Brinner | my fake food blog

Dec 14 2015

Breakfast: Texas Beach Bloody Mary Mix & Whole Grain Soda Bread

Longest title ever, right?

I’ll spare you the details, but I was rull sick last week. Any trip to the ER that includes the phrase “inflamed intestine” should be avoided. Just some advice from me to you.

I was on a clear liquid diet for a few days and I was fantasizing about when I could add in real food. And then my doctor told me I could have lean fish and baked potatoes. After “eating” chicken broth, sugar-free Jell-o and sugar-free Powerade, this baked potato was literally the best thing I’d ever eaten.

Baked Potato

I’ve been dreaming about what my first meal “off the leash” is going to be. In my wildest fantasies, it would be peanut butter swirl brownies and tacos. And guac. And salsa. But probably a bit too aggressive.

I think it’s going to be eggs. Simple scrambled eggs and dry toast.

I love breakfast. That was not always the case. As a kid, I used to loathe egg yolk and I still don’t care much for cereal, oatmeal and breakfast fruits. Bananas = disgusting. My breakfasts growing up were often cubes of cheese or microwave popcorn. Hey, you’ve got to eat something, right?

But now, I love breakfast. In addition to daydreaming about my future meals, I’ve been fantasizing about breakfasts and brinners of yore. Particularly memorable is a brinner I made with a Bloody Mary mix local to Richmond and a Bon Appetit breadcipe.

Yeah, I know, I’m combining a lot of words. Deal with it.

I met the Texas Beach Bloody Mary Mix guys at a Fire, Flour, Fork event I may or may not have snuck into. We started talking and Austin and Rob are the real deal–nice and funny, and of course super passionate about Bloody Marys. (Speaking of funny, check out their Legend of Bloody Mary film). They were sampling a Kimchee Bloody Mary Mix, which they’re still tinkering. But I’m not kidding you, I’m still thinking about those flavors. It is funky in all the right ways. I can’t wait for that to come to shelves.

Their traditional Bloody Mary Mix should be in your refrigerator, served at your next brunch or curing your next hangover. And since it’s the holidays, it would make a great gift. The gift that gives and cures hangovers. I think that’s what myrrh does…

From a flavor perspective, it’s really well balanced. Incredibly savory, with a salty-brininess that comes from pickle brine and olive juice. It’s spicy thanks to sriracha, but not undrinkably so. This might sound strange, but it’s my blog, so I’m going to say it. It’s thicker than any Bloody Mary mix I’ve ever bought before. You know how grocery store Bloody mary mix looks like red tap water? This ain’t it. This ish is hand-crafted.

I rimmed mine with Old Bay, which was a fortuitous choice since it is also included in the mix. (Another wonderful choice would be Crunch Dynasty, but sadly, I was out. Must restock!)

Bloody Set Up

Mind the celery.

I also made this Whole Grain Soda Bread from Bon Appetit.

Bread

It was a bit of a chore to find all the ingredients and I never could find the amaranth. But this bread is really delicious. Hearty and filling, and actually healthful because of all the difficult-to-find grains. It doesn’t keep for too long, though, so plan ahead. My recommendation is to whip up a batch of Bloodies, make this bread, fry up some bacon and eggs and throw a lovely brunch for some pals.

Breakfast, you beautiful bastard. I just can’t quit you.

But I can’t eat you.

Yet.

—

Texas Beach Bloody Mary Mix is available for purchase online. You can find it at these Richmond restaurants and shops.

Tagged amaranth, baked potato, Bloody Mary, Bon Appetit, Breakfast, Brinner, celery, clear liquid diet, Crunch Dynasty, cure, daydream, Eggs, ER, fantasy, Fire Flour & Fork, gift, grains, guac, Gwar Bar, hand-crafted, hangovers, holidays, intestine, Jell-o, Kimchee, Legend of Bloody Mary, Martha Stewart, myrrh, Old Bay, peanut butter swirl brownies, Powerade, salsa, scrambled, sick, Tacos, Texas Beach Bloody Mary Mix, toast

May 15 2015

Brinner and Jokes: Baked Eggs with Spinach and Leeks

A joke for you, dear readers.

Let me set the scene: I’m talking to MyFakeFoodDad on the telephone. I’m telling him about what I ate for dinner.

Me: I made baked eggs with spinach and leeks for dinner. You just cook the spinach and leeks down and then crack some eggs and bake them in the oven. Breakfast for dinner.

Dad: Did you use a colander?

(long pause)

Me: …No….why?

Dad: Because it leaks.

Ba dum bum cha.

My reaction was a lot of laughter and I said, “DAMN IT, how did I not see that coming?!?!?”

I like jokes.

Last night, I made some baked eggs from Tasting Table. I’ve been following them on Instagram for a minute. But I didn’t know anything about them. It was difficult to find their About section on the website, but their brand manifesto is a very lovely piece about who they are.

“Tasting Table is a website and newsletter for culinary enthusiasts. We eat high and low to bring you discerning dining advice, recipes you can trust and news you can use from the world of food and drink. We’re an opinionated gang of always curious, anchovy-loving, order-one-of-everything-for-the-table epicurean obsessives.”

As a girl who bought anchovy filets and a tube of anchovy paste with no immediate plans to use them, I relate and appreciate.

…Maybe I’ve overdone it on the anchovy.

I started browsing through their catalogue of rather drool-worthy recipes. I settled on baked eggs with spinach and ~~leaks~~ leeks because it seemed like an easy weeknight meal.

And guess what? It was. Easy. Full of bright flavor, full of veggies. The only thing that was very strange is that my eggs did not bake at all after either 10 or 12 minutes in the oven, so I broiled them for 2-3 minutes. Just long enough for the whites to get opaque but keep that beautiful runny yolk.

What can I said. I like yolks.

Oh dang.

—

Baked Eggs with Spinach and Leeks from Tasting Table

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium leek (white and light green parts only), chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
8 cups baby spinach
Kosher salt, to taste
4 large eggs
¼ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon finely chopped thyme
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 350°.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and tender but not browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and spinach, season with salt, and cook until the spinach has wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.

Set 2 small ovenproof dishes onto a baking sheet. Divide the spinach-leek mixture equally between the dishes. Make 2 indentations in each dish, leaving about a 1-inch gap in between. Carefully crack each egg into an indentation. Pour 2 tablespoons of cream into each dish and season with salt.

Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake until the whites are just set but the yolks are still runny, 10 to 12 minutes. | I broiled the eggs under high for 2-3 minutes to the same degree of doneness. Watch them closely, though. They go over quickly.

Top the baked eggs with the thyme, lemon zest and Aleppo pepper, and serve.

Tagged anchovies, baked eggs, brand manifesto, Brinner, colander, Insagram, Jokes, leaks, MyFakeFoodDad, Tasting Table, yolks

Feb 19 2013

4 Comments

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Tuesday Night Breadventure and Brinner

Back when we were in college, my best friend Stowe went to Beach Week in Myrtle Beach (he would want me to call Beach Week it’s rightful name: Posties). I was down there with other people, but Stowe stayed at a house with a bunch of dudes. One night, the dudes were trying to figure out what to do for dinner and Stowe earnestly and excitedly suggested, “Breakfast for dinner? Ehh?”

One of the other dudes, our friend Justin, turned to him and deadpanned, “THANKS, DAD.” Cause only dads would suggest breakfast for dinner to a bunch of cool dudes.

This story is the first thing I think of every time I crave breakfast for dinner. Or as we bitchin’ people say: brinner.

Here’s how it all went down. I saw a link on YumSugar today for a one hour start-to-finish bread recipe. It was for Black Pepper Beer Bread and I really wanted to make it. And brinner seemed to be the perfect vehicle.

But if i’m being very honest and specific, this is how it REALLY went down:

See YumSugar tweet.

Click on link.

Avoid work email.

Read recipe.

Decide to make recipe.

Avoid work email.

Read ingredients.

Marvel at the fact that I have all of aforementioned ingredients at home.

Avoid work email.

Print out recipe.

Focus remainder of day.

Leave the office.

Realize the recipe is still sitting on the printer at the office.

This bread is so quick. And so easy. A lot of recipes say they’ll take an hour, but this one truly takes an hour start to finish. And I had all the ingredients in the house. That never happens.

Not to mention the fact that this bread is great. The beer and the sugar give it a light sweetness, but the black pepper gives it some edge. A buttered slice pairs perfectly with the salty bacon and a fried egg.

Do yourself a favor. Make this for brinner.

THANKS, DAD.

—

Black Pepper Beer Bread from YumSugar

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ tablespoon kosher salt
¼ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces pilsner or lager beer | I used PBR because fuck you, I love PBR.
3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a nine-inch loaf pan.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and pepper.

Pour in the beer and mix gently until combined.

Dump the batter into the loaf pan, smooth out the top, and brush/drizzle on the melted butter.

Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown and crusty in appearance.

I baked it the full 40 minutes, but I think it could’ve gone a minute or two less.

Tagged Beach Week, Black Pepper Beer Bread, Bread, Breadventure, Breakfast for Dinner, Brinner, College, PBR, Posties, YumSugar

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Tag Archives: Brinner

Breakfast: Texas Beach Bloody Mary Mix & Whole Grain Soda Bread

Brinner and Jokes: Baked Eggs with Spinach and Leeks

Tuesday Night Breadventure and Brinner