Drawing the (Mason-Dixon) Line

I love being a Southerner and living in New York City. I feel like I look at my world through slightly different eyes. Not that I wander around the city staring up at the sky like, "Garsh Maw, them is some mighty fancy buildings." But maybe I am just dumb enough to amused by the things around me.

I recently went home to run in the Seaside Half-Marathon. Wandering around the grocery there I found this:

Over 20 different types of grits in one place. I am not embarrassed to say that I was excited enough to stop and take a picture of this marvel. Anyone who has ever gone looking grits in New York City understands the significance of this. Not only an ok-even-I-have-to-admit-that's-a-little-much selection of grits; but an end aisle display. A place of prestige and honor in the grocery store. I felt like lighting candles and kneeling to pay respects. The search for grits in NEw York could bring to my knees too. Except I'd be crawling along the ground scanning the bottom shelf for that single bag of Arrowhead Mills Stone-ground Grits at a Whole Foods in NYC (ps- only reliable place to buy grits here).

But that's only part of the story.

A few days later I was back doing a little shopping in my neighborhood. What earns an end-aisle display in New York? Well, we already know it's not grits...

A closer look? Sure...

The wrath of God never seemed so adorable. Don't you want to snuggle with the lice and locust?

What, no ice cream?

I usually don't think about pickles until summer, but these beautiful kirby cucumbers at Citarella caught my eye the other day and I couldn't help myself. Best of all, with baby girl Parker's due date just 33 days away (yikes!), my batch of bread and butter pickles will be ready in time for Mom to pile them on top of a bowlful of Haagen-Dazs. 

Bread and Butter are my favorite variety in the world of pickles. Always made from sliced cucumbers and heated in their brine, they're also the fastest to make. I love them because they're sweet and crunchy- plus, you can make them as spicy as you want (a little jalapeno mixed in the brine does the trick for me).

Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe

2.5 lbs Kirby cucumbers, sliced

1 yellow onion, diced
1 green peppers, seeded and diced

1 red jalapeno, chopped whole
1/2 cup kosher salt

4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 Tablespoons mustard seeds
1 teaspoon celery seeds
3 cups cider vinegar

2 cups white wine vinegar 

Toss cucumbers, onions, peppers and salt in a colander. Place the colander in a bowl and place another bowl on top of the vegetables. Fill the top bowl with heavy cans and place in refrigerator for 3 hours. 

Meanwhile, wash and sterilize 6 (1-quart) jars and closures, stand on a baking sheet, and keep hot in a 250-degree F. oven until needed.
 
Mix sugar and spices in a stainless steel pot. Drain vegetables well and add to the pot. Turn the heat to medium high and bring to just below the boiling point.
 
Add the boiling hot mixture into jars and fill to within 1/8-inch of tops, wipe rims, and seal. Cool, check seals, label, and store in a cool, dark, dry place. Let stand approximately 2 weeks before serving.

I added 1/2 cup vinegar and 1 teaspoon chili flakes to my leftover brine and am giving spicy green bean pickles a try too. They should take around 4 weeks, maybe.

...gotta get them serilized and into glass today!
 

For the past few months, the wife and I have been writing a monthly column for MyScoop.us, "an online style magazine that will keep you updated on the latest fashion, best-dressed events, haute travel, posh pads and everything the Southern Belle needs to know to live a chic life." But it's not just for the ladies- fellas, the website and our column are for you too. First and foremost, how to cook like a man for your girl. It's also the best way to find out what all those things you're wife/girlfriend is talking about- like what the heck is 'bib necklace'? 

And let's be honest, she's going to go out and buy new spring dresses anyway. Check them out here, then you can tell her how beautiful she looks in 'azalea.' That way you can get a little something out of it too... a get out of jail free card at least.

Check out our columns here:

Fish Tacos

Table for Two at Chez Home

Paris Inspires Cooking with Balance

Just Married and Cooking

Limoncello Update

More is not always better. A couple of days ago, after around 16 days of infusing, I strained the zest from what is now just 1 step away from becoming my limoncello. Most recipes you find say 7 days is the time to remove the zest. So why did my last more than twice that? 

Let's start at the beginning: why remove the zest to begin with? If the zest is where the flavor comes from, won't it continue improving the longer the zest stays in? In a word, no. As the zest steeps in the alcohol, it immediately flavors and colors the liquid- which you'll see within the first 24 hours. This process will continue as long as the zest remain in the liquor. But once all the flavor has been extracted from the zest, other things begin to come out. As you see in the picture above, when the time is right, the liquor takes a brilliant color and zest becomes pale. The smell is bright and citrus-y. Soon after, the bitterness of the zest would begin to come out. And the more of the bitter white pith that is on the strips of zest, the quicker the bitterness comes out. So if you're careful in removing your zest, the danger is far less. But if you leave the zest in too long, there's no recovering. No amount of sugar will overcome the bitterness from citrus pith.

So how do you know? Well, the easiest thing to do is taste it. There's no rule that says as you zest is steeping you can't open the jar. Smell and taste the liquor every so often after 7 days. When the flavor stops improving, it's time to strain. 

After you have your gorgeous amber colored liquor, blend it with simple syrup to taste.

Simple Syrup: equal parts sugar and water brought to a boil to dissolve and cooled.

Then pack it away in empty wine bottles, store in a cool dark place and enjoy all summer long!

Chopped Champ

The results are in- and I pulled it off! Those you who tuned in to Tuesday's episode of Chopped, got to see the epic battle. If you missed it, catch the rerun- Saturday at 3:00 pm on the Food Network- No Excuses, ok?

Tuesday night was a blast. We had a viewing party at the Barrow Street Ale House. I'm pretty sure it was the first time any West Village bar had all their screens tuned to the Food Network... And a big thanks to all of friends who came out to support me and most of my beautiful wife who was there by my side! 

And jump on over to the Food Network website www.foodnetwork.com/chopped and let them know who you were cheering for this week!

It's Official...

“Daniel Boulud alum and Culinary Institute chef, James Briscione, and southern BELLE IN THE BIG APPLE novelist Brooke Parkhurst’s JUST MARRIED AND COOKING, a cooking and lifestyle entertaining guide with a personal and very Southern accent for the newly married and kitchen challenged, to Beth Wareham at Scribner, for publication in February 2011, by Bill Contardi at Brandt & Hochman.” 

–Publisher’s Marketplace; March 7, 2009

Big News, but not a baby... yet

Well, not that baby. Parker Lee's still got about 7 more weeks. For the past few years Brooke and I have been painstakingly nursing another little bundle of joy to life-- OUR COOKBOOK! 

Just yesterday we received the official word from Scribner/Simon and Schuster-- they have as much faith in our little babe as we have had all these years. They're going to publish it!

Let me translate that for all of my friends (Rob, Daniel, Juan I'm looking at you): a major publishing house just bought our cookbook!

Now comes the long process of actually writing and testing all of those recipes. Stay tuned as the process will be well documented on this site.

What's the book all about? How's this for dust jacket material:

"Girls, girls, girls… There’s still sexism in the cookbook world. It goes something like this: the girls write for the (inexperienced) girls and the men save their goods for serious, professional, coffee-table cookbooks. Rarely does an accomplished, young, male chef try to reach out to the blushing, female home cook contingent as well as reach out to the newbie guy with a brand new set of knives. Even more unique is a cookbook co-authored by a girl and a guy."

I'm Next...

My appearance on the Food Network's newest hit "Chopped" is offically next- Tuesday March 10th, 10pm/9e. 

I'll be sharpening my knives and stepping onto the field of culinary battle. Be sure to tune in to see what happens. Check out this article from the Pensacola News Journal. And join my group on Facebook- 'James Briscione on Chopped'