Pages, Pucks and Pantry

Orange Peel Vodka

I ended up making my own infused vodka because the recipe I wanted to make out of The Vodka Cookbook required it. I guess I could have gone down and bought some orange vodka from the local liquor store, but since I had several bottles of the regular stuff in my bar, I figured making my own orange infused stuff was probably a better idea.

The directions in The Vodka Cookbook for this couldn't be simpler and it came out pretty good. I actually used it for a recipe I made out of Mario Batali's Babbo cookbook too (recipes later this week). Nice stuff to have on hand for both cooking and using in drinks.This would also make a great gift around the holidays (so if you are friend or family, don't be surprised if some Orange Peel Vodka shows up in your Christmas stocking!)

Sorry I don't have a photo of the actual vodka I made, but I thought the photo of the orange peels I used was a prettier shot.

ORANGE PEEL VODKA

3 large oranges
3 cups vodka

Wash the oranges. Using a zester or vegetable peeler,peel the skin to create narrow ribbons. Scrape away any remaining pith.

Put the peel into a large jar and add the vodka. Store in a dark, dry place for about 2 weeks, shaking the jar occasionally.

Strain through cheesecloth, discard the peel and store in a  bottle ready for use.

Note: I used some decent vodka but not something really expensive. I think using good vodka rather than some cheap brand would be best.

Note: Didn't pay attention to what I could have done, if anything with the discarded peel. I used a zester for the orange ribbons as a peeler was taking too much of the pith.

Note: Used a paper towel to strain the vodka since I didn't seem to have any cheesecloth or coffee filters handy.

Note: Directions state you can make the vodka more intense by adding more of the orange zest.

Prager Port

I'm a recent convert to Ports. Never really liked them before, but once I had a really good Port with some really good chocolate, I was hooked.

My first good taste of Port was at the Prager Winery and Port Works in St. Helena several years ago. Though we pass by there quite often on the way to and from the In-Laws, we rarely have time to stop by anymore (if we have any time at all I make Mr. L stop at Dean and Deluca even if it's just for a few minutes to drool around the store). This year we decided to take a leisurely drive home from Thanksgiving dinner amid the pouring rain and stop at a few places along the way. Prager was one of those stops. 

If you blink you might miss the roadway to get to the tasting room. It's a small, one lane dirt road. The tasting room itself is pretty small and it's covered, walls and ceilings, in bills. American bills, foreign bills, ones, fives, tens. Usually with the names of those that posted the bill. The last time we were there, only a few bills were stuck up around the room, this time, the place was covered with them.

For $10 you are given a sample of five of their ports (you also get to keep the tasting glass). We tried several ports, but the one that stood out to us was the 2005 Aria White Port. The description of the Port went like this "...Port finishes with a hazelnut, caramel popcorn surprise". Did I read that right? POPCORN? Yep, amazingly you do get a taste of caramely popcorn goodness as a finish with this port. Tasting notes say this would go well with an "array of cheeses, creamy soups, oysters on the half shell or crab dishes". The wine makers named this after their first granddaughter, Aria. A bottle of the stuff will run you $48.50 at Prager. Yes, it's strange little things like this that tend to make my day.

You can find out more about Prager Ports here or do a search online. I'm not qualified to give any sort of review, all I know is that their white port with that hint of caramel popcorn was pretty dang tasty. If you've been to Prager or had any of their ports, let me know what you think. 

Prager Winery and Port Works, 1281 Lewelling Lane, St. Helena, Ca 94574

Paloma Cooler

I found this on Martha Stewarts website sometime last year. Not sure how I came across it but I'm sure I printed it out and kept it because it contained tequila.

Now, I usually don't mix things with tequila except ingredients to make margaritas. I mix my rum with Coke, I mix vodka with all sorts of sodas, nectar's and fruit...but tequila? I'm a bit of a purist. Margaritas or straight shots. So I was surprised that I liked this drink as much as I did. Incredibly refreshing on a hot day. Super simple to make. Something I'll keep in mind when we hit Indian Summer weather here in October.

As for the shot of tequila in the hollowed out lime half that floats on top, it was fun to do for the first drink but after that, I didn't bother. I also used Fresca which both Mr. L and I like on it's own.

PALOMA COOLER

1 teaspoon lime juice
1 ounce platinum tequila
1 bottle Mexican grapefruit soda
1 lime wedge
1 lime half
Ice
Coarse salt, for rim

Rub rim of a highball glass with lime wedge; invert glass in a small dish of coarse salt, twisting to coat rim. Fill glass halfway with ice, 1 teaspoon lime juice, and 1 ounce platinum tequila, then top with Mexican grapefruit soda. Stir. Place cored-out lime half in drink and fill with tequila (try a reposado for added flavor). Makes one 10-ounce drink.

Note: I used one of those special tins with margarita salt to rim the glass. Maybe a bit too much salt as you can see in the photo. I used Fresca instead of Mexican grapefruit soda. We did use two different kinds of tequila (one for the drink and one to put in the half lime) but you could use the same tequila for both.

Mrs. L's Eggnog

I never used to like eggnog. It was thick and gooey and yucky. Then I had some bootleg eggnog (yes, illegal homemade eggnog that was smuggled across state lines and sold) and I was hooked. Probably because there was more alcohol than thick gooey milk stuff.

Since then I usually do have some nog around the holidays. I always think about making it from scratch but it just seems like too much trouble. Lots of great sounding and simple recipes abound but, since I barely have time to buy and wrap everything before the holiday, I tend to take the easy way out and buy pre-made (though without alcohol) eggnog from the store.

Over the years I've found that Bud's Eggnog has the best flavor. Or should I say it mixes very well with whatever alcohol I put in it.

Lately Mr. L and I have been buying organic milk in glass bottles from our local grocery store. Imagine my surprise when I noticed that the same company is selling organic eggnog! Taking a look at the ingredient list of most store-bought cartons of nog you usually find a long laundry list of stuff like high fructose corn syrup and additives that one can't pronounce. The ingredient list on the organic stuff just has five items, all which I know and understand. The taste? It's not thick like eggnogs I've had in the past. It definitely is a bit different and since I'm so used to the thick stuff the organic stuff might take a bit of getting used to. Plus being that it's not as thick, it does tend to go down easier...and quicker.

In case, like me, you just don't have time to make your own eggnog this year, here is my recipe for a quick version.

MRS. L'S EGGNOG

1 carton/bottle pre-made Eggnog
Rum - large bottle

Pour a glass 3/4 full of plain eggnog
Pour in rum to fill glass.
Mix.
Taste.
Pour out 1/4 glass of the mixture.
Add more rum to fill glass.
Mix
Taste.
Pour out 1/4 glass of the mixture.
Add more run to fill glass.
Taste.
Repeat, pouring out and filling and tasting.
Repeat again
Repeat a 4th time if crazy relatives have still not left.

Don't worry if you run out of eggnog...by that time you won't notice if you're drinking a glass of pure rum.

Serves 1.

Note: I prefer dark rum in my eggnog. Whiskey or other spirit of your choice will work just as well.

Note: No relatives were hurt in the making of this recipe.

The Awesomeness - Even Gluten Free!

Ever since I saw The Garden Apartments entry into A Southern Grace's Beat the Heat challenge, I have had a craving for "The Awesomeness". Basically a recipe for Watermelon Granita that turned into a Rum Colada, it haunted my dreams.

I know it seems like such a simple thing, but I'd never made a granita before. Can't tell you how many times I've come across it in recipe books (especially in diet books) but always figured it would be too much trouble. I was wrong.

You can find The Garden Apartments recipe for Watermelon Granita here. Pretty dang simple right?  I used regular watermelon with those pesky black seeds as I heard they had better flavor than seedless versions. Yeah, it was a pain taking them all out before blending the watermelon chunks in the blender (and okay, so maybe a stray seed or two made it through) but the granita did have great watermelon taste.

Flaking the granita every 30 minutes is a must. I did get some clumps but that was because we stopped and had some drinks before the granita was actually completed. Yes, we turned our Watermelon Granita into "The Awesomeness". It seems John over at The Garden Apartments decided to put some rum into the Granita, and well, yes....we now love John.

The way I made the drink, because we were impatient, was after about an hour and a half I put some of the watermelon granita mixture in a bowl, added rum, mixed it with a fork and then poured that into the martini glass. I then took a big chunk of some of the watermelon granita (since most was slushy as it hadn't really set) and put some in the middle of the glass. YUM!  What a great tasting drink.

I did have a small malfunction during this whole process. I had set the pan with the simple syrup on the back burner of the stove to cool. Mr. L didn't know this and when he went to make some dinner thought there was just water in the pan and put it in the sink. When I finished what I was doing I washed my hands in the sink over the pan of syrup. Toss. Start again.

We had plenty of granita left over so when friends came to visit we made more of The Awesomeness. Since the friends were the Gluten Free Girlfriend (GFGF) and her husband The Food Scientist, I had been trying to find a drink that GFGF would be able to partake in. Watermelon Granita with some Gluten Free Vodka turned out to be the perfect drink on a hot summer night. 

So thank you Garden Apartment and John for giving me yet another wonderful summer drink to add to my repertoire, and more importantly a gluten free drink I can serve my friends.

WATERMELON RUM COLADA AKA THE AWESOMENESS

Watermelon Rum Colada

Please note: I'm sure that the Watermelon Granita tastes fine without alcohol.

Waimea Grass Skirt Cooler

This recipe was actually very good (add rum) and was perfect on a hot summer day (add rum). It was a little tart (add rum) for Mr. L and he suggested (add rum) that we use less lemon next time (add rum) but he liked it enough as is (add rum) to polish off his glass. It tasted very tropical (add rum) which is probably where it got it's name (add rum).

After making the batch (add rum) and drinking half a glass I decided to add some rum to see how it would taste (gee, who woulda thunk?). Made a great rum drink. It didn't take much rum to add some nice flavor so be gentle with the rum at first. Too much rum would probably overpower the taste of the drink.

Since we only drank half the batch that first day I poured what was left into a container and put it in the freezer. The next day we had some great tasting ice cream, or maybe closer to granita. But then (add rum) we added a bit of rum to this really slushy granita type mixture and Yowza, we had an awesome rum drink. Perfect for these hot summer days of over a hundred degrees!

Needless to say Mr. L and I enjoyed our drink (with and without the rum) and would make this again in a heartbeat. I think it would make a great party drink for both kids and adults (adding rum for those of legal age of course).

WAIMEA GRASS SKIRT COOLER

(All juices should be chilled to almost freezing)
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar (or to taste)
1 pint (2 cups) vanilla ice cream

Blend juices with sugar in a blender or mix well with a whip.

Add ice cream and beat until smooth. Garnish each glass with a thin slice of lemon, lime, or orange.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: I used canned pineapple juice and a box of Tropicana Orange Juice. The fresh lemons (I think I used three) were a mixture of Myer lemons and regular. I used fresh limes (about seven). Hagen Daz Vanilla Ice Cream.Rum was Trader Vic's Authentic Dark.

Note: I put the cans of pineapple juice and the orange juice in the freezer for about two hours to make them cold. I used a blender instead of a whisk. I used the entire 1/2 cup of sugar.

Note: The amount of mixture wouldn't fit into my blender all at once so I had to make two batches.

Did I mention add rum?

Baby Guinness

I am not a beer drinker. I have been known to enjoy a nice Black and Tan every now and then, but I'd honestly rather have a glass of wine or a Coke.

But when I saw this little "Baby Guinness" in the SHOT cookbook, I thought it was a prefect drink to have on St. Patrick's Day. Of course Mr. L thinks it's a very "girlie" drink but it does kind of look like a beer with a head doesn't it?

This is basically just Kahlua and Bailey's Irish Cream. The only trick is layering the drink. It's two parts Kahlua to 1 part Bailey's. Pour the Kahlua in first. Slowly pour the Bailey's over an inverted teaspoon, it's edge flush with the inside of the shot glass. I tried just pouring the Baileys in straight but I ended up with something that looked like mush. The spoon tip (which came from the book) worked great.

As for the taste...I love both Kahlua and Bailey's so it was a nice little drink (though it took me more than one shot).

BABY GUINNESS
(Erin go bragh, baby)

Kahlua
Bailey's Irish Cream

Layer in a shot glass at least 2 parts Kahlua to 1 part Bailey's (which serves as the collar of foam for this "beer").

Note: This may look like a lot, but it was in a standard size shot glass.

Pink Ink Yink Drink

This one, I think, is called a Yink.
He likes to wink, he likes to drink.
He likes to drink, and drink, and drink.
The thing he likes to drink is ink.
The ink he likes to drink is pink.
He likes to wink and drink pink ink.
SO...if you have a lot of ink,
then you should get a Yink, I think.
From One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

Why out of all the recipes to try did I pick this? Cuz the weather was hot outside, and I wanted something cool to drink...and come on, it has 'pink' in it's name!

This was real easy to put together and tasted pretty good. Though the photo in the book shows the Yink drinking this with a straw we didn't have any. Instead I mixed it gently  with a spoon, sort of swirling the two fruits together. I wouldn't blend it thoroughly as you would lose the pink.

Mr. L took one taste of this and said "This would be great with some chilled vodka added". Next time.

PINK YINK INK DRINK

1/2 pint fresh or 1/2 cup frozen blackberries, thawed
1 cup milk
6 fresh strawberries, green tops removed, or 1/2 cup frozen, thawed
1 teaspoon honey

Put the blackberries in a blender and puree them. Pour into a large glass. Put the milk, strawberries, and honey in the blender and blend. Strain the mixture (optional). Pour the strawberry mixture carefully on top of the blackberries. Makes 1 serving.

Notes: I used fresh berries and probably added about a tablespoon of honey.

Notes: We didn't strain the strawberry mixture, but if you have young kids you may want to. And kids may have a problem with the blackberry mixture as that did have a lot of seeds.

Note: I kind of cheated and made two sets of blackberry mixtures and only one of the strawberry. Photo is 1/2 pint of fresh blackberries with half the strawberry mixture on top.

Mai Tai

Being that last Thursday was National Rum Day I thought it only fitting to make Mr. L's favorite drink. The Mai Tai. Now most Mai Tai's I've had have that distinctive little red color that comes from, I believe, maraschino cherry juice. Or there is some fruit juice in the drink. Pineapple. Orange. This had neither. I think this added more alcohol instead. The recipe is from The Tiki Drink book.

Though it looks like it has some color in this photo, the color in real life honestly looked a little like mud. Not the classic colors I'm used to. The taste? Again, neither Mr. L nor I thought the taste was bad, it just was different from what we are used to. And we came to realize that maybe this had a bit more alcohol than the average Mai Tai served at your local Tiki joint. I'd be careful on the bitters. My dash turned into a bit more and the first drink had to much...a tiny dash is really all that is needed. Mr. L also requested a bit less lime juice next time.

MAI TAI

1 1/2 ounces Mai Tai Mix (see below)
2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice, 1/4 spent lime reserved
2 ounces dark rum
1 ounce golden rum
Dash of Angostura bitters
Sprig of mint for garnish
Maraschino cherry for garnish
Pineapple wedge for garnish

MAI TAI MIX

1 ounce orange curacao
1/2 ounce orgeat syrup

Fill a double old-fashioned glass with crushed ice and add liquid ingredients. Cover with a cocktail shaker and shake to blend. Garnish with the sprig of mint, the cherry, the pineapple wedge and the reserved 1/4 lime. Serves One.

First, I'm not sure why they listed the "Mai Tai Mix" as a separate thing to do since it's not like only part of it goes in the drink. Maybe there is a reaction when they are mixed together first?

Note: Used Myers Dark and Bacardi Golden. I now have a giant bottle of orgeat syrup (also called almond syrup) that I have to figure out what to do with. Any suggestions?

Note: Didn't get mint or the pineapple. Though you can't see it, there are some maraschino cherries on the little drink pick.

Note: Had to laugh, no way was I going to try to do the bartender thing and cover the glass with the cocktail shaker. I just threw it all in the shaker and poured it finished into the glass.

Would we try this again? Maybe with a few tweeks. I think we really did miss a bit of sweetness from the pineapple or orange juice. Mr. L even took some of the maraschino juice from the jar and added it on his own which he says made it better. I think we are just so used to the pre-made mix stuff that this was to strong for us.

Cinco de Mayo

Since my first weekend home as a married woman was also Cinco de Mayo, it was easy to decide to do a Mexican dinner for my new husband. I had just received an e-mail from Cooks Illustrated about the "best" margarita and the new issue of Everyday Food just happened to jump into my shopping cart during a recent grocery run, so I was set.

A feast of margaritas, chicken enchiladas and some black beans sounded like an easy start...and, well...this is Mrs. L we're talking about when it comes to tequila so margaritas sounded like a perfect beginning to my culinary adventure.

Warning: Do not start drinking really good margaritas before you actually start cooking the food. Mr. L wanted a snack about 4PM so I whipped up some guacamole, put out the chips and poured the margaritas...and we kept pouring...
and then we napped.
For several hours.
The making of the chicken enchiladas would have to wait for another day.

This recipe made some kick butt drinks. The "mix" needs to be prepared 24 hours before you make the margaritas. Much better tasting than using a prepared mix. It also would help to have a lemon and lime juicer. At least for messy me as doing it by hand sort of got juice all over the kitchen!

The Best Fresh Margaritas

4     tsps grated lime zest
1/2 cup lime juice from 2 to 3 medium limes
4     tsps grated lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice from 2 to 3 medium lemons
1/4 cup superfine sugar
      pinch table salt
2     cups crushed ice
1     cup 100 percent agave tequila
1     cup triple sec

Combine lime zest and juice, lemon zest and juice, sugar, and salt in large liquid measuring cup; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until flavors meld, 4 to 24 hours.
Divide 1 cup crushed ice between 4 or 6 margarita glasses. Strain juice mixture into 1-quart pitcher or cocktail shaker. Add tequila, triple sec and remaining crushed ice; stir or shake until thoroughly combined and chilled, 20 to 60 seconds. Strain into ice-filled glasses; serve immediately.