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A Good Dish

making food simpler

A Solstice Cocktail May Be Just What You Need On The Longest Night Of The Year

December 21, 2018

Averna and Cider make a great cold weather cocktail
Soda fired cup by Tom Jaszczak

The longest night of the year calls for celebration, gathering together, warming the gloom with lights and a toast to the cozy days ahead. Since alcohol may disrupt our sleep cycles, we don’t necessarily want a drink that is too boozy. A solstice cocktail needs to be tasty, warming, comforting but not too alcoholic. Hence, I can recommend the drink my brother-in-law served for Thanksgiving, the oddly named but delicious Fall Spritz. He found the recipe in Bon Appetit magazine and it was perfect for the occasion- took the edge off without getting anyone sloshy.

These two Amari may be similar but we definitely preferred the Averna

The recipe in Bon Appetit called for 1 part Averna to 4 parts Basque-style hard cider. Averna is a Sicilian amaro, a digestif made with herbs that you could sip on its own over ice but is often used to balance other liquors in a cocktail. It can substitute for vermouth in a Manhattan (known as a Black Manhattan), replace part of the vermouth or add depth to any whiskey, bourbon or rye drink. Our local liquor store doesn’t carry Averna but prefers Rammazotti, an amaro from Milano that is more bitter, a little thinner and costs less. We tried both and but I preferred the slightly sweeter Averna. There is a whole world of Amaro out there and I am enjoying learning about them. Aperol, Campari, Cynar and Fernet Branca are some of the most well known here  but Averna and Rammazotti are both quite popular in Italy. If you buy a bottle to try this drink and wonder how else to use it, there are lots of recipes online. Food and Wine published a piece on Averna cocktails last year which included a delicious sounding Averna and ginger beer, perhaps a good alternative if you don’t go for cider. I tried the recommended Basque cider but found I like a more standard hard cider (the Basque-style was a bit sour for my taste) which is more broadly available. Specifically, I used Harpoon Craft Cider but any brand that is not too sweet will work.

I found this Basque Cider at Whole Foods

We garnished our Solstice cocktail with a slice of orange but one of those delicious Amarena cherries I wrote about last week or a slice of lemon would also be tasty. It is an easy cocktail to mix (a pitcher can be mixed ahead and ice added by the glass), will warm a cold and dark night and toast the beginning of the beautiful winter season.

Happy Solstice!

Winter can be a blast! And certainly beautiful.

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Filed Under: Drinks

A Botticelli Cocktail for Cooler Evenings

October 5, 2018

 

Botticelli Cocktail with lemon
Porcelain Tumbler by Silvie Granatelli

When Caffè Storico, the Stephen Starr restaurant in the New York Historical Society, opened some years back, we had a drink there called a Botticelli. It was delicious then and recently, thinking back to it, we were inspired to try to create it ourselves. This is a softer, more citrusy and complex drink than just a whiskey on the rocks although it is also a stiff sipping cocktail like an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan. I don’t know what it has to do with the Italian painter Botticelli except that it contains a little bit of Amaretto and some Cardamaro and all are from Italy. We switched out rye for bourbon but kept the name because it is fun to say.

Porcelain bowl by Silvie Granatelli

We knew the 4 ingredients but had to guess at the amounts and came up pretty close. The only mistake we made in proportions the first attempt was to add too much Amaretto. It is quite a strong almond flavor and the drink only needs a splash. Cardamaro, on the other hand, is a herbaceous wine-like amaro (that comes in an elegant, long necked bottle, by the way, and makes a refreshing spritz) and is more easily added. Use a bourbon (or rye) that you like because it is the main ingredient. After balancing the liquor, we thought adding lots of fresh lemon juice (and a slice of lemon for a garnish) made the flavor even better. Ultimately, you will find the proportions you like, as is true with all recipes. Cin cin!

Botticelli Cocktail

  • 2 oz of bourbon or rye
  • 1/2 oz Cardamaro
  • 1 tsp (or just a small splash) Amaretto
  • Juice from 1/4 lemon (then add the lemon, or a fresh slice, if you like)

Stir well and pour over ice.

Amaretto is widely available and Cardamaro is sold at “better” liquor stores

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Filed Under: Drinks, Recipes

Summer Cocktails Are Easy And Light Using St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur

July 26, 2018

A Refreshing St. Germain Cocktail
Porcelain cup by Andy Shaw

One of my favorite summer drinks is a version of the St. Germain cocktail. It is more sweet than sour but light and refreshing. Summer in New York can feel too hot for either bourbon or red wine, my winter default drinks when I want warm and cozy. When the temperature climbs, I turn to the increasingly popular Aperol Spritz, which I wrote about a couple of years ago, a gin and tonic, sangria, a citrusy IPA (even a shandy) or an elderflower cocktail.

We first tried St. Germain, which is an elderflower liqueur, about 7 or 8 years ago when it was being promoted at our local liquor store and each bottle came with a complementary carafe and recipe cards for drinks using the liqueur. Having just discovered an inexpensive rose Cava that we liked, the St. Germain cocktail immediately appealed to us. Somehow, we seem to make it only during the summer – because it is so fresh tasting, it is particularly well suited to warm weather concoctions. The recipe for this libation is simply a 2-2-1 mix of Prosecco or Cava, bubbly water like seltzer or club soda and St. Germain. The result – a slightly buzzy but pretty light and spritzy drink.

The shapely St. Germain bottle with its old style lettering on the label was well designed to make it appear as if it had been around forever but it was actually first produced in 2007 by the Cooper Spirits Company and then bought up by Bacardi in 2013. The liqueur is sweet but not sugary, floral but not perfume-y and fruity, but in a non-specific way. It is not the only elderflower liqueur out there but clever marketing and packaging, including the faceted bottle and bold graphics, have made it the most well known. The company’s recipe calls for 2-2-1.5 but I think 1 part St. Germain is sufficient and lightens up the drink so you can continue imbibing all evening. If you don’t have or don’t like bubbly wine, just substitute a dry white. You can even mix up a pitcherful before guests arrive and not be bothered bartending. Slices of lemon, lime, grapefruit or peaches add a festive touch.

There are other ways to use St. Germain. To up the ante on a gin and tonic, add 1 part St. Germain to 1 1/2 parts gin to 4 parts tonic and squeeze in a lime. And adding a big splash of elderflower liqueur to a disappointing bottle of wine improves a meh white or rose. Add slices of citrus, peaches or some berries and you’ve rescued your purchase by creating a light style sangria. I don’t mean to sound like an advertisement for St. Germain but it does make delicious summer cocktails.

A Gin and tonic becomes even more summery with a splash of St. Germain
Porcelain tumbler by Andy Shaw

Elderflower Cocktail

Combine and stir:

  • 1 part Elderflower liqueur, such as St. Germain
  • 2 parts Prosecco, Cava or Champagne
  • 2 parts bubbly water like seltzer or club soda
  • Slices of lemon, lime, grapefruit or peach

Serve over ice or chilled.

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Filed Under: Drinks, Products, Recipes Tagged With: elderflower liqueur, St. Germain, summer cocktails

Spanish Vermouth – Try It On The Rocks For Sipping Rather Than For Mixing

February 13, 2018

Spanish vermouth with slices of orange
Earthenware cups by Joseph Pintz

Vermouth is often my cocktail of choice. Add a wedge or slice of orange and ice and I am a happy sipper. For decades I’ve ordered vermouth on the rocks when a bourbon seemed too much and I didn’t feel like beer or wine. With the increasing popularity of sweet vermouth as a stand alone drink in this country, I now have company in my preferred drink and lots more choices.

Vermouth is actually wine fortified with alcohol, often brandy or sherry, but which is lower in alcohol content. It can range from sweet and syrupy to herbaceous and tart. It used to be that you could find only Martini & Rossi or Cinzano in the US but now the choices are much broader. France, Spain and even California are promoting delicious bottles and I am determined to try them all! I started with the more traditional Italians and moved to the more upscale like Carpano Antico, often used as the vermouth of choice in trendy cocktail bars. Dolin is a reliable and smooth French vermouth and my favorite US brand is Vya, which I tried recently at the bar at the Great Northern Food Hall and rates high on my list.

Vermut served in highball glasses at a community center with a bar in the Gracia neighborhood of Barcelona
Vermut and coffee at 11am in a public market in Barcelona

Overall, I think Spanish vermut is my favorite, partly because of the depth of flavor and partly because I love the Spanish tradition of drinking vermouth in the afternoon and on Sunday. I was introduced to Spanish vermouth by our friends Cindy (who spent a year in Barcelona and promised nobody would blink twice if you ordered a vermouth at noon) and Cristina (who took us to a lovely outdoor cafe that had a vermouth list longer than most wine lists) to whom I will be forever grateful. My husband ordered a vermouth alongside my cafe con leche at a lunch counter in an indoor fruit and vegetable market and no one batted an eye as we sat and sipped at 11am. As a bonus, no fancy glass is necessary – any old-fashioned or juice glass will do.

Black vermut served in an outdoor garden in Vic in Catalonia
Many Spanish vermouths are available to buy here now
Casa Mariol is a Catalan “black” vermut in a wonderful old timey bottle!

We brought home a bottle of Atxa from Spain and found another here. It is Basque, full bodied and a bit tawnier than some of the others but with a complex herbal range, very good for sipping. The Catalonian Casa Meriol (they call it black but it is really dark burgundy) is quite sweet despite having the best bottle of the lot. It struck us as a bit syrupy (hmmm – maybe over ice cream?) but can be balanced with a splash of seltzer and a squeeze of lemon. A bit like a rose in color, Priorat Natur Vermut is more balanced than most of the others, complex but with a more white wine-like mouth feel with vermouth flavor – absolutely delightful. The LaCuesta Rojo from Haro (Rioja territory) is thinner with more herbal and cinnamon notes. It is less sweet, a little more bitter, very easy drinking and has a beautiful label to boot. The La Copa Gonzalez Byass has more sherry overtones, along with strong botanicals. It is tawny and a little more spicy and medicinal, with a scent of vanilla. One of my favorite Spanish vermouth that is available here (since we aren’t finding places that make their own and serve it from barrels for a few dollars a glass like in Spain) is the Vermut Lustau, which became available in the US last year. It is sweet, as is all sweet vermouth, but not very sweet, made from a blend of sherry wines, complex and well balanced with flavorful botanicals like coriander and gentian. I think the Lustau, along with the Atxa and Priorat Natur, delicious but each in its own way.

The two I wouldn’t really recommend, although plenty of people seem to love them, are the Perruchi and the Primitivo Quiles. The Perruchi just seems too thin and one dimensional for my taste and the Quiles too sweet and, well, boring. Both would work in a mixed drink – think a Manhattan or an Americano – or in cooking (which is how I will use up my bottles) but I prefer one with more complexity.

Vermut on tap in barrels at Bar Electricitat in Barceloneta

No matter which red vermouth you choose, try it the Spanish way, with ice and a slice or wedge of orange. At about 13% alcohol, you can sip it happily for a long time without getting sloshy. If you are going to be drinking wine with your dinner, vermouth, like Lillet or Aperol, is a good choice for an aperitif because it is a fortified wine. Vermouth isn’t strong but is tasty and whets your appetite for its more formal cousin, wine, which may join you with your meal. It can also be used as a digestive, served after eating to help digestion, like brandy, port or a liqueur. Just remember to store an open bottle in the refrigerator. Don’t be surprised when you see how many types of vermouth cocktail bars are starting to stock. It may be wishful thinking but it can’t be long before the house brewed barrels of vermouth start appearing in bars! And if you are in search of a last minute valentine, a bottle of Spanish vermouth may be just what you need.

Earthenware cups by Joseph Pintz
from a cup sale at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art

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Filed Under: Drinks

Mmmmulled Wine – An Easy Way to Warm Up the Shortest Night of the Year!

December 21, 2017

Mulled wine in porcelain cups by James Makins

Mulled wine may be the ultimate party drink. It perfumes your home and entices your visitors as they enter. It gets them to participate (they have to choose what to put in their glasses before they ladle in the hot wine) and it is not so alcohol heavy (especially after it has been simmering for awhile) that people get reeling drunk quickly, as with shots or hard liquor offerings. You could make a mulled cider the same way without the brandy to offer a non-alcoholic version but to get everyone in the holiday spirit, we serve spiced wine.

An inexpensive wine is just right in this recipe
The simple ingredients for mulled wine ready to combine

Whatever you call it – glogg, gluhwein, vin chaud or mulled wine, it is basically wine mixed with spices and sugar and some citrus fruit and heated. The recipe is easy and the ingredients are not expensive. You can choose any reasonably priced red wine – yes, even gallon jug wine, like Gallo or Carlo Rossi burgundy, will do – this is not the time to pull out your best bottle! You want fruit-forward wine – Burgundy, Merlot, Tempranillo, Zinfandel, Primitivo, Shiraz or a red blend will all work. Simmering, never boiling, is key so you don’t turn your wine into vinegar. I’ve read of people using a slow cooker to hold their mulled wine at temperature (a hot plate or a rice cooker might work, too, but please – not if it is non-stick). Since we don’t have a slow cooker, I just keep it over a very low flame on the stove.

Slivered blanched almonds, orange slices, raisins and candied ginger are some of the add-ins you can set out for people to help themselves
Porcelain bowls by James Makins

Set out bowls of sliced oranges, blanched slivered almonds, cinnamon sticks, raisins and chopped dried apples, apricots, pineapple or crystallized ginger (or whatever add-in you like). We use ceramic mugs but paper hot cups will work fine. This recipe was shared with me by my friend and mentor, the wonderful potter and teacher James Makins, who used to serve it at his holiday sales. Not only did it make his loft smell great but it relaxed people, got them mingling and, perhaps, encouraged sales – win win. Jim said he first drank glogg in Finland in 1970, on a trip with Byron Temple, and then got a recipe for it from his dorm mother, Signe Carlestrom, at Cranbrook. Now he makes it from an amalgam of online posts and his memory. His tip was to make it in advance so it can steep, even up to a year ahead, refrigerated, of course. Jim’s recipe called for 3 gallons of Burgundy but I have reduced the recipe to accommodate the current 1.5 liter bottles and 3 liter jugs of Hearty Burgundy available and it has always been sufficient. Try it at your next winter gathering and see if it doesn’t warm up the crowd!

Happy Winter!

Mulled wine
Porcelain cups by James Makins

Mulled Wine

Simmer until fragrant:

  • 3 liters burgundy (or similar) wine
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 2 sliced oranges
  • 1 cup sugar
  • Handful of cinnamon sticks
  • Handful of whole cloves
  • Handful of cardamom seeds

When ready to serve, add 1-2 cups brandy (or something similar like Grand Marnier, Cognac or Cointreau) and keep warm over a low heat.

Serve with raisins, blanched almonds and your choice of add-ins.

Makes 20+ servings

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Here you will find recipes and ideas for easy to make and tasty meals, sources for interesting dinnerware on which to serve those meals and resources for ingredients, classes and food related travel. My goal is to make daily cooking simpler and to inspire you to try different recipes beyond the handful you already make repeatedly. I hope that relaying my experiences will enhance yours. Follow along and let me know about your own cooking and food journeys.

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