Listen to Mouth of Wonder — the most hilarious, thirty-minute, weekly radio show about food out there — every Saturday morning from 10:30-11:00 Mountain Time on KSFR 101.1 FM, public radio in Santa Fe, New Mexico, or streaming on the web at ksfr.org.
Each week host Stacy Pearl and one of her many marvelous Guest Hosts present Mouth of Wonder, a half hour of topical, fast-paced, humorous banter with lots of solid cooking advice thrown in, a variety of segments, and some great musical introductions. The segments include:
"Authority on everything, expert on nothing," Rula is an over-the-top advice columnist from Williamsburg Brooklyn who answers questions about food and entertaining. Sheila Vista — the ultimate Santa Fe woman — also stops by from time to time to present her cosmic view of the world and what we eat.
Labels: review
Refreshing Beverage of the Week
The classic Cosmo — I know, I know, it's so "Sex in the City" — but when made right, it is a delicious and simple drink and often a safe choice at bars of unknown capabilities.
Ingredients
Ice cubes
1 ounce vodka (citrus infused is nice)
1/2 ounce Cointreau (an orange-flavored liquor or use Triple Sec, which is a bit cheaper)
1 1/2 ounces cranberry juice
1/4 ounce fresh lime juice
lime twist to garnish
Procedure
Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in the vodka Cointreau, cranberry juice and lime juice. Shake well. Strain into a large chilled martini glass and garnish with a lime twist. So simple even your mother can make one.
The Altitude Adjustment Section
Candied things are fun to make and a great garnish for sweets. In the winter, I make candied grapefruit and other citrus fruit peels. I have also done candied rose petals as a cupcake garnish. But I wanted to try candied mint leaves and then I remembered my pal Quinn told me a chef he knew used to use candied cilantro leaves so I went to one of my favorite cookbooks, Better than Store-Bought, and of course the process was in the book. It’s super simple, but the technique requires patience and waiting. That’s usually my problem.
Ingredients
Freshly picked mint leaves (or large cilantro or sage leaves)
1 room temperature egg white
few drops of water as needed
extra fine granulated sugar (which you can make in your food processor)
Procedure
Pull or clip leaves from their stalk, leaving if possible a short stem on each leaf. It's best to use your garden mint, ideally gathered several hours a rain shower so it is clean but dry. With a fork, beat the egg white till it is spreadable, that’s where the drops of water come in. You don’t want it too viscous. Have at hand a plate on which to paint the leaves, a plate of extra fine sugar, a cake rack covered with wax paper for the drying process, and a pair of tweezers to move stuff around. Using a small paint brush, Cover every surface of the leaf with a thin layer of egg white and then lay it on the sugar and then sprinkle more sugar on top. Now pick up carefully with your tweezers and move to the wax paper covered cookie rack for drying. Set the rack of leaves in a warm dry place, like your oven if it’s heated with a pilot light. When the leaves are superficially dry, they will still be moist inside, transfer them to an uncovered rack and let them continue to dry until no moisture shows up when you crack open a leaf. This will take several days, grasshopper. Store dried leaves separated with wax paper in a cardboard box and they will keep for several months. The process is exactly the same for cilantro or sage leaves.
Seasonal Recipe of the Week
I love Thai food because it’s so flavorful and complex. This recipe for Thai shrimp cakes is really easy to make and it’s from one of my all-time favorite chefs named Jean George Vongerichten. Maybe Geronimo’s should check out some of the ways he combines French and Asian cuisine. Just a suggestion.
Ingredients for cakes
1 stalk lemongrass, chopped
1 cup boiling water
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons slice scallions
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
Ingredients for sauce
1/4 cup Thai fish sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons chopped raw peanuts
1/4 cup seeded and dice cucumber
1 medium Serrano Chile seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons peanut oil
What you fry in
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons canola oil
Sliced scallions and chopped cilantro for garnish
Procedure
Put the lemongrass in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let infuse for 10 minutes and then strain out the liquid and save. In the bowl of your food processor, combine the shrimp with 1/2 cup of the infused water, and process 'til nearly smooth but with a few chunks still in it. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add scallions and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Combine the remaining ingredients except butter and oil for frying and garnish ingredients. What's left will be your sauce, just mix it together.
In a large frying pan, combine butter and oil over medium high heat. Carefully drop large tablespoons of the shrimp mixture and flatten slightly into cakes while in the oil. Cook about 30 seconds each side. Serve with dipping sauce, on a bed of shredded cabbage.