Roasted Radishes Recipe from Brewer’s Night at The Masonry

Remember how Danielle is always in-the-know for cool things to see and do around Seattle? Well lucky you, she is sharing one of her favorites with you today! Enjoy! XO – Olivia

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Photo courtesy of http://www.stephenklise.com

Last month, I attended a Brewer’s Night event at The Masonry, one of my favorite Seattle restaurants located in Lower Queen Anne. While it is THE spot to get some of the best Neapolitan-style pizza in the city and sample an always impressive tap and bottle list, today we are highlighting The Masonry’s highly anticipated Brewer’s Nights.

Photo courtesy of http://www.stephenklise.com

What does a Brewer’s Night at the Masonry entail, exactly? Well, the restaurant hosts a brewery or distributor who provides five to seven different types of beers to be served as part of a fixed menu, along with dishes created and thoughtfully paired with each beer by Executive Chef Lucas Neve. Lucas and a representative from the brewery or distributor introduce what is being served as each course is delivered and each beer is poured. They explain why the dish is paired with each beer, a little background on the recipe, how the beer is made, and why it’s special.

The night’s menu.

The January Brewer’s Night I attended featured five beers courtesy of B-United Imports, with five perfectly paired dishes for each beer. While all of the dishes were superb (I’ve never had anything bad come out of that kitchen), the Roasted Radishes were the surprise of the night. The sharp and bitter flavor you get from a raw radish was considerably mellowed, with the texture similar to a cooked potato. The flavor of the crema that was served with it added the perfect amount of zing.

Lucas has generously shared his recipe, and offered some beer pairing tips for us amateur beer and food lovers (or for those outside of Seattle who don’t have Lucas to do the pairing for them!). Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m excited to present your new favorite way to eat your radishes!

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Roasted Radishes with Avocado & Radish-Top Crema

Photo courtesy of http://www.stephenklise.com

You will need 8-10 radishes per person, with good tops. Remove tops and save. Toss radishes in olive oil and kosher salt, and spread out on a baking sheet. Roast at 425 degrees for 45-60 minutes, or until fork-tender.

For the crema you will need:

• 1 Avocado
• 1 C Sour Cream
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 Lime, juiced
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 C Radish Tops, cleaned and finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.

Spoon about 1 Tbsp of crema on a small plate and smear across. Scatter radishes over the top of the crema, and finish with additional pinch of salt and twist of fresh ground black pepper.

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Photo courtesy of http://www.stephenklise.com

HSC: Why did you choose to pair this dish with the Reissdorf Kölsch?

LN: A Kölsch is essentially a lager recipe fermented as an ale, which gives it a very distinctive flavor profile. It has the very bright, clean notes characteristic of a lager but the ale yeast allows the biscuity malts and floral and citrusy hop notes to come through a bit more clearly. 

The roasted radishes come off as a much more starchy vegetable than the raw form, which works nicely with the malt profile. The avocado and radish tops in the crema pair nicely with the earthy notes in the beer, and the tang from the lime and sour cream match the hop character. 

HSC: Sounds legit. Any other food and beer pairing advice for us? 

Photo courtesy of http://www.stephenklise.com

LN: There are a few different ways to approach pairing food with beer. The pairing of radishes with Kölsch could be called a “like-with-like” pairing, matching flavors in the glass with flavors on the plate. Sometimes we pair by contrast, matching sour beers with dark chocolate or big roasty stouts with a mold-ripened cheese like Camembert. You can also leave a gap in the flavor profile of the food and use the beer to fill it. We did a deconstructed Philly Cheese Steak, with New York strip, roasted red pepper purée and soubise, and paired it with the Almanac Sourdough Ale to fill the role of the bread. Ultimately, if it tastes good that’s all that matters. If a beer makes you think of a certain food, cook that to go with it. 

Thanks, Lucas!

For information on upcoming Brewer’s Nights at The Masonry, visit their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheMasonryPizza

Nom nom nom ::burp:: -Danielle

My Yearly Valentine – DIY Cards

You are in luck – we have a new fabulous contributor today, Helena. She is sharing her crafty knowledge with us for Valentine’s Day Cards. Since Valentine’s Day is only five days away it is time to get your valentines-ducks in a row. Helena’s post will help you spread some love to your nearest and dearest this holiday.

Get your craft on! XO – Olivia

My Yearly Valentine – DIY Cards

I am a strong believer in letting those you love know it, so I say “I love you” to my friends and siblings every time we talk. Life is precious and I don’t want to ever regret not saying it. Every January since 2003 I have sent handmade Valentine’s Day cards to my closest friends and family to make sure they know I care.

Each year, I am inspired by a new theme – sailing, woodland animals, treasure hunts, and the list goes on. I typically send 15-20 cards yearly. This year, I came across acorn garland (that could be deconstructed and used as individual acorns) at Paper Source and found a catchy quote online that resonated with me – “The tallest oak in the forest was once just a nut that held its ground.”  For the personal touch, I added a note about our friendships being grounded in strong roots.  To finish it off, I stamped a cute heart to the front of the acorn. Voila- 12 cards complete in less than 4 hours! 

This year, to share in the fun I invited a few others over for a V-Day craft day. Coming across the pre-cut cards made hosting a party easy.  Fast assembly allowed me time to socialize and get my cards done. The guests brought some of their own materials for cards with them and I provided tools, glitter, papers, stamps, and scissors. I kept the food simple, a gourmet cheese plate with fresh bread, grapes and gluten free crackers allowed guests to help themselves.  For drinks, I served coffee and wine for the early afternoon event.

Everyone had a great time! Each expressing their own individuality through their cards to share with the ones they love this Valentine’s Day.

   

I hope this post inspires you to spend this dreary weather crafting!

Helena

Making the Most of a Small Closet

We live in a home that was built in 1941. In regards to storage, the needs of 1941 were much different from those of today. Back then, people just didn’t have as much stuff.

Mostly, I needed quality storage that encompassed four main categories of items –

1. Clothes –including trousers, shirts, and sweaters
2. Dresses and long hanging garments
3. Shoes
4. Miscellaneous items that get used regularly but not every day like vases, some cooking supplies, and party supplies (of course)

Before – A closet with very little organizational value.

Since Tony and I moved in it has been a constant project to enhance the storage situation in our abode. Upstairs there are two bedrooms with identical closets. These were the spaces I focused on first for an organizational makeover.

After – A totally enhanced storage space.

These two closets were your run-of-the-mill closet, one hanging rod spanning the length of the space and a shelf above. With all of the functions we wanted our closets to serve, I reimagined the space a bit and really optimized the storage potential. Now there are multiple hanging rods, lots of shelves, and the best part? They are all adjustable to fit whatever needs to fit.

After – Shelves for miscellaneous house items.

After – hanging space for longer clothing items.

To make these magnificent closets we went to Home Depot and bought the melamine white adjustable boards for the walls/supports as well as the non-adjustable boards for the shelves. We also made a divider wall in the middle using the boards with holes in them to allow for extra support and more options when it comes to functionality. We braced the new divider wall to the floor and ceiling of the closet with L-braces.

This is a project that took us about 5 hours from start to finish to complete both closets. It has made such a difference in our home when it comes to storage, organization and keeping my sanity in a house with limited storage options.

Enjoy! XO Olivia