Category — Fun With Food

Beer and pretzels go together like peas and carrots. Both beer and pretzels play starring roles in this dessert.

The dish starts with a chocolate stout cake. It’s the same cake recipe I used in my Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwich. The cake is extremely moist. The chocolate is a background flavor to the maltiness and bitterness of the stout beer. The cake is soaked in cherry Lambic Ale to add even more moisture and beer flavor. After soaking it’s covered in stout ganache then filled with a pretzel infused caramel.

Opposite the cake is a sweet and salty pretzel ice cream. It’s sitting on top of some crushed pretzels and topped with black Hawaiian lava salt.

Finally, I used the leftover cherry Lambic that I didn’t use to soak the cake (or drink) to create a thin gel of beer which I then cut into pretzel shapes. Some stewed cherries add an extra cherry element, because the fruit pairs fantastically with beer, pretzels, and chocolate.

Want the recipe for this beer and pretzel dessert? I’m more than happy to share. Simply click the link below and sign up for the Garrett’s Table monthly newsletter. I’ll include the recipe in my next mailing (5/1/2010). Each newsletter contains updates from Garrett’s Table as well as subscriber only content. Signing up is easy and you can unsubscribe at any time.

These stunning photographs were taken by Mike Boehmer.

Mike is a Chicago-based photographer and a regular contributor to The Windy Pixel. Please visit www.mikeboehmer.com for more fantastic photography!

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Bacon has been a significant trend in all facets of the restaurant and cooking industry for the past few years. Everyone has their favorite bacon over-indulgence and bacon-mania has yet to reach its peak. Here are a few fun and almost disturbing (but still delicious) bacon-ventions:

Bacon Jam

Bacon cooked down and puréed with caramelized onions. Spread it on your morning toast. Buy it here.



Wild Turkey Bacon Sandwich

A clever play on words, this bacon sandwich is meant to peak the interests of, then severely let down, any veg-heads or pork-less eaters. Tip back the Wild Turkey and chow on this sandwich.



Bacon Floss

That’s right, we Americans have answered the age old question of “how can we incorporate bacon into dental hygeine?” Buy your bacon floss here.



Bacon USB Flash Drive

“BBQ Port:” Stay bacon-crazy with this flash drive. Other food-drives available here.



Baconnaise

“The Ultimate Bacon Flavored Spread”



The BA-K-47

The folks at This Is Freakin Ridiculous created this bacon-based AK-47. Although it won’t prevent burglaries, the BA-K-47 is effective against vegetarians and members of PETA



And of Course: The Bacon Explosion

No bacon list is complete without the ubiquitous Bacon Explosion: Two pounds of pork sausage and two pounds of bacon inter-woven, smoked, then slathered in BBQ sauce. Happy heart attack!

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Your coffee service this evening may look terribly conventional. Indeed it is a cup of coffee with whipped cream and an Italian cookie. But in what forms are all these elements?

The coffee is actually an espresso créme brulée. Espresso combined with a velvety baked custard create a delightful hot and cold, creamy and crunchy version of the classic latté. The “foam” or “whipped cream” on top is a lightly sweetened mascarpone mousse with a touch of shaved dark chocolate.

The cookie is a cookie…but it’s also not a cookie: it’s lady finger ice cream. The ice cream is made and flavored with the classic Italian pastry. After freezing the lady finger ice cream, I used a homemade mold to reform it into the shape of the cookie to which it owes its flavor and inspiration. I made the molds using Silicone Plastique from Make Your Own Molds, a great online source for culinary mold-making.

Silicone molds of lady finger cookies freeze the ice cream into perfect cookie shapes

Beneath the ice cream cookie is a sprinkling of chocolate lady finger crumbs. These crumbs bear a striking resemblance to coffee grounds (a very happy coincidence considering I did not plan this at all), bringing the flavor and concept of this dish full circle.

Do all these flavor elements sound familiar? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, your cup of coffee is tiramisu.

How do you make this classic yet modern dessert? Well, I’m happy to share my secrets! Simply sign up for the Garrett’s Table E-mail newsletter by clicking the link below and entering your e-mail address. I’ll include the recipe, including instructions on how to make your own ice cream molds, in my next mailing (March 1, 2010). All emails are confidential and you can un-subscribe at any time.

These stunning photographs were taken by Mike Boehmer.

Mike is a Chicago-based photographer and a regular contributor to The Windy Pixel. Please visit www.mikeboehmer.com for more fantastic photography!

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I recently stumbled upon the fantastic food blog Fancy Fast Food. In each entry the author Erik, and occasionally guest authors, showcase their stunning fine-dining creations that are made from nothing but fast food. The picture above is “Seared Pollock Cake with Southwest Ramalan Sauce” made from one McDonald’s filet ‘o fish sandwich and one premium southwest salad.

“Honey Apple Glazed Christmas Holiday Ham” made from Burger King Quad Stackers and breakfast Croissanwiches

“Chick-sat-A:” Chicken satay made from various Chick Fil-A items

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Have a heart this Valentine’s day…literally. Perhaps the most uncommonly used organ meat, heart can be delicious when carefully prepared. Here are a few photos of heart dishes, along with links and recipes, from around the internet. So return that box of chocolates and grab a heart from your local butcher!

Grilled beef heart with basil vinaigrette, roasted tomatoes, and poblano-brie grits from foodtease.com.

Lamb’s heart sandwich with rocket and wild garlic mayonnaise from Jason Lowe at The Independent.

Russian chicken heart stew from Russia Now

Peruvian grilled veal heart from Piolyn Restaurant

Beef heart shepherd’s pie from The Worldwide Gourmet.

“Hearts of Palm” from Chicago’s Alinea. I thought I’d throw this option in for vegetarians!

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