Homemade Barbeque Sauce

One evening recently, I was listening to NPR's "The Story" and became enthralled during a segment about a woman who had taken over the family tradition of competing in barbeque contests (generally a male-dominated type of cooking contest). I was especially fascinated by the super secret sauce recipe, which had been passed down through the generations and had won many a competition. I wondered what exactly went into an award winning recipe - or into barbeque sauce in general - and so I started to do a little internet searching.

The internet search yielded some good tips on how to make general barbeque sauce, but nothing along the lines of coveted family secrets. Interestingly, I did learn that there are many different varieties of barbeque sauce. North Carolina is known for a more vinegar based sauce, South Carolina for a mustard-based sauce, Texas for spicy recipes, and Kansas City for tomato-based sauce recipes. Alabama even has a mayonnaise version. I found a website that had basic recipes for three of the main sauce types. I decided that since I'm more of a tomato lover, I'd focus on creating my own version of a Kansas City style sauce.

Lucky for me, soon after deciding that I wanted to try to make my own barbeque sauce, the hubby and I actually visited Kansas City, Missouri. I was amazed when we visited a grocery store and I saw just how many different types of barbeque sauce were available. Our selection in the North is pitiful by comparison. I looked at many ingredient lists and was somewhat shocked and saddened that for many the second ingredient was high fructose corn syrup. Boo to that. Others were a little more wholesome, though; some even hinted at special ingredients like pineapple juice. So, I took some mental notes to try in my own sauce.

This past week I finally got the time to settle in and work on the recipe. We decided to have friends over for Barbeque Beef Sandwiches, and I wanted to use my own sauce for the beef. I dabbled around and finally got the flavorings to come together nicely. This recipe is somewhat sweet, somewhat zesty, somewhat spicy. It has that nice tomato based flavor, but many subtleties to it as well. I really like this version and hope that you will, too!

Kansas City Style Barbeque Sauce

A Fabulous and Delicious Original!

1 yellow onion, sliced

5 cloves garlic, sliced

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup hot water

2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon raw sugar or brown sugar

3 dried chipotle chiles, chopped into small pieces

2 Tablespoons dark molasses

20 ounces organic ketchup

1 can tomato paste

1 1/2 cup tomato puree (fresh tomatoes blended or from a can)

3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon balsalmic vinegar

1 teaspoon tumeric

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon ginger powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon freshly ground pepper

3-4 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 Tablespoon chili powder

2 Tablespoon paprika

2 Tablespoons dry mustard or fresh mustard

1/4 cup dark beer

1.) In a large pot, saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil over low heat until the onions are cooked (translucent but not brown). Meanwhile, in a small bowl, dissolve the sugar in the hot water.

2.) When the onions are done, put in the chipotle chiles and allow them to cook a little in the oil - no more than a minute. Then, pour in the sugar water mixture. Stir. Then, add all the other ingredients, stirring as you add them.

3.) Allow all the ingredients to simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes. If you'd like, you can then use an immersion blender or place the sauce in a regular blender to smooth out the consistency. Use immediately in cooking or store in your fridge for up to 7 to 10 days.

Gaspacho

Hello blog readers! Fear not; I haven't forgotten about you. Life has just been busy in our household. Last week we moved into a super cute house - with a real sized kitchen! Our first evening was spent unpacking all of our kitchen supplies. Boy, do we have a lot of them! We've taken over every cupboard, our hutch, and then had to put up a bookshelf to house the actual food! We have not-so-often used kitchen gadgets (e.g. the waffle maker and slow cooker) in the coat closet; cookbooks are currently housed in the den. I guess that's what happens when you have a husband and wife pair that like to cook and bake. :)

In addition to our lovely new kitchen, our garden is thriving. We have so many cherry tomatoes ripening every day, cucumbers constantly begging to be picked, and beautiful peppers lounging from their branches. So, what does this all this mean? That it's *finally* gaspacho season!!!!!! I started craving gaspacho in April, but alas it is one of those foods that you can enjoy only when the vegetables are seasonally ripe. Otherwise, the soup just a pitiful mirage of its former self. Similarly, using poor quality olive oils or vinegar will not yield the same exceptional taste.

If you're not familiar with gaspacho, it is a cold summer soup that originated in Spain. Personal recipes vary, but basically it tastes like the soup form of a perfect tomato sandwich. (Quite literally as the recipe includes bread.) If you're familiar with gaspacho and hate it, well, then you haven't tried *this* gaspacho, which is delicious!!!

Similar to all perfect summer recipes, it doesn't require turning on your oven (unless you're going to use that to make bread). We've been eating it at least twice a week while we can. My hope is to eat so much of it that I'm satisfied until next Spring when I'll start to crave gaspacho again! Enjoy!

Gaspacho

The hubby's recipe, adapted from a segment heard on NPR

1 thick slice of fresh homemade bread (the Wonder Bread varieties really won't work...)

1 1/2 cups fresh tomatoes from the garden

1/4 large sweet yellow onion

1/4 large cucumber

1 green bell pepper

1/4 cup Spanish olive oil (or high quality version of your liking. We use a brand from California)

scant Tablespoon raspberry wine vinegar (or high quality balsalmic if you're desperate)

salt and pepper to taste

1.) Wash and rinse all veggies.

2.) Put everything into a hearty blender. (We use a Vitamix.)

3.) Turn on the blender to medium-high and blend until there is a creamy texture and everything is pink. Salt and pepper to taste.

4.) Serve immediately and enjoy.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Semi-Sweet Chocolate Frosting

I cannot believe that I only got one post accomplished in all of July. It's just been such a busy summer. We travelled, worked, and now are in the process of moving - to a house - with a real kitchen! It's a galley kitchen, which isn't as ideal as a kitchen set up for true entertaining, but it's better than the corner of a room that houses our current straight-out-of-1940s kitchen. I'll have more windows to try out new photography techniques, too.

The idea of moving into a bigger place is so exciting, but packing up everything is awful. My husband has so many memories of our current apartment, too, that it's hard to say goodbye -even though we really do need a bigger place. Even our small kitchen is filled with memories. I remember making brownies for our friends who lived down the hall when I would come and visit from New York. It's where Chris and I mastered Indian Samosas, along with many other delightful dishes. We've created delicious meals - whole Easter feasts - all from a tiny tiny kitchen with literally no counter space. It's taught us to be efficient in our cooking / baking, and it's definitely taught me to clean as I cook, but I'm excited to have a dishwasher in which to plop all those dirty dishes after entertaining!

A good friend had a belated birthday BBQ tonight, and I offered to bring dessert. I deliberated a lot about what to make, and I was somewhat limited because 99% of my cooking supplies are in boxes. So, when I was searching through the recipes I collected from magazines, and came across a huge delicious-looking piece of chocolate cake with the words "one bowl cake" as the title, I was sold. It was delightfully easy. The frosting only required one bowl, too, but I unfortunately had packed my hand-mixer. So, I whipped up this frosting using my immersion blender, and it turned out just great.

This all just goes to show you that no matter what your limitations - small kitchen, poor counter space, limited utensils - you can still make fabulous desserts.

One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

Adapted slightly from Martha Stewart Living Magazine

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup warm water

3 Tablespoons canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together (or sift if you're into that) cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Add in eggs, buttermilk, water, oil, and vanilla, and stir until smooth (about 3-4 minutes).

2.) Line cupcake pan with paper liners. Fill the paper liners with cake batter until about two-thirds full. Bake until set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the oven. Let them cool slightly for 10 minutes, then remove them from the pan and place them on a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely before frosting.

(You can also make cake by buttering 8-inch round cake pans (2 inches deep) and then coating with cocoa. Cook cake for 35 minutes. Allow it to cool for 15 minutes before attempting to remove it from the pan.)

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Frosting

Adapted slightly from Martha Stewart Living Magazine

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

6 ounces dark chocolate (I bought my favorite chocolate bar), melted and cooled slightly (I just put it in a pan over the lowest heat possible and let it melt)

3/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

1.) In a small bowl, sift together sugar, cocoa and salt.

2.) In a separate large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with a mixer (or immersion blender!!) at a medium-high speed until smooth and well incorporated. Add the cocoa/sugar/salt mixture slowly, beating after each addition. Pour in chocolate and add creme fraiche or sour cream. Mix until well combined.

3.) Frost cooled cupcakes.