Silent Sunday: Night Shift Brewery (Everett, MA)

Night Shift Brewery - Photos by Brian Samuels of A Thought For Food

Night Shift Brewery - Photos by Brian Samuels of A Thought For Food

Night Shift Brewery - Photos by Brian Samuels of A Thought For Food

Night Shift Brewery - Photos by Brian Samuels of A Thought For Food

Night Shift Brewery - Photos by Brian Samuels of A Thought For Food

Night Shift Brewery - Photos by Brian Samuels of A Thought For Food

Night Shift Brewery - Photos by Brian Samuels of A Thought For Food

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Night Shift Brewery - Photos by Brian Samuels of A Thought For Food

Night Shift Brewery

 87 Santilli Hwy

Everett, MA 02149

www.nightshiftbrewing.com

Some notes from Michael Oxton, Co-founder of Night Shift Brewing:

• "We began business in March 2012 at our previous location in Everett. Started with 3 beers - Trifecta, Taza Stout, and Bee Tea. Added Viva Habanera to the lineup soon after."
• "We produced 350 barrels in 2012, over 700 barrels in 2013, and are on pace for 1500+ this year. Hoping to hit at least 2000 next year."
• "Our most popular beer and the one we produce most regularly is our rye ale with habanero peppers, Viva Habanera. Our most popular beer at the taproom right now is Ever Weisse, a berliner weisse style sour ale with strawberries, kiwis, and hibiscus."
• "I think the Viva Habanera might fall into most eccentric, actually. It's at least up there. We have a whole series of beers, the"Art Series" dedicated to pure experimentation. Some are test batches that might become larger production beers, some are one-time experimentals. It's all about achieving balance and producing a high-quality beer, and hopefully having fun in the process."

Note:

This post comes out of an organized tour through the 

Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism

to showcase breweries and seafood restaurants throughout the North Shore.

Poached Apricots with Lavender and Mascarpone

Poached Apricots with Lavender and Mascarpone

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Poached Apricots with Lavender and Mascarpone

Poached Apricots with Lavender and Mascarpone

In a few weeks, we'll be starting up with a local food coop and I couldn't be more excited for it to start up. We had been receiving a weekly box of produce from a farm west of Boston and had quite enjoyed the service. Besides onions and garlic, we really didn't need to purchase a whole lot in the way of vegetables. Since moving, we had to find another service and we were thrilled when we came across information regarding a produce pickup not far from our house. In addition to the veggies we'll be getting, we also joined their cheese share. Yes, a cheese share! They do a bread one too, but we decided that might not be the best idea. But cheese... we couldn't resist.

While we wait for this to start up, I've been making frequent trips to our local Whole Foods, which is situated just down the road. A ten minute walk. Yes, it's dangerous. These trips always result in items that we probably didn't need... but, gosh, we just had to have them. Like fiddleheads. Or ramps. Or those very expensive mushrooms I couldn't leave without.

I made a stop there just last week after Kimberley's fierce debut cookbook, Vibrant Food, came my way. I've had the pleasure of following her site, The Year In Food, for quite some time. A couple of years ago, we got to see each other in New York. Snacks were consumed. There was day drinking (I know... shocking). From the moment I saw her beautiful blog... the recipes, the photos, the anecdotes... I knew that it was only a matter of time before there'd be a book. When the announcement was made, it immediately made it on my list of must-have cookbooks. Nothing could have prepared me for this stunning creation. I will hold onto Vibrant Food for years and years.  This is not a book that one goes to for the images alone. I want to make every dish in here and, not only that, it has inspired numerous ideas for future recipes.  That's something special.

This recipe is my take on her poached apricots, which included rose water instead of the lavender I used. I also included chopped pistachios for texture and because I will put pistachios on top of just about anything because I love the nutty flavor.

So, thanks to Kimberley and the folks at Ten Speed Press, you have a chance to win your own copy of Vibrant Food!

Here's how to enter the giveaway:

Leave a comment on this post… it can be anything, but I'd love to hear what your favorite spring or summer fruits and veggies are.

Additional entry: Tweet the following and then come back and leave a comment telling us you’ve done so -

Check out these Poached Apricots and a giveaway of Vibrant Food by @theyearinfood over at @myfoodthoughts - http://tinyurl.com/kzlwj4w

Rules: This giveaway will end on Friday, June 13, 2014 at 12:00 PM EST.  I’ll pick 1 winner via random.org and that person will be contacted via e-mail.  Two entries per person (one comment, one tweet) and entrants must have a US/Canadian mailing address (sorry international friends) and provide a valid email address. Best of luck!

Poached Apricots with Lavender and Mascarpone

Vibrant Food - Cookbook Giveaway

Vibrant Food - Cookbook Giveaway

Poached Apricots with Lavender and Mascarpone

Source Adapted from Vibrant Food by Kimberley Hasselbrink

Servings 4-6 servings

Ingredients
5 apricots, cut in half lengthwise and pits removed
2 1/2 tablespoons dried lavender
2 cups water
1/2 cup honey
3/4 cup mascarpone
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped unsalted pistachios (optional)

Instructions

1. In a pot large enough to poach the apricots, bring the water to a boil. Add dried lavender and turn off heat.  Cover pot and let steep for 15 minutes. Strain out lavender.

2. Add the honey to the pot with the water and set over medium-high heat. Whisk the mixture until it's combined. Once it reaches a boil, add the peach halves to the pot, cut side up.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5-6 minutes.

3. Transfer 2 or 3 apricot halves to serving bowls. Add a dollop of mascarpone on top of each, along with some chopped pistachios.  Sprinkle cinnamon on top of each and serve.

Lemon and Garlic Roasted Artichokes

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Lemon and Garlic Roasted Artichokes

For most of my youth (and well into adulthood), I believed that the best part of eating artichokes was the melted butter that accompanied them.  This was the sole reason I'd endure the tedious process of scraping away at each leaf. That, along with the knowledge I'd be treated to a tender heart I could dunk in the remaining butter, kept me going. Since one can't indulge in such decadence all the time, I have grown to appreciate a new condiment: a combination of Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, and fresh dill. Sound boring compared to melted butter? Well, it's definitely not as rich, but it is creamy and the mustard gives it a little kick, which definitely adds to the experience.

Until now, I'd been steaming my artichokes. This, I've learned, is not the most exciting way to prepare them. After recently trying my hand at roasting them with olive oil, lemon, and some garlic cloves, I'm now a convert to this method. In fact, a dipping sauce becomes less essential since the flesh has already been infused with these flavors and is seasoned with salt. I'm not saying you shouldn't include the yogurt-mustard sauce or lemon butter, but if you don't feel like mixing it up, there's enough going on with these roasted 'chokes that you probably won't miss it.

Lemon and Garlic Roasted Artichokes

Garlic and Lemon Roasted Artichokes

Source 2-4 servings

Ingredients

2 medium artichokes
1 lemon
4 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt

1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1.5 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill

Instructions

1. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Position an oven rack in the center and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Cut the stem and 1 inch off the top of the artichokes. Trim the outer leaves using scissors.  Cut the artichokes in half lengthwise. Use a knife to carefully core out the hairs from the center of the artichoke.

3. In the area where the hairs were, place a garlic clove in each section. Drizzle with olive oil, squeeze the juice of one lemon over the artichokes, and sprinkle generously with salt. Flip the halves over so the cut side is flat on the pan.

4. Roast in oven for 35 minutes.

5. While they're cooking, make the dipping sauce by whisking together the Greek yogurt, mustard, and fresh dill.

6. When the artichokes are done, transfer them to plates, along with a dollop of the Greek yogurt and mustard sauce.