Yesterday, (Cinco de Mayo 2013, baby!) Ginger & Honey turned one year old! Yes, it’s been a whole entire year folks. And like most toddlers, we’re still learning how to eat solid foods, walk without falling, and speak in an intelligible way. But we’re getting there, don’t worry. In spite of ourselves we have made it this far.
And of course, we’re a day late to our own Anniversary party, but not without a delicious gift for you all…
Have you had loquats? If not, you are seriously missing out. The citrus-y mild mango flavor is hard to capture and I have yet to see them sold any where. But once you start looking, you’ll spot them everywhere in LA so keep your eyes peeled.
Like most things on our blog, this was an experiment. It came about with the following logic:
My parents’ neighbor has lots of loquats –> loquats are delicious! –> I’ve been craving spicy tequila cocktails –> I should make loquat jam –> what if you made candy jalapeños? mmm hmmm –> why do you always have to put so much dang sugar in jam?! I’m going to half it, the fruit is sweet enough –> Gah, why is my jam so runny? –> Ooh, I’m going to make roasted jalapeño infused tequila –> I want it spicier! How do you extract all the spicy? Is that a thing? [300 browser tabs later] –> I want the Marie Antoinette drink they serve at Perch–> I really have to start wearing velvet bow-ties
That all happened, in the span of 15 minutes. So this isn’t a recipe, this is road map for a build-your-own-cocktail-adventure.
The Jalapeño Loquat Lowdown
Ingredients
loquats, as many as you can get your hands on but at least 10
jalapeños, 3 to roast, 2 to candy, 1-2 for garnish, a few left over for salsa &/or guacamole
tequila, we swear by Espolón. Blanco has the superior label but Reposado is the way to go
Tactics
Loquats:
Halve the loquats, clean and remove seeds. Are you attempting to make jam or preserves? You will need more than 10 loquats and the right amount of sugar (generally a 1:1 fruit:sugar ratio) and a squeeze of lemon juice. Into a sauce pan and bring to a simmer until it starts to thicken. Be sure to reserve some of the juice as a loquat simple syrup.
Jalapeños:
Roasted Jalapeño Infused Tequila: Set jalapeños over flame until skin has blackened, rotating frequently. Place in paper bag and set aside for 10 minutes. Once cooled, peel off charred skin and de-seed. Dice and place in jar, cover with tequila and store in fridge/cool, dark place until desired heat is reached. The perfect excuse to sip tequila on the daily!
Jalapeño Simple Syrup & Candied Jalapeños: Slice 3 jalapeños into rounds. In a saucepan over medium heat, dissolve 1 cup sugar in 1 cup water. Add jalapeños and simmer 3-5 minutes. Pour syrup into a jar. Return jalapeño slices to heat and sprinkle with a bit more sugar. Cook until sugar syrup is bubbly. Spread jalapeño slices on parchment paper to cool and sugar to harden.
Drink Guidelines:
2 oz. tequila + 1/2 oz. jalapeño simple syrup + 2 loquats muddled in the syrup
2 oz. tequila + 1/2 oz. jalapeño simple syrup + 1/2 oz. loquat syrup + 2 candied jalapeños
2 oz. jalapeño infused tequila + 1 Tbsp. loquat preserves + splash club soda (maybe lemon/lime flavored)
2 oz tequila + 2 slices jalapeño muddled in 1/2 oz. loquat syrup, shaken and strained into glass rimmed with jalapeño sugar
go wild!!! We gave you the tools, now embark on a build-your-own-cocktail adventure. What mix do you like best?
This has long been our favorite pizza combination, and we have converted many a follower. Why? Because a spicy jalapeño kick is mellowed by sweet pineapples nuggets and melty cheese makes everything better. Spicy + Sweet + Cheesy = the holy flavor trinity. And when you add a little homemade ranch with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes well, you just made your threesome a foursome!
Honey: I can’t take full credit for this combo. My surfing-on-his-lunch-break boss at the corporate coffee shop that funded my high school shenanigans would get this for us on slow winter nights when we had to stay open even if we hadn’t had a customer in hours. That was on the nights we didn’t trade venti fully-loaded caffeine bombs for dozens of garlic knots from C&O.
We both worked corporate coffee shops jobs (can you guess who worked where?). We are not morning people. We both partied too hard the night before our 5am shifts. We learned so much more than how to make coffee. Like how to make chocolate raspberry whipped cream, that people use those whipped cream canisters as a drug, that public bathrooms may actually be used for bathing, that fingers can withstand repeated steam burns, that obnoxious customers are given decaf in defiance, that you always tip at least 20% because it is the right thing to do and will make your heart happy (I’m sorry if I’ve forgotten that on your behalf recently). We learned some major life lesson stuff from working crappy jobs. Most importantly, we learned about this pizza.
It may be your favorite food, you might have the coolest pizza place in Portland, but if you aren’t eating it with these toppings, you probably aren’t having the best pizza of your life. No need for fancy pizza racks or stones, this bad boy uses a large cast-iron skillet. The crust is crisped on the stove top before heading into the oven. Add a little pancetta or prosciutto for meat-loving flare, and if you are feeling extra fancy, roast the pineapple slices in a 450° oven for 10-15 minutes on each side (I find pineapple sweet enough on its own, but you could sprinkle with brown sugar for extra caramelization action).
Pineapple Jalapeño Skillet Pizza
Makes 1 pizza. Technique adapted from MacheesmoIngredients
6 ounces slices part-skim mozzarella (we won’t judge if you use string cheese)
3 + ounces shaved parmesan
1 cup pineapple chunks, drained of liquid if using canned
1-2 sliced fresh jalapeños, de-seeded if you are going less spicy (canned is ok but we prefer fresh)
Pinch of red-pepper flakes
Pizza Dough (we used TJ’s whole wheat but we dig making your own)
1 can fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles (don’t judge)
cornmeal, for bottom of pan (optional)
Directions
Let your dough hang out for an hour as it comes to room temperature.
Heat oven to 450°. On a lightly floured surface, roll or stretch out your dough to fit your skillet (we used 1/2 the TJ dough for a 9″ skillet). Sprinkle skillet with a thin coat of cornmeal. Place dough in skillet and press to edges and slightly up the sides for crust.
Spread tomatoes or pizza sauce over dough leaving an inch to 1/2 inch boarder of crust.
We like the cheese sandwich approach, it goes: sauce, cheese, toppings, more cheese. Arrange the slices of mozzarella on the sauce. Evenly spread jalapeños and pineapples, top with shaved parmesan. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes if you know you like it hot.
This is where Macheesmo‘s tips came in handy. The trick to skillet pizza is crisping the crust on the stove before popping it into the oven. Crank the heat on your (hopefully gas) stove, let it heat up a bit. Place the skillet over high heat and cook for around 3 minutes. You want to get the pan super hot so be careful transferring it to the oven.
Transfer to a 450° oven and continue to cook it until the crust is browned and the cheese melted, around 15-19 minutes, depending on your desired crispiness.
Remove from oven and slide pizza on to a cutting board. Let cool a few minutes before digging in.
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