…from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour Bar![]() How you doin’? July is Ice Cream Month, so let’s scoop and toast to that! Here is my creamy, dreamy, boozy and delicious Rum & Chocolate Frozen Milkshake recipe. It’s easy and popular, and in my house ready in just five minutes with a few simple ingredients—cold milk, chocolate syrup, vanilla ice cream, rum and more rum and chocolate sprinkles—you can make a delicious Happy Hour for two. You can choose your favorite consistency by blending until it's just right. Just blend, pour, garnish, flame and enjoy with loved ones! Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 2 (10 oz) frozen cocktails Ingredients 4 scoops vanilla ice cream (about 2 cups) 1/2 cup whole milk (cold) 1/4 cup chocolate syrup 1-1/2 dark rum 1 teaspoon chocolate sprinkles 1/4 ounce 151 proof rum Directions
ChefSecret: For a more intense chocolate flavor substitute chocolate ice cream for the vanilla ice cream. Quip of the Day: Rum doesn’t solve any problems, but neither does milk. So, stick with the rum. 😊 ------------------------------------------ Do you have a question or comment? 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, 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, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Cocktail #HappyHour #Rum #ChocolateMilkshake #IceCreamCocktail #LightItUp #SummertimeHappyHour #Cheers #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024
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…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen![]() How you doin’? Perspectives developed SPOT, a Lebanese-style restaurant, for our Azerbaijan clients; it opened in Berlin, Germany. Got all that? Being that we didn’t feel all that safe in Beirut, we spent a couple of weeks in London where all the best Lebanese chefs immigrated to escape the Middle East turmoil. One of the dishes we came to love was Baba Ganoush for its bright, simple flavors and silky texture. After tasting the best that London had to offer, I updated this classic to appeal to European and American tastes. The word bābā in Arabic is a term of endearment for 'father', while Ġannūj could be a personal name. The word combination is also interpreted as 'father of coquetry' or 'indulged/pampered/flirtatious daddy' or 'spoiled old daddy'. However, it is not certain whether the word bābā refers to an actual person indulged by the dish or to the eggplant (bāḏinjān or bātinjān in Arabic). Very old dish… very old history. In my Baba Ganoush recipe, the eggplant is broiled until it is charred / blackened from end to end. After you scrape off all the char, the only thing left is the steamed lush, smoky flesh. I then purée with roasted garlic, lemon juice, tahini and cayenne. When served, I top it with a swirl of cumin-flavored olive oil, paprika, mint and fresh parsley. I like to serve Baba Ganoush at summertime picnics and outdoor barbecues. It is a rustic spread full of smoke, garlicky piquancy, lemon and vegetable sweetness of the eggplant which complements grilled lamb and chicken. It tastes amazing on a soft triangle of homemade pita bread. Pita bread is pretty easy to make for home cooks and can even be made on the gates of a hot barbecue. Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 10 to 15 minutes Yield: 2 Cups Ingredients 2 pounds eggplant 1/4 cup tahini (sesame) 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 4 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste 1/8 teaspoon cayenne 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted until fragrant and coarsely ground 3 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon smoky paprika 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint Homemade pita or chips for serving Directions
ChefSecret: You can personalize my Baba Ganoush recipe and make it yours. If you like it salty, top it with olives. If you like a ton of herbs, pile it up with mint, parsley and basil. If you live for the smoky flavor, sprinkle with a little more smoky paprika. Quip of the Day: Did you know that a Lebanese fortune teller reads the future in the swirls of Baba Ganoush? ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? 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, 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, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Appetizer #Dip #SmokyBabaGanoush #BabaGanoush #LebaneseDips #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 …from the Perspectives’ Kitchen![]() How you doin’? Summertime is peach time, and I can’t think of a better after barbecue dessert than Grilled Peach Cobbler. In general Cobblers are a Southern classic dessert category and fresh peaches are in season right now. Cobblers are sort of a free-form dessert, as variable as the home kitchens that create them. There’s no messing around with making and rolling doughs for pies. You’ll find that you can top them with everything from lattice pie crusts to sweet and crunchy Dutch crumble to buttery biscuit blobs. Scooping biscuits is about the easiest solution and I love my scooped recipe with a fun twist—topped with buttermilk cornmeal biscuits. They’re mixed up in a bowl, and then scooped into a cast-iron pan with the peaches before baking. So simple: two dishes, no kneading, no folding, no mess and no real culinary talent required. The biscuits bake up super fluffy and flavorful with a buttermilk tang, a nutty butter bite and, of course, the corn. Those savory layers are wonderful with the spicy-sweet filling of grilled summer peaches, sweet cream butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom. Perfect for friends and family, this is a scoop-yourself-dish, served warm from the cast iron skillet right from an oven, or the grill of your barbecue. Of course, no cobbler would be complete without heaping scoops of vanilla ice cream. Prep time: 50 minutes+ Grill time: 3 minutes (for the peaches) Bake time: 45 minutes+ Cool time: 10 minutes Yield: 6 to 8 servings Ingredients 2 pounds fresh peaches, sliced vegetable oil (to prep the peaches for the grill) 3/4 cup unsalted butter, divided 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 1 tablespoon water 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup fine cornmeal 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 cup buttermilk 2 pints vanilla ice cream, for serving Directions To make the cobbler filling
To make the biscuit batter
ChefSecret: I like the enhanced flavor of the grilled peaches especially if the cobbler is a dessert following a meal of barbecue meats. It makes a subtle difference, but it’s worth the effort. If you decide to use canned peaches, skip this step and drain the peaches. Quip of the Day: I'm on a seafood diet. I see food and I eat it. ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? 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, 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, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Dessert #Baking #Cobbler #Peaches #GrilledPeaches #VanillaIceCream #2024Recipes #T2T #URM #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 …from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour Bar![]() How you doin’? At the original Customs House Restaurant in Foster City, California we had some expressive cocktails. At the corner of the long bar was a virtual Soda Fountain with a Liquor License. I loved being able to come in once a week and introduce my bartenders to new inventive frozen drinks made with ice cream and liquors. When I walked into the restaurant my two lead bartenders or soda jerks—Chip and Crash—would break out in a rash realizing that another new complex cocktail was on its way. They hated frou-frou drinks because they had to clean up and wash out the blender after each and every drink. So, here’s my summer offering for a new Happy Hour frozen cocktail that you can easily make at home and, I promise… it will blow your mind with its creamy, chocolaty flavor—introducing the S.O.B. Cocktail. The S.O.B . is equal parts delicious, refreshing and rich—a mixture of a mocha shake and a piña colada. The S.O.B. is lusciously smooth with notes of chocolate, coffee and vanilla. It’s perfect for sipping poolside as a summer cocktail, or as a dessert drink any time you’re dreaming of the sun. Here’s everything you need to know to make it! The S.O.B. is a frozen cocktail made with rum, Kahlua, creme de cacao, cream of coconut and milk—known for its creamy texture, sweet flavor and boozy kick. This frozen boozy milkshake relies on a great mixologist and the ingredients blended to perfection with the following ingredients. Here are all my secrets to making the perfect S.O.B.:
Ingredients 1 ounce chocolate syrup 2 ounces dark rum 2 ounces Kahlua coffee liqueur 2 ounces creme de cacao 2 ounces 2% milk (or oat milk is okay, too) 1 ounce cream of coconut 3 cups of crushed ice 1 maraschino cherry, garnish 1 teaspoon of chocolate shavings, garnish Dollop of whipped cream, garnish (if desired) Directions
ChefSecret: There’s no dairy in any of the liqueurs in a S.O.B. cocktail, so it’s easy to make it a dairy free or vegan cocktail using oat or soy milk and dark chocolate. The drink tends to separate a bit, which is normal, just stir it up with a straw while drinking. Quip of the Day: Do you know that a lion would never drive while drunk? But a tiger wood. ------------------------------------------ Do you have a question or comment? 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, 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, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Cocktail #HappyHour #Rum #Kahlua #CremeDeCacao #CreamOfCoconut #CustomsHouse #SummertimeHappyHour #Cheers #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 …from the Perspectives’ Kitchen![]() How you doin’? Summer veggies are at their prime this time of year. So now is the best time to go to your local farms and farmer’s markets and shop for the finest produce available. I can eat corn in various forms any time of year, but especially in the summer when it is at its crisp, sweet best. I like to add corn to wraps and salads for the sweetness and crunch it adds. And if you grill it first you add flavor dimension to the mix. In this recipe, I’ve infused the cooking water with garlic, thyme, and bay leaves, and then blanched the corn in it for a few minutes, so it’s full of flavor but still pops when you bite into it. We also cut the corn from the cob in chunks/rows, so that it has a fresher presence in the salad. Then I toss the corn together with flakes of crispy salmon, fresh veggies and peppery arugula. It’s dressed in an olive oil and za’atar, (an aromatic Middle Eastern spice blend made with toasted sesame seeds), thyme, marjoram and sumac. The result is a delightful summer salad with a refreshing, flavorful and satisfying taste. This salad travels well, so I like to make it, pack it, and take it on the go. It’s particularly nice for picnics at the beach, the jazz concert in the park or just the back yard. Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Yield: 4 servings Ingredients Kosher salt 2 lemons 3 garlic cloves, crushed 3 sprigs thyme 3 bay leaves, preferably fresh 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 4 teaspoons za'atar seasoning, plus more for serving 1 teaspoon kosher salt 5 fresh ears corn on the cob, husked 4 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets 2 medium heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges 1/2 thinly sliced medium red onion 4 cups baby arugula, for serving Kosher salt, to taste Freshly-ground pepper, to taste Directions
To make the salmon
ChefSecret: If you have extra za’atar seasoning you can use it as a rub for grilled meats and veggies, swirl it into spreadable cheese or hummus or whisk it into breadcrumbs to give fried fish, chicken and onion rings a Mediterranean twist. Quip of the Day: A blonde walks into a library. She asks the librarian, “Can I get the salmon salad?” The librarian answers, “Sorry, this is a library.” The blonde responds, “Oh, right! (this time whispering) Can I get a salmon salad?” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? 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, 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, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Salad #Entree #SalmonSalad #MediterraneanSalmonSalad #Zaatar #Summertime #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 |
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