…from the Friday Happy Hour Bar How you doin’? You can’t be in the food business without the imagination to press the outer limits of what has been done in the past. I am a lover of technology, especially when it comes to new food equipment. You might not know it but I hold patents on several pieces of microwave timing equipment that I developed for Pizza Hut several years ago for a fast-cooking pasta program. If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you know my fascination with everything Instant Pot. On a couple of occasions, I have also introduced Sous Vide recipes, as well as recipes made on an indoor smokeless broiler made by Philips. I am not a lazy cook. For me it’s all about flavor and the pleasure of eating. So, why not take advantage of some of the more exciting developments that have happened in the food technology world? *For those who came here looking for a quick cocktail recipe for happy hour, see ShortCut recipe below. What is Sous Vide is all about? Dr. Bruno Goussault describes it best—“The power of Sous Vide is that it enables you to precisely prepare food with more tenderness and flavor than can be obtained through traditional cooking techniques. Sous Vide makes it possible to unlock the full potential [flavor and texture] of food.” Cooking Sous Vide involves sealing the food in a plastic pouch, essentially creating a second skin and immersing the food in a water bath set for a series of precise temperatures and times. Sous Vide was first widely utilized for industrial food production, and over the past several decades, professional chefs in many of the finest restaurants across the Americas and Europe have used the technique to maximize the flavor and texture of food—to serve the absolute-best steak, fruit, grain, vegetable or oil. The applications for Sous Vide are infinitely ripe for experimentation in both foods and beverages. The Wine Kitchen in Leesburg, Virginia, offers more than red and white wines. Its rum-based Night at the Movies with Sous Vide cherries and kola nut syrup tastes just like a hopped-up cherry cola. It starts with a cherry infused rum made from Mount Gay Distilleries. More on Mount Gay in the ChefSecret. Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 3-5 minutes Sous Vide cook time: 4 hours Yield: about 4-1/2 cups of the cherry rum / enough for 18 cocktails Ingredients For the Cherry Rum 4-1/4 cups dark rum, Mount Gay 1 cup frozen dark cherries For the Cherry Rum & Cola Cocktail 4 tablespoons cherry rum 1-1/2 tablespoons Torani Spicy Kola Nut Syrup 1-1/2 tablespoons simple syrup Club soda Orange or Lemon Peel (for garnish) You will also need Sous Vide circulator Sous Vide pouch Vacuum sealer Fine-mesh sieve & coffee filter Cocktail shaker Nick and Nora glass Directions To make the Cherry Rum
To make the Cherry Rum & Cola Cocktail
Short Cut Recipe for Cherry, Rum & Cola Ingredients 1-1/2 ounces Rum (your favorite) 1/2 ounce Maraschino Cherry Juice 8 ounces Cola Ice Maraschino Cherry (for garnish) Instructions
ChefSecret: Mount Gay Rum is produced by Mount Gay Distilleries Ltd. of Barbados— the easternmost island of the West Indies. The oldest surviving deed for the company is from 1703, making Mount Gay Rum the world's oldest commercial rum distillery. Mount Gay Rum is made from molasses and water that has been filtered through natural coral. This mix is fermented using an exclusively selected yeast and then distilled in both copper pot stills and column stills, before being aged in charred oak barrels. Mount Gay Eclipse rum has a very distinctive flavor. There are other rums made on the island, but Mount Gay is the oldest and most prominent with a unique flavor. The aroma is full and rounded with notes of fresh flowers and honey, a little vanilla and tropical fruit. The palate is fruity and well-rounded with notes of banana, vanilla, smoke, oak and spice. The finish is long and spiced with toasty oak. The first drink James Bond (Daniel Craig) orders in Casino Royale (2006) is not his trademark Vodka martini but a Mount Gay Rum with soda. If Mount Gay is good enough for James, it’s good enough for me. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “Today my son got dressed in nice clothes and said it was picture day at his school (which is, of course, our kitchen table). It was either a very sweet moment or the first sign that the kid is starting to crack up. Either way, I charged him $45 for the photo shoot and another $25 for a 15-picture package.” ------------------------------------------- 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. #Cocktail #HappyHour #Rum #RumAndCoke #MountGay #CasinoRoyale #DanielCraig #MaraschinoCherry #Cheers #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021
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… from The California Kitchen How you doin’? I’m doing just great when I get the opportunity to mix and match different ingredients, especially when they are both ancient ingredients. That’s the case in this recipe using Chocolate and Balsamic Vinegar. The original Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale is made from cooked white Trebbiano grape juice and is not a vinegar in the usual sense. It has been made in Modena and Reggio Emilia since the Middle Ages (as early as 1046). Balsamic vinegar is highly praised and most often used by chefs and food lovers in cooking or straight over the plate. I most often use Balsamic vinegar for salad dressings and meat marinades together with a little olive oil. For Valentine’s Day I “dreamed” up a wonderful dressing using two of these ancient ingredients. I found the two flavors to be complimentary resulting in one of the most delicious dressings ever tasted for a Caprese Salad. You can put the whole thing together in less than 30 minutes and the results will be winning you praise for many Valentine’s Days to come. Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooling Time: 15 minutes Yield: 2 servings Ingredients: For the Balsamic Reduction 1 cup balsamic vinegar For the Chocolate Vinaigrette 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup chocolate pastilles or pieces (64% to 70%) 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (about 5 turns on a grinder) 1 tablespoon extra-fine granulated sugar 1/3 cup balsamic reduction For the Caprese Salad: 6 slices large beefsteak tomato, thinly sliced 6 slices fresh mozzarella 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper 1/2 teaspoon sea or kosher salt 6 fresh basil leaves 2 tablespoons chocolate vinaigrette Directions: For the Balsamic Reduction
To make the Vinaigrette
Assembling the Salad
ChefSecret: An easy way to see if your vinegar has reduced enough is to dip the back of a metal spoon into the vinegar and let it cool for a minute. Then run your finger along the back of the spoon to check its consistency. If the swipe mark holds without running at all then your vinegar is ready. The French say that your sauce has reached the nappé stage. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “It’s the first of the month and I thought I was feeling a little sluggish and decided to go to the doctor for a check-up. As he was giving me my physical the doctor said, “Don’t eat anything, fatty.” I said, “Like bacon and burgers?” He said, No FATTY, don’t eat anything! Some people are just cruel!” 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. #Salad #Caprese #Balsamic #ValentinesDay #Vinaigrette #Chocolate #ChocolateBalsamicVinaigrette #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 … from the California KitchenHow you doin’? Do you think of yourself as a burger aficionado? If you do, you know the secret of a great burger is the proper ratio of bread to meat. My favorite burger has the perfect balance—having the beef, condiments, and bun in all the right proportions. The people who develop products at McDonald’s, In & Out, Wendy’s know that a perfect burger must be fantastic in all its particulars! And they sell millions of them every day. It starts with a great meat block—usually 80% lean ground beef. The 20% fat makes all the difference in a hot skillet allowing the burger patties to caramelize on the outside and still stay juicy on the inside (as long as you don’t flatten them with a spatula). Then comes the just the right amount of toppings! I like American cheese on my burger because it’s a creamy smooth and meltier than other cheeses. Then what are you going to do for condiments? Ketchup, mustard? Not on my watch! I make a tangy secret burger sauce (recipe below) to keep things moist and flavorful. I top it with a split piece of crisp, salty, smoky bacon. Some people would argue, you need your five-a-day for produce—that’s why I add well-chilled shredded lettuce and a very thin slice of tomato. I like a nice soft bun, not too dense, not too doughy. You just want enough bun to hold everything together, but not so much that it dominates the burger. Likewise, you don’t want to have too much burger that overtakes and sogs out the bun. You want the burger and bun to be at peace with each other. It should smoosh down a little and meld with the burger, cheese, and toppings, creating the perfect bite and burger. Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 5 minutes Yield: 4 burgers Ingredients 1 pound ground beef (80/20) Salt, to taste Black pepper, to taste 1 tablespoon peanut oil 8 slices cheese of your choice 4 soft burger buns 2 tablespoons butter 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce 4 slices of tomato 4 slices cooked crisp bacon Burger sauce (recipe below) Directions
Not-So Secret Sauce Ingredients 1-1/4 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 3 tablespoons roasted red pepper, rough chopped 2 tablespoons dill relish 6 shakes Tabasco sauce 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon liquid hickory smoke (Wright’s brand) 2 tablespoons chopped parsley Salt, to taste Black pepper, to taste Directions
ChefSecret: We’ve made our burgers double-decker because it’s fun, but this recipe works great with a slightly thicker single burger, too. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: Covid-19 quick and easy self-testing-- I tried this test and it truly works!
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, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind—that’s the American way. If you have a little extra in your pocket to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #Entrees #Burger #DoubleBurger #Cheeseburger #SecretSauce #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 … from the California Kitchen How you doin’? You don’t have to be one of the Keebler elves to whip up a batch of these cookies. A Pecan Sandie is basically a simple type of shortbread cookie made with pecans… rich, buttery, and delicious. Pecan Sandies may have originated in Arab cuisine hundreds of years ago. They are an American staple and are called Sandies because of their color and their “sandy,” crumby, shortbread-like texture. This version has ground up pecans inside which not only adds flavor but makes them super crumbly and buttery and they just melt in your mouth! Cookies that have a sandy texture are made with dry dough with more fat content, less sugar and less liquid. The more you cream the sugar with butter, the more the cookie will spread because additional air is incorporated, which expands when baked. These sugar cookies are quick and easy to make and all the ingredients for this recipe are probably in your pantry and fridge—butter, sugar, flour, vanilla extract and citrus zest. In less than 30 minutes you will be serving warm, soft, buttery pecan cookies. Prep time: 5 minutes Bake time: 15 to 20 minutes Yield: 24 cookies Ingredients 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, room temperature 2/3 cup granulated sugar, plus additional sugar for rolling/topping (optional) 2 cups all-purpose flour 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 teaspoon citrus zest, such as lemon, lime, or orange 1 cup finely chopped pecans, roasted 1/4 cup Demerara sugar (or raw sugar) Directions
ChefSecret: You can use other chopped nuts or even mini chocolate chips as a replacement or an addition. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “Did you hear the one about the priest who baptized a baby with a Super Soaker to follow social distancing guidelines?” ------------------------------------------- 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 also being 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 #PecanSandies #Pecans #Snack #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #FeedingAmerica ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 … from the California Kitchen How you doin’? With everything else going on in everyone’s lives these days, I lost a very old dear friend and former partner last month. Frank Carney, along with his brother Dan, started the Pizza Hut empire in Wichita, Kansas. Pizza Hut was an industry pioneer, setting standards for franchising very early in their time—laws and standards we still abide by today. Pizza Hut made millionaires out of several hundred of their franchisees. Grown from one store in Wichita to nearly 19,000 stores around the globe today, Pizza Hut remains a world standard for pizza. In 1958, Frank Carney was just a 19-year-old student at Wichita State when he and his older brother Dan, borrowed $600 from their mother to start a pizza business near their family’s Carney’s Market. The original was an old brick building with an existing sign frame that only had enough room on the bottom line for a 3-letter word—HUT--PIZZA HUT. Frank used to tell people that when he and Dan were starting the business, one they hoped would pay their way through college, they thought of little else except keeping the doors open and paying the bills… they never stopped to dream about building into a multi-billion dollar business. Pizza Hut was sold to PepsiCo in 1977. Over the years, Frank got involved in various other business ventures, including other food companies, real estate, oil and gas, automotive, rental and recreational businesses. Aside from Pizza Hut, Frank and I worked together or partnered in other restaurant concepts… Solo’s, Chi-Chi’s, Applegate’s Landing, China Rose and TR’s. I lost touch with Frank later in life due to our divergent interests and his illness. I still keep in touch with members of his family. I like to remember Frank as a good, kind man. The early lessons I learned from Frank I still carry with me today. Frank died from pneumonia caused by complications from Alzheimer's and COVID-19. He was suffering from the effects of Alzheimer’s disease for over 10 years—what a horrible affliction. One of the projects we dreamed about at Pizza Hut was Chicago-Style Pan Pizza. Frank and I took numerous trips to the deep dish pizza joints that Chicago was known for. We had to change out pans and ovens to be able to produce a pizza in less time than Uno’s. So, in Frank’s memory, here is a hack on how to make your own Pizza Hut Almost Original Pan Pizza at home. The only thing you need is a dark-colored pizza pan. More on pans in the ChefSecret. Ingredients For the crust 1 package dry yeast 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1/4 cup non-fat dry milk powder (natural conditioner) 1-1/3 cups warm water105⁰ F 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 4 cups all-purpose flour For the pizza 2/3 cup pizza sauce (I use a store-bought sauce) 2 cups mozzarella cheese Toppings of your choice, pepperoni, mushrooms, meatballs, Italian sausage, etc. 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning Directions To prepare the crust
ChefSecrets: Anodized, dark-colored, deep dish pizza pans cut the cooking time in half instead of using the shiny, bright pans. The dark color draws the heat through the pizza and cooks it faster. A little oil on the bottom of the pan, fries the crust allowing the pizza to be baked in less time. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “Forgiveness—Forgive your enemies, it really messes with their head.” ------------------------------------------- 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. 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. #Entrees #DeepDishPizza #DeepDish #Pizza #PizzaHut #RIPFrankCarney #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 |
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