Category Archives: Cookbooks, Magazines (+recipes from)

March 12, 2012 · 11:44 am

I will not shut-up about you Socca (aka chickpea flour pissaladière) with crème fraîche

Click on this for deliciousness in detail.

Today I am the drunk person that will not shut-up. This is the first recipe I ever made from Plenty (the vegetable cookbook from London’s Ottolenghi) when I bought it and it led to a love affair (whirlwind even) that has not ended.    And may yet seem endless to you my bloggies, as I have a few more recipes coming and feel gushy about all of them.  I may soon be the Julie and Julia version of Plenty except with a really awkward title.  (Plenty of Cheese?  Sue and Ottolenghi?) The recipes work exactly as promised, with clear defined directions and honestly, turn out just like the picture in the book.  See for yourself:

The book image for your "compare and contrast" pleasure.

Despite the fancy photo shoot, what you see is what you get.  Beautiful dish in cookbook becomes beautiful dish on your dinner table.  In order to save some obnoxious gushing for future posts, let me show how this recipe comes together.

Take 2 cups of cherry tomatoes, slice in half, and toss with some olive oil and salt and pepper.  You’re going to roast these, cut side up, at 275°F for about 25 minutes.  You don;t want them to dry out completely.

Then chop a couple of sprigs of rosemary (the recipe calls for thyme but we had none on hand) and toss with about 2 lbs of thinly sliced white onions adding some olive oil, slat and pepper.

Put this in a large pan and cook n high for about a minute, then reduce the heat to low and cook for about 25 minutes (I think we did 40 minutes last time though) until he onion is light brown and sweet.

At the end mix in 1/2 teaspoon of white wine vinegar.

When the tomatoes are done you need to bump up your oven temperature to 325F.  And now to make the Socca batter with your chickpea flour.

Combine 1 3/4 cups chickpea flour, 2 cups water, 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and 3/4 teaspoon salt plus a grind of pepper in a bowl and whisk by hand until smooth and well combined.

Ina  separate bowl you need to whisk two egg whites to soft peaks and then gently fold them into the batter.   Now line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside to put your pancakes on as you make them.

In the cookbook one is to use a small 6″ pan to fry the pancakes but I just used a regular non-stick frying pan, keeping the pancakes about 6 ” in diameter.  Put a teeny bit of olive oil in the pan, then you want to pour the batter about 1/4 ” thick and then just wait for the bubble to start appearing on the top.  Give it a flip and cook for about another minute and pop onto the parchment lined cookie sheet.  Make the rest of the pancakes (4-6 total) and then put them all in the oven for 5 minutes.

Top the pancakes generously with the caramelized onion and then add the tomatoes. You can warm this in the oven for a few minutes before serving.

The crème fraîche can be served on the side but we just popped it on top. And I would say–make extra onions.  I always seem to want more.

We served this with a Thai-style salad from the same cookbook, which also kicked ass, and I will post that recipe down the road.

You know how I felt about this?  Kind of like The Cure Song Just Like Heaven.  That was a good song.  Especially after a few Keg sized Iced Teas on a first date. But as they say on the Riverbank, that’s another story.

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March 5, 2012 · 7:00 am

Supernatural Brownies still Supernatural after 5 years in drawer

I had offered to bring a dessert to a friend’s house this weekend (she was making dinner) and needed something that was both adult and kid friendly.  In my drawer of recipes I rediscovered this one for “Supernatural Brownies” clipped from the New York Times in 2007.  I  made them many times in 2007 and then kind of forgot about them (either that or I’ve been in a chocolate coma and just woke up in 2012).  Other than the fact that they’re not dairy-free (my friend Meredith can’t eat dairy–and I totally forgot that too) they seemed perfect.

To avoid being a total dessert jerk I brought Meredith some Mango Gelato from Ed’s Real Scoop (I know a pretty feeble gesture) while the rest of us enjoyed these brownies which turned out as moist, chewy and chocolatey as I remembered them.  So I thought I would share the recipe or rekindle your memories of it if you too had once loved–and lost– it.

This recipe originally come from a piece in the New York Time by Julia Moskin  which included 3 brownie recipes (French Chocolate Brownies and New Classic Brownies).  I stopped trying alternate recipes after I tried the Supernatural recipe as it seemed there was no point in exploring further.

This is the NYT’s recipe, as adapted from “Chocolate: From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers,” by Nick Malgieri (Morrow Cookbooks, 1998).

I got chocolate on the dish. Messy picture. Sorry!

1. You need to butter a 9 x 13 ” pan and then line the bottom with parchment, and butter that.  Now preheat the oven to 350 °F.

2. In a double boiler or a stainless steel bowl set over a wide pot, melt 8 oz bittersweet chocolate with 2 sticks of unsalted butter.  You can give it a stir once in a while. then  when melted and combined set aside to cool slightly.  (you can melt theses  in the microwave as well)

3. Now you’re going to put your eggs in a large bowl and whisk them lightly with a hand blender and then add in 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 tsp salt and 2 tsp vanilla.

4. Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg batter and whisk the two until combined.

Brownie worlds collide.


5. Now add 1 cup all-purpose flour and gently fold it in with a spatula until just combined.  Don’t over mix.

6. Pour the batter into the greased dish and bake for about 35-40 minutes.  Until the top is just cracking and becoming glossy.   Remove and allow to cool before slicing.

I prefer to cut the pieces smaller as they are very rich.  And it sounds better to allow your self two rather than one, or a dozen rather than just six. (Once you eat more than 6 you should consider it a meal.)

The final brownies will be shiny and cracking on top with a rich, mist and chewy middle.

And here is your shopping list of ingredients:

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) butter, plus extra for greasing pan
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour

Other than the baking and cooling, preparing this is fast and simple.  A good one for potlucks, birthday parties or Apocalypse planning sessions.

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February 29, 2012 · 10:30 am

Lemon Icebox Pie Recipe (nope, there’s nothing better)

I wish I could post this bigger, please CLICK on it to really get your mouth-watering.

Have I mentioned how much I love whipped cream and lemon and pie and being frozen?

Actually I hate being frozen, ask my toes, they where frozen on many a Vermont ski lift in – 25 C° when my dad would insist the weather (howling wind, sleet) was perfect for a full day of skiing.

ANYWAY, I now know how to ski thanks to my dad.  And I  know how to make Lemon Icebox Pie thanks to the  SAVEUR 100 2012 issue which I downloaded on the iPad— and will continue to do so-love how easy it was to access everything.  (Fromage Fort is in the top 100 by the way, recipe and blog here.)

Amongst the many recipes included in the magazine was a picture of the above dessert.  How could I refrain from making it?  It’s billowy and loaded sky-high with luscious whipped cream and dense lemon filling all situated on a thick buttery graham crust.

You start by combining melted butter, graham crumbs and sugar in a food processor and pack that  into a 9″ deep dish pie dish.

Once this is done you can set it aside and begin juicing your lemons.  About 8-10 lemons make for 2 cups fresh juice. I find the easiest way to juice lemons is by twisting the lemon around a fork, gets as much juice out as possible.

You then combine the lemon juice with 2 cans sweetened condensed milk and 2 egg yolks.  Best of all–you get to scrape out and lick the remaining condensed milk off your fingers.

Then beat til frothy, about 5 minutes.

And pour into your graham crust after many tastes to ensure everything is A-OK.  You are a perfectionist after all.

The pie now goes into the oven for about 20 minutes at 400 F°.

Admission: I altered the recipe as this pie dish was the only one we had and was obviously not deep enough for all the lemon filling.  So I halved the lemon filling in the version I made.  I then only baked it for 10 minutes to adjust for the thinner lemon layer.  You want to just set the filling and get the crust golden.  It will finish setting in the freezer.

Once out of the oven settle the vanilla wafers around the edge and in the dense filling.  Allow to cool completely.

Now into the freezer.  The recipe says minimum 2 hours or overnight.  We had it in there for about 6 hours.  It was quite frozen when we removed it but softened quickly–maintaining a great CHILL in the mouth.

in freezer in case it looked like it was in a giant, metal press

Once out of the freezer add your whipped cream (3/4 cup).  You can serve immediately or put the pie in the fridge until you can’t stand to be without it any longer.

While whipping the cream,  I questioned the lack of even a teeny bit of sugar but held back and only add the suggested vanilla.  Ultimately, the creamy naked whipped cream top was perfect with the sweet lemony basement layer.

And if you do spill some sugar during this whole process….be creative with it.  Especially if you’re almost three and this is your birthday pie….

Happy Birthday Will!!!

Here is the link to the actual recipe for Lemon Icebox Pie, it’s ridiculously simple to make and people will be Mmm, Mmm, Mmming like mad.

THANKS to my brother Dave for taking all these pictures.  Check out his macro photography.  It’s unbelievable.

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February 10, 2012 · 8:00 am

Toast Post: Welsh Rarebit

See--there's veggies--totally healthy meal.

If it were up to me, melted cheese on toast would be acceptable sustenance for snacks and meals alike.  In fact, forget the melting part;  toast, butter and the sliced fromage will do just fine.  But others (grumpy family members) don’t agree that simply swapping aged cheddar for Oka is a “whole new meal.”

So here’s my lazy solution, Welsh Rarebit, also known as Welsh Rabbit, is essentially a savory melted cheese sauce, poured over toast and then broiled and browned.  (Yes, in the UK cheese sauce can be a main course.)

The name originated as a tongue-in cheek reference to a meat-less meal made from whatever was left in the pantry or one could afford.  So I will lean on tradition and call this a perfect, well-rounded supper—ideal for the Sunday night “Oh God, is tomorrow Monday?” blues.

Traditionally made with cheddar, you can swap in any cheese on hand (that’s the point I believe) but I’m going to go with Lancashire (for tanginess) and some Oka (for the nutty, fruity quality) in this recipe.

Welsh Rarebit (one of many versions)

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp Dijon mustard

½ cup Guinness beer

¾  cup cream  (less for a thicker sauce)

1 ½ cups shredded cheese (1 cup Lancashire, ½ cup Oka in this case)

salt  (adjust to taste , some cheeses are saltier than others)

fresh ground pepper

8 slices toasted sourdough or rye

Method

  1. In a medium pot over low heat, melt the butter until foaming subsides. Add the flour and whisk it in until you form a smooth past (a roux).  You do not want the roux to brown at all.

 

  1. Take the roux off the burner and cool slightly (so will not splatter) when you add the mustard and Worcestershire sauce.  Whisk until smooth and then back on medium-low heat add the beer.

 

  1. Now add the cream and whisk until the sauce thickens, this will take a couple minutes.  You don’t want this to boil, if it does just lower the heat.
  2. Pull the sauce off the heat and slowly add the cheese.  It should melt easily, (if you need to you can throw the sauce back on the heat for a minute as you stir).  Set aside, keep warm.

  1. Season to taste.
  2. Turn on your broiler or preheat the oven to 500°F (260° C).
  3. Toast the bread until crisp (to avoid sogginess once cheese is added)
  4. Put the bread on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Pour the sauce over each piece.  Broil until browning slightly (1-2 minutes).

  1. Allow to cool slightly -so it can be handled- and serve to salivating dinner companions.  (Don’t forget to drink the remaining beer!)

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK

chatteringkitchen.com, who first generously posted this as a guest blog this week–do check her out.

and also mention Mr. Cardwell who wrote a comment on the Fromage Fort post asking me to do a little testing and come up with a recipe.  I took inspiration from this great Welsh Rarebit link he sent from The Guardian.

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January 25, 2012 · 8:54 am

Foodie meet Library

Momofuko has been well worn

I would rather tell you how many shoes I have in my closet than how many cookbooks I own.  And actually, it’s not about how many I own, but how many I use regularly.

And when I say use, I obviously mean for recipes (my current 4-5 favourites rotate in and out of the kitchen) but also the books that I love to look at, that remind me of somewhere I travelled or just tell a good story or the books that I WILL use when I finally get around to doing some pit cooking in my backyard.

Pit Cooking (www.primitiveways.com)

But, if you love and use cookbooks you also know that, like an uncomfortable shoe, there are disappointments.  Recipes that never work or are too vague, purchases that were spontaneous “yes! I WILL be an expert confectioner!” and the trendy stuff  (how many Jamie Oliver cookbooks does one house need?).

I also do not mean to imply you have to cook out of a cookbook to enjoy it.  Not at all.  But, at least for myself, now that I know what I like I have a better idea what is a worthwhile investment of money and shelf space. And it forces me to look and flip through and appreciate the book right away as I will have to return it sooner or later.

THUS I INTRODUCE FELLOW COOKBOOK ADDICTS TO THE LIBRARY.

I myself forgot about the library for many years.  With amazon and ebooks downloading in a flash, it seemed troublesome to go somewhere to physically check out a book.  In fact, it did not even occur to me that the library had modernized since I was 12 and is now (gasp) on-line.

I got myself a card and now I just log on, put a hold on the cookbooks or books I want and I am sent an alert when it arrives at the branch of my choice.

Sometimes it takes a day or two and sometimes a few weeks (but how exciting when the email arrives saying Happy Day! The Art of Living According to Joe Beef is mine!! ).

Test Drive Potential Cookbooks

Now with cookbooks I borrow them.  I read them and maybe try a recipe or two.  And generally have a clear sense of whether I need this particular book at my fingertips at a moment’s notice.

And I feel a little more satisfied when finally making a purchase.  Yes, I took the book for a test drive.  It performed as I’d hoped.

And while you’re at the great place called The Library you can also get books such as this:

Or, something beautiful and simple such as this:

And all in all, the place just smells like books and pages and everything is organized and you can hide in a corner where no one knows you reading the latest issue of The New Yorker.

Or just looking in fashion magazines for shoes to buy.

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November 12, 2011 · 11:33 am

Tis the Season for Pomegranate Ice Cream

Pomegranates are here.  And so is my reluctance to buy them and take the time to extract the delicious seeds (arils).  Lazy, yes.

But then I was inspired to take the healthy pomegranate and fatten it up into a simple and delicious, no-churn ice cream.  (Using a recipe from Nigella Lawson‘s cookbook Nigella Express.)  Who other than Nigella could completely kill the heart-healthy attributes of a pomegranate with 2 cups of whole cream?   Screw sprinkling the arils on a salad, I latched onto her bandwagon fast.

And really, de-seeding the pomegranate is not that tough.  Lots of people/websites suggest cutting the fruit in half and then simply tapping it until the arils easily plop out into the awaiting bowl.  I have tapped pomegranates, I have spanked them with a wooden spoon and for me, about maybe 1/4 of the arils ever fall out, no matter how ripe.  So I prefer the underwater method (not you, just the pom.)

I demonstrate this in a Chef Basics Video-so just click on the link for a demo.  Basically, it’s like this:

Take the pomegranate and halve, then quarter. (cut off the crown and score the outer skin with your knife and pull apart).

Now take the pieces and in a bowl of cold water, submerge one at a time and gently pop out the seeds with your hands.  No squirting juice to deal with and the heavier seeds will sink to the bottom while the pith floats on top.

(Bit of a blood bath, isn’t it.)  Now you can scoop of the pith and drain the seeds. Next, to juice, into the food processor they go.

For the recipe, you need to de-seed 2 pomegranates and just buzz them for a few seconds –then drain through a fine sieve. You need 3/4 cups juice for the ice cream but I got about 1 cup. (You will never buy a POM drink again after you taste this).

Next,  juice a lime.  (or have your kid do it)

Total unneccessary picture but how cute are Felix’s little hands!  Add the lime juice to the pom juice and put it into a medium size bowl.  Add 1 1/2 cups icing sugar.  (I was a little leery of the amount of sugar but the balance of flavour was good in the end.) Then add in the 2 cups whipping cream.  And well, whip it, whip it good!  It will be light and fluffy and a very very pretty.

Beware of how much you “taste” at this point. It’s crazy delicious. Sweet, rich and yet a little tart from the fruit.  Spread it into a Tupperware and put on lid, then straight into the freezer.

Ultimately, I left it overnight before serving, Nigella says four hours in minimum.  Was still a bit soft at four hours in my freezer.

Really depends on your freezer and where you put it in the freezer I imagine.  (While making room in my freezer I discovered I had a whole duck in there that I completely forgot about. Plus some half-used puff pastry and a frozen wedge of birthday cake.)

The results:

So good I ate it for breakfast. (Never skip breakfast, bad for your health) .

This whipped ice cream softens fairly quickly so does not have the denser texture of a typical custard based, churned ice cream, but I think it would make a gorgeous finish to a meal if you were entertaining.  It’s really light and creamy, and so easy to do in advance.  For myself, I know how I’ll be getting my daily servings of dairy this week.

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October 12, 2011 · 1:27 pm

My New Tailgating Lifestyle

So many glistening condiments!

Tailgate Party, here I come.  According to Wikipedia, I don’t even have to like sports to hang out in a parking lot with a portable slow cooker.  SEE HERE.  Nor do I have to own a vehicle with a tailgate.  I just have to consume alcohol and grilled food in a social setting.  DONE.  As for the parking lot…  If I get a parking permit I can drink beer and eat chicken wings in my car, parked right outside my house.  And the bonus? No  need for a port-a-potty as a  real bathroom is just steps away (if you consider a 1970’s lavender toilet and sink a real bathroom).

I found this TAILGATE magazine at Wal-Mart (issued by Better Homes and Gardens).   Right away I thought, if “Grab a chip! Nine ways to Dip!” doesn’t fit into my new vegetarian-ish lifestyle, then I don’t know what does. (Count ’em!  1. Spinach-dill 2. Roasted pepper hummus 3. Corn and black bean chutney guacamole 4. tomatillo salsa 5. Spinach-Articoke-Blue cheese and bacon (all vegetarians still eat bacon) 6. Mexican seven layer 7. Chocolate Fruit Dip and 8. something called Amaretto fluff…..hopefully there’s  not a kitten involved)

OK, OK,  #9 is a Cheeseburger dip, but if you’ve got 8 veggies dips, who’s going to notice?

Don't deny this cuteness

Once you see what’s inside this magazine may never need to by another cookbook:

**Recipe for Root Beer Float Cake

**Recipe for a White Chili made with chicken, sour cream and whipping cream (you can use 10% if you’re cutting back on fat)

**Recipe for Grilled Paella w/ sausage

**A “Timings and Temperatures” chart that covers beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey, fish and seafood (it’s colourful and you can tear it out!)

**And calorie and sodium reduction tips like, “pack your bun with only half the massive amount of Texas Beef Brisket that you usually do”

**Best of All– A taste-test of 16 hot sauces purchased at hotsaucedepot.com  (it’s almost enough to have discovered a Hot Sauce Depot)

So laugh and feel superior as you eat your salmon hand-roll, but just know that you’re not having nearly as good a time as the gal eating the Ragin’ Cajun Wings while sipping a Bloody Mary in the back of her Subaru.  (Also,  I know you’re drooling over the magazine cover, not the nori wrap on your sushi.)

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August 29, 2011 · 2:29 pm

Check My Pulse

I have vacation belly.  The syndrome where you start with great intentions of healthful eating while on holiday (“maybe I’ll have half a freezie every other day”) and quickly surrender to all-out gluttony.  It starts with, “Well, I can’t get these duck rillettes in Ontario so of course I should have them for breakfast on a warm croissant” and ends tragically with, “Where else can I eat licorice Nibs and McNuggets for lunch if not in Quebec?”

Which leads me to the amazingly delicious lentil and celeriac salad I made the day we returned from holiday.  Nutrition guilt led me to this pulse-based dish (also I had meant to make it the week before we left for holiday and the poor celeriac was losing all life sitting in the fridge).   Plus I’ve been dying to try some of the recipes in my new cookbook, “Plenty“. It’s the second from Yotam Ottolenghi, based on recipes from his UK restaurant and this book is all veggie.  (Which we need more of in this household.)

Without further ado, I introduce “Celeriac and Lentil Salad with Hazelnuts and Mint”.  Here is the original recipe from Ottoleghi’s Guardian column.

Celeriac: a rather knobby looking coconut exterior

You begin with about a 1.5 pd celeriac aka celery root (I forgot to take the picture BEFORE peeling, sorry).  And slice into 3/4 inch pieces.

Then you pop these into boiling water for 8-10 minutes until softened. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile you gather your lentils, some thyme and a couple bay leaves, add 3 cups water and bring to a boil.

just add goldfish

You are supposed to use Puy lentils (which stay nice and firm when cooked) but I could not find them at the bulk store and so used what I had aka “lentils in the plastic container” (which I think may have been the French lentils anyway).  Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer until the lentils are cooked but still have bite to them (15 minutes or so).

Just to make sure the oven is not feeling left out, preheat to 275 F and toast 1/3 cup hazelnuts.  Skin on.  Cool and roughly chop.  Set aside.

Chop up some fresh mint.  Easiest to roll the leaves into a “cigar shape” and chiffonade.

Drain your lentils and while they are still hot (so that they absorb flavour) add olive oil, hazelnut oil (could not get this so substituted walnut oil), good red wine vinegar and a generous amount of salt.  Plus some fresh pepper.  Mix gently.  Add the celeriac and hazelnuts and serve warm….

…or room temperature.  Just hold off adding the hazelnuts and mint til just before serving and adjust seasoning.  You will probably need a bit more vinegar.

Lusciously healthy, this would make the best brown bag lunch ever.  With chicken McNuggets and Nibs.

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August 4, 2011 · 7:01 am

So Many Damn Peaches

Planet Peach

Summer peaches.  A perfectly ripe, juicy, pain in the ass.

Why do I have to buy a whole basket of peaches?  Why can’t I buy just two or three at the farmer’s market?

Because none of the farmer’s want to deal with all those damn peaches either. “Take them urban consumers!” they shout at us. (In their heads.)

So my perfect peaches sit on the counter while  fruit flies circle and I shove slice after slice into my mouth like some uber-healthy, hot dog eating contest for the “eat local” movement.  At which point I’ve only eaten 2 1/2 peaches.

Ready for the sauce.

So how do I rescue my delicate bounty from the fate of the green bin?

Luckily, Delmonte comes to the rescue.  Peaches in syrup.  AHA!

I slice eight peaches.  I make a light syrup in a medium pot.  (4 cups water, 2 cups sugar).

Once the sugar has dissolved I add the peaches and some mint and basil leaves (my basil plant weeps with gratitude at its usefulness–the poor thing barely sprouts a leaf under my care.)

A peach of a plan.

And then I bring it all up to a simmer, pour in a shot of Triple Sec (from my margarita stash) and pull it off the stove.  Let cool and store in the fridge so you can eat them all week. On top of ice cream!  YES.

Don’t be distracted by the above picture, keep your focus on the fact that the herby-fresh syrup created from our peachy compote is great for cocktails.  Like peach infused Mojitos.

The  minty, aromatic liquid is a perfect sweetener for the limey-tart concoction.  Mash some of the fruit in there too.  God knows you have to use it up somehow.

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July 17, 2011 · 3:26 pm

Thanks for the ribs Pete Watson

Man, my camera was so sticky.

Nothing grilled, nothing gained as they say.  Five years after Pete Watson and his wife Lara gave us a Weber kettle grill for a wedding gift we finally made ribs on it. What idiots we were to deny ourselves the pleasures of grilling ribs on charcoal for sheer procrastination.

But we have gained, oh yes, we have gained.  Sticky fingers, kind of sexy, smoky smelling hair and the most envious aroma of deliciousness coming from any backyard in the neighborhood.   If only I had begun the process in the early afternoon as I declared I would, we could have actually had the ribs for dinner rather than the cold pizza we half-heartedly choked down waiting until the ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender at 11pm.

Here is our talented little grill pre-show.

The kettle potential.

And then I bought myself some apple wood chips and though I could not get a coal chimney (sold out) I got some quick burning coal starter things which were quite effective as long I did not let my thought wander to the substances that made them so quick-burning.

My indirect heat set-up is almost ready.

I have the coals on one side and a drip-pan filled with water on the right.  I put a stainless steel box of soaked applewood chips on the coals just before I added the top grate and the the lid.

Ribs: rubbed, rested and ready.

Two racks of baby back ribs, about 2 lbs each.  I put a dry rub on them and left them for an hour at room temperature.  The rub had sweet paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, dry mustard, celery seed, fresh back pepper and chili powder.  The recipe (BBQ Back ribs with Sweet and Sticky Sauce) came from the Saveur BBQ Issue (I know, what else, right?  I will branch out one day but once again not only were the magazine’s recipes lipsmacking but the stories of BBQ, coleslaw, baked beans, coals, tradition and rivalry were addicitive too!)

And while the ribs cooked between 225 F-250 F over 3 hrs  ( I actually found it hard to keep the heat below 300 F even adjusting the vents as much as I could) I made the sauce.  Honey, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, worcestershire, hot sauce, cloves……MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMessy.

Served with coleslaw and napkins.

And finally at 11pm, with the grill lit from the soft glow coming through the back door of the kitchen, I was able to pull off  shreds of the crispy rib-ends that were slowly caramelizing from their recent basting in sticky sauce.  And I ate them greedily, slightly out of site of my husband before he next opened the door to ask, “are they done yet?”.  And they were good.  Sigh with pleasure good.

Like Angelina Jolie, I am now a Pitt master.

And that’s why I want to thank you Pete Watson.

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