Beer Bread

I tried this recipe for "Doppelbock Bread" from the NYT magazine, Sept 4. Went up to McMenamins to try to find a bottle -- the closest thing to the Spaten Optimator he called for was another doppelbock that cost $7 for the bottle, so I declined to buy it, came home and used Sam Smith brown ale. I found the bread a little bitter. Tonight I substituted rye flour for the cornmeal in that recipe, doubled the sugar, and used Sam Adams Black Lager for the beer. It was a real improvement. This one has the beer edge, but without being bitter. The soda is less dominant than in standard soda bread. We ate it warm, about 15 minutes out of the oven, but I'm sure it will be good toasted. Might even have to add a little butter.

3 T olive oil

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c rye flour

1 T baking powder

2 T sugar

1 1/2 t salt

1 12-oz bottle

Heat oven to 350°F (actually, the oven was closer to 400 for the first 15 minutes). Grease loaf pan with olive oil. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Add oil and beer. Stir with spatula, just until combined. Pour into loaf pan, cook 45 to 60 minutes (with my long, shallow pan and the hot oven it took about 40 minutes). Cool on rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan and serving.

Light summer dinner: Scallop ceviche

I cruised through the Reading Terminal Market today after a job interview and was inspired to buy some seafood for a light dinner. Last time I made ceviche (from fish) it didn't go over too well, so I thought I'd try scallops this time. But which ones? Tiny bay scallops were $7/lb, large "wet" sea scallops were $14 and "dry" sea scallops were $18! Normally I'd buy the large dry (untreated) scallops because they caramelize so beautifully when I saute them, but I was going to cut these up anyway and I didn't want to bust my budget. One of the fishmongers had two Latino employees, and I asked their advice, but neither had heard of using scallops and they didn't seem to have personal experience making ceviche. Still, I wanted to use scallops. They're fresh and most come in through Cape May, NJ, about 100 miles from here. So I cruised the cookbook stall (no help) and epicurious (much better), and came up with the recipe below. The ceviche can be eaten as is (from a nice glass) or try preparing them like this in light soft tacos:

Scallop Ceviche

1/2 lb bay scallops, cut into 1/4 inch dice

1/4 c lemon juice (one large one)

1/4 c orange juice

1/3 red onion, finely sliced

1/2 red sweet bell pepper

about 1 t cayenne pepper (I was too lazy to deal with a real jalapeño)

1 tsp salt

In a glass bowl, combine juices, pepper, cayenne, salt and onion. Add scallops, toss and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. These were pretty spicy after an hour.

Tacos

1/2 avocado, in 1/2 inch chunks

4 white corn tortillas (I'm partial to 12th Street Cantina - authentic without preservatives)

finely chopped romaine lettuce

kernels from 1 ear of corn, cooked (microwaved 3 mins.)

chopped cilantro

To make the tacos, brush olive oil on 350°F griddle and warm tortillas until golden on both sides. Off the griddle, fold each tortilla and stuff with a bit of lettuce, corn, avocado and drained scallops. Sprinkle with a little fresh cilantro.

These were great. We made 4 (two each), but we had enough scallops for at least 6. We ate them on the back porch and drank a bottle of Rogue Chipotle Ale, which was smoky and well-balanced. We recommend it with Mexican food, or maybe in the winter with split pea soup.