Sips and Eats: Philly’s best food and drink picks for April 9-12

I love to eat fresh choux shells right out of the oven, so it’s just a step further to add cheese and herbs to the batter and make a savory treat, gougeres.”

Ingredients:

• 6 oz. Milk
• 6 oz. Water
• 4 oz., or 1 stick Butter
• 5 Eggs
• 1.25  cups All Purpose Flour
• 1.5 tsp Salt
• 1.5 tsp Cracked black pepper
• 4 oz. Grated Gruyere
• 2T- 1/4c Rosemary, or any combo of herbs chopped

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Sift flour with salt.
3. Whisk eggs, and remove 2Tbsp to use as an egg wash.
4. Have a mixing bowl and mixer with paddle attachment ready.
5. Bring milk, water,  and butter to a boil – make sure they only fill the pot about 1/3-1/2 full.
6. Remove pot from heat and stir in flour and salt (I like a wooden spoon for this). Return to medium heat and cook until it’s a firm mass that pulls away from the pan, about 1-2 minutes. Dump into mixing bowl, and mix on medium speed for about a minute.

7. With mixer running, add eggs, little by little. Scrape down and continue to mix until smooth and well-combined. If it’s still quite hot, cover and cool a bit.
8. Mix in cheese and herbs.

*batter can be chilled for up to 24 hours at this point*

9. Line a sheetpan with parchment paper (a greased pan should be fine, too). Drop blobs onto pan, about 2Tbsp each, 2” apart. Use a pastry brush to tap egg wash onto tops of gougeres, and to gently press in any spiky bits of batter.

10. Bake for 20-30 minutes, rotating the pan after 15 minutes. Gougeres should be bronzed and firm to touch.

…

• FORSYTHIA

Courtesy of Chef/Owner Christopher Kearse

Potage Parmentier  (Potato Leek Soup)

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 3 large leeks
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sliced shallots
• 1/3 cup sliced onions
• 1 lb (about 1 large) Yukon gold potato, peeled
• 3 garlic cloves crushed and skin removed
• 6 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 sprigs thyme,2 sprigs parsley, 2 bay leaves

Instructions:

1. Cut away and discard the dark green leaves and roots from the leeks, leaving only the white and palest green sections. Then cut them lengthwise and rinse in water to get rid of the dirt. Chop the leeks into pieces about 1/4 inch wide
2. Melt the butter over medium heat in the saute pan, and add the leeks, onions, garlic, and shallots. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes

3. Cut the potato lengthwise into quarters, then cut crosswise into strips about 1/4-inch thick
4. Make a sachet, wrap the thyme, parsley, bay leaves and some fresh-ground pepper in the cheesecloth and secure with twine
5. Add the potatoes and sachet/ herbs to cook for another 2 to 4 minutes
6. Add the chicken broth to the mixture. Stir, and taste to adjust seasonings as needed. Bring the pan to a simmer, then reduce the heat in order to simmer for 30 minutes. Cover with lid
7. After 30 minutes, remove the soup from the heat and let it stand and cool for 15 minutes. Remove the sachet
8. In batches, puree the soup until fine. Return the soup to the rinsed-out pan and bring to a simmer. Add heavy cream and simmer for 5 minutes

…

• LALO // THE BOURSE FOOD HALL 
Courtesy of Co-Owner Neal Santos

Tortang Talong (Eggplant Omelette)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium Chinese eggplant, grilled, cooled, and skin peeled.
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp of fish sauce or salt
• 1/4 cup of chopped red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup of chopped sweet banana pepper
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp of garlic minced
• 1 tsp of ginger minced
• 1/2 cup of leftover sausage, or bacon
• 1/4 cup of cilantro for garnish
• 1/4 cup of pickles for serving
• Banana ketchup or regular ketchup for serving

Prepare ahead of time:

Roast your eggplant on a grill or in your oven for 15 minutes underneath the broiler, or directly over the flame of your gas burner. The skin of the eggplant should crack until blackened and soft. Cool the eggplant in a ziplock bag and let the steam continue the cooking process. Once completely cooled, the skin of the eggplant should peel right off.

Day of preparation:

Whisk your eggs until creamy and consistent in a large enough bowl to fit your eggplant. Add fish sauce or salt. Dip your cool and peeled eggplant into the batter and mash the flesh of the eggplant with a fork.

Heat a medium or large skillet with oil to 350 degrees. Saute your peppers, onions, garlic, ginger and sausage. Cook until softened and set aside. Clean your pan and reheat with oil to 350 degrees. Gently slide your eggplant from the bowl to the pan and fry your egg and eggplant. Add your filling back to the omelette and let the batter set. About 3 minutes. Carefully flip your tortang talong and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

Serve with the stem on with rice, pickles, cilantro and some banana ketchup.

…

• SOJOURN PHILLY (Rex 1516, Jet Wine Bar, Café Ynez)
Courtesy of Culinary Director, Lucio Palazzo

“My go-to dish is pasta with tomato and sardines or tuna (or both.) The key is to keep really high quality dried pasta on hand. I recommend Rustichella d’Abruzzo. You make a simple sauce by sautéing diced onions, sliced garlic in a LOT of olive oil (more than feels comfortable.) You then add a pinch of chile flake and let it toast for a minute until fragrant. Next, you add a can of crushed whole San Marzano tomatoes. Let it simmer for a few minutes and add a pinch of oregano. Finally, add your tinned fish. Simmer the sauce until it all kind of melts together, just twenty minutes or so. Boil your pasta, add a ladle or two of the water to the sauce pan, and drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the sauce, and mix vigorously with another splash of olive oil and a knob of butter. No cheese required, but freshly grated breadcrumbs are a fantastic textural contrast.”

…

• THE TWISTED TAIL

The Devil’s Tail
Courtesy of George Reilly, Owner of The Twisted Tail and one of Philadelphia’s most trusted bourbon and cocktail experts

Ingredients:

2 oz. Devil’s Cut Bourbon
1 oz. Pedro Ximenez Sherry
2 dashes Black Walnut Bitters
Absinthe spritz
Glassware: Rocks glass

Garnish: Lime wheel + bourbon-soaked maraschino cherry

Instructions: Spritz inside of rocks glass with absinthe. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass, over ice. Stir and strain into rocks, glass, over a fresh 2-inch ice cube. Garnish with a lime wheel and bourbon-soaked maraschino cherry.

…

Art in the Age Online Sale

Art in the Age, the workshop and testing ground for the spirit savants at Quaker City Mercantile, is pleased to announce its full line-up of scratch-made small-batch spirits — and more — are now available for purchase online.

At-home bartenders can stock up on everything from tools to books to bitters and now, for the first time ever, Art in the Age’s full line of spirits, including limited releases such as the newly launched Mountain Berry Cordial, as well as favorites such as the Art in the Age Trumpet Blueberry Cordial and Cherry Bounce and spirits from Tasting Room partner, New Liberty Distillery, and western PA favorite, Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka.

Art in the Age will ship to anywhere in the state of Pennsylvania.

…

The Twisted Tail Virtual Happy Hour

During these uncertain and trying times, The Twisted Tail is hoping to bring people together with a new virtual “social hour,” featuring live music with Mikey Junior every Wednesday from 5-7 pm.

Mikey will perform with his harmonica and a fellow guitar player, on a two-hour live Facebook stream to bring awareness to musicians and performers who are out of jobs. Additionally, The Twisted Tail will be posting videos on whiskey tastings and discussion with The Twisted Tail Owner George Reilly and Alex Gay on Mondays as well as cocktail how-to demonstrations on Fridays. Videos will be posted by 3 pm.

---

You can follow Candis McLean on Twitter (@CandisRMcLean) and e-mail her at [email protected].

Subscribe, rate, and review all Philly Influencer podcasts here. Follow Philly Influencer onTwitter, Facebook, and Instagram.