Kombucha

Well, that is embarrassing. First, I make this big announcement that I am revamping the content of my blog to be completely food related and then……nothing. Over two weeks worth of nothing to be exact. Not that I didn’t have other things to do because I certainly did. I had school work to do (which I can’t wait to be rid of), books to read, TV to watch, kids to take care of, etc. What? Don’t food writers have lives, too? Back to the point here. One of those things that I did over the past two weeks was to try the strange concoction of kombucha. This is a fermented tea, which is apparently an ancient Chinese drink and which claims to have a wide range of health benefits. My cousin, who is also a chef, mentioned it in several of her Facebook posts and so, thus inspired, I decided to try it.

I bought my first 16-ounce, certified organic bottle at one of my local “health-foods” grocery stores (of which there are now several in the Austin area – anyone noticed that trend?) on sale for $1.99. The label was colorful and really very pretty, but what intrigued me, beyond anything else, was the flavor: Elderberry Hibiscus. (You can say it with an English/Monty Python accent if you like. You know you want to.) As a southerner, and especially as a southerner with ties to Central Florida, I love hibiscus in all of its many forms, from floral to food. Many restaurants in our area serve an herbal hibiscus tea, which I often drink, and so, when I saw this option, I had to try it. Also, I enjoy saying Elderberry (see the Monty Python reference above), although I have not had particularly good experiences with that fruit (but that is a story for another time).
When I got home, I opened the bottle, not exactly sure what to expect. After reading the label and determining that a 16-ounce bottle actually contains four servings, I poured approximately eight ounces into a glass to check it out. (Yes, I know it was more than one serving, but it was only 40 calories and I was thirsty.) Since kombucha is a fermented drink, I should not have been surprised by the effervescence of the liquid, but I was not really paying attention to the fermented part, so I was slightly taken aback by the fizzy quality of that initial pour. I say “taken aback”, when I mean, “delighted”. I LOVE carbonated beverages. Anyway, I should also mention the smell. It is a little off-putting, to say the very least. It is a mixture of musty and slightly sour, with only the barest hint of the fruits, or in this case, flowers that flavor the drink. That being said, if you know ahead of time, I think you can get past it. The first sip was tart, tangy, bubbly, lightly sweet and oh, so refreshing. I literally guzzled the entire glass and had to stop myself from getting the remainder out of the refrigerator. (I stopped myself for about half an hour and then went back and finished the rest of the bottle. See, I have a little self control.)

So, I am hooked. I do not really know if all of the health claims about kombucha are true, but I also do not really care. I like the taste. I like the effervescence. I like the probiotics that are clearly visible as threads and a general cloudiness in the drink (another slightly off-putting factor, but I say, just man up and chug it). I like the energy I get from drinking it. I like the fact that it makes me feel full (another health claim – weight control and who doesn’t need help with that?). I also like that my cousin, wonderful woman that she is, sent me information on how to brew it myself. I currently have a starter sitting on my counter which should be ready in about a week to start its second fermentation as pomegranate-blueberry kombucha. I will end up with a couple of gallons, all for substantially less than the original $1.99 that I paid for that first bottle. (Since that one was on sale, the price was not too bad. The guava flavored one that I bought last week was a whopping $3.19!) I will let you know how it goes and if I survive my homemade kombucha. If I write my next blog from a hospital bed, at least you will know why.

Specialization

Well, I have decided that random postings on my blog are just not working for me. Honestly, it seems like I am inspired to write only when it is about food, so here is my big announcement for the day: welcome to Central Texas' newest food blog! Yep, I am going to put myself into that little niche, already filled by any number of other gloriously written blogs about a myriad of food related topics. How am I going to stand out? Yeah, I don't really know the answer to that one yet, but I am going to give it a shot at least. I have to keep reminding myself that I got into this purely for the sake of writing for myself. Like I said though, writing for myself has quickly turned in the direction of my other personal/professional passion: food. Anyway, I just wanted to make public what the title of my blog already indicates. Making Every Day Gourmet is not just how and what I write about, it is really how I live and cook, both in my own home and as a soon-to-be-graduating (yay!) culinary student. Whew - announcement done. I am working on a few things right now, some of which I hope to finalize this week and some of which I hope will turn into a journey for me that will yield many, many more blogs in the future. Look for more on this in the coming weeks! Until then, happy daylight savings time and welcome, Spring!

On the Menu for Tonight

Gosh, I love days when I don't have to think about what to make for dinner. This week has magically turned into one of those when I have had a nice run of those kind of days. Now, I say, "magically", but I did actually plan it that way. I just tend to forget how nice it is in the morning to take something that is already prepared out of the freezer and put it into the fridge to await its dinner-time glory. Last night, it was my mother's chicken spaghetti (Mom-cooked food is just about the best thing ever) and tonight it will be pork tenderloin that I spiced and cooked late last week. The original incarnation was served with roasted sweet potatoes and sauteed greens, spiked with pine nuts, chopped dates and fig infused balsamic dressing, which was delicious, but as time consuming as it sounds. Today, however, it is destined for an easy Tex-Mex spin on the evening table. That same tenderloin is going to become pulled pork tacos, probably with some more sauteed greens, some fresh pico de gallo, refried beans and corn. Even at 7:45 in the morning, that sounds pretty heavenly to me. Even better, it comes with minimal effort because the meat is cooked and ready to go.

I do advocate this kind of meal planning and especially cooking extra to make leftovers that work for you, so to speak. I do not often practice what I preach, though, simply because I really dislike meal planning and I am usually on the lazy side by the time dinner preparation time rolls around. My kids are running around screaming, I am exhausted and I don't want to be in the kitchen for more than 30 minutes doing prep for food that may or may not be consumed by the younger set in my family. I can and will cook what I have planned and purchased earlier in the week, but doing that requires plenty of effort, even on the best days. Now, in the case of the pork tenderloin, I didn't really have to do anything extra - the package came with two tenderloins, so I just made enough spice mixture for both and roasted them at the same time. Easy peasy. Cooking more than one meal per dinnertime hour...well, you can forget that.

Long story short, I like it when my "planning" works out so that I have weeks like this. Weeks where the most energy I have to expend is remembering what exactly I was going to take out for dinner that night. Weeks where that same energy is required in some other place(s) in my life. Weeks like this one where I have one more push before Spring Break and a well deserved rest. I guess we will see if I will use that break wisely next week and get some stuff put up for the weeks following. Eh, who knows? I just might surprise myself.

Smart Balance Bechamel

Yeah, that title doesn't sound exactly right does it? Fake butter used to make the epitome of French classical sauces: bechamel, a creamy-rich pool of deliciousness created by the holy combination of butter, flour and milk. It is one of the best bases for any kind of cheese sauce as its mildness easily lends itself to its role as a blank canvas upon which to create any number of flavors. Well, needless to say, I like bechamel - I like eating it (as a base for other sauces; by itself it is a little bland for me) and I love making it. It is one of those classical techniques, that as a budding professional chef, I have learned to make off the top of my head. Impressive? It sure looks that way doesn't it?

Well, anyway, last night, I told my oldest daughter that I would make macaroni and cheese for dinner. (This was based on a recipe that she spotted in her American Girls' Cookbook - Great Depression era foods, to boot.) What I didn't tell her was that I was going to attempt to make it a teensy bit healthier to meet my own dieting needs. Cause, hell, let's be honest here - I sure wasn't going to miss out on macaroni and cheese. So, I decided to test the ability of my Smart Balance spread to hold up to not only a mid-range heat for melting, but also combining with the flour to make that classic thickening agent for bechamel: roux. Granted, this was one platinum blonde roux (for those of you uninitiated out there, roux has a myriad of colors, staring with blonde), but by God, it worked! I will say, that when it came time to add the milk to the cooked roux, I had to work a little harder at whisking out the lumps, but, in just a few minutes time, I had an awesome, thick and surprisingly rich bechamel. I was shocked and very pleased, especially as I enhanced it with a little Kosher salt, dry mustard, white pepper, and finally, a nice sharp cheddar, to make a pretty spectacular cheese sauce for my macaroni. Granted, no American Girl in the Depression had ever heard of Smart Balance and probably couldn't get their hands on anything other than American cheese, but, with whole wheat pasta, fresh, whole grain bread crumbs and a "smarter" and more "balanced" base (see how I made a pun there?), my macaroni was tasty and healthy besides. Nothing to be depressed about at dinner last night. (Ok, I will stop with the puns.) Until next time and the next great food experiment!