Craftsteak Onion Rings with Garlic Aioli + Homemade Ricotta Cheese

I properly fulfilled a craving of mine this weekend with Craftsteak Onion Rings and some Garlic Aioli. It does require an overnight soak of the onions in some Buttermilk, but I will be the first to tell you that it's well worth it! This recipe also makes a lot of batter, condense if necessary. I think I'll be making a whole bunch for the family tonight with all the leftover batter I have.

Newcastle Brown Ale

So the recipe calls for some dark beer and mustard. I chose Newcastle and some Spicy Brown Mustard.

Craftsteak Onion Rings 

2 to 3 large Vidalia onions, cut into slices, separated into rings

Vegetable oil for deep frying 
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
1/3 cup cornstarch 
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda 
2 eggs 
2 Tbs. whole grain mustard
2 2/3 cups dark beer

To prep the onions, soak them overnight or for a day in Buttermilk. I soaked them in the morning this weekend and made them that night.

Onion Rings

Ready

When you're ready, prepare the batter. Mix the Flour, Cornstarch, Baking Soda and salt in a separate bowl. Mix the mustard, beer and eggs in another. Whisk the beer and egg mixture into the flour and you'll have yourself a creamy batter.

Assembly line ready

Prepare a deep fryer at 350 degrees and line a pan with paper towels for when the rings are ready. Dip the Buttermilk onions in the batter, letting the excess drip off. Deep fry on each side for about 2 minutes.

Some deep fry action

 Voila! You've got yourself the most delicious homemade onion ring you'll ever eat.

Also, if you want to reheat them for later or if they get cold, just bake in the oven at 300 degrees for about 3-5 minutes.

Craftsteak Onion Rings with Ketchup and Garlic Aioli

Yum!

For the Garlic Aioli, mash up the garlic in a bowl along with the salt. Add the egg yolks and mashed garlic in a food processor and blend together. Start incorporating the olive oil, very little bits at a time. The emulsification process is really important and if the oil is added too quickly, it can break the process.

Garlic Aioli

 8 cloves of Garlic

2 Cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tsp Salt

4-5 Tsp Fresh Lemon Juice

Mashed garlic with salt

Alternate between oil and lemon juice if the consistency gets too thick. The lemon juice will help to make it more creamy instead of thick and also adds great flavor.

Garlic Aioli

So earlier this weekend a girlfriend and I decided grab dinner and then make Ricotta cheese at her house. I know... we really know how to party it up. It was astonishingly easy and turned out so creamy and light! I'm thinking of making Lasagna rolls with it tonight.

After all the ingredients are brought together and heated to 190 degrees, the wait time begins for the curdling, which is a little over 1 hour. Then, you have to let them hang from a spoon to drip for about 2 hours.

It smells really good

Cheesecloths ready

Our drip system - Macgyver style

After it drips for about 2 hours, you just stick them in a bowl and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, you can take them out of the cheesecloth bags and have a taste. It's melt-in-your-mouth creamy and not too heavy in its finish. I can't wait to use it today! For the exact recipe, go here.

Homemade Ricotta Cheese