The 2020 Holidays Recipe Collection ![]() How you doin’? Hopefully, you had as good a holiday weekend as could be expected. Thanksgiving and Black Friday are in the rearview mirror and Christmas and the New Year are still in front of us. In Los Angeles, we been advised to stay in place for another 3 weeks while “they” (whoever “they” are) are trying to get things back under control. In a new report “they” are reporting that the positive rate will rise to 1 in 148 people and may triple or quadruple before the end of the year if we don’t lock down now. Who knows for sure? Hopefully with a couple of successful new vaccines, 2020 will all be a memory and we can get back to some sense of normal shortly. Now let’s talk about some “infectiously” great soups to keep you warm as the weather begins to change. Hail to the Bisque… the second most popular seafood soup after chowders. Bisques are hearty, creamy and all around awesome! This Corn Bisque is good with or without the seafood. Serve it with crusty French bread and maybe a cold beer! Exactly what make a Bisque different from a chowder or ordinary soup? Bisques are smooth, creamy, highly seasoned soups of French origin, classically based on a strained broth of crustaceans—lobster, langoustine, crab, shrimp or crayfish. The name is derived from Biscay, as in Bay of Biscay. The crustaceans are certainly bis cuites "twice cooked." They are first sautéed lightly in their shells, then simmered in wine and aromatic ingredients before being strained, followed by the addition of cream. Bisque is made by extracting flavor from imperfect crustaceans not good enough to send to market, but good enough for soup. In an authentic bisque, the shells are ground to a fine paste and added to thicken the soup. Bisques are traditionally thickened with rice, which can either be strained out, leaving behind the starch, or pureed or milled during the final stages. That was one of the questions asked on the culinary school final—and I got it right. Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Yield: 8 servings Ingredients 1/4 cup unsalted butter 3/4 cup chopped white onions 42 ounces chicken broth 3 tablespoons minced garlic 2 bay leaves 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 4 ears corn, kernels cut from cob 1/2 cup half-and-half 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 cup milk 16 ounces lump crab or lobster meat Directions
ChefSecret: If fresh corn on the cob is out of season substitute with 6 cups of frozen corn. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “Where do sick boats go to get healthy? The dock! ” ------------------------------------------- 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. ------------------------------------------- Here is wishing you the very best for the upcoming holidays. To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind welcoming in the holiday season. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. #Soup #Bisque #Crab #HolidayRecipes #Entrees #Holidays2020 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020
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Happy Hour Friday!![]() How you doin’? We hope you had a great Thanksgiving Day with plenty of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. Here’s a great day-after after-dinner coffee drink—Huber’s Café Spanish Coffee. Fortifying a cup of joe with a splash of booze isn’t exactly revolutionary. Coffee cocktails are no big thing… unless you do something spectacular with them. Countries around the world have their own versions of coffee and alcohol, from Italy’s Caffè Corretto to Ireland’s iconic mix of Irish whiskey, coffee, sugar and cream. Order a Spanish Coffee in Barcelona, and you’re more likely to be served a simple pour of coffee with brandy or rum, also called a Carajillo and dating back more than a century. Also, dating back almost a hundred years is the Special Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista in San Francisco. The flaming spectacle of Spanish Coffee, as we know it, is an American invention. Landmark Restaurants (my brand), TGI Fridays and Margaritaville were new comers when it came to showy presentations behind the bar in the 1970’s. Long setting the theatrical standard for Spanish Coffee has been Huber’s Café in Portland, Oregon, where the drink is prepared tableside and could easily be accompanied by a soundtrack of Europe’s The Final Countdown. Listen here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jK-NcRmVcw The restaurant’s co-owner, James Louie, created what has become the establishment’s signature drink based on a version that was made at the now-closed Fernwood Inn in Milwaukie, Oregon (whose own version was inspired by a Mexican riff on the cocktail). “He just embellished it and made it a little bit safer,” says John Pierce, who’s been behind the bar at Huber’s for the last 38 years. The dramatic fire play involves adding overproof 151-proof rum and triple sec to a sugar-rimmed glass and setting it aflame. After the swirling blue flames have warmed the glass and caramelized the sugar, the fire is extinguished with a pour of Kahlúa. The boozy blend is topped with hot coffee, a float of freshly whipped cream and a dash of nutmeg. It’s a heady mixture to be sure, having no subtlety in flavor and the flair and nostalgia of a fancy supper club classic—sweet, boozy and warming to the core. “The way we make them, you’re not going to find anywhere else,” says Pierce. “It’s a big show—people want to see.” You can see the show right here… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhz9QdgwaHk. Ingredients 1 lemon wedge 2 teaspoons super-fine sugar, or as needed 3/4 ounce 151-proof rum 1/4 ounce triple sec 1-1/2 ounces Kahlúa coffee liqueur 3 ounces fresh-brewed strong coffee lightly whipped cream and grated nutmeg to garnish Tools of the Trade Lighter or matches Irish coffee or stemmed red wine glass (the glass must be tempered) Directions:
ChefSecret: The goal in making this drink, besides the drink and the show, is to be able to walk away with your eyebrows and hair still intact. 151-proof rum is high octane stuff. When igniting the 151-proof rum, hold the glass well away from your face. The Covid-19 Quip of the Day: I was just wondering, do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery? ------------------------------------------- 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. ------------------------------------------- Here is wishing you the very best for the holidays. To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind welcoming in the holiday season. 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 #HubersCafe #SpanishCoffee #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020 We are thankful for many things, but most assuredly we are thankful to you, our readers, for your support to us during this challenging year. Your kind comments and interest in this humble blog have helped sustain us.
We wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! The 2020 Holidays Recipe Collection ![]() How you doin’? Brussels Sprouts… either you love ‘em or you hate ‘em—they’re an acquired taste—really nothing in between. They are sometimes a bit stinky, a little bitter and taste a little like cabbage. That’s because Brussels sprouts, (Brassica oleracea, variety gemmifera), are a form of cabbage, belonging to the mustard family Brassicaceae. They are widely grown in Europe and North America for their edible buds called “sprouts.” Brussels sprouts may have been grown in Belgium as early as 1200, but the first recorded description of them dates back to 1587. This recipe may even tempt young children (honey… kids love sweet flavors) to give them a try. Have you often wondered why kids are so finicky about strongly flavored vegetables (Brussels sprouts and asparagus)? Young people have about 7,000 taste receptors in their tiny mouths. That makes them very sensitive to strong or spicy flavors. As they grow into adulthood, many of the receptors will be burned or bitten; the adult mouth averages only 1,500 to 1,800 taste receptors. That’s the reason why as you grow older you are more willing to try foods you didn’t like as a kid. Prep time: 5 to 10 minutes Cook time: 20 to 25 minutes Yield: Serves 6 to 8 Ingredients 2 pounds Brussels sprouts 1/4 cup olive oil 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 2 teaspoons honey 1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon Directions
ChefSecret: You can speed the cooking process along by placing the Brussels sprouts in a covered, microwave safe bowl and cooking them in a microwave for about 5 minutes, before putting them in the oven. Warm the honey and the balsamic vinegar before tossing with the Brussels sprouts—it’s okay to mix them together. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “I was just thinking, why are hemorrhoids called hemorrhoids instead of assteroids?” ---------------------------------------- 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. ------------------------------------------- Here is wishing you the very best for the upcoming holidays. To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind welcoming in the holiday season. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. #ThanksgivingRecipes #Thanksgiving #BrusselsSprouts #Bacon #Balsamic #Honey#SideDishes #HolidayRecipes #Holidays2020 #Thankful #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020 The 2020 Holidays Recipe Collection ![]() How you doin’? I’m a real “cookie monster!” I love my icebox cookies. Icebox cookies, also known as refrigerator cookies, are slice-and-bake cookies. The dough is formed into a log, chilled in the refrigerator (also known as an icebox), and then sliced into rounds before baking. Ice box cookies are short… mostly flour, sugar and butter. A short cookie is crisp and buttery like a piece of Walker’s Scottish short bread… yum. There are hundreds of recipes for Icebox Cookies. Recipes come in all flavors, ranging from chocolate to vanilla, lemon, orange, etc. By alternating colors and flavors of dough, usually chocolate and vanilla, cookies can be made with patterns, such as checkerboards or pinwheels. By exchanging the lemon zest for orange zest, the lemon juice for frozen orange juice concentrate and the pecans for poppy seeds you can make great Orange-Poppy Seed icebox cookies. Icebox cookies are a great prepare-ahead-of-time dough because it can be kept refrigerated for 3 days in a form or other shape, or frozen for a month or so. Then, cookie dough can be cut and baked at any time, even if directly from the freezer. Prep time: 15 minutes Bake time: 10 to 12 minutes Chill time: 1 hour Yield: 6 dozen cookies Ingredients 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 2 teaspoon lemon zest (use a micro-plane, if you have one) 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup pecans, finely chopped Directions
ChefSecret: You may be asking yourself, why do all Ed’s recipes call for kosher salt? The main difference between regular salt and kosher salt is the structure of the flakes. Chefs find that kosher salt, due to its large flake size, is easier to pick up with your fingers and spread over food. Kosher salt is also less likely to contain additives like anti-caking agents and iodine. Special Note: We actually had a real ice box in a rental vacation cabin at Big Bear Lake, California. Every morning around 8 o’clock the ice man cometh (really, he did) so we could keep things chilled another day. Covid-19 Quip of the Day: The World Health Organization announced that dogs cannot contract COVID-19. Dogs previously held in quarantine can now be released. To be clear, WHO let the dogs out. ------------------------------------------- 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. We have added a new search feature to make it easier to navigate through our blogs. ------------------------------------------- Here is wishing you the very best for the upcoming holidays. To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind welcoming in the holiday season. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thank you for reading. #ThanksgivingRecipes #Thanksgiving #HolidayRecipes #ChristmasCookies #LemonPecanIceBoxCookies #Dessert #Snack #Holidays2020 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020 |
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