Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Original Sin.


'Original Sin' Martini, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

This martini is an adaptation of Scott Beatties apple cocktail in his "Artisanal Cocktails" book. The book itself is quite stunning. The pictures are absolutely amazing, colorful and downright inspiring. The only problem is, many of the ingredients are somewhat hard to locate. Some reviewers of the book have complained that not only the ingredients but techniques are a bit cumbersome for the average at home cocktail connoisseur. The original recipe is floating all over the internet, but here, I will give you my version with the ingredients I was able to find locally, including the adjustments I made, as well as a few suggestions (what I would do if I made it all again). If you're interested in the original it shouldn't be too hard to locate with a quick google search. This cocktail is the ultimate in fall cocktails as it highlights one of falls most joyous and plentiful bounties, the apple.


I feel blessed to live in Bellingham for a variety of reasons, one being that we boast the greatest apple orchard on planet Earth; Bellewood Acres. Every year Bellewood supplies our local grocery stores with boxes full of a wide variety of apples, my favorite being the 'Honeycrisp'. They also make peanut butters, pies, vinegars, syrups, apple chips, and other treats. But the one product that has me awaiting it's release year after year has always been their fresh pressed Cider. I know Fall has arrived as soon as those amber colored jugs line the cold case at the store. I'm not sure what makes a technical cider, spices maybe? Because if so, this has none. It is pure, unadulterated, pressed apple juice pasteurized with UV light, ensuring it doesn't lose any of it's incredible flavor. It's sweet and tart. Like the loveliest punch your taste-buds ever felt. Better than any juice I've ever consumed, and frankly, better than most raw apples. I kid you not. Needless to say, this year I couldn't wait for our grocery stores to stock their shelves, so, on the first day of autumn I threw on a pair of jeans and a sweater (despite the 80 degree weather) and headed out to the apple orchard, fingers crossed they would have a fridge full of freshly made Cider. What a better way to spend the first day of Fall, despite the hot summer-like weather, than at an apple orchard? Inside the country store patrons are not only allowed, but heartily encouraged to sample just about everything this farm produces. Apples? Of course, about 6 different varieties all placed under glass domes. Pears too. How about a surprisingly juicy dehydrated apple chip? Yes, please. Little slices of treats from the baker? You bet. I tasted a delicious house made butterfinger, which I believe is a simple combo of Bellewood's peanut butter, covered in dark chocolate. And it doesn't stop there. How about sips of cider syrup? Or, just a splash of the two varieties of cider vinegar they carry? No problem (although this is likely for the more adventurous palate, not everyone would be too keen on sipping straight vinegar). To sweeten the deal try a shot of the cider I've been raving about above. To finish it off why not sample the different variety of cheeses they carry, french blue cheese on a slice of pear? Why, of course. What I thought was going to be a rather quick stop to grab a gallon of cider, turned into an hour and half of tasting delights. The woman behind the counter, whose name escapes me now, was so incredibly friendly. Despite my disdain for the hot weather outside, I thoroughly enjoyed myself on one of my favorite days of the year, and, ended up buying more than just cider.


Back to the cocktail recipe at hand, shall we? Beattie's recipe called for a brand of apple juice and sparkling cider I'd never heard of. I knew I had to use Bellewood's Cider instead. What he suggested couldn't possibly be better than that. I made this cocktail for the 'Around the Table' (my cooking clubs) 'local' dinner (post to follow shortly). I requested cocktail because I hadn't made one since December of last year. I love cocktails, and rarely get a good opportunity to excuse buying an expensive bottle of booze, not to mention all the ingredients, AND special tool I needed to make this particular one. I had such a blast making this cocktail that I've decided cooking group assigned or not, I would like to attempt making one special cocktail a month. It's a nice treat. I don't need much prodding to think of an excuse to buy a gourmet ingredients. They're my little indulgences of choice I suppose, not jewelry or clothing like many of the twenty somethings out there, but, good food and drink. Beattie was part of that inspiration. Drinks can be incredibly gorgeous, sophisticated, fun, and indulgent. I look forward to the adventures in alcohol that await me! One thing that this recipe called for that I was not willing to sacrifice was the cocktail foam. I've had cocktail foam once in my life, at a lovely restaurant/bar down in Portland. It was a passion-fruit foam served atop the most satisfying pear martini you could imagine. I was hooked. The foam was bubbly, light, sweet, and without it the drink just wouldn't have tasted as good or commanded the presence that it did when it was placed in front of me. I knew, without the foam, this cocktail would resemble just 'another' apple martini. Boring. Which simply wouldn't do, especially not for my gourmet girls. Cocktail foam might sound complicated and perhaps a bit scary, but trust me, it's not. All you need it a whipped creamer with nitrous oxide chargers, a few easy to find ingredients and viola, you've got foam! I did a lot of reading up on foam, Beattie prefers to use a coconut milk/gelatin combo, other bartenders prefer to use pasteurized egg white as their base. I tried Scott's for this recipe, which I found it to be too gelatinous. There's not a lot of gelatin, but clearly, too much. It doesn't slowly 'melt' onto the drink as a foam should. It stayed put. At first it tasting light, fresh and airy, but, after a few minutes it really started to resemble jello a bit. Which was pure ick. I think this foam could be perfected though. Next time I try this method I will plan to cut back on the gelatin by 1/2 teaspoon. I also increased the booze and juice ratio. I found that Beattie's original didn't fill up the martini glass enough, which I hate in home or at restaurant. Who want's half a martini? Fill up my glass please, because when it comes to a freshly poured martini there is no such thing as your glass being 'half full'. All in all I enjoyed this drink. In fact, as soon as I finish up writing here I'm going to go into the kitchen and shake one up. This martini would be the perfect accompaniment to any autumn cocktail or dinner party, or frankly, a quiet, chilly night curled up on your sofa at home!


Recipe : The "Original Sin' Martini


Ingredients: (Per Martini)

2 oz. apple brandy (I used a french Calvados)

3 oz. freshly squeezed apple juice/cider (I used Bellewood Acres Cider)

1/4 oz. simple syrup (using a flavored in this martini is best, Beattie suggest ginger, I used Bellewoods apple syrup, but I thought a lemon thyme infused simple syrup would be really nice as well)

slice of lemon, lightly squeezed (into the shaker)

splash of sparkling cider (use the lightest flavored you can find, for example, I would say the ever popular martinelli's would be too strong)

For Garnish:

Apple Foam (recipe below)

Dehydrated Apple Chips for garnish

Cinnamon sugar for the rim


Directions:

1. Prepare your martini glass by lightly rubbing the cut end of a lemon along the rim of the martini glass and lightly dipping in the cinnamon. I chose to only dip half the rim in the cinnamon sugar as to not over sweeten and allow the drinker to choose weather or not they wanted the cinnamon sugar with each sip or not. It sure is pretty though.

2. Pour first four ingredients (brandy through simple syrup) into a martini shaker filled with ice. (You can double, triple, quadruple all of this to make as many martini's as you need).

3. Lightly squeeze and throw slice of lemon into the shaker.

4. Place the lid on the shaker and shake vigorously for 15-30 seconds.

5. Pour into prepared martini glass.

6. Top off a splash of sparkling cider.

7. Finish it off with apple foam and dehydrated apple chip.

8. Bottoms up!


Apple Foam: (makes appx. 2 cups)


Ingredients:

1 1/4 tsp. gelatin (remember, I would cut back 1/4 to 1/2 tsp here the next time)

9 oz. fruit juice (for this cocktail, use your cider/apple juice)

3 oz. simple syrup

1/3 cup full fat thai coconut milk


Directions:

1. Soak gelatin in 3 oz. of juice in small/medium sized bowl for ten minutes.

2. Fill a large bowl up with ice.

3. Meanwhile, pour remaining 6 oz of juice, and 3 oz. of simple syrup into a small saucepan and bring to a slight boil.

4. After the gelatin has had time to bloom, place the small bowl with gelatin into the large ice bowl and slowly pour hot liquid over the gelatin/juice mixture, whisking until it become frothy, appx. 30 seconds.

5. Allow gelatin to cool to 45 degrees or below (this will only take a few minutes in ice bath), and then whisk in the coconut milk.

6. Pour mixture into whipped cream canister. Securely tighten the lid.

7. Invert canister and charge with cartridge. Immediately place it in the refrigerator to cool. I allowed mine to cool 24 hours to stabilize before using. Beattie suggests this, but says that the foam should be ready to use within ten minutes of chilling in the fridge.

* When dispensing foam, invert can completely or else you will loose the nitrous necessary to whip it up.


Cheers!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

sharing a few photos.


beautiful baby aurora., originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

hello folks. I've been fairly sick this last week. down and not feeling much like blogging. I have been cooking (most nights), but unsuccessfully documenting. tonight we're having art smiths hoecakes with roasted chicken, barbecue sauce, and fennel bulb slaw. let's keep our fingers crossed hunger and sickness don't get the best of me and I fail, yet again this week, to capture my meal on film. speaking of pictures. I'm here primarily to share a few pictures with you. after years of general hemming and hawing, it happened, I got a DSLR. I'm still learning, and will likely be learning how to use it for a long while to come. but, before the sickness grabbed a hold of me, I was taking pictures of just about anything and everything, playing with my brand new fabulous little toy. so here for you to scan over, are a few of the pictures I've captured over the last week with my brand new Canon XSi. Some food with a bit of beautiful baby aurora thrown in. enjoy! I'll be back soon to share my Daring Bakers challenge, 'Around the Tables' local dinner for which I'm creating a kick ass martini, and perhaps a few more recipes . . . .


4., originally uploaded by miss.mallory.




3., originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Roasted yellow pepper, with sauteed onions and kale. I mix this into black bean refried beans and spanish rice. Plop a scoop of avocado on top, a sprinkle of sharp cheddar, and viola! A quick, easy, and incredibly satisfying dinner.


2., originally uploaded by miss.mallory.




1., originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Apples from my yard. Yesterday I picked a gaggle and made apple crumble. One of my autumn favorites. I have no idea what variety these apples are but they're incredible. The right balance of tart and sweet, perfect for a pie or a crumble.


5., originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Last weekend a few girls from the cooking club and I got together and canned pickled peppers and salsa with a bounty of veggies from our local Saturday Market.


beautiful baby aurora., originally uploaded by miss.mallory.




beautiful baby aurora., originally uploaded by miss.mallory.




6., originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Monday, September 07, 2009

Get Stuffed


C&C Stuffed Mushrooms, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Autumn seems to be well on her way. Which I, honestly, couldn't be more excited about. Yesterday was quite the blustery day here in Bellingham, with bouts of sun, dark clouds, rain and of course, lots of wind. I adore wind. If it were windy half the year, particularly during autumn, I would be the happiest little food blogger in the world. Watching all the amber, scarlet, and brown leaves dance wildly makes my heart happy. On incredibly windswept days I love to open all of my windows, blast Pandora, all the while feeling and listening to the fresh air rip through the house. This weather has me ready to break out my flats, sweaters, and jeans, throw on my apron and make a slew of autumn inspired dishes; cinnamon rolls, chili, chicken paprikash, and of course, apple pie. Mushrooms in particular remind me of Fall. Probably because many of our local varieties are harvested during the autumn months. Many of my savory fall favorites feature a mushroom tucked in here, or starring there. So it was no surprise on friday evening when Thomas and I decided we wanted to have a variety of homemade appetizers for dinner (paired with a couple of glasses of a lovely red wine, of course) that I was craving something mushroom-y. Many of our appetizers were asian inspired, like crab rangoon and homemade chicken dumplings (gyoza), but for some reason I had to have stuffed mushrooms. They're so simple, plus, the filling is almost identical to the filling for my crab rangoon. This is my mothers recipe, one of her favorites in fact. Often when she would head off to a dinner party, or have guests over, she'd whip up a giant batch of stuffed mushrooms. I might even call them her signature party dish. Just to sell them a little harder, to convince you to try it out yourself let me tell you this, few months back I hosted a little baby shower for a dear friend whose husband hates mushrooms. So, among other mini bites, I served these mushrooms, and let me tell you, they were the first thing to go! The girls just couldn't get enough of them. They're a perfect bite. The cheesy, creamy stuffing mixed with the texture of the baked mushroom is soul satisfying.


Today is my mom's birthday, so, it's only appropriate for me to post this little recipe of hers. Frankly, it's not as glamorous, fabulous, or sweet as my mom, but it surely does remind me of her. Happy birthday mom, you are, hands down, the most amazing woman I have ever known, and I choose to believe that you and only you are the greatest mom that has ever lived. I love you dearly, you were truly a miracle not only for grandma, but for me as well!


Recipe: MaryAnn's Famous Stuffed Mushrooms


Ingredients:


10 large-ish crimini mushrooms (or 20 small mushrooms) cleaned/stems removed

5 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 small can of high quality crab, or, of course, if you're up for it and it's in season, freshly cleaned dungeness

4 scallions thinly sliced

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Pecorino/Parmesan for sprinkling


olive oil

salt and pepper


Directions:


1. Preheat oven to 375 F

2. Brush tops of mushrooms with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and turn upside down on baking sheet.

3. Thoroughly mix cream cheese, crab, scallion, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Scoop one large heaping spoonful of filling into the cleaned out bottom of the mushroom.

5. Finish with a sprinkle of parmesan or pecorino

6. Bake in preheated oven 12-15 minutes, until heated through, hot and bubbly and slightly golden on top.

7. Eat & Enjoy!

Friday, September 04, 2009

Donut Hole Cupcakes.

These cupcakes are not for the faint of heart. Sure, they look pretty innocent, don't they? Trust me, they're not. I realize that the batter is so simple a child could pull it together, and yes, there is no frosting in sight. In theory they do seem fairly innocent. I almost hate to tell you what makes them so, so dangerous because simply reading about these little cakes may cause your arteries to tremble with fear. When you take these gems out of the oven, while they're still warm, you submerge each and every one in a deep bowl full of melted butter. . . then. . . you roll and coat each buttery, soft little cake in cinnamon sugar. Dipping the hot cupcakes in melted butter soaks the cake making it moist for days, and when you roll them in sugar it creates this unbeatable cinnamon sugar crust that sticks perfectly to the outside of each cake, making every bite as good as the last. The reason I've dubbed them 'donut hole' cupcakes is because everyone who ate them made a doughnut reference, aaand, we primarily ate them for breakfast. I suppose if we label something breakfast food, we're more likely to accept it as a good pairing with our morning coffee or tea. Think about it, a muffin is simply a cupcake without the frosting, and cinnamon rolls? Come on, they're hands down dessert. I, however, don't need a breakfast moniker to eat something for breakfast, cupcakes, cold pizza, even leftover bolognese, if it sounds good, I'll eat it, no breakfast labels required. Thomas' sister described it beautifully when she popped the first mini cupcake in her mouth 'it's like the best donut hole, ever'. And although I'm sure the submergence in butter is just as bad as frying, the hassle of placing dough in the hot oil and getting the perfect golden exterior on both sides does not exist. These cakes are fail proof. Bake em up, let them swim in butter, and roll them in sugar. Viola. A simple do it yourself 'donut hole' cupcake. I stacked my batch under a domed lid on the kitchen table and let people snack on them whenever they liked. I'm much like my grandmother, I feel it necessary, as often as possible, to have a treat on hand to feed drop in guests, housemates, and family. Whether you plan to pair them with your morning beverage, or snack on them after a long day, these make a great, simple treat. Frightened arteries be damned!




Cinnamon Sugar Puff 'Donut Hole' Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
pinch of nutmeg
6 Tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cold heavy cream
1/4 whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla

For Dipping:

In two bowls:

7 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter
&
1/2 cup sugar + 1 Tablespoon cinnamon mixed well

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and spray mini muffin pan with baking nonstick spray
2. Sift dry ingredients, except for sugar, into a small bowl
3. Mix cream, milk and vanilla in a glass measuring cup
4. In an electric mixer, on medium speed, beat sugar and butter until light and creamy.
appx. 3 minutes
5. Stopping mixer, scrape sides of bowl. On medium speed, add egg, and mix until well incorporated.
6. On low speed, add 1/3 of dry ingredient mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Alternate with milk mixture, starting and ending with dry ingredients. Do not overmix, stop when ingredients are just incorporated and smooth.
7. With melon baller, scoop equal portions into mini muffin tins (about 2/3 full).
8. Bake 10-12 minutes, until cakes are just slightly golden brown.
9. Remove from oven, and allow to cool for about five minutes in the muffin tin.
10. Remove one by one from tin, submerging each cake fully in the butter bowl, then rolling it until completely coated in cinnamon sugar bowl.
11. Place on parchment and allow to cool.
12. Eat & Enjoy!


Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Around the Table : August : Italian

Well here we are again. Another 'Around the Table' dinner post. Considering our dinners are a month apart, shouldn't the posts have something between them? To be honest, I do have a few non-dinner-club posts up my sleeve, however, those pictures I love, the pictures I'm about to present to you, I don't. I've said it before, I'll say it again, my little point and shoot just can't handle low light. And this dinner was all low light. As lovely as it is, and as much as I prefer soft candlelight dinners, it spells disaster for photo's. I believe the reason I can't stand bad photographs of food, these incredible dinners in particular, is because they do not, in any fashion, do the delectable experience that are our dinners justice.


This dinner was slightly bittersweet. At the July barbecue we said goodbye to Laura. In August we helped Rachelle say farewell to her lovely little apartment. It was her last dinner, and the night before her final evening in a place she spent the last few years. Where she and her husband settled as newlyweds, and the place I first realized she and I were kindred spirits. As you can see she dolled it up beautifully, with sparkling mercury votives, giant lacy pink and green roses, and an italian inspired place setting. It couldn't have been a prettier setting for both a lovely dinner and an au revoir fete.




Our dear Ashley was saddled with drinks. Little did I know it, but Ashley had never made a mixed drink. Can you imagine it? To be fair, she does not drink. I think she's probably only had one semi-drunken night in her past, if I recall, it was her bachelorette party. This dinner is intended to break us out of shells, experience new cuisine, and conceptualize and create dishes that are completely foreign or new to us. Ashley found an Italian Mojito recipe that was quite delicious, strong for girl who doesn't drink, half of one had me on my lips a bit, but quite good. An Italian Mojito has most of the same ingredients as a regular mojito, the lime, the mint, and the silver rum, with the addition of a sprinkle of brown sugar. The club soda or sparkling water is replaced with a splash of Prosecco, which is a delicious, light italian brut champagne. Sweet, citrusy, and light, the perfect last cocktail of summer (and the perfect compliment to Alexis' homemade mozzarella bruschetta).




Alexis has been on quite the cheese kick as of late. If you recall (all you need to do is look one post below) she presented us with homemade mascarpone on grilled peaches last month. This month, it was homemade braided mozzarella, with smaller balls mixed with basil. She placed chunks of her cheese on fresh rounds of baguette with thick chunks of baby heirlooms that were so sweet and juicy they tasted of tomato candy. To top it off, she drizzled the whole shabang with a bit of aged balsamic.


I'm not sure I can explain this next dish to you in a way that will properly illustrate just how mind blowing it truly was. What made this dish so tantalizing? It was perfectly seasoned. I'm beginning to understand the indelible importance of well seasoning a dish. There is a trick to it, seasoning doesn't mean salting the hell out of it, or peppering it up so that it's offensive the nose. No. Sure, those two things are important, but seasoning is so much more than that. Laurel dressed this salad perfectly. A simple mix of red and yellow cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, fresh rounds of mozzarella, chunks of crustless artisan bread, fresh basil, and a sprig of lemon thyme to dress it. Laurel worked on the dressing, bits of salt, pepper, balsamic and oil until the flavor was perfection. No oil or vinegar mess on the plate, it had all soaked into and permeated the ingredients. Simply perfection.


I knew about Rachelle's dish days, if not weeks before the dinner. I think it was the dish I was most looking forward to. I would say, aside from cake, my biggest culinary addiction is pasta. Well, that's not fair, I have many a gourmet loves, but pasta is definitely in the top three. Rachelle used a recipe she saw whipped up on the Martha Stewart show a while back. This ravioli is a three in one. One long sheet of freshly made pasta, three pillows of filling stuffed between the sheets. On one end, a blend of spinach, garlic, and cheeses. In the middle, a simple egg yolk. And finally, on the other end, a lemon ricotta blend. This show stopping ravioli was topped off with a drizzle of browned sage butter and uber crunchy breadcrumbs. Rachelle, like myself, is a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to her food, she had issues with the pasta, for her, it didn't turn out exactly how she imagined it would. However, the rest of us really enjoyed this dish. Rachelle will have a post up soon at Use the Good China. For the recipe check out Martha Stewart.




Often with these dinners we try ingredients or entire dishes that we may have never tasted, or believe we don't like. Case in point, fennel pork tenderloin. It's not the tenderloin I had an issue with, while I might not induldge too often, I like pork. Fennel on the other hand, I was under the impression that I despised that particular ingredient. This surely is not a recipe I would have read and picked out myself. In fact, it wouldn't have appealed to me in the least. In her research Laurel discovered that fennel and pork are traditionally very popular, and common, in Italian cuisine. I didn't know that, did you? I think we get so used to the americanized versions of world cuisine, that we don't step outside of the box and really get down to the cultural roots of cuisine. The pork was braised, and roasted with simple seasonings. The tenderloin was perfectly cooked, just slightly rare, buttery, and oh-so moist. It was served on top of an incredible sauce, which, unfortunately, I have no idea what was in it (what is with me, the group, and mystery sauces and dressings?) and braised fennel bulb. Sitting atop the pork was a sprig of fresh fennel. For a girl who loves pork, and thought she hated fennel, this dish was 'clean your plate and lick it' worthy.


Okay. Onto my dessert. Correction, desserts. I simply couldn't choose. I love dessert, I love making desserts, thus, a slew of desserts for the italian dinner. In my opinion some worked, and some failed. Let's try to quickly review shall we?


Baci brownies. Baci means kisses in italian. Cute, right? I'm not sure why these were dubbed 'kisses' brownies. Perhaps because the texture, and chocolate hit you in the mouth and it's quite crave worthy, much like a good, if not surprising, kiss. For me, the brownies were a bit on the dense side. Not cakey enough, more fudge-like than gooey chocolate cake. For some, that dense texture is far more appealing than my preference for gooey cake brownies. A basic brownie mixture is whipped up, placed in a baking pan, and laced with swirls of nutella. All of this chocolatey nutella goodness is finished off with a handful of roughly chopped pan toasted hazlenuts and baked in the oven. Since this recipe is from a cookie book by Lisa Zwirn, and I do not have the rights to republish the recipe, I will direct you to another food blog that does (which is also a great site) Christie's Corner.







This was my very least favorite of the desserts. Both in looks, and in flavor. Sounds like a winning combo that is not. Essentially it's an affogato which is topped with homemade lady fingers whipped cream and chocolate shavings. The ladyfingers were the best part of the whole dish. The process was unlike any other 'cookie' method I've ever baked. Therefore, I will be posting the recipe for them on their own. They deserve it, and can be used for a variety of applications that far exceed this affogato dessert. If you'd like the recipe head over to Epicurious.





Around the Table : August : Italian, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Our final dish of the night was the crown of the desserts. It was quite literally, the perfect end to an all around incredible meal. Honey and vanilla bean panna cotta topped with fresh strawberries macerated in reduced balsamic. Swoon. The panna cotta was so creamy, with just the right soft yet set texture. The honey and vanilla bean complemented each other well, and the honey imparted just the right sweetness without overpowering the lightness of the creamy base. The balsamic simply made the strawberries juicier, and sweeter. Don't be afraid of the balsamic, once reduced it no longer has a strong vinegar flavor, it becomes sweet, and it doesn't come through much once it's been drizzled and sat on the strawberries overnight. Of all the desserts I've mad in the last couple of months, this is one of my favorites, I plan to keep this at the top of my list for when I need a simple, scrumptious, beautiful dessert.


Honey & Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Reduced Balsamic Strawberries


Panna Cotta:


Ingredients:


1 cup of whole milk

3 cups heavy whipping cream with one vanilla bean scraped into it

1 packet (one Tablespoon) powdered gelatin

1/3 honey (you could also use an infused honey like lemon, lavender etc.)

pinch of salt


Directions:


1. Put the whole milk in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top allowing it to soak up the milk and soften, approximately 5 minutes.

2. Pour the milk and gelatin mixture into a heavy saucepan on medium heat, let the milk heat but not boil for another 5 minutes.

3. After the milk has heated pour in the honey, whipped cream, and pinch of salt. Continue to heat, but not boil, on medium heat for another seven minutes.

4. Remove from heat and allow to cool just a bit, 5 minutes tops (hot liquid + glasses can sometimes = broken glasses).

5. Ladel equal amount of liquid into six glasses


Reduced Balsamic Strawberries


Ingredients:


1 lb of quartered strawberries

3 Tablespoons reduced balsamic (recipe below)


Reduced Balsamic:


1 cup aged balsamic


Directions:


1. Place balsamic in a saucepan on low-medium/low heat, reduce until thick and syrupy, whisking occasionally. This will take about 20 to 30 minutes if not a little longer. There's not particular science to this, just reduce and reduce until your balsamic is reduced to about 1/4 of what it used to be, and it's nice and syrupy. Pour into an airtight jar. Will keep for up to two weeks.


For Strawberries:


Drizzle three to four Tablespoons of cooled reduced balsamic vinegar over one pound of quartered strawberries. Mix well. Allow to sit for a couple of hours, or overnight.