Nibbles & Sips

Fun with food and beverages: recipes and opinions about what, how, and why we eat.

George

AlcoHOLidays | Mother’s Day | Lavender Lovely

Sips

jwalker_sips_mothersdaycocktail_lavenderlovely

I do apologize for missing last week’s AlcoHOLidays installment. It was a combination of an expected sponsored post falling through and me falling ill Thursday afternoon. It was, however, Cinco de Mayo last Sunday and I trust I’ve “trained” you well enough to know margaritas were in order, yes? Good!

This weekend, however, we are celebrating dear old (or not so old) Mom, as this Sunday, May 12, is the US observance of Mother’s Day.

While the Mother’s Day that is celebrated as a formal holiday the second Sunday in May was started by Anna Jarvis in 1909, there was another Mother’s Day that never really got off the ground. Back in 1870, after the American Civil War, Julia Ward Howe tried to start a Mother’s Day for Peace on June 2, though it was more about stopping the wars that were robbing mothers of their husbands and sons and promoting pacifism than it was honoring the institution of motherhood.

They say Jarvis was rather disgusted by the commercialism of Mother’s Day by the time the 1920s came around. Frankly, I can see her point. I will be glad when this weekend is over so that the incessant ads for flowers, cards, jewelry, dinners out, and anything else that could remotely please a mom. Do you know that Mother’s Day is the busiest restaurant day of the year? The automatic assumption is that Mom shouldn’t have to cook on Mother’s Day and heaven forbid someone else take her place in the kitchen.

But I digress…

The funny (read as: coincidental) thing about the post-Civil War Mother’s Day is that my favorite literary mother is Ellen O’Hara, from Gone with the Wind. And indelibly printing on my memory, just as it was Scarlett’s, is that she always smelled of Lemon Verbena.

Now, as I first read GWTW  when I was very young, possibly single digits-young, (and way before the Internet was commonplace in business, much less the home) my mind figured that lemon verbena must be some sort of perfume combining the scent of lemons and whateverthehell verbena was–probably a flower of some sort, I reasoned, and lavender somehow made it’s way into my mental estimation of the scent. Now, of course, I know that lemon verbena is a stand-alone plant in it’s own right, and that it smells like lemon and is used for its lemony oils, can be found in some teas, and does actually have small purple and white flowers.

Which is a very roundabout way of explaining the inspiration that went into today’s cocktail: lemon and lavender and all things lovely. Lemon and lavender are not exactly strangers to cocktails, as I’ve had a wonderful martini with those notes in the past. But I wanted less of a sweet, syrupy martini and more of a refreshing tall drink, one that would be at home on the back porch with a picnic or barbecue spread. Something that tasted like spring, and renewal–but without the bugs and dirt.

Lavender Lovely

3/4 oz Simple Syrup
1 barspoon dried Lavender
1 tsp Rosewater
1 oz Pisco
6 oz Sparkling Lemon Soda

In the bottom of a tall glass, muddle the syrup and lavender–you don’t need to crush the flowers into oblivion, you just want them to release some of their heady oils. Add the rosewater, Pisco, and enough ice to make the glass 3/4 full and give it a few stirs with the aforementioned barspoon, then stir in the lemon soda until chilled. Because the lavender will float on the top of the drink, I suggest serving this one with a straw!

I was debating base spirits on this one between rum and vodka, briefly considered cachaca for something a little different before I was reminded of the wonderful floral notes in KAPPA Pisco and there was suddenly no more deliberating! Pisco was the perfect choice for this cocktail but for those mom’s who are still expecting, I’m willing to bet that just using a bit more of the lemon soda (mine was California Juice Company Sparkling Meyer Lemon from Cost Plus/World Market) to make up for the missing Pisco would result in a lovely, all-ages sipper. If you’re short of sparkling lemon soda, I’d say some Lemon Perrier, the juice of one lemon, and a little extra simple syrup would do the trick.

Granted, I won’t be serving this to my own mother this weekend as she doesn’t drink any alcohol and overly-floral things give her a headache. Our tradition over the last several years has been to tour the local Parade of Homes on the Saturday before Mother’s Day and then go for a late lunch/early supper somewhere. It works for us.

Cheers!

Tuesday Reviews-Day: An Illustrated Guide to Cocktails by Orr Shtuhl

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Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of An Illustrated Guide to Cocktails by Orr Shtuhl for the purpose of review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

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illustratedcocktailscover

On sale today is another book in the vast collection of cocktail books on the market: An Illustrated Guide to Cocktails: 50 Classic Cocktail Recipes, Tips, and Tales. Just like cookbooks in general, cocktail guides are numerous enough that there is a book out there that speaks to every type of cook or cocktail-er around.

From the press release:

Where there’s a cocktail, there’s a story. Shaken or stirred, on the rocks or straight up, liquor always has its characters, and from their exotic names to their romantic associations and cultural connections, every cocktail has a unique history.

I adore the premise of this book, as both a cocktail enthusiast and an illustrator. After reading through this petite volume, though, I’m left a little shaken, but not exactly stirred.

The writing is amusing, as befits Shtuhl’s past as a “cheeky beer columnist” and former speakeasy runner, and deviates from a lot of the standard stories you find in most cocktail guides. In addition to many of the major-name classics, he delves into several offshoots and behind-the-bar stories that you may not find elsewhere. The organization of the book, however, is willy-nilly and rambling. To even suggest that there is an organizational system might be going too far as there in no Table of Contents and no chapters to point to even if there had been. You have features titled “How to Like Gin” on page 91 that refer you to, one would infer, the author’s top three recipes on pages 126, 69, and 149 (in that order). There is a complete index in the back of the book, however, so we’re not left completely to our own devices.

If you enjoy stream-of-consciousness reading, then you might enjoy the distinct lack of order in this book. If not, you’ve been warned.

As for the illustrations, Elizabeth Graeber’s style is not one I’m overly fond of. It’s the loose pen with a wash of watercolor look that has roots in years of magazine illustrations, but often deviates from basics of anatomy or scale. What works in single-panel asides in a magazine, however, becomes a bit much, for this reader, when it’s covering an entire book, however short and small that book may be. Whether a choice of the artist or the book’s designer, many of the illustrations do not fully fit the pages they face. Case in point: page 22 starts with a “table” of whiskey vs whisky with a slushy-margarita machine underneath it with the universal ‘no’ sign (a red circle with a slash through it). Margaritas are not discussed for another 70 pages.

Color me confused.

But, as I’ve said, just as there’s a shoe for every foot, there’s a book for every bar. I would recommend this book for fan’s of William Faulkner and Kate Beaton (writing and art, respectively). Slip this into a gift basket with a bottle of premium gin, Fever Tree Tonic, and a bag of limes for a housewarming gift and you’ll be surely invited back for a themed cocktail night.

Under Pressure

Nibbles

(Sorry if you now have that song stuck in your head.)

Growing up I’d always heard dire stories about pressure cooker malfunctions–blowouts, dinner ending up on the ceiling, and even injuries in the more severe cases. These stories pretty much insured that it was one kitchen appliance that I wouldn’t be bothering with, despite some of the so-called benefits.

Or so I thought.

Recently I received a book to review that had me rethinking my stance on pressure cookers and other things. While that review is for a future post, it did get me researching and eventually buying a pressure cooker of my own. I think this is one of the most researched pots in my kitchen (or any other appliance or vessel, for that matter).

At first I figured (since I wasn’t 100% sure I’d be using it a lot outside of the projects for the aforementioned book review) that I’d hunt around some thrift stores for one on the cheap. But the more I thought about it, the better buying new sounded–mostly because you never know how well (or not) that pot was treated in its former home.

So the research began. I looked both in stores and online, keeping in mind a few deciding factors:

  • Ease of Use
  • Consumer Ratings
  • Price

Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker (affiliate link)

The shocking thing, to me, about pressure cookers was the price. The least expensive version my local Bed, Bath & Beyond carried was $70, with most–manual and electric–in the $99 region. And the fact that there were electric ones was quite intriguing, though I later opted for manual because of size/price concerns. After all, if the whole process turned into more trouble than it was worth, I didn’t want to be out too much money for this little experiment.

While 4- and 6-quart models are fairly common and relatively inexpensive, I learned that for my purposes, nothing less than a 10-quart model would do. That’s what ultimately knocked the electric models out the running, though I really did love the idea of being able to plug it in and let it do most of the work/monitoring.

 

Fagor DUO Pressure Cooker (affiliate link)

Within the manual types, though, there are those with pressure dials and those where you place the appropriate weights on the steam valve yourself. And those with rubber gaskets and those without. Ultimately I went with a 10-quart Fagor DUO that has a pressure dial and gasket. This model was very highly rated on Amazon and elsewhere, and those who purchased the 10-quart without the perforated basket and trivet missed those features tremendously, hence my decision to go with the DUO.

The gasket is what makes the build-up of steam pressure possible while also, as I understand it, acting as a safety valve should something go awry. If the other safety measures fail, the gasket will blow and release the built-up pressure at a designated spot, preventing a more serious mishap. Gaskets are also the more maintenance-heavy parts of the cooker as they require oiling after each use/cleaning and replacement at least once a year. The gaskets are pretty universal, though, so finding replacements shouldn’t be too tough.

Before I got into the book review project, I wanted to try out the basic tenet of pressure cooking: shortening the cooking time of everyday foods. The box for the pressure cooker touted roasting a chicken in 15 minutes–that was something I could easily try.

15-18 minutes was listed as appropriate for a 3 lb chicken. As mine was 4  lbs I figured 20 minutes would be enough. Now, that’s just the time required at pressure (high or 15 psi, in this case). You also have to factor in the time it takes for the vessel to reach that pressure as well as depressurizing afterwards, so my question was how much time it really would save.

Well, color me surprised when it took less than 5 minutes for the cooker to reach the needed pressure and less than 5 for it to depressurize afterwards! (And that’s using the “natural” method of moving it off the heat and waiting for the chamber to release the pressure on it’s own, not using the automatic release or cold-water release, both faster and useful for more delicate items.) So we really did have a roasted chicken in half an hour. Sure beats the 2 hours called for in the original recipe I was following!

Roast Chicken in less than 30 minutes.

Roast Chicken in less than 30 minutes.

Of course, pressure-steaming a chicken does mean you’re not as likely to have a golden-brown skin on your bird without browning it beforehand. You can do this in the pressure cooker before putting the lid on, but maneuvering the 4lb chicken in the deep pot wasn’t quite an easy task and I didn’t want to dirty another pan, so we settled for the paler bird. In the end, the brown rice I was making to accompany the chicken took longer than the chicken did. Quite a change!

For a first run it was a little nerve-wracking, baby-sitting the pressure cooker is a requirement to make sure, especially on an electric stove, that the pressure stays constant, but overall a success. While I’m not sure I’d use a pressure cooker for those more delicate foods that cook rather quickly on their own, I can definitely see it as a useful tool for rapidly making stocks and soups when the need arises, as well as other projects I’ve got lined up.

Review: Domino’s Gluten Free Pizza Crust

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Special diets can wreak havoc on those nights you just can’t bear to cook and are looking for a simple solution for dinner. These nights don’t happen often for us, but when they do it’s lovely to be able to click over to the food of your choice, place an order online, and have it at your door on demand. Which is why I was happy to hear that Domino’s is now carrying a gluten-free pizza crust.

Of course, Domino’s is quick to point out that they cannot guarantee a gluten-free crust free of cross-contamination risk, so it’s not appropriate for those with celiac or severe wheat allergies but generally safe for those of us who just have to avoid ingesting the wheat to avoid problems. The only size it comes in is small, too, but about there is where the caveats stop.

For folks on a low-FODMAP diet the rest of the ingredients might also cause issues, so make sure you check out the full ingredient lists available on the Domino’s website.

Domino's Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

Domino’s Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

I opted for ham, pineapple, spinach, and roasted red bell peppers on my pizza with shredded provolone cheese. The first time I looked into ordering from them I could have sworn I noticed something about their regular cheese bl

end that put it in the potentially-High-FODMAP range, so I opted out of the usual cheese and requested the provolone only, just to be on the safe side.The crust itself was tasty, if a little chewy, and I very much enjoyed my first not-made-by-me pizza since this whole FODMAP journey began. While the small pizza didn’t offer much in the way of leftovers, it was probably for the best as by the time I got to the last slice it was starting to get a little soggy. (Could have been the pineapple, all things considered, but I suppose I won’t know for sure until I order another one without it, right?)

It’s nice when the big companies notice and try to do something to help out those of us who otherwise wouldn’t be ordering from them. Sure, they are (ultimately) motivated by the corporate bottom line, but whatever the reason I’m glad to have another option for those  busy nights and/or pizza cravings. I can only hope that other companies will follow Domino’s lead.

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I was not compensated for this review in any way, shape, or form. It is based purely on my own experience ordering a pizza like anyone else would.

AlcoHOLidays | Birthday Special | Pineapple Birthday Cake

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Pineapple Birthday Cake cocktail | Colorful party decorations courtesy of Oriental Trading Company

Pineapple Birthday Cake cocktail | Colorful party decorations courtesy of Oriental Trading Company

Okay, okay, while not a holiday in the strictest sense, birthdays are very important points in our lives and everyone has one (whether they choose to celebrate it or not). Since my birthday is next week I thought it would be a good idea to celebrate with a festive cocktail reminiscent of a decadent birthday cake with a fruity filling.

Pineapple Birthday Cake

2 oz Whipped Cream Vodka
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Butterscotch Schnapps
1/4 oz Amaretto

Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice and shake to get the party started. Strain into the chilled cocktail glass of your choice and enjoy!

While this cocktail is similar to the Right Side Up (my take on the Pineapple Upside Down Cake Martini), the amaretto adds that hint of almond-flavored buttercream icing that is so incredibly delicious on birthday cakes that it’s tough to separate the two in my mind. For a purer “icing” flavor you could skip the pineapple and go with club soda or even just go straight alcohol if you were more interested in a high-test birthday cake shot.

Cheers!