How To : Homemade Russian 1,000 Aioli

Homemade Russian 1,000 Aioli

I want to first off by addressing the "name" of my new aioli concoction. Because today, we are focusing on one of the most important parts of any reuben sandwich... well, if not the most important part-- the Russian Dressing vs. Thousand Island Dressing debate. The topic can get quite heated in the culinary world of blogs, magazines, and even amongst chefs. However, I knew from the get-go, that every component had to be top-knotch or homemade in nature. I decided to blend the two together to form a SUPER sauce, packed with extra flavor and making it even more extreme. I mean, face it, "Russian 1,000 Aioli" sounds mechanical, nuclear, or even the highest improvement that can be made. If you didn't know I was a food blogger, you might actually think that I might be talking about sports cars or spaceships or computer technology. HA, good joke. But anyway, our entire family has naturally been on a corned beef kick lately... we made it monday, wednesday, + sunday. And to be honest, I think we're still beggin' for that cut o' meat all over again. Although I was repulsed by the idea of pickled, boiled beef brisket in the past... I have become enamored with it. Cooking partially in boiling water, and then glazing it with a sweet + tangy homemade honey mustard sauce before it heads into the oven to broil, really takes it over the top. I mean, heck, it's made a believer outta me!! I repeated the previous recipe, exactly), but this time I knew I wanted to make over-the-top reuben sandwiches. The rundown for that glorious meal between two buns will be posted on Monay (so check back, ya'hear).  I began with making a basic aioli (a.k.a. homemade mayonnaise using egg yolks and canola oil, amongst other things). I use the food processor for this process, so that the machine keeps moving and whipping the mayo, without allowing it to curdle/separate. You can also do this by hand, but heck, who wants to lose an arm that way? Pardon the sarcasm, you won't lose an arm, but trust me it'll be as sore as the dickens. My aioli starts off quite basic actually... toss in a large egg yolk, a splash of red wine vinegar + freshly squeezed lemon juice, some smashed garlic paste, a dabble of dijon mustard, and a big pinch of salt & sugar. I pulse that mixture up as best as I can until it is as smooth as you can get it (but don't worry, it should become creamier throughout the process). After the painstakingly annoying task of slowly drizzling in the oil (with the processor running on constant speed for its' entire duration), literally one drip at a time, your once liquidy yellow stuff will bloom into a creamy, off-white mayonnaise texture. YAY, you're almost there. Remove this mayo mixture into a mixing bowl to finish it off, completing the transformation it into the soon-to-be-famous Russian 1,000 Aioli. You whisk in the typical cast of characters: ketchup, mustard (or honey mustard, like I used), horseradish, Sriracha, onion  powder, cayenne powder, and add any other needed seasonings. Whisk to combine, so that the ingredients evenly disperse throughout. In my hybrid of the Russian Dressing/Thousand Island Dressing... I love to hand-dice pretty decent chunks of bread + butter pickles. If you prefer a smoother sauce, you could easily substitute relish, but I love the texture and pop of vinegary flavor the pickle chips in the sauce. So, bless your heart, do what you please! This sauce might seem time consuming, but the food processor cuts out majority of the work for you. Just make sure to whisk in the pickle chips at the very in, instead of blending them into a relish. And as for my secret ingredient... freshly ground nutmeg and ground cloves. I know, it might sound odd putting those two pungent flavors into a creamy, classic, americano sauce, but they give the dip the some major sass and elevates it from run-of-the-mill-bottled-dressing to awesome-homemade-aioli. Trust me, it's not just good on reubens, it goes great on the following: BURGERS (ohmahgah, it'll be your new secret sauce for cookout parties, trust me), patty melts, sandwiches, french fries, fried pickles, cobb salads, etc. You catch mah drift. And get yo'self excited because this sauce is featured on the best Reuben Sandwich I've ever made... it'll be posted in a day or so!! Enjoy :)


the makings of the perfect Russian dressing-- aioli style



For the Aioli:

1 Large Egg Yolk

2 Garlic Cloves, Minced into a Paste with Sea Salt

1 Egg Yolk

1t Red Wine Vinegar

2t Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

½t Dijon Mustard & 1T Sugar

2 Garlic Cloves, Minced into a Paste (with a little bit of sea salt)

1C Canola Oil

¼C Ketchup

1T Honey Mustard

1t Prepared Horseradish

½t Salt, White Pepper, & Cayenne

1t Onion Powder

Freshly Grated Nutmeg + Ground Cloves, To Taste

½C Finely Diced Bread n’ Butter Pickles (dice into small cubes/squares)

Directions:

1. For the Russian 1,000 Aioli: Combine the egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, minced garlic, sugar, and ½t salt in medium bowl. Whisk until blended and bright yellow, about 30 seconds. Using ¼t measuring spoon and whisking constantly, add ¼C of the oil to yolk mixture, a few drops at a time, about 4-5 minutes. Gradually add remaining ¾C canola oil in very slow thin stream, whisking constantly, until mayonnaise is thick, about 8-10 minutes (mayonnaise will be lighter in color).

2. Finishing the Aioli: By hand, whisk in the ketchup, honey mustard, horseradish, white pepper, cayenne, onion powder, freshly grated nutmeg, and ground cloves. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar to taste, if needed.

3. Lastly, fold in the small diced pickles until evenly incorporated throughout. Use the sauce right away or store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use!!

Blood Orange Mulled Red Wine with Spiced Brown Butter

Blood Orange Mulled Red Wine

HI GUYS. I am terrible. I left y'all high + dry. But but but but, I can explain. See last week the world ended. What? You guys didn't hear? That's shocking, I know, but so true. Well, if you didn't hear, I'll give you the quick rundown of how it snowed two inches in Atlanta and the whole city shut down. I'm not making this up. Luckily for me, I work from home, so I really didn't experience anything too badly. Actually, we were quite excited at first...

the beginning of snow fall

yep, it snows in the south

starting to cover the ground

shots at 5AM in honor of the "state of emergency" 

snow day with my little pup.

See? We welcomed the snow, with open arms. I was tooooo excited, I hadn't seen snow since probably my middle school days. It started innocently enough, but then I got a phone call from my Mountain Man around noon, saying that he got released from work early due to the possible inclement weather. I was TOTES excited. However, I just waited and waited and waited... I watched the news. EVERY major highway, intersection, and street was practically shut down. Black ice was everywhere. Children were stuck at school, or worse, in school buses. Finally 9PM had rolled around I had yet to see my Mountain Man because he had been stranded for over eight hours. In the same spot. I mean it couldn't get any worse. I was stranded at home and couldn't possibly rescue him. It got so crazy, he and one of his friends, abandoned their cars and walked about 7 miles in the sleeting snow back to our house. I can't even tell you how crazy it all was, and it was all over a pathetic two inches of snow. People had to sleep in grocery stores, hospitals, gas stations, and even their frozen cars. It was just straight up ridiculous. By 10 o'clock, the Governor officially called a "State of Emergency" and cancelled all non-essential work/travel for two days. If you guys watch The Walking Dead, this is really how Atlanta looked. No joke. We had no food, or barely any at all, so we ate a lot of potatoes and leftover roasted chicken. Not fun. We did, however, have a lot of red wine... and blood oranges. So, I decided that I would try my hand at making mulled red wine. This classic winter cocktail never really gets enjoyed here because well it's always so-dang-hot and DEFINITELY not snowing. It was the perfect occasion. The flavor was boosted with those gorgeous red citrus fruit, fresh ginger, mulling spices, apple, a-whole-lotta-booze, simple syrup, and a homemade spiced brown butter. The brown butter/compound butter is perfect for any fall drink, but especially anything mulled or it would be fab in a hot buttered rum too! This was the bomb to drink while the snow kept collecting on the ground... and it warmed my Mountain Man up real fast. So all of y'all that are still cold up in the Northern states can enjoy it as well!! Enjoy :)

juicing the blood oranges.

winter citrus art.

gorgeous blood orange slices in mulled wine

a generous slice of homemade spiced brown butter

ready to drink!

For the Spiced Brown Butter:

2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Browned & Softened

2C Homemade Dark Brown Sugar (or store-bought can be used)

1 ½t Cinnamon

1t Fleur de Sel

½t Freshly Grated Nutmeg, Bourbon Smoked Paprika, & Ground Ginger

¼t Cardamom, Cayenne, & Black Pepper

For the Mulled Red Wine:

2 Bottles of Red Wine

4 Blood Oranges, Zests Peeled & Sliced

1 Apple, Sliced

1 Inch Knob of Fresh Ginger (peeled)

2 Cinnamon Sticks

¼C Mulling Spices

2 Star Anise Pods

1C Homemade Mulled Simple Syrup

1 Vanilla Bean Pod, Split & Scraped for Seeds

½C Brandy, Bourbon, & Apple Jack

Nutmeg, For Grating

Homemade Spiced Brown Butter, For Serving

Directions:

1. For the Spiced Brown Butter: Cream together the butter, spices and sugar. At this point you can roll up the mixture with parchment into a log. Cover well and refrigerate or freeze for later use. In the fridge the mixture will keep for two weeks, in the freezer a couple of months.

2. For the Mulled Red Wine:Peel the zests off the blood oranges, and then cut up one of the oranges into slices and juice the remaining three. Throw them into the pot, along with the sliced apple, cinnamon sticks, mulling spices, star anise pods, mulled simple syrup, vanilla bean pod, and fresh ginger. Let this mixture simmer for 5 minutes. Add in the wine and bring back to a simmer, about another 5-10 minutes. Turn the heat off the burner and toss in the brandy, bourbon, and Apple Jack. Stir to combine.

3. For Serving:In a mug, add a tablespoon of the spiced brown butter. Top with a few ladles of blood orange mulled red wine. Grate some fresh nutmeg over the top and serve with a cinnamon stick for stirring. The ratio of the ingredients is really preference.

Mulled Moscow Mules

Mulled Moscow Mules

If I could pick a drink of the autumn-winter season, it would be this Mulled Moscow Mule. It's fabulous. And even though it is a cold drink... that is supposed to be enjoyed during the cold days of the year, it doesn't matter because when swallowed, you immediately feel like you are being hugged by a good looking man in a big 'ole sweater. Now who doesn't want that? Well, I guess some guys wouldn't. But that's a topic to be covered on another blog. Anyway the nitty-gritty deets of this cocktail are pretty simple-- homemade mulled simple syrup, vodka, fresh lime, strong ginger beer, and cinnamon sticks for serving. Ain't nothin' wrong with dat. I am in LOVE with this simple syrup. It is so versatile for the season/holidays. We put it in just about everything... mulled spiked apple ciders, mulled wine, etc. All absolutely delicious. You really can't go wrong. Some of the flavors that are prominently featured are cinnamon, orange, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, mulling spices, star anise, and peppercorns. They all work cohesively together to create a perfect balance between these headstrong spices. The syrup is quite strong + extremely fragrant, but don't worry, the flavor mellows out miraculously with the addition of Vodka. PS-- I hate vodka. So, that says a lot about this recipe when I'm going back for seconds, thirds, and fourths. ALSO, make sure that you buy a high-quality ginger beer, no ginger ale please! It really brings the flavor to a'whole'nother level. We used Reed's Extra Ginger Beer, it was just what the doctor prescribed. Lastly, it is crucial that you serve your drink with a cinnamon stick, because, well, it adds flavor and festivity to it. So do that, fo'sho. Y'all, it's pretty important that you have a copper mug because when the drink is super cold, the mug begins to frost and makes the whole experience much more enjoyable-- take my word for it. Anyway, try these out before it starts to warm up because you'll be missing them throughout the whole summer season!! Enjoy :)

Tito's Vodka, Extra Ginger Brew, Mulled Simple Syrup, Copper Mug

Homemade Mulled Simple Syrup

Ready to enjoy!

excited about the drink

okay, maybe super excited.

For the Mulled Simple Syrup:

2C Sugar

2C Water

3 Knobs of Fresh, Peeled Ginger

½C Candied Ginger

2 Cinnamon Sticks

2 Oranges, Peeled for their Zest

¼C + 2T Mulling Spices

2 Star Anise Pods

10 Peppercorns

½t Cinnamon, Freshly Grated Nutmeg, & Cardamom

Pinch of Salt

For the Mulled Moscow Mules (for one drink):

Crushed Ice Cubes

1 Lime, Zested & Juiced

¼C Vodka

3 Shots of Mulled Simple Syrup

½C Chilled Ginger Beer

Cinnamon Stick, For Stirring

Candied Ginger, For Garnishing

Lime Wedge, For Garnishing  

Directions:

1. For the Mulled Simple Syrup: Add all ingredients to small saucepan and bring to gentle simmer. Stir until all the sugar has dissolved and let simmer for 10-15 minutes or until sufficiently steeped and it has reached a syrupy thickness. Turn off heat and let cool to room temp with spices. Decant into glass bottle (or plastic squeeze bottle as I do) straining out the spices with a cheesecloth or small strainer. It is ready to use or keep in fridge.

2. For the Mulled Moscow Mules: Zest and juice a lime into in the bottom of a cocktail shaker, add in some crushed ice. Next, pour in the mulled simple syrup and vodka (we used our large jigger at home to make our drinks, so we followed a ratio of 3 shots of mulled simple syrup to 2 shots of vodka with ginger beer up to the rim… not exactly specific ounces, so keep that in mind). Fill a tall cup or glass with a little bit of crushed ice. Pour the strained liquid over the ice and fill the glass up to the rim with strong ginger beer for finishing. Stir until a frost forms on the outside of the cup. 

3. Garnish with a cinnamon stick for stirring and candied ginger and/or a lime wedge for presentation and more flavor!

Five Spice Moscow Mules that we enjoyed in Savannah-- our inspiration for this recipe!

Caramelized Apple-Beer Battered Cheese Curds with Homemade Pecan Bacon Syrup

Caramelized Apple-Beer Battered Cheese Curds with Homemade Pecan Bacon Syrup

FOOTBALL IS BACK, it's o-fish. Yep, my people, the Atlanta Falcons are back in action tonight, which means tailgating season is finally upon us. THANKGAWD. It feels like it was forever ago when I was watchin' Alabama win the National Championship and suffering the loss of the Falcons in the playoffs. But all is well because I have a new snickitty-snack to share with my loyal followers, and the tailgatin' series will start off with some fried cheese curds. Have y'all had fried cheese curds? They are kinda like mozzarella stick nuggets, if you catch my drift. I had to pimp out just a smidge a lot by adding a beer battered, caramelized apple chunks, smoky bacon, toasty pecans, comforting spices, and sweet maple syrup. Yeah, I did it, I went way over the top. But who doesn't love the classic pairing of cheese + apples? No one. Who doesn't like beer batter? Fuggettaboutit. And bacon? Well, don't get me started if you are a bacon-hater. These are extra sweet, but super-oozy-cheesy-yummy goodness. You can give them an extra spicy kick by sprinkling them with some cajun seasoning or cayenne right before serving because of course we did!! Now, let's hope the dirrty birds pull off a pre-season win tonight!! Enjoy :)

deep fried goodness.

For the Caramelized Apple Chunks:

2 Granny Smith Apples, Peeled & Cut into Small Cubes/Diced

3T Dark Brown Sugar

2T Unsalted Butter

Pinch of Salt & Cinnamon

For the Beer Battered Cheese Curds:

2/3C Cider Beer

2 Large Eggs, Separated

2T Brown Butter, Melted

3T Sugar

¾t Ground Ginger & Cinnamon

¼t Grated Nutmeg & Ground Cayenne

¼t Salt (heaping)

1C AP Flour

1T Cornstarch
Prepared Caramelized Apple Chunks, Cooked

2C Cheese Curds (tossed in a little bit of flour and remove the excess)

Vegetable Oil or Canola Oil, For Frying

For the Homemade Pecan Bacon Syrup:

2C Diced Bacon, Cooked until Crispy

2C Chopped Pecans

2/3C Lemon Juice

¼C Sorghum Molasses

2 ¼C Maple Syrup

¼t Red Pepper Flakes & Ground Nutmeg

1t Salt + ½t Cinnamon

2T + 2T Unsalted Butter

Directions:

1. For the Caramelized Apple Chunks: Meanwhile, toss apples with sugar in a bowl. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add apple mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are golden and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Set them aside until they are cooled before adding them to the beer batter.

2. For the Beer Battered Cheese Curds: Whisk the beer, egg yolks, melted butter, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt together in a medium bowl. Whisk the flour and cornstarch in until just blended. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the batter sit for 30 minutes. After it has sat, add in the cooled caramelized apple chunks. Meanwhile, toss the cheese curds in some flour and shake off the excess. Heat an inch of vegetable oil in a deep and wide pan or a deep-fat fryer to 365°F. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks (but not dry – dry is when it looks clumpy) and fold the whites into the batter. Dip each cheese curd into the batter to coat, and then let any excess drip off before frying them. Carefully place it in the hot oil and fry for a few minutes on each side. When the bottoms turn a deep golden color, use tongs or chopsticks to flip the curds over. Let the other side turn deep golden and remove from the oil to the cooling rack or paper towels. Repeat until done.

3. For the Pecan Bacon Syrup: Heat a skillet over medium heat and render the bacon until almost crispy. Add in the pecans and toast for a minute. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer the mixture until it has reduced by a third. Whisk in the butter just before serving. Keep warm and serve with the curds for dipping.

4. For Serving:Place the crispy cheese curds onto the center of a plate with a bowl of the warm pecan bacon syrup on the side for dipping. Enjoy immediately while they are still hot!

Brown Butter Baklava with a Spiced Honey Soaking Syrup

Brown Butter Baklava with a Spiced Honey Soaking Syrup

Brown Butter is singlehandedly the most delicious ingredient I cook with. I mean, if I'm making a dessert, most likely brown butter will be included. It's especially important in my favorite chocolate chunk cookie recipe, and it ain't too shabby in savory recipes either, honey! Well, I had been wanting to make Baklava for a while now, but I had to wait until autumn because it just seems like the perfect comfort food on a cold day with a glass of hot coffee. And trust me, we snuck a little triangle at every meal. So, why not add brown butter to each & every layer of Baklava? Brilliant I tell, friggin' brilliant. It seriously enhances the already-bold, nutty flavor from the roasted pecans and walnuts. Then, you add in honey, vanilla beans, warm spices, and citrus... and you got one balanced Baklava, people. The whole pan disappeared within a day, and I was tempted to make another, but I knew my body would completely shut down on me if did. Although some people are intimidated by Baklava recipes, I really didn't think it was difficult at all. Just make sure you have everything ready and prepped, so you can keep layering at a steady pace. Aren't y'all glad fall is finally back? I have missed it soooo!! Enjoy :)

Look at that deep golden brown color...

And those flaky, soaked layers...

And that crispy top...

For the Spiced Honey Soaking Syrup:

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Browned & Cooled Slightly

2C Orange Blossom Honey

½C Water

½C Sugar

1 Vanilla Bean, Scraped for Seeds & Saving the Pod (or you can use 1T Vanilla Bean Paste)

½t Cinnamon

¼t Ground Cloves, Ground Cardamom & Ground Nutmeg

1 Lemon Zest, Peeled

1t Orange Flower Water

¼t Sea Salt

For the Brown Butter Baklava:

1 Package of Phyllo Dough, Defrosted Overnight & Brought to Room Temperature for Hour

2C Roasted Pecans, Finely Ground in a Food Processor

2C Roasted Walnuts, Finely Ground in a Food Processor

½t Cinnamon

¼t Sea Salt 

1 ½ Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Browned & Cooled Slightly

Prepared Spiced Honey Soaking Syrup, Cooled Completely Before Using

Melted Dark Chocolate, For Drizzling (optional)

Directions:

1. Remove the Phyllo dough package from the freezer and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours in order to thaw. The next day, remove the package from the refrigerator 1 hour before using, so it can come to room temperature. When working with the Phyllo dough, only remove the sheets you immediately need, keeping the other sheets covered in plastic wrap, and then cover with a damp cloth.

2. For the Spiced Honey Soaking Syrup: Bring a pot over medium-high heat and whisk in the orange blossom honey, water, sugar, vanilla bean seeds and vanilla bean pod, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, orange flower water, salt, and peeled lemon zest strips. Whisk until smooth. Bring this mixture to a boil and reduce the mixture to a simmer. Once simmering, whisk in the brown butter.  Simmer for 5 minutes until the mixture has become slightly thickened into syrup. Place a strainer over a mixing bowl and strain the syrup into the bowl (this will help remove the vanilla bean pod, lemon peel, and any other gritty spice pieces). Let this mixture cool completely before pouring over the baklava.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spread the nuts onto a baking sheet. Roast the nuts until toasted and fragrant, but make sure not to burn! Just until the oils are beginning to release and they are warmed through. Let the nuts cool to room temperature. Next, using a food processor, pulse the roasted nuts until they are finely ground into small pieces, but do not pulse too much because they will turn into a paste. Pour the ground nuts into a small bowl and toss the nuts with the cinnamon and sea salt until combined. Set it aside.

4. For the Brown Butter Baklava: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and thoroughly brush on some of the melted brown butter into a 13x9 baking pan. Brush the top sheet of Phyllo with melted brown butter, and then grab it and the unbuttered sheet bellow it. Set the two sheets in the pan, buttered sheet face down. Press lightly into the pan. Repeat this twice more, so that you have six sheets of Phyllo in the pan (three sheets of buttered & three sheets of unbuttered). Sprinkle on a third of the nut mixture to make a single even layer. Drizzle some more brown butter on top of the nuts. Butter two more sheets of Phyllo and place them on top of the nut layer. Add another third of the nut mixture, followed by two buttered sheets of Phyllo. Repeat this one last time, making sure to use up the last third of the nut mixture and one last layer of buttered Phyllo. Finish the baklava by adding 6-8 more layers of buttered Phyllo. So that there is roughly 8-10 layers of buttered Phyllo dough finishing the baklava. Brush on any extra brown butter over the top to make sure that they brown beautifully in the oven. Using a sharp knife, cut through the layers, forming a diagonal or triangle pattern.

5. Bake the Brown Butter Baklava for 45 minutes to an hour or until it is flaky and the top layers are a dark golden brown color. Once browned, remove the baklava from the oven and immediately drizzle half of the cooled Spiced Honey Soaking Syrup evenly over the hot baklava. Allow it to sit and absorb the syrup for a minute or two, and then drizzle on more of the syrup until it is thoroughly moistened. You can either use all of it for a really, really sticky baklava or just have some of the syrup left over for cooking other recipes. Allow the baklava to cool completely, uncovered, for at least 3-4 hours.

6. Once it is cooled, soaked, & sticky, carefully remove from the pan and enjoy immediately.