S.O.S.: Sauce on the Side
Proper dosing for everyone
Herb Farm Lemon Curd and Everyday Goat Cheese Tart.
Photo by Amy Kumler
For anyone who’s served time schlepping burgers in the restaurant business, you know that S.O.S. is shorthand for “sauce on the side.” Deliver a Cobb salad smothered in blue cheese dressing to the wrong Betty and your tip is toast. A good industry practice is to hand deliver S.O.S. orders to the chef, as serving someone with food allergies incorrectly is a legitimate reason to sound a distress signal. S.O.S. is also a good way to avoid the culinary faux pas of “too salty” or “too sweet” or, in the case of cannabis-infused cuisine, “so strong I slept for 8 hours.”
While many Californians are enjoying greater access to mild and therapeutic cannabis products in 2018, edibles are still hampered with a reputation for ruining music festivals. In the context of cannabis-infused cuisine, proper dosing is critical. Where a dab of infused sauce on a cracker might be perfection for some, a dollop is required to take others to their happy place. But like food, cannabis is both medicine and pleasure that’s best enjoyed with friends and family. By keeping sauce on the side, everyone can still break bread together when cannabis-infused cuisine is on the menu.
Everyday Goat Cheese Tart with nibbles and sauces on the side.
Photo by Amy Kumler
To get you started, we created three delicious and versatile sauces using Pot d’Huile, a culinary-grade cannabis-infused olive oil made in San Francisco. Each of these “sauces” can function as a dip atop baguette slices or crudités or work beautifully as a marinade for grilled vegetables and kabobs.
With DIY cannabis-infused oils, the pungent smell of herb is seemingly unavoidable. At Pot d’Huile, the team perfected its formula, rendering a cannabis-infused olive oil that delivers “precision, flavor neutrality and maximum benefit.” Pot d’Huile smells of rich green olives and its color is the golden hue of many traditional olive oils. When we tested our infused recipes with the straight version, the taste difference was amazingly undetectable. Available at dispensaries throughout California, the precision dosing of Pot d’Huile is a reliable tool for exploring the delicious and medicinal world of cannabis cuisine.
Herb Farm Lemon Curd and Everyday Goat Cheese Tart.
Photo by Amy Kumler
Herb Farm Lemon Curd
We dialed back the sugar from a traditional lemon curd and added rustic lavender flowers to complement the cannabis infusion. This recipe nearly fills two pint-size Mason jars and contains 15 milligrams of THC in total. For comparison, the state of California now requires that edibles cannot have a THC level that exceeds 100 milligrams total and 10 milligrams per serving. So always consume conscientiously and at your own pace, but a small spoonful should contain less than 1 milligram of THC — a genuine microdose. Round out a cheese and charcuterie plate with a cheerful jar of curd or spoon the bright yellow sauce atop slices of savory goat cheesecake (recipe follows).
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon Pot d’Huile
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons dried lavender
Instructions for curd:
Combine butter, Pot d’Huile and sugar in a standing mixer. Beat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs and egg yolks, 1 at a time, while beating. Add the lemon juice and lavender. Mix for 1 minute more. At this stage, the mixture will look curdled but don’t fret. Pour the lemony mixture into a small saucepan over a medium-low heat, stirring often, until it becomes smooth and slightly thicker. Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.* The entire cooking process will take about 10 minutes. Transfer the curd to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold (the curd will continue to thicken in the fridge).
Everyday Goat Cheese Tart
One of my favorite cookbook writers and Francophiles, Dorie Greenspan has made a career of demystifying French cuisine for American kitchens. Steering clear of frightening aspics or elaborate multi-course dinners, Greenspan has a childlike excitement for simple, everyday French foods. Though I’ve never taken up residence a Paris, like Greenspan, I remember being blown away at the quality of humble dinner rolls sold at any neighborhood bakery. Such simple kitchen lessons are what Greenspan offers her readers. For me, none of her recipes is more fabulous than this neither sweet nor savory goat cheese tart. A dead simple recipe that relies on beaten egg whites for lightness and texture, the tart is a delicious way to use the log of goat cheese lingering in your cheese drawer. Full of rustic charm, the tart is sturdy enough to easily slice and top with a medley of cannabis-infused sauces. Try this recipe for your next dinner party. Bon appetit!
Ingredients:
5 large eggs, separated
pinch salt
¼ cup sugar, divided
9 ounces soft goat cheese
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400˚ F and generously butter an 8-inch springform pan.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they start to form soft peaks. Still whipping, gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar, and beat until the whites are firmer and glossier (they should hold their shape). Carefully transfer whites to another bowl so that you can continue using the mixer.
Beat the egg yolks, goat cheese, the remaining sugar and cornstarch until smooth and creamy. Remove bowl from mixing stand. Using a rubber spatula, gradually stir ¼ of the whites into yolk and cheese mixture to lighten it. Stirring carefully with a folding motion, gradually stir in the remaining whites. Scrape the batter into your prepared springform pan.
Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 350 F. Continue to bake for 35 minutes more, or until the top (which most likely will have cracked) is dark brown and firm. Transfer pan to a cooling rack and allow to rest at least 10 minutes. Carefully remove the sides of the springform. Cool the cake to room temperature before serving; it will settle as it cools.
Pot d’Huile Roasted Red Pepper & Walnut Dip.
Photo by Amy Kumler
Pot d’Huile Roasted Red Pepper & Walnut Dip
Adapted from Martha Stewart, no stranger to the culinary potential of cannabis, this recipe is inspired by muhammara, a classic Turkish dipping sauce. A colorful and surprising change of pace from the ubiquity of hummus, the dip can be served over roasted asparagus or smarten up an appetizer board of crudités, cheese and crackers. The entire recipe contains a modest dose of 30 milligrams of THC.
Ingredients:
1 pound (2-3) red bell peppers, seeds and stems discarded
2 garlic cloves, sliced or roughly chopped
4 ounces walnuts, toasted (plus more for garnish)
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons Pot d’Huile
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground blackpepper
Instructions:
Place peppers on a baking pan under a broiler with the skin side facing up. Allow to cook about 10-15 minutes. You don’t want them to scorch, but to be mildly blackened all over. Using tongs, transfer roasted peppers to bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand 15 minutes to steam. Peel away blackened bits of skin and any remaining stems or seeds. Place peppers inside the bowl of your food processor.
Add garlic, toasted walnuts, breadcrumbs, spices, vinegar, lemon juice, Pot d’Huile, salt and pepper to food processor. Pulse until thoroughly combined, leaving chunky if preferred. Taste for salt and pepper. Garnish with walnuts and serve.
Everything Green Chimichurri.
Photo by Amy Kumler
Everything Green Chimichurri
Whenever I throw this recipe together, I want it in my fridge forever. A staple in the red meat-heavy cuisine of South America, chimichurri comes from the Basque word tximitxurri, loosely translated as, “a mixture of several things in no particular order.” Whenever I have an abundance of green herbs in the house, I add garlic, olive oil and salt, and voilà, chimichurri! If you’re short the fresh oregano or a shallot, substitute accordingly and make it anyway — you won’t be disappointed. Packing more potency for those who enjoy it, the ¼ cup of Pot d’Huile provides 60 milligrams of THC in the entire recipe. Dip roasted vegetables and baguettes in your chimichurri or brush the green sauce on skewers of meat or chicken breasts. Or add some apple cider vinegar and you’ll have a delicious cannabis-infused salad dressing! The options are endless.
Ingredients:
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, diced
1 small fresh jalapeño,seeded and diced
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, stems discarded
¼ cup fresh parsley, stems discarded
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, minced
¼ cup Pot d’Huile
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions:
Combine red wine vinegar, salt, garlic, shallot and jalapeño in the bowl of a food processor. Let it stand while you prepare the cilantro, parsley and oregano. Add herbs to food processor and pulse until combined. With the machine on, slowly pour in both the Pot d’Huile and regular olive oil. Scrape into a bowl and serve immediately.