… A Sweet Valentine’s Day Cocktail for Happy HourHow you doin’? It’s almost Valentine’s Day and I wanted to include a sweet cocktail for you. Flowers are okay and a box of chocolate is, well so last year… but a sweet cocktail with homemade ingredients will be remembered forever. There are 2 recipes listed below—one made with “real” Dulce de Leche and a second one made with a combination of chocolate liqueur and sweetened condensed milk. Give both a try and let me know which one you liked best. But before we get started here is some information on making Dulce de Leche at home. Dulce de Leche is usually associated with South-of-the-border sweets, but seldom with cocktails. Dulce de Leche is as rich as it comes—sweet and decadent. But what exactly is the amber-colored concoction, and how do you make it at home? Dulce de Leche is a milk caramel spread. Dulce de Leche--candy made from milk—is a thick and sugary caramel-like sauce that is made by slowly heating sweetened evaporated milk. This Latin American ingredient is found in desserts like cakes, stuffed cookies, brownies, and flan (Mexican custard). It's also often used as an ice cream topping and it’s great to spread on brioche toast or crepes. Caramel sauce and Dulce de Leche look and taste similar. In fact, they can be interchangeable in certain recipes. But they're not quite the same thing—here's how to tell the difference: Caramel is made by caramelizing granulated sugar over very high heat until it becomes a deep amber color and gives off a rich, almost burnt sugar scent. When it’s mixed with creamy ingredients like half-and-half or heavy cream, it becomes caramel sauce. Dulce de leche, meanwhile, is made by heating “sweet” milk in the can until it becomes a thick, rich sauce. It’s made in home kitchens using sweetened condensed milk. Unlike caramel, which is heated quickly at high heat, Dulce de Leche is heated low and slow. Directions You’ll need a closed can of sweetened condensed milk, a nail, a hammer, a saucepan, and water—that’s all!
Dulce de Leche Cocktail #1 The Real Thing Dulce de Leche Cocktail #1 was created by Perspectives for T.R.’s Restaurants. It was befitting because Colonel Roosevelt was known for his Latin American exploits of storming Kettle Hill (not, San Juan Hill as some history books tell you) bringing an end to the Spanish-American War—okay, this may be overly simplified. Prep time: 3 minutes (plus, 4-passive hours to make the Dulce de Leche) Yield: 1 serving: Ingredients 1-1/2 ounces rum (light Bacardi) 1/4 ounce chocolate syrup 3/4 ounce homemade dulce de leche (recipe above) Garnish: with pinch of ground cinnamon Garnish: Dulce de Leche Directions
Dulce de Leche Cocktail #2 The Short Cut Version The Dulce de Leche Cocktail #2 is Bacardi Rum's recreation of a cocktail found in "Guys and Dolls." It was created for the 2009 revival of the popular Broadway musical. If you like thick chocolate martini-style drinks, it's rather pleasant. This drink can easily be mistaken for a “Malt” or "milkshake," primarily due to the sweet chocolate liqueur and the sweetened condensed milk (rarely seen in mixed drinks—you’ve got to be creative these days). It relates to one of the musical's most well-known scenes in which Sarah Brown gets a "bit" tipsy on the very same drink. Sky Masterson leads her to believe that it is simply "sweet milk" and that Bacardi is a "preservative." It's quite funny but a rather devious trick to play on someone who doesn't drink! Prep time: 3 minutes Yield: 1 serving: Ingredients 1 ounce rum (light Bacardi) 1/2 ounce chocolate liqueur (Godiva Dark Chocolate) 1/2 ounce sweetened condensed milk Garnish: with pinch of ground cinnamon Garnish: chocolate shavings Directions
ChefSecret: Here’s a little Dulce de Leche history lesson or as much as I know. While it's impossible to know the exact origins of dulce de leche, there are a few logical theories. According to one popular legend, Napoleon's cook accidentally created it in 1804 by heating milk and sugar for too long. Another story alleges that it was actually a maid of Argentinian politician Juan Manuel de Rosas who mistakenly invented the sweet treat. Some people believe that Dulce de Leche was actually born in Indonesia before making its way to the Philippines. According to this theory, after the Spanish conquered the Philippines, they brought the recipe to the Americas. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “A teacher friend of mine told me that on day 300 of distance learning, she asked her 6-year-old students to write a biography about the quarantine and learning from home; one kid wrote a story entitled Why I hate my family.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to send a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. We added a new search feature to make it easier to navigate through our blogs. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #Cocktail #HappyHour #Rum #Bacardi #DulceDeLeche #ValentinesDay #Cheers #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021
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… from The California Kitchen How you doin’? Have you ever thought about what would King Henry might have eaten for dessert at one of his royal feasts? No need to ponder any longer—it would have been English Trifle, of course! Trifle, in English cuisine, is a dessert made with fruit, thin layers of cake and egg custard. It is topped with whipped cream and more berries or fresh fruit. The fruit and sponge layers are usually assembled in three or four layers. You can be very creative… the contents of a trifle are highly customizable. Many varieties exist, some forgoing fruit entirely and instead using other ingredients such as chocolate, coffee or vanilla. According to some culinary scholars, trifles are the origin of modern sandwich cakes, only better. The Scots have a similar dish to trifle, Tipsy Laird, made with Drambuie or whisky. In the Southern United States there is a variant of trifle known as Tipsy Cake. A similar dessert in Germany and Austria is called Punschtorte. In Italy, a similar dessert based on trifle is Zuppa Inglese, or English Soup; in Spain, this dessert is known as Bizcocho Borracho. Photo credit: Choclatique... 150 Simply Elegant Desserts, Ed Engoron Prep time: 15 minutes Bake time: 30 minutes Chill time: 2 to 3 hours Yield: 8 servings Ingredients 1 package of either yellow or white cake mix, baked and cut into cubes (be even more creative and make it chocolate) 1 cup seedless raspberry jam 1-3/4 cups heavy cream 4 large egg yolks 4 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1-1/4 cups heavy cream 1/8 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 12 ounces fresh raspberries, plus 8 to 10 more for topping 2-ounces toasted sliced almonds Directions
ChefSecret: I prefer to assemble my trifles the day before and top them with whipped cream and garnishes just before serving. This is a great way to use stale cake—yellow, white or even chocolate cake. You can make your trifle completely authentic by soaking the cubes of cake in sherry or another fortified wine. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “I saw my neighbor Tammy out early this morning scraping the ‘my kid is a terrific student’ sticker off her mini-van. I guess this week’s home schooling didn’t go all that well.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #Baking #Dessert #Trifle #EnglishRaspberryTrifle #LemonCustard #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 … from the California Kitchen How you doin’? I’ve lost nearly 30 pounds since the whole COVID-19 pandemic started. Yes, I still walk between 2 to 4 miles a day and I do get off my “keister” once every hour on the hour to power walk another 250 steps—Alexa, not so subtly reminds me when Mickey’s big hand strikes 12 on the clock. Between Alexa and my Fitbit I don’t stand a chance to slack off. But I give credit, not to all the exercise, but to the lack of consuming French fries almost every day.
Now, I’m still a lover of potatoes and especially fries, but now that I have some extra time on my hands, I have been finding new ways to cook spuds. Here’s a crusty potato recipe that I created when I had leftover ingredients to use up—I never know quite what to do with leftover buttermilk. I hate to waste food—don’t you? My buttermilk potatoes are a bit of twist on the standard scalloped potatoes. I must resist going back for seconds. Locked-Down Buttermilk Parmesan Spuds reheat well the next day. That would make them leftover leftovers. Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes Yield: 8 servings Ingredients 14 small potatoes, peeled and cubed (mini red skins or Yukon golds) 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 3 tablespoons minced garlic 1/4 cup minced red onion 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon crush red pepper flakes 1 cup 2% milk 1 cup buttermilk 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided 1/4 cup chopped parsley for garnish Directions
ChefSecret: If you don’t have buttermilk use 1 cup of cream. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “If you would like to know how it feels today to be in the Hospitality Industry—remember when the Titanic was sinking and the band played on? Well, we’re the band!” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #SideDish #Potatoes #Buttermilk #Parmesan #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 … from the California Kitchen How you doin’? From the archives of the Choclatique website, here is one of our best cookie recipes—in fact, and I’m going out on a limb here, it’s the best damn cookie I’ve ever eaten EVER. It was inspired by the original Toll House formulation, but considerably amped up with four kinds of chocolate chips and chunks. Ever since Ruth Graves Wakefield and her chef Sue Brides invented the original Toll House cookie back in 1933 bakers have been trying to improve on the original. The Toll House Inn was in Whitman, Plymouth County. It was about halfway between Boston and New Bedford and a safe place to stop. It was a place where passengers had historically paid a toll, changed horses, and ate a home-cooked meal. When the Wakefields opened their business, they named the establishment the Toll House Inn. Ruth cooked and served all the food and soon gained local fame for her lobster dinners (yum) and desserts (yum, yum). People from across the region visited the Toll House. Her chocolate chip cookies soon became very popular. I can tell you from personal experience, the original recipe is hard to beat—well, that is until now. And I’m not sure whether we’ve improved on the original or invented a totally new type of chocolate chip, chocolate cookie. To my taste most any cookie is good, and these cookies are exceptional. They are loaded with lots of chocolate flavors, have a wonderful texture and they are simple to make. Large or small, these 4X chocolate chunky cookies are a little crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. For best results, refrigerate the batter for up to 48-hours before baking, as this allows the dough to fully form a mature well-blended flavor and texture. Prep time: 15 minutes Refrigerate time: 1 hour up to 48 hours Bake time: 10 to 12 minutes Cool time: 30 minutes Yield: 12 large cookies Ingredients 3/4 cup dark brown sugar 1/2 cup, plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 large egg 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted if clumpy 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup milk chocolate chips 1/4 cup dark chocolate chunks 3 tablespoons white chocolate chips Directions
ChefSecret: For extra-large, flying saucer-sized cookies, divide the dough into just 5 portions and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “Attention, Attention, your Nose and Mouth are now considered ‘Private Parts.’ Keep them covered until further notice.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #Baking #Dessert #Cookies #ChocolateChipCookies #ChocolateChunks #TollHouse #Snack #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 … from the California Kitchen An Homage to Hamburger Hamlet and Marilyn & Harry Lewis How you doin’? Hamburger Hamlet was a very creative chain of upscale restaurants (for their time) that mainly served hamburgers—all kinds of burgers. The Hamlet was most popular in Southern California during the ‘50s, 60’s and 70s. It was founded by Marilyn and Harry Lewis. Now you might think that serving lobster bisque in a hamburger joint would be a bit strange, but it resonated across California, Chicago and Washington, D.C. Yes, one little place and one wonderful cup of soup did all that and more—it created a small chain of restaurants known for Thick and Juicy Burgers, “Those” Potatoes (hash browns layered with cheddar cheese and sour cream) and Lobster Bisque. Harry (who was an actor, certainly not a cook) spent hours making this magical broth every night in the back of their home so that no one would ever have the recipe. The way Harry made it, it took 2 days, but with the magic of Better Than Bouillon Lobster Base you can have this totally simple, delicious tasting lobster bisque in less than 30 minutes. Perfect for impressing your Valentine! Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Yield: 4 servings Ingredients 2 cups half & half or milk 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup dry white wine 2 tablespoons lobster base (I prefer Better Than Bouillon brand base) 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons tomato paste (I prefer the tomato paste that comes in a tube) 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 cup minced lobster meat (optional) 2 tablespoons dry sherry Garnish with flat leaf parsley or dill and a few pieces of lobster meat Directions
ChefSecret: Use this very same recipe to make a shrimp bisque, just substitute the lobster meat with less expensive cooked shrimp meat. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “I’ve noticed that some people have stopped shaking hands because of the Coronavirus. I’m not shaking hands because so many people are out of toilet paper.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #Soup #Bisque #Lobster #LobsterBisque #HamburgerHamlet #BetterThanBouillion #ValentinesDay #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 |
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