A few photos from another round of making bagels, over Thanksgiving: [slideshow] Differences between this time and the last few times I’ve made them: I used the “6 cups all-purpose flour + 12 tsp vital wheat gluten” method of making high-gluten flour, since I didn’t have any special flour. This worked well, producing a chewy bagel. 3 tsp yeast (instead of the usual 2 1/4tsp packet), and it was mixed with a little of the malt syrup and lukewarm water a few minutes before adding it into the dough, to give it a head start, since proofing suggested this particular jar of yeast was on the old and lazy side. This seemed to work– the bagels rose slightly overnight (as expected, see the different in the 1st vs. 2nd photos) and puffed up nicely in the oven. I minced three cloves of garlic and toasted them (medium heat, dry skillet) until browned, then used them as a topping on some of them. I cooked in a different oven than normal, on a pizza stone. Unclear if this made a difference.

I’ve been to a few underwhelming restaurants in the past few months that I won’t bother to write about, but I went to Sol Food\* in San Rafael for the first time a while back, and it was quite good– especially the three types of plantains I had: Tostones (shown below): green plantain fried, smashed into a patty, fried again until slightly crispy, and served with olive oil and garlic. Mmm. Maduros: sweet fried yellow plantains, very soft. Mofongo: shredded green plantain, fried with some olive oil and garlic, but a texture much more like rice than the Tostones. ...

Everything except the beans and spices came from today’s CSA: Improvising during a month of (mostly) working late: A minced onion and six(!) cloves of crushed garlic were sauteed with toasted cumin seeds and a little salt for about 10 minutes. Then black beans (one can), whole oyster mushrooms, the seeds of half a pomegranate, and a quarter of an Anchor Steam Christmas Ale were added, and cooked on medium-low for another 15 minutes or so. Hey, the result was surprisingly good– meaty, slightly spiced and sweet. ...

I had a 2008 Goose Island Bourbon County Stout at City Beer recently. Wow. I loved it. I won’t come up with suitable adjectives (volatile?)– it’s more like drinking whiskey than any other beer I’ve had. And at 13% alcohol and a powerful smoky-sweet taste, I could have easily split the single 12oz bottle with one or two other people.

The CSA box this week was potatoes, onions, celery root, beets, sprouts, and kiwis, so continuing my CSA-inspired-dinner-with-one-or-more-friends Tuesdays: Shepherd’s Pie! Potatoes and celery root diced and boiled until soft, mashed with some butter, salt and white pepper and some cheese. Diced onions, garlic, and golden beets (since I had no carrots or celery) sauteed until soft, then ground lamb and some spices added to them, and a little red wine. The potatoes layered on top of the meat in the same cast iron skillet, topped with grated cheddar, and broiled in the oven a few minutes to brown the top. Pea shoots and broccoli on the side (with a sesame oil & sriracha sauce– nothing to do with the rest of the meal) I’ve always been a sucker for shepherd’s pie, and this was a very simple version, but it turned out especially well. The bits of diced beet were a nice touch. ...

If I’m going to rave about great beer in Portland Oregon, I should check out the beer in the original US Portland (which, for your local history tidbit of the day, was the site of the first law banning sale of alcohol except for medicinal or mechanical purposes, in 1851, far before Prohibition). I stopped by The Great Lost Bear, which sells tasting sizes of the 40+ mostly-local beers they have on tap, and tried 8 Maine beers I’d never had or even heard of. And at $1-$2/taste I didn’t feel bad taking a few sips and abandoning two I didn’t like at all. ...

Breakfast: Picking lettuce for a light lunch: Dinner (I made squash with crispy sage butter, and brussels sprouts with bacon and sauteed onions): Apple pie*, later: Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope your food and family or friends afternoons treat you well. \* Which included my first time making pie crust in quite a while, and perhaps my first-ever lattice top? Ahh, delicious geometry. I used a basic dough recipe modified to use 1/5th whole wheat flour, and 50/50 shortening and butter. ...

Freshly-made Boudin Blanc, the white pork sausage made with cream, twice in one week? Once by Christopher Lee at an outdoor wine event, and once by Russell Moore at Camino: The former was served with Acme bread and sauerkraut, and was a bit more meaty in flavor, while the latter was a chicken-pork Boudin Blanc (as praised by Bakesale Betty’s Alison Barakat) with an especially fine-grained texture, and an almost nutty flavor (caramelized onions? the taste of the fire pit?), served with duck fat potatoes, beets, red sauerkraut , and a kabocha-radish salad. Both were delicious. ...

Apparently I’ve been on a steak-cooking kick-- three times in three weeks? I shopped at Olivier’s Butchery for the first time today, and picked up a grass-fed filet mignon. Sure, not cheap per pound… but $9 for what ended up being one of the better steaks of my life isn’t bad compared to going out… Prep counter: steak covered in black pepper and a little salt on both sides, green beans, baby broccoli, sunflower sprouts (all from the CSA box), and shallots. ...

I’m more into beer, but an A+ cocktail at Millenium: “House Infused Manchurian Crabapple & Chipotle Tequila, Makrut Lime, Pomegranate, Cane Syrup, Peychaud’s Bitters”. A tart and smoky slow burn. Cue grainy cell phone photo:

The release party for the Almanac Beer Farmhouse Pale w/ Plums was a very nice dinner and beer pairing at Bar Tartine with food by Hapa Ramen: amuse: lardo, cauliflower with almonds and lemon, and a cup of ramen broth. I tried two beers, an Oud Beersel Oude Geuze, and a German Gose. swordfish crudo with a bit of spice, well-paired with Telegraph Reserve Wheat, a sour, slightly citrusy beer. ...

CSA Week Two, a recent trip to City Beer, and a friend visiting from Boston inspired another little dinner party: Deviled eggs (perhaps the best variant I’ve made: hard boiled eggs, the yolks mashed with quite a bit of olive oil (and no mayo!) and a little mustard, salt, and pepper, sprinkled with smoked paprika, and topped with crispy-fried capers, a crowning touch inspired by this printer & piemaker post). ...

I had dried fava beans, so for an afternoon snack made ful medames: soak the beans overnight, then boil them in a fresh set of water for about three hours until soft, adding enough water to keep them covered, they boiling it down and mashing them into a paste, with lemon juice, olive oil, fresh garlic, and a bit of salt. Like hummus, but earthier. Served with crumbled feta, fresh parsley, some sliced crabapples, and toasted pita bread. This was good– I’d make it again. ...

The Primavera stand at the SF Ferry Building market on Saturday continues to have one of my favorite bay area breakfasts (their addictive chilaquiles):

Continuing to work through my first CSA box (which was kale, three artichokes, an acorn squash, a butternut squash, romano beans, sunchokes, and good eggs):