20130228

LET'S DRINK TO NATIONAL CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE DAY!


 I love chocolate souffle and always order one when I'm dining out if I have a chance. It's one of those things I can bake but choose not to because they're basically a pain to make. Love to eat them, hate to bake them. So, because I'm always doing cocktails inspired by food holidays, I wondered if I could manage to recreate some of the airy fluffiness of a classic chocolate souffle.

With that in mind, I incorporated the soul of the chocolate souffle - chocolate and fluffy eggs - and proceeded from there. The result was surprisingly like drinking a glass of chocolate souffle, and you don't even need a spoon.


The
CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE
MARTINI

INGREDIENTS
1-1/2 Oz Chocolate Vodka
1/2 Oz Dark Creme de Cacao
1/4 Oz Cake Vodka
2 Oz Half & Half
1 Egg White
(or 2 tbsp. pasteurized egg white)

Garnish: Sugar Rim, Dark Chocolate Squiggles*

Tools: Cocktail Shaker

DIRECTIONS
Rim glass with sugar and chill in the freezer.
Dry shake (no ice) the ingredients first to emulsify and build the foam.
Add ice to the shaker and shake again until chilled.
Pour into the chilled cocktail glass, add the squiggles to garnish and serve.

Voiceover Video with Ingredients & Directions:

* To make the Dark Chocolate Squiggles
Melt a cup of dark chocolate chips or pieces in a double boiler or the microwave.
Spoon the melted chocolate into a piping bag (I just use a baggie then cut off one corner).
Pipe some squiggly lines onto wax or parchment paper and allow these to cool in the refrigerator until ready to use.


National Chocolate Souffle Day is February 28th.

Updated February 2022
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20130227

STRAWBERRY COCKTAILS


STRAWBERRY
COCKTAILS
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Mini Strawberry Pizzas

STRAWBERRY FACTS:
  • Strawberries have been seen as symbols of purity and longevity for centuries.
  • Strawberries are in the same family as the rose flower (Rosaceae).
  • It's said that Madame Tallien, a French noblewoman at the time of Napoleon, used to bathe regularly in strawberry juice, using 22 pounds per basin!
  • In Belgium there's a museum dedicated entirely to strawberries, The Musee De La Fraise.
  • Strawberries have excellent health benefits and are full of antioxidants.

Updated 2-2019
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IT'S NATIONAL KAHLUA DAY with Caviar & Truffles!


TRUFFLES, CAVIAR & CREAM!
I went all out for National Kahlua Day 
with this Edible Cocktail!
WHITE RUSSIAN TRUFFLE CUPS
with ESPRESSO CAVIAR
(Recipe & Instructions Here)

This takes a typical, boring White Russian Cocktail (Kahlua, Vodka & Cream) and steps it up into haute cuisine. Heck, it steps it up into a piece of art on a plate!  Imagine a deep, dark chocolate Kahlua Truffle stuffed with a Whipped Cream Egg that oozes out sweetness when you bite into it, balanced by Espresso Caviar that bursts a bit of strong coffee bitterness onto your tongue for balance!

All plated up like a piece of abstract art for some visual culture to boot!

I took a little molecular mixology and fed my inner chocoholic with this one!

 HAPPY NATIONAL KAHLUA DAY
or should I say White Russian Truffle Espresso Day?




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20130223

The BANANA BREAD MARTINI Cocktail Recipe

Banana Bread Martini Cocktail Recipe

That's right - I threw the ingredients from banana bread in a blender and made a Banana Bread Martini.

OK, maybe not ALL the same ingredients, I didn't put in flour, eggs, sugar or butter but I did use Cake Vodka.  And, no, there's no chunks of pecans but I did add a splash of my Homemade Candied Pecan Liqueur, then I topped it off with a dash of the same spices and slid a nice little slice of banana on the rim.

Lift this baby up and it smells just like banana bread, maybe not exactly like Mom's ... but it's better 'cuz it's got BOOZE!

Banana Bread Martini Cocktail Recipe with Ingredients

THE 
BANANA BREAD
MARTINI

INGREDIENTS
1/2 Oz. Cake Vodka
1/2 Oz. Candied Pecan Liqueur
1/2 Oz. 99 Bananas Liqueur

Garnish: Banana slices, Dash of Nutmeg & Cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice, shake until chilled, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish and serve.

Voiceover Video with Ingredients & Instructions:


Updated 2-2022
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20130222

MUCHO MARGARITA RECIPES!



Frozen, over ice, with fruit or without, everybody loves a Margarita and I'm  no exception. Here are a few of the ways I've enjoyed them.

Check back often because I'm always doing more.
Updated 9-2021
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20130221

Homemade BLUEBERRY VODKA & LIQUEUR (Cordial)



LOOKS GOOD, RIGHT?
Blueberry Liqueur + Dash of Blueberry Bitters!
Updated November 19, 2015

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE
BLUEBERRY VODKA & BLUEBERRY LIQUEUR


What do you do with a Barrel of Blueberries?
YOU TURN THEM INTO BOOZE! 
Recipes for Homemade Blueberry Vodka and Blueberry Liqueur:

BLUEBERRY VODKA RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
1 - 750 ml. Bottle of Vodka
1 Full Cup of Blueberries, Slightly Mashed

TOOLS
Quart Size Mason Jar
Large Metal Strainer
Cheesecloth
1 Quart Bowl
Funnel

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mash your fresh blueberries to release their flavor.
2. Put them into your Mason Jar.
3. Pour the vodka over the berries.
4. Seal up with the lid.
5. Store in the fridge for a minimum of 2 weeks and up to a month.
6. Shake every day or two.
7. Strain through a cheesecloth lined strainer into a clean bowl.
8. Pour back into original bottle or a decorative bottle, label & enjoy.

After I got through bottling up my Blueberry Vodka I still had some blueberries left and about a cup and a half of vodka staring at me from the bottle so...

BLUEBERRY LIQUEUR RECIPE
enhanced with lemon, fresh ginger, cilantro & mint! 

INGREDIENTS
1-1/2 C. Vodka
1 C. Fresh, Blueberries, Halved
Handful of Whole Blueberries
1/2 Tsp. Grated Fresh Ginger
3 Lemon Twists
1 Tsp. Chopped Cilantro Stalks
4 Leaves of Fresh Mint, Chopped Loose
1/4 C. Sugar (+/- depending on your tastes)


TOOLS
Quart Size Mason Jar
Large Metal Strainer
Cheesecloth
2 Quart Bowl
Funnel

DIRECTIONS:
Combine all the ingredients together in an infusing jar. Cap off, store in a cool, dark place and allow to infuse for a minimum of a week.  Shake jar every day and check for flavor intensity every few days after the first week.

The times here are minimum.  The longer you infuse, the deeper your blueberry and other flavors will be.  I've never made it to two months and I was tasting a pretty nice flavor within a week, but I left it to distill for a whole month, filtered it and let it sit for another 2 weeks and the flavor was even deeper with the fruitiness of the blueberry at the front, followed close by the lemon then hitting you on the back with the ginger, cilantro and mint! Just PERFECT!!!

Now, you wouldn't think I could do anything more with blueberries but you're wrong!  I still had enough left over to make
BLUEBERRY SALSA and BLUEBERRY NACHOS!

My tongue might be blue but I'm not after all those blueberry antioxidants!

Cheers!
 



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ACADEMY AWARD OSCAR MARTINIS



Good luck to all the nominees!



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