Author Archives: Fignatius

5 January 2010
1 Comment
Cocktails

Cocktail Hour: the Cherise


The Cherise

The Bun and I occasionally go whole-hog with real cocktails and have a martini or two, but it is very rare. The last time we were out and had them, I ordered a second one and he said, “so long, it has been nice knowin’ ya!” Granted, neither of us can really hold our liquor, but a nice martini on occasion makes one feel somehow like an elegant throwback to boozier, yet (seemingly) more refined times. Perhaps I romanticize the cocktail, but it seems like a lot of people are doing so these days.

We’ve taken to the trend of buying odd liquors and mixing them with more familiar ingredients. Most recently, we read about the Aviation cocktail, which is a mix of gin, Creme de Violette (yes, a liqueur made with violets), a bit of lemon, and Maraschino Liqueur. The mix is quite good, but comes off a little too overworked for my tastes. I like simpler drinks, with less ingredients, I think. The Maraschino is quite sweet, but has a nice refreshing flavor, so it seemed to us to be a likely candidate for mixing in another application. Drinking it straight is simply too cloying.

We initially ended up making this drink just because we had all of the ingredients readily available, but it really turned out to be a winner. Bun says it tastes vaguely holiday-ish, so maybe give it a go at an upcoming get-together to keep the season rolling. It ends up being a variation on the Martinez, which is sometimes considered the father of modern-day cocktails as we know them. Here, the ratios are a bit tweaked, and we bump up the cherry theme with our own booze-soaked cherries that we made from a bunch we got from Michigan in the summer.

3 parts gin
1 part Maraschino liqueur
1 part sweet Vermouth
Boozy cherries, for garnish

Pour all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice and strain into cocktail glasses. Garnish with cherries or a twist. Enjoy!

15 December 2009
1 Comment
Dinner, Soups

Turkey Chili


Turkey Chili

I know that there are lots of die-hard beef chili fans out there, but I just don’t happen to be one of them.  Somehow, along the way, I managed to train my tastebuds to prefer the flavor of turkey and veggie-based chili, almost exclusively.  This is likely a throwback from my days of not eating meat, where I had to figure out how to make a few cans of cheap ingredients taste good enough to make me forget about what I either couldn’t afford or wasn’t eating at the time (i.e., beef).  As it turns out, a big bowl (or two) of this stuff can make you feel full and feel good about what you are putting into your belly. 
 
As the air turns colder and colder, this is one that I’ll be turning to over and over again, not least of all because I almost always have the ingredients in my freezer and pantry.  If you live anywhere like Chicago, there are some days when you race from the office to the train/bus and from there to your front door and still feel like the chill has taken over your whole body; the last thing you want to do after work is make a trip to the grocery to pick up something for dinner.  On nights like that, I don’t even want to bother ordering take out, since I know my food will be cold by the time I get it! 
 
This is another recipe that I encourage you to make your own – feel free to add or omit ingredients, and by all means, use beef instead of turkey, if that is to your taste.  With some good crackers, a feel-good movie, and a nice, seasonal brew, this will make you feel like your living room is the snuggliest place on earth.  Keep warm!

Turkey Chili

Tagged
10 December 2009
1 Comment
Dizzarts, Entertaining, Events, Holidays

Cookie Time


Mexican Wedding Cookies

I only really make cookies at one time of year (December), but I am always looking for a new and fun recipe, or a variation on an oldie but goodie.  Last year, we revamped our moms’ thumbprint cookies to a chocolate variety, filled with cherry or orange preserves.  The cherry version was a real hit, but the orange came off a little bitter alongside dark chocolate.  This year, we are making old standbys, for sure, like the Bun’s Mexican Wedding Cookies shown above; he used to make them for his Nana because they were her favorite cookie, so they always have a place in our cookie tin.  However, we are brainstorming some future favorites, too, and in some unexpected ways.

For the most part, I gravitate toward either spicy or chocolate-y cookies, so I think it may be fun to combine these flavors in a chocolate-ginger cookie, or one with a lot of cinnamon and nutmeg.  Another idea I have is to make a gingerbread dough without the heavy molasses, making a lighter colored, but spicy cookie.  However, I fear that the texture might suffer, since I think that the molasses is what gives the cookie that signature chewy texture.  The goal on that one is to let the spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, clove) take the lead on flavor.

Pushing the envelope a bit, I suggested to the Bun that we revamp what people in Chicago (and my hometown in Pennsylvania) call “Kolache,” which are these little cookies that are a square of dough with two corners folded together over a jam or sweetened-cheese filling.  My idea is to make a cardamom-flavored dough and fill the cookies with an orange-flavored cream cheese.

The test cookie turned out pretty well, but the dough really does need to be chilled overnight before you try to roll it out and bake it.  I decided to fill them with mascarpone cheese that I sweetened with sugar (to taste) and flavored with both grated orange zest and a little orange flower water.*  They make for a little more exotic version of a traditional cookie, so please give it a go, if you feel adventurous!  I should have a cookie update later today or over the weekend.

Anyway, I am sorry for the many delays in posting.  I can’t make any promises, but my hope is to really ramp up in the new year with posts throughout the really wintry months in Chicago.  Until then, I’ll keep posting when I can, even if I am just getting a few pictures and writing a few lines of text.  I hope to keep you entertained!

*Available in Indian food stores and online at our local (excellent) spice merchant, the Spice House (www.thespicehouse.com); be sparing with this ingredient, as it tends to make food taste perfume-y, if you use too much.

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