Recipes | A Good Dish

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.

What to Cook in Spring When Local Still Means Root Vegetables

April 11, 2018

Golden beets with dill vinaigrette
Plate by Mary Barringer

Local asparagus is coming. So are ramps, fiddleheads and green garlic. But until they get here, we still need vegetables to eat. I am cleaning out my fridge and freezer this spring, trying to use up the jarred, frozen and preserved fruits and vegetables I stocked it with last fall. And then there are the roots.

Carrots (and beets) are available in several colors

Beets, watermelon radishes, carrots, parsnips, rutabagas and celery root are still available at our local markets as are potatoes and sweet potatoes. While the weather is still cool enough, and before the local greens arrive, I will continue to roast, steam, mash and sauté them, as suitable, and add them to soups. Root vegetables are quite nutritious, if grown in good soil, and usually quite inexpensive. If you browse social media, shots of root vegetable roasts seem to be trending. Perhaps roots are the new kale. Don’t forget horseradish is a root, is available right now and preparing it couldn’t be much easier (see recipe). Remember that roots also make wonderful salads which even improve after sitting in the refrigerator overnight.

I have linked below to several past posts that included root recipes. I keep linking to them in the hope that they will help you use up the contents of your crisper or give you some inspiration when you go to the market. Local greens will be here soon. But until then, don’t forget your roots!

Sautéed Watermelon Radish

Don’t Hold Your Nose! Cabbage Can Be Your Go To For An Early Spring Salad

March 28, 2018

Purple Cabbage Salad with Umeboshi Dressing
Wood Fired Bowl by Perry Haas

Cabbage may not be the first thing you think of when planning a meal but it is your friend when it comes to making a winter salad. Especially at this time of year, when you are tired of shredded beets or carrots or kale but you still want some crunch, reach for cabbage instead. Cabbages last remarkably well in cold storage through the winter, providing vitamins C and K and a good amount of fiber when other green (or purple vegetables) are wilted and well past use.

Cabbage is delicious sautéed and fermented but can also make a remarkably fresh salad in these early spring months. Cole Slaw is a typical use but shredded cabbage with a vinaigrette is preferable, in my opinion, since it eliminates the use of mayonnaise. There are wonderful recipes for Indian and Thai cabbage salads with coconut and spices but my perennial favorite is made with orange juice and umeboshi paste, mashed pickled plums found at markets that carry Japanese products.

This salad is the decendant of a recipe I learned in one of the first cooking classes I ever took. It was created by Minx Boren, who taught at the Natural Gourmet Cookery School in it’s early years and is now a life coach in Palm Beach. Natural Gourmet is a cooking school with a chef-training program focused on healthy eating. It is where I learned basic knife skills, a focus on nutritional balance and how to prepare global specialties from tamales to nori rolls to dosas. When learning to cook, I thought umeboshi paste and avocado oil were such exotic ingredients and, at that time, you really did have to search them out. Now even Costco sells avocado oil and Whole Foods and Fairway carry Umeboshi plums. If you really don’t like cabbage or don’t want to use it for some reason, this salad would also be good made with kale (massage it first) or shaved brussel sprouts, fennel or even blanched broccoli, carrots and cauliflower.

I have adjusted the original recipe only slightly in proportions, deleted and added a few ingredients. You can adjust it to suit your tastes. If you don’t want to add parley or cilantro, don’t. If you prefer cucumbers or red peppers to carrots, please use them. If you want to add some toasted sesame seeds instead of pumpkin, go ahead. Combining some purple cabbage with the green, or going all purple, will make the salad even more appealing. One of the beauties of this salad is that it tastes even better the second day, after the flavors have melded in the refrigerator, and it holds up well in a lunch box. If you find your cabbage tasting too strong or a little sharp or wilted after a winter in the fridge, just soak the shredded cabbage in cold water (before dressing) and it will sweeten and plump up.

Green Cabbage Salad with shredded carrots and toasted pumpkin seeds
Whiskey cups by Perry Haas

CABBAGE SALAD with UMEBOSHI DRESSING

Toss together in a large bowl:

1 head cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, shredded
1 cup parsley or cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (add when serving)

Optional alternatives or add-ins: red or green pepper pieces, sliced red radish, orange segments (cara cara or blood oranges look great), chopped apple, chopped cucumber, toasted sesame seeds, walnuts, thinly sliced celery

Dressing:

1 TBs minced red onion
2 TBs umeboshi plum paste
2 TBs Dijon mustard
2 TBs avocado oil
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Toss vegetables with dressing and let marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours or overnight. Top with seeds before serving.

Purple Cabbage with Cara Cara orange segments, parsley and walnuts

Healthier Cheesecake – No, That Is Not Necessarily An Oxymoron

March 1, 2018

Healthier cheesecake with berries and jam
Porcelain plate by Ryan J. Greenheck

We have a minor dessert dilemma in our home. My husband loves cheesecake. Always has. Especially the tall Italian style you used to find on the lower east side of Manhattan or on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. But he has become a healthier and more abstemious eater and now eschews most sugar and saturated fat so cheesecake no longer fills the bill. Last spring, when his birthday was approaching, I decided it was time to reckon with these conflicting desires. It took me many tries and although it’s far from perfect, I came up with what is essentially a baked ricotta pudding topped with berries, his favorite. It’s not the fabulous layered ice cream cake on a cookie crust I make for my son’s birthday but, believe me, it tastes better than it sounds.

Baked until golden, this can be served in slices or scooped into bowls as a pudding

Because I decided to forgo a crust, I felt a thick pudding (he loves chocolate pudding) might work if I could get the taste right. This recipe is the result – an amalgam of a custard pie and a cheesecake, and good for dessert or breakfast. I used a combination of Greek yogurt and ricotta cheese with maple syrup replacing sugar. The more eggs you use, the thicker, stiffer and richer the “cheesecake” will be. You could use gelatin or agar to firm up the texture instead of eggs but it would be more like pannacotta. Portion it out, bake and serve the pudding in ramekins or short glass jars, in keeping with the current layered breakfast/dessert in a jar trend, or use a single, larger cake pan or soufflé dish and spoon it out family style. If you want to serve it like cheesecake, sprinkle some graham cracker, digestive biscuit or ginger cookie crumbs to cover the bottom of a greased springform pan,pour in the pudding and bake. It holds its shape when sliced if you treat it gently.

Cheesecake pudding with maple syrup and walnuts
Porcelain bowl by Ryan J. Greenheck

Top this baked “cheesecake” any way you like. Choose any topping from berries, with or without a fruit sauce or blop of jam, to maple syrup with toasted walnuts (delicious). Blend in some cocoa powder, melted chocolate and chocolate chips. Or use slices of cooked citrus, caramelized bananas, fresh kiwi slices or pitted, halved fresh or cooked cherries. It’s your dessert, your choice. I liked it plain but my husband preferred it with fruit spread and berries. It isn’t your usual cheesecake but it is pretty good.

HEALTHIER CHEESECAKE/CHEESECAKE PUDDING

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix just until smooth (I used a blender):

2 cups plain thick Greek yogurt
2 cups ricotta cheese (15oz container)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup maple syrup (less or more to taste)
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract

Pour into an 8 or 9″ cake pan or soufflé dish and bake one hour until firm and just starting to brown. Cool and serve at room temperature or refrigerate and serve chilled.

Top with berries, fruit compote, jam, caramelized bananas, more maple syrup and nuts, chocolate chips and a sprinkle of cocoa powder or whatever pleases you. Untopped, this will last up to 3 days refrigerated and serves 6.

10 Easy Recipes From A Good Dish in 2017 to Make in 2018 – Happy New Year!

January 2, 2018

Thanks for all of your supportive feedback throughout the year. I enjoy writing this blog and so appreciate that you read it. In case you missed some of the posts, here is a reminder of 10 easy recipes from the past year that can be made with ingredients available right now. Included are links to soups, salads, vegetables and a couple of sweets that you told me you enjoyed as well as to the artists whose pots are used in the photos. I hope you will try the recipes (if you haven’t already), keep reading and responding to A Good Dish, continue buying and using handmade pottery and have a wonderful winter full of new stories, adventures, cooking and eating. Happy New Year!

Split Pea Soup (and the version with added spices)