And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
I was fortunate to have grown up with many wonderful holiday traditions, like hunting for, and cutting down the perfect Christmas tree, sleigh rides, caroling, midnight Mass, and of course, the Feast of the Seven Fishes, but one thing I don’t remember being any kind of annual ritual was enjoying fancy holiday drinks. We didn’t eggnog, hot toddy, or muddle wine; and we certainly didn’t... to read the rest of Chef John's article about this Hot Buttered Rum recipe,please follow this link to become a member.) Follow this link to get a complete, printable written recipe for Hot Buttered Rum!
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
I used to think there were only two kinds of the lemonade. The stuff you make by mixing the packaged powder and water, and actual lemonade, made with freshly squeezed lemon juice and sugar. I grew up mostly drinking the first, but once in a while... to read the rest of Chef John's article about this “State Fair” Lemonade recipe,please follow this link to become a member.)
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
Contrary to all those photos I used to post during my traveling food blogger days, I’m not a big drinker. I’ve also never been a big cocktail guy, and I’m much more comfortable with a beer in my hand, but every once in a while I do get a craving for ... to read the rest of Chef John's article about Chef John’s Whiskey Sour,please follow this link to become a member.)
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
I don’t think there’s actually a difference between a liquid
salad, and a cold vegetable soup, but if there is, I’d like this Bloody Mary Burrata
recipe to be considered the former. Especially since I already posted a gazpacho this summer. But regardless of what you call this strange hybrid, it really
was delicious, fun to eat, and very refreshing.
I was recently gifted some homemade Bloody Mary mix by a
couple of new friends, Clayton and Linda-Marie, which unfortunately I haven’t
been able to enjoy yet. However, the combination of seeing that on the counter,
along with a tub of burrata cheese in the fridge, led to this rather odd
attempt. While the Bloody Mary part of the equation completely dominated the
tomato and mozzarella salad element, I still found this thoroughly enjoyable to
eat, which at the end of the day, is all that matters.
I’m not exactly sure how best to serve this, but a small
portion as a starter would seem to make the most sense. Or, maybe a larger
serving, paired with a crusty hunk of bread as a brunch item. Vodka sold separately.
So, whether you’re going to take this idea and run with it, or you’re just
going to do the first part, and make some real Bloody Marys, I hope you give this
a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 portions of Blood Mary Burrata:
2 pounds fresh vine-ripened tomatoes
1/3 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup sliced hot or mild red peppers
1/2 clove garlic
1/2 cup water
juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, or to taste
2 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste
2 tablespoons hot prepared horseradish, or to taste
2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
For Service:
1 cup Blood Mary Burrata base
2 ounces burrata cheese, or fresh mozzarella
sliced olives, celery, and cherry tomatoes to garnish
freshly grated horseradish root for the top
freshly ground black pepper and olive oil to finish,
optional
Depending on whom you talk to, making ice cream floats with
beer is either a genius idea, or a horrible mistake. In fact, I remember
hearing one food writer describe a local beer float tasting as “fizzy insults,”
which is a clever phrase, but not necessarily true, if the pairing is done
properly.
The key is to choose a beer that’s on the toasty, malty,
sweeter side, and stay away from beers that are too hoppy, dry, and bitter. But
fair warning, even using a sweet, mellow brew, this is quite a different
experience, which is why I suggested having some regular root beer around, just
in case.
As far as the ice cream goes, there are as many flavors as
there are choices of beers, but the safest, and probably most effective option
would be plain, old vanilla, especially if using a fruit-infused brew. The
exception to that would be if you were pouring a dark beer that features
chocolate and coffee notes. In that case, a chocolate or coffee ice cream might
be just the thing.
But no matter what beer you decide to pair with which ice
cream, I’d make a small test glass first, to make sure it works for you and
your palette. And if it doesn’t, don’t feel bad, since you’re still going to be
eating ice cream and drinking beer, just not together. Either way, I really do
hope you give these beer floats a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for an Ice Cream Beer Float:
1 cup of appropriate beer (something sweet and/or fruity, but
not too bitter, dry, or sour)
Mastering the Margarita requires a certain amount of practice, which is the good news and the
bad news, but once you dial-in your perfect ratio, it’s a really easy
cocktail to replicate. The classic recipe is three parts tequila, two parts
triple sec, and one part freshly squeezed lime juice, and you should probably
start off pretty close to that, but my personal favorite proportions are 4-3-2, as you’ll see listed below.
For the best results, be sure to use fresh ice, and of
course fresh limes, as well as a nice bottle of triple sec, like Cointreau.
That’s my favorite, but if you browse other recipes, you’ll see there are many
fine choices. You’ll also want to use a decent white tequila, like the Don
Abraham's Single Estate Blanco Tequila I enjoyed, but having
said that, feel free to use one with a shorter name.
The other big tips here are shake your cocktail mixer until
frost forms on the outside, and then strain it over fresh ice. The ice we use
to make the drink will melt too fast in the glass, and so a large, still frozen
cube is the way to go. By the way, Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow, so check those
ice cube trays before bed.
So whether you’re going to make these for the 5th of May, or
another time this summer when you feel like sipping on one of the most
refreshing, and delicious adult beverages ever invented, I really do hope you
give this Margarita a try. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 1 Perfect Margarita:
2 ounces white tequila
1.5 ounces triple sec
1 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
1 thin slice of lime
- Some like to add a dash agave nectar for a little extra sweetness, but I do not.
When it comes to delicious, unique, and refreshing summer
drinks, it’s hard to beat horchata. There are countless ways to make this, but
my preferred method is easy, relatively quick, and doesn’t require any
tigernuts, whatever those are.
Apparently, that’s what the original Spanish version
contained, among other things, but we’re doing a Mexican-style horchata, which
is done with rice and almonds. The result is something that sort of looks like
milk, but is much lighter, and pairs perfectly with all your favorite summer foods.
I know, summer’s almost over, but not here in San Francisco, where our hottest weather
is just ahead.
Depending on your tastes, you can alter the amount of sugar,
as well as the ratio between rice and almonds, but what you can’t alter is the
need to strain this before serving. Unless you like gritty drinks, you’ll want
to pass this through a very, very five sieve, multiple layers of cheesecloth,
or both. I hear a plain white, cotton t-shirt also works nicely, but I’ve never
tried.
As you saw, I tested a nut milk bag, which allowed a little
too much sediment through for my tastes, but regardless, do not skip this step.
It’s especially important if you’re not leaving the mixture to sit overnight, since
the particles won’t have as long to soften. Other than that, there’s not much
that can go wrong, and I really do hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!
Makes about 2 quarts of Horchata:
1 cup long-grain white rice
1/4 cup raw almonds
1 cinnamon stick, or 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup white sugar
7 cups cold fresh water (4 cups to blend rice, 3 cups added
after)
ground cinnamon to garnish, optional
Note: Once blended, let sit overnight before straining, if possible. This way the water has plenty of time to leach out the goodness from the rice and almonds. The four-hour method does work, but you don't get quite the same flavor. Along the same lines, many horchata "experts" actually prefer to not blend immediately, but rather let the mixture sit overnight to soften, before blending the next day. If you like how this comes out, feel free to experiment, and test for yourself.
Michele was listening to sports radio a while back, and
heard a story about how the Golden State Warriors, also known as the greatest
basketball team in history, had banned Gatorade, and other similar drinks
from their gym.
Knowing that the latest science shows drinking large quantities of
sugar water is a terrible idea for your body and brain, they started making
their own “sports drink,” featuring Himalayan pink salt.
My first thought was, “That’s soooo Northern California,”
but the more I thought about it, the more I realized what a great idea that
was, and it inspired this video for what we’re calling, “Greaterade.” All the ingredients
in this are easy to find, and the whole procedure only takes minutes. Really,
the only “work” involved is coming up with the perfect formula for your
own personal tastes.
The amounts given here will get you very close to the commercial
stuff, although it will not be as sweet, so feel free to experiment. With apologies to the big drink companies for all those lost sales, I really do
hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 9 cups of Greaterade:
8 cups fresh cold water
3 tablespoons honey, or other sweetener to taste
1/2 teaspoon fine *Himalayan pinksalt (mine was coarsely ground, so I
used a rounded 1/2 teaspoon), or sea salt (or any pure salt)
So, you didn’t exactly get your Christmas shopping done
early this year. In fact, it’s Christmas Eve, and you haven’t started yet. Well,
you’re in luck, because there’s such a thing as this homemade instant hot chocolate
mix. We really shouldn’t be rewarding you for procrastinating, but that’s
exactly what we are doing here.
Not only is this stuff way better tasting, and contains no “how
do you pronounce that?” ingredients, but it also takes just seconds to make,
and you may already have everything you need in the pantry. Just make sure one
of those things is a very high quality cocoa powder.
I’m linking to the same exact Dutch-processed “cocoa rouge" that I used here, so that you can get all the particulars, and hopefully find
something very similar. The better the cocoa, the better the hot chocolate. Or
is it hot cocoa? Either way.
By the way, this will be the last video of the year, and we’ll be taking
a little break until the New Year. Whether it includes homemade hot chocolate or not, I
want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! And, as
always, enjoy!
I’ve never been a big eggnog person, and that’s putting it
kindly. It’s too thick, too sweet, and way too artificially nutmegy. I even did
an anti-nog tweet recently, just for a few cheap, seasonal laughs, but
then I realized I was being unfair to this iconic Christmas drink.
I was basing most of my hating on the stuff in the carton
from the supermarket, which features no booze, and a nutrition label you seriously
don’t want to read. The homemade stuff I’ve had was significantly better, and
so I decided to film this rather easy process, since I get so many requests
this time of year.
This recipe does feature raw egg whites, so there’s a very,
very tiny chance of a foodborne illness. If you’re concerned, please feel free
to use pasteurized eggs, or Google, “how to safely use raw eggs,” or just make
something else.
Freshness is the key here. The freshest eggs, milk, and
cream you can get, and don’t even think about using pre-ground nutmeg. Maybe
this recipe will be the one that finally has you going out to buy that jar of
whole nutmeg and grater, but it really is the key. I hope you give this
luscious liquid custard a try soon. Enjoy!
About halfway through this video production for how to make
a Michelada, I realized I was getting paid to drink beer, which made the
experience that much more enjoyable, and that’s saying a lot.
This spicy, savory, tangy, amazingly refreshing beer-based
cocktail is considered one of the best hot-weather, adult beverages ever. I’ve
heard it described as “Bloody Mary meets Mimosa,” which makes me never want to
go to brunch again, but it’s also kind of accurate.
While that may not sound like something you would enjoy, most
people do, and very much so. And the hotter it is, the more they enjoy, both
literally and figuratively.There’s
something about how that slightly bitter, effervescent beer works with the sweet-sour-spicy
profile of the other ingredients.
Even though they may seem like odd additions, things like the
soy and Worcestershire are very important here, since they bring savoriness, or
“umami” as the foodies would call it, to the drink.
I would never wish a horrendous heat wave on anybody, but,
if one were to come your way, I hope you give this delicious, and restorative, Michelada
“beertail” a try soon. Enjoy!
For Each Michelada:
lots of ice
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp hot sauce or to taste
1/8 tsp soy sauce
juice from half a lime (use other half to rim glasses with
salt, freshly ground black pepper, and chili pepper)
1/4 to 1/3 cup tomato juice or homemade vegetable juice (see
below)
1/2 bottle ice-cold Mexican lager (6 oz)
lime slices to garnish
For the vegetable juice (makes about 3 cups):
2 pints sweet cherry tomatoes, washed, drained
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
salt and pepper to taste (unless you use a ton on the rim
like I did)
My friends at Allrecipes.com posted this very intriguing
video for what they’re calling “Coconut Oil Coffee.” As some of you may know, I’ve
recently admitted to having a coconut oil and coconut milk obsession, so I
really want to try this, but before I do, I thought I’d find out if any of you
have tried this strange brew yet. Well, have you? If so, I’d love to hear what
you thought. I’ll probably try it anyway, but thought it’d be fun get some of
your opinions first. Thanks in advance!
My friends at Allrecipes.com created this unique drink to
celebrate the Seattle Seahawks, their garish team colors, and their borderline-insane running back’s favorite candy. Seattle is well known for having the loudest, craziest
fans in the league, and if this drink catches on, it will certainly prove the
later.
I live in San Francisco, and will be rooting for the
Niner’s, so there won’t be any of this freaky fluorescence flowing at my Super
Bowl party, but if you are a ‘Hawks supporter, I invite you to watch the video
and give “Beast Mode Vodka” try. That way, if your team loses, at least you’ll have
a horrible hangover to look forward to! Enjoy!
“Agua Fresca” translates to “Fresh Water,” which is kind of
funny, since it’s made mostly from fresh fruit. Sometimes I do extensive
research into why something has a certain name, but this time, because it's too nice to stay inside surfing on a computer, I’m just going
to speculate.
I’m guessing that back in the day before modern plumbing and
refrigeration, water may not have always been the best tasting beverage around.
Drinking wine and beer all day is a fantastic alternative, but not necessarily when
you have things to do, and empires to build.
So, they took some stale, tepid water, and freshened it up
with some nice cold, sweet fruit. You have to admit, that sounds pretty plausible. Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking to
it. The bottom line is, there’s really nothing quite as restorative and
refreshing on a sweltering summer day. I hope you give this delicious agua fresca a try soon. Enjoy!
To make 2 quarts Watermelon Agua Fresca:
5-6 cups freshly scooped watermelon
2 cups cold water
enough simple sugar syrup to sweeten to taste (recipe as
follows)
Simple Syrup:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
(you can make any amount by simply using a 1 to 1 ratio, and
heating until the sugar dissolves) View the complete recipe
There’s an old Valentine’s Day saying that goes, “Candy is
nicer, but liquor is quicker.” It’s really a lovely sentiment, but implies you
have to choose one or the other. Hopefully this beautiful and delicious
homemade cinnamon liqueur will prove that you can use both.
This is dead simple to make, and I was pleasantly surprised
at how delicious it came out. As I mention in the video, the candy’s spicy
cinnamon flavor and sweetness really mellows the burn of drinking straight 80-proof
booze. This makes for some very smooth sipping, but at the same timedemands
at least a modicum of restraint.
I enjoyed mine neat, butimagine this would be great over
ice, maybe with a splash of soda. I’m also wondering how it would be in a mug
of hot cider, and by wondering, I mean obsessed with finding out. Stay tuned.
I’d like to extend a very special thanks to my friend, and
fellow food blogger, Sean Timberlake. Sean publishes Hedonia and PunkDomestics, and he’s the one who turned me on to this brilliant elixir. His only
request was that I use the knowledge for good, and not evil. Sorry, too late!
Anyway, giving edible gifts like chocolate is very
traditional on Valentine’s Day, so why not a drinkable gift? And if you do
decide to bottle some up, don’t forget your own customized warning label, as it
will really show how much you care. I hope you and your Valentine give this a
try soon. Enjoy!
