![]() How you doin’? To many people fall is the most beautiful time of the year. The leaves on the trees begin to turn from green to all colors of the fall rainbow. There is the scent of fireplaces in the air. And then there are the aromas of the foods we eat and the drink. They are something altogether different from summer barbecues and cookouts. An early fall cocktail straddles the seasons and bridges over to the holidays that we love. Great happy hour cocktails must have a jigger of summer—something light, bright, and refreshing—and it must also offer a little warmth of autumn spices and flavors—making you feel all cozy on the inside. Looking back on the past year, you deserve a little something special. It has been one of the strangest times of my life. Let’s put it all behind us and enjoy a few weeks of cocktails. The drinks in my early fall collection may sound fancy, but they’re not—just a little something special to take you from now to the end of the year and hopefully to the end of the pandemic. X-Rated Spicy Cocoa & Mezcal Cocktail This is hot cocoa all “growed-up” and ready for prime time. It has flavor notes of the mezcal, ancho chile, cinnamon and semi-sweet dark chocolate blended to create a flavor reminiscent of your childhood. It’s like a hot cocoa that’s been cooked on an open fire—slightly sweet and a touch smoky heat. It’s made with both cocoa powder and melted chocolate, making it more thick and chocolaty than the ‘Quick” stuff—that’s for kids. Don’t let it fool you it packs a wallop with a shot of mezcal. Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 12 minutes Yield: 4 cocktails Ingredients 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt (salt enhance the chocolate flavor) 2 cups whole milk 6 cinnamon sticks, divided 1 whole dried ancho chile pod, split 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (about 64%), chopped 5 ounces mezcal Garnish with whipped cream, chile powder and dark chocolate shavings Directions
ChefSecret: The mezcal is added late in the process. If one of your guests is abstaining, it’s easy to leave the alcohol out. The spicy hot cocoa makes a nice sippin’ dessert all by itself. Pear Pomegranate Mule It’s not a Russian conspiracy. A Moscow Mule just kicks you in the butt like, well, a mule. This year I’ve taken this classic cocktail and twisted it all up in fall colors with the addition of pear nectar and unsweetened pomegranate juice. The pomegranate zips up the pucker power, giving it some sweet, tangy depth while balancing out the ginger beer and sweet pear notes. Pear Pomegranate Mules is perfect fall cocktail for any happy hour. This cocktail is stirred, not shaken, so make a small pitcher of them. At our restaurants Mules were always served in a copper or pewter mug, which sets it apart from an ordinary cocktail. Plus, vodka is much less controversial than tequila or bourbon. Pretty much everyone loves a mule, and it’s very slyly boozy — all the business of the day will slide away in no time. Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 1 cocktail Ingredients 3 ripe pears, any variety, peeled, cored and chopped 1-1/2 ounces unsweetened pomegranate juice 1/2 lime, juiced 2 ounces vodka 6 ounces ginger beer Ice cubes Garnish: pomegranate seeds and a pear slice (optional) Directions
Aperol-Cranberry-Spice Cocktail Here is the perfect cool weather cocktail to carry you through the fall and into the year-end holiday celebrations. Aperol is a semi-dry apéritif from northern Italy that tastes like a combination of bitter grapefruit and a sweet, melted Orange’sicle. We’ve muddled it with light, floral Lillet Blanc, tart cranberries, fresh orange slices and candied ginger. It’s a classic spritz, you’d normally top-off with Champagne, but in this recipe, I used a dry hard cider, which imparts subtle fall apple notes. It’s the perfect light, pre-meal cocktail that you can carry into the dining room for dinner. Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 1 cocktail Ingredients 1/4 orange wedge, peeled 13 fresh cranberries, divided 2 one-inch pieces crystallized ginger, minced, plus 1 slice for garnish 2 ounces Aperol 1 ounce Lillet Blanc 4 dashes Angostura bitters Ice 4 ounces dry hard cider, such as Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Directions
ChefSecret: Aperol is an Italian bitter apéritif made of gentian, rhubarb, and cinchona, among other ingredients. It has a vibrant red-orange hue. Its name comes from the French slang word for aperitif, which is apero. Lillet is made from Bourdeaux grapes along with macerated fruit liqueurs, which gives it a pleasantly fruity, but not overly sweet, character. While Lillet Blanc (the white version) is delicious on ice, with a twist of orange or lemon and a splash of soda, it's also a brilliant cocktail ingredient. Bourbon Apple Fizz What do you do with all those leftover apple peels from making apple pie? The heart of the Bourbon Apple Fizz is a bright pink simple syrup made with thyme, lemon juice and Honeycrisp apple peels. It is as bright and sweet as a perfectly ripe apple. The thyme adds a welcome savory note well played. I start with apple-thyme syrup laced with bourbon, a little more thyme and lemon juice, and then top it off with ginger beer. The bourbon and apple-thyme syrup with the ginger beer gives this drink a light and fizzy taste. If you like an Old Fashioned, you’ll definitely love this cocktail. What do I do with leftover apple-thyme syrup? Depending on how many fizzes you make, you’ll have leftovers of the syrup. Use it to make other drinks, like Old Fashioneds or even iced tea. It’s also great drizzled over vanilla ice cream. Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 1 cocktail Ingredients Ice 2 ounces apple-thyme syrup (see recipe below) 1 ounce fresh lemon juice 2 ounces American bourbon 2 fresh sprigs thyme 1-1/2 ounces ginger beer Garnish with an apple slice and a sprig of thyme Directions
Apple-Thyme Syrup Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: about 10 minutes Yield: 2 cups Ingredients 4 large Honeycrisp apples, peeled (reserve the apples for another use) 1 cup granulated sugar 1-1/2 cups water 4 sprigs thyme, divided 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice Directions
Negroni Cocktail As the story is told the Negroni Cocktail was invented by Count Camillo Negroni in 1919. Cocktail historians say that Count Negroni, a gambler and a bit of a rogue, liked to frequent the Caffé Casoni in Florence, Italy, and drink Americanos—apéritifs made with Campari, sweet vermouth, and club soda. Perhaps the drink was too sweet, fizzy and light because the count asked the bartender to fortify the drink by swapping out the club soda for gin—the Negroni was born. The count was so fond of his invention that he would drink up to 40 Negronis a day. Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 1 cocktail Ingredients 1 ounce gin 1 ounce Campari 1 ounce sweet vermouth 1 colossal ice cube Garnish: orange twist Special equipment: large ice cube tray and funnels available on Amazon for under $10. Directions
Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “There is new information about coronavirus almost every day. It’s so confusing! It’s kind of like the iPhone—as soon as I get COVID-19 they’ll just release COVID-20 and it will start all over again.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. 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. #Cocktail #HappyHour #FallCocktails #Mezcal #Cocoa #MuleCocktail #Aperol #Lillet #Bourbon #Negroni #Campari #Vodka #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup © Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020
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![]() How you doin’? Are you a crunchy snack eater? I certainly am. I don’t enjoy granola and milk-soaked breakfast foods. What I do like is munching on granola clumps while watching TV. It’s the combination of a sweet (not too sweet), crunchy (lot of texture), seemingly healthy snack food… the latter being a misnomer—it ain’t necessarily all that healthy. With good intentions, Granola was invented in Dansville, New York by Dr. James Caleb Jackson at the Jackson Sanitarium in 1863. The Jackson Sanitarium was a prominent health spa that operated into the early 20th century on the hillside overlooking Dansville. And then it kind of disappeared. The food and name “Granola” were revived in the 1960s, and fruits and nuts were added to it to make it a health food that was popular with the health and nature-oriented hippie movement. At the time, several people claim to have revived or re-invented granola. During Woodstock, a soon-to-be hippie icon known as Wavy Gravy, popularized granola as a means of feeding large numbers of people during the festival. Another major promoter was Layton Gentry, profiled in Time magazine as "Johnny Granola-Seed." In 1964, Gentry sold the rights to a granola recipe using oats, which he claimed to have invented himself, to Sovex Natural Foods for $3,000. From there it was sold to a number of different companies. Here’s where it gets interesting. In 1972, an executive at Pet Incorporated of St. Louis, Missouri, introduced Heartland Natural Cereal, the first major commercial granola. At almost the same time, the Quaker Oats Company introduced Quaker 100% Natural Granola. Quaker was threatened with legal action by Gentry, and they subsequently changed the name of their product to Harvest Crunch. Within a year, Kellogg's had introduced its "Country Morning" granola cereal and General Mills had introduced its "Nature Valley". And then, there are granola bars. Granola bars have become popular as a snack. Granola bars consist of the same ingredients with just a little more of the sticky stuff, pressed and baked into a bar shape, resulting in the production of a more convenient snack. Granola bars are the perfect individually packaged snack easy to carry in a purse, backpack or other bag for munchin’ later alligator (ode to the hippies). While passed off as a health food, they're basically cookies masquerading as a healthy alternative. Prep time: 15 minutes Bake time: 30 minutes Cool time: 1 hours Yield: About 8 cups (2-1/4-pounds) Ingredients: 2 cups old fashioned oats 1-1/2 cups almonds, roasted or toasted, roughly chopped 1-1/2 cups sunflower seeds, hulled 1 cup unsweetened coconut, wide slice shredded 1/4 cup sesame seeds, white, hulled 1/4 cup wheat germ 1/2 cup honey 1/3 cup canola oil 2-1/ tablespoons whole cane sugar 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 cup raisins or craisins (optional) Directions
ChefSecret: It’s best to divide the mixed dry ingredients into two bowls and coat each one with half the wet mixture; then recombine all ingredients together to ensure thorough coverage. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: An average giant panda eats at least 12 hours a day. A confined human eats like a panda. Hence the name--PANDEMIC. ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. 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. #Snack #Baking #Granola #Almonds #CrunchySnack #Raisins #Craisins #Cinnamon #Woodstock #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup © PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020 ![]() How you doin’? Even though summer is in the rear-view mirror, you can still find wonderful fresh mangoes in the supermarket. Mangoes are delicious just by themselves, and they are also a very versatile ingredient that can be used in a variety of savory dishes, from curries to salads. As Food & Beverage Consultants we always have an eye out for nutrition. A Thai salad is a great way to nourish both body and soul. Here’s a simple, mango salad in a delicious Thai peanut dressing that you can make all year ‘round. It is a perfect appetizer or side salad and makes an even better entrée salad. This Bangkok Mango Salad is bursting with fresh Thai flavors, bright colors and velvety peanut butter texture. Prep time: 20 minutes Total time: 20 minutes Yield: 4 side salads or 2 entrée salads Ingredients For the mango salad One head (about 7 ounces) butter leaf lettuce or your greens of choice, chopped into bite-sized pieces 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced and then sliced across to make 1″ long pieces 3 ripe champagne mangos, diced 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion (both green and white parts) 1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 medium jalapeño, seeds and membranes removed, finely chopped 1/2 chopped avocado (optional) For the peanut dressing 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 to 3 limes) 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon honey 1 teaspoon sesame oil 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced Pinch of red pepper flakes (if you like spice) Directions
ChefSecret: Why do we ask to seed and remove the membranes from the jalapeño chiles? The seeds and membranes carry the bulk of the heat. The jalapeño has a great flavor which can be masked by the burning heat. Son shut off the heat and turn on the flavor. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: Remember when “Dr. Happy“ told us it would only take 30-days to flatten out the curve? Well here we are 7 months later and now he is telling us not to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and family. So, I’m now shopping for a dwarf-turkey and trying to decide where to celebrate the holidays… in the Living Room or the Bedroom. Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. 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, 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. #Salad #Entree #SideSalad #Mango #Peanuts #NationalPeanutBoard #MangoBoard #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup © Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020 ![]() How you doin’? Over the weekend Joan made a Hot Milk Cake and brought it into the office. This is a wonderful, old-fashioned, mid-western dairy state cake using ingredients easily found in the average kitchen. Joan’s mother used to make this Hot Milk Cake for her when she was growing up in Brown Deer, Wisconsin. Joan thought the family recipe was lost forever, but it was recently recreated in the Perspectives’ California Kitchens. I came into the kitchen one afternoon and there stood Joan—with flour on her nose (and everywhere else)—holding up the cake of her youth. I thought the cake was extra-yummy, too. It is just a little heavier than a yellow chiffon cake, but still has the egg and vanilla flavor. It’s easier to make than a chiffon and much less temperamental. It was a lot of cake for very few ingredients and very little time to make it. Look to the end of this post far a bonus Chocolate Hot Milk Cake. Prep time: 15 minutes Bake time: 30 to 35 minutes Yield: 12 to 16 servings Ingredients 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for the pan) 2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder 4 large eggs 2 cups granulated sugar 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1-1/4 cups 2% milk 10 tablespoons unsalted butter Directions
ChefSecret: The success of the cake depends on beating the eggs until they are thick and lemon-colored. Under-beating will result in the cake failing to rise. Joan’s Chocolate Hot Milk Cake Leave it to Joan and chocolate. This is a play on the old-fashioned mid-western farm cake that has gone to the “dark side.” Joan and the R&D team took her mom’s recently recreated Hot Milk Cake recipe and added a chocolate touch. As with the original recipe the success of the cake depends on beating the eggs until they are thick and lemon-colored. Under-beating will result in the cake failing to rise. You can frost this cake with a chocolate ganache buttercream frosting or simply sift a little confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder on the top. Prep time: 15 minutes Bake time: 30 to 35 minutes Yield: 12 to 16 servings. Ingredients 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus extra for the pan, (I prefer Guittard Rouge) 2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 large eggs 2-1/4 cups granulated sugar 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1-1/4 cups 2% milk 10 tablespoons butter 3 ounces chocolate (64%), coarsely chopped Directions
ChefSecret: When you dredge your baking pans with cocoa powder there won’t be any white flour streaks on your beautiful baked chocolate cakes. The cocoa powder should be unsweetened and lightly alkalized. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “This whole pandemic thing has been like a Las Vegas vacation in my house… we’re losing money by the minute, cocktails are acceptable any hour of the day and no one knows what time it is (or even cares).” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. 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. #Dessert #Baking #Cake #HotMilkCake #Chocolate #Guittard #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020 ![]() How you doin? We have done a lot of Food Consulting around the world which requires quite a bit of Research & Development. Over the last several decades we have touched every continent on this planet, and I have visited over 137 countries. In the early 1980s I had an opportunity to visit the Philippines and have dinner with President and Madame Marcos. It was an honor to represent the United States in a foreign country as a good will ambassador for President Reagan. I have been back there several times since. The Philippines have a very long and storied culture having been touched by Chinese, Indian, Spanish and, of course, The United States. It is little wonder that the food of the Philippines is so rich in culture and steeped in wonderous flavors. Chances are, if you’ve had Filipino food at one time or another, you’ve probably had adobo: a dish common in the Philippines that usually features some sort of meat, poultry, seafood, fruit, or vegetable cooked in a mixture of vinegar, bay leaves, onion, garlic, black pepper, and a combination of salt and/or soy sauce. Although simple in nature, these home-cooked braises are always complex and robust in flavor yet remain nuanced and very well balanced. A good adobo requires hours of long slow cooking. In a crock pot or Dutch oven slow braising can take up to 5 to 6 hours to develop the flavors and textures. That lengthy cook-time is cut down to 30 minutes when done in an Instant Pot. You can have a slightly exotic, island-style meal in about 45 minutes from start to the table. Here’s how to do it. Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Instant Pot time: 30 minutes Ingredients 1-1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (the secret ingredient) 1/3 cup dark or black soy sauce 1/3 cup traditional soy sauce 20 to 24 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, plus more as needed 2 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs or legs 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup minced red onion 1/2 pound of Andouille sausage, cut into rounds 1 pound of bacon ends and pieces (half the price of strips) Salt to taste (soy sauce is already very salty) Steamed white rice, for serving Instructions
ChefSecret: A quick 10-minute broil of the chicken together with the bacon brings a wonderful, smoky grilled flavor to the chicken pieces. Don’t skip this step. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: I’ve had a lot of things to think about over the last 6 months. One is, I think the main reason that Santa Claus is always so jolly is because he knows where all the naughty girls live. ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. 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 #InstantPot #Chickenf #ChickenAdobo #ComfortFood #Adobo #Manila #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020 |
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