Jay D's Bites: Oven Roasted Barbecue Pork Chops

by Chef Aimee Tortorich

Last month, our friends at Compart Duroc brought some samples of their high-quality pork products. One that stood out immediately was their premium Frenched Loin that in their words is “the pinnacle of fine pork and is the most flavorful cut of the Compart Duroc line.”

I definitely have to agree, and when you have a badass product like this, the best thing to do is to keep things simple. I did a quick sear in a cast iron skillet, transferred it to the oven rubbed in Jay D’s Spicy and Sweet Rub and finished with Jay D’s Louisiana Barbecue Sauce. The finished product was a moist, flavorful and tender as all get out.

If you can’t find this particular pork chop, that’s okay! Head to your local butcher like Iverstine Farms Butcher in Baton Rouge and get the best looking bone-in pork chop you can find.

Oven Roasted Barbecue Pork Chops

serves 2

1 Tbs avocado oil
2 Pork Chops, bone-in
2 Tbs Jay D’s Spicy and Sweet Rub
½ cup Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a cast-iron skillet over medium high heat, preheat avocado oil. Sear pork chops until a golden brown crust forms. Season liberally with rub. Roast in the oven at 400°F until internal temperature reaches 145°F. Coat pork chop with Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce; turn oven to broil and broil pork chop about 3 minutes; until sauce is caramelized. Remove from cast iron pan and allow to rest for about 4 minutes.

Feature Beer Friday: Homebrewed Peach Hoppler Milkshake IPA

By Eric Ducote

Hello everyone, and welcome to my first homebrewed edition of Feature Beer Friday.  Normally I'd never feature a homebrew because it's not something that most people reading this would be able to try, but this instance is a little different.  This beer was brewed by my team for the Iron Brewer competition put on by Brasseurs A La Maison that was intended to take place last weekend.  Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond our club's control the event had to be canceled, but there is still hope that it will be back later in 2018.  The event has been put on the last 5 years at Tin Roof Brewing to benefit the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, but ATC rules prohibit a brewery from hosting a special event.  Don't worry though, there's a good chance the event isn't dead, but the late cancellation did mean that I had a whole keg of our beer to drink as it's going to need to be re-brewed in order to ensure maximum freshness when the even returns. 

The Peach Hoppler banner. 

As you can almost certainly tell from the banner above, my team (consisting of myself and Mandi, Brenton Day, Brandon Thomsen, and Marcus Rutherford) was assigned peaches and cinnamon toast crunch as the mystery "iron brewer" ingredients, and we decided to turn that into a peach cobbler IPA, named Peach Hoppler.  We used a box of cinnamon toast crunch in the mash per 5 gallons, added a lot of hops in addition to some lactose, and then finished it off with even more cinnamon, some vanilla, and the peaches.  The result is a peach and cinnamon inspired milkshake IPA, bursting with citrus hop flavors that compliment the peach and cinnamon toast crunch and are supported with a slightly sweet milk and vanilla base, not unlike the ice cream complimenting a peach cobbler.  

A pour of Peach Hoppler.

This homebrew turned out really delicious, so I sincerely hope that we will get a chance to put on a take 2 of Iron Brewer to share this with a lot of the readers out there, and also more importantly to raise a lot of support for the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank.  

Jay D's Bites: Supreme Rice Salad with Molasses Mustard Vinaigrette

by Chef Jenn Breithaupt

This is one of my favorite salads to make! I first had this salad when I was attending culinary school at Louisiana Culinary Institute. Chef Mike told us we are going to prepare it for our salad course for lunch service and it captivated me; I couldn’t stop eating it. I thought this would be the perfect salad to incorporate Jay D’s Louisiana Molasses Mustard. Another reason why I love this recipe is because of the freshness it brings to my palate; it is perfect for this Spring!

Supreme Rice Salad with Molasses Mustard Vinaigrette

makes 6 cups

3 cups uncooked Supreme long grain rice
1 cup red onion, small diced
¾ cup orange bell pepper, small diced
¾ cup yellow bell pepper, small diced
2 Tbs garlic, minced
1 cucumber, seeded and small diced
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
½ cup fresh basil, finely chopped

Cook rice according to package. Lay cooked rice on sheet pan to slightly cool. Combine rice with all vegetables and vinaigrette. Let rice salad marinade in dressing for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. Serve cold or room temperature. ENJOY!

For the vinaigrette:
Heaping ½ cup Jay D’s Louisiana Molasses Mustard
3 tsp salt
1 Tbs white wine vinegar
3 Tbs white balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs Jay D’s Blanc du Bois
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

In a blender or food processor, add mustard and salt. On low, gradually add both vinegars and Jay D’s Blanc du Bois. In a thin stream add extra virgin olive oil. Mix for 1 minute then transfer to salad and mix thoroughly.

Wakey Whisk(e)y: Laphroaig 10-Year Single Malt Scotch

By Eric Ducote

Good morning everyone, and cheers to you all on the 7th annual World Whisky Day!  This actually makes my second #wakeywhisky post on World Whisky Day, which is celebrated on the third Saturday of May.  The first time around, I went with the Alberta Rye Whisky Dark Batch from Canada, and this year in the interest of keeping it whisky instead of whiskey I'm going to have some of one of my favorite scotches, Laphroaig's base expression, the 10-year single malt.  

Laphroaig is one of the handful of distilleries from the island of Islay off the West coast of Scotland that is unique enough to be considered its own scotch region.  All of the Islay scotches are known for being heavily peated, the flavor derived from smoking their malt over peat fires, which gives a medicinal phenolic flavor in addition to the smokiness.  Laphroaig was founded in 1815 and they do not go light on the peat, which produces a scotch that they claim "is the most richly flavoured of all scotch whiskies." Well, I'll be the judge of that.

Laphroaig 10-year single malt in appropriate glassware.

The scotch pours a typical dark golden color, and as soon as you catch a whiff it's obvious that there is certainly no shortage of flavor.  The smoky peat flavor hits like a campfire, but also with a strong iodine flavor and an ample aroma of honey sweetness.  Yes, it's certainly rich and complex, and the flavor of this 10-year expression holds on to that complexity with a balance of sweet malt flavors, robust smokiness, and unique peat smoke.  I think the best way to describe this one is a campfire in your mouth, and I mean that in the best way possible.  

I hope you are all enjoying a pour or two of your own on this World Whisky Day! 

Feature Beer Friday: Clown Shoes' Galacticake Douple IPA

By Eric Ducote

Good morning again everyone and welcome back to Bite and Booze for a mid-May version of Feature Beer Friday!  I have enjoyed writing these posts every week as I try some new beers and dig a little deeper into some old favorites.  This week I'm revisiting a brewery that I used to drink regularly, but seems to have faded a bit as the local guys surged.  Clown Shoes Beer originated from Massachusetts, and although they recently were bought by Harpoon Brewing (or their parent company, if we're getting technical) they retained their independence and "craft" status because Harpoon is itself a craft brewery.

I've always enjoyed Clown Shoes... their Hoppy Feet and Hoppy Feet 1.5 were both outstanding black IPAs when that style was all the rage, they consistently put out excellent creative stouts, and their label artwork is always top notch.  However, it had been a while since I had bought any their brews, so when I saw a relatively fresh (canned 3/8/18, always check the dates on hoppy beers!) 4-pack of their Galacticake Double IPA at Robert Fresh Market, I figured it was time to stock the fridge with a little more Clown Shoes.

Clown Shoes Galacticake Double IPA

The beer pours a rich copper color, clear and filtered, with a frothy bubbly head that took a few minutes to dissipate.  The malt that gives the beer it's deeper color is definitely present on the aroma with some caramel sweetness, but backed up nicely with fruity hop aromas like pineapple and plum.  The taste is well balanced between the caramel sweetness and the bitter fruity hop flavors.  The Galacticake is a 9% abv DIPA, but the malts and hops hide the alcohol very well.  There is an earthiness to the hops, but some fruit as well, and a nice blend of flavors that complement each other to form a bitter bouquet, but not one that lingers unpleasantly on the finish.

In summary, this is definitely an old-school throwback DIPA, aiming for a malt-hop balance and relying on bittering hops more than just all the late addition hops that we're getting from the hazy juice bombs.  However, it's a delicious well brewed throwback DIPA that I'd be happy to purchase again.   Cheers! 

Jay D's Bites: Parsnip-Potato Au Gratin

by Chef Jenn Breithaupt

Potatoes Au Gratin are always fun to create because of the layering. The Freret Beer Room in New Orleans was my inspiration for this dish. They serve it as a side, but it’s massive! For me, it had the perfect amount of gruyere cheese. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! For this recipe, I used manchego cheese instead of gruyere fora little extra bite and added Jay D’s Molasses Mustard to tied together the sweetness and add a little tanginess to the dish.

Potato-Parsnip Au Gratin

serves 4

3 potatoes, ¼” rounds
3 parsnips, ¼” rounds
1 whole leek, sliced into half-rounds
8 cloves fresh garlic, minced
3 cups manchego cheese
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup Jay D’s Louisiana Molasses Mustard

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a small skillet, sauté leeks and garlic until fragrant. Put one layer of potatoes around the bottom of cast iron skillet. Then pour ¼ cup of heavy cream over potatoes. Next, sprinkle small handful of leek/garlic mixture and 1 cup of manchego cheese over potatoes. Place another layer of parsnips on top of cheese. Sprinkle another small handful of leeks and 1 cup of manchego cheese over parsnips. Pour the other ½ cup of heavy cream on top of parsnip layer. Make another potato layer, then sprinkle leeks/garlic and ½ cup of Manchego cheese on top. Take the Molasses Mustard and drizzle on top, then sprinkle remaining leeks/garlic and ½ cup of gruyere cheese. Press down on the au gratin so that all of the layers are compacted. Cover skillet with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Take foil off and continue baking until cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before chowing down.

Feature Beer Friday: Gnarly Barley's Korova Milk Porter

by Eric Ducote

Good morning again everyone! It's time for another Feature Beer Friday (#FeatureBeerFriday if you want to join in on Instagram or Facebook!) and today I'm checking back in with Gnarly Barley Brewing out of Hammond, LA.  About a month ago I featured their Jucifer IPA, but this time it's their flagship Korova Milk Porter.  

The Korova has been a staple of Gnarly Barley's lineup for years, it's a baltic porter base with some oatmeal and lactose (milk sugar) added.  They say about this beer, "This Baltic Oatmeal Milk Porter will change the way you think about porters. From its sweet coffee and chocolate flavor, to its silky smooth finish, this is one unique brew. So sit back and enjoy her sultry sweet side." The Korova clocks in at a solid 6.2% abv.

A pour of the Korova Milk Porter, with appropriate glassware.

On to the appearance... Korova pours a deep brown color with hints of chestnut when the light shines through.  The head is a bubbly tan color that recedes over the course of 30 seconds or so.  The aroma is a delicious combination of coffee, dark chocolate, and marshmallow sweetness.  The taste is more of the same, with a creamy mouthfeel combined with a well blended balance of lactose sweetness and roasted bitterness.  

This is exactly what a flagship should be, an easy drinking yet flavorful beer that offers a slight variation on a traditional style.  Delicious, and now I'm ready for another!

Jay D's Bites: Fried Salmon Burger

by Chef Aimee Tortorich

I love cooking burgers at home, but I wanted to create a burger using only seafood. I decided to go with salmon as my protein not only for nutritional purposes, but also the flavor. This Japanese inspired dish was a fun play on a baked salmon roll that you would find in most sushi restaurants. The panko gave it a nice crunch and the Sriracha and Jay D’s Molasses Mustard aïoli added a punch of heat and sweetness. I added some sliced avocado, pickled cucumber and pickled carrot to round out all the flavors. For those looking for a fun fish idea, this one is a winner all around.

Fried Salmon Burger with Molasses Mustard Aïoli

serves 2

2 salmon fillets, boneless, skin-off
½ onion, small diced
2 Tbs fresh garlic, minced
1 Tbs avocado oil
2 eggs
2 cups seasoned panko breadcrumbs
1 cup all purpose flour
2 hamburger buns

For the aïoli:
¼ cup Jay D’s Molasses Mustard
2 Tbs Sriracha
½ cup mayo

Garnishes:
Sliced Avocado
Pickled cucumber
Pickled carrot

Heat a sauté pan on medium heat, add avocado oil and saute onion and garlic until soft. Add fillets to the pan and cook salmon on both sides until cooked through and starting to flake (about 10 minutes). Put salmon, onions and garlic in a bowl and let cool. Add one egg and ½ cup of breadcrumbs to the bowl and form into patties. If patties don’t form, add more breadcrumbs until they stay together.

Next, you’ll need to set up a breading station. You’ll need flour in a shallow dish, another dish with the beaten egg and one additional shallow dish for panko.

Dredge patties lightly in flour, shaking off the excess. One by one, dip in the beaten egg, coating completely and then roll in panko to coat.

Fry at 350F until golden brown. Build burgers with garnishes and aïoli and enjoy!

Wakey Whiskey: Familia Partila Reposado Tequila

by Eric Ducote

Yeah, I know... it's not a whiskey.  However, today is Cinco de Mayo, and I'm going to leave the margaritas made with grain alcohol to the amateurs and enjoy some tequila in the way it was meant to be enjoyed, sipped like a fine whiskey. I know to most of us, myself included, tequila is a spirit that traditionally has either been done as a shot or as part of a margarita.  And it's almost always good old Jose Cuervo showing up to the party or if someone was feeling like splurging, then maybe some Patron.  

In brief, tequila comes from a specific region of Mexico that surrounds the city of Tequila, and is made from the blue agave plant.  The plant's leaves are harvested, baked, and pressed to create a juice that is then fermented and distilled.  From there tequila is either bottled as a white "blanco" spirit or aged in wooden barrels to create a rested "reposado" or aged "anejo" variety.  These barrels are almost always second use bourbon barrels, which give color and flavor to the blanco tequila similar to what they do for a white whiskey.  

Familia Partida Reposado Tequila

This particular selection is a reposado tequila from Familia Partida out of the city of Tequila.  It's fermented from estate grown blue agave, then aged for 6 months and bottled at 80 proof.  The 6 months of aging give the spirit a light golden color reminiscent to me of a lighter Irish whiskey or Speyside scotch.  

The aroma is slightly sweet with the trademark tequila smell that comes from the agave plant.  A blend of citrus and oak with an underlying booziness.  The bourbon barrel aging gives off a definite vanilla flavor but the cooked agave is the real star, giving this tequila a bit of a margarita flavor even when drank neat.  Personally, I enjoy tequila a lot when drank neat or over ice, I find that the oak aging gives a pleasant base profile with the trademark agave flavor.

This Familia Partida Reposado makes for a really nice sipping tequila, and an excellent start to this Cinco de Mayo! 

Feature Beer Friday: Tin Roof's Even More FOMO

by Eric Ducote

Hey everyone, and welcome to yet another edition of Feature Beer Friday.  Tag your beer posts with #FeatureBeerFriday to follow along and home and share what you're breaking out today!  I'm coming to you all with another beer from local brewery Tin Roof, making this their third appearance on Feature Beer Friday.  I promise that's not just because I used to work there, but it does have a lot to do with all the new releases they have been putting out week after week.  First, I featured their Juju Imperial IPA (now named Santeria) and then the Haze Hunt Triple IPA, and now it's time for the Even More FOMO Wheatwine!

Even More FOMO is a wheatwine, which is akin to the barleywine, except quite obviously, more wheat in the grain bill.  Like a barleywine, a wheatwine isn't actually a wine at all, but a strong ale, falling under the American Strong Ale category by BJCP standards.  They descripe the style as "A richly textured, high alcohol sipping beer with a significant grainy, bready flavor and sleek body." In addition, they acknowledge that the style is relatively new and still being developed, which leads to a "range of interpretations."  

Tin Roof's Even More FOMO Wheatwine

Tin Roof definitely took the hoppy interpretation on their version, which clocks in at approximately 11% alcohol.  The appearance is definitely on par with a hazy IPA but a little darker and into orange territory.  The aroma is citrusy, with a bit of sweetness from the grain bill but primarily just hoppy goodness.  On the tongue though I get more piney resinous hop flavors, along with a silky smooth mouthfeel from the all the wheat.  The 11% alcohol is extremely well concealed, to the point where I feel like this could sneak up on some unsuspecting drinkers.  

Overall though, another winner from Tin Roof, this wheatwine is on the verge of being an Imperial IPA with a wheat base, and will surely satisfy hopheads and traditionalists alike.  As of Thursday (May 3rd) afternoon it was still on tap with plenty of 4-packs available as well, so swing by and give it a try! 

Cheers! 

Jay D's Bites: Chicken Biscuit with Molasses Mustard Butter

by Chef Jenn Breithaupt
(original biscuit recipe by Chef Alex Hamman)

Everyone loves the Honey Butter Chicken Biscuits from Whataburger, but why not make your own at home?! Chef Alex Hamman from the Louisiana Culinary Institute has the most amazing biscuit recipe (seriously, they call him King Biscuit) that he makes every Friday for faculty.

I asked him if I could utilize it to make a Molasses Mustard butter chicken biscuits and he was all for it. The fluffiness of the biscuit is harmonious with the fried chicken breast and the Molasses Mustard butter sends it over the top. The biscuit dough also does very well in the freezer if you want to make a batch of biscuits and save them for a rainy day breakfast.

Molasses Mustard Butter Chicken Biscuit

Makes 15 biscuits, 3½” 

For the biscuits:
4 cups bread flour
3¾ cups cake flour
3½ Tbs baking powder
1 Tbs + 1 tsp kosher salt
3 Tbs + 1 tsp sugar
3 sticks + ½ Tbs cold unsalted butter, cubed
3¼ cups buttermilk

For the chicken:
6 chicken breast, cut in half, flattened
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 eggs, whisked
Canola oil for frying

For the butter:

¾ cup Jay D’s Louisiana Molasses Mustard
2 sticks unsalted butter

For the biscuits:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Keep all ingredients as cold as possible!

In a medium mixing bowl, combine both bread and cake flour, baking powder, salt and sugar from the biscuit ingredients. Using a pastry blender or your hands, cut cold butter into flour mixture until butter is the size of peas. Add buttermilk and mix with your hands until shaggy. Cover and rest for 20 minutes. Roll out dough on a floured surface and fold once (to create layers). Roll out again to 1-1¼” thick and cut into 3½” circles. When cutting biscuits out, DO NOT TWIST CUTTER. Just simply press down and lift cutter back up. Place biscuits about ½” apart on greased baking sheet and bake until golden brown.

For the chicken:
Heat canola oil to 350°F in a skillet or table-top fryer. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour, place in egg-wash, then dredge back through flour. Fry chicken until golden, brown, and delicious (about 4-5 minutes).

For the butter:
Soften butter and mix in Jay D’s Louisiana Molasses Mustard.

Open biscuit up and slather butter on both halves. Place fried chicken breast on biscuit and put the other half of biscuit on top of chicken and enjoy your chicken biscuit sandwich!