Ham Sandwich Indicted!

I'm sure that by now, pretty much everyone is familiar with the current darling of the condiment world, Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce. A product of Huy Fong Foods, it's been made in California since the 1980s, but has seen a surge in popularity in the last few years, thanks to appearances on Iron Chef, use by celebrity chefs, and write-ups in The New York Times . In fact, this past January Sriracha was named the 2010 Ingredient of the Year by Bon Appetit magazine. So what's the massive appeal? The ingredient list is spectacularly simple: red jalapeno peppers, garlic, salt, sugar, vinegar in a paste in a squeezable bottle. It manages to be spicy without being overbearing (see previous post on Jolokia peppers), and adds great depth of flavor to pretty much anything--soups, marinades, sauces (it's GREAT in pasta sauces), dips and dressings. I thought I'd post my current favorite use of Sriracha since tomato season is not too far away. Come to think of it, a dash of Srirach...

(Image courtesy of www.tastethefear.com) During my weekdays, I spend my time prosecuting those who violate the laws of man. Apparently, my weekend nights are spent violating the laws of nature... The Bhut Jolokia pepper is, without any hyperbole, the hottest pepper in the world. The chart above compares the jolokia with other, more common peppers, as measured in Scoville units. The Scoville scale is named after the American chemist Wilber Scoville, and measures the amount of capsaicin in a pepper. Last night at a cookout, two of my genius friends reconstituted a bag (8 or so) of dried jolokia peppers, then pureed them in a blender. I was told they were going to be "Scoville shots:" a tablespoon or so of jolokia puree mixed with a shot of vodka. My response, was that they were idiots. The jolokia is used, after all, as a pepper spray to ward off wild elephants in India, and being considered for use in non-lethal riot control. Two hours later though, caving less to pee...

Ok....maybe it wasn't quite mayhem. Actually, it was remarkably easy--dare I say, idiot-proof? I bought my cheese making kit from The New England Cheesemaking Supply Co . The 30 minute mozzarella kit has enough ingredients to make 30 batches (!) of cheese. In the kit is a package of rennet tablets, a bag of citric acid, cheese salt, cheesecloth, a thermometer, and directions. First step, add the citric acid to one gallon of milk and heat to 90 degrees (I used Snowville Creamery, whole milk). You cannot use ultra-pasteurized--ultrapasteurization kills all the little bacterias you need to make your cheese work. While that's heating, you dissolve 1/4 of a rennet tablet in 1/4 cup water. Step two, turn off the heat, and gently mix in the rennet solution for 30-60 seconds. Then, step away from the pot (pour a glass of wine, munch on some olives, whatever--just leave the pot alone.) In three to five minutes, the milk will develop a custard-y consistency, and the whey and the cu...

Thank heavens, winter in Columbus is slowly fading into the past...in the last few weeks, we've moved from this: To this: And just in case you're desperate for some serious green in mid-March (how come Chicago gets to have all the fun?): Of course, we'll probably still get our end-of-March/beginning-of-April snowstorm before we're completely out of the woods, but it's nice to know that planting season isn't too far away!