Thursday, March 31, 2011

Singing "Vespers"

Whenever one thinks of James Bond ordering a drink, the words "shaken, not stirred" come to mind. Most of the time throughout the novels and films, Bond is ordering himself a vodka martini (occasionally gin instead). But one of the earliest cocktails Bond ordered was something he would later call a Vesper. Named after the female character Vesper Lynd, this drink is featured in Ian Fleming's 1953 Casino Royale and makes an appearance in the 2006 film with Daniel Craig as Bond. 


As you can see in the clip from the film, the ingredients and recipe are nicely laid out in a conversation between Bond and a French bartender: "Three measures of Gordon's [gin], one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large slice of lemon peel." In the book, Bond later specifies the vodka should be distilled from grain, not potatoes.


To recreate this gem today, you have to adapt a bit. Gordon's gin of today is not that of the 50s. For one, it's now 80-proof, not quite resembling its 100-proof hey-day. One might turn to Tanqueray (at 94-proof) or Plymouth gin or perhaps even Plymouth's "Navy Strength" gin (running at a high-octane 57% abv), the last of which I have yet to find and try. For the vodka, don't break the bank with Grey Goose or Ketel One. Stoli works just fine.


The one ingredient you may not have on your shelf is Lillet Blanc, which is a citrusy aperitif wine that you can find in just about any liquor store (usually ~$15-20). Lillet Blanc is not, however, Kina Lillet (as Bond calls for). Vesper's own wiki page suggests mixing "a dash or two of orange bitters, Angostura bitters, and a pinch (1/16 tsp) of quinine powder or use a mix of Lillet and the bitter China Martini, which also turns the drink light golden, as described in the book." For me though, despite some inauthenticity, the citrus of the 1/2 oz of Lillet Blanc works just fine. 


Vesper


3 ounces gin
1 ounce vodka
1/2 ounce Lillet Blanc
1 strip lemon peel

In cocktail shaker, combine Lillet Blanc, vodka, and gin. Add ice and shake vigorously until well chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into chilled martini or coupe glass. Squeeze the lemon peel over glass, letting the oils fall into glass, then brush peel along outer lip of glass, drop peel in drink, and serve.

Monday, March 28, 2011

When Grade B is better than Grade A

Returning from a great weekend spent north of the 45th parallel, I've got maple on my mind and now would like to share this refreshing dessert. I first encountered this recipe by Paul Grimes in the July 2009 issue of Gourmet, and here I have added a healthier Greek yogurt option in place of whipped cream as well as a mint garnish. Grade B maple syrup, if you've never tried it, is in another league from Grade A syrup. It's darker in color and has a sharper maple flavor that lends itself well to the blueberries and ginger of this parfait. It's not too hard to find in New England, but most specialty stores or organic food stores will carry Grade B. It's worth it.

Maple Blueberry Parfait
adapted from Paul Grimes, Gourmet
serves 6

1 to 1-1/4 lbs blueberries
3/4 cup real maple syrup (Grade B is best)
1 cup heavy cream or 1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
1 tsp lemon juice
6 oz ginger snaps or thins, crumbled
6 fresh mint leaves

Cook 2 1/4 cups (3/4 pound) blueberries with 1/2 cup maple syrup in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over 
medium heat, stirring occasionally, until blueberries have burst, 3 to 8 minutes. Cool in an ice bath, stirring occasionally.

While blueberry mixture cools, beat cream with remaining 1/4 cup maple syrup in a bowl using an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. N.B. if using Greek yogurt, beating is not necessary, but fully incorporate the 1/4 cup maple syrup into yogurt.

Stir lemon juice and remaining blueberries into cooled blueberry-maple mixture. Spoon about 2 tablespoons blueberry mixture into each of 6 glasses and top with half of crumbled cookies and half of whipped cream. Repeat layering of remaining blueberry mixture, crumbled cookies, and whipped cream. Garnish each parfait with a mint leaf.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Chocolate + bourbon = cake?

I was recently handed a piece of cake at a party. Plate, fork, sliver of cake, dollop of whipped cream. Nothing out of the ordinary, right? There were about eight or nine of us around the table chatting away, about what exactly I can't remember. However upon tasting this cake, a hush fell on the room. Then the grumbling and hmm-ing and the wows. As dinner guests began to vocalize their pleasure with formed words, I wanted to raise my hand and call for silence. That's how delicious this cake is. And relatively easy too.


Julia Child's Boca Negra Cake

Makes 12 servings.

The cream:
12 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup bourbon (or more to taste)

The cake:
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup bourbon
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces, at room temperature
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Prepare the white chocolate cream at least 1 day in advance: Put the white chocolate into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade or a blender container. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan until small bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Pour the cream over the chocolate and process until completely smooth. Add the bourbon, taste, and add up to a tablespoon more if you want. Turn into a container with a tight-fitting lid and chill overnight. The cream can be kept covered in the refrigerator for a week or frozen for up to a month. If you've frozen the cream, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.

Make the cake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly butter a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment or waxed paper; butter the paper. Put the cake pan in a shallow roasting pan and set aside until needed. Put the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl and keep close at hand. In a 2-quart saucepan, mix 1 cup of the sugar and the bourbon and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a full boil. Immediately pour the hot syrup over the chocolate and stir with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Piece by piece, stir the butter into the chocolate mixture. Make certain that each piece of butter is melted before you add another. Put the eggs and the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until the eggs thicken slightly. Beating with the whisk, add the eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until well-blended. Gently whisk in the flour. (If you want to make the cake batter in a food processor, put the chocolate in the work bowl of the processor. Bring all of the sugar and the bourbon to a full boil and pour the syrup into the work bowl; process until the mixture is completely blended, about 12 seconds. With the machine running, add the butter in pieces, followed by the eggs, one at a time, and then the flour. Process an additional 15 seconds before turning the batter into the prepared pan.)

Baking the cake: Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan, running your spatula over the top to smooth it. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come about 1 inch up the side of the cake pan. Bake the cake for exactly 30 minutes, at which point the top will have a thin, dry crust. Remove the cake pan from its water bath, wipe the pan dry and cover the top of the cake with a sheet of plastic wrap. Invert the cake onto a flat plate, peel off the parchment and quickly but gently invert again onto a serving platter, remove the plastic. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature with the chilled white chocolate cream.

Storing: Once cooled, the cake can be covered with plastic and kept at room temperature for 1 day or refrigerated for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before serving. For longer storage, wrap the cake airtight and freeze it; it will keep up to a month. Thaw overnight, still wrapped, in the refrigerator.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Improving butter?

We're not really close to Christmas at all, but brandy butter (aka, hard sauce) is an important thing to have in your fridge if you're having plum pudding, bread pudding, or mince pies. I myself still have a plum pudding in my kitchen press, so there may be some brandy butter in my near future. Cheers!

Brandy Butter

7 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbs brandy (or whiskey or rum)

Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the brandy. Chill if not serving immediately. This may be made up to 2 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. Serve at room temperature.

Dilled New Potatoes

Despite the cold mornings, I remain hooked on the idea that spring is around the corner. While I normally detest the flavor of dill, these buttery potatoes embody the freshness of springtime.




Dilled New Potatoes
24 tiny new potatoes
8 Tbs (1 stick) unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 Tbs chopped fresh dill


1. Scrub and dry the potatoes. Melt the butter in a heavy oven-proof casserole with a tight-fitting cover over low heat. Add the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Coat with the butter.
2. Cover and cook over low heat for 30-45 minutes. Shake the casserole occasionally. The potatoes are done when they can be pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
3. Toss with the dill and serve at once.
4-6 portions.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Hold the Guinness?!

So many of us know the Guinness and beef combination for a stew. It's time to try another Irish stout: Murphy's Irish stout. And since you've opened one can, you've got the remaining 3+ pints of the four-pack to enjoy while you anxiously wait for the stew that's filling your entire house with great smells. Happy Saint Patrick's Day to all.


Beef and Murphy's Stew


2 lb cubes of stewing beef (trimmed of fat; 2 inch cubes)
3 Tbs oil
2 Tbs flour
salt and freshly ground pepper and pinch of cayenne
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
1 large clove garlic, crushed
2 Tbs tomato purée, dissolved in 4 Tbs water
1.25 cups Murphy's Irish stout
2 cups carrots, cut into chunks
sprig of thyme


Toss beef cubes with 1 Tbs oil. Season the flour with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Toss the meat in this mixture. Heat the remaining oil in a wide frying pan over high heat. Brown the meat on all sides. Add the onions, crushed garlic and tomato purée to the pan, cover and cook gently for 5 minutes. Transfer the contents of the pan to a casserole, and pour some of the Murphy's into the frying pan. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the caramelized meat juices in the pan. Pour onto the meat with the remaining Murphy's; add the carrots and thyme. Stir, taste, and add a little more salt, if necessary. Cover with the lid of the casserole and simmer very gently until the meat is tender, 2-3 hours. The stew may be cooked on top of the stove or in a low oven at 300ºF. Taste and correct the seasoning. Scatter with lots of chopped parsley and serve with mashed or plain boiled potatoes.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

The Big Ginger



St. Patrick's Day is fast approaching and with no personal culinary ties to the feast day, I'll write a post on a popular and easy drink featuring Jameson Irish Whiskey. This drink comes from The Local bar in Minneapolis, MN, which holds the claim-to-fame of selling more Jameson than any establishment in the world (even bars in Ireland). This drink has a large role to play in their mass consumption of the water of life


The drink is called a Big Ginger: take a pint glass and fill it to the top with ice cubes. Fill the ice-filled glass halfway with Jameson whiskey. Next, squeeze a large wedge of lime and a large wedge of lemon into the glass. Then fill the glass up with good ginger ale and float the wedges in the drink and you've got yourself a Big Ginger. Try different ginger ales to find your perfect blend and you'll be turning away the pints of green beer in no time.

Monday, March 14, 2011

One week until spring!

Clocks have already sprung forward, but the weather hasn't quite caught up with the calendar. That said, spring begins in fewer than seven days and I am posting the appropriate summery salad to prepare the mind, heart, and palate. This salad comes from Alice Waters and happens to be a regular crowd-pleaser for my friends.


Green Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad
1/2 lb green beans, topped and tailed, cooked in boiling water until tender, drained and allowed to cool.
1/2 lb cherry tomatoes, stemmed and halved.
Stir together in a large bowl, letting sit for a few minutes to blend:
1 small shallot, diced fine
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
Whisk into bowl:
1/4 cup evoo
Toss tomatoes with vinaigrette and taste. Add green beans along with 6 basil leaves (cut into chiffonade). Toss gently. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.