…from the Perspectives’ KitchenHow you doin’? Every year at this time I think about Christmases past. No, I am not trying to conjure up scenes from A Christmas Carol. I’ve just had so many wonderful holiday experiences in the past that I have a wealth of stories and recipes to share. Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen at Christmas time is like something out of a Hans Christian Andersen story and it’s easy to fall in love with the sights, sounds and yes, smells (or aromas) of the city. It is all decked out with fluffy snow, Christmas lights and decorations, plus feasts of Danish food. No one visiting Copenhagen this time of year will be disappointed. There is nothing like it except a visit to Solvang, California—a Danish community located mid-state California. It has many of the attributes described above minus the snow. I like to visit one of the authentic Danish restaurants which features Christmas favorites, Danish-style meatballs, roasted ham and Tilsit cheese sandwich platters loaded with a variety of different types of Danish sausages (my favorite, Danish Brats). The plates are shared with Danish sides—red cabbage, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes covered in a dark rich gravy. I loved how the bite of the red cabbage and the saltiness of sauerkraut work together and are complemented by whipped potatoes which are always delicious. Frikadeller is a flat-bottomed meatball considered the national dish of Denmark. My Frikadeller recipe comes straight from Denmark. It's a little labor-intensive, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be addicted. Double the batch so you can make enough Frikadeller for next day’s sliced open-faced sandwiches on toast with dabs of homemade mayonnaise. Prep time: 20 minutes Chill time: Time: 15 to 30 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Serves: 4-6 Ingredients 1/2 pound ground veal 1/2 pound ground pork 1/4 cup milk, or as needed 1/4 cup finely grated onion 1 large egg 1/4 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup cold soda water salt and pepper to taste 1/4 cup olive oil Directions
ChefSecret: A Danish meal won’t be complete without a plate or basket of freshly made abelskievers (a little like a Danish donut hole) covered in powder or cinnamon sugar. Quip of the Day: Last year I had to throw out all my Danish currency... I didn’t want to spread Kronervirus.” 😊 ------------------------------------------- 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, 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. #ChristmasRecipes #Christmas #Frikadeller #Denmark #DanishMeatballs #Copenhagen HansChristianAndersen #Holidays2023 #BeThankful #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #RedCross #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023
0 Comments
… from the Perspectives Kitchen How you doin’? This recipe was lifted from the pages of my book Choclatique—150 Simply Elegant Desserts. I love working with chocolate. I could sing the praises of cookies all day long. They’re easy to make, easy to serve, and tasty, too! There are a zillion different options. There is nothing better that Italian Christmas cookies. Sarno's Hollywood was located on Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles, just about a half mile west of the old ABC Television Center. It was the first place that I knew of that served real espresso in the 1970’s. You could go there at any time of the day and see many of your favorite Italian heart throbs on break from the soap opera taping at the studio--General Hospital, The Young Marrieds or Day in Court. Aside from real espresso and great potato gnocchi (not chocolate) they had a fantastic array of Italian bakery delicacies and Italian cookies. My choice was always the Chocolate Crackle Cookies. These soft and crackly cookies were rich, with a deep chocolate flavor accented by the espresso which was the perfect ingredient complement to raise the level of chocolate flavor. There was also a touch of almond extract. While the almond is not completely authentic for this traditional cookie it adds an additional layer of flavor. Prep time: 30 minutes Chill time: 2 hours (or overnight) Bake time: 30 minutes Yield: 30 cookies Ingredients 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/3 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (I prefer Guittard) 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 4 ounces chopped dark chocolate (72%) 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces (I prefer Plugra) 1 cup packed light brown sugar 3 large eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract 1 cup confectioners' sugar Directions
ChefSecret: Make sure to let the melted chocolate cool so you don’t scramble the eggs. Quip of the Day: Today we will live in the moment. Unless it’s unpleasant in which case we will eat a cookie. ------------------------------------------- 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, 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. #ChristmasRecipes #Christmas #ChristmasCookies #ItalianChristmasChocolateCrackleCookies #Chocolate #Cocoa #Cookies #Dessert #Holidays2023 #BeThankful #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #RedCross #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023 … from the Perspectives Kitchen How you doin’? A few weeks back I extolled the virtues of Benton Bacon. I continue to specify Alan Benton fine hams and bacon for several clients. The last shipment I received had some “secrets” on the right way to cook Benton Bacon—not too, crisp, not too limp… just about right. Here are some bacon cookin’ ways that will make your job easier to cook and clean-up. First, stop trying to wrangle a hot grease-spattering skillet—the skillet will always win. Work smarter, not harder! The cleaner and easier way to cook bacon, that works every time, is in an oven. It's so simple you'll wonder why you haven’t been cooking bacon this way all along. So, why should you cook bacon in the oven instead of frying it the old-fashioned way? Here are ten good reasons for cooking bacon in the oven:
Equipment Needed Large rimmed, heavy-duty sheet pan Aluminum foil Optional Baking rack—cooking bacon on a rack makes the bacon crisper and lets the grease drip off the bacon as it cooks. If you go the rack route, you should still line your baking pan with foil to make clean-up easy. Following my easy directions will turn cold strips of smoked pork into delicious heavenly crisp bacon. Cooking Bacon in the Oven Ingredients 1 pound thick-cut bacon--that’s all folks! Directions
Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic Cheddar and Bacon Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 15 10 20 minutes Mix time: 5 minutes Bake time: 20 to 30 minutes Yield: 5 servings Ingredients 3 pounds russet potatoes 5 slices Benton Smoked Bacon, cooked crisp 4-ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted 1/2 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons minced chives 1 tablespoon minced roasted garlic 1-1/4 cups grated Cheddar cheese 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground course black pepper Directions
ChefSecret: No baking rack? Line the baking sheet, then crumple up some more foil and lay the bacon over it to hold it up out of the grease. Your baking time may differ because of the oven and the thickness of the bacon. Prevent oven splatters by placing a layer of foil over the bacon to keep grease from spattering all over the oven. Remove the foil for the last 5-minutes of cooking for crisping. Quip of the Day: Q: What do you call fake potatoes? A: Imitaters! ------------------------------------------- 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, 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. #ThanksgivingRecipes #Thanksgiving #Baking #SideDish #MashedPotatoes #BaconMashed #Holidays2023 #BeThankful #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #RedCross #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023 …from the Perspectives’ KitchenHow you doin’? Just two more sleeps ‘till Turkey Day. Many people leave the turkey gray to the very last minute. Please don’t do that. Afterall, aren’t all those Thanksgiving dishes you’ve work so hard to make really just carriers for savory turkey gravy? This year plan ahead and don't let those drippings in the bottom of the roasting pan go to waste. Use them to make an easy and flavorful turkey gravy from scratch for your holiday feast. Here's how to make delicious turkey gravy from drippings. Ingredients 4 cups of turkey broth or chicken broth 1/4 cup of reserved turkey fat from the bottom of the roasting pan 1/2 cup of white wine 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour Kosher salt and pepper to taste 1 teaspoon freshly chopped sage 1/2 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet or soy sauce (for added color and umami flavor) Directions
Other herbs and spices may suit your tastes as well. Try experimenting with a pinch of cloves, a sprinkle of thyme and a touch of mace. Now that you have the gravy mastered, you'll need plenty of mashed potatoes (tomorrow’s post) and bread stuffing. ChefSecret: The trick to avoiding lumps in your turkey gravy is to cook together equal parts of flour with a turkey fat. This mixture is known as roux and serves as a thickener for gravy. Generally, 1/2 cup of roux will thicken 4 cups of gravy. Quip of the Day: Did you hear about a book called “Fifty Shades of Gravy”? It’s very saucy. ------------------------------------------- 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, 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. #ThanksgivingRecipes #Thanksgiving #Sauce #Gravy #TurkeyGravy #Holidays2023 #BeThankful #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #RedCross #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023 |
For over 4 decades collaboration and vision have been the cornerstones of our approach to developing innovative solutions. We fuel innovation, uncover opportunities, discover trends and embrace sustainability, turning imaginative ideas into profitable realities. Categories
All
Archives
May 2024
|