Archive for the ‘Techniques’ Category

The following guest post was written for That's the Spirit by our friend Ava from barHappy.com. Thanks Ava!

Think about it: an artfully prepared and slightly dangerous concoction; a tall, slinky glass; an elegantly playful garnish; the glowing bloom of frosty condensation. There’s nothing sexier than a cocktail. When picturing a cocktail night, we picture beautiful people, a gorgeous bar and a lot of flirtation. It’s not so sexy, though, when you realize that drinking cocktails will actually add inches to your waistline and layers to your chin. Here’s the news flash: cocktails can make you fat. Sorry for the buzz kill.

Thankfully, the classic Martini is a relatively safe choice when you're watching your calorie intake.

Don’t worry, there’s hope. Like all too many wonderful, decadent things (chocolate, cheese, French fries, ice cream) cocktails are something that should definitely be thoroughly enjoyed — just not with total abandon. Now that you know the bad news, the good news is that you can still have your cocktails and drink them, too — as long as you stay informed about the choices you make.

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I just received some recipes from Random House and one had such a cool photo that I had to share.

The recipe is for Cocktail Cubes, ice cubes filled with berries basically. Not sure that the idea is an original, but it's still a pretty neat looking effect. I also created a picture gallery featuring this recipe plus three others from the book On a Stick! by Matt Armendariz. Great photos and easy recipes perfect for a standing-around cocktail party.

Cocktail Cubes

Cocktail Cubes. A fun, easy and attractive way to garnish and cool your cocktail.

This is such a simple recipe: Fresh berries make their way into ice cube trays and are topped with fruit juice. The resulting colorful cocktail cubes can be dropped into any drink, whether boozy or virgin.
–Matt Armendariz

Ingredients:
20 cocktail picks
About 1/3 cup blackberries
About 1/3 cup blueberries
About 1/3 cup raspberries
About 2 cups all-natural fruit juice, flavor of your choice

Preparation:
1. Place 1 blackberry, 1 blueberry, and 1 raspberry into each section of an ice cube tray and then fill with fruit juice. Cover tray with plastic wrap; poke a cocktail pick through wrap into each section.

2. Freeze at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

3. Remove cubes from tray and serve in the drink of your choice. Cheers!

Serves 4.

Excerpted from On A Stick! by Matt Armendariz. Copyright © 2011 by Matt Armendariz. Excerpted by permission of Quirk Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission from the publisher.

Each day, my email inbox contains a variety of drinks-related questions from readers. One of the most commonly asked questions is whether or not a particular cocktail should be shaken or stirred.

James Bond anyone? I know you're all thinking about the infamous 007 and his penchant for ordering his martinis "shaken, not stirred."

For the record, Bond (sometimes) had it wrong. A proper martini, made with gin, is stirred. When Bond orders vodka martinis, shaken is the way to go. Although to each his own: If you really prefer your gin shaken, by all means, do so. Life is too short after all.

Check out this video from respected barkeep Jeffrey Morgenthaler for a nice bit of explanation and demonstration on what types of drinks to stir and which to shake.

To summarize, there are two simple rules to remember when deciding whether to shake or stir.

1. Shake drinks that include cloudy ingredients such as citrus juices, cream or egg. Shake vigorously to achieve an ice cold drink with well incorporated ingredients and some froth.

2. Stir drinks that only include spirits. Your goal is a cold, attractive cocktail with uniform clarity.

Are you a shaker or a stirrer? Which technique do you use most often?

Make it Ontario Beef sent me four cool recipes created by Chef Nicole Young. They look delicious were apparently inspired by the ethnic cuisines of Toronto, one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world (and my hometown).

Love football? I do. But even if you prefer hockey, basketball, baseball or any other fall sporting events, these pulled pork sandwiches are just the ticket for any outdoor tailgating bash or indoor party.

Tailgate Testers

Tailgate Testers

Ingredients:
3 lb (1.5 kg) boneless Ontario beef blade roast
2 tbsp (25 mL) vegetable oil
1 chopped onion
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 cubanelle peppers, chopped
1 tsp (5 mL) each coarse salt, pepper and oregano
1 can (19 oz/796 mL) diced tomatoes
1 cup (250 mL) beef broth

Preparation:
Rub beef with half of the oil. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown beef on all sides. Remove and set aside for later use.

Pour remaining oil into same pan. Add onion, celery and peppers and cook, stirring often, until onions are translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper, oregano, tomatoes and beef broth. Add beef back into the pan with any accumulated juices, nestling it in the sauce so that it is completely submerged (add more broth if necessary). Bring to boil.

Cover and transfer to a 325°F (150°C) oven and cook, turning beef occasionally, until fork tender, about 2-1/2 hours. Let cool slightly and break up pieces of beef with a fork, discarding any fat bits.

Serve warm over rice, in a bun or in warmed tortillas.

Makes 10 servings.

PER SERVING: about 410 cal, 44g pro, 23g total fat (8g sat fat), 5g carb, 1g fibre, 145mg chol, 760mg sodium. %RDI: iron 30%, calcium 2%, vit A 8%, vit C 45%.

Tomorrow's post: Roast Beef Tenderloin with Creamy Horseradish Sauce. Woo hoo!