Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Black Manhattan



Black Manhattan ( http://www.davidlebovitz.com/black-manhattan-cocktail-recipe/ )David, 29 Nov 05:27 AM When I picked up Bitters ( http://amzn.to/2g
 



DavidLebovitz



Black Manhattan
David, 29 Nov 05:27 AM


Black Manhattan CocktailWhen I picked up Bitters, a book celebrating the history and culture of using bitters in cocktails, I was immediately hooked on the subject. I am always drawn to books that not only tackle a single subject, but do it so well. The book sparked additional interest when I made the Pith Helmet from the book, an enticing mixture of gin, cucumbers, Pimm’s, lemon, basil, black pepper, and a few dashes of bitters. I wasn’t all that familiar with bitters (the renewed interest in cocktails was just taking off in Paris), but loved what a dash of this, and a few drops of that, could add to a drink.

Black Manhattan Cocktail


I eventually connected with Brad Parsons, the author of the book, and have been fortunate to pull up a stool at several cocktail bars with him. (A friend called him “The Holy Grail of Drinking Buddies.”) If you can’t be at the next bar stool from him, Amaro (and Bitters) are the next best thing.

In fact, they may be even better because the photos of his voyage to Italy by Ed Anderson (who shot the photos in My Paris Kitchen, who is also no slouch in the drinking-buddy department…) capture the beauty and spirit of the amaro culture in various places around the world. And you don’t even have to worry about taking a tumble off a bar stool to enjoy them.



Black Manhattan CocktailAmaro is an Italian liqueur that defies an exact description. They could best be described as herbal digestives, each flavored with a unique mixture of spices, citrus, barks, flowers, roots, and fruits. (And sometimes vegetables, such as rhubarb and artichokes.) Amari are not subtle and if you’ve even had a sip of one after a rich meal, it provides a jolt powerful enough to calm your stomach – and spirits, not matter what came before it.

As Brad notes in his book, humans have a natural aversion to bitter, a flavor that’s naturally associated with something dangerous. But many things that are bitter, such as broccoli and other greens, are actually good for you. I’ll let you be the judge on any health-giving properties of any kind of libation, but I know several people with young children who say that without wine, they could not function.

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Kicking off summer with Julie Biusoo

                                                

Kicking off summer Summer officially starts tomorrow and I'm primed ready to roll. There's nothing better than a gorgeous lunch with friends enjoyed with a glass or two of wine, especially when the dish is as easy to put together as the little haloumi number here. Sizzle haloumi in butter until golden and serve with juicy cubes of watermelon and a squeeze of lime. Can't be beat. Rosé, Sav, Chardonnay, Riesling, Albarino, Arneis ... your choice. If you like the wine, you'll like it with this salad.
Finding time for a catch-up with friends before Christmas can be tricky. Brunch is a great option, but save your cash for pressies, and cook brunch at home. Hash. Yep, that's the thing.
Potato hash, smoked fish and eggs. 
'Tis the season of giving, so give you must. To help you out, we've got a lovely range of Shared Kitchen goodies: Remo's Olives and Feta – you'll be pretty popular if you turn up at a drinks party with these instead of a bottle of wine – and pretty jars of Preserved Lemons, and bags of Chocolate Fudge Brownies and Chocolate & Walnut Truffles to pop under the tree.  See all the details here Shared Kitchen Gifts
I've also got my cookbook Julie Biuso At Home available as a Christmas gift (happy to sign a dedication for you), and a great line of FURI knives. The FURI knife sharpener is the easiest sharpener to use – even a novice cook can keep their knives sharp as a blade. FURI
As far as my Christmas goes, I will be receiving the best Christmas gift of all – my lovely daughter Ilaria is home for Christmas!
I will have to see if I can persuade her to give me a hand on
Shared Kitchen cooking classes, then those of you coming along will get to meet her and to enjoy her tales of travelling and eating around Europe. There are just a few spaces left in December classes, and I'll have the January schedule out soon. I can also organise gift vouchers – I send out a lovely card to the recipient, or I can send it direct to you to hand over on Christmas day.  Cooking Classes
We've had heaps of enquiries about the trip I am taking to Puglia in May next year – just a reminder that the fabulous travel concession offered by Cathay Pacific ends 15th December, so you will need to commit before then to take advantage of it.
Phew, the sun is peeping out at my place, and I'm off out in the garden to get some more vegetables planted in time for the summer months ahead. I've got sprouting broccoli popping out and now it's a daily race to pick it before very large and very green caterpillars attempt to mow it down.

Have a good one – and don't forget, if you are in the northern hemisphere, simply go into the side bar categories on the right of the
Home page of Shared kitchen and look under Autumn or Winter, for suitable recipes.

Monday, November 28, 2016

EAT YOUR BOOKS


     Recipes | Books | Blog      Weekly Round-Up

Dear Bookman Beattie,

At Eat Your Books we want to bring you the best recipes – our dedicated team searches out and finds online recipes excerpted from newly indexed cookbooks and magazines. New recipes from the best blogs are indexed daily and members index their favorite online recipes using the Bookmarklet all the time.

Below you’ll find this week's recommendations from the EYB team.

Remember you can add any of these online recipes to your EYB Bookshelf – it’s a great way to expand your personal recipe collection.

Happy cooking and baking everyone!

The team at EatYourBooks


From magazines:
5 healthier holiday dessert recipes from the Nov/Dec issue of indexed EatingWell Magazine


From AUS/NZ books:
8 recipes from The Heart of the Home by Julie Goodwin, indexed by an EYB member


From UK books:
10 recipes from Simple: Effortless Food, Big Flavours by Diana Henry, indexed by an EYB member

Monday, November 21, 2016

Maple Pumpkin Flan

 

DavidLebovitz

Maple Pumpkin FlanDavid, 21 Nov 


Like many others, I’m a fan of Ina Garten. Growing up, her mother didn’t want her in the kitchen and she never considered cooking as a profession. After marrying her husband Jeffrey, though, he suggested she quit her government job and follow her passion, which turned out to be cooking and baking, something she discovered after buying a specialty foods store, even though she had no experience in running a food store…let alone having the experience necessary to cook in quantities that a popular take-out food business required.
Pumpkin Maple Flan recipeIn the introduction to her latest book, Cooking with Jeffrey, she say that the first year she was in business was “the most difficult year of my life,” which you’d never know when you watch her effortlessly cook her way through a recipe, or entertain friends, on her television show.

My introduction to her was through a recipe many years ago in an issue of Martha Stewart magazine for a pitcher of Margaritas. Her recipes were already becoming known to be foolproof and that one was no exception.
Pumpkin Maple Flan recipeThe recipe called for ingredients measured and added by the cupful; tequila, lime juice and orange liqueur. I never made bulk cocktails before and I had to say, they were some of the best margaritas I ever had. I tried to find the recipe for a future fête, but could never find it. So I’m back to drinking margaritas by the glass, not by the pitcher.
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The Salvador Dali Cookbook


Young Dalí wanted to be a chef, and as an adult artist, “he loved the ‘logarithmic curve’ of cauliflowers.” Of COURSE he did.

Friday, November 18, 2016