The Capitol Grill

Restaurant Review

The Capitol Grill What a shame such a beautiful restaurant is such a hot mess. Uninformed waiters, sloppy service, overcooked food, inconsistent quality, and terrible desserts. I had to laugh at the valet parking option because this restaurant is located in a parking lot.

Peach Basil Sangria

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
My good friends Monica and Bram came over for dinner the other night and brought the most delicious sangria I have ever tasted. It has basil and peach in it, so I did some research and here is my version of that fab beverage. I guess I should have just called them and got the recipe, but that’s the kind of week I've been having. Monica, I hope this is as good as yours!

Ingredients
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup loosely packed basil leaves
3 1/2 cups peach nectar (available in most local markets)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 bottle Pinot Grigio, chilled
Sliced peaches to garnish

Procedure
In a saucepan combine half the peach nectar, sugar, basil leaves, and lemon juice. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 5 minutes. Smash the basil leaves with the back of a wooden spoon to release the flavor into the syrup. Remove from the stove and let cool. Strain this mixture into a pitcher and add ice. Then add the chilled white wine, some fresh basil leaves, and some sliced peaches.

Crème Fraiche Ice Cream and Cantaloupe Cider Sorbet

The Altitude Adjustment Section
In my quest not to turn on the oven before it cools off today, I offer for your enjoyment two frozen treats.

Crème Fraiche Ice Cream

Ingredients
1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch salt
4 large egg yolks
1 cup crème Fraiche
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Procedure
Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod with the tip of your knife into a heavy saucepan. Add cream sugar and salt and bring just to the boil, stirring till sugar is dissolved, then remove from heat. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks until smooth then temper with a little hot cream and then add the rest slowly while stirring. Now return to the heat and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, till mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. A thermometer should read 170-175 — this takes out the guesswork! Immediately pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a metal bowl and place this bowl over a larger bowl filled with ice. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Remove custard from ice bath and stir in Crème Fraiche and lemon juice and mix till smooth. Now put into your ice cream freezer and process as usual. Let harden in freezer at least 4 hours before serving. This ice cream will keep 1 week in the freezer.

Cantaloupe Cider Sorbet

Ingredients
4 cups cantaloupe puree
(that’s about 1 1/2 cantaloupes, skinned, seeded, and put in food processor)
1/2 cup sugar
Grated zest of 3 limes
2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups apple cider

Procedure
Combine the melon, sugar, and lime zest in a bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar. Soften the gelatin in the cold apple cider for 5 minutes, and then heat to over low heat in a small saucepan to dissolve. Stir into the cantaloupe mixture. Now transfer to your ice cream maker and freeze as usual. If you have the small freezer variety as I do, the recipe will have to be processed in two batches.

Pecan-Crusted Rack of Lamb

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
This is an encore recipe for one of my kind listeners who requested it. It was one of the first recipes I did when I started the show, but before the website, so it's not in the archives. I thought I would just do it again. It’s a winner, trust me! I learned this recipe when I was a chef in London.

Ingredients
1 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
4 cloves crushed garlic
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup Panko
2 teaspoons dried Marjoram
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
3 racks of lamb Frenched (ask your butcher to help) cut into 4 rib portions

Procedure
Combine the Dijon, honey, garlic and molasses in a bowl. Set aside. In the food processor pulse together the pecans, Panko, marjoram, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Pulse just till mixed. Dump this mixture into a bowl. Now pick up the racks by the bones and dip into the Dijon mix, let excess run off and then dip into the pecan mix. Do all racks and place on a sheet pan. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, which helps the coating stick on. Now take a nice, thick-bottomed sauté pan and get it real hot with a little oil in it. Sear off the racks so the nuts get a nice color on them. Once all the pieces are done, finish in a 375-degree oven for about 15 minutes, or till an internal read thermometer reads 125. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting. Serve with some sweet and Yukon gold potato gratin and top with jalapeño mint jelly.

Jalapeno Mint Jelly

Ingredients
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
2 green peppers, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
5 cups sugar
2 cups mint leaves
2 packs gelatin, dissolved in 1/2 cup cold water

Procedure
Puree jalapenos, green peppers, and mint in the food processor till finely chopped. Transfer to a saucepan and add the sugar and vinegar. Bring mixture to the boil and then simmer ten minutes. Skim off scum that comes to the top, now add the softened gelatin and pour into a container, stirring occasionally till firm. I sometimes add a drop, literally one drop of green food coloring to improve the color, but it's up to you! This will last in your fridge for a long time. You can give it as a hostess gift, really!

Frozen Strawberry Margarita Pie

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Once again, you don’t need to heat up your kitchen to make this yummy little treat. All you have to do is prepare it at least 5 hours before you plan to serve it. Make it while you are having breakfast. Talk about multitasking! And I love this fun and easy crust!

Ingredients for crust
1 1/4 cups finely crushed pretzels
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

Procedure for crust
In small bowl, combine all crust ingredients; mix well. Press mixture firmly into bottom of ungreased 8- or 9-inch springform pan or pie pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

Ingredients for filling
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons tequila
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
10 ounces strawberry puree
1 cup whipped cream

Procedure for filling
In large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, tequila and liqueur; beat until smooth. Add strawberry puree beat at low speed until well blended. Fold in whipped cream. Pour over crust. Freeze at least 5 hours or until firm. To serve, let stand at room temperature about 15 minutes. Store in the freezer.

Frozen Peach Daiquiris

The Refreshing Beverage of the Week
Peaches, nectarines, even apricots would work for this recipe. I know, make one of each them you can compare and contrast. It's science!

Ingredients
2 1/2 ounces dark rum
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
9 peach cubes (recipe follows)
3/4 cup crushed ice

Procedure
Combine all ingredients in blender; blend until smooth. Pour into stemmed glasses. Garnish with peach and lime slices. Makes three 6-ounce drinks.

Ingredients for peach cubes
4 fresh ripe peeled peaches, sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Procedure
Combine peaches and lemon juice in blender and puree. Pour into ice cube trays; freeze. Makes 18 cubes.

Chilled Watermelon Soup

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Watermelon's a lycopene star — 1 cup has nearly 7 milligrams of the cancer-fighting stuff. That counteracts the addition of the Riesling and the Prosecco, which adds a refreshing crispness and a nice little buzz.

Ingredients
6 pounds yellow or red seedless watermelon, diced into cubes (9 cups)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup Riesling
1/4 cup Prosecco
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
8 teaspoons crumbled feta

Procedure
Combine 1 cup of the watermelon with mint and sugar in a bowl. Set aside. Blend remaining 8 cups watermelon, lemon juice, wines, and ginger in a blender until smooth. Let sit 1/2 hour. Strain soup; divide among 8 bowls. Top each with 1/8 cup reserved watermelon cubes and 1 teaspoon feta. This makes 8 portions.

The Bell Tower Bar at La Fonda

Restaurant Review

The Bell Tower Bar at La Fonda Hotel You would think one of the fanciest hotels in town would have a great happening bar on their roof to enjoy the sunset during summer months. But what they have is a tacky tourist attraction with poor quality drinks, bad furniture, bad service, and no snacks. Really? All these people with nothing to do but stare at the sky for 3 hours would certainly be happy to pay for overpriced salsa and chips, I guess La Fonda doesn't need the cash.

The Tequila Frost

I was thinking about a frozen drink as I stood in the kitchen this week dreaming about doing nothing. How can that really be a goal? So I did some research and I found this lovely beverage which has some of my favorite things in it. Grapefruit juice, tequila, and pineapple juice, not in that order.

“The Tequila Frost” is a whipped, thick and yummy drink — great for a hot evening at home when you really have nothing to do and nowhere to go. Sit back and enjoy summer in New Mexico. Do you know anyone who does that?

Ingredients
2 oz. Vanilla Ice Cream
1 1/4 oz. Grapefruit Juice
1 1/4 oz. Pineapple Juice
1 1/4 oz. Tequila
1/2 oz. Grenadine
1/2 oz. Honey

Procedure
Throw everything into the blender and blend till smooth and pour into a chilled parfait glass. Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.

Here’s some info about grenadine. Grenadine is a red, sweet and viscous syrup used for making cocktails. It is often used to soak cherries and give them their vibrant red color. Its name is said to have come from where it was invented — the mainland of Granada. While many consider grenadine cherry-flavored, it has traditionally been a concoction of sugar and pomegranate juice. Today, grenadine is usually made from a mixture of artificial color, sometimes berry or cherry juice for flavoring, and corn syrup or sugar. One can still obtain original grenadine, so read the labels.

Goat's Milk and Lavender Flan

The Altitude Adjustment Section
And now for something completely different. You know, goat’s milk is really delicious and it gives a great texture to flan. Lavender, a fragrance few can ignore, is always available at the farmer's market, so when I found this recipe in the El Farol Cookbook I knew I had to try it, and it's delicious.

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1 cup goats milk
2 tablespoons fresh Lavender blossoms
1/2 cup sugar
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks

Procedure
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a sauce pan, mix the sugar and water, and heat on low to medium heat until it turns an amber color, then stir in the honey. Pour a little of this syrup into the bottom of six, 4-ounce ramekins.

To make the custard, heat the milk with the lavender and cook till it starts to bubble. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and let sit for 10 minutes so the lavender flavor infuses into the mixture. Now strain out lavender bits. Beat the eggs and egg yolks together and pour a little hot milk into the mixture to temper it then add a little more milk and then whisk it all together. Fill each ramekin with the custard mix and place them in a bain marie which you have filled with boiling water.

Bake for about 30 minutes till firm but jiggly. Allow to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. To serve, run a knife around the edge of the ramekin, put a plate on top and flip over so the flan comes out and the honey syrup drips over the flan. Yum. Garnish with a sprig of fresh lavender. If goat's milk freaks you out, try it with cow's milk.

Kabob-O-Rama

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Kabobs are so much fun to make and eat. You can really skewer anything, but you want to be conscious of cooking time so it all finishes at the same time. So sometimes you might want to precook some of the vegetables to make it work better. Here are two great kabob recipes which make great party food.

Cherry Tomato, Ham, and Pineapple Kabobs

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Coleman’s mustard powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 lb cubed nice ham
1 lb pineapple chunks
12 cherry tomatoes

Procedure
Place oil, vinegar, mustard powder, and honey in a bowl and stir 'til well combined. Thread the ham, pineapple and tomato onto skewers. Brush them with marinade. Cook skewers over BBQ for about 10 minutes, turning frequently and baste with extra marinade. Serve over rice and a festive salad. This recipe serves 4.

Tuna Tarragon and Portobello Mushroom Kabobs

Ingredients
10 ounces fresh tuna
1 lb Portobello mushrooms cut into quarters
2 tablespoons fresh chopped tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons white wine
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
To make marinade, combine wine, tarragon, vinegar, oil, and garlic in large bowl and stir to combine. Cut tuna into 1 inch cubes. Thread tuna and mushrooms onto skewers. Put them into marinade, turn to coat and refrigerate, covered in marinade for at least 30 minutes. Grill on BBQ for about 10 minutes, and continue to baste, turning often. Serve with a nice green bean salad and a slice of lemon.

Lucci's

Restaurant Review

Lucci's A pretty decent thin crust pizza. This restaurant in the shopping center across from the Regal 14 movie theatre on Zafarano. The place failed as Patsy's but then reopened as exactly the same restaurant under a different name. What kind of monkey business is going on here? Have you heard of the Taco mafia?

White Russian

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
In keeping with our patriotic theme while still being an international sensation, I have chosen a White Russian as the refreshing beverage of the week. Although it is actually beige, like all of Santa Fe. This is a very popular cocktail. It has become even more popular after it was featured in the cult classic movie, "The Big Lebowski."

Ingredients
3/4 ounces vodka
3/4 ounce Kahlua liqueur
1 1/2 ounces cream
ice cubes, optional

Procedure
Just mix together the vodka and Kahlua in an old-fashioned glass. Then float the cream or milk on top last. Ice cubes aren't necessary, but can be used. White Russian drinks are best served in chilled glasses, though. For variation on your White Russian recipe, try using vanilla vodka instead of plain vodka

Fresh Blueberry Tart

The Altitude Adjustment Section
And now for our 4th of July Blue recipe which could be nothing but blueberries. This is a great fresh tart recipe form Susan Purdy’s book The Perfect Pie, and it's fast.

Ingredients for crust
8 ounces room temp cream cheese
1 cup (2 sticks) room temp unsalted butter
2 cups AP flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Procedure for crust
In your electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and butter (break it into pieces before processing). Mix till blended. Sift the flour and salt directly over the bowl. Now mix just till combined. If dough is too sticky, add a bit more flour. Now take dough and form into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Roll out dough into pan, and chill until firm. Then weight shell and bake at 400 for about 15 minutes. Remove weight and bake for 10-14 minutes more at 350. Judge by color — you want the shell fully cooked and golden brown. Let cool before filling.

Ingredients for tart
1 pre-baked 10-11 inch tart shell
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup blueberry preserves
3 cups fresh blueberries

Procedure for tart
In a medium saucepan, combine cornstarch and lemon juice and stir till completely dissolved, then stir in the preserves, mixing well to combine, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil until the juice is thickened and the mixture is no longer cloudy. Stir in 1/2 cup of blueberries and with a fork smash the berries on the sides of the pan. Spread this mixture on the bottom and sides of your tart shell. Now top with the rest of your fresh berries. Just before serving, sprinkle the top with powdered sugar, or you can melt some apricot jelly (1/2 cup) with a splash of rum and a little water and drizzle that over the top. Don’t forget the ice cream!

Chicken with Spicy Tomato Chile Sauce

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Here is a great red chicken recipe. Boneless chicken breasts are always a quick and easy meal. You can prepare it ahead of time and then slice the breast and re-warm when you are ready to eat. Great with some Mexican rice and don’t forget your calabacitas!

Ingredients
1 14 1/2-ounce can Mexican-style or regular stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup canned low-salt chicken broth or fresh chicken stock
2 tablespoons Chimayo red chile powder
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves

Procedure
Puree first 9 ingredients in blender. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet; sauté until brown, about 2 minutes per side. Add sauce from blender. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer uncovered until chicken is cooked through, turning chicken over once, about 10 minutes. Using tongs, transfer chicken to work surface. Continue to simmer sauce until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes longer. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Cut chicken crosswise into thin slices. Return to sauce and heat through.