Cocktail of the Week: Fizz the Lyon

My love for Green Chartreuse is no secret here.  I found this recipe in Bon Apetit and thought it sounded interesting and tasty, and lo and behold, it was both of those things.  I made it for a friend who tends to drink PBR and vodka sodas and generally regards my love for cocktails as a little trifling, but even she enjoyed this one.  It definitely requires a few ingredients for which you’ll have to pony up a few bills, but it’s a great fancy fizzy special occasion drink that isn’t champagne.

Fizz the Lyon

This Cognac-based fizzy cocktail gives a nod to one of bartender Vincenzo Marianella’s favorite chefs: Lyon native Daniel Boulud. (makes 2)

1/2 cup Cognac (I used Courvoisier.  I learned from the Ladies Man.)
3 tbsp St Germain
3 tbsp egg whites
1 tbsp green Chartreuse
2 dashes orange bitters
Ice cubes
1/2 cup chilled ginger beer

Combine first 5 ingredients in cocktail shaker. Fill shaker with ice cubes. Cover; shake vigorously Strain cocktail into 2 glasses and top each with 1/4 cup ginger beer.

For more recipes like this one,  check out the Domesticity page.

Ginger Sconelettes

I’m a big fan of ginger, pears and scones so when I happened upon ReadyMade’s recipe for Spiced Pear Sconelettes with Ginger Butter, I clearly had to make these little buddies.  They’re spicy and rich, but not overly sweet.  I didn’t have a tiny square cutter, so I used a larger circular cookie cutter and they turned out just fine.

Ginger Sconelettes

• 2½ c all-purpose flour
• ¼ c granulated sugar
• ¼ c packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ c cold butter
• 1 c chopped, cored unpeeled Bosc pear
• ⅔ c buttermilk
• 2 tbsp whipping cream
• 1 tbsp coarse decorating sugar or granulated sugar
• 8 oz crystallized ginger (for ginger butter)

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a bowl, stir together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.With pastry blender, cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pear. Stir in buttermilk just until dough holds together.

Transfer dough onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a rectangle. Roll dough out to ½-inch thickness. Using a 1- to 1½-inch square cutter, cut sconelettes (or use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 1¼- to 1½-inch squares), and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet allowing ½ inch between each sconelette. With a pastry brush, brush tops of each sconelette with whipping cream. Sprinkle with coarse decorating sugar.

Bake 22 to 28 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Serve warm with Ginger Butter.

For more recipes like this one, check out the Domesticity page.

Radish Sandwiches

This week I had a bunch of radishes leftover from pickling radishes and needed something to do with them.  I remembered reading a recipe for radish and butter sandwiches, so I decided to try making one of my own.  I spread butter on wheat bread, added thinly sliced radishes, thyme, sesame seeds and a sprinkling of salt and it was delicious.  The creaminess of the butter, the spiciness and crunch of the radishes, all of it comes together for something really really tasty.

I started wondering the origins of the radish sandwich and happened upon “Relishing the Radish” on NPR’s website.  Producer Kara Newman says its roots are french.

“Of course, leave it to the French to perfect the art of the simple pleasure. For years, they have eaten whole radishes dipped in butter, as a homey snack meant for countryside picnics. Often, the radish is scored with an X at the bottom (the better for adhering slippery butter), then dipped into one of the luxurious, extra-high-butterfat unsalted butters, and finished with a sprinkling of rough fleur de sel. I’ve heard tales of thrifty Eastern European cultures with a fetish for radish-and-butter combos too, yet as usual, the French make it seem more like luxury than necessity.”

A countryside picnic with radish sandwiches sounds just about perfect right now.

For more recipes like this one, check out the Domesticity page.

Make Radish Pickles

Heartened by the success of our first canning date, Lila and I dove right into our second canning adventure this week- pickle radishes!  Not only are these little guys pretty, they’re sweet and spicy and a little reminiscent of kimchee.  It was fun putting them in jars one night and waking up the next morning to see they’d turned the vinegar mixture completely pink!

radishes, just jarred

pink radishes!

Radish Pickles (makes 6 pint jars)

The recipe was a little vague, so I’ve modified it based on what we did.  

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2.5 lbs radishes, washed and cut into coins
4 Cup of white vinegar
4 Cup of water

2 Cup of sugar ( If you want sweeter you can make it 1 cup sugar)
4 Teaspoon salt

2 Hot peppers of choice, cut into 6 pieces

6 Cloves chopped or dried garlic

4 Bay leaf

6 Tablespoons dill (or herb of choice)

•  Mix the vinegar, water, sugar, pepper, garlic, bay, dill, and salt and stir until sugar is complete dissolved in a large glass container where you will store the radishes (we stored them in the pint jars we were canning them in, leaving 1/2 inch head space).
•  Add to the vinegar mixture. Store for 4 days until the red from the outside of the radishes has completely bled out and dyed everything a beautiful pink.
•  Wipe jar then adjust two piece caps.
•  Process jars in boiling water canner for 20 minutes.

For more recipes like this one, check out the Domesticity page.

Cocktail of the Week: Ginger Sparkles (and Stuffed Dates)

I was in Chicago a couple weekends ago to celebrate the impending nuptials of one of my oldest friends. I wanted to make a special cocktail for her during the visit, so I asked her what kind of cocktails she liked.  She said: sweet, gingery and citrusy, and based on this I came up with this little cocktail, which we heartily enjoyed.  She brought along goat cheese stuffed dates with walnuts, the recipe for which I’ve tried to approximate.

Ginger Sparkles (makes 4)

• 4 slices fresh ginger
• 1/2 C water
• 1/2 C sugar
• juice of one lemon
• prosecco
• spicy ginger beer (we used Bleinhem’s)

add sugar, water and ginger to a small pot and heat until boiling.  reduce heat and simmer for at least 1/2 hour.

meanwhile, take a small strip of ginger and rub it around the rims of 4 cocktail glasses.  do the same with a slice of lemon.  push rim-down into a plate of sugar to create a sugar rim.

after the syrup has cooled, add 1/4 oz to each of the glasses.  Squeeze 1/4 lemon into each glass as well.  top with prosecco and a splash of ginger beer.

salud!

Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates with Walnuts

• 1/4 cup fresh goat cheese (about 2 ounces), softened
• 12 walnut halves
• 12 large Medjool dates
• Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat goat cheese by hand until smooth.

Make a slit lengthwise in each date, and remove the pit if necessary. Fill each date with a heaping teaspoon of goat cheese mixture.  Add a walnut half to top of each date.

Bake for 7 minutes or until just browned.

Sprinkle with salt just before serving.

Dye Easter Eggs

Growing up in a secular household, Easter for me meant a basket of little gifts, a huge brunch and colorful hard boiled eggs. I still have a fondness for all of these things, and thus carry with me a special fondness for Easter’s accouterments.  I haven’t died Easter eggs in years, but decided to try my hand again this year– but this time with dyes made from things I already had on hand.  I tried making dies with curry, paprika, black walnuts from the back yard, a purple sweet potato and red onion skins.  The eggs I ended up with were a far cry from your standard jewel-tone Easter eggs, but I personally like the muted, earthy tones.

Curry Dye

• 1 tables spoon vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon curry

Bring vinegar and water to a boil.  Add curry and simmer 15 minutes.  Add egg while still warm and let sit at least 1 hour.

Paprika Dye

• 1 tables spoon vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon paprika

Bring vinegar and water to a boil.  Add paprika and simmer 15 minutes.  Add egg while still warm and let sit at least 1 hour.

Black Walnut Dye

• 1 tables spoon vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 4 black walnuts, cracked open (I put them in a plastic bag and pounded them with a hammer

Bring vinegar and water to a boil.  Add walnuts and simmer 15 minutes.  Add egg while still warm and let sit at least 1 hour.

Purple Potato Dye

• 1 tables spoon vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 4 1/2 inch slices purple sweet potato

Bring vinegar and water to a boil.  Add sweet potato and simmer 15 minutes.  Add egg while still warm and let sit at least 1 hour.

Red Onions Dye

• 1 tables spoon vinegar
• 1 cup water
• skins of 2 red onions

Bring vinegar and water to a boil.  Add onion skins and simmer 15 minutes.  Add egg while still warm and let sit at least 1 hour.

For more recipes like this one, check out the Domesticity page.

Make Shrimp Stock

As soon as it was finally nice enough to sit outside last week, I got the sudden urge to throw some shrimp on the barbie.  They only had shell-on shrimp at the grocery store, so I ended up with a big ol’ pile of raw shrimp shells my hands. Rather than let them go to waste, I decided to make some shrimp stock, and with the shrimp stock I decided to to make some corn and shrimp soup, which I just so happen to be eating AS I WRITE THIS VERY POST.  It’s creamy and delicious and substituting shrimp stock for vegetable broth makes it even more rich and tasty.

Shrimp Stock
uncooked shrimp shells
water
onion
place shrimp shells in a pot and fill with water until it just covers the shells.  add a few chunks of onion and bring to a boil, then let it simmer with a lid on for an hour.  store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Shrimp Mushroom Soup (adapted from epicurious)

For broth

• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 ears sweet corn
• 1/2 cup mixed mushrooms
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 6 cups chicken stock (substitute as much shrimp stock as you can)
• 3 flat-leaf parsley sprigs
• 1 thyme sprig
• 2 bay leaves

For mushrooms and shrimp

• 1/2 pound mixed fresh wild mushrooms
• 3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 3/4 pound medium shrimp in shell, peeled, leaving tail fan attached, and deveined (save shells for more stock)

Cook corn and make soup:
Cook onion in butter in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium-low heat, stirring, until softened. Add corn, heavy cream, and 6 cups stock and bring to a boil.

Add parsley, thyme, bay leaves and mushrooms to pot with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and simmer, covered, 45 minutes.

Discard thyme and bay leaves, then purée mixture in batches in a blender or with immersion blender.

Return soup to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and keep warm over low heat. Thin with additional stock if necessary.

Cook mushrooms and shrimp:
Trim mushrooms, discarding any dark gills and tough stems, then slice or tear into bite-size pieces.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook mushrooms, stirring, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer mushrooms to a bowl and melt remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in skillet. Meanwhile, toss shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook shrimp in butter, turning occasionally, until barely cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Return mushrooms to skillet and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add to soup and Enjoy!

For more recipes like this, check out the Domesticity Page.

Make Moscato and Vanilla Bean Jelly

I’m blessed to have several friends who are experienced and enthusiastic canners.  I have a pantry full of homemade jams, pickles and chutneys. Not only are these babies beautiful to behold, they’re little jars of anticipation.  When I rifle through my pantry, I’m reminded of all the delicious things I’ll get to try.   As much as I’ve always admired my canning friends and the goods they produce, I’ve never ventured into the world of canning myself.  UNTIL NOW.

My friend Lila and I have started making canning dates– each time choosing what we’ll make, splitting the ingredients and getting together for an afternoon of canning.  Our first endeavor was Moscato & vanilla bean jelly, a recipe from yerttography.  Not only is it tasty (sweet and almost creamy thanks to those delicious vanilla beans), it’s really beautiful– it’s a rich amber color and there are tiny vanilla bits suspended inside.

Moscato & Vanilla Bean Jelly

(makes 9 half-pint jars)

• 7c Moscato wine
• 7c sugar
• 3c water
• 1 vanilla bean, halved
• 2 pkgs liquid pectin (we used powdered)
• the juice of one large lemon

What You’ll Do:

In a large, non-reactive pot, pour in the wine, the water, and the sugar.  Stir well to dissolve the sugar.  Scrape the vanilla seeds from the pod and drop them into the liquid.  Put the pod halves in there, too.  Reduce this mixture by at least 1/3 over medium-high heat, stirring often.

Begin to process your jars and lids.

Bring the wine mixture to a rolling boil, then add the lemon juice and pectin, stirring to combine well.  When the temperature reaches 230-240F, test a small amount on a chilled plate.  If it sets after a few minutes, turn the heat off and skim the surface.  If it does not set to jell, continue cooking and test every five-ten minutes.  Continue to scrape any scum or foam off the top.  Remove the vanilla seed pods.

Fill your sterilized jars, leaving 3/4-1 inch of head room.  Secure lids and rings and process in a rolling boil for no less than 15 minutes.  After processing, let the jars rest on the counter top for at least 24 hours before moving them.  Don’t open your jar of golden goodness for at least 48 hours.

For more recipes like this one, check out the Domesticity page.

Open Road Project: A Weekend in Chicago

When I’m on a vacation, be it a month-long backpacking trip or weekend jaunt, each day I plan to leave a section of Walt Whitman’s Song of the Open Road. I might leave it in a B&B guestbook, tuck a note behind a hotel painting or write it on a dollar bill I spend at a hot dog stand. In any case, I’ll be tracking where I leave the poem here. I call it The Open Road Project.  Click on the stanzas below to find out where they’ve been left and track the poem’s progress here.

I was in Chicago this month for a long weekend to welcome spring, eat good food and celebrate the impending matrimony an old friend.  It was unseasonably warm and the whole trip was filled with good food, drink and company.

I left the 30th section of the poem at Uncommon Ground, a combination coffee shop/bar/restaurant in Roger’s Park.  It’s a fine place to eat, drink and enjoy love music.  I got the “Agripolitan,” made with triple berry-infused rain organic vodka, cardamom syrup, lemon juice.  Not only was it tasty-looking, a portion from every Agripolitan is donated to the Chicago Rarities Orchard Project to develop a community orchard in Chicago featuring rare and endangered fruit varieties. Do drink and donate.

Something there is in the float of the sigh of things that provokes it out of the soul.

I left the 31st section of the poem at Triple Crown Restaurant in Chinatown where my lovely friend/host/chauffeur for the weekend and I went for dim sum. Among other things, we stuffed ourselves with shrimp dumplings, BBQ pork buns, bean curd and baby octopus.

Now I re-examine philosophies and religions, they may prove well in lecture-rooms, yet not prove at all under the spacious clouds and along the landscape and flowing currents.

I left the 32nd section of the poem in a small sculpture park near my friend’s apartment.  She lives in the Glenwood Arts District of Roger’s Park and we repeatedly past this funky little spot to and from the L. Something tells me if anyone’s going to appreciate a poem randomly left on their property, it’s going to be whoever is responsive for this place.

Here is realization, here is a man tallied- he realizes here what he has in him, the past, the future, majesty, love. If they are vacant of you, you are vacant of them.

Cocktail of the Week: Basil-ica

I’m teaching an herbal cocktail making workshop at Erin’s Meadow Herb Farm this June.  I’ll be going over ways to incorporate fresh herbs into cocktails including muddling, infusing, garnishing, making simple syrups, making bitters and creating liqueurs. In order to prepare, I have the odious task of trying lots of herbal cocktails.  This week I made the Basil-ica cocktail which unsurprisingly features basil.  This one didn’t make the cut for the class since the basil was just a little too subtle and also because it contains St. Germain which delicious though it is is a little pricey and I want to make sure all the cocktails we make and recipes I share don’t call for too many expensive liqueurs. It’s still super tasty, though and is perfect for sipping on a lovely spring day. It has a bite at first, then mellows and sweetens.  The basil, as I mentioned is subtle.  We added a bit of sparkling water to lighten it up.

Basil-ica Cocktail

• 2 oz Plymouth Gin
• 1/2 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 oz 1:1 simple syrup
• 1/2 oz St Germain Elderflower Liqueur
• 4 large basil leaves
• Dash of Regan’s Orange Bitters
• Dash of Peychaud’s Bitters
• GARNISH: Basil Leaf and long orange twist.

Preparation:

1. Muddle basil with the lemon juice and simple syrup in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.
2. Add Gin, elderflower liqueur, and the bitters.
3. Add ice.
4. Shake for 10-12 seconds, the strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
5. Top with sparking water, if you wish.