One of my favorite things to do in October is sample the season’s freshest crop of pumpkin ales. Robert and I tried to attend Elysian Brewery’s “Great Pumpkin Beer Festival” earlier this month, but it was insanely crowded. I guess I’m not the only one who looks forward to pumpkin ale season. Since we couldn’t get in at Elysian, I decided to do my own pumpkin ale tasting at home. Here is a roundup of some of my favorites.

Dogfish Head’s “Punkin’ Ale” – Punkin’ is a brown ale brewed with fresh pumpkin, brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg. The aroma is subtle, hinting ever so slightly at pumpkin pie. The flavor, on the other hand, is sweet and spicy and unmistakably pumpkin. These flavors are so well-integrated with the beer, it feel like a very natural match, almost as if all brown ales could be improved with a little pumpkin and spice. This ale is full-bodied but still highly drinkable. I had it as an after-dinner treat, but I think it would also pair well with food.

Elysian Brewery’s “The Great Pumpkin” – Elysian doesn’t bottle The Great Pumpkin too often so I stopped by the brewery to sample it. This is one of the most lauded pumpkin ales out there and with good reason. The Great Pumpkin is made with roasted pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and a whole lotta pumpkin. It is an Imperial ale which means that it is stronger and higher in alcohol than your average beer. The color is a beautiful copper-brown. You can certainly taste the pumpkin and spices, but the beer is incredibly well-balanced. It is sweet, but this is offset nicely by a hoppy bitterness. This is a very easy to drink beer. Very easy.

Elysian Brewery’s “Dark O’ The Moon Pumpkin Stout” – With its dramatic werewolf label and spooky black-as-night color, Elysian’s Dark O’ The Moon is a perfect choice for the Halloween season. This beer is so dense and thick that I couldn’t see any light shining through it. The mouth feel is amazingly smooth. Delicious notes of chocolate, roasted coffee and caramel abound, and there is just the right amount of bitterness on the finish. Unfortunately, I really didn’t detect any pumpkin. If you’re looking for a pumpkin beer, you will likely be disappointed. On the other hand, if you are a fan of stout, you don’t want to miss this one!

The Bruery’s “Autumn Maple” – This is not actually a pumpkin beer. It is made in the same manner as pumpkin beer but uses yams instead! Autumn Maple is brewed with 17 pounds of yams per barrel along with spices, vanilla, molasses and maple syrup. It is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale and has a whopping 10.5% alcohol by volume. This beer has a lot going on. It is sweet and tart and spicy all at once. Yams, malts and sweet spices are all present. Unexpected flavors, such as prunes, come through as well. And then there’s the classic yeastiness that you get with the Belgian beers. This beer is kind of crazy and quite different from the other ales I tried. It might not be for everyone, but I enjoyed it!

Several months ago, I came across this irresistible-sounding recipe for Jamaican Veggie Patties. It comes from Bryant Terry’s new cookbook: Vegan Soul Kitchen. Jamaican patties are traditionally filled with ground beef, but this vegan version features a delectable mix of vegetables cooked in coconut milk and sweet spices surrounded by a flaky, coconut oil-rich crust.

My first attempt at this recipe yielded mediocre results. The filling was great, but I completely messed up the crust (my own fault, not anything to do with the recipe as written.) The crust recipe calls for chilled coconut oil. Having never used coconut oil before, I decided to put it in the fridge to chill overnight – the colder the fat, the flakier the pastry, right? Big mistake! The coconut oil hardened up so much that I couldn’t even get my knife through it. I let it soften for a while at room temperature, but I still had a tough time incorporating it evenly into the dough. Not surprisingly, the crust wasn’t very good. It turned out dry and crumbly rather than flaky. At least the coconut oil made my hands nice and soft!

I decided to attempt the recipe again but this time, instead of making patties, I chose to make pot pies. Pot pies are easier to assemble and provide a higher ratio of delicious filling to pastry (I felt that the flavor of the filling was kind of lost in the patties.) For the crust, I followed a basic butter pie crust recipe which I tweaked slightly to bring it more in line with Mr. Terry’s recipe. I added 1 teaspoon of turmeric to the flour, and I used a combination of butter and coconut oil for the fat. This time, I chilled the coconut oil for only 30 minutes or so – it is already solid at room temperature so it just needed a short time in the fridge to cool down. I followed Mr. Terry’s filling recipe to a tee, although I doubled it to make sure I had enough for two pot pies (I actually ended up with more than enough– fortunately, leftover filling is delicious on its own or over rice!)

I divided the filling into two 2-cup soufflé dishes, topped them with the crust, brushed on a little egg wash and baked them in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes. Except for my slightly misshapen crust, the pot pies turned out beautiful! The turmeric gives the crust a nice golden color. They were very rich and flavorful and provided some much-needed comfort on our first stormy night of fall. Jamaican pot pies – a unique twist on an American classic!

I recently went out to celebrate a friend’s birthday with dinner at Via Tribunali followed by drinks at Tavern Law. Tavern Law is the latest “speakeasy style” bar to open up on Capitol Hill. When I think of a speakeasy, I imagine someplace secret or at the very least subtle. Someplace dark and quiet you could pop into for a cocktail and go unnoticed. In many ways, Tavern Law has none of that: instead of mysterious and quiet, it is bustling, loud and completely accessible. It is a very open space with high ceilings, tall bookshelves lining the walls and an over-sized mahogany bar that curves around the entirety of the main room.

But, wait. What is this strange phone doing on the wall? Pick it up and, if you’re lucky, you might be buzzed into the secret and secluded upstairs bar! Follow a dimly lit wooden stairwell lined with vintage nude photos to find an intimate bar with small tables nestled about. Personalized service and hushed voices are the atmosphere here. The upstairs bar feels like a hidden oasis and makes the downstairs bar seem downright rowdy by comparison.

The cocktail menu at Tavern Law is extensive, with drinks divvied up between fizzes, cups, punches and more. There is a helpful glossary at the back of the menu in case you want to learn the histories of these various types of cocktails. Many of the drinks are classics (for these, the menu lists the dates and locations where the drink was made famous.) Most, however, are original cocktails inspired by the classics. Fresh ingredients and traditional (at times obscure) spirits are used liberally. Tavern Law also has a short food menu, consisting mostly of small bites designed to go perfectly with that hand-crafted cocktail.

I’m easily overwhelmed by lengthy cocktail menus so I decided to order the very first drink that caught my eye: Farewell Romeo. This cocktail features Tequila, Strega, lemon and orange juice. It is shaken with ice, strained into an attractive martini glass and topped off with a spoonful of red wine (in this case, a fruity Tempranillo.) It was a beautiful drink – golden in color with a thin layer of deep red at the top. I feared that the wine might clash with the other ingredients, but it actually provided a nice aftertaste. It was like a super-strong sangria. Delicious!

My second drink was equally tasty despite having a somewhat odd list of ingredients. The Red Rum Daisy consists of rum, muddled red bell pepper, lime, ginger and a splash of grenadine. This drink is sweet, sour, spicy, and vegetal all at once. It was spicy enough that I wondered if they might have thrown some cayenne in there, but the waitress informed me it was only red bell pepper and ginger. This certainly isn’t a drink for everyone, but it was a highlight for me.

So far, Tavern Law seems like a great addition to the neighborhood. Drinks are on the expensive side; quality ingredients and craftsmanship are never cheap. I especially appreciate that Tavern Law has a little something for everyone. If you like an approachable place with lots of people, great cocktails and a fun atmosphere, swing by the main bar. If you are like me, and prefer a quieter hideout in which to enjoy your hand-crafted drink, check out the “speakeasy” upstairs.

Robert and I recently spent a few days backpacking at an amazing and somewhat secretive location. It was a tough hike over boulders and steep slopes with barely a trail to follow, but we were rewarded with absolute solitude, perfect weather and, of course, delicious homemade meals! Each trip to the woods gives me the opportunity to develop a new backpacking recipe or two. This time, I decided to make a curried dal.

For this recipe, I started off with Taste Adventure’s Sweet Corn Chowder mix which is available in bulk at my local co-op. Despite the name, this soup really doesn’t have much in common with chowder. In fact, the primary ingredient is not cream or corn but dried yellow split peas. This made it an ideal base for my curried dal. To add bulk, I combined the corn chowder mix with some instant rice. Because the soup mix was essentially unflavored (seasoned only with salt, pepper and parsley,) I added in some curry powder and a touch of cayenne pepper for heat. Also, because I love it and thought it would add just the right amount of richness to the dish, I threw in some ground coconut (for this, I simply powdered unsweetened coconut flakes in my food processor.) I wanted to include some vegetables for texture, but I didn’t have time to dehydrate my own. To remedy this, I bought a packet of Just Veggies which is a colorful blend of dried peas, carrots, corn, bell peppers and tomatoes. Finally, for a garnish, I chopped up some roasted cashews.

By preparing my own backpacking meals, I get the satisfaction of making delicious and nutritious food as well as the added bonus of saving some money. Commercial backpacking meals are typically very expensive. Just Veggies, dried coconut and roasted cashews aren’t the cheapest of foods so I’m not sure this meal really saved me any money. Still, I was able to tailor the recipe to my exact tastes, and it’s always fun to figure out how to make gourmet food that is lightweight, packable and easy to prepare in the wilderness (all of my backpacking meals are designed to be made in one pot with minimal effort.) The extra expense was worth it in the end. This meal was incredibly hearty and full of flavor. It proved to be one of the tastiest dinners I’ve ever eaten in the back country – a perfect meal to end a wonderful trip!

Click here for my Curried Dal recipe >>

Friday night, Robert and I headed over to Metro Cinema to see District 9. Since we were already in the University district for the movie, I thought it would be nice to grab a pint & a bite at my old stomping ground: The College Inn Pub. This dark, windowless basement pub is a haven for UW students. It is laid-back and unpretentious and attracts a good crowd (read: no obnoxious fraternity types.) The pool tables, dart boards and rotating taps provide plenty of much-needed distraction for college kids. As a geology student, I spent a good portion of my time “studying” at the College Inn Pub.

The menu consists of standard pub classics including some of the best nachos in town. For $6, you get a big pile of hot corn chips topped with melted cheese, chopped fresh tomatoes, black olives, spicy jalapeño peppers and a huge dollop of sour cream. Salsa is served on the side. For an extra $1, you can have some of the pub’s delicious black bean chili added to your nachos. The jalapeños and black bean chili make these nachos truly awesome, but perhaps even more important is the fact that the nachos are well-layered. I hate it when all of the cheese is stuck on the top layer of chips and everything underneath is dry and devoid of toppings. There certainly isn’t anything fancy about this food. Still, as I sat there reminiscing about my college years, washing my nachos down with a nice, cold Old Seattle Lager, I couldn’t help but feel like it was the perfect way to top off a movie night.

The College Inn Pub is located at 4006 University Way NE. Nachos are half price on Mondays!

Robert was recently given a gift certificate for two to attend the Bon Vivant School of Cooking. Bon Vivant is a local cooking school which offers series courses such as “Mastering the Basics” as well as individual cooking classes. Individual classes focus on specific regional cuisines, cooking methods or types of dishes (desserts, salads, etc.) There are also occasional field trips to foodie locales around Seattle such as Pike Place Market.

After browsing through the class listing, I finally settled on the “Saveur Cooks: Spanish Classics” class. Spanish food isn’t my favorite cuisine, but the menu for this class sounded irresistible: Tortilla Española (Spanish Potato Omelette); Espinacas con Garbanzos (Spinach with Chickpeas); Alcachofas en su Salsa (Artichokes in Their Own Sauce); Paella de Mariscos (Shellfish Paella); Patatas a la Riojana (Potatoes Stewed with Paprika and Chorizo); Gelat de Crema Catalana (Burnt Cream Ice Cream); Carquinyolis (Catalan Biscotti).

Despite being a pretty popular school, Bon Vivant is definitely a small operation. If you are picturing a big classroom with individual cooking stations for each cook, think again. Most of the classes are run by Louise Hasson out of her home in North Seattle, and the cooking is all done in her single – albeit large – kitchen. It is much more of an intimate experience than you get in other cooking schools. Twelve students in one kitchen gets cozy real fast!

We arrived to find two rows of folding chairs set out facing Louise’s kitchen; on each chair was a printed booklet featuring the recipes we would be preparing that day (all of the recipes for this class come from Saveur Magazine.) Once everyone was seated, Louise briefly went through the recipes with us, noting any quirks or special techniques to watch out for. A sign-up sheet was passed around, and each student signed up for the dish that they were interested in making. Then, we started cooking!

Things were a little chaotic at first. Fortunately, it wasn’t enough to cause anyone to lose a finger and, after a while, everyone settled into a nice rhythm. I had signed up for the artichoke dish. I’ve always been intimidated at the prospect of trimming artichokes down to their hearts, but it proved to be rather easy if somewhat labor-intensive. Once trimmed, the dish was a breeze to prepare. The artichoke hearts are braised very simply in a combination of water, sherry, olive oil, garlic, scallions and parsley. My dish was part of the tapas menu for the day. Robert worked on the other two tapas: the tortilla and the spinach with chickpeas (yes, he pulled his weight in the kitchen much more than I did.)

With the tapas out of the way, our work was done. Robert and I got to sit back with glasses of red wine and champagne and watch the other students prepare the rest of the meal. Seeing the paella being made was a highlight – paella is always a stunning dish to look at and, since it is cooked in a huge, wide pan, it was easy for everyone to watch the entire process. The flavor didn’t disappoint either. The mussels and prawns were cooked perfectly, and the rice was enjoyably chewy and flavorful. I also particularly liked the stewed potato dish and the artichokes (and not just because I made them – it was just a really tasty dish.)

We were sent home with Saveur-inspired goodie bags, and Robert was the lucky winner of a $25 gift certificate to igourmet.com! If you like cooking or are just looking for something fun and a little different to do, check out the Bon Vivant School of Cooking. Louise really knows her stuff. I’ve been cooking for a long time, but I still picked up a few tips here and there. Now that Robert and I are experts, it has already been decided that the theme for my family’s Christmas Eve feast this year will be Spanish Classics!

St. Germain – a French liqueur made from elderflowers – is undoubtedly the current darling of Seattle’s cocktail scene. Coinciding with the movement toward hand-crafted cocktails and speakeasy-themed lounges, this exotic French spirit is popping up on cocktail menus all around the city. Despite its popularity, St. Germain is available in limited quantities. Elderflowers have a short blossoming season and do not keep well once picked making mass production difficult. Each year, 40 or 50 farmers head out to the French Alps to pick the elderflowers used to make St. Germain. The flowers are carefully packed into sacks and carted to market on bicycles. Whatever the farmers are able to collect over a several day period is what will be used to make that year’s supply of St. Germain. St. Germain is produced using old-world techniques dating back to the 1880’s. Although it is a relatively new spirit, it’s now wonder why fans of retro cocktails are flocking to St. Germain. The traditional harvesting and distillation process, the beautiful chiseled bottle – everything about St. Germain just seems old (take a look at their website, and you’ll know what I’m talking about.)

My liquor store seems to be perpetually out of stock. After weeks of searching, I finally got my hands on a bottle of St. Germain. I was immediately entranced by its complex aroma: part grapefruit, passionfruit, pear, lychee, and, of course, flowers. The flavor is sweet though not nearly as sweet and cloying as some liqueurs. I wouldn’t drink it straight, but I could see myself adding a small amount of St. Germain to nearly any cocktail. It mixes amazingly well with most types of alcohol. Gin, rum, bourbon, tequila – you name it. It adds a light sweetness and just the right amount of that alluring aroma to any drink you put it in. Use it in place of simple syrup for an extra deluxe cocktail!

So far, I have made two different cocktails using St. Germain. First, I decided to try the signature drink: The St. Germain Cocktail. This super-easy recipe calls for 2 shots of champagne or dry white wine (preferably Sauvignon Blanc), 1½ shots St. Germain, and 2 shots sparkling water. You simply stir the ingredients together in a tall, ice-filled glass and add a lemon twist garnish. I used a dry Chilean Sauvignon Blanc. It was still a little sweet for me but proved to be very refreshing on a hot day. Robert described it as tasting like “the world’s most delicious sprite.” I thought it tasted like a Gewurtztraminer spritzer. I’d be curious to see how it is made with Champagne instead of Sauvignon Blanc.

For my second drink, I attempted to recreate the St. James Cooler Robert had at Knee-High several weeks ago. For this drink, I placed in an ice-filled cocktail shaker: 4 to 5 mint leaves, 1 shot of bourbon, ½ shot of St. Germain, 1 teaspoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice and a dash of angostura bitters. I shook it up and poured it into a short glass filled with ice. Then, I topped it off with 1 shot sparkling water and a fresh mint sprig garnish. This recipe required a bit more effort than the St. Germain Cocktail but was much more my style of drink. Robert and I spent a lazy Sunday afternoon reading our books and sipping on St. James Coolers. If that’s an indication of things to come, I’m looking forward to sampling my way through many more St. Germain-inspired cocktails over the remaining weeks of summer!

Seattle is about to experience a major heatwave so our multitude of new ice cream shops will most certainly be packed in the coming days. Robert and I decided to beat the rush and head out to Bluebird Homemade Ice Cream & Tea Room on Saturday night. Bluebird has been open for only a few weeks, and it is the third (yes, third!) ice cream shop to open up on Capitol Hill this summer. Like Molly Moon’s, Bluebird’s ice cream is made using primarily local and organic ingredients, and they offer uncommon flavors (stout, snickerdoodle, and peanut butter) alongside more mainstream varieties (strawberry, chocolate, etc.) There doesn’t appear to be too much overlap between the flavors at Molly Moon’s and the flavors at Bluebird which means that I’ll be able to go the entire summer without repeating an ice cream. I’m currently trying to limit myself to ice cream once per week, but it’s proving to be quite difficult!

As soon as I heard about Bluebird’s stout ice cream, I knew I had to try it. I’m generally not a big fan of stout but, apparently, if you mix it into some ice cream, I’m sold. Bluebird’s stout ice cream is made using Dragonstooth Stout by next-door neighbor, Elysian Brewery. Dragonstooth is a slightly sweet oatmeal stout, and it works incredibly well as an ice cream flavor. Hints of chocolate, molasses, coffee and roasted malts are all present, and the ice cream finishes with a slight bitterness. As excited as I am to try the other flavors being offered in the neighborhood, it’ll be hard to pass this one up (I may need to make a mid-week exception just for this!)

Robert and I just returned from a great backpacking trip on the Washington Coast. The weather wasn’t the best, but we had the whole beach to ourselves for most of the trip – just us and the seals staring back and forth at each other! Nothing beats the sense of peace & relaxation that a few days in the wilderness provides. That said, one of my absolute favorite things about backpacking is getting to play kitchen scientist when it comes to meal planning. Each trip gives me a chance to develop and test a new recipe or two. The goal is always to come up with food that is tasty yet extremely lightweight and easy to prepare in the back country.

This year, I decided to try my hand at making ham & bean soup. My mom used to make this when we would backpack as a family many years ago, and she told me recently that it was always one of her favorites – the ultimate comfort food for when you are deep in the wilderness. After a little bit of experimentation, I achieved good results. By dehydrating the soup in the oven, I was able to transform five cups of soup into a mere six ounces. It re-hydrated beautifully at camp and – mom was right – the soup was delicious! It was awfully cold & blustery during our trip but, sitting on the beach next to a roaring fire with a bowl of hearty ham & bean soup, we didn’t mind the weather one bit!

If you want to read more about my ham & bean soup experiment, click here >>

I had the distinct honor today of being the first person ever to order spam musubi from Marination Mobile. The most recent addition to the slew of food trucks opening around Seattle, Marination Mobile offers Hawaiian and Korean street food (think kalbi beef tacos, kimchi fried rice, and spam sliders.) Spam musubi is an extremely popular snack in Hawaii. It consists of a slice of spam – usually fried or grilled – atop a rectangle of rice with a strip of nori seaweed holding it all together. Sometimes seasonings such as teriyaki sauce are included. Everything on Marination Mobile’s menu sounded great, but the spam musubi intrigued me the most (perhaps because President Obama famously ate one during a recent trip to Hawaii.) They were really excited when I ordered it and asked me to sign my name on the order slip (I thought this was some sort of waiver for spam musubi newbies at first but they actually just wanted to keep it as a memento.) Having never eaten spam musubi before, I was pleasantly surprised. It is very simple yet quite tasty – salty, sweet and a bit briny thanks to the nori. This humble snack is priced right at just $2 each. In fact, all of the prices at Marination Mobile are reasonable – the fried rice bowl is $5 and the tacos (which are awesome by the way) are $2 each. Marination Mobile is planning to be parked at different spots around the city. You can track their whereabouts on their website and also on twitter: curb_cuisine.