asian jewish deli

After the success of my first batch of jam ever (Shuksan strawberry), my interest in preserving (well, jamming at least) was piqued. Looking at what fruits were in season and local u-pick farms, we decided to go pick a flat of raspberries.

The berries we found at Biringer Farm were the largest raspberries I have ever seen. Never having picked raspberries before, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the bushes do not have spines, and stand very tall, resulting in a super easy and fast pick with no crouching or hunching over involved. The ripe raspberries pull off with no effort, making it easy to pick only the best berries. I later found out from the ridiculously knowledgeable Jon Rowley that these were the Tulameen variety. He was able to determine the variety from just a quick and dirty description!

The jam that resulted from these raspberries rivals the Shuksan strawberry jam in deliciousness. The jam was made from only berries and sugar, with no pectin, so the flavor is pure raspberry. Perhaps more stunning is the color of the jam, an amazing jewel-tone red in the sun. I can already tell that this batch of jam is going to be in the pantry a long, long time because it will be a very sad day when we finish the last jar.

The first time I attempted pulled pork I made the mistake of starting it in the morning and inviting friends over for dinner in the early afternoon. After delaying dinner for a couple hours I was forced to extract the pork from the smoker far before it was ready, resulting in more of a sliced pork than pulled pork. Personal disappointment ensued and I made a quiet vow to never make that mistake again.

This summer I was determined to try again, correcting my previous mistakes. I bought two pork shoulders, about 11 pounds total. They were dry rubbed with my favorite pork rub and left overnight. The next morning I fired up my Bradley smoker with hickory, maple, and apple wood, put the pork in and left to go see the Sounders vs Chelsea match. Throughout the game I worried about the pork; would the smoker get too hot? Would the wind blow out the flame? Would it finish on time? (Oh yeah, I had committed to bringing it to a party the next day. After my first go around at pulled pork, this might not have been the best idea.)

My Bradley smoker is a champ, able to hold a steady temperature overnight with no intervention, so I needn’t have worried about it for the few hours I was gone. The hours ticked by while the temperature of the pork very slowly rose. 11 hours after it started, the pork plateaued at 160 degrees. When smoking meat, it is common for the internal temperature to appear to stick at 160, and even drop a couple degrees, for several hours. It is during this critical time that the internal fat and collagen converts to gelatin, creating that unctous, lip-smacking quality in good barbecue.

Finally at 3:00 in the morning, 18 hours after it went into the smoke, the pork was ready to be pulled. I stood in my kitchen, too tired and hungry to care about scalding my fingers, pulling 190 degree pork shoulder into moist, smoky, fatty shreds. The pork had a delicious smoke ring about half an inch deep, and a caramelized, crusty bark exterior.

I paired the pork with a homemade South Carolina-style mustard barbecue sauce and potato rolls. All who tried the pork declared it a tasty success, and despite the time commitment involved, I will definitely be making more pulled pork again.

Baklava is one of my favorite desserts of all time, but it is always so expensive in stores and restaurants that I rarely ever bought it. I always figured that it took hours to make, layering all that phyllo and nuts, and that the time justified the cost. Is it time and cost effective to make baklava at home? Yes, of course!

The first couple times I made baklava did involve about an hour’s worth of laying down sheets of phyllo, butter, and nuts. I have honed my technique and can prepare a pan of baklava in under 30 minutes now. Making baklava basically involves laying down single paper-thin sheets of phyllo, brushing each sheet with butter, then repeat, adding a layer of spiced nut mixture every seventh layer or so. I have seen large scale producers lay down multiple phyllo sheets at once, then dousing it in a butter mixture, but I believe that leads to an uneven product.

After using all the phyllo and nuts but before it is baked, I cut the baklava into diamond shapes with a pizza cutter. I find that this damages the top layers far less than cutting after it is baked and already light and crisp. The real magic happens after baking, when a hot, sticky, sweet mixture of honey, sugar, water, cinnamon, clove, and lemon zest is poured on top. At first the baklava looks completely flooded but after sitting for a few hours, all that syrup soaks into the phyllo and you end up with a perfect pan of deliciousness.

Looking at the ingredients, baklava contains traditionally expensive items—pistachios, walnuts, almonds, butter, and honey—so the cost at restaurants may be justified, but it can definitely be made at home for cheaper and a little bit of work.