Recipe Mutiny: 04/25/18

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

This Russian Candy Bar Contains Actual Cow Blood

Snack food is inherently fun, especially when it’s something you can’t regularly find in your neighborhood grocery store. That’s why so many international snack subscription boxes exist, and why wandering the food section at Cost Plus World Market is so wonderful. If you’re lucky, you’ll find all sorts of treasures, from Canda’s ketchup flavored chips to Mexico’s spicy strawberry-chile lollipops, and Japan’s Chocorooms to Germany’s Happy Hippo cocoa cream biscuits—but one thing you probably won’t find is Gematogen, Russia’s sweet, blood-enriched candy bar.

Technically, it’s a supplement, not candy, but it contains sugar, vanilla, and condensed milk—which lends a fudgy texture, similar to a dense, soft caramel—and children allegedly love it for its sweet flavor. But the most remarkable ingredient in the protein-rich bar is cow’s blood, which adds vital nutrients—and explains why Gematogen (also spelled Hematogen) is intended as a medicinal product to treat various conditions, like anemia and malnutrition. It’s also said to improve issues with one’s skin, nails, and vision, and even to help prevent colds. In other words, it could be the next miracle food!

Gematogen has been around for generations and is still sold widely in Russia and surrounding countries, primarily at pharmacies, although no prescription is required in order to purchase a bar. If you have any Russian or Eastern European markets in your area, you might come across it there, and you can even buy it on Amazon. There are several brands, but most have delightfully bright packaging, often with some kind of adorable character on the front, from babies and small children to hedgehogs and cheerful, artistic-leaning gnomes.

Gematogen (Russian blood supplement bar)

Amazon

Who wouldn’t be tempted to snatch that off a shelf and eagerly unwrap it? If you bothered to peruse the ingredients label first, you might still have no idea what was coming, since the key component is often listed as “black food albumin” instead of straight-up “processed cow’s blood”—and once you unwrap it, it looks very much like a soft, granular chocolate bar, sort of like a Tootsie Roll in a new, intriguing form:

Russian gematogen (hematogen) blood supplement bar

LanaNova Store

Bite into it and you’ll get some caramelized sweetness, but also a definite metallic note, which one Amazon reviewer likened to sweetened beef liver. If it helps, you can also find Gematogen with added ingredients, like apricots and prunes.

But even dipped in chocolate (as some brands do), this is probably still quite the acquired taste, so if you’re looking for your next internaional snack, maybe try sweet sake Kit Kats instead?

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This Horror-Themed LA Brewery Serves Tricks, Treats, and Delicious Craft Beer

Lucky are those who survived this past Friday the 13th. For those in the know in Carson, it was extra. Tucked away off the beaten path, hidden away in what is otherwise primarily industrial space, the “little” and “odd” brewery Eddie Munster might have adored, Phantom Carriage Brewery and Blendery rears its not-quite-severed head with delightfully spooky and nostalgic treats for all of its creepy, kooky, and spooky guests…some of which also have similar names.

The Phantom Carriage Brewery and Blendery was founded in 2014 to the delight of many beer and horror movie aficionados. The bar has layers of depth to its story, even beyond being the first sour beer-focused brewery in Los Angeles. Its love of the horror genre rolls deep, enough to possibly get the approval of those six feet under. But wait, this isn’t the bar your grandma talked about…unless she was a “Munsters” or “Addams Family”-watching grandma like mine.

steak sandwich and sour beer at Phantom Carriage Brewery and Blendery in Carson, LA, California

Phantom Carriage/Facebook

Growing up in the suburbs of Illinois was a lot different in my family. While many folks in the Midwest would be all about decking the halls and singing holiday carols, my family was more about celebrating the scary things in life and pop culture: the gore and glory of haunted houses, cobwebbed crypts, witches’ brew, costumes, creepy comics, and old and new scary films and TV shows. You’d more likely catch our family watching “Creepshow” than “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

My grandparents on my dad’s side were especially interested in this genre. They were avid horror and supernatural fans, and if it was cheesy and campy, this was something my grandmother particularly enjoyed. I remember finding a copy of the classic ’70s horror film “Frogs” and sending it her way to laugh about. Years later, I sent her a copy of “Cockneys vs Zombies” which had some elderly and comedic link to it. She loved them equally.

Old horror movie lovers like my family and I catch the first note of bittersweet bliss before they even get in the door of a place like Phantom Carriage.

Phantom Carriage/Facebook

The bar was christened after the 1921 film with a similar name. According to legend, per the silent film “The Phantom Carriage,” directed by Victor Sjöström, the last person to die on New Year’s Eve is the person who will drive the infamous phantom carriage. The classic film chronicles the story of an alcoholic who ends up meeting his maker and taking his place as the driver of the phantom carriage. “Phantom Carriage” is an allegory to the grim reaper.

Upon entering, you’ll see immediately the bar is completely devoted to horror films in all their nostalgic glory, some of which are frequently shown on the walls within the dungeon-esque brewery. The walls also have bats and cobwebs on them. It’s dark and there’s a chill in the air. But the story goes far further than just the awesome name and decor.

Each beer is carefully crafted on-site in a process which showcases an array of flavor spectrums, ranging from lambic-veering sweeter sours to guezues and beyond. Beer flights are a common choice to sample the different unique brews, and you’ll want to catch some of their several sour offerings on tap. Additionally, there are some available to take home in cans, which are all named in reference to—you guessed it—classic horror films.

Phantom Carriage/Facebook

The brewery features big names all around the board with rotating options and throwbacks to classic and modern horror films, including a wild ale style beer called Lugosi, a blackberry Belgian Imperial Stout with bittersweet finish named Sea Worthy, and a retro pale ale beer named Death Dream.

Consider a trek over to Carson and pay your respects to the nostalgic named beers, environment, and nibbles at Phantom Carriage Brewery and Blendery. Grandma gives five stars from the grave in approval…or at least mine does.

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Skip the Margaritas this Cinco de Mayo and Enjoy These Mexican Spirits

Cinco de Mayo and margaritas go hand and hand in the U.S. While margaritas are delicious, there’s actually a whole world of Mexican spirits to explore.

One Mexican liquor that’s gaining notoriety is mezcal. Mezcal was created when the Spanish landed in Mexico, but is often thought of as just a smoky version of tequila. Like tequila, mezcal is made with the piña (heart) of the agave. Unlike tequila, mezcal can be made with a number of varieties of agave and can be made in 11 different Mexican states, rather than just the five states tequila is limited to. The hearts are roasted in pits with lava stones that give mezcal its smoky flavor before being mashed and distilled. “It’s very unregulated in terms of how it’s made and produced, so mezcal’s sort of a mysterious kind of spirit,” explains Vajra Stratigos, director of food and beverage for Atlanta-based Fifth Group Restaurants. “As a result, there’s many different styles and spheres of influence.”

Montelobos

As our culture remains obsessed with all things craft, mezcal’s popularity increases. Drinkers who are interested in sipping, rather than taking shots, should try the Montelobos mezcal joven (young). It’s un-aged, but still earthy and rich with smokiness. Those with palates already accustomed to strong smoky notes can try the Ilegal reposado. It’s roasted in clay ovens before being distilled and aged in American oak barrels for four months. However aged you take your mezcal, drink it neat so that the flavors open up.

Ilegal

Mexican distilleries are also getting into the whiskey game. Using Oaxacan white, yellow, and black corn, Sierra Norte has been crafting whiskey since 2016. Each variety of corn is used for its own whiskey. The standout of the bunch is the white corn whiskey with notes of apple and vanilla. It packs a bit of a bite and makes a delightful cocktail. Another Mexican whiskey to be on the lookout for is Pierde Almas. The brainchild of Jonathan Barbieri, an American artist who resettled in Mexico in the ‘80s, the brand already established itself as a maker of mezcal. In 2016 he delved into producing whiskey with ancestral corn, something the he feels is important to preserve in the face of expanding genetically modified corn. The corn is sourced from small farms and produces a floral, light whiskey. There are barrels being aged, though, so keep an eye out.

Sierra Norte

Other regional forms of spirits exist, too, though you may have to go to Mexico if you want to sip them. Tepache is made by fermenting pineapple rinds with brown sugar, which produces a low-ABV drink. In Central Mexico you can find pulque, a milk-colored drink made from fermented agave sap. It’s sweet and viscous, blending nicely with tart pineapple juice.

You can’t go wrong with classic tequila, but there’s something to be said about exploring unfamiliar territory. Of mezcal, Stratigos says, “It’s really and truly one of the only formative spirits in the world today in that there are rules and processes still being defined.”

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The Popsicle-Inspired Bruesicle Is the Quintessential LA Beer

If the folks at The Bruery have proved anything, it’s that they relish the opportunity to push the boundaries of what a beer can be. Over the last decade the Orange County-based brewery has compiled a catalogue of over 1,000 beers deep with riffs on everything from pecan pie to horchata.

When the brewery’s sour offshoot Bruery Terreux recently launched the Bruesicle, a line of fruit-forward beers inspired by popsicles, it seemed like it would be business as usual but it quickly became clear that was not the case. This would be a game changer, a combination of locally sourced produce, vibrant colors, and sublime, complex flavors. To put it simply, California in a glass.

It all started in the Bruery Terreux cellar completely on the fly. Back in December of 2017, Ryan Dick was chatting with his boss, Production Manager Jeremy Grinkley, about the emerging trend of heavily fruited beers spiked with lactose giving them a rich, creamy mouthfeel. These “milkshake” or “smoothie” beers were all the rage at breweries like Tired Hands in Pennsylvania and Virginia-based The Answer but hadn’t really migrated to the West Coast. Dick wondered aloud why the Bruery Terreux wasn’t brewing something similar. Without hesitation, Grinkley grabbed the first fruit he could find—some pineapples, a bunch of oranges—and got to work.

Bruery Terreux/Facebook

“The next day we had that beer on in the taproom,” said Grinkley. “Granted, that was only one half barrel of beer, but that was the flashpoint for Bruesicle.”

From there, the wheels started turning. Two fruits turned into a mash-up of several. Dragon fruit, pineapple, mango, and blood orange. Prickly pear, watermelon, passionfruit, and guava. There was a peach pie version with cinnamon and vanilla. Even lactose-free options at the request of the brewery’s vegan employees. “These ideas come from cocktails, from food, from juice bars,” said Grinkley. “[They come] from everything that we touch in our daily lives.”

Over 50 different versions of the Bruesicle have already been brewed, each one lasting barely a week. Variants like Mango Fire with its rich Malibu sunset hue, and Dragon Fruit Guava, which appears to have dripped from the famed pink wall of Paul Smith’s Melrose boutique, were immediate Instagram favorites. “It definitely exceeded my expectations,” Grinkley said of The Bruesicle’s runaway success.

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It’s no surprise that the man behind the Bruesicle got his start in wine. When Grinkey left his job as assistant winemaker at Jason Stephens Winery to oversee production at Bruery Terreux, he was well-versed in the evolution from fruit to bottle. While Grinkley isn’t opposed to using frozen or even dried fruit for the Bruesicle beers, the majority is freshly picked California goodness.

“My time spent as a winemaker got me in touch with the soil and the farmer,” said Grinkley, who over the years has developed relationships with several local farms. That’s especially important when it comes to the Bruesicle which can require a ton of fruit. Literally.

Take Rue Tang Clan, the citrus-centric Bruesicle variant that certainly brought the ruckus. According to Grinkley, the eight-keg batch included 800 pounds of blood oranges, 400 pounds of mellow gold grapefruit, and 300 pounds of three different kinds of tangerines. “It was quite an excessive amount,” Grinkley chuckles, before revealing that his team hand-juiced all of the citrus, a process that extended across four days.

Bruery Terreux

Lime-a-Rita, this is not.

Grinkley is equally committed to the quality of the base beer in each Bruesicle. “This is not a ‘lipstick on a pig’ scenario,” he emphasized. Basically, it’s the difference between using Hendrick’s and bottom shelf swill in a martini. Keeping with the cocktail theme, Grinkley acknowledged that the base beer is constantly changing in order to provide the ideal pairing with the other ingredients. While Sour in the Rye is the ideal complement to a Bruesicle with honey or zest, a variant heavy on tropical fruits would likely be blended with a beer from Bruery Terreux’s Frucht series of fruited Berliner Weisses.

Since the Bruesicle starts with beer that is already finished, it only takes about a week to put together. This quick turnaround allows Grinkley and his team to constantly churn out new recipes with at least two new variants being added a week.

The Breusicle, California sour fruit beer

Bruery Terreux

Although Grinkley has used everything from Buddha’s hand to soursop, there is one ingredient that continues to elude him: durian, the notoriously foul-smelling fruit. “I want to make it work,” he said. “And if it stinks, it stinks.”

For now, the Bruesicle is only pouring at the source: Bruery Terreux’s vibrant taproom in Anaheim, and at The Bruery’s satellite location in D.C. It’s available on tap or to-go via 32-ounce crowler cans so you can enjoy it at a backyard barbecue or a night at the Hollywood Bowl. Most importantly, it’s an ideal way to share a taste of California.