Holiday Projects

As 2015 comes to an end, I thought I would take a few moments to highlight some of my recent holiday projects. Usually I celebrate Christmas with a classic Chinese take-out dinner, but this year I was lucky enough to be invited to a traditional Italian feast. It was amazing — there must have been 12 courses, each better than the next. In addition to the fish courses, there was an assortment of meats, pasta, and veggies. Italian sautéed broccoli rabe with garlic and lemon, how can that be bad?


In terms of house decorations, I limit that to our front door. Each year I make a wreath. I try to use recycled junk I find around the house. In previous years, I have used brass nails, police caution tape, and stainless steel scrub pads. Last year I collected (with the help of my commuting friends) over 100 used Metro cards which made quite a festive display. This year, my decorating took a slightly more political turn as I felt the need to express my horror over the abundance of guns in American culture. I thought it would be so easy to buy plastic guns. But ironically, it would have been easier for me to purchase real guns than kid’s toys (which seem to be heavily regulated in wealthy white neighborhoods). Fortunately a co-worker who lives in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn had no trouble getting the guns.


For holiday foods, I basically limited my production to desserts. I find you can’t go wrong with a fruit tart. Easy to start ahead of time, filling variations are endless, and winter fruits work perfectly. Here's the basic recipe:

Fruit tart

This is a great recipe because it’s done in an electric mixer. If rolling the dough freaks you out, you can simply push it into the bottom and sides of a tart pan with your hands. This recipe makes enough for 2 tart crusts and you can keep the extra dough in the refrigerator for a week, or you can freeze it.

Almond pastry crust ingredients
12 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour, minus 3 tablespoons
(used for rolling out dough)

Almond pastry crust procedure
Cream the butter, sugar, and extract until light and fluffy in the bowl of your electric mixer. Slowly add the flour until the dough holds together. Turn out on floured board and give a few turns. Refrigerate for 1 hour before using. This dough can either be rolled out or pushed into a tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake fully in a 350 oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. I line the shell with plastic wrap and then use pie weights to make sure the crust bakes flat. Let cool before filling.

Cream filling ingredients
2 cups cream cheese (regular or low fat)
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of one lemon, orange, or lime

Cream filling procedure
Whip up everything till smooth. If you want to get creative, you can add a bit of booze (Cassis, Rum, Brandy, Triple Sec) or you can experiment with different extracts. You can also fold some melted chocolate into the cream cheese.

Preparing the fruit and assembly
If using apples and pears, I like to slice thinly and gently sauté in a little butter and brown sugar. If using berries, all you have to do pop them in place. I usually brush the inside of the baked tart shell with white chocolate to keep it from getting soggy. Then the evenly spread the cream filling, and carefully lay out the fruit slices in a fan pattern. If you like a shiny finish, melt some jelly with a little water and brush it on the fruit. I like to use apricot glaze but any kind works.


These cookiee were a simple variation on a chocolate chip cookie, with the addition of fresh pomegranate seeds, orange zest, and rosemary.


Another easy, festive addition to the holiday is a seasonal beverage. Now that fresh berries are available year round, I see no reason not to serve this yummy drink.

blackberry gin cocktail

Ingredients
3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
6 large blackberries
1/2 ounce crème de cassis
1/2 ounce simple syrup (heat equal amounts sugar and water until sugar is melted; cool before using)
1 1/2 ounces Gin
Blackberries for garnish

Procedure
Combine the lemon juice and blackberries in a rocks glass and muddle until the berries are broken up. Fill the glass with ice. Combine Crème de Cassis, simple syrup, and gin in a cocktail shaker and stir to combine. Add to the berry/lemon mixture, stir and garnish with additional blackberries.

 
And finally, I made a small croquembouche. Not my best effort, but in my defense I did not have the right pastry bag or tips (much of my kitchen is packed in anticipation of our next move). It tasted good but looked a bit wonky.

That's all till New Year's Eve, when I am planning to make and document a great meal! Pace yourself till then.

Grapefruit Gin & Tonic with Cilantro

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
This makes 2 lovely cocktails. Did you know that grapefruit is the new black?

Ingredients
3 ounces Gin
3 ounces pink grapefruit juice
1/2 ounce lime juice
2 dashes lemon bitters
3 sprigs cilantro - tough stems removed
6 ounces tonic water
2 sprigs cilantro as garnish

Procedure
Fill a shaker two thirds of the way with large ice cubes. Add the gin, grapefruit juice, lime juice, bitters and cilantro. Shake until the outside of the shaker becomes frosted. Strain into two old-fashioned glasses filled with several ice cubes. Top with the tonic water and give the drinks a quick stir. Garnish each glass with a cilantro sprig and serve.

Lillet Rose and Rhubarb Bellini

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
Here are two lovely Easter cocktails to try. And a crazy idea if you have any extra jelly beans around.

Lillet Rose from Martha Stewart

Ingredients
12 ounces Lillet Rose
12 ounces Ruby Red grapefruit juice
6 ounces gin
6 edible flower blossoms

Procedure
Combine 6 ounces Lillet, 6 ounces grapefruit juice, 3 ounces gin, and ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake until well chilled. Strain and divide cocktail among 3 stemmed cocktail glasses,Garnish with flowers. Serve immediately.

Rhubarb Bellini

Now, for something pink and different! An improved Bellini — sort of. How about champagne or Prosecco and Rhubarb syrup? First, you need to make the syrup.

Ingredients for syrup
4 C chopped rhubarb
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Procedure
Combine everything in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook gently until the fruit is soft and the liquid has thickened slightly, about 20 minutes. Ladle into a fine strainer (or a coarse strainer lined with cheesecloth) that has been placed over a large bowl. Strain until most of the liquid is in the bowl. Give a little press on the solids with a spoon to extract more syrup.

Carefully pour the syrup into a clean bottle, cover or cork the bottle and refrigerate. It should keep for quite some time in the fridge. The solids make a nice rough jam, so if you want you can put them in a clean jar and keep them in your refrigerator for a week or so. It's great on toast!

To make the Bellinis, mix one part syrup to four parts sparkling wine, Champagne, or Prosecco.

The rhubarb syrup is also excellent on vanilla ice cream.

Flavor-your-own festive vodka

Looking for something to do with those leftover Easter jellybeans? Choose 10-15 jellybeans of the same flavor (or mix and match flavors for a fun quirky combination like piña colada, cherry coke, or banana split!) and drop them in a bottle of vodka. Let the vodka sit for about a week to allow the jelly beans to dissolve, flavoring your vodka to perfection!

Watermelon Rosemary Lemonade

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
Although I am not a big fan of watermelon, I do love a good watermelon drink. At work we often make an agua fresca at lunch which is simply a puree of watermelon, water, and a little sugar (if necessary), served with lots of ice. Here is another option. Of course, no booze at work — this is more of a weekend treat.

Ingredients
3/4 cups sugar
2 cups water
4 sprigs rosemary
1 cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed
7 cups watermelon, cut into a 1" dice (about half a medium watermelon)
8 ounces gin
1 lemon, thinly sliced

Procedure
Place sugar and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan, add rosemary sprigs. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once dissolved, remove from heat, cover saucepan and let sit for at least an hour to infuse. In a blender, combine the lemon juice with cubed watermelon. Add the watermelon in batches, blending in between each addition. Add in the rosemary simple syrup 1/4 cup at a time until the mixture is at your desired sweetness. I use about a cup. Pour the mixture into a large pitcher and add 1 cup of cold water, the gin, and fill with the watermelon mixture. Stir to combine. Serve in jars garnished with a lemon slice and half of a rosemary sprig. Serves 6.

Guest Bram Meehan: Pegu

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
This cocktail (rhymes with "Magoo") has its origins in the days of the British Empire, at the Pegu Club in Rangoon, Burma. Ideal for summer evenings, it will convert those who don't like gin.

This recipe comes courtesy of Doug Winship's Pegu Blog. His proportions are different than others you might run across — I use this to make two drinks.

Ingredients
3 oz. Bombay Saphire Gin
1 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. Real Lime Juice
2-4 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Procedure
Combine ingredients in a shaker over crushed ice, shake vigorously.

If you're feeling ambitious — and authentic — shake with a fresh egg white.

Guest Paul Ross: Food writing, eggnog and life

Special Guest
I had a great guest on the show last week and I didn't have time to do a proper post, so here it is ... a bit late. Paul talked about holiday beverages and gave us all kinds of great food history. When discussing Eggnog Paul says "There are tons of recipes out there but almost all employ a mix of the following ingredients: cream and/or milk, sugar (or other preferred sweetener), spices (vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg are the most common) and eggs (some now go with a pasteurized or powdered product). Of course, you can use a pre-made mix (there's even Rice Nog for the dairy-free) and add the alcohol of choice. Latin takes on this treat include: Rompope, Coquito, y Bilia con Pisco. If you want to remain a purist, but do not want to worry about salmonella, here's a cooked-then-chilled version.

Egg Nog

Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup Water
1/2 tsp lemon juice
6 whole eggs
4 cups milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbs hazelnut liqueur
1 tbs sugar

Procedure
Mix granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons water and lemon juice, then boil until the mix turns dark amber in color (about 5 min). Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup water. Beat milk and eggs together in a separate bowl and pour into the mix. Lower heat to medium low and cook for an additional 10-12 min. Pour into a serving bowl and stir in vanilla, nutmeg and salt. Refrigerate until cold. Just prior to serving, beat cream, liqueur and confectioners sugar together until soft peaks form and then mix into eggnog mixture with a whisk. Drink while sitting down.

Holiday Punches

These can be cold or hot and tea-, soft drink-, fruit juice- or even milk-based. Mulled or hot ones now interchangeably replace ye olde Wassail which was served to carolers. Once you've decided on your liquid base, the traditional spice choices are cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice and the alcoholic components can be rum, brandy, sherry, port, liqueurs, vodka, wine and hard ciders. An added benefit of a hot crockpot filled with holiday brew is that it does double-duty as potpourri!

Fizzes

(NOT limited to year-end festivities but a welcome addition to any party.)
Basic: (ALL ingredients are proportioned strictly to personal taste) Gin (many choose the sweeter Holland type), citrus juice, carbonated water and powdered sugar. A Fizz is customarily served in an ice cube-filled highball glass.
The legendary Ramos (or New Orleans) Fizz also incorporates: heavy cream, egg white, both lemon and lime juice and orange flower water.
Decoding the rest: Golden Fizz (egg yolk only); Royal Fizz (a whole egg); and the Diamond Fizz substitutes sparkling wine for soda.

The full story of holiday egg drinks and more recipes will appear in the December online issue of Drink Me magazine.

Enjoy!
Paul Ross

Las Vegas discovery ... the Negroni

Refreshing Beverage of the Week< I recently visited fake Italy (The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas), and during that surreal adventure, I discovered my new favorite cocktail! This is not for everybody, but I like the bitter cocktails, go figure! Its made with equal parts campari, gin, and sweet vermouth, It's a love it or hate it kind of thing. It's the big brother to the Americano and distant cousin to the martini. If you find it too intense, serve it with a splash of soda in a tall glass instead of the traditional weighted short glass. Ingredients
1 ounce gin
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1 ounce Campari
Slice of orange

Procedure
Pour gin, vermouth, and Campari into a chilled old fashioned glass over ice; garnish with a slice of orange. Now you can have a taste of Italy right at home!

French 75

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
Keeping with our “Gay Paree” theme, I thought we should do cocktail using French Champagne. Remember, the best option is just buying the good stuff. No need to mix pineapple juice into Crystal, but if that is not an option, a refreshing mixed drink using inexpensive (even dare I say... New Mexican) champagne is a nice choice. Here is a recipe from Esquire magazine for the classic “French 75.” Wearing a beret is optional.

Ingredients
2 ounces London dry gin
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
5 ounces Brut champagne (dry)
Glass Type: Collins glass (tall and straight)

Procedure
Put everything but the champagne into a chilled cocktail shaker, add cracked ice, shake well, and then strain into a Collins glass half-full of cracked ice and top off with champagne. Pour slowly or you will make a mess, trust me!

Industrial Tea

Angela's Refreshing Beverage of the Week
Industrial Tea

Ingredients
3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Gin
3/4 oz Vodka
6 oz chilled Aranciata (orange soda)
1 orange wedge

Procedure
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the campari, gin and vodka and shake well. Strain into an ice-filled highball glass and top with aranciata. Garnish with the orange wedge.

Enjoy!

The Wedding Bell

Angela's Refreshing Wedding Beverage of the Week
This cocktail is brought to you by me, in honor of Angela who is entertaining her family this week during the family celebration of a lifetime... Cate and Angela's wedding!

Ingredients
3/4 ounce Cherry Brandy (like Kirshwasser)
3/4 ounce Dubonnet (French vermouth)
3/4 ounce Gin
3/4 ounce fresh OJ

Procedure
First, chill your martini glasses. Then pour all the liquids into a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into glass. Drink these with the one you love. Do not operate heavy machinery after having this beverage.