French 75 Cocktail Recipe

Whether you are saying goodbye to the previous year or hello to the new one, Champagne or anything bubbly is traditional for New Year’s Eve. It’s light, refreshing and pairs well with many kinds of festive meals from briny oysters and caviar to rich and creamy cheeses and just about anything fried. Should you happen to have a splash of Champagne leftover or better yet, a bottle consider a Champagne cocktail for brunch the following day.

While the classic mimosa is fine, I am a big fan of the French 75. The French 75 dates back to World War I and is named for the French 75mm field gun, the “Soixante Quinze” thanks to it’s kick from gin. It’s as simple as can be, just gin, lemon juice, sugar or simple syrup and Champagne or another sparkling brut wiine. There are some other versions of the drink and some prefer cognac or brandy, but I think gin is really the way to go.

The gin you use is important. I am particulary fond of London dry gin, and Plymouth in particular although you are welcome to use another London dry gin you like. Some other brands I like are Spirit Works, Beefeater and Tanqueray (either Special Dry or No. 10). The reason you want to use gin instead of another spirit is because of the botanicals. The bubbles open up the aromatics of the gin and make it even more fragrant. Lemon and a touch of sugar help to balance and sweeten the drink. While you can use simple syrup if you like, if you’re lazy like I am, powdered sugar works great! Here’s why you need a cocktail shaker for this drink. Shaking will mix and dissolve the sugar with the lemon and gin and also slightly dilute the drink. As a rule of thumb, drinks with fresh juices are shaken, drinks with only alcohol are stirred.

French 75
Makes one cocktail

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
1 ounce (2 Tablespoons) London dry gin
Chilled Champagne to fill the glass, about 3-4 ounces
Lemon peel, for garnish

Instructions

Combine the lemon, sugar and gin in a cocktail shaker with crushed ice and shake. Strain into a glass or Champagne flute and top with Champagne.

Enjoy & Happy New Year!

Moringa Chia Pudding with Raspberry Recipe

A current food trend is the emergence of exotic superfood ingredients such as elderberry, aronia, haskap and moringa. Moringa is a plant native to South Asia and grown throughout the tropics. It's considered a superfood because the powdered leaves provide protein, calcium, iron, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Peace Corps volunteer Lisa Curtis discovered it when she was living in West Africa and suffering from malnutrition. Now back in the US, she is the founder of Kuli Kuli Foods, a company that sells moringa based product in the US and helps to improve the lives of women like the ones she worked with, in Africa.

When I met Lisa I was inspired by her story and also curious to try experimenting with moringa, which comes in a powdered form, looking a bit like matcha but tasting more herbal with a slight bitter but not unpleasant edge. Aside from adding it to smoothies or using it bars, I thought it might be good in a chia pudding.

Lots of chia pudding recipes use coconut or almond milk in addition to yogurt. I'm not really sure why! I used both whole milk and full fat Greek yogurt for this little verrine but you can use any milk you like. It makes a healthy and yet indulgent snack or light breakfast. The bitterness of the moringa is offset by a tiny bit of honey and the fresh raspberries.

Moringa Chia Pudding with Raspberry

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup milk

4 teaspoons honey

2 cups Greek yogurt

2 Tablespoons chia seeds

1 Tablespoon moringa powder

1/2 cup raspberries

1/2 teaspoon honey

2 teaspoons chia seeds

Instructions

Gently heat the milk and honey in a small bowl in the microwave or in a saucepan just until the honey disolves. Whisk together the milk and honey mixture, Greek yogurt, chia seeds and morinaga in a bowl then transfer to a container, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.

Mash together the raspberries, honey and chia seeds and place in small container, cover and refrigerate.

Portion the pudding into 4 verrines, cups or ramekins and top each with a spoonful of raspberrry sauce.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I was provided with samples of moringa to use in this recipe. I was not compensated monetarily for this or any other post on this blog.

Unusual Cookbooks of 2015

Looking for something different? These are some of the more unusual cookbooks I came across this year.

The Food of Oman is one of the most exciting cookbooks I saw this year, because I am so unfamiliar with the cuisine and the influences are so varied. The book includes Bedouin meat and rice dishes, South Asian curries, East African vegetable dishes and Indian style tandoori seafood as well. There are recipes for quickly made flatbreads, Sweet Vermicelli with Salty Egg, Yemeni Style Roasted Chicken and Saffron Rice, Swahili Coconut Shrimp Curry, some hot tea-like beverages, and plenty of snack foods like Chile-Lime Chickpeas and Chili Spiced Potato Chips. For the cook who seems jaded and world weary this is the perfect book to inspire.

Who’s it for? Anyone looking to cook something different, but expecially fans for Southeast Asian and African food.

Do you need a book about what to serve on toast? No. But Better on Toast is a really fun book loaded with cool ideas for snacks, appetizers and impromptu meals. It’s perfect for someone with a small kitchen or nothing more than a toaster and a hot plate. Many of the recipes are just about “assembling” with minimal prep or no cooking such as Chile-Orange-Cured Salmon with Cilantro Creme Fraiche. It sounds much more complicated than it is, there are only 7 ingredients, plus some some spices. The toppings are very inventive like parsnips and marcona almonds, Carrot Butter and Halloumi or Spice Roasted Radishes and Mint Feta Yogurt.

Who’s it for? Anyone who is looking for some easy yet creative ideas for snacks or entertaining.

Mission Chinese is a completely polarizing restaurant and so apparently is the cookbook, The Mission Chinese Food Cookbook, if you believe the reviewers on Amazon.com. People either love it or hate it because or in spite of the fact that it does not serve “authentic Chinese food.” Whether or not that matters to you, Danny Bowein is a very talented chef and his food is delicious. His food is also sometimes surprisingly complicated. There are just 49 recipes in the book and there are plenty that are too involved for me, but also some recipes that are surprisingly simple. I really love all the thinking that went into each dish and how it’s explained in the book. There are great bits to read here including an interview with Rene Redzepi. The pantry section includes lots of Chinese and as well as non-Chinese ingredients and how to use them that adventurous home cooks will find helpful (like how to buy and use koji). I’ve bookmarked recipes for Hong Kong Style Pork Belly, Pickled Mustard Greens and Crunchy Tea Smoked Eel Rolls.

Who’s it for? Fans of Mission Chinese Food who want to try recreating the food at home and want to learn more about the chef and his journey.

There is a whole world of Japanese preserved food and Preserving the Japanese Way tackles it like no other. The way the book is organized is designed to bring you up to speed using ingredients like shoyu, Japanese fish sauce, koji, sake lees and more. A major effort of the book is to get readers to not think of pickles as just a side dish. There are recipes for salads, soup, tofu and fish dishes. A great resource for those wanting to take their home pickling or Japanese home recipes to the next level. There is lots of helpful information about ingredients that alone makes the book well worth owning.

Who’s it for? Preserving and Japanese food enthusiasts.

There are many things I cook at home that I do not post to my blog, because they simply can’t be made without a high speed blender, in particular a Vitamix. Rich, thick, velvet textured smoothies, soups and sauces are the main thing I achieve when I use it. I was curious what recipes would be included in The Vitamix Cookbook since the author is VItamix president, CEO and great granddaughter of the Vitamix company founder. Sure enough there are smoothies, soups and sauces, but also lots of baked goods with grains ground in the blender. I didn't personally find this book very useful for a few reasons. I don’t grind grain in my blender although it can be done with the right canister. In terms of mixing batter, I don’t think a blender is really necessary. I have a juicer but the author shows how you can make vegetable and fruit drinks using the Vitamix as well. There are also frozen desserts, but I have made those more easily in a food processor.

Who’s it for? Someone new to the Vitamix or struggling to find ways to use it.

Disclaimer: I received these books as review copies and this post includes affiliate links.

Bison Rib Roast

For a big celebratory meal, a rib roast is very impressive, especially with the bones in. While beef might be a common choice, bison is also available in a rib roast. I’ve shared my experience cooking several different cuts of bison and how much I enjoy it. I like the texture and flavor but also really appreciate how environmentally sustainable and how healthy it is, particularly when compared to beef. It's a lighter and less rich so I find I'm able to enjoy it more. When Durham Ranch offered me the opportunity to try one of their products I decided to go with a rib roast.

Durham Bison Ranch is one of largest bison operations in the US, with a 55,000 acre ranch in Eastern Wyoming with around 3,000 bison. Unlike some producers, the bison from Durham is not completely 100% pasture raised. It’s finished on a feed lot where it is fed mostly grass based silage and very little grain, since it is not part of their natural diet. Why are their animals finished this way? Drought conditions means sometimes there isn’t enough grass to sustain the herd so “finishing” the bison gives them more food, it also helps ensure more consistency in the final product. The amount of time they are on a feed lot depends on various factors including the season and the weight and health of the animals. Durham does not use growth hormones or sub-therapeutic antibiotics on their bison.

Bison rib roasts are LARGE! Mine was about 16 inches long, had 7 bones and weighed over 12 pounds. It was large enough for me to cut several steaks off and still have a massive centerpiece roast.

You can serve bison rib roast just as you would a beef rib roast, sliced with a horseradish cream sauce on the side. Plan on about a half pound of meat per person. You can purchase roasts of various sizes, with or without the bones. Here are my tips for cooking a bison rib roast to perfection.

1. Coat it with an herb or spice rub with some salt and pepper—this will give it a flavorful crust.

2. Let the roast rest at room temperature before putting it in hot oven. You can cook at at around 500 degrees but keep an eye on it, you just want to develop good browning.

3. Cook the roat low and slow! Because bison is incredibly lean, you will ruin it if you overcook it. The temperature may vary depending upon the size of the roast and your oven, but somewhere around 225-250 degrees is fine.

4. Check the temperature! Temperature, not the look of the meat will let you know if it’s done. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 125 degrees for rare or 133 for medium and then let the roast rest, the temperature may continue to rise.

5. Let the roast rest before slicing. This helps the juices reabsorb into the meat and means the roast will be juicier.

While some rare cuts of beef can be tough, the rib roast is extremely tender, typically even more tender than beef. It’s also leaner and milder in flavor. Leftover slices of rib roast are great for sandwiches.

Durham Ranch Their specialty meats including bison are available at Raley's in the Northern California and Northern Nevada and Sprout's stores in Southern California and Arizona.

Disclaimer: My thanks to Durham Ranch for providing me with this roast. Additional thanks to Lee Sherman for taking the photos and Larry Becker for preparing and cooking the roast. I was not compensated monetarily to write this or any other post.

Jewish Cookbooks 2015

Are you suffering from an overload of everything Christmas? Shabbat Shalom! Here are a few books worth taking a look at, whether you are Jewish or not.

The Seasonal Jewish Kitchen is the book that could make anyone fall in love with Jewish food. Amelia Saltsman has Iraqi and Romanian heritage and manages to take the best from both of those cuisines along with her own wonderfully creative ideas and California sensibility to craft a cookbook full of “keeper” recipes. The photography is fresh and modern.

The crazy good recipes in this book make me think I could actually give up my beloved pork and go kosher! I mean we’re talking about things like Lamb Kebabs with Parsley, Mint and Tahini Sauce, Yemenite Pumpkin and Carrot Soup, Curried Roasted Cauliflower, Freekeh with Kale, Butternut Squash and Smoked Salt. Recipes like Tunisian Lemon Rind Salad condiment and the Blood Orange and Olive Oil Polenta Upside Down Cake are reason enough to treasure this book.

Food, Family and Tradition: Hungarian Kosher Family Recipes and Traditions is a love story. It’s a tribute from a daughter to her parents, part biography, mostly cookbook. I fell in love with Budapest and in particular with the wonderful paprika and delicious dumplings, potato dishes and goulashes that are such comfort food. One of the very first recipes in the book caught my eye—a spread with farmers cheese, paprika and garlic.

The recipes in the book are a combination of old world and new world, but mostly fairly traditional things like blintzes, kreplach, kugel, veal breast and brisket with a Hungarian accent. These recipes are family heirlooms, but good enough that you might want to add them to your repertoire too.

It’s not everyday you come across a cookbook published posthumously. But the family of famed third generation baker George Greenstein made sure his baking secrets would continue on, with the publication of A Jewish Baker’s Pastry Secrets.

With clear instructions you too can make babka, bundt cakes, gugelhopf and fillings for cookies and pastries made from poppy seeds, prunes and walnuts. The book offers both cups and weights. The recipes come from a bakery but are scaled and written for a home baker.

Despite the gorgeous photo on the cover, this book lacks any other photos, but is a great resource for those looking to make professional looking pastries.

The reason why Celebrate: Food Family Shabbos caught my eye was because is because many of the recipes such as Whole Wheat Challah and Fresh Tuna, Chickpeas and Rosemary Salad and Acorn Squash Stuffed with Jeweled Israeli Couscous feel very modern and while all the recipes are kosher, many recipes include a kosher for Passover variation. Anyone who keeps kosher for Passover can always use a few more recipes to get them through the week.

I have already bookmarked the Coffee Braised Brisket, Roasted Chicken with Shiitake Mushrooms and Artichokes and Extreme Chocolate Drop Cookies to make during Passover next year.

Disclaimer: I received these books as review copies and this post includes affiliate links.

NOMA: My Perfect Storm movie review

Even after reading the NOMA:Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine cookbook and going to see chef Rene Redzepi speak, I am still curious about the restaurant and the chef. Short of flying off to Copenhagen and dining at the restaurant (it’s on my bucket list!) I really enjoy reading anything I can about this restaurant that has been chosen “#1 in the world” four times.

The latest attempt to dig deeper into the Noma phenomenon and psyche of chef Rene Redzepi is the feature length documentary, Noma: My Perfect Storm. Towards the beginning it’s easy to fall under the spell of the chef and his concept for the restaurant. It’s a concept which has had and will continue to have a ripple effect. Because really, this is more than just about one chef or one restaurant, it’s about a philosophy that is changing food, cooking and how we approach it everywhere. It's about creating a cuisine that reflects time and place in the most authentic way possible. Not surprisingly, it’s also about the process of pursuing something great.

René Redzepi in NOMA/ MY PERFECT STORM, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. Photo credit/ Pierre Deschamps

While I was initially inspired by much of the film there comes a turning point where frankly things get a bit ugly. And things did get very ugly in 2013. Not just that the restaurant lost its top honor, but also there was a norovirus incident that closed the restaurant down completely for a while. What happened? How did the restaurant end up as #1 and then lose its way? Or did it lose its way at all? Does it even matter? All of this and much more is explored. It’s an almost brutally honest film. There is no sugar coating. There are interviews with many people—chefs from inside the restaurant and beyond, purveyors, food critics and even a childhood friend of the chef. There are many scenes which take place in the kitchen, very few in the dining room. The photography of the food is breathtaking beautiful and yet some of the interactions in the kitchen can also be painful to watch.

I don’t want to give too much away, but I do urge you to see this film, especially if you are interested in Noma or in the changes undergoing restaurant and food culture today. Theater dates and how to watch on demand.

Speciality Food Holiday Gifts 2015 & Giveaway!

Over the past year I've gotten to try a lot of speciality foods. Here are some of my absolute favorite sweet and savory treats.

This year I fell in love with the products from Tonewood Maple. They make maple products in many different forms, but also highlight different styles and flavors of maple. If you think as I did, “maple is maple” there’s a reason for that. In many places, such as a certain well-known province of Canada, all the maple products are processed together. So you don’t get different flavors from different estates, just different grades.

Tonewood offers single estate maple syrups in their grade collection in golden delicate, amber rich and dark robust flavor profiles, and each are completely different. These are maple products that reflect place, just like wine! Some are earthy, some are spicy, but they all have a depth of flavor missing from other maple syrups. Honestly this is the best maple syrup I’ve ever tasted.

In addition to syrup, they offer maple cream, which has the most divine, melt-in-your-mouth buttery consistency. You’d swear there is butter in the product but it’s just pure maple.

The other very cool product they offer is their award winning maple cube. It’s solid and you grate it to get chips or flakes that are lovely on a cheese plate but also can be a great topping for ice cream, salads, cereal or more.

Another award-winning product that knocked my socks off this year at the Fancy Food Show was Pistacchiosa, a Sicilian pistachio spread with extra virgin olive oil. This unbelievably creamy smooth and lucious spread is intensely flavored with the best pistachios in the world. While you could just smear it on toast, because it’s not very sweet, you can use it in recipes as well. Try it in ice cream or gelato, add it to whipped cream or pastry cream to make a cake or eclair filling or slather it on fresh ricotta or goat cheese.

I have to admit to being more in the savory than sweet camp. And I love Dijon style mustard! In Paris just past the famous Ladurée tea shop, famous for French macarons, you will find at the Place de la Madeleine the wonderful food shop Fauchon and the Maille mustard boutique. Step into the shop and there are so many different flavors of fresh, pungent and scrumptious mustard on tap!

Maille makes outstanding mustard, so much brighter and more intense than what you can get from most other brands. Fortunately their products are available online, especially the more fantastic flavored mustards like the ones in the Exotique collection. It features mango and Thai spices, fig and coriander, apricot and curry and saffron and Isigny creme fraiche. This gift will make any mustard lover swoon!

Last but not least I recently attended a party thrown by Touch of Modern, which is a rather masculine site that has flash sales. They have a gourmet category that often has some pretty amazing deals on really great stuff. You never know what they will have, but I recently saw the best price I’d ever seen on jamon Iberico de bellota as well as Three Jerks beef jerky made from filet mignon.

They also offer some other quirky things like Himalayan salt shot glasses and Stu's Mixology Set for making bloody mary's, which includes powdered key lime and sweet corn to rim your glasses.

And now the

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to Tonewood Maple and Maille mustard I am giving away a maple cube and a set of the Exotique mustards.

Please let me know if you prefer savory or sweet treats, which ONE item you are interested in winning. You must have a US mailing address to win. You MUST leave your email address in the field where it is requested, it will not be visible to the public only to me. DO NOT leave your email address in the body of your comment, if you do, I will delete it. Only one entry per person! I will choose the winners at random on December 18th, 2015.

Disclaimer: Review samples and giveaway prizes provided by the companies indicated. I was not provided with monetary compensation for this or any other post.