Cocktails in the Fall Part Deux

Holy Moly! It has been a heck of a few weeks around the office! We changed internet providers which is still wreaking havoc with our digital phone system, changed banks once found it sorely lacking and now have to change again, catered a wedding for 160, a reception for 110, and parties for 25 and 50 on the weekend with many more weddings, parties, and dinners on the horizon! This is in addition to our regular weekly corporate and private catering and chef services. It's been hectic, but we are really loving the business! Please keep it coming!

This will be the second installment of Cocktails in the Fall. Because it's been a while and I've been a bit remiss, I'll list 4 cocktails this week: 2 SEC and 2 ACC...

First the SEC: Florida V. LSU, My pick: Gators 26, Tigers 17

Green Gator: This great cocktail recipe is served at The Porch restaurant at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California. They serve the drink with a plastic glow-stick as a swizzle stick, which gives the drink an eerie, magical radiance.

1 1/2 oz Midori Melon Liqueur 1/2 oz Coconut Rum Pineapple juice Fill a tall glass with ice, pour in alcohol, fill the rest of the way with pineapple juice, mix and enjoy!

Eye of the Tiger:
This cocktail adds a tigerish bite to what otherwise tastes like an innocent fruity mixture.

1 oz gold rum
1 oz Malibu Rum
1 oz cranberry juice
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz of orange juice
1 oz sugar syrup
1/2 oz dark rum

Shake all but the last ingredient with ice, and strain into a highball glass half-filled with ice. Drizzle the dark rum on the surface of the drink and garnish with a slice of orange. Grrrr…

Now for our ACC selection: Maryland V. Wake Forest, My pick: Wake Forest 19, Maryland 13

Turtle Punch:
Straight from Turtle Bay - St. Kitts

1 1/2 oz. Rum
1 oz. Passion Fruit Syrup
1 oz. Sweet & Sour
Pineapple Juice
Nutmeg

Fill a collins or highball glass with ice. Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into the collins glass. Sprinkle nutmeg on top.

Orange Demon:
This recipe originally called for pure grain alcohol, but I couldn't do that to you! If you're feeling brave, feel free to substitute the PGA for the vodka!

1/2 glass orange juice
2 oz vodka
2 oz Cointreau Orange Liqueur

Pour the orange juice into a cocktail glass. Mix in the vodka and the cointreau, and serve.

Give these cocktails a try and let me know what you think... just remember to have the number of a taxi service handy! Enjoy the games but don't hold me to my picks!

Cocktails in the Fall

Here it is the end of summer and Fall is in the air. 8 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 24 seconds until college football kicks off the 2009 season. Not that I'm keeping track or anything. This is my favorite time of the year! In honor of this auspicious occasion, I'm embarking on a weekly adult beverage recipe blog that honors the teams of the SEC and the ACC -- the ones I'm interested in anyway.

For all of my friends in the great state of Georgia, I'm going to get UGA and Georgia Tech out of the way first thing. These are in no particular order so don't read anything into it...

Georgia: The Mocha Bulldog

1 oz. Kahlúa Mocha
1 oz. Stoli Vodka
1 oz. cola

Combine ingredients and serve over ice in a tall (Collins) glass.

Georgia Tech: Nutty Vodka Stinger

1 oz. Vodka
1 oz. Amaretto
1/2 oz. White Creme de Menthe

Combine ingredients in a shaker filled with ice, shake and strain into an old fashioned glass filled with ice.

It's a long season so pace yourself! I think I'm starting with the Mocha Bulldog... it's less expensive! I won't reveal my team, but I'll leave you with this...

Roll Tide Roll!!! Okay, I lied...

Summertime and Loss of Appetite

I don't know how many of you experience this, but I've noticed in my years on this globe that when hot weather rolls around I lose my appetite - quite distressing for someone in my field. Unfortunately for most of us the reverse is true in winter. How cruel of a joke is that? Stay bundled up all winter eating like a bear and hibernating to boot, then when the cold finally breaks and we can shed those layers of clothing we may not want to - at least not in public. If it was the other way around, eating in the summer and losing our appetite in the winter, we'd be all set when it was time to go to the pool! Unfortunately it's not all a matter of choice. Mother Nature's finger prints are all over this!

In hot weather the body has to work to keep cool. All of the body's processes produce heat and digestion is no exception. When we eat the body must process the food which produces heat. To moderate the production of heat and maintain body temperature, the body suppresses appetite during hotter weather. Ignore this cue from your body and you'll wind up dripping sweat on your plate. The opposite is true during the winter. Take the bear for example. It's not that he carries around a calendar and when October rolls around he starts stocking up for the winter months. When the weather gets cooler, his body signals that it's time to start eating because it doesn't have to work to stay cool and soon will need fuel to stay warm. We're no different from the old bear.

I've always found during the summer months I shy away from a big steak which is usually one of my favorite things on which to dine, opting instead for lighter options such as fish and shellfish. Maybe that's why everyone I see is going to the beach - for the fish. Then again it's probably for the margaritas... So as I sit here typing on my computer in Hotlanta, if you're sitting on a beach somewhere eating crab claws and quaffing copious amounts of beer and margaritas, raise a toast to me and order another round!

I'll be here when it cools off and you come back to reality, waiting with open arms and a steak on the barbie!

Cooling off the Summer!

Summer is here and the heat is blazing as always. You may not feel it as much in your car or office, but trust me, working in a commercial kitchen in the South during the summer you become acquainted with it... I don't generally post drink recipes much less "adult beverage" recipes, but this is a good one and an original. It's quite tasty and even if it doesn't cool you down, by the time it's gone you won't care how hot it is!

SANGRIAaaahhhhh!!!!

1 750 ml bottle red or white wine (no need for an expensive bottle; mid range is fine)
1 1/2 cup sweet and sour mix
3/4 cup brandy (no need for Napoleon's finest!)
3/4 cup triple sec

Mix well and let chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Serve over ice and garnish with fruit.

Lynda and I went through exhaustive research to figure out just the right proportions of each ingredient! It was a tremendous sacrifice but for you it's worth it! Our loss (of brain cells) is your gain... Enjoy and let us know what you think!

Craziness in the Catering World

Well, as you can tell from the time that has passed since my last post, I haven't had a great deal of time to "hunt and peck" about life in the culinary world! In the midst of this ugly recession, we are having the best year since we started the business over a decade ago. May was especially busy and June is turning out to be one of our best as well. You can tell how busy we are by driving by the house and checking out our yard... doesn't exactly look like a putting green! On the upside, long bermuda is very soft on the feet... just trying to stay one step ahead of the Home Owners Association. Not a big fan of their "fan mail" berating me because the grass is too long, but if I have to trade a brow beating about the state of the grounds at Casa Phillips for good business in times like these, I'll make the sacrifice! Fire up your word processor and send me a letter. I'll take one for the team... then rush home and mow the lawn... I'm brash, but not that brash!

Anyway, please join me in respectfully declining to participate in this recession. No more talking down the economy. No more paying attention to the commercials that say there is "NO END IN SIGHT!". I'm going to live my life, because everyone in the business community that I speak to agrees, things are looking up. So send me your resume' now, because we're going to need the help!

"Please fasten your seat belt and keep your hands inside the car. Things are about to get really exciting!"

Eat Well and Live Well!

Using an Easter Leftover to Cater to Friends and Family

So Easter has come and gone. The chocolate bunnies have been consumed from the ears to the feet and the kids are no longer running circles around the house. The beautifully colored eggs were long ago cracked and turned into deviled eggs. Speaking of which... Why are DEVIL-ed eggs a mainstay on most Easter menus? Ironic... but I digress. So what to do with the one thing left from the Easter celebration? And no I'm not talking about the black jelly beans. You can send those to me by the way. My Father and I are the only people on Earth that actually enjoy eating them. But, I further digress. No I'm referring to the ubiquitous, spiral-sliced ham half wrapped in it's red foil jacket, mocking you from the back corner of the refrigerator. The kids have long since tired of ham and cheese on white and breakfast of ham & eggs for dinner just won't cut it. So what to do with the rest of that $50-60 ham?

Have you ever noticed after the first of the year, that favorite diner of yours down on the corner next to the pharmacy runs a special of Turkey Croquettes? Well... here are a couple of recipes you can pull out of your hat, a.k.a. freezer, for a future dinner party or family get together. And before you say it, no, we buy to order. We're quite different from your favorite diner and have no "Blue Plate Special"! Now, back to the recipes.

We have one for your friends and one for your family and they are both quite easy. The first is Jambon, Champignon, et Fromage en Croute. Sound fancy? Allow me to translate: Ham, Mushroom, and Cheese in Puff Pastry. Simple but quite good , impressive for your friends, and stores quite nicely in the freezer for up to a month.

JCF en Croute
Serves 10

1 box (2 sheets) Puff Pastry
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 large shallot, minced
2 cups mushrooms, diced
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup Brandy
1 cup Easter ham, diced small
1 cup your favorite cheese, shredded (I suggest Gruyere, Fontina, or Goat)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced (you can also add your favorite fresh herbs)
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1 egg yolk + 1 Tbsp water

Sprinkle pastry sheets with flour and roll with rolling pin until 1 1/2 the original size. Set aside.

Melt butter in saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic and shallot. Saute for one minute. Add mushrooms and sprinkle with salt. Cook until mushrooms release their liquid. Add brandy and cook until liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature in a mixing bowl.

Add ham, cheese, and fresh herbs to bowl and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Mix egg yolk and water well. Brush the edges of the pastry with the eggwash and place half of the mixture down the middle of the pastry lengthwise. Fold each side of the pastry over the filling and press to seal. Place on a sheet pan seam side down. Cut 3 vents across the top and brush with the eggwash. Repeat with the second sheet of pastry. At this point you may bake at 425° until golden brown, let cool to room temperature, slice, and serve or place sheet pan in the freezer until thoroughly frozen. Double wrap in plastic wrap then foil and keep in freezer for up to a month. Remove from freezer and bake as before.

I'll post my second recipe shortly so check back. Oh! Almost forgot! Happy Cooking and Bon Appetit!

Recipes that Cater to Brunch Fans!

These next two recipes are from the Tucson Iron Chef competition we took part in. Lynda came up with these and they are quite tasty! They would make very nice brunch items for entertaining friends or, as we used them, for an aperitif and dessert. Here you go!

Guava Sangria

Serves 4

1 750 ml Bottle Riesling white wine

1 cup Goya Guava Nectar

1 green apple, medium, peeled and diced

1 orange, medium, peeled, juiced

1 Tbsp sugar

¼ cup Bourbon or Brandy

8 oz club soda

Mix apple and orange juice with pulp with sugar and set aside. In another bowl combine guava nectar, wine, and brandy. Let stand 30 minutes then combine fruit with the guava mixture and let stand for an additional 15 minutes. Just before serving, add crushed ice to chilled glasses. Fill glasses 2/3 full with the nectar/wine base and add 1/3 club soda.

French Toast with Guava Syrup

Serves 4

8 slices cinnamon raisin bread

2 eggs

1 cup half & half

1 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp Goya Guava Concentrate

1 Tbsp sugar

4 Tbsp butter

¼ cup heavy cream

8 oz Goya Guava Jelly

¼ cup Riesling

Mix egg, half & half, cinnamon, guava concentrate, and sugar. Dredge cinnamon raisin toast in egg mixture. Set bread aside to soak up the liquid. Heat butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add soaked bread to pan. Cook until brown on both sides. Wipe out pan and add jelly and wine. Heat until jelly melts and stir to break up any lumps. Serve warm syrup with French toast. Whip heavy cream and place a dollop on top.

These are some yummy items! Try them on your special someone for a brunch in bed or invite over a group and eat 'til your hearts content! Bon Appetit!