Coaching Cooking

Thursday is just the appetizer to the weekend. It’s just a tease, a whisper of a day before that big Friday rolls along and you get to savor the weekend. And Friday is the day when I like to kick back with a hot cocktail and some cold, hard gossip. Take the edge off of my time in public school with some frivolity. Spend a little time mocking the crazy lives of celebrities all from the comfort of my couch while I tip back and savor a fruity drink. The drink of choice this week is the mai tai.

Mai Tais are classic island cocktails. They represent the silly joy of paper umbrellas and the kick-in-the-pants rum and fruit congo that begins in your mouth and travels straight to the brain. Since I suffer from the Asian flush (okay, I enjoy it too, sometimes, in the privacy of my own home where my red cheeks just make me look blushy and wonderfully red-eyed…and sometimes I wish I could hide my intoxication a little better!), I must say that Mai Tais are a sure-fire way for me to ride the alcoholic highway with my low-tolerance cape and my boozy-breathed conversations. And Mai Tais taste so wonderful (yes, maybe I should have said that first!).

Here are some recipes to get you started:

A brief history of the Mai Tai

An authentic recipe for Mai Tais plus a little history (and another recipe that uses POG…pineapple-orange-guava juice blend)

Another recipe, this one has orgeat syrup

Here’s a chicken satay appetizer recipe as a tasty companion to the mai tai. I may someday regret consuming so much Thai peanut sauce, but I haven’t regretted it yet!
I bless you with fruity wishes and rum-filled dreams…sail on into evening with the strains of a ukelele…

One of my nearest and dearest starts his new job at Wine Globe in a few weeks so we headed to Illusions in Palo Alto for a wine tasting with his new company (plus many singles from the likes of Yahoo and beyond). The ballroom had a disco ball and several televisions and a wall screen. Many tables were set up for the various wines and the bar had a lavish selection of appetizers ranging from baba ghanoush to falafel, pita and hummus. The hummus was sprinkled generously with olive oil and pomegranate seeds. The baba ghanoush had the perfect blend of tahini and roasted eggplant and the pita bread was toasted and warmed to perfection.

Wine Globe provided us with tasting note sheets so we picked a table and AB grabbed our wines for us from the nearby tasting tables. We tried a few whites including Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The Sauvignon Blanc had a fragrant nose and flavors included rose and apricot/peach. There were many more reds to try from Cabernet Sauvignon to Petite Syrah to Zinfandel. My favorite of the evening was the 2005 Adobe Zinfandel. It had a juicy sweetness with walnut on the nose and a long, cherry finish. To be blunt, it tasted damn good!

Tasting is subjective so AB and I enjoyed comparing notes and fraternizing with our tablemates. Our one, strong agreement was that one of the wines had flavors of Band-Aids and chlorine on the nose. So, clearly, it was NOT our favorite wine.

My favorite part of the evening, of course, was trying the wines while eating some great Mediterranean food. I never turn down freshly cooked falafel, warm, soft pita or tangy baba ghanoush. We left the tasting sated and happy with some new wines to add to our collection (and wines that we hope to drink very soon!).

A sante!

My trip to Bonny Doon last Sunday included a welcome surprise of (and investment in) an unusual pear and apple brandy. I’m not usually one to have room for an after-dinner drink, but I couldn’t resist the decadent aromas of this brandy. And of course, I had to find ways to use it in my cooking.

What is brandy? In my humble research, I have discovered that brandy is often made from distilled grapes, but it can also be made from apples (known as Calvados from the Normandy region of France where it is made). Similarly “eau-de-vie” brandies are colorless fruit brandies. My sense of brandy is that it is almost like a great-smelling, great-tasting and very expensive paint remover. Thus, it should be used in cooking or sipped lightly. Or drink a bunch and then sit back and let the aromatic fumes wash over you (and try not to breathe on anyone too intensely).

So, with that in mind…

I am in possession of Calvadoon, Bonny Doon’s pear and apple brandy. And I am in the mood for some inspiring recipes incorporating brandy:

Being the cheese lover that I am, I will have to try this brandy and baked brie recipe at cooksrecipes.com

Or I may luxuriate with some friends and this appetizer for brandy apples and goat cheese (which I’d serve with crusty, sliced baguettes)

I also found this Spanish recipe for brandy-braised venison intriguing (and it includes a substitution of beef brisket for venison for you non-game lovers).

It’s nearing the end of the week and I’m not particularly witty today. So, I’d like to present two of my favorite things in combination: a good read and a good drink.

All the books listed below are foodie favorites of mine. Some of them stretch back as far as elementary school and some are newer favorites. I’ve combined each book with a tantalizing drink.

Enjoy!

1.) Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Hot Whisky Toddy

Farmer Boy was a book that I read over and over for the lavish meals and the generous helpings of farm fresh goodness. Almanzo Wilder eats hearty meals while enjoying a wholesome farm upbringing. I would go back to that time just for the breakfasts!

2.) Griffin and Sabine (any of the books in this series) by Nick Bantock
Affogato Mocha

I discovered these book in high school and they are truly unique and gorgeous in their artistry. The books follow an extraordinary correspondence between Griffin and Sabine, two people who know each other psychically and through letters. Will these two people ever meet? Why are they linked? The best part of these books is that you actually open their letters and read them and then put them back into their envelopes. I would love to enjoy these books over chocolate any day…and they are so romantic that it makes time alone seem special.

3.) Any book by Ruth Reichl
A good glass of wine

I don’t remember when I first discovered Reichl’s amazing memoirs. Reichl is currently the editor-in-chief of Gourmet Magazine. In her books, she tells fabulous stories about her travels and her encounters with chefs, foodies and persons of interest. Any good glass of wine will do and many chapters include great recipes that you might want to save for some great culinary inspiration and some excellent feasts.

4.) Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
Green tea or warm sake

Banana Yoshimoto is one of those authors who touches my soul. She writes about food and life with such longing and wistfulness. Her books make me want to curl up for hours just to revel in the poetic lives of her characters. And I long to travel to Tokyo and to experience the joys of Japanese cuisine.

5.) Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
A naughty cocktail such as a lychee martini, peach gin fizz or a raspberry lime rickey.

My triumph in high school was convincing my English teacher, Mrs. Irvin, to let me read this book instead of that crappy Zorba the Greek. And I still love this book for its frivolous, soap-opera plot and likeable characters. Give me a feather boa, this book and a fizzy drink and I’m wishing that I was a gay man in San Francisco in the 1970s.

Then, you know…

I’m still thirsty for the crisp warmth of spring and the lazy days of summer. Lemonade is one of my favorite drinks because it is so tart and sweet. I love serving lemonade with a good sandwich (chicken, red onion and pesto mayo OR thinly-sliced roast lamb, arugula pesto and romaine lettuce OR Diestel roast turkey, cranberry sauce, mayo and sliced white onion). Okay, I need a snack!

Quick Lemonade Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup of fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/2 to 1 cup of baker’s sugar (fine sugar)
2 cups of water (or use club soda or mineral water for a nice, bubbly flavor)
Extra lemon slices (remove the seeds for easy sippin’)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a pitcher. Adjust the sugar to your liking. Serve over ice with extra lemon slices and a straw. Ponder life’s little complexities or use this time to dream…This recipe makes enough lemonade for a thirsty single or two generous glasses for you and someone who likes you.

Here are a few lemonade recipes that include other flavors:

Paradise Mango Lemonade

Raspberry Lemonade from the Food Network

Raspberry Lemonade from Sunset Magazine

In addition to my pathetic addiction to Baja Blast, I also had an acute obsession with the strawberry lemonade at Red Robin. Here’s a simple recipe. To make this even better, I would crush the strawberries so the entire lemonade is flavored with strawberry goodness.

For months now I have been fighting the urge to drink Mountain Dew Baja Blast daily. Yet I often feel compelled to seek this turquoise drink of oceanic and sugary bliss. Why do I love this drink so? How can I recreate this drink so I do not have to drive through Taco Bell like the wanton beverage fiend that I am?

A little research turns up a site called Energy Fiend that rates Baja Blast as having 36 milligrams of caffeine per 8 ounce glass. Yikes! See the rest of the information here. Well, that information helps explain my addiction to this beverage.

Now for a little creativity. I’d like to guess at the tropical fruit ingredients in Baja Blast and create something delicious, but not caffeine-laden. Plus, what’s with the name? Baja Blast makes me think that someone is going to shoot at me with a cannon filled with sand, umbrellas, bikini-clad beach bunnies and cheap sunglasses and perhaps a shot or two of ocean water. Blasting is not a word that goes well with refreshing drinks. Maybe blitzing…

Here goes:

Jenny’s Baja Blitz

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of fresh lime juice
2 cups of fruit punch (I like Minute Maid, but there are also great, more natural punches out there…Hansen’s now makes an organic apple-wild berry juice)
1 cup of guava or other tropical fruit juice
2 cups of lemon-lime soda

Directions: Mix together all ingredients in a large pitcher and refridgerate until ready to serve. Experiment with the ingredients that you like. The best part of Baja Blast, to me, is the lime flavor. You might not agree; try adding other citrus flavors that you like. Orange or pineapple would also work well. The fizziness counts for a lot so don’t skimp. If you don’t like soda, consider adding club soda or lime-flavored sparkling water.

Have a Baja Blitzin’ day….and yes, it kills me just a little to say that…

Although spring/summer has not yet arrived, I think it’s important to start drinking something colorful and delicious. For me, sangria is the perfect spring/summer drink.

It’s been freakin’ cold here in Northern CA (and yes, I know it’s much colder elsewhere, but I’m a total weather wimp). Sangria always reminds me of great times with friends and the promise of a wonderful meal. Sometimes AB and I go to a great restaurant near our apartment called Fiesta Del Mar. AB also likes to call this place “Party of the Sea.” And he’s right. This restaurant has the most delicious Mexican, seafood dishes plus carafes of tangy sangria.

Sangria is a drink that originates from the Spanish word for blood. This beverage usually consists of fruit, fruit juices, red wine and sparkling water. Other versions such as the white sangria use white wine instead of red, sodas like 7-up or coca-cola. To me, the best sangrias have a mixture of sliced fruits, a tasty wine and a splash of club soda. These flavors all meld to produce a beverage balanced between sweet (the fruits), sour (lemons, limes or oranges) and wine with a little bubbly (soda water or sparkling water). All of this produces a refreshing drink that is sweet and thirst-quenching and, of course, celebratory.

Here are a few links to sangria recipes:

About.com has a bevy of sangra recipes from red sangria to white or even spicy sangria.

Charley’s Bar in Southern Spain has a few quick recipes including an interesting take on sangria called Tinto de Verano.

Spanish recipes for sangria (ones that may rival the authenticity of about.com’s selection) include another spicy sangria and peach and orange sangria.

For a drink that might add extra hair to your chest, try the Cuban Sangria recipe at recipezaar.com that includes plenty of tropical fruit and coconut rum.

I feel I must do my part to encourage everyone to infuse vodka with fruity flavors. Here’s a great link to a Google how-to on vodka fruit infusions.

Fruit-infused vodkas make great gifts and they look and taste wonderful. They are also great to have on hand for mixing cocktails. And, the best part: they taste SO good. I’ve made the mistake of drinking too much of this boozy nectar of the goddesses and, being Asian, paid the price dearly in terms of my visual and physical abilities. But, hey, it’s a small price to pay for something that warms the heart and spirit.

This website offers helpful tips on vodka infusions and sells vodka infusers (a.k.a. glass jars with lids and spigots). The prices seem somewhat reasonable although I’ve also had great success with items in my own kitchen (a clean, glass bowl, saran wrap, a ladle and several small glass bottles for storing the infusions in the fridge…).

American Mixologist Online, also known as BarMedia, has some great infusion recipes including peach-vanilla and watermelon-papaya. This website markets itself to bar owners and bartenders, but the tips are great for anyone interested in mixing some tasty concoctions.

My favorite part of making infused vodka (besides tasting the final product) is the creativity involved in the process. Pick fruits and herbs that you like and steep them in vodka for a delicious, homemade cocktail. I guarantee you will like the results!

Lemons and lemonade are two things that I do not like to be without, especially when I crave something light and refreshing. The following recipe uses Splenda which is a sugar substitute that I find pretty good in terms of its similar taste to sugar.

A quick note on Splenda: it is also known as sucralose and it is NOT calorie-free according. According to sucralose.org, this sugar substitute is safe for consumers. Wikipedia also has an extensive amount of information on Splenda. My sense is that Splenda seems safe to use, but I wouldn’t use it all the time, every day. It makes a great sugar substitute if you want a lower calorie drink. However, in baking, I have to assert the superiority of sugar. It just tastes better!

Light Lemonade:

Ingredients:
4 lemons
1 cup of water
1 cup of Splenda
Sparkling water
Crushed ice or ice cubes

Directions:

Slice one of the lemons into thin slices and make sure to remove all of the seeds (this is easily done with the tip of the knife that can pry out all the seeds).

Squeeze the rest of the lemons using a lemon squeezer or a lemon reamer. Place the lemon juice in a pitcher and add the Splenda. Stir vigorously to combine and add 1 cup of water.

Taste and adjust the sugar if the lemonade is too sour. Add sparkling water and the lemon slices to glasses with crushed or cubed ice. Add the lemonade and enjoy! This drink goes great with this delectable pork sandwich.

I am always thirsty. Maybe it’s a condition of aging (okay, I guess it’s not fair to say that since I’m not over 30 yet). At any rate, I must present a few places where the drinks freakin’ rock. And also a mocktail (for those of you who have the Asian flush or for those of you who still want to keep up appearances at work).

Jenny’s Thirsty Thursday ‘Tail: This is a drink that can be made anytime as long as you have the basic ingredients. It’s also one of those dorky drinks you can make in order to cheer yourself up. For example, I like to make it after working with teenagers all day. Teenagers who say things like “Wow, those are ugly shoes” and “So can you type up my essay for me? It’s due next period.”

Ingredients: (for one drink)

1 cup of club soda or tonic water or Sprite or 7up
1 cup of a favorite juice (I love pretty much any fruit punch or guava-pineapple or Trader Joe’s Mango Lemonade)
Crushed ice or a few ice cubes
1 lime wedge or lemon wedge
A few berries or watermelon cubes or apple slices or orange slices

Directions:

Combine the first two ingredients in a large glass then add ice. Squeeze a citrus wedge (lime or lemon) the top with a few pieces of fruit. Add a fun straw and even an umbrella.

This also makes a great REAL drink if you add vodka or Smirnoff Twist or anything alcohol that you like.

Add some rockabilly or surf music and rock it out!

Drinks that Rock from Places that Also Rock:

Anything from Bonny Doon, but especially the dessert wines and the Moscato D’Asti

Cost Plus: This place has excellent wine selection plus a great selection of non-alcoholic beverages including Jones Soda.

Longs Drugs: for you wine lovers, cruise by the wine selection when you get a chance. I once bought two bottles of 2004 Pine Ridge Cabernet (the good stuff) for $27 a bottle and it was amazing. I even made my mom jealous because she went by several times and never found that wine again.

Okay, I’ll be honest about Longs Drugs. Most of the time that place totally creeps me out: the green aprons circa 1963, that one guy who always stares at you while he bags your goods, and that one aisle that smells like bleach and something that dirty bleach can’t cover up. But, seriously, the wine selection (at least in Northern California) freakin’ rocks sometimes. It’s worth the mental strain of trying to get around that lady on her cell phone who must tell the ENTIRE world about her impending doctor’s appointment.