A Sazerac is a Manhattan, but made with Sazerac Rye, which I find slightly smokier in flavor.
If you want to make one, you will need:
ice
water
dash of bitters
3/8 oz. sweet vermouth
1 1/2 oz. Sazerac rye
maraschino cherry
Chill the glass by filling with ice water. Put a few ice cubes in a cocktail shaker. Add a drop of bitters. Measure in the Sazerac and vermouth. STIR, DO NOT SHAKE. Pour the ice water out of the glass. Drop in a cherry. Pour in the drink, sans ice cubes.
Popovers
Adapted from The Joy of Cooking
Ingredients
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tbs melted butter
1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 beaten egg
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Beat the milk, butter, flour, and salt together until just smooth. Add the beaten egg, beating until just incorporated.
Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray.
Pour the batter into the baking cups. Place the pan in the oven. After 15 minutes, lower temperature too 350 and bake 20 minutes longer. During the entire baking process do not open the oven, or your popovers will fall.
Especially delicious with strawberry jam or drizzled with honey.
Every morning Daltron wakes up much earlier than he needs to in order to make me a delicious latte. I assuage my occasional pangs of guilt about this by periodically baking a fresh batch of these biscotti, which he has with his coffee.
5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup slivered almonds
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 eggs
Preheat oven to 325°.
Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine sugar, vanilla and eggs; add to flour mixture, stirring until well-blended (dough will be dry).Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead. Shape dough into four long rolls. Place two rolls on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place the other two rolls on another baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Bake at 325° for 30 minutes. Remove rolls from baking sheets to a wire rack, and let cool 10 minutes. Cut rolls diagonally into 1/2-inch slices, and place, cut sides down, on baking sheets. Bake 13 minutes. Turn cookies over, and bake an additional 13 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Remove from baking sheets; let cool completely on wire rack.
Yield: 10 dozen
Notes: Recipe is easily halved. The biscotti will keep, stored in tupperware or ziploc bags, for about four weeks.
I have a cold and the attendant raw throat and assorted aches. As remedies go, nothing beats hot tea, honey, and whiskey.
Since I’ve never cared for the traditional hot toddy, I set up a little flight: mug of black tea, rocks glass of whiskey (neat), and a shot of honey.
Drink in whatever proportions and in whichever order suits you.
Eases the pain…
Here is my contribution to this evening’s Independece Day barbecue:
Why has no senator introduced banning flag eating as an amendment?
Here’s how to make it:
Note: If you are not serving this immediately, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
I wish I’d had fancier toothpicks…
I’ve often said that laziness, not necessity, is the mother of invention. Need proof in recipe form? I submit my version of Nicoise Salad – which I have just re-named “Can-can Salad.” See if you can figure out why.
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 hard cooked eggs, peeled and sliced
1 6 oz. can tuna, drained
1 8 oz. can french style green beans, drained
1 14 oz. can yuca, drained and chopped
6 nicoise or kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
Evenly divide ingredients between two plates. Serve with your favorite vinagrette.
Serves two.
Wanting to test out my new silicone muffin pans, I made popovers for the first time in ages. Next time, I will remember to let them cool for two minutes in the pans so I can try popping them out by inverting the pans.
1 cup milk
1 cup unbleached white flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
2 large eggs, room temperature, beaten
1-3 Tbs water
non-stick spray
Preheat oven to 450.
Combine first four ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in beaten eggs. Add 1-3 Tbs water if needed to create a pancake batter-like consistency.
Divide evenly among twelve muffin cups sprayed with non-stick spray.
Bake at 450 for 15 minutes. Without opening the oven, lower temperature to 350 and bake another 20 minutes.
Let muffins cool in pans for about 2 minutes before removing.
Serve with jam or honey.
Makes 12 1 oz. popovers
This is another regular feature at Le Supermarche (aka my and Daltron’s apartment). It is much better reheated the next day.
1 26 oz jar marinara sauce (I like Walnut Acres, although my use of any jarred sauce no doubt causes my grandmother consternation, even posthumously)
1 cup chopped frozen spinach, thawed
1 cup thawed Boca Ground Burger
1 11 oz can corn, drained
2 ounces fresh mozzarella, chopped
1 16 oz tube polenta, cut into 18 slices
salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Spoon 1/2 cup of the sauce over an 8 inch square pan to cover bottom. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, stir together remaining sauce and next three ingredients. Add salt and pepper.
5. Arrange 9 polenta slices over sauce in baking dish, and top evenly with half the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Arrange remaining polenta slices over cheese. Top polenta with remaining vegetable mixture and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
6. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Yield: 6 servings.
I was shocked to find a MICROWAVE risotto recipe on the arborio rice package, but eating is believing. Here it goes:
1 cup uncooked arborio rice
3 cups chicken broth
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 1/2 ounces crumbled feta
1 cup cooked spinach
Place rice, broth, olive oil and basil in covered bowl. Nuke for 18 to 20 minutes, stopping every 6 or 7 minutes to give it a stir.
Let stand 5 minutes, covered. Stir in cheeses and spinach.
Eat.
Although al di la’s Anna Klinger has a recipe that is way more delicious, and although I had a chef give me a talking-to about the important role that butter plays in the deliciousizing of edibles, here is my (easier, lazier, healthier) humble interpretation of:
Beet Poppy Seed Pasta
2 16 ounce cans of sliced beets, drained
1/2 cup fat free ricotta
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 package egg noodles
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, or more to taste
4 teaspoons poppy seeds
1. Mash the beets with an old-fashioned potato masher (or process in a food processor) to a chunky consistency. Add salt and pepper
2. Prepare noodles according to directions on package.
3. Portion the noodles out. Pour the melted butter over each portion, put a dollop of the ricotta over each portion, grate Parmigiano- Reggiano over each to taste, and finish each plate with a large pinch of poppy seeds. Serve immediately.
Serves 4.
Yum!
