Roasted blackberries with sabayon

My absolute favourite easy dessert is fruit with sabayon (aka zabaglione). This is deliciousness incarnate, and you probably already have most of the ingredients for it, so it's pretty easy to throw together at the last minute. My wife prefers this with blackberries, so here we go.

I've always used the recipe from The New Making of a Cook: The Art, Techniques, And Science Of Good Cooking by Madeleine Kamman, but really this recipe is a classic and is the same no matter where you get it from.

Start with a nice batch of blackberries. Around 15 blackberries/serving. Wash and sort them, and lay them out on a baking pan, while preheating the broiler in your oven on high.

Meanwhile, mix:

4 large egg yolks

¼ cup sugar

in a heavy bottom saucepan (I like to use my million year old Le Creuset that my Mom picked up at a garage sale for $5 about 15 years ago).

Heat over low heat, and never ever stop mixing. It'll start to thicken and eventually "ribbon". It took me a long time to understand this part. They say it will drip of the spoon like a flat ribbon at this stage. But the real point, is that it has thickened considerably. Once you've done this a few times, you'll recognize it. (Around this time, slip the tray of blackberries under the broiler). At this point add:

¼ cup Madeira

Really, you can add any flavouring agent here. I've even added vanilla for a friend of mine who doesn't like alcohol. But Madeira adds a really nice flavour that makes the sabayon rich and tasty.

It'll thicken again, this time pretty quickly. Pull it off the heat immediately, and continue mixing so it doesn't seize up. Meanwhile, remove the broiled blackberries from the oven (they should look like they've swelled up but not burst. Divvy up the blackberries into dishes, and drizzle a small amount sabayon on each one. Serve immediately.

The sweet richness of the sabayon makes a nice counterpoint to the bright acidity of the hot blackberries. This is delicious.

A lazy Saturday calls for...

... a lychee martini. Several years ago, I purchased the Nobu West cookbook, thinking I would cook from it frequently. As fancy cookbooks go, I haven't used this one much. I've failed several times at making the mochi ice cream in there, and haven't tried much else. But the lychee martini is a keeper.

1 oz lychee liqueur

1 oz vanilla vodka

1 oz mandarin vodka

½ oz passionfruit juice

splash fresh lime juice

lychee (available at Asian stores in the canned fruit section)

Shake liquids over ice. Serve with a lychee in the glass.

Sticky Spicy Ribs

We buy ribs in bulk at Costco, wrap 'em individually and freeze them. They're convenient to keep around, and only require a couple hours to defrost. And they're tasty!

This preparation is one of the last recipes I took from Gourmet magazine, before firing them. Before kicking them to the curb. Before telling them, "It's not me, it's you."

Start with the rub (makes enough for two racks of pork ribs):

2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar

1½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons paprika
1½ teaspoons chipotle chile powder
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon black pepper

Mix, and rub all over those beautiful ribs. Let sit in the fridge a couple hours with the rub.

Toss the ribs on a medium hot grill, on indirect heat. I aim for 225°F, and use wet hickory for smoke.

Smoke for an hour at 225°F. Meanwhile, make the sauce. I make a double batch and freeze the extra:

1½ cups chopped onion (from 1 large)
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1½ tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1½ cups ketchup
½ cup cider vinegar
6 tablespoons soy sauce
½ cup water
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
1½ teaspoons salt
¾ teaspoon black pepper

Sauté the onions, garlic and ginger. When starting to brown, deglaze the pan with the liquid ingredients. Add spices and simmer for 20 minutes or so, and then run the sauce through a blender. Yum.

After an hour on the smoker, start glazing the ribs with sauce, every 20 minutes or so. Smoke the ribs for two more hours at 225°F.

Remove from the grill, allow the ribs to rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board, then separate the individual ribs with a cleaver. Serve immediately.

These will be a hit. I promise.

Alton Brown - trash talker

Okay, this is pretty funny. We watch a bit of the Food Network in our house. But it seems so many of the shows are such utter garbage - the 'Dump & Stir' shows of Sandra Lee, in particular. Well listen to this interview with Alton Brown, where he unloads on "Semi-Homemade's" Sandra Lee:

"semi-sane… semi-out of her freaking mind"

Hat Tip: Food Network Humor