Chewy tropical coconut and jam sandwich cookies–taste for yourself on Saturday!

You might remember that I participated in this bake sale last year.

I have ten (mostly) new reasons–in no order–as to why you should check out the Blogger’s Bake Sale this year.

The bake sale is this Saturday, April 28th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the South Miami Farmers Market (South Miami City Hall, 6130 Sunset Drive, parking at library or Metrorail.)

1) You take care of groceries for dinner and dessert.  Grab some unique and exquisite homemade desserts (there are no Publix rehashes here), along with fresh vegetables from the farmers market. It is the end of season, but you can still purchase fresh herbs and greens from Homestead’s Verde Gardens, Florida eggs and prepared foods by Community Food Works.

2) Fatgirl Hedonist and her friend are bringing homemade marshmallows and toffee blondie brownies topped with bacon.

3) There will be gluten-free brownies!

4) I’m bringing my chewy tropical coconut sandwich cookies again (pictured above), although this time with a different jam filling.  I’m trying to choose between guava and lime, grapefruit zinger or four fruit marmalade (all by Freakin’ Flamingo)–but really, why limit myself?

5) Renee Joslyn (of Freakin’ Flamingo Jams) will offer her jams, multigrain bread, challah bread and pistachio biscotti.

6) For those who crave more of the savory: Lynne Cohen will sell her homemade chili cheese crackers.

7) You’ll have the chance to enter a raffle for prizes like gift cards to Whisk , Harry’s Pizzeria , Xixon or Lester’s Coffee and Wine Bar in Wynwood; or a free Wok Star cooking class. (Full list of raffle prizes here.)

8 This 60 Minutes segment is at least a year old now, but it’s still one of the most compelling stories I’ve seen about hungry and homeless kids in Florida.

9) You can also stop by the library (next door to the farmers market) and pick up some new books and DVDs.  Check out some cookbooks to inspire you about what to do with all of the tropical fruit we’re going to have in South Florida soon.

10) You can’t have all of these baked goods without coffee. Check.

If you can’t make it to the bake sale, please consider donating on the Miami Food Bloggers Great America Bake Sale page. Thanks!

Tour local farms via bike this Sunday during the popular Slow Food Miami Farm Bike Tour. Start at Bee Heaven Farm (19000 SW 264th Street, Redland, FL) this Sunday, April 22, at 8:30 a.m. and visit Paradise Farms, Teena’s Pride and Fancy Koi 2.   This isn’t the time to bike a long distance for the first time–it’s more fun if you have experience riding a 10+ mile stretch.  Event goes on rain or shine.

Adult tickets are $30 and children under 12 are free. Purchase tickets here.

I try to relate everything to the three primal forces that shape human lives—food, drinking and sports. So when I had the chance to attend a Macallan whisky and pastry pairing, I thought of two people—LeBron and Wade. Hear me out.
Wade made his team and city historic. The Heat are in the record books as champions. By doing that, he made the whole word take notice.  We finally made it.

And that is what I think of Hedy Goldsmith, Executive Pastry Chef for Michael’s Genuine in the Design District (and semifinalist for a 2012 James Beard Award.) Like Wade, she elevates our entire city. Miami wants badly to be considered a top culinary destination, as much as Pat Riley wants a title. You can only achieve that lofty goal with unique individuals who are diligent, creative and talented. That’s Goldsmith and Wade.

Macallan, thus, is Lebron. Both are great anywhere in the world, but they’ve come to Miami specifically to showcase their estimable skills. This is the spotlight—the city becomes set on a massive stage, measured by international standards. So I am happy to say that the Macallan whisky and pastry pairing at Michael’s Genuine was the best meal I’ve ever had in Miami, and it didn’t even have a main course.

And for me, it got even better on a personal level. The host of the tasting was Macallan Brand Ambassador, Randy Adams. Randy lives in Sarasota, where he is something of a local legend. I also lived in Sarasota for years, and I first learned about whisky by sampling his collection at the historic Gator Club. But I never met him, until chance put us in the same dining room at a different city some 300 miles away. Randy is a true whisky man, someone who makes the entire state of Florida better with his knowledge and dedication, and I was lucky to finally share a glass with him.

Now to the crux of the matter—what makes Macallan work so well with dessert? The reason is wood.

Unlike most other single malt distilleries, The Macallan has insisted on the use of Spanish Oloroso Sherry barrels for maturing its whisky. Spanish Sherry was prized by distilleries for decades, but it has since given way to more plentiful and affordable American ex-Bourbon barrels.

Whisky acquires most of its flavor from the wood barrel during the aging process, as much as 60%. The Macallan refused to give up their Sherry barrels, in spite of economic pressure, because it is essential for the taste of their Scotch. Oloroso Sherry is a sweet, oxidized dessert wine, and it gives the resulting whisky notes of dried fruit and nuts. Goldsmith keenly focused on these elements in her dishes.

For the 12 Years Old Macallan, she created a West Indian Ginger Spice Cake, a dried fruit compote with candied ginger, Australian pine smoked vanilla ice cream and a 12 Years Old toffee sauce. These flavors played on the vibrant intensity of the young spirit, and I was struck by the impact of the smoked ice cream. Macallan is not peated, so the ice cream provided a smoky note that isn’t found in the whisky itself.

For the 18 Years Old, a milk chocolate and butterscotch pie was served with crème fraiche, wood roasted peaches, spiced pecan brittle, cocoa nibs and smoked fleur de sel. In this case, the simple topping of crème fraiche pulled everything together. When mingling with the older spirit, each displayed their gentle and luxurious texture.

With all this talk of sherry oak, Goldsmith may have done her best work with the most non-traditional whisky, The Macallan Fine Oak 15 Years Old. The Macallan Fine Oak series employs a combination of Sherry and ex-Bourbon barrels to create a lighter, more subtle side of the whisky.

This pairing included a roasted white chocolate semifreddo with chilled apricot soup, orange confit with house dried blueberries, and a toasted hazelnut cinnamon biscotti. To bring it all together, Randy advised the addition of a sliver of ice to the whisky. If find that ice usually dulls the flavor in whisky, but in this case, the cold dessert was only best matched when the whisky itself was brought down a few degrees, and then everything became harmonious and invigorating.

The piece de resistance was a more of a celebration than a pairing, like the finale of a fireworks show when a mass of rockets are fired in rapid succession, painting the sky in a Technicolor barrage. Our plate of confections included chocolate cinnamon marshmallows, smoked chocolate truffles, summer fruit gelees, candied ginger orange grapefruit, an almond-pistachio-vanilla torrone and the 25 Years Old Macallan. Amongst all these jewels, the 25 Years Old seemed to glow. It had an aura.

Older spirits have a unique sensual quality, like a well-worn wooden banister, smoothed over by thousands of sliding hands. Rather than trying to match the 25 Years Old, it became one of the confections itself, and the honeyed, liqueur-like spirit does taste like candy.

I know we’re at the end of a warm winter in Miami this year, but this is still the best time for Scotch. Grab a Macallan 12 Years Old and try pairing it with dried fruit, candied nuts and ice cream. Like Lebron and Wade, it’s a show you won’t want to miss.

Get Hedy Goldsmith’s recipe for The Macallan 12 Years Old Spiced Pecans.

Photo courtesy of Jackie Sayet/Genuine Kitchen Group

Hedy Goldsmith is the Executive Pastry Chef at Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink.  Goldsmith is a Philadelphia native but she’s lived in Miami for decades, working at restaurants like Mark’s Place, Nemo and Prime 112. She makes some of the best desserts in town including her versions of childhood classics like Nutter Butters and pop tarts (filled with local tropical fruit like passion fruit and lychee.)

It’s a good year for Goldsmith.  She’s a semifinalist for a James Beard Award. Her first cookbook, Baking Out Loud (Clarkson Potter), will be out later this year.

Miami Drink writer Chuck Ferrin attended the Macallan whisky and dessert pairing at Michael’s Genuine and brought back this recipe.

Check out Chuck Ferrin’s Miami Drink post: “I am happy to say that the Macallan whisky and pastry pairing at Michael’s Genuine was the best meal I’ve ever had in Miami, and it didn’t even have a main course.”

The Macallan 12-Year-Old Sherry Oak Spiced Pecans
by Hedy Goldsmith, Executive Pastry Chef at Michael’s Genuine

Yields 1 quart

INGREDIENTS

3 ounces The Macallan 12-year-old Sherry Oak
1 pound pecan halves
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon Angostura bitters
1 vanilla bean, split down the middle and seeds scraped
2 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 325.

Place the Scotch in a small pan and reduce by half over a high heat, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Blanch the pecans in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain well in a strainer. Place the hot nuts in a bowl with the Scotch, sugar, bitters, vanilla seeds and oil. Toss to completely coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 15 minutes.

Place nuts on a sheet pan lined with a Silpat or parchment paper. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Set your timer every 10 minutes to stir nuts.

While the nuts are toasting, add spices to a large bowl. Remove the nuts from the oven and place them hot into the bowl of spices. Toss the nuts with the spice mixture until well coated. Spread the nuts on a sheet pan and allow to cool.

Store in an airtight container. They will stay fresh for at least a week.

D’Mello teaches Indian cooking classes through Ayesha’s Kitchen.  Be sure to sign up early if you’re interested in a class-they tend to fill up early.  Read about my experience in her class—the best part is enjoying all of the food afterward.

Thanks to Brad Bryan for camera and editing.

Cardamom masala chai

Other Video Bites with Ayesha D’Mello:

Winter squash with coconut sauce

Cardamom Masala Chai
Indian tea

Serves 3-4
Recipe by Ayesha D’Mello of Ayesha’s Kitchen

TIME
5-7 minutes, depending on how fast water boils on your stove

INGREDIENTS

3 ½ cups water
2 tsp.  loose black tea leaves (about ½ tsp. per cup)
2 tsp. sugar (or to taste)
½ cup half and half
¼ tsp. cardamom pods or seeds

TOOLS

Tea kettle
Coffee grinder

Heat the water in the kettle.  Meanwhile, add the loose tea leaves, sugar, half and half—yes this is a one pot creation.  Then grind the cardamom seeds in a coffee grinder—it’s best to use a grinder you dedicate to your Indian spices as the aromas can linger.  Fresh ground cardamom yields a much more distinct taste than the powdered spice.  Put the cardamom in the kettle and cover it.  After about two minutes, the chai will start to boil and froth and the tea leaves will come up.  Take the kettle off the heat—you don’t want to let the tea leaves  sit in the chai too long as the tea will become bitter. Strain out the tea leaves as you pour the chai into your cup and enjoy!

East Coast seafood tower at Edge Steak & Bar/ Photos by Andrea Fazzari.

After the holidays, my inbox starts to accumulate press releases about Valentine’s Day events. I wanted to share this event at Edge Steak & Bar with those of you who find yourself single and with no plans in particular for Valentine’s Day. It seems like Edge us making an effort to be creative and have a sense of humor about a day that many have come to dread, whether single or not.

The Lonely Hearts Dinner will take place in the private dining rooms of the restaurant, which is located in the Four Seasons Hotel on Brickell.  Only singles will be allowed. They’ll be seated together to allow for mingling. The $65 meal includes a four course meal and a complimentary champagne cocktail.  Here’s the tongue-in-cheek menu:

Love Shucks East Coast seafood tower flavored by sour orange mojo, stinking rose aioli and angry habanero hot sauce

Burnt, Bitter, Bleu salad of bitter greens, burnt almond praline and crumbles of Point Reyes blue cheese, drizzled with two-timing balsamic dressing

Home Alone TV Dinner  roasted Creekstone Farm prime rib with a side of truffle macaroni and cheese and vegetable succotash

Broken Hearted Napoleon with passion(less) fruit sauce

Rye & Cane cocktail at Edge Steak & Bar

WHEN:  Tuesday, 2/14 at 7 p.m.

WHERE: Edge Steak & Bar, 7th floor of Four Seasons Hotel Miami, 1435 Brickell Avenue

HOW MUCH: $65 (excludes bar, tax and gratuity), advance reservations recommended at 305-381-3015.  

Photo courtesy of The Federal Food, Drink & Provisions

Roadshows, taverns–what century is this? Here are some food events worth checking out this weekend and beyond…

[Update] And a gourmet garage sale!

The holidays are over, but people are still hungry
Thurs. 1/12

Feeding South Florida distributes food to 700 food pantries and non-profits in South Florida.  Their “Come Together” event raises money for their cause while serving food from restaurants including 1500 Degrees, City Hall, The Forge, Makoto, Scarpetta and Whisk.  See the full list at Feeding South Florida. Tickets are $125.
7 to 10 p.m. at Margulies Collection at the Warehouse, 591 N.W. 27th St.

 
New year, new skills!
Sat.  1/14

Muriel Olivares of Little River Market Garden is giving a workshop on how to make pizza and a braided Italian loaf in the wood burning oven at her garden.  You’ll eat the pizzas together after the class and take home your braided loaf to share with friends and family.  If you don’t have a wood burning  oven, never fear.  You can get tips from Lifehacker here and here. There are only ten spots in the class so register soon.  The class is $35. Olivares is also offering a class on “Raw Recipes: Three recipes using ingredients which are easily grown in any South Florida garden” on Sat. 2/11 ($25).
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Little River Market Garden.  Register here.  

Gourmet garage sale
Sat. 1/14

The local chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier Miami is selling “everything but the kitchen sink” this Saturday.  Find gently used and high quality aprons, bakeware, ceramics, cookbooks, crystal, dish towels, pots and pans, small kitchen appliances and stemware at this paradise for those of us who love our kitchen toys.  One example: last year, Jackie Sayet, brand manager for Michael’s Genuine, donated the dishes and glassware which served as props for the Michael’s Genuine Food cookbook photo shoots.  There will also be a  market selling locally grown fruits and vegetables, potted herbs, vegetable starts, prepared foods and baked goods.  All of the foods are contributed by the farmers, caterers and chefs who belong to the Dames d’Escoffier Miami.  The garage sale benefits their agricultural, school garden and cooking/nutrition education projects.
8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1217 Granada Boulevard, Coral Gables

Cocktail road show
Sun. 1/15

Dale DeGroff, the James Beard award winning mixologist and author, is bringing his show, “On the Town: A Tribute to Bars, Speaks and Legendary Saloons” to Clarke’s on Miami Beach this Sunday.  He’ll tell the story of the American cocktail through songs, stories and of course cocktails.  Guests will be served classic cocktails from a few of the eras he describes, along with light hors d’oeuvres.  DeGroff will be accompanied by jazz guitarist Joel Perry.  DeGroff has been tending bar and reviving classic cocktails for decades, including a  tenure at New York City’s Rainbow Room.  He’s also the primary founder of the Museum of the American Cocktail.  Tickets are $40 ahead of time, $45 at the door.
6 to 8 p.m.at Clarke’s, 840 1st Street, Miami Beach

 
The Federal Food, Drink and Provisions Opens
Mon. 1/16

 It’s tavern time!  The folks behind Phuc Yea! pop up restaurant will open their brick-and-mortar MiMo restaurant on Monday.  As they did at Phuc Yea, they’ve got the entire concept down here–from the decor to the recipes to the menu–this time in the vein of a modern American tavern. Think comfort food, potted meats, game meats and dishes of yore like the Hot Brown sandwich (open faced turkey sandwich with mornay sauce.) They’ve been doing their research and doing their own pickling.  All breads and desserts will also be made in house.   Look for dishes like biscuits and gravy, Nantucket Bay scallop crudo with candied beet salad, charbroiled fish and iron-roasted porterhouse made in a cast iron skillet.
Open Mon. through Sat., 5 to 10:30 p.m., 5132 Biscayne Blvd.

Blue Collar Opens
Fri. 1/13

Self-described “blue collar cook” Daniel Serfer channels his vision for a place where everybody knows your name into Blue Collar, a new comfort food restaurant.  It’s in the storefront of the Biscayne Inn (where American Noodle Bar used to live.)  Look for homemade pastas, and a daily rotation of veggie small plates and braise, “parm” and ribs of the day to fulfill that empty longing inside of you.
Open Sun. through Thurs., 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Fri. and Sat. 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.,  6730 Biscayne Blvd.

I’ve made some personal resolutions this year, including one to eat more vegetables of more varied colors more often.

Another is to travel back to Chicago–I missed my yearly visit in 2011.

I also have some professional resolutions.  One includes finally blogging about all of my food recommendations in Chicago.  People often ask me where to eat in Chicago before they go on trips.  I’ve been there so many times, that it makes sense to have some kind of evolving blog post to record where I’ve enjoyed eating and what I’d like to try next in my other hometown.

I also intend to finally write that “My 7 Links” post that Frodnesor at Food for Thought nominated me for. It seems like a good beginning of  the year exercise.

Another one of my professional resolutions for 2012 is to blog more often and more freely–basically to follow Amanda Hesser in foregoing the role of expert in favor of participating in a community.  I know this isn’t earth shattering in the world of journalism, but it is sort of a stepping out for me.  It’s not like I’ve ever fully embraced the role of expert or authority.  That’s never really been my style, although I do consider myself to be quite opinionated. At the same time, I tend to shy away from blogging about projects I’m currently working on (like articles or radio stories) or things I’m thinking about in favor of more carefully sourced, researched and verified work. In short, until I have something pretty authoratative to show.  I’m finding lately that  blogging about something that’s in process can be useful in terms of thinking about a story or just starting a conversation that could lead somewhere really interesting. Again, I know–”duh.”

It’s basically a path I’ve been heading down in my journalistic/writing work, but I just need to jump. I’m going to be criticized. I’m going to be wrong sometimes. My hope is that if I just keep my head down and continue to aim for integrity and good work, making that process more transparent won’t bite me in the butt. Basically, I think I just need to get over it and get out of my own way.

That’s part of the reason I started my Sound Bite project. Nancy Ancrum and I started that blog to to showcase our radio work.  We also did it to make communicating with other people more a part of our work. Not that it isn’t already, but it can help broaden our sources and inspiration.

This doesn’t mean I’m going to abandon conscientiousness either.  However, the whole process of producing, whether it’s a radio feature or a blog post, is a lot more fun, when you think about it like a dinner party conversation rather than a treatise that must forever stand the test of time.

As Andrew Sullivan wrote in “Why I Blog,”

A blog, therefore, bobs on the surface of the ocean but has its anchorage in waters deeper than those print media is technologically able to exploit. It disempowers the writer to that extent, of course. The blogger can get away with less and afford fewer pretensions of authority. He is—more than any writer of the past—a node among other nodes, connected but unfinished without the links and the comments and the track-backs that make the blogosphere, at its best, a conversation, rather than a production.

and then later…

To blog is therefore to let go of your writing in a way, to hold it at arm’s length, open it to scrutiny, allow it to float in the ether for a while, and to let others, as Montaigne did, pivot you toward relative truth. A blogger will notice this almost immediately upon starting. Some e-mailers, unsurprisingly, know more about a subject than the blogger does. They will send links, stories, and facts, challenging the blogger’s view of the world, sometimes outright refuting it, but more frequently adding context and nuance and complexity to an idea. The role of a blogger is not to defend against this but to embrace it. He is similar in this way to the host of a dinner party. He can provoke discussion or take a position, even passionately, but he also must create an atmosphere in which others want to participate.

And of course, there are also the reasons of accountability and transparency.  That’s why I’m telling you these resolutions. Now I’ve put them out there and now I’ve got to do them.

So, I know this is more meta than I usually get in this blog.  I’ve been thinking about the whole process a lot more in the past few months, as I just wrapped up an online “Food Blog U” seminar/workshop taught by one of my writing idols, Molly O’Neill as part of the Cook N Scribble series.  Thanks to the Cook N Scribble folks for pointing me towards the two articles linked to in this post. Also, a big thanks to that workshop for helping me think more clearly about what I’m doing and how I’m going to do it better.

I just wanted to take a moment to introduce my new online project.  It’s where you can listen to the food radio stories longtime journalist Nancy Ancrum and I produce.   You can also see pictures and videos related to the stories.  It’s a sort of portfolio for our radio work.  That’s not all.

I hope that Sound Bite will be a notebook, a workshop and a conversation about food in South Florida.  It’s where Nancy and I will share collected scraps, sights and sounds as we work on new projects.  It’s also where we invite you to help us answer the question, “What does South Florida taste like?” and to share your thoughts, ideas and photos.   This part is most important me.  If there’s anything I’ve learned while blogging and reporting, it’s that a story is never static and that people want to be a part of the telling of their own stories,  rather than deferring to an “expert” voice– not that I’ve ever claimed to be an expert!

Sound Bite will be more focused on themes throughout time than Miami Dish as we work through various projects.  However, Miami Dish continues! I’ve been busy getting into the rhythm of my new freelance life (a much anticipated move that I recently made) and I feel like I’m starting to get the hang of it.  Look for some cool new videos very soon. Thanks for all of your support, comments and stories!

The Indian Summer cocktail at Sra. Martinez (David Samayoa)

Northerners refer to an “Indian summer” when warm temperatures persist into fall after an initial frost.  Of course, hot days that drag into fall and winter are the norm in Miami. People up north might celebrate a balmier fall, but we jump out of bed on the rare days we can rock our sweaters.  The Indian Summer cocktail at Sra. Martinez is good company whether it’s a true fall day or just a humid excuse for one.

Scott Mayer, beverage director at Sra. Martinez, envisioned the cocktail as a summer drink—a twist on the mojito. “Indian” also refers to the flavor—Mayer was inspired by a mint chutney recipe.  However, the warming ginger of the Domaine du Canton and the chilis also make it ideal for “true” fall days. A moderate heat creeps over the tongue as the chilis continue to steep

The Indian Summer ($13) is part of the new cocktail menu at Sra. Martinez, where the bar was lauded by Esquire earlier this year. The recipe is below.

Scott Mayer, beverage director at Sra. Martinez, pours me an Indian Summer. (David Samayoa)

The Indian Summer cocktail, right after Mayer garnishes with chile peppers. They get stirred in. (David Samayoa)

Indian Summer Cocktail

Recipe courtesy of Scott Mayer, beverage director at Sra. Martinez

Serves 1

 Mayer makes his own coconut infusion to avoid the “suntan lotion” taste of many coconut rums.  He recommends drinking the cocktail without a straw to feel more of the heat. I had a hard time finding Santa Teresa Claro, but I finally scored some.  You can try claro rum from 10 Cane or Ron Matusalem as substitutes.

INGREDIENTS

3 mint leaves

1 ½ oz  toasted coconut infused Santa Teresa Claro rum (See recipe below for how to infuse the rum.)

½ oz Domain de Canton

½ oz  fresh lemon juice

½ oz  honey syrup  (Mayer combines hot water and honey to make a syrup, so that the honey is easier to pour.  I followed chef Marcus Samuelsson’s directions for making honey simple syrup, which made the drink a little sweeter.)

3 thin slices of jalapeno chile

3 thin slices of Fresno chile

For infusion: Store bought coconut flakes (1 4oz bag)

TO MAKE

To infuse the rum: Toast the flakes in an oven at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes until golden.  Wait a few minutes for flakes to cool. Infuse the flakes in the rum for 3 hours, then chill.  The coconut flakes will separate and rise to the top of the infusion. Try to skim out as much of the coconut as possible.

Combine cocktail ingredients in a shaker. Shake and serve on the rocks, garnished with  chile slices.  Briefly stir the chile slices into the drink.