How you doin’? As the weather starts to warm up, we start to think about out outdoor brunches and barbecues. Nothing goes better with these home entertainment activities than a Blood Mary cocktail.
 
The creation of the Bloody Mary dates back to the 1920’s and is often credited to Fernand Petiot while a young bartender at Harry's New York Bar in Paris. However, it appears he simply spiced up an existing and well-established combination of vodka and tomato juice while working at the St. Regis Hotel, New York City during the 1940s.
 
The real secret to a great (not just good) Blood Mary is the mix… so much more than simple tomato or V-8 juice. It involves a mélange of ingredients that are complementary to each other as well as a great assortment of garnishes—you can never have too many toppers for a great Blood Mary.
 
What does a Blood Mary do for a hangover?  If you really want to feel better after a long night of drinking, maybe try a Virgin Mary on for size made with this mix. The non-booze ingredients of a Bloody Mary deliver up electrolytes, water, Vitamins A and C, and Vitamin B6, all of which might just help with a hangover.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Yield:  32-ounces
 
Ingredients 
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fine grind black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
2 tablespoons sweet and sour mix
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Rose’s lime juice
2 tablespoons red Burgundy
2 dashes Tabasco sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish (more, for a stiffer kick)
32 ounces tomato juice
 
Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large pitcher and stir well.
2. Cover and store refrigerated until ready to use.

ChefSecret:  A bartender’s secret to a great Blood Mary is not only the Blood Mary Mix (see above), but the garnishes. You can simply garnish with a stalk of celery and a lime or lemon wedge, or you can go all and rim the glass with celery salt and load it up with cheese cubes, olives, peppers and even skewered shrimp (Shipwreck Mary, Lesson #73) and make a meal of it.

Quip of the Day: “Legend says that if you stand in front of the mirror in your bedroom at 3am and scream Bloody Mary then your spouse will appear, throw sandals at you and tell you to shut the hell up and go to sleep.”
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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 .
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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.

#Cocktail #HappyHour #ZippyBloodyMary #BloodyMary #Tabasco #RosesLimeJuice #Cheers #2022 #Cheers# QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
 
                                                              ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022

​How you doin’? For my generation there were lots of wonderful memories with some of mom’s or grandmother’s cooking—today’s kids may not have the same recollections. If you have a family favorite you might want to document now so it can live on as a family legacy to share with your current and future mini me’s.
 
When I think back to my childhood most of the great baking came from my Aunt Esther and I have shared several recipes of hers with you on this blog. And then there was the yeasty waffle recipe from Aunt Waffle (actually, Aunt Ethel). My mother’s recipe… not so much. I once featured on one of my restaurant menus, “Apple Pie like mom used to make $2.95; Apple Pie like mom thought she made $5.95.” That being the case, I have a fascination with other moms’ great recipes.
 
I recently read in Allrecipes that James Beard shared his mother's recipe for shortcake with a friend.  James Beard claimed that his mother’s secret ingredient in baking her shortcake was finely crumbled hard-boiled egg yolks, which enrich the dough without toughening it. Even before Beard was the famous award-winning James Beard who wrote 20 cookbooks, hosted cooking shows and changed the game of modern cuisine, his mom was whipping up one seriously delicious—yet delightfully strange—shortcake recipe. Thanks mom!
 
When I was in Melbourne several years ago, I worked with an old-world German pastry chef and he, too, used finely crumbled hard-boiled egg yolks, which enriched the dough without toughening it contributing to the baked cakes' perfectly tender crumb. The technique has also appeared in recipes from The Great British Bake Off in 2018. What I found out is that this method is common in Northern European baking, where savvy bakers discovered that the small egg yolk bits prevent too much gluten from forming in the dough, keeping the baked goods (like shortcakes) ultra-tender.
 
The next time you’re in the produce section of your local supermarket and see all those beautiful, aroma-blessed fresh strawberries, pick up a couple of baskets (or flats) and then walk right by the packaged, convenience spongy bun shortcakes and go home to make your own home-baked shortcake pastry following the recipe below.
 
Prep time:  30-40 minutes
Bake time:  15 minutes             
Yield:  6 Servings
 
Ingredients 
For the shortcake pastry
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling
1 tablespoon, plus 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
2 hard-boiled egg yolks, pushed through a small mesh sieve
3/4 cup heavy cream, chilled
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
 
For the strawberry topping
3 pints fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, and halved
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon orange liqueur
 
For the whipped cream topping
1 cup chilled heavy cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
mint sprig (garnish)
 
Directions
To make the shortcake pastry

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour and all of the baking powder.
2. Mix in 1/4 cup of the sugar and the salt.
3. Add the chilled butter cubes and using your fingertips, work the butter into the flour mixture until it has the consistency of coarse crumbs.
4. Stir in the sieved hard-boiled egg yolks.
5. Slowly add the cream and almond extract in small increments, blending into the mixture until absorbed before adding more; gently mix until the dough just comes together. Do not overwork the dough.
6. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and gently knead into a smooth ball (about two or three turns). Gently pat down the dough to make a flat 1-inch-thick slab.
7. Using a lightly floured 2 1/2-inch-round biscuit cutter, cut straight down to create 6 shortcakes.
8. Place the shortcakes on a plate lined with waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
9. Preheat an oven to 450°F.
10. Just before baking brush the tops of each shortcake with melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining sugar.
11. Transfer the chilled shortcakes to a parchment-lined sheet pan.
12. Bake on the center rack of the oven until golden and firm to the touch, about 15 minutes.
13. Remove from the oven and let cool.

To make the strawberry filling

1. While the shortcakes cool, prepare the fruit filling and whipped cream.
2. Place the strawberries in a large bowl, gently fold in the sugar and orange liqueur and let sit until macerated (make soft by soaking in the liquid).

To make the whipped cream topping

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the chilled heavy cream on low and gradually increase speed until it begins to thicken.
2. Reduce speed, add sugar and the vanilla extract and begin to slowly increase the speed until the whipped cream is thickened, about 4 minutes.

To assembly the strawberry shortcakes

1. Using a fork or serrated knife, split the shortcakes in half horizontally. Place the bottom halves on plates and generously spoon the macerated strawberries and juices over them.
2. Top with a heaping dollop of whipped cream. Top with the other half of each shortcake and more whipped cream. Garnish with fresh mint.
3. Serve immediately.

ChefSecrets:  The secret to tender shortcakes is to not overwork the dough.

Quip of the Day: “Why were the little strawberries so upset? Because their parents were in a jam!”
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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.
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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. 

#Desserts #StrawberryShortcake #Strawberries #EggYolks #JamesBeard #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup
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                                           ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022

How you doin’? Sock it to me! The phrase itself has quite a history. It was first popularized in Aretha Franklin’s 1967 version of the song “Respect,” an Otis Redding original. In 1968, the phrase was made even more popular when it was used in NBC’s Rowan & Martin’s reoccurring sketch comedy show, Laugh-In. And it was made even more famous when Rowan & Martin got President Richard Nixon to recite that line in his own inimitable style.
 
Later, in the 1970s, Duncan Hines added a recipe for Sock-It-To-Me Bundt Cake on the back of its Classic Butter Golden Cake Mix box and the recipe has since become a Southern dessert staple (sometimes known as Tunnel Cake).
 
If you haven’t baked a Sock-It-To-Me Cake before then you’re definitely missing out! This moist, tender cake has a ribbon of brown sugar, pecan and cinnamon streusel in the middle that is to die for and a sugar-almond glaze on top that ties it all together perfectly. Think of it like the best Southern butter cake with a surprise filling. It’s so easy to make and it is beyond delicious!
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Bake time:  60 to 75 minutes
Yield:  12 servings
 
Ingredients 
For the cake batter
Non-stick baking spray (I prefer Pam)
3 cups cake flour sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
2-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange zest (optional—see ChefSecrets)
 
For the pecan filling
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
 
For the cake glaze
1-1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 325⁰ F
2. Liberally spray a 10 to 12 cup Bundt (or Angel Food cake) pan with non-stick baking spray.
3. Whisk or sift the flour, salt and baking soda together and set aside.
4. Using your fingers mix the filling ingredients and set aside. It will look light small clumps of sand.
5. In a bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar and whip for 3-4 minutes on high speed until very pale yellow and fluffy.
6. Add the eggs, one at a time, combining well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed.
7. Turn the mixer down to its lowest speed, and slowly add flour mixture into the butter/sugar mixture in two increments. Do not to overbeat.
8. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract, scrape down sides again and mix until just combined; turn off mixer.
9. Pour 2/3 of the batter into the prepared Bundt pan.
10. Evenly deposit the filling over the batter as close to the center as possible.
11. Top with the remaining cake batter over the top and smooth off the top.
12. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Be patient.
13. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes then invert cake on serving plate for at least an hour or until the cake is cool to touch.
14. Whisk together confectioner’s sugar, milk and almond extract to form a glaze, drizzle over the cake. Add a little more milk, one teaspoon at a time if the glaze is too thick.
15. Serve and sock-it-to-them!

ChefSecrets: 

• It’s best to use a simple designed Bundt pan and really spray the inside of the Bundt pan well to make sure the cake doesn't stick. For the cover shot, I forgot to bring home a Bundt pan and just used an angel food cake pan with a removable bottom.
• To really Sock It To ‘Em, try adding 2 Tablespoons of fresh Orange Zest to the cake batter.
• Just a few seconds in the microwave or a few minutes in the toaster oven with a little butter, refreshes the cake if a few days old... if it lasts that long!

Quip of the Day: “Learn to cook and bake well now—you can’t build a reputation on what you say you’re going to cook, plus you can often eat your mistakes while practicing!
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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.
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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 to relief efforts in Ukraine.
​
#Desserts #Baking #Cake #SockItToMeCake #LaughIn #Rowan&Martin #Snack #Pecans #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup
                                        ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022

How you doin’? I spent a lot of time at the Disneyland park as a kid and later as a consultant to all the Disney parks. They were magical to a 10-year old and even more impressive as an adult working behind the scenes.
 
It’s fitting that we are coming into Mardi Gras as my favorite places is still New Orleans Square—one of the themed lands found at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. It’s based on 19th-century New Orleans. It was the first area to be added to Disneyland since the park’s opening. According to Disney history, at nearly $18 million the roughly three-acre area cost as much as the original Louisiana Purchase; without adjusting for inflation, it actually cost more.
 
New Orleans Square is home to Pirates of the Caribbean and used to be the home of the Disneyland Dream Suite. Now closed, at one point, it was the only overnight accommodations in the park open to the public. You can also find the Blue Bayou Restaurant and Haunted Mansion.  The Square is also home to Club 33 a subscription venue that can cost over $40,000 for the initial membership fee, and $10,000-$25,000 in annual dues thereafter… and that’s if you’re lucky enough to be selected from the waitlist.
 
In New Orleans Square they used to sell what they called “New Orleans Beignets” but were not true beignets at all, but an eggy fried choux dough (creampuff pastry). That later changed to a more authentic pastry several years ago. I always loved the original and tweaked it several times to fit one of my restaurants. It is great for weekend brunches.
 
Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday… which falls on March 1st this year. Hey… that’s tomorrow!
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Fry time:  11 minutes
Yield:  25 small fritters
 
Ingredients 
For the fritters
1 cup water
3 ounces unsalted butter
4 1/4 ounces all-purpose flour
1/4 ounce granulated sugar
5 large eggs
Vegetable oil (for deep frying)
 
For the topping
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
 
Directions

1. Weigh out all the ingredients and have at your side.
2. Put the water and butter in saucepan and bring to a full boil.
3. In a separate large pot, begin to heat the vegetable oil (for frying).
4. Combine the flour and sugar in a separate bowl.  Add immediately to the saucepan on the stove and mix with a spoon with fast strokes.  Mixture will be very stiff and form a ball in the center of the pan.  Continue to heat for 2 minutes.
5. Transfer paste to an electric stand mixer.  Using paddle attachment beat mixture at medium speed.
6. Add the eggs 1 at a time.  Do not add more eggs until mixture is blended completely.
7. When all the eggs have been added, turn the speed up to High for 10 seconds.  Batter should be thick but still viscous.  Not a paste.
8. Remove batter from mixer. 
9. Using #40 scoop (1-ounce / 2 tablespoons) to portion, deep fry a few at a time at 350⁰F.
10. Time the fritter batches for 11 minutes.  Turn them frequently and bat them a little to help them expand.  They will triple in size.
11. Sprinkle finished fritters with cinnamon-sugar and then top with powdered sugar.
12. I like to serve fritters in baskets lined with white napkins.

ChefSecret:  It’s best to weigh out all the ingredients instead of just using cups and spoons.

Quip of the Day: “If there was no New Orleans, America would just be a bunch of free-loving people dying of boredom.”
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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.
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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.

#Desserts #Beignets #Fritters #DisneylandFritters #NewOrleans #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                            ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022

​How you doin’? Okay, I know working from home, plus stress and/or other pressures seems to pack on the pounds. You made a New Year’s Resolution to lose at least 2-1/2 pounds a month. That’s a nice safe weight loss to help you from gaining it right back again. So cut back on the fried foods and the ooey-gooey desserts and try one of our new healthful recipes. Our Survival Guide will publish one new recipe from the Healthful Collection every week. We promise you won’t be disappointed.
 
I love a good chicken salad sandwich, but who needs the high-calorie mayonnaise? Low-cal ranch dressing is the secret ingredient for replacing mayonnaise or other creamy ingredients typically used to dress a chicken salad. You’ll find it is addictively good and absolutely the best replacement for mayo—low on calories and fat and high on flavor!
 
While you can definitely make your own ranch dressing, but you can make this recipe quick and easy with store-bought Hidden Valley Ranch Low Fat Dressing or Bolthouse Farm’s Yogurt Classic Ranch.
 
My Healthy Chicken Salad is made with shredded chicken (left over rotisserie chicken), crisp celery, dried sweet cranberries, juicy grapes, and crunchy sliced almonds. It's tossed in a no-mayo dressing.
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Yield: 6 -8 small sandwiches
Calories:  270 kcal
 
Ingredients 
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (store-bought)
3/4 cup diced celery
1 cup sliced seedless red grapes
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or dried sweet cherries)
1/4 teaspoon ground rosemary
3/4 cup reduced-fat ranch dressing
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
 
For serving
6-8 pieces green leaf lettuce
6-8 miniature or full-sized croissants or other toasted bread
Option: 6-8 hollowed out tomatoes (for stuffing) in place of bread
 
Instructions 
To prepare the chicken

1. Chop or shred the rotisserie chicken to get 3 cups and add to a large bowl.

To prepare the salad

1. Slice the celery in half and then chop to get small pieces.
2. Cut the gapes in half.
3. Add the celery, grapes, 1/2 cup of almonds, cranberries and rosemary to the bowl with the shredded chicken.

To prepare the dressing

1. In a small bowl, add the ranch dressing, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and salt and pepper.
2. Whisk together and then pour over the salad.
3. Gently toss to combine and again taste for seasonings.

To make the sandwiches

1.  Toast the bread and serve the chicken salad on top of the bread with lettuce, or in croissants with lettuce, or add this chicken salad to lettuce to make lettuce wraps or stuff hollowed-out tomatoes!

​ChefSecret:  Eat healthfully, keep an eye to the calories. Remember, not all that goes in comes out.

Quip of the Day: “I never would have known that a few weeks of uncut hair would weigh 20 pounds, but that’s what the scale says.”
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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.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. In this New Year, seek out the good in people and avoid conflict. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America.

#Entrees #Lunch #HealthyChickenSalad #RotisserieChicken #LowFatRanchDressing #HiddenValley #BolthouseFarms #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                           ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022