Plum Jam day

Plum jam was on the menu today. I used about a gallon of plums and made the simple oven recipe Jan has been using for years out of Sunset Magazine. The result was lovely - a beautiful color and nicely balanced sweet and sour. While the plums were in the oven I braised and then simmered pork with green chiles, some salsa and broth until the pork fell apart in shreds. We're eating it wrapped in tortillas with guacamole, salsa and lots of chopped cilantro. We'll eschew our usual glass of wine and trade it in on a Negro Modelo and a Tecate. With both beers we'll try our client twang's beer salt - a little sprinkled in the glass.

Salting beer is a Mexican custom. They do it because it compliments the lime that is traditionally squeezed into the beer and also because it makes the beer foam. I like it because I think some beer tastes better. Oddly, people in Canada used to salt beer. Perhaps it has it's origins in Europe. Miller introduced a beer this year that is modeled after this drink - the chile and salt addition. Following is an announcement about the beer intro.
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Miller tries lime-and-salt beer to boost sales
By DAVID KESMODEL
The Wall Street Journal

Miller Brewing Co., known for its conventional slate of American beers, is hoping a brew with a Mexican twist can help pull it out of a sales slump. The Milwaukee brewer is launching Miller Chill, a 110-calorie beer flavored with lime and salt, throughout the U.S. this summer after a successful test run in Texas and other states.

Miller said Chill is expected to be available in the Kansas City area as early as this week.

Chill is Miller’s answer to the michelada, a drink popular at Mexican beach resorts usually consisting of beer, lime juice and ice in a salt-rimmed glass. The brewer hopes Chill, which it calls a premium light lager, will appeal to light-beer drinkers seeking more flavor. Miller is targeting 21- to 35-year-olds with the new brand, said Randy Ransom, Miller’s chief marketing officer. “Consumers are looking for new and different ways to experience beer, and they’re willing to pay for it,” he said. “The core objective of this brand is to take share from competitive mainstream brands by giving light-beer drinkers a compelling reason to trade up.”

Miller began researching the possibility of a michelada-style beer about 18 months ago. Its focus groups suggested American beer drinkers would be willing to try it. “There’s clearly a move toward Latinization if you’ve been watching the American consumer,” said Ransom, citing hits such as the Mexican-food chain Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.

Michelada ingredients can vary. They sometimes include hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce with a pinch of black pepper. Miller tested more than 20 recipes of Chill. It declined to discuss how the beer is made, citing competitive factors. The brewer began test-marketing Chill in March in San Diego, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Florida. The beer did so well that Miller decided after four weeks to launch it nationally — an unusually short trial period in the beer industry. Sales to retailers have been about 40 percent higher than the company’s goals, according to a recent memo sent to the company’s distributors.
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Michelada- Mexican Beer Cocktail

Micheladas have been around for decades in Mexico and have been especially popular in the Northern areas of Mexico. The Michelada stemmed from the usual practice of adding a squeeze of lime and a dash of salt to a beer. Now there are as many recipes as there are bartenders. Here is a simple recipe for this beer cocktail including the more popular ingredients and suggestions for other variations.
INGREDIENTS:
1 ice cold Mexican beer (dark is better)
coarse salt (for the rim)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1-2 dashes of hot chile sauce (such as Tabasco, Tapatio or Cholula)
1 dashes of soy sauce
1 dashes worchestshire sauce
beer mug or large glass (chilled if possible)
Ice
lime wedge for garnish
PREPARATION:
Salt the rim of the glass by wetting the edge with some of the lime juice then dipping it into a plate with salt on it. Now fill the glass about half way with ice and pour in the lime juice, chile sauce, soy sauce and worchestshire sauce.

Mix with a spoon then slowly pour in the beer to the top of the glass. Push the lime wedge onto the edge and serve immediatley. When you have a few drinks, pour the remaining beer into the cocktail.
Variations-

A dash of Maggi Sauce
A pinch of black pepper.
1-2 pinches of all-purpose meat seasoning.
A pinch of celery salt
Do not salt the rim, instead add 1-2 pinches of salt to the cocktail.
A sprinkle of Pico de Gallo seasoning
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My UPS office called this morning telling me to get over there and take a package waiting for me, out of their building. It was smelling up the place. Sure enough when I walked in the door, the smell of onions had leaked out into the whole place. Oh, they suffer there with me as a client.

I find myself plum tired out today.