…from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour BarHow you doin’? We love a Bee’s Knees! It was one of the favorite frozen cocktails at the Palm Grill. It’s simple—just gin, freshly squeezed lemon juice and honey, so it’s perfect for quick at home mixology. And yet, it’s so well-balanced—bright, herbaceous, floral and sweet-tart flavor. Here, we make a Prohibition-era cocktail even more refreshing by turning it into a cool, cold slushie! Be careful… a Frozen Bee’s Knees is easy to mix, but also dangerously easy to drink, like a boozy frozen lemonade. Make a double batch right off the bat so you don’t have to navigate the blender again. It’s a dream come true on a sweltering, hot Las Vegas day. Drink up while you nibble on fresh berries and mild cheese. A couple of these and you’ll want to ignore your weekend honey-do list. Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 2 cocktails Ingredients 4 ounces gin (I prefer Hendricks gin for its unique herby flavor) 3 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice 2-1/2 ounces honey 4 cups ice 2 fresh mint leaves, for garnish 2 lemon twists, for garnish Directions
ChefSecret: Be sure to blend the liquids together before you add the ice. Otherwise, the honey will freeze and stick to the bottom of the blender. Quip of the Day: “There is no such thing as a grouchy old person. The truth is, once you get old you stop being polite and start being honest.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? 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. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. #Cocktail #HappyHour #Gin #BeesKnees #Hendricks #Cheers #Covid19SurvivalBlog #2022 #RedCross #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2022
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Sylvia Cheng, aka Madame Wu, 1915-2022 How you doin’? 你好嗎 (Nǐ hǎo ma). Last week Madame Wu, a legend of American-style Chinese food passed away at the age of 106. She reinvented the original Chinese Chicken Salad. The late Merv Griffin once said of her, aside from being a successful restaurateur, "Everybody in this town knows and loves Madame Wu. One of the dearest, sweetest, most elegant women I've ever known." Sylvia Cheng, aka Madame Wu, was born into a wealthy, cultured family in Jiujiang, China in 1915. She was raised by her grandfather, who owned a bank and a department store—showering her with gifts and special treats, but he was also wise enough to teach her discipline. She was brought up in the traditional fashion, learning respect and good manners. She did not have a deprived childhood. When not away at boarding school, mooning over photos of Cary Grant, she would spend many hours covertly watching her grandfather's servants preparing delicious delicacies in the off-limits kitchen. As she wrote in her book Cooking with Madame Wu, she learned that "eating well-balanced meals containing selected herbs and spices would improve health, beauty, sexual vitality and longevity." After her beloved grandfather's death and the outbreak of World War II, Sylvia’s life changed. Her extended family moved to Shanghai and then to Hong Kong. A free flight to Calcutta resulted in an offer that would change Sylvia's life. A friend in India was about to join his wife in the U.S. He said she could come along if she agreed to go to college there. While pursuing an education degree at Columbia University, she became acquainted with King Yan Wu, a successful engineer from a distinguished Chinese family (both his father and grandfather served as China's ambassador to the U.S.). They were soon married and had three children. Sylvia settled into the role of sophisticated stay-at-home spouse and hostess. A personal chef, provided by her mother-in-law, assisted her. Eventually, Sylvia began to cook more herself and claimed she could prepare a full Chinese dinner for her family in under an hour. This was preferable to the Chinese restaurants in New York, which often left her disappointed. She was appalled by the manners of the waiters and the heavy faux-Cantonese dishes. By 1959, the Wu’s were living in Los Angeles. When her children were in their teens and didn't need her much, she began to think about getting a job. One day she told King she wanted to open a Chinese restaurant. Thinking she wasn't serious he made no objections, so she drove around and found a location in West Los Angeles. When King realized she wasn’t kidding and it wasn’t a whim, he tried to talk her out of it. In those days, most people who opened a Chinese restaurant were former waiters or cooks with no business sense. Sylvia had good sense. In 1959, Madame Wu's Garden opened on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica. The intimate space seated fewer than 50 people. They had just two cooks, two waiters and a dishwasher. Coming from a wealthy family Madame Wu had friends in high places. One such friend was the president of NBC who helped her write a letter promoting the opening of the restaurant, which she sent to the membership of her church and her daughter's exclusive school. That letter really brought the customers. Later Sylvia recalled, "We sold out the first night and people were lined up outside for six months." My parents were in the opening crowd which became an instant hit with the Hollywood in-crowd who were, charmed by Sylvia's impeccable manners and discreet, reverential treatment of them. Sylvia knew what her customers wanted and reinvented a brand of Cantonese signature dishes suited to the less sophisticated and informed American palate. Her Chinese friends would criticize the food, saying it wasn't authentic. But she was laughing all the way to the bank and telling them, “Look around, honey. Do you see any Chinese [people] dining here?'" Her spareribs, Peking duck, crab puffs, and shrimp toast were legendary. Her teen-age crush, Cary Grant (who would become a close friend), told her about a shredded chicken salad he had enjoyed at another restaurant, so she developed her own Shredded Chinese Chicken Salad, which is now imitated at restaurants around the globe. Here is my version (from China Rose) of Madame Wu’s famous Chinese Chicken Salad. Prep time: 45 minutes Cook time: 12 minutes Put together time: 5 minutes Yield: 4 servings Ingredients Peanut oil for deep frying 8 won ton wrappers, refrigerated cut in 1/8-inch strips (store bought) 1/3 (6-ounce) package white fine rice noodles 2 chicken thighs or breasts, skin on—bone in 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard 1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil 2 tablespoons light soy sauce 3 tablespoons toasted almonds, slivered 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, white parts only 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded (or greens) Directions
ChefSecret: Are you feeling really lazy or just don’t want to fry today? Here is an easy option—substitute leftover turkey or store-bought rotisserie or barbecued chicken for the cooked chicken. Substitute 2 cups of canned shoestring potatoes and one cup of canned fried onions instead of the fried won ton strips and rice noodles. It’s not the same, but it is passable. Quip of the Day: “It is a little thing to starve to death; it is a serious matter to lose one's virtue.” ~ Chinese Proverb ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? 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. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America or American Red Cross. #Entree #Salad #Chicken #TheChinaRoseCollection #ChineseChickenSalad #AsianChickenSalad #ChineseCuisine #2022 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2022 …from the Perspectives’ Kitchen How you doin’? This is the perfect cookie for tailgating. It tastes little bit like the rich and fudgy version of a chocolate sheet cake found in New York bakeries, but a lot easier to bring to the party. Make sure to frost these cookies while both the cookies, and the frosting, are still warm, because the frosting sets up quickly! Top them chopped pecans and store them in airtight containers to maintain the freshness. But where did the custom of tailgating originate, you ask? The modern tailgate likely has its roots in college football, first played at College Field in New Brunswick, New Jersey, between Rutgers and Princeton in 1869. Local lore insist it was both a fine game and a fine party. The party and its basic elements, though, might have earlier origins. But it’s unlikely that covered wagons had tailgates. It may just be that with the advent of wooden-sided station wagons (known as woodies) in the 1930s, fans used the rear fold-down tailgates as seats or buffet tables. Thus, pregame partying was increasingly called “tailgating.” While some credit Yale sports information director Charley Loftus, it's not clear who, if anyone, coined the term or the practice. Tailgating is primarily an American or Canadian pre-game celebration, and it often involves consuming large amounts of alcoholic beverages while barbecuing and grilling food. Tailgate parties occur in the parking lots at stadiums and arenas, before and occasionally after games, festivals, and concerts. Prep time: 40 minutes Bake time: 10 minutes Ingredients For the cookies 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I prefer Guittard chocolate chips) 1-1/8 cups all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa (I prefer Guittard cocoa powder) 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (I prefer Medaglia D’oro) 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg, room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 1/4 cup room temperature buttermilk For the chocolate frosting 5 tablespoons unsalted butter 5 tablespoons heavy cream 3 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa (I prefer Guittard cocoa powder) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt 2 cups confectioner’s sugar Directions To make the cookies
The frosting can be reheated if it begins to set up too quickly. Simply place back on to low heat and whisk until it is a pourable consistency again. Additional heavy cream may be added to the frosting as well. Caution: too much cream will interfere with the frosting's set-up. Quip of the Day: “I think about this the closer we come to April 15th… Modern day slaves are not in chains; they are in debt to the federal government.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? 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. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. #Baking #Cookies #LVR #RaidersNationa #TailgateCookies #FudgyChocolateCookies #Guittard #2022 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2022 |
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