Culinary Adventures with Camilla

I took part in an online seafood chat this afternoon. Someone mentioned tea-poached fish. I was instantly inspired. Just those two words: 'tea-poached' and 'fish.' I said that I have poached fish in olive oil before, but never tea. No recipe was shared, so I decided to wing it. Ingredients 1/4 to 1/3 lb fish per person (I used Pacific cod which is a good alternative according to the Seafood Watch program ) 6 C water 3 T green tea 1 lemon, cut into slices juice and zest from 1 lemon 3" piece of fresh ginger, peeled and quartered lengthwise 2 T raw agave nectar, halved freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper fresh thyme Procedure Place the water, tea leaves, lemon slices, ginger, and 1 T agave in a large, flat-bottom pan. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and steep for another 3-5 minutes. Reserve 1/2 C of the tea liquid. Bring the tea liquid back to a simmer. Carefully slide your fish into ...

Here we are on day two of American Craft Beer Week. I decided to try another new-to-us beer: The Bruery 's Tart of Darkness. The Bruery, a boutique craft brewery in Orange County, specializes in experimental and barrel aged beer. They do not filter or pasteurize their beers. And they strive to use unconventional ingredients. Sounds like my kinda brewery. I stared at my choices and every single bottle looked interesting! Their Autumn Maple ( my tasting notes here ) is made with yams and Trade Wind is seasoned with Thai basil. In the end, I opted for their Tart of Darkness. Yep, that's a Stout + Sour Ale.  Gotta be honest, I was thinking about Charles Marlow on the Congo when I bought it. But the ugly reality of imperialism and ivory trading were far from my mind when we poured and tasted this shadowy beer. While it looks a little like carbonated coffee with its dark, ruddy hue. The taste is far more mysterious with a toasty tartness that is complex and compell...