Cranberries

Here's my November column from the Petaluma Post:

What fruit grows on an evergreen shrub, floats and bounces?  Yes it is our holiday staple turned main stream, the cranberry.  Considered by most as an essential on the thanksgiving table, this simple berry is now common year round; from turkey sandwiches, to vinaigrette, to cocktails, and even cookies. From craisins to juice, cranberries’ health benefits are numerous, being high in antioxidants, fiber and vitamin C, it is considered a super food.

Native to North America they were first commercially cultivated in 1816 in New England, but are now grown across the northern United States and southern Canada.  Now over 40,000 acres are grown each year, lucky for growers they are a hearty plant and some in Massachusetts are over 150 years old!  Harvest season runs through September and October so they are ready for the store shelves in November and December. Cranberries are one of only three fruits that can trace their roots to North America (the others are concord grapes and blue berries).

I have always been a cranberry fan, personally I like jellied cranberry sauce, it is a favorite snack; I’ll just grab a small can for a snack or even breakfast on the road.  It’s a great addition to trail mix, and our cranberry golden raisin oatmeal cookie is a signature for the catering company (it’s our most popular cookie, surprisingly even more than chocolate chip).  The tang of Craisins with the sweet of the golden raisins is a perfect match.

Cranberry Golden Raisin Oatmeal Cookie

1 cup Butter, salted

1 cup Sugar, brown

½ cup  Sugar, white

1 tsp Vanilla

2 Eggs

2 cups Flour, all purpose

2 cups Oatmeal, Quaker

2 tsp    Baking Powder

1 cup   Craisins

1 cup   Raisins, golden

Cream the butter and sugars together.  Then combine with the eggs and vanilla with the cream.  Next blend the flour, oat and powder with the mixture.  Finally combine th craisins and raisins.  Next you can either (the regular method) table spoon dollops on to a sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees for 11 to 12 minutes, OR you can use the super-secret professional method: scoop 2 to 3 oz balls of dough onto a pan (they can be closely packed to save room) and refrigerate them for a least a day (this allows some cooking chemistry to take place which will yield a better cookie), then space them appropriately on a cookie sheet and bake.  Another secret: once the baking is done (as soon as you take them out of the oven) give the sheet pan a good rap on the counter to make the cookies fall; they will stay chewy that way.

As a seasonal touch for lunches I love to add Craisins to salads.  Local greens tossed with Craisins and candied pecans is a great start.  Whole grains are very healthy and popular.  We recently did a barley salad with baby kale and Craisins

Barley Kale Craisin Salad

1 cup barley

3 cup Water

1 tsp salt

Combine ingredients in a sauce pot with a little extra room, bring up to a boil, then simmer 25 to 30 minutes, until tender.  Drain any excess water, and cool.  Then combine all with:

4-6 oz baby Kale or shredded Kale

½ cup Craisins

½ cup shredded carrot

And add dressing to taste:

¼ cup white wine vinegar

½ cup olive oil

2 Tbl honey

Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together

This salad holds up very well and can be made a day in advance.

Those that know me, know that I do enjoy a cocktail!  For many years cranberry juice and vodka was my go to, cosmos are another favorite.  Several years ago my husband Jim and I hosted a nontraditional thanksgiving block dinner; you had to use a thanksgiving ingredient but non-traditional way.  We created a personal cocktail we call a Happy Pilgrim.  Yes it will make you a happy pilgrim.

Happy Pilgrim

1 shot wild turkey bourbon - must have turkey!

1 shot ginger beer

2 shots cranberry juice

1/3 shot orange bitters

Shake and serve over crushed ice, garnish with a fresh cranberry.

Now that we talked about thanksgiving what about Christmas?  Cranberries’ bright red color is a festive touch, Native Americans used crushed cranberries as a dye for clothing, use them for a pop of color in center pieces, and, of course, in food.  I think fresh cranberries are a great addition to scones for Christmas breakfast.

Cranberry Scones

4 oz butter (cold)

3 cups flour

2 Tbl baking powder

¾ cup sugar

6 oz buttermilk

6 oz cream

½ cup craisins

Mix all the dry ingredients, then add the dairy and mix until just combined.  Mix in the craisins.  Next press into a disk about ¾ of an inch thick, and cut into pie wedges.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, until firm and golden brown.

Remember to enjoy cranberries through the holiday season, and don’t forget to throw an extra bag in the freezer for later use.

Barbeque Challenge

Here's my August column from the Petaluma Post...

Can you believe that it is already August?  The summer goes by so fast!  But there is still time to get out and enjoy those beautiful evenings. There is nothing better than barbequing to do that.  Here is the challenge that I threw at a group of friends for dinner one night.  Everything on the menu must come off of the BBQ.  We had cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, salad, entrée and even dessert; all off the grill.

Of course, we started with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.  The cocktail was a grilled peach and bourbon splash with a charred oak swizzle stick.  Cocktails are no longer made with just your simple fresh fruit juices and sodas; there is a new area of flavors coming from shrubs and tinctures.  A shrub is a fruit and vinegar combination that is sweetened and can also be used to make sodas by adding seltzer.  A tincture is an alcohol extract from an herb.  I choose to make something like a shrub, although I omitted the vinegar for this particular recipe. First grilling my peaches on the BBQ, and then combining with lemon juice, sugar and water.  Simmer to release the flavors then stain to get just the liquid.

Grilled Peach “Shrub”

Grilled Peach and Bourbon Splash

5 peaches, split in half and pitted

1 cup sugar

¼ cup lemon juice

2 cup water

Turn your barbeque up to high heat and allow to heat thoroughly; the grates need to be hot for the peaches not to stick.  Place the peaches on the grill, and cook until all sides are well marked (some burn is ok) and the peach is soft.  Then transfer them to a cooking vessel add the other ingredients, bring to a simmer.  Mash the fruit when tender; I used a potato masher.  Continue to simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes, until the desired flavor.  Then strain and chill.

Grilled Peach & Bourbon Splash

1 shot Bourbon

2 shots peach shrub

Club Soda to finish

Served over ice

Shake it well and serve over ice, with a slice of grilled peach on the charred oak swizzle stick for garnish.  It was quite good, but I think I’ll need to try it with a real shrub; I think a little acidity from the vinegar would pair well.

The hors d’oeuvre of the night was a lot of fun too.  Perfect match for the bourbon cocktail! Grilled bacon wrapped onion rings!  You’ve got to live Pinterest.

Bacon Onion Rings

2 lbs bacon - thinner strips 16-20 pieces per pound

2 or 3 large onions

2 Tbl or more Sriracha

Carefully clean the onions, careful not to cut through the rings.  Then cut the onions into half to three quart inch slices.  Break apart to create the rings, leaving 2 ti 3 layers together.  Brush well with Sriracha.  Wrap each ring with 2 to 3 slices of bacon, varying by the size of ring as appropriate.  Use a bamboo skewer to hold the bacon in place and the rings together.  Then BBQ on low, being careful since the bacon can splatter and give you flame ups.  Grill for approximately 30 to 45 minutes.  Keep a close eye on them, you want the bacon to be very crisp, but not burnt. Serve with a Sriracha mayonnaise. So, is wrapping something in bacon healthier than battering and deep frying it?  Not really the point of this, but interesting.  By the way, most people will only eat one or two of these; they are 2 to 3 pieces of bacon each.

Our salad course was a grilled romaine with lemon and parmesan. Yes, you can put lettuce on the BBQ.  Romaine heads work well, the structure allows you to cut the head in half lengthwise and have all of the leave stay attached.  Brush lightly with olive oil, place cut side down on the grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.  This will just lightly grill the edges and begin to wilt the center.  Drizzle with fresh lemon juice and sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan cheese, yum.

Our entree of the night was grilled sausages (thank you Thistle Meats).  We tried their mild Italian and a fresh lamb sausage, which were both excellent.  Thistle Meats is a premium specialty butcher featuring locally sourced meats (and you can also get a very good sandwich there too).  They are located at 160 Petaluma Boulevard North, right in the first block of downtown.

How to finish off the evening with a grilled dessert?  No not s’mores, but angel food cake.  Cut the angel food cake into individual serving sizes, turning the grill down to low and toasting each slice.  The flavor was like fresh toasted marshmallow and pound cake.  Then top with strawberries and whipped cream.

Thanksgiving 2013

Every year I write a Thanksgiving blog, and this year I'm going to provide some gluten free (don't groan) ideas; at Preferred Sonoma Caterers we had many more requests for gluten free friendly menus and I've learned quite a bit, a few items I'm actually liking the gluten free options better.  But that's the next blog, so check back next week, and again in the middle of the month for some more modern T-day ideas.  But let's start out the month with revisiting some classics.

Let's start out the afternoon with a Thanksgiving cocktail...  The Happy Pilgrim... hubby and I invented with one a few years ago when we couldn't find a cocktail recipe that went well with Thanksgiving.

Happy Pilgrim
1 shot wild turkey bourbon - must have turkey!
1 shot ginger beer
2 shots cranberry juice
1/3 shot orange bitters
Shake and serve over crushed ice
garnish with a fresh cranberry

Now on to stuffing, classic stuffing is a must, but what is classic stuffing.  It depends on where you are from, or perhaps where Grandma was from.  In my family, the Runge side, the traditional stuffing is a classic bread stuffing.  Lots of celery and onions with plenty of sage.  It is baked in the turkey with extra crusties along the legs.  It reflects the Germanic origin of much of the county.  From my time in Austria I recognize this recipe is very similar to bread dumplings from Germany - my family heritage.

“Traditional” Stuffing
Stuffs a 12 to 14lbs turkey
1 loaf simple white bread - cubed
2 yellow onions - diced
1 small head celery - diced
2 sticks butter
2 Tbs dry rubbed sage
3 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
2 to 3 cups chicken or turkey broth

Sauté onions and celery in butter with the sage till tender.  Place bread cubes, sautéed vegetables and eggs in a large mixing bowl.  Add broth till soft, then season with salt and pepper.  Stuff into a rinsed turkey cavity.  The just a standard roast of the turkey.

In Mr. PSC’s family, from the Otis side of the Balshaw side, there is a potato stuffing that I have come to love.  Part of their heritage is from French Canada and shows in this recipe for Tourtiere.  Traditionally this is meat and mashed potato baked in a pie pan with two crusts and served as a main dish.  But his Granny (or perhaps her Granny) decided it would be better used for stuffing a Turkey.  That is his family’s tradition.

Tourtiere Stuffing
1 lbs breakfast sausage - browned
1 yellow onion - diced
2 lbs Russet potatoes - peeled & boiled
1 Tbs dry rubbed sage
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1 to 1½ cups chicken stock

Boil the potatoes till fork tender, then drain and allow to cool slightly. Brown the breakfast sausage and break up with a fork, and remove from the fat.  Add diced onions and spices to fat, sauté till tender.  Mash the potatoes, add the onions and spices, then season with salt and pepper.  Add chicken broth as necessary for texture.  Place in a rinsed turkey or bake in a pie pan (with or without crust) on the side.

You might be wondering about the difference between dressing and stuffing.  The only real difference is geography.  Northerners call it stuffing, while Southerner’s prefer dressing.  One of the most used components in southern dressing is corn bread.  Not what most of us consider corn bread, but a denser version that is cut and laid out to dry.  Corn bread has a much crumblier texture so the stuffing is much softer.

Cornbread
make up to 2 days in advance
2 cup yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup plain flour
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking soda
1 1/3 cup milk
2 eggs - beaten
6 Tbs veggie oil

Mix the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients, then bake in a 9 x 13 pan for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees.  Allow to sit out and dry for 24 to 48 hours.

Corn Bread Stuffing
1½ cup celery - chopped
1½ cup onion - chopped
4 Tbs butter
3 cups turkey or chicken broth
1 tsp sage - ground

Sauté the onions and celery in butter, add sage, then add to the crumbled cornbread.  Add liquid to soften.  Now it is ready to stuff in your turkey and roast.

Many of you out there might have the addition of a vegetarian to your Thanksgiving table.  The question is what to serve that they will enjoy.  What about stuffing a pumpkin?  Small sugar pumpkins are perfect for this.  When choosing your pumpkin make sure that is labeled as a cooking pumpkin.  Choose one medium size and free of blemishes, wash, cut off the top approximately a third of the way down.  You will need to scoop out the seeds and string, the rub the interior lightly with salt and pepper before stuffing.

You can use the pumpkin as an extra vessel for more stuffing (more stuffing is always great), or make it a dish of its own, with another stuffing.

Turkey, of course.  But how to cook it.  A few years ago I experimented with several different methods (brine, deep fry...), but in the end it was the classic that won.  If you would like to know the results you can find them at http://blog.sonomacaterers.com/2010/11/turkey-day-prep-down.html.  And don't let my opinion stop you from experimenting, it was a lot of fun

Of course you can always take the easy way out.  Every year we offer a full Thanksgiving meal for 8 to 10 to go.  Just re-heat and voila, Thanksgiving!  Or just order a few of the dishes the make life easier.  You can find the Thanksgiving catering menu at http://www.sonomacaterers.com/2013Thanksgiving.pdf

Happy Thanksgiving!
A

Bourbon Dinner

We will be hosting (with Wilibees Wines & Spirits and JRB Event Services) a Bourbon Dinner to benefit the Petaluma Arts Center on June 13th.  The Scotch Dinner was a huge hit and this one should be even better!  Come see and support the Arts Center with this fabulous menu and bourbons...

Tickets available at: http://petalumaartscenter.org/community/?EventId=14412

Spring Peach Salad on Tender Greens

with Chevre, Espresso Pralines 

& Apple Cider Vinaigrette

paired with Bernheim Straight Wheated

Smoked Sea Scallops

on Honey Crisp Apple Slaw

paired with Woodford Reserve

Butternut Squash Ravioli

With Vanilla Bean Brown butter

Paired with Angel’s Envy

Smoked Pork Belly with Cocoa Cola Glaze

on White Cheddar Grits

paired with Templeton Rye

Bourbon Crème Brûlée

& Brown Sugar Cookie

paired with Evan Williams Single Barrel

Thanksgiving Tips & A Happy Pilgrim

We've been so consistently busy this year I've really been neglecting my blog, and sadly (or happily!) we're still busy!  So I thought I might borrow a cheap trick from the TV.... a clips espisode!  So looking back over the history of the blog I picked our best Thanksgiving tips blogs.  Now just imagine that TV special effect where things get all wavey just before jumping back in time....

Here are my top 5 hints for planning a smoother T-day party:http://blog.sonomacaterers.com/2010/11/turkey-day-prep-down.html

Here are four kinds of stuffing, and a stuffed pumpkin:http://blog.sonomacaterers.com/2011/11/just-stuff-it.html

Some thoughts and recipes for regional flair on T-day:http://blog.sonomacaterers.com/2009/12/home-sweet-holidays-petaluma-post.html

Yams versus sweet potatoes:http://blog.sonomacaterers.com/2012/10/i-yam-what-i-yam.html

Our test of prepareing a turkey three different ways; traditional, brined, and deep fried:http://blog.sonomacaterers.com/2009/10/its-beginning-to-smell-lot-like-turkey.html

Also, don't forget to take a look at our Thanksgiving menu for 2012:http://www.sonomacaterers.com/Holidaymenu.htm

And last, but not least, a Facebook post for a great cocktail from last year, The Happy Pilgrim; but since linking to a specific post in FB is not obvious, here is the recipe:

Happy Pilgrim
1 shot wild turkey bourbon - must have turkey!
1 shot ginger beer
2 shots cranberry juice
1/3 shot orange bitters
Shake and serve over crushed ice
garnish with a fresh cranberry

Enjoy & Happy Turkey Day!

Mint Julep

It's Kentucky Derby day tomorrow, which is traditionally time for a mint julep, and May 30th is National Mint Julep Day, it seems like a good time for one.  For years I avoided mint juleps, for some reason I thought of them as a thick, creamy, sickly green colored concoction.  It turns out I was confusing them with a Grasshopper (which fits that description).  But now I love mint juleps!

There are many (many, many) recipes for mint juleps.  Some are tall refreshing drinks, others are as strong as any cocktail you could find, some need to be cooked, and others just need a quick stir.  I hesitate to even give a recipe for fear of raising the ire of some aficionado.  But I like my recipe, and it's easy and adaptable.

Start with fresh mint.  Easy to get at the grocery store, and even easier to get out of the yard.  Mint is beyond easy to grow, it's a weed!  If you like mint juleps and mojitos then I suggest you keep some in a pot in the yard; don't put it in the ground unless you want it to take over.  Take 5 or 6 leaves, plus a sprig for garnish.  I prefer regular mint, but some recipes call for spearmint.

Muddle the leaves in a glass.  I like to add a pinch of the sugar and little bourbon at this point; I think it helps the muddling process to get the most flavor out.

Pour this into a shaker full of ice, add 2 ounces of bourbon, a table spoon of sugar, and an ounce of water.  Shake hard.

Strain this into a glass full of ice.  Straining is important to get the bits of mint out.  Choose either a short glass for an intense cocktail, or use a tall glass which you then finish with 3 or 4 ounces of club soda.  Float the sprig of mint on top as a garnish; the garnish is for more than just looks here, with every sip your nose will be in the mint getting all that aroma.

Mint Julep
6 mint leaves
1 mint sprig
2 oz bourbon
1 oz water
4 oz club soda

Some notes about sugar:  Using a finer sugar (5x or bar sugar) will dissolve easier.  Don't use powdered sugar, it has corn starch in it.  You can use simple syrup instead of the sugar and water, just combine equal amounts of sugar and water, either boil it or shake it until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Use double the simple syrup for the sugar called for.

Enjoy!

Santa Barbara

With wedding season slowing down, I was able to get out of town for a couple of days.  A nice drive down the coast to Santa Barbara.  Mr PSC went to college there and we had our first apartment on campus.  I was the pastry chef at the Ojai Valley Inn and Country Club.  We walked the campus, looked up our old addresses and enjoyed the area.  Back in those days, as college students and newly weds, there was not extra cash to enjoy the many great restaurants.

This time however we took full advantage!  Hubby booked us a great room at the Canary Hotel, a wonderful boutique hotel, just 4 stories with a pool and lounge on the roof, and a nicely appointed restaurant/bar off the lobby.  An old building beautifully restored and modernized just enough.  The first evening there the restaurant was closed (for a special event) so they opened the bar by the pool to watch the sunset from the roof top; great way to start a vacation.

That evening we decided to walk down State street, the main shopping district.  After talking with our waitress on the roof top - always ask your servers where they go, they know the best spots - we headed out to her first recommendation, after strolling through the farmers market that just happened to be going on in the middle of State street.

Our first stop was Blush, a great night club and bar with patio seating in the perfect weather.  We love to sit at the bar to watch the cocktails being made.  They had an extraordinay tuna tartar that was drizzled with white soy, it truly was finger licking good.  Jim tried a Basil Strawberry Martini with Balsamic Glaze,  The strawberries had a perfect flavor and the basil came out in just a touch of the nose.  The hint of balsamic balanced out the sweetness.  Sitting next to us was a local couple enjoying the same sort of evening, who recommended our next stop Intermezzo.  Only a block off State street, but hard to find if you don't know about it.  The cocktails were well made, but the star of the show was the Seared Foie Gras with Plum Tartine and Saffron Ice Cream... OMG!

A

A Perfect Pear Martini

As I started writing this I noticed that 3 out of the last 4 blogs were on wine or cocktails, hope I'm not sending the wrong message here :)  Anyway, in writing my October column for the Petaluma Post I needed to develop a perfect pear martini recipe, which required some experimenting with recipes and ingredients, but was too much to include in the column, so here we are.

For the pear I selected Bartlett pears, they are my favorite, in season and work very well for this.

For the pear juice I purchased Kerns Pear Nectar and Looza Pear Juice.  After tasting I'd definitely go with Looza, it has a smoother texture and richer pear taste.  I also tried Sonoma Sparkling Pear Cider, not at all like a juice, but good potential for modifying the flavor and adding some bubbles to a cocktail.

I've sampled many pear vodkas over the years, but always return to Absolut Pear, it has the cleanest taste without that synthetic aftertaste many flavored alcohols can have.

The final recipe I settled on for my Perfect Pear Martini was (serving 2):

4 oz Absolute Pear Vodka
4 oz Pear Puree (made with the Looza and whole pear)
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz agave syrup

To make the pear puree I combined 1 chunked up Bartlett Pear and 1/4 cup Looza Pear Juice and pureed with a hand blender until it was about half the consistency of apple sauce.  Then simply combined all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shook hard.  Then served up in a martini glass.  It had an excellent pear flavor without being overly sweet, with just a touch of bite from the vodka remaining.

A note on agave syrup.  This is the agave (of tequila fame) based sweetener that I often use instead of simple syrup.  Despite its tequila association there is no alcohol in it, nor any tequila flavor.  It is very mild in flavor, the flavor typically disappearing into whatever it is combined with, and it mixes easily since it doesn't need to disolve.  In fact hubby uses this as his coffee sweetener.  Plus it has a lower glycemic index so it is better for you.

Another experiment which I think was even more drinkable, but not as quintessentially pear, was a Cranberry Pear Martini.

4 oz Absolute Pear Vodka
4 oz Cranberry Juice
4 oz Pear Puree (made with the Looza and whole pear)
2oz Sparkling Pear Cider
1 oz lemon juice

Very drinkable.

Enjoy
A

PS the Petaluma Post article "A Perfect Pear" will be out on October 1st, and features a discussion of pears and pear themed meal from cocktails through dessert.

Cocktail Week / Working for a Living

Being in foodservice, I have never had what anyone would call a normal schedule.  Hours are usually very early.  When I started out I was a baker for many years with 4am not uncommon.  Now as a caterer midnight in not uncommon and weekends are a must.  In the entire year I might have 2 Saturdays off and those are when we're away on vacation.  This schedule is both good and bad.  On one hand it means very few concerts or shows and dinners out with friends are restricted to those that can adapt to our schedule, but on the other hand there are very few lines at Home Depot on Tuesday morning,  no wait at breakfast at our favorite restaurant, and cheaper hotel rooms when we take a "weekend" (ie Tuesday/Wednesday) away.

Which bring me to todays blog; Recently I was a bit bummed that there is an event coming up in September in SF that I really wanted to go to, but could not work the schedule around.  It is called Cocktail Week.  A festival of artisanal cocktails and mixes, this is very trendy in the culinary world and I would love to attend - though it is a week, it is mostly on , you got it, the weekend.  Luckily I discovered a special preview event that was being held just this last Wednesday, yes Wednesday!  It was at the Ferry building and it was just that, a preview tasting from the participating bars and restaurants.

There were 16 different bartenders pouring cocktails made with local fresh farmers market produce and the 16 different sponsored spirits.  The entrance fee got you 2 full size cocktails and 14 tastes plus 4 food tastings.  We put all of a weekend into one evening. 

Mr. PSC and I took the ferry over from Larkspur.  Always a pleasant trip across the bay and a nice responsible pause on the return trip before we got to the car.  I love the Ferry building in SF, full of great shops and vendors with wonderful selections of produce, meats, cheeses, teas... everything, plus several great places to eat.  So we arrived early and enjoyed a stroll around the market place, then a cocktail at Slanted Door, one our favorite places (which in retrospect was unwise being on the way to the a cocktail festival).  Then a lite dinner at another restaurant (see we're not totally irresponsible).  Then on to the festival...

There is too much to describe it all.  Great food and beverages, of course, but also expert bartenders who enjoyed talking about their creations and representatives from the sponsoring spirits who were also interesting to chat with.  But some just have to be mentioned...

The PBnJ, a pork belly and peach jam slider with arugula from The Monk's Kettle was our favorite.  And the Jambalaya Croquet won the voting for best of the night.

The winning cocktail was a Melon Milk Tequila punch.  Sounds awful doesn't it?  But very very good.

Also of note were two spirits.  We enjoyed the cocktails they made with them and if you ask nicely they'll give a small sample of the profiled spirit.  The new Belvedere Intense, an unfiltered vodka, was quite nice, a true sipping vodka with a little bit of a sweetness to the flavor profile.  Neither of us had ever had an unfiltered vodka before, interesting.  The other was the Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur, an excellant flavor, something I'll have to track down and experiment with.

Belvedere Intense - a great unfiltered sipping vodka

The Melon Milk Punch with Tequila

PBandJ: Porkbelly and peach jam slider

Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur

A very pretty cocktail with Templeton Rye, I'm not a rye fan, but Jim thought it was quite nice.

Tsukunes Grilled Skewers were very tasty and paired well with the cocktailes.

Jackson's

Just the other evening my husband and I decided to have a night out; last weekend was very busy and I was in need of some us time. We decided to head to Santa Rosa to Jackson’s.  Mixology is a growing culinary trend, treating the bartender as a profession. The new job title is mixologist, a person that specializes in creating cocktails.  We are not talking just your classic martini or gin and tonic (although they will do those perfectly), but unique and creative endeavors.  If you appreciate the art, then Jackson's is a must.

For my first selection I went with a "Ginger Not Marianne" (ha ha Gilligan) an incredible mix of lemon and ginger (Canton ginger liqueur) with just a light touch of spritze, garnished with a slice of candied ginger.  The only problem with them is that you could sit and drink them all night.  Jim started with a "Belushi's Breakfast", an absolutely bizarre and incredible combination. Bourbon (Bitterman's), espresso and dark beer (Death & Taxes) finished with a peanut brittle rim!  When he first saw this he thought that sounds very 'questionable', but on further reflection he decided if a place like Jackson's puts something that sounds that bad on the menu, then it must be great.  And it was.  The beer foamed to just the perfect amount and added a foam head to the glass on which floated 3 espresso beans. You can imagine how John Belushi would have stayed awake.

Deciding to have dinner nearby (To Dai for Sushi, quite nice), we went for a second round of drinks.  This time I went for a... (darn, can't remember the name, but it was something like Gin Limey), a wonderful gin and lime combination.  Jim's other selection was a "Cotton Tail"; imagine a perfect white gazpacho in a glass. It went perfectly with our Truffle Fries (bar nibbles are a must).  Made with fresh carrot juice and Cynar (an Italian artichoke liqueur) and someother things.  Being a chef I asked to taste the Cynar, it was truly awful!  So hat's off to the mixologist becasue it fit the combination wonderfully.  I cannot believe that anyone would think to use it, but it highlights the drink incredibly well.

A

Gin is Back! (not that it ever really left)

The classic cocktail is making its way back into American culture, Speak Easys are popping up- one will be opening up in Santa Rosa this year, and we are beginning to experiment with different types of alcohol, and looking to formerly passe (is that passe-passe?) beverages for inspiration.

Gin, which has been relegated to Martinis and your classic Gin and Tonic (add a lime and it's a Gin Ricky), is getting a lot more play.  Many of the bartenders enjoy the complexity of its flavor to accent their creations.  I've recently joined them.  The herbal accents work really well to highlight other ingredients.

My Dad has always been a gin drinker- Bombay Sapphire is his favorite.  I'm new to gin, never really liked it, or at least thought I didn't.  The first time I ordered a gin cocktail he was a bit surprised.

My current favorite is Gin and Grapefruit juice.  It makes the grapefruit juice sweet at the same time the bitterness blends well.  I had a great blackberry cocktail last year and I am waiting for season to try to duplicate it.

The next time you are out, take a look at the bar menu and try something new. You just might like it!

A