My take on it deviates by making the sauce a richer tomato sauce smoked paprika, a bit of chile, and sherry vinegar (like a bravas sauce).  Instead of chorizo, I used a smokey american bacon.  I make this a full breakfast dish by adding layers of mushrooms and kale, which is what I had on hand (feel free to improvise).

In Spain, this would likely be accompanied by some crusty bread and half a bottle of red wine (you know, to go with your breakfast cortado).

4 servings

1 spanish onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp 2x concentrated tomato paste
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, chopped
1-2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
1-2 tsp dark brown sugar
1 chile d'arbol finely chopped (or 1/4 tsp red pepper flake)
1 tbsp smoked spanish paprika
Herbs (1 sprig rosemary, 1 bay leaf, 1 thyme sprig)
4 oz smokey bacon, chorizo, or other meat
8 oz sliced mushrooms (button or baby bella)
2-3 cups chopped kale (or other leafy green)
1/4 grated cheese (manchego, cheddar, or mexican blend)
Parmesan
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Add the casserole dish to pre-heat.

Sweat the onion in olive oil with a pinch of salt, add the bacon and cook until the bacon or meat is cooked through.  Next, add the garlic, chile, paprika, and tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Toasting the spices and browning the tomato paste brings out a lot of flavor.  Add the tomatoes and sherry vinegar, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze.  Add the herbs to the sauce. Taste it for seasoning and adjust, adding a pinch or two of sugar if it's very acidic.  Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook until thick and chunky, roughly 15-20 minutes.  Remove the herb packet or stalks.  If the sauce becomes too thick, add a small amount of water or stock to thin it out.

While the sauce is simmering, sautee the mushrooms until golden in olive oil, optionally deglaze the pan with a bit of brandy or water. Set the mushrooms aside.  After the mushrooms are cooked, add the kale and sautee with olive oil until tender, roughly 3-4 minutes.   

In mini souffle dishes or one large casserole dish, spread a layer of tomato sauce.  Then alternative with a layer of mushrooms, kale, and more tomato sauce.  Be sure there is room at the top for eggs.  Crack two eggs per ramikan, 8 overrall into the nests in tomato sauce.  Season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.  

Place in the oven and cook until the eggs are about half cooked, starting to set, but still very wobbly - roughly 4-8 minutes depending on your baking dish.  Then sprinkle the eggs with the cheese and return to the oven. Continue cooking until the egg whites are almost set.  Remember, the eggs will continue to cook for a few minutes after you take them out of the oven.  The goal is have cooked eggs with a yolk that is still a bit runny.

Garnish with fresh parmesan, finely chopped herbs or scallions, and a bit of pepper. 

If you're lucky, you'll have some time to explore the sights, and tastes of Portland when you attend theconference.  Here are some of my raw research notes.

Let me start with some references and reading material on Portland. 

Local Resources

7x7 - 'local' online paper
http://www.7x7.com/
- 7x7 is known for its lists.  For example, it has a new Big Eat 2012 List.
http://www.7x7.com/eat-drink/big-eat-2012-list

All of these places and more are list on my Google maps guide.

Let's start with what you want: Beer. Lots of good Scottish real ale and grub to wash it down. Oh and maybe some whisky too.

Scottish Real Ale & Whisky
Three Judges - Pub with classic real ale
The Bon Accord - Another award winning CAMRA pub
BlackFriars - A real ale pub in Merchant City serving good food.
BrewDog - an American style micro-brewery serving west-coast style hopped "punk beer".  
Ben Nevis - Whisky bar 
Dram - a fantastic whisky and beer pub 

Seek sustenance:
Lebowski's - Normal every day tavern with decent pub grub.
Mother India Cafe - Indian small plates to share
Tinderbox Coffee - A great coffee shop on Byres road serving espresso drinks and homemade pastries
Ubiquitous Chip - A higher end dining experience
Stravaigin - Both locations have great food and service.  The Haggis with neeps 'n tatties is great here.
The 78 - An organic vegetarian restaurant, reggae on Thursday nights (thanks Kyle)
The Pelican - An upcoming bar-restaurant with an emphasis on wine.
Number 16 - An interesting looking restaurant on Byres Road 

Gourmet Food Shops:
George Mewes - A fantastic cheesemonger
DehmiJohn - Liquid gold by the 100ml, whisky, oils, liquers, and vinegars
Kember & Jones - a Gourmet food store which sells Tablet, and other great savory items 

Don't take my word for it.  Check out The List Food and Drink Guide.

1) Liquid Nitrogen Dewar (or anti-griddle)

2) CookTek Induction burner (pans are optional)

3) Pressure Cooker - to pressure cook that sh*t

4) Polyscience Immersion Circulator - for all your sous vide cooking

5) Set of digital scales (small and large)

6) Thermometers - Ultra-tip therma-pen and Laser thermo-gun

7) iSi Hot/Cold ThermoWhip foam gun

8) RotoVap - rotary evaporator

9) Paco-jet

10) Combi-oven - temperature and humidity controlled oven

11) Selection of Crucialware serviceware (used in Alinea)

Knives, cutting boards, pans, peeler, microplane, and all that other stuff, optional.

And don't forget a selection of powders and chemicals WillPowder (and other equipment from WillEquiped).  

A new TED talk by Nathan Myhrvold on science and cooking, including how pickling works.

A bunch of the cast will be tweeting on #masterchef. The second part of the premier will air tomorrow, Tuesday at 8pm! (The episodes should also be on Hulu at some future date) Jeff, aka @cookingphd ]]>http://www.cookingphd.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-11715100.xmlJeffFri, 06 May 2011 01:29:53 +0000http://www.cookingphd.com/blog/2011/5/5/best-agave-mezcal-margarita-for-cinco-de-mayo.html814608:9611609:11376561These are the best margarita's ever!  What makes them special is a homemade sweet-sour-smokey agave and mezcal vinegar.  

Mezcal is a relative of tequila made from distilled agave.  It is roasted over a fire, giving it a smokey and complex flavor.  It is made in small batches, mostly in Oaxaca.  It is usually drunk straight on the rocks, like a scotch.  So have a shot first!

For today, I am mixing up a less than traditional cocktail.  The base is the Perfect Margarita from chow, which is a simple classic.  Not too sweet, the drink highlights the mezcal or tequila and lime.  

Instead of the traditional cointreau, this recipe uses a small quantity of precious elixir: Lou Bank's homemade Agave Nectar Mezcal Raspberry Vinegar.  Lou honed his skills as the first distiller for Rogue.  His homemade vinegars are out of this world.  

Ingredients

1/2 oz Lou Bank Agave Nectar Mezcal Raspberry Vinegar (or Cointreau)

1 1/2 ounces traditional Mezcal, like Real Minero (or 100 percent agave blanco tequila) 

1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions

Mix all ingredients.  Add a bit of simple syrup for sweetness if desired. A dash of angostura bitters can also add a bit of spice. 

For a salty edge, dip the rim of the glass into a shallow bowl of mezcal, drip off excess.  Then dip

the rim in a coarse salt to coat.  The alcohol evaporates more quickly than water, leaving the salt crispy and not too sticky.

For the version in the picture I served it over maple sap ice cubes left over from my maple syrup experiments.  It provides just a hint of sweetness.

Enjoy Cinco de Mayo!  Be sure to tune in to watch Masterchef on June 6th!

Read the Fox press release announcing the 100 contestants.  I am one of the 11 contestants chosen from Massachusetts.  From the PR release:

"Jeff Dalton, PhD Student, Northampton"

The Boston Herald picked up the news, be sure to check out the post on their blog and pick up a copy of today's paper!

Tune in on June 6th and 7th for the premier on Fox at 8pm (7 central) to see who will be America's next MasterChef!