(y)our food choices

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We cook a lot in our tiny kitchen and love it! Baked bread, simmering soups and homemade pizzas are just a few of the staples in our apartment. We are constantly experimenting with recipes and love a challenge. We’re not Iron Chefs but we do respect the men and women who are and their dedication to the craft. We’re just two men who are trying to get back into the simple ways of life. We’re all about farmer’s markets and grass fed beef. We believe that the food we eat is sacred, even if we are not of the religious state of mind, and that with every bite we take or every drink we consume we can all make a difference, for good or not so good. We hope you enjoy reading about what we are eating, peruse the pictures we take of our food, and tell us about what your eating and drinking. In the future we will be linking this blog to a new blog called Your Food Choices where we hope to get some lively discussions about food and how it affects us all. Cheers! Steve & Jason

3-Tier To-Go Ware "Tiffin" Set

For the last few months I’ve been searching on-line for the best alternative to plastic storage containers. Not only am I trying to eliminate plastic from our lives because of their environmental impact, but also for the health risks associated with plastics containing bisphenol-A (BPA). Possible hormonal disorders and cancer have been linked to BPA. I thought I would have time to search out and find the perfect containers, since I’m using the trusted All-American Tupperware. Alas, Tupperware isn’t what I thought it was all cracked up to be. Not only does the old Rock ‘n Serve contain BPA, but so does their latest update, Vent ‘n Serve. So what are guys like us to do?

Well, luckily we just happened to stumble upon the latest copy of Cook’s Illustrated which seems to have solved the problem. Not only did the good folks at America’s Test Kitchen test different plastic food storage containers, all BPA free, but they also have a recommendation for those of us who want to eliminate plastic all together. The Kinetic Go Green (also sold as Glasslock by Snapware) is their recommended glass option, and it’s also available on Amazon, but it isn’t oven-safe so we’re also considering Anchor Hocking’s TrueSeal containers. Whatever we decide, the Tupperware will be gone after we return from our trip to London and Paris.

Thank you Cook’s Illustrated for solving a dilemma that has been haunting me for months. Not only am I thinking about purchasing a set or two of Kinetic or TrueSeal, I’m also going to renew my subscription to Cook’s Illustrated!

Steve’s had his eye on a stainless steel stacking “Tiffen” set from To-Go Ware. They remind him of his days living in Tampa, Florida years ago where he noticed folks in the Cuban community using these tins for lunches they retrieved from restaurants that specialized in this style of take-out. I picked up a 3-tier set from Cole Hardware. A simple purchase that left him grinning from ear to ear.

Now the new dilemma, donate the old Tupperware to someone else who may be poisoned by the chemicals from which it is made or toss it into the landfill where it will remain until the end of time. In the immortal words of Bart Simpson, Ay Caramba!

Albeit small but delicious scoops; Orange-Tangerine Gelato and Cardamom Ice Cream, with chopped pistachios and blackberry honey.

With our upcoming trip to Paris, and summer right around the corner, thoughts of ice cream have been popping up for us. Since there was a ½ pint of heavy cream left over from Steve’s ice cream creation and only a few days left until it expired, I needed to come up with another flavor to compliment the delicious cardamom ice cream he made a few days earlier. Scouring our cookbooks and seeing what fresh fruit we had in abundance, I found a delicious gelato recipe from Martha’s Classic cookbook. Although she calls for blood oranges I made ours with a combination of naval and tangerine oranges. The result is reminiscent of eating the Creamsicles of our childhood. The orange goes perfectly with the cardamom. With a few chopped pistachios and a little drizzle of honey, the double scoop makes a simple childhood favorite into a sophisticated palate pleaser.

Orange-Tangerine Gelato

Adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook; The Original Classics

2 cups milk

zest of 1 orange (use a vegetable peeler and remove only the orange zest, no pith)

1 cup fresh orange/tangerine juice

5 large egg yolks

¾ cup sugar

1 cup heavy cream

In a medium sauce pan, heat milk and orange zest over a gentle simmer. Remove from heat and let the milk seep for 30 minutes. In a small sauce pan gently heat the orange juice and reduce until only about ¼ cup remains, about 30-40 minutes. Allow the orange juice to cool completely.

Prepare an ice bath. Reheat the milk and orange zest. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale yellow. Slowly add the milk to the egg yolks while whisking, then return the egg and milk mixture to the sauce pan. Continue to heat and stir with a wooden spoon until slightly thick. The custard should coat the back of the spoon.

Remove from heat and stir in the heavy cream. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve and place the custard on the ice bath. Stir in the orange syrup and allow to completely cool before pouring the custard into an ice cream maker. Process the gelato according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Freeze in a container.