Bacon, Butter, Booze, and...Babies?!?

Yup, you read that right. I took a few days off from cooking and writing in order to visit the newest leaves on my family tree - my cousin's beautiful twin boys.


Once I figured out that you can't
hold a baby like a sack of flour...

It's incredible - caring for babies uses a skill set that I just don't have.  Well, maybe that's not true - swaddling is very similar to filling a burrito - but those little dudes aren't impressed by a perfectly seared scallop or a flawlessly executed filet mignon.  They just want boobs and dry diapers!  So I learned how to hold the babies, change diapers, and I even made them smile by singing a few Sinatra songs!  I can't wait until they're a bit older - I'm looking forward to experimenting with baby food, cookies shaped like puppies and dinosaurs, and other kid-friendly favorites. 

Despite the fact that I spent more time in the nursery than I did in the kitchen this week, I did create something new - a great sauce for a pork tenderloin that my aunt cooked on the grill.  The sauce was based on butter, beer, and HP Sauce, a bottled condiment popular in the UK.  My family and I first discovered HP Sauce at Buffalo, NY's annual Scottish festival - most of the food vendors kept bottles of HP Sauce at their stalls, and the condiment carts were fully stocked with pumps of HP Sauce and little paper cups, much like how we serve ketchup and mustard with burgers and hot dogs.  Once we tried this stuff, we began putting it on everything - and I mean everything.  "The fries are really good with this HP Sauce, I'm gonna put it on the fish."  "Its good on the fish, I wonder what else we can put it on?"  "Do you think the McEwan's would taste good with HP Sauce in it?" "Can I just get a bowl of HP and a spoon?"  OK, I'm exaggerating, but the stuff is pretty darn good. 

In addition to the wonderful food we ate at home, I also filled up on a few Buffalo specialties - a chicken finger sub from Jim's Steak Out, tacos from Mighty Taco, Flying Bison's Blizzard Bock, Beef on Weck (a/k/a hot roast beef on kimmelweck, a roll topped with flake salt and caraway seeds), Labatt Blue from the tap, and of course, chicken wings.  Buffalo may not have the greatest reputation, but I dare you to go there and leave hungry and unsatisfied.  It will not happen. 

Once my plane touched down in Boston, I was glad to be back home among the city lights and the sounds of the urban jungle I call home, but I missed my cousin, my aunt & uncle, and the little guys.  I needed to get back into the kitchen to distract myself, so I made a great grown-up dish:  wine-poached pears with gorgonzola and chestnut honey.  My roommate recently bought a bottle of sweet shiraz and didn't like the flavor, so instead of letting it go to waste, I decided to use it in a recipe.  The pungent flavor of the gorgonzola and the bittersweet chestnut honey really complement the sweetness of the fruit! 


HP & Beer Butter Sauce

1/2 stick butter
a few raw onion rings
1/4 c. HP Sauce
1/2 c. full-bodied beer
1 t. cornstarch
1 T. cold water
dusting of cinnamon
a few generous grinds black pepper
salt to taste

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Once it is completely melted, add the onion.  Saute until the butter begins to foam and become fragrant.  Remove the onion rings.  Add the HP sauce and the beer, then whisk until completely blended.  Lower the heat to simmer.

In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and the cold water together.  Add to the sauce, whisking quickly and constantly, until the sauce begins to thicken a bit.  Add the slightest dusting of cinnamon, a few grinds of black pepper, and salt, if necessary.  Serve over grilled pork. 



Wine-Poached Pears with Gorgonzola and Chestnut Honey

1 bottle red wine
5 whole cloves
1/2 t. anise seeds, crushed*
1/2 t. cardamom seeds, crushed*
1/2 t. fennel seeds, crushed*
4 ripe pears, peeled
1-2 t. sugar (optional)
slices of gorgonzola cheese
chestnut honey

Combine everything but the pears in a saucepan large enough to hold the wine and the pears.  Bring to a rapid boil.  Add the pears, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Once the pears have simmered, remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Turn the heat up to high, bring to a boil (uncovered), and boil until the sauce is reduced by about half.  Taste the sauce - you may want to add a pinch of sugar, but this is not necessary. 

Remove the sauce from heat, then return the pears to the sauce.  Let cool to room temperature.  Once the pears have cooled, slice the pears lengthwise.  Arrange on a plate, alternating with slices of gorgonzola cheese.  Drizzle the cheese with a few drops of chestnut honey. 

* To crush the seeds, give them a quick grind with a mortar & pestle, or simply use two spoons to squish them. 

** The leftover poaching wine would be a great dip for biscotti or another semi-sweet cookie.