Key Lime Pie

The Fourth of July always evokes strong feelings of patriotism as I recall fondly the founding of our great nation. The American flag in all its glory is in full display around the community. It’s a special time to be alive. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention the opportunity to connect with fellow neighbors (or firehouses) as we gather to celebrate (with good food) that which so much was sacrificed for.

And with most on this weekend, these gatherings are leading us outside to our grills, picnic tables, and pools. With that in mind, I wanted to provide a crowd favorite that can be made well ahead of time (up to a day), is high portable, and is easy as, uh, pie(sorry, couldn’t resist) to make. Very little is needed to craft this show stopping dessert, with graham crackers, some sweetened condensed milk and limes as the stars.

Speaking of limes, Key limes are the norm, so they say (if you can find them in your neighborhood, more power to you), as they provide a more concentrated flavor in a smaller package. But regular limes are more then sufficient here (and obviously abundant). Just don’t use any bottled lime juice, period. No exceptions. You’ll need the zest anyways, which is one of the keys (sorry again, just can’t resist) to this sweet goodness.

*Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen (they’re the greatest).

Key Lime Pie - With a holiday near and dear to my heart, I felt it prudent to slip out of semi-retirement to bring to y'all a perfectly suited dessert for the under-the-sun gatherings of this 4th of July weekend, KEY LIME PIE!

Fuel

Lime Filling

Sweetened Condensed Milk (1 can)

Egg Yolks (4)

Lime Juice (from 3-4 limes, or roughly ½ cup)

Lime Zest from the same limes (it’s a lot)

Vanilla (1 tsp.)

Salt (½ tsp.)

Graham Cracker Crust

Graham Crackers (10-11, or roughly 1¼ cup)

Unsalted Butter (5-6 Tbs.)

Sugar (3 Tbs.)

Whipped Cream

Heavy Cream (1 cup)

Powdered Sugar (¼ cup + 1 Tbs.)

*Lime Juice (1 Tbs.) *optional

Vanilla (½ tsp.)

Salt (¼ tsp.)

Tools

Food Processor (or plastic bag, wait, what?)

Hand Mixer

Various Bowls

Pie Plate

Tactics

In a medium bowl, whisk the lime zest and yolks until it turns slightly green, about 2 minutes. Stir in milk then juice and allow it to sit a room temperature to thicken.

Pre-heat oven to 325. Smash the graham crackers in whatever method you desire (food processor or poured into a re-sealable plastic bag and crushed). Add the graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter and mix till it resembles wet sand. Pour the sand into a 9” pie pan and press to form an even crust. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Place on wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes.

Pour the lime filling into the pre-baked crust and bake for another 16-18 minutes, or until the center is set. Return the pie to the wire rack and allow it to cool for 30 minutes. Place in the fridge until well chilled, for at least 3 hours.

About an hour (or two) before serving, make the whip cream by adding the heavy cream to a chilled bowl and whip to form soft peaks. Add the lime juice, vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks are formed. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the pie. Garnish with lime zest and optional crushed pistachios and serve.

Stone Fruit Crisp

Labor Day weekend is here amongst us and with it marks the return of college football and the first whispers of fall. But not ready to relinquish summer too soon, I’ve saw a recent recipe that involved my home state peach and decided to put a firehouse spin on it. Not wanting to sacrifice valuable TV time to the kitchen and a labor-intensive dessert, this involves very little prep time (15 minutes, maybe) with most of the work done in the oven (an hour). No excuses here.

This recipe is equally good with any stone fruit, heck even figs, but since peaches are a plenty now, I went with them. Yes, this marks a return to the alter of the peach but when you first slice threw the warm, yielding flesh that screams of sunshine and sugar, you understand the devotion. Baked, as in this presentation, grilled, poached, sautéed, or fresh, there is no end to its versatility.

A few after the fire critiques: Nectarines and plums are great alternatives to the peach. One stone fruit will feed two people or one firefighter so get enough. I use cardamom as the spice but I’ve experimented with nutmeg (fall type flavor), garam masala mixes (savory and sweet), smoked paprika (intriguing), chili powder (background heat), and all to varying degrees of success. Have fun y’all.

*This was adapted from Deb Perelman

Stone Fruit Crisp with Brown Sugar Cream - With summer fading and fall seemingly upon us come Labor Day weekend, that means one thing, and one thing only, FOOTBALL! All that being said, I wanted to provide a firehouse recipe that only requires 15 minutes prep time and an hour in the oven, all the more time to watch your beloved team in action.

Fuel

4-6 Peaches, Nectarines, Plums, or any other Stone Fruit

Sour Cream (1 Cup)

Brown Sugar (⅓ Cup)

Rice Krispies Cereal (1½ Cup)

Oatmeal (rolled ¾ Cup)

Corn Starch (1 Tbsp.)

Sugar (turbinado preferred, ⅓ Cup)
Unsalted Butter (4 Tbsp. or half a stick)

Vanilla (1 Tbsp.)

Salt (¾ tsp.)

Cardamom for shaving

Tools

Food Processor or Blender

Sauté Pan

Various Bowls

Baking Dish/Sheet

Whisk

Tactics

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Slice the stone fruit in half, remove the pits, and gentle scrape the now empty cavity clean. Slice the tail end of each half to ensure it doesn’t slide. Place on the baking dish and reserve.

Meanwhile, place butter in the sauté pan over medium heat and slowly cook till a light brown color is achieved, 8-10 minutes, and reserve.

Place the Rice Crispy cereal, oatmeal, turbinado (sugar), cornstarch, ½ the vanilla, and ½ the salt into the food processor and mix to combine. Add the butter and mix till is resembles coarse sand. Carefully place the crisp onto each peach half ensuring to cover them generously. Then, using the backside of a spoon, carefully flatten the crisp. Place into the oven on the middle rack for 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the sour cream, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt and mix till the brown sugar dissolves. Repeat, brown sugar + sour cream, who knew? Taste it, it’s awesome.

Remove the peaches when the tops have lightly browned and the peaches can be easily pierced with a fork. Place a generous amount of the brown sugar cream across the top and shave some Cardamom over it to taste. Indulge.

Mascarpone Whipped Cream Lemon Bars

Spring time is coming, though winter is loath to release her icy grip, and to help spur on thoughts of the upcoming seasonal change, I thought I’d bring to bear a favorite dessert of mine, lemon bars. These no nonsense bars are all about the tartness of lemon with a crunchy bar carrying their weight, almost perfect. But I wanted to elevate the lightness of them by adding an airy whipped cream and emphasis the crunch with some toasty coconut. I think I fell onto a fantastic dessert perfect for springtime (and EASTER)!

While perfecting this particular recipe during the seemingly endless taste testing, my wife’s highly specialized baking knowledge really helped refine the recipe. As the typical A-type, alpha male firefighter that I am, I’m sometimes impervious to criticism (constructive or not) on my work. But her unquestioned experience and refined palette helped to mold this recipe to what it is today. Thanks girl!

Some after the fire critiques: There is a little bit of down time with chilling and baking so I’d suggest making this early in the day (which also gives the bars more time to set up). The mascarpone is added not only to boost flavor to the whipped cream, but give it body so it holds up and doesn’t fall flat. In the video, I add the mascarpone and powdered sugar at the same time I added the heavy cream. I'd advised that you whip the heavy cream a good 30 seconds prior to adding the rest (as noted below in the recipe). Also in the video, the coconut got a little too toasty. A mild toasting will do just fine (as displayed in the final photo above). 

*Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Mascarpone Whipped Cream Lemon Bars - With springtime ready to bear it's vivid colors, plentiful sun and warmer days, I felt it prudent to bring you one of my favorites for celebrating the seasonal change, the lemon bar. But I elevate them by introducing an airy mascarpone whipped cream and a toast coconut finish, an almost perfect dessert.

Fuel

Crust

A/P Flour (1¾ Cup)

Powdered Sugar (⅔ Cup)

Cornstarch (¼ Cup)

Salt (1 tsp.)

Unsalted Butter (12 Tbs. or 1½ sticks at slightly cooler then room temp.)

Cooking Spray (or an additional Tbs. of Unsalted Butter for the parchment paper)

Filling

Lemon Zest (from 3-4 lemons)

Lemon Juice (1 Cup from 3-4 lemons)

Milk (Whole ½ cup)

Eggs (6 lightly beaten)

Sugar (1½ Cups)

A/P Flour (4½ Tbs.)

Salt (¼ tsp.)

Whipped Cream

Heavy Cream (1 cup chilled)

Mascarpone (6-8 ounces at room temp.)

Lemon Zest (from 1 lemon)

Powdered Sugar (2 Tbs.)

Salt (⅛ tsp.)

Coconut (Shredded 1 cup)

Tools

Food Processor with steel blade

Hand Mixer

13” x 9” Baking Dish

Baking Sheet

Various Bowls

Parchment Paper

Whisk

Tactics

Crust

Pre-heat oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position. Lightly butter the baking dish and line with one over-large sheet of parchment paper. Note: use two parchment papers crosswise with butter in between if your parchment paper is not large enough to cover the dish with overlap for handles.

Place the flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch and salt in the food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and then process to combine or until the mixture resembles coarse meal (and is a light yellow color). Pour into the prepared baking dish and using hands, press into an even ¼” layer that tampers to ½” tall on the sides (like a wave coming towards you from the shore). Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to solidify. Then immediately place into the oven and cook until golden, approximately 20-25 minutes. Reserve.

Reduce oven temp to 325°F.

Lemon Filling

While the crust is baking, whisk the eggs, sugar and flour in a bowl until combined. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, milk and salt to blend. When the crust comes out, pour the lemon mixture over to cover then place into the oven to bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until the center is set (doesn’t giggle). Transfer to a wire rack (or your stove top) to cool for 45-60 minutes.

Coconut

Place the coconut on the baking sheet and bake until slightly golden 5-8 minutes. Reserve.

Whipped Cream

Place the heavy cream in a well-chilled bowl and whip for 30 seconds. Add the lemon zest, powdered sugar, mascarpone and salt and mix until soft peak are formed. Reserve.

To assemble the Lemon Bars

Place the whipped cream and smooth out a small layer over the lemon bar then sprinkle with the toasted coconut to barely cover. Pull the lemon bar out of the baking dish and transfer to a cutting board. Carefully fold the parchment paper down. Using a knife or large pizza cutter, slice the bar into desired sizes. Eat immediately or store covered in fridge for an additional 2-3 days. Indulge. 

Eat Review

Cutting edge training as a first responder has the opportunity to take a firefighter all over our great nation. Whether to learn about explosive ordinance (New Mexico), chemical/biological weapons (Alabama), or my latest adventure, nuclear/radiological awareness, which had me jet setting to one of the world’s food meccas, Las Vegas. Oh, what’s a hungry firefighter to do with so much to choose from?

Las Vegas’s well-chronicled transformation from ‘sin city’ to a culinary destination has caught the attention of all.  Many a foodie, celebrity chef and TV personality has leant their take on Vegas, so when Anthony Bourdain paid a recent visit, I took notice of where he went. Often he’ll make a conscious choice to sample some of the local’s selection, outside the hustle and bustle of all the lights and high prices. One of his selections peaked my interests, a place called EAT.

South of the strip, where only the locals and lost gamblers stumble too is where the restaurant is located. Directly off the street, plenty of paid parking lines the sidewalk if you get there early enough. As I meet my parents in Vegas (they still live in Southern California), I was looking forward to treating them to some quality breakfast. This place seemed to fit the bill.

The atmosphere was appropriately en vogue with an open kitchen, computer bar, hanging light bulbs and black and white art, very much now but so not Vegas, a nice touch. The crowd was also not about the show, locals these people were and they were focused on the food and conversation. Service was generally good with an attentive wait staff that was both knowledgeable and good-natured.

As I was officially done with my training and the Air Force food from the air base I was sequestered at, I told the waitress that I’d need two, count them, TWO full plates. Something sweet and savory seemed in order so to get a baseline of their fare, I started with their Golden Brown Pancakes. Appropriately fluffy and with a hint of brown sugar, they were solid. (note that I used some of the strawberry compote from the cinnamon biscuits which helped to elevate these flap jacks)

I went to the waitress and asked her for favorite dish and she lite up and offered up the Truffled Egg Sandwich, which incidentally enough was the restaurants most demanded. These were perfectly scrambled eggs (not an easy skill) lightly touched with truffle oil over an open face buttered brioche baguette topped with thick bacon. Wow. The skillet potatoes on the side were there as well, but come on, the sandwich was where it was at. This was a 4-Alarm dish for me and well worth the drive alone. 

Because the pancakes and sandwich may not have been enough, I ordered us some Cinnamon Biscuits. Why? Living in the south, I’m been keen to try regional biscuits to experience the nuisances. These were not layered like I prefer, but well seasoned and browned nicely. The strawberry compote (made daily) was the balanced sweet to the butter.

Shrimp and grits were the order for my Mom, seemingly to remind her of her southern upbringing. The power of food… Anyways, after the obligatory ‘there not as good as yours’, she admitted they were well seasoned with bursts of heat, silkiness from the poached egg and bite from the shrimp. The grits themselves were slightly overcooked (and hence congealed) but the taste was on point. Well done.

My dad had eggs and toast. He always has eggs and toast. Breakfast for my dad = eggs and toast. He said they were fine, but then he said the same thing after a root canal. Life is short; please learn to live a little.

Overall, the price was right for the food delivered. Nice atmosphere, solid service, good conversation and a food memory for life. These Vegas locals know their food, value their time and have found a home at EAT. I tip my hat to you Mr. Bourdain, nice recon for the masses, I ATE well. A solid recommend.

Date: May 2014

3.25 ALARMS

Sun In My Belly Review

Needing a visit to one of my wife and I’s favorite spots in Atlanta to stock up on the essentials of cooking, The Dekalb Farmer’s Market, I searched desperately to find a local spot serving breakfast (thank you Urbanspoon/Zomato) with the first to pop up on a quick search being Sun in My Belly, the Decatur restaurant located off of College Ave. As many a firefighter cook can tell you, there’s nothing worse then shopping for food on an empty stomach because before you know it, you’ve blown through the budget of the day with dreams of lobster and steak, so off to fill them we went.

A bit removed from the neighborhood’s surrounding hustle and bustle, this place is easy to drive by and not know it was a restaurant (I’m raising my hand right now cause I was THAT guy). Parking was in the rear and plentiful except, as noted by some, for Sunday brunch when jazz is playing. The structure itself is unique, brick driven and industrial on the outside, with the words J.A. Bailey & Sons Hardware Co. boldly stenciled in red wrapping the building. A few tables, umbrellas, chairs, and un-light string bulbs are the only wink to a restaurant being inside the premises.

The stark exterior belays the comfortable and colorful interior. This seems to be a running theme with a lot of Atlanta restaurants trying to be eclectic and crafty. Some are more successful than others, and after winding my way through the myriad of different rooms, Sun in My Belly has struck a good balance. Not seeming to try too hard with being en vogue yet balancing the color and whimsy with minimalistic art and subdued couches. I liked the vibe.

Also in line with many cafés, there was the prerequisite coffee bar littered with pastries. With the café spilling into the kitchen, it denied any feeling of being exclusive, catering to a knowledgeable clientele that drives coffee aficionados flocking like at other joints. Having just become a coffee drinker myself, I am more sensitive to catching this. On a side note, yes, many a firefighter will tell you that coffee is what runs the fire service (and all four branches of the military too), so a good cup of Jo is a must.

The Cafe.

Being the first to enter the restaurant, service was slow to acknowledge us and there existed that momentary awkwardness as server stared at server to determine who’d be responsible to help us. Never a good feeling and one surely to color the customer’s overall experience, a shame. Once seated, coffee was ordered and menus dispersed. As my eyes wandered the offerings, the Belly Benedict screamed ORDER ME! But alas, it is only available on the weekends. (Ok, please indulge a quick soapbox, so excuse me while I step on it. My feeling is if there exists a specialty item, don’t place it on the menu and leave it to the responsibility of the server to educate the customer of its existence. Don’t tease, please.)

P.B.L.T.

It was a good, complex bite.

As I recovered from the emotional loss of the Benedict, my wife beat me to the punch with ordering the P.B.L.T. (Pimento, Bacon, Lettuce, Fried Green Tomato) Sandwich. It tickled her to see this on the menu as she recently discussed making a sandwich at home very similar to this and was pleased to see a rendition for her to taste. Stacked high and imposing, it delivered on taste with the Pimento cheese and scallion aioli striking a great balance with the buttered, toasted bread, thick cut bacon, and fried but acidic green tomatoes. The plate was rounded out with some well-seasoned skillet potatoes. This was a winner of a dish.

Challah French Toast (yes, that's it).

Wanting to share something sweet with my wife’s savory and having gravitated towards Pain Perdu for longer then I can remember, I took a crack at the Challah French Toast. Stuffed with honeyed ricotta and some seasonal fruit (a baked banana was offered but declined) I was excited. What followed was a first for me and not something I’ll soon forget. First and foremost, let us first discuss the size of the French Toast that was placed in front of me. For $10, this was far and away the most expensive per square inch French Toast I had ever seen. My wife’s eyes grew large as the server paced the plate in front of me with it’s petite offering because she knows my body size and physique hide a voracious appetite that surprises other firefighters daily. This was an insult. Even the server hovered over the table seemingly waiting the coming question, “That’s it?” ready with a comforting retort. But the disappointment didn’t end there. The bread was insufficiently battered and dry, which in hindsight would not have been an issue if not for the fact that the honeyed ricotta was one of the most inedible things I’ve encountered in a while. Lacking the needed sweetness from a strong honey and having a texture that bordered on being grainy…Wait, on second thought, it didn’t just border, it walked over the line, unfolded a lawn chair, cracked open a beer and settled in on watching the big game on TV. For the first time, perhaps ever, I had the server return the plate and order something else. WOW.

Pimento Omelet.

Screaming past the hunger phase straight into hypoglycemia, I ordered the safest thing on the menu, the Pimento Omelet. So shell shocked by the previous attempt at eating, the only thing that made me perk up and take notice of the dish was the addition of the Pimento cheese, a first for me. It was deliciously spicy and had me clamoring for more of the cheese. The execution of the omelet was up to par but nothing to write home about, and having already partaken in the potatoes with my wife’s dish, there was nothing else to say. Overall, I’d have to label it a safe, standard dish.

The awkward entry and the hesitant hovering after delivering the dilapidated French Toast being the only exceptions, the service was general strong. Though we were the first to be seated, as the restaurant began to fill with other customers, our server was on top of our experience.

So what is a firefighter to do when he spends his hard earned money on an establishment that repays him and his wife with a great dish, a standard dish, and the only dish in his history that he found inedible? Hold to your integrity and judge them honestly and fairly. Sun in My Belly had a bad day in the kitchen with their French Toast. It happens to the best of us. The atmosphere, décor, service, and P.B.L.T. will entice me to come back and perhaps try the weekend edition of the Belly Benedict, but with reservations.

Reviewed: Feb. 2014

2 Alarms