While researching last week’s cocktail, Remember the Maine, I came across this one. The golden hue and the combination of ingredients had me immediately intrigued. And wow, what a deliciously complex cocktail! This beauty is over 100 years old, comes in various forms and is actually a tweak of a tweak on the venerable Manhattan. The original tweak is the Red Hook – rye, sweet vermouth and maraschino and this one swaps out the sweet vermouth for dry and amaro for the bitters while retaining the maraschino for sweetness. This cocktail has layers of…
One of the first posts I wrote for Cooking-4-One was a recipe for Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage, a delicious side that I enjoy regularly. Given my recent sous vide experiments with vegetables and grains, I searched to see what it would take to make this dish using my immersion circulator. Well, I found the information I desired and the results I saw looked delicious. The one recipe that I based mine on comes from Kate Williams. Of course, I tweaked it slightly for my own tastes tonight. I substituted apple cider vinegar and…
Recently, I received an blog update from The Daring Gourmet where she had a recipe for Valencian Paella that looked absolutely heavenly. I just knew I had to try it and somehow my mind just latched onto some weird ‘Valencia/Valentine’ word association and here we are, me proposing you enjoy this dish with your someone special this Valentine’s Day. You could start your romantic dinner with a sous vide lobster cocktail while sipping champagne, enjoy this flavorful paella with a crisp viognier or a beautiful dry rosé, then finish with dessert…
OK, now that I have your attention with that beautiful recipe title, I am sure you want to know what it is. Well, it is meatballs in a roasted red pepper sauce. Doesn’t that sound delicious? I thought so, that’s why I made it. I used mild Italian sausage, whole milk ricotta, and panko crumbs for the meatballs to create a mild flavor that will not compete with the robust sauce. Mentioning the sauce, it is simply flavored so the roasted red peppers shine. It seems that this dish would be one…
In honor and remembrance of the 120th anniversary of the disastrous USS Maine incident on February 15th, 1898, tonight’s cocktail is also reminder that ‘fake news’ is nothing new (regardless of your views and beliefs). In the aftermath of this terrible incident in which 260 men died, two high powered publishers used their influence to inflame the situation and foster an atmosphere that resulted in the Spanish-American War. This cocktail is another variation on the venerable Manhattan. Originally documented in 1939 in Charles H. Baker, Jr’s The Gentlemen’…
How about a comfort food perfect for a dreary February weeknight? This dish is quick to prepare (about an hour unrushed!), yet filled with flavor. Apparently this dish was named after a wealthy Russian diplomat, Pavel Stroganoff, and the first known mention in a cookbook is from 1871. Interestingly, that early version had no onion or mushroom in it – it was simply beef cubes in a mustard and bouillon sauce finished with sour cream. That dish sounds tasty, but I believe the onions and mushrooms enhance the flavors. So, you can see this dish is…
Tonight’s cocktail is another riff on one of my favorite drinks – the Manhattan. This twist on the classic could actually be better as it’s flavors are deep and reflective. Created in San Francisco’s Bourbon & Branch by Todd Smith, this simple substitution of Averno for sweet vermouth really changes this cocktail’s taste profile. This beauty is perfect for a rowdy happy hour or quiet, intimate moments; it can be the life of the party or the epitome of relaxed style. For me, I am choosing the latter…