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Posts from the ‘Drinks’ Category

May 17

17 Comments

Featured Recipe-South-Of-The-Border Chocolate Cookies

Don’t these look good!! Photo by hardlikearmour

Today’s featured recipe is from Sara, her cooks name on Food52 is hardlikearmour. She is a Veterinarian, experienced and prize winning cook and a cake decorator, her cakes are amazingly beautiful and professionally done. Her recipes are approachable, comforting and so very delicious. This recipe for her soft, spicy chocolate cookie is just one of her 110 recipes on Food52. She has been a finalist and/or won prize after prize on both Food52 and Whole Foods. Her Pear and Rosemary Danish is unbelievably delicious and won the contest for Best Recipe for Pears on Food52. Her prize winning recipe for State Fair Cream Puffs is so wonderful, you will think you have died and gone to heaven and the Bourbon Chocolate Whipped Cream filling is truly heavenly. It’s not just sweets that Sara specializes in, her savory dishes and drinks are amazing also, try her incredibly complex and delicious Chili El Pastor one bite and you will understand that she is a master at blending and balancing spices. I am also including my favorite summer drink that she developed. I triple the recipe every time I make it, Sara’s Lime in the Coconut Float is made with a delicious lemongrass and Lime simple syrup. The simple syrup makes an outstanding drink when added to seltzer or make the float, either way it’s absolutely delicious. Please visit Food52 and peruse her recipes, you will want to make each and every one, they are all so good you will have a hard time deciding which to make first and many of her recipes I make over and over, they are just that good.

Makes 40 to 50 cookies

1 ¾ cups sugar (12.25 oz)

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature

2 large eggs,room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups all-purpose flour (10 oz)

1 cup dutched cocoa powder (3.25 oz)

1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder

2 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon cayenne – see cook’s note at end of recipe

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

½ cup turbinado or sanding sugar

Preheat oven to 350º F with a rack near the middle. Line 2 to 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats.

Cream sugar and butter using a stand or hand mixer, until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs and extracts, and beat until well-combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt. Add them to the sugar and butter mixture, and mix on low speed until the flour has been incorporated. Increase to medium speed and mix until well-combined, another minute or two.

Roll dough into 1- to 1 1/4-inch diameter balls, then roll balls in sugar. Place 12 to 15 balls on prepared baking sheets – stagger 3 rows each of 2 and 3 balls to get 15 on a sheet. Flatten balls slightly, so they are about ¾-inch thick . Bake one sheet at a time for 9 to 9 ½ minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 5 minutes. The cookies will look puffy, and may seem like they’re not done, but they will be perfect! Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing the cookies to a cooling rack. Once cool store in a sealed container to maintain perfect texture for at least several days.

Cook’s notes: 1.) 1/2-teaspoon cayenne gives a pleasant warmth to the back of your throat after eating a cookie or two. If you’re not a fan of heat, feel free to scale back or omit the cayenne. 2.) If you prefer to use regular cocoa powder just add 1 teaspoon baking soda and decrease baking powder to 1/2 teaspoon.

Lime In The Coconut Float

Lime/Lemongrass Simple Syrup

2 limes
1 stalk lemongrass
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
Thinly slice lemongrass and set aside. With a vegetable peeler remove the lime zest in strips trying to avoid getting much white pith. Set aside. Juice the limes and set juice aside for making the soda.
Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat on high, stirring or swirling occasionally to dissolve sugar until it boils. Boil for 30 to 60 seconds.
Remove from heat. Add the lemongrass and lime zest, cover with a tight fitting lid, and allow to cool to room temperature. Pour through a mesh strainer into a glass jar. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
Float
1 to 1 & 1/2 tablespoons lemongrass & lime syrup1 tablespoon lime juice2 scoops coconut sorbet (about 1/2 cup total)seltzer, cold Combine syrup and lime juice in a 12-oz glass. Add sorbet. Slowly pour seltzer over the sorbet, it with froth up pretty fiercely. Stir gently after glass is about 2/3 full. Continue to slowly fill glass with seltzer. Serve immediately with a straw.

I want to leave you with a picture of just one of the beautiful cakes that Sara designed.

Gorgeous isn’t it!!

Apr 5

6 Comments

Featured Recipes: Finger-Lickin Finger Lakes Chicken and Some Hard Lemonade

Finger Lakes Chicken photo by wssmom

This is probably one of the most delicious recipes for grilled chicken that I have ever tasted. I made this several times and you know the food is really really good when everyone at the table goes completely silent, not a word, only sometimes you can hear a low mutter almost inaudible, “this is so good”, well thats what happens when I serve this chicken. This is a recipe from one of my good friends on food52, Virginia also known as wssmom (her cooks name on food52), is a fantastically creative cook, take at look at her 72 recipes on food52, her recipe, A Bowl of Red was runnerup in the chili contest as was her New Years Day Fresh Ham in the Best Holiday Roast contest. She manages to make each recipe approachable and absolutely delicious.

I have also included one of her many amazing recipes for drinks. She is an inspired mixologist, this is one of many delicious drinks that she has created. Bobby Flay Inspired Hard Lemonade incorporates the best of summers flavors (lemons and strawberries and packs a punch with some silver rum. Try it you will love it! It’s really pretty too. If you are not in the mood for lemonade, try her Peartini and I will personally attest to the greatness of this drink, she brought it to the Food52 cookbook party. One more, I can’t help it I love her recipes, Kicked up Egg Cream how can you go wrong with a delicious chocolate egg cream with some chocolate liquor.

Serves 4

Fresh Herb Aioli:

1 large organic egg yolk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup grapeseed oil

1 minced clove garlic

pinch sea salt

1 cup champagne vinegar (yes, one cup)

1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary sprigs

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano

some more salt

In a suitable bowl, preferably one that won’t spin around, whisk together the egg yolk, lemon juice and garlic. Add the oil a few drops at a time (or have someone do that for you), whisking until it emulsifies. Continue to dribble in the oil, whisking away, until all is incorporated.

Put half the aioli in another bowl, saving the remainder for another use. Whisk in the vinegar, add the herbs and add a tad more salt than you think neccessary, about a teaspoon in my case.

Finger Lakes Chicken:

2 whole organic chicken breasts, split so you have four nice-sized pieces

Freshly ground pepper

Fresh herb aioli

Liberally sprinkle the chicken breasts with freshly ground pepper, put them in a ziplock bag with the aoili, smush so they are covered, and let marinate for at least three hours, or preferably overnight.

Grill, bone side down and covered, over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, then turn and crank up the grill to high to finish, so that the skin gets nice and crispy.

Chill and bring along to your picnic, and serve along with some lovely dry riesling.

Bobby Flay Inspired Hard Lemonade (Inspired by Bobby’s recipe for minted lemonade)

Serves 6

1 1/2 cups sugar

Juice from 10-12 lemons, about 1 1/2 cups

1 pint strawberries

silver rum

3 cups seltzer, chilled

1/2 bunch mint sprigs

Prepare a simple syrup by mixing the sugar with 1 1/2 cups water in a small pan; bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve, and let cool.

Stem the strawberries and puree with about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the lemon juice. Put through a sieve to remove seeds and errant bits.

In a large, attractive pitcher, combine 3/4 cup simple syrup with the strawberry-lemon puree and the remainder of the lemon juice. Sample and if desired, add more simple syrup to taste.

Add the mint to the pitcher along with the rum (one ounce per serving) and chill in the refrigerator for an hour. Add the cold seltzer and serve over ice. Kick back and enjoy the fourth race!

Mar 4

4 Comments

Affogato With Homemade Gelato

Affogato is probably the simplest of desserts with the exception of putting out a platter of whole fruit. You simply brew some fresh espresso and pour it over gelato. How easy is that?  You can of course buy commercially prepared gelato or ice cream but why not make your own? Ice cream makers are inexpensive and so easy to use and you can easily whip up a batch of ice cream or gelato, sorbet or sherbet flavored as you like it. This recipe has a custard base as gelato should have, and I am keeping it simple by making vanilla which is the base for any flavor you want to make, if you want coffee or espresso flavor, just add 2 tbs of instant espresso coffee to the warm custard, but I won’t complicate things, so here is my recipe for vanilla gelato. You may notice when you order a cup of espresso in a restaurant or coffee house that they serve it with a small strip of lemon zest, the lemon brightens the flavor of the rich coffee.  I added a little lemon zest on top of the gelato for the same effect. I hope everyone enjoyed the recipes this is the final entry in my week long journey, I have learned a lot and really had fun doing it.

Makes: One quart

Gelato:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cup whole milk

5 large egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Affogato:

A pot of freshly brewed espresso coffee

a few strips of lemon zest

Scoop of gelato per serving

Separate your eggs and place the yolks in a mixing bowl, add the sugar and beat with an electric mixer or whisk until its thick and creamy and a beautiful light yellow color. Pour the cream and milk into a saucepan and heat on med/high until it’s scalded, not boiling.

Pour half of the scalded milk and cream into the egg yolk mixture whisking constantly, you are tempering the eggs. Whisk well and pour into the pan with the rest of the hot milk. Cook on medium heat using a thermometer so that it reaches a temperature of 170-175 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer stir constantly with a wooden spoon, you will notice it starting to thicken and when you can draw a line on the back of the spoon and it stays intact (doesn’t run) its ready. Remove from heat, add the vanilla and pour into a bowl. Cover the custard with plastic wrap sitting directly on top of it. Let it come to room temperature and then refrigerate over night or for at least 6 hours it should be cold around 40 degrees when you add to the ice cream maker.

To make the gelato follow manufacturers directions for your machine.

Place a generous scoop of gelato in a bowl, using the zester or microplane add a little lemon zest on top of it, Pour hot espresso over and enjoy.

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