on Twitter about a month ago has become a weekly event--Bacon Thursday! Thursday is one of the days when I'm "working" from home, so I have the luxury to fry up some bacon for breakfast. I get my bacon from the awesomest butcher around, Holzkopf Meat Market in Edgewater (on Broadway near Granville.) They've recently added a third bacon option to their lineup so I thought it would be fun to try them all together to see which I liked best.

Karen, my partner in all things Holzkopf, needed no convincing to join in on the taste test and since she really does work from home, she was able to make an appearance at Bacon Thursday. We fried up three slices of each of the three bacon varieties: Jones Hickory Smoked, Usinger's Applewood Smoked and Dreymiller & Kray Applewood Smoked.

The Dreymiller & Kray bacon (on the left) looked the most distinct right out of the package. The meat was pinker, looked fresher, and seemed to have a higher ratio of fat-to-meat. The Usinger (bottom right) was the most fragrant and wonderfully smokey. The Jones (top right) looked most like your (above) average supermarket bacon.

Now, how did they taste? The Jones hickory smoked (top) was the mildest. Once cooked up, the slices were widest and the taste wasn't as salty as the others. This reminded me most of the bacon I grew up eating. Tasty but nothing special.

The Usinger applewood smoked bacon (left) was the most flavorful. If you like your bacon to taste like it just came out of the cowboy skillet over an open campfire, this is the bacon for you. You can really taste the applewood and it tastes great. This is the bacon I'll be using this summer when BAT season rolls around. (Bacon Arugula and Tomato--my preferred take on the good old BLT sandwich.)

Karen described the Dreymiller & Krey applewood smoked bacon (right) as more complex and I'd agree. The wood flavor is subtler and the meat didn't taste as salty as the Usinger. We also noticed it tasted great with the coffee we were drinking. My big problem with the D&K is that, in the three times now that I've cooked it up, it gets too crispy, no matter how low the heat I'm using. I prefer my bacon to be softer and chewier; when I was a kid, I'd call it "limber bacon."

So, over all, my favorite would still have to be the Usinger applewood smoked bacon. If I could figure out a way to get the Dreymiller & Krey to cook up on the limber side, it would be a close second. Good thing I've got half a pound remaining in my fridge on which to practice.

Saturday 3 p.m. ~ Photos and Beer

I'm taking a little liberty with my Saturday 3pm photo this week. I always give myself the option of plus-or-minus an hour on either side of three pm, as a way to mix it up a little. This time I thought I'd include the period just before, during and after three o'clock yesterday afternoon.

Taken out of the window of The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago. I was there to see the second of two photo shows of the day, this one by Anna Shteynshleyger. Didn't much care for it. I found them fairly depressing, so if that was her intention, well done. I enjoyed the first show much more. Stephen Daiter Gallery is one of my favorites in Chicago. Currently they have photos by Martin Parr on display. Very amusing stuff. We all got a kick out of his sense of humor.

On the drive home, we decided to stop by Hopleaf for a beer. This is when the clock struck 3pm, time to take a photo and (hooray) opening time at the Hopleaf.

I've been eager to try local brewery Goose Island's newest brew, Green Line, a beer with a small carbon footprint, meaning it's only available in Chicago. They describe it as "environmentally friendly, economical and very tasty" and I'd have to agree. It had a nice little bite to it and I tasted a bit of pepper at the finish, which was a nice surprise. Plus, a pint is only $3.50! Sweet.

We also tried Goose Island's Bourbon County Stout, a beer aged in bourbon casks for 100 days. It was thicker and you could definitely taste the bourbon as well as chocolate. I enjoyed it and would drink it again; it would make a good after-dinner drink. The taller, dark beer is Dark Heather Saisson from New Belgium.