Cheese Plate with Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout

Cheese Plate: (from left to right) Pecorino with Walnut Leaf, Reblechon Prefere Fromi, Roaring 40's Blue, Tomme Crayeuse with KBS.

"A bit of backwoods pleasure without the banjo. This strong stout is brewed with a hint of coffee and vanilla then aged in oak bourbon barrels. Our process ensures that strong bourbon undertones come through in the finish in every batch we brew. We recommend decanting at room temperature and best enjoyed in a brandy snifter." - KBS Bottle

KBS is a beer that Tyler and I never thought we'd find in California, and we never did. But when we visited New York, Tyler had a whirlwind afternoon wherein he found a botte of Cantillon Geuze and a four pack of KBS. I had never heard of this beer before Tyler came back to the apartment in Harlem glowing with sheen of a recent beergasm. I haven't had a lot of bourbon aged stouts, but honestly - bourbon aged beers aren't something that usually peak my interest. In my limited experiences, the flavor profiles have existed within a rather narrow bracket and the bourbon and barrel flavors really take over a beer that may not be that interesting in the first place. But I trust Tyler and that last line about "decanting at room temp" really peaked my interest, so I decided to pair it with a cheese plate.

Here's what really worked: 
Pecorino with Walnut Leaf
This Pecorino took a slightly nutty taste and isn't at all salty like you may expect. It's earthiness brought out the sweetness of the vanilla in the beer. 
Tomme Crayeuse
This cheese had a mushroomy earthiness as well as a sharp lactic like bite.

Here's what didn't:
Reblechon Prefere Fromi
This cheese was great on it's own. It tasted like butter - literally, like cultured butter or mascarpone cheese without the sweetness. It has a ever so slight funk - and I enjoyed eating it on it's own - but it offered nothing to the beer and the beer really overpowered the cheese and wiped it clean off the palate.  
Roaring 40's Blue
Sigh. This cheese would probably have been the best pairing of the bunch, but unfortunately it had gone bad. This would be the 3rd time I've bought a cheese that had gone bad before i bought it. Such a bummer, lesson learned. Always try the cheese you are going to buy. If a cheese has gone bad it will have a somewhat gritty texture, usually it turns brownish and the biggest giveaway is that it has an overwhelming ammonia flavor and smell.

All in all it was a pretty successful cheese plate, and the KBS was an outstanding beer. 

Molly Ringwalds Chicken Chow

I've been told many a time that I resemble Molly Ringwald. I used to get annoyed by this when I was in high school because I figured that it was only because of my hair. As I've gotten older I look less and less like her, but after watching this recent video from CHOW I sorta miss those days. I'd be ok with being compared to this lady - she seems pretty cool. Enjoy!


Watch it here.

From Chow: In My Go-To Dish, meticulously trained chefs, hardworking food-industry folks, and even, sometimes, famous actors show us their delicious, reliable, and easy meals. It's how they get dinner on the table quickly after a long day. Remember: They're just like us.

Recipe: Trofie with Wild Mushrooms

Trofie Pasta with Wild Mushrooms and Garlic

This has now become a Kemp family staple. Trofie is a Ligurian style of pasta that I first had in Riomaggiore in Cinque Terre, Italy. I was happy to find it in Pasadena, but I certainly paid out the nose for it. The traditional way to serve trofie is with pesto, but I decided to make it with sautéed mushrooms in butter. Seriosuly, one of my favorite things I've had this year...simpler really is always better. 

Charcuterie Plate with Orval Trappist Ale (recipe: pickled beets)

Charcuterie Plate: Duck Paté with Porto, Pepper Cured Pancetta, Fararri Prosciutto, Assorted Olives, Homemade Pickled Beets and Croutons.   

This was my first attempt at putting together a charcuterie plate, and it was pretty tasty. We paired it with Orval, which is a trappist ale brewed with brettanomyces from, you guessed it, Orval. It was so tasty. Orval is a great beer that I tend to overlook because I see it so often on the shelves of different bottle shops, and it's almost always at Whole Foods. But, as is often the case, I was a fool. This beer pairs harmoniously with the cured meats I chose, and I bet would do well with any flavorful and pungent cheese plate. Here's what I chose (all from Whole Foods):

Duck Paté with Porto

Fararri Prosciutto
Pepper Cured Pancetta

Accoutrements:
Sweet Air-Cured Olives
X-Large Black Olives
Castelventrano Green Olives
Pickled Beets (recipe follows)
Croutons (olive oil brushed baguette slices, toasted in the oven at 350˚ till brown)


Recipe for Pickled Beets after the jump.

Recipe: Bacon n' Egg Salad

Bacon n' Eggs Salad. Pancetta, boiled egg, shaved fennel, orange supremes, cress, & orange vinagrette. Photo by Jessica

This salad came about because I accidentally ordered the wrong sort of pancetta from the eat counter. I meant to get the cured kind, that you can just eat out of the paper, but I accidentally pointed to the wrong one. I think what would have been better is if I hadn't cooked the eggs quite as long. So if anyone tries this out, either soft boil the egg for roughly 6 minutes or poach the egg. Recipe follows.

A Great Way To Spend Your Lunch Break

By MLE

Jennifer Rubell is a contemporary New York artist who frequently uses food and drink as media in a dynamic and almost theatrical way. Her pieces provoke and rely on audience participation. I am literally brushing the surface of her cataloged projects and I recommend you take your lunch break and do the same. This beautiful video by Gestalten is part of a biweekly film series on visual innovators and leaders, another great way to spend your lunch break. Cheers!

The Suburbs: Course 8 - The Hostess' Cupcake

The Hostess' Cupcake by Laurel Dailey

Course 8 - The Hostess' Cupcake

 Milk Chocolate Soup, Dark Chocolate Cake, Mallow & Créme Center, Dark Chocolate Ganache, Vanilla Squiggles, Orange Blossom Honey, Raspberries