Strawberry Basil Mojito

1 lime, sliced
3 strawberries, sliced
4 basil leaves, chopped fine
1 1/2 oz simple syrup
1 1/2 oz rum
3 oz ginger ale

Caipirinha

Caipirinha

1 lime, wedged
 2 1/2 tsp sugar
2 oz Cachaça
5 ice cubes, crushed with a sledgehammer

Muddle lime and sugar.  Add Cachaça and stir.  Add ice and stir.  Enjoy.

Brandy Ginger Mojitos

Brandy Ginger Mojitos
1/2-1 lime (depending on your taste), sliced into wedges
8 mint leaves
1 oz simple syrup
1 1/2 oz brandy (tonight it was Presidente from Mexico)
3 oz ginger ale

Place lime, mint, syrup, and brandy in a glass or shaker and muddle thoroughly. Shake or stir with ice. Strain into your favorite glass and add ginger ale. Stir gently to combine and enjoy.

Toor Dal

I tried toor dal once (split pigeon peas), and I really hated it. It is often prepared sweet, with tamarind, and I think this is what did not sit well with me. I do like sweeter lentil dishes, but normally only when sweetened with coconut. Looking through my lentil stash last night, I came across the remaining toor dal and decided to try it again. I modified this recipe to suit my cooking style and started soaking the lentils last night. I was really happy with the results. So many dal recipes start tasting the same to me after a while, so I am always looking for something different. Flavored only by onions, garlic, turmeric, red pepper, and mustard seeds, this dal was a nice change from my normal highly spiced dishes--almost delicate with the unique finish of the toor dal. I think I will get some use out of the remaining toor dal after all.

Toor Dal

1 cup soaked toor dal (from 1/2 cup or so dried dal soaked overnight)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp turmeric
cayenne pepper to taste (you can always add more at the end)
1 onion sliced into thin strips
1/2 Tbsp mustard seesds
1/2 Tbsp oil, butter, or ghee
salt to taste (be sure to only add this at the end)

Boil dal, garlic, pepper, and turmeric together covered on medium heat about 1 hour in about 2 cups water (add a little more water if too much boils away). Sautee onion and mustard seeds in the oil until soft and translucent, but not mushy. After dal is starting to disintegrate (about 1 hour) add the sauteed onions and mustard seeds and remove cover. Keep cooking on medium heat until it thickens. Reduce heat to low and add salt and more cayenne pepper to taste. Serve on rice and enjoy.

The Jack Rose, part 2

"Stopped at the Crillon. George made me a couple of Jack
Roses. George's a great man. Know the secret of his success? Never
been daunted."

"You'll be daunted after about three more pernods."

--Bill Gorton and Jake Barnes, in Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises

As December's cold sets in, I start thinking about Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises and, of course, it's many drink references. At my last reading of the book, I wrote about the Jack Rose cocktail. Now that I am thinking about it again, I have attempted a more user-friendly version with more readily-available ingredients. In fact, I specifically used what I had on hand tonight. It still relies on apple juice to give it extra depth. Here is my latest Jack Rose:

2 oz brandy
3 oz sweet and sour mix
1 oz apple juice
1 oz sloe gin (traditionally made--not cheap substitutes. If not available, use Cherry Brandy or homemade grenadine.)
1 lime wedge, squeezed

Combine ingredients and mix well (shake or roll 30 seconds). Strain and serve in an Old Fashioned glass. Enjoy.

Balsamic Butttercream Sauce

Here is my recipe for Balsamic Buttercream sauce:

Balsamic Vinegar (enough to fill pan 1/4 inch)
1 Tbsp butter
1 generous splash red wine
1 pinch dried marjoram
1 pinch salt
1 Tbsp brown sugar

Fill a medium saucepan with 1/4 inch good Balsamic Vinegar. Add butter, wine, marjoram, salt, and sugar. Cook on low heat until reduced by half. Strain and return to pan (off heat). Add an equal part cream (or half-and-half) to the reduced liquid along with 1 more Tbsp butter. Return to low heat. Bring just to a boil, stirring constantly, and then remove from heat.

French Tacos, or, Entre le coma......

Tonight we had an eye of round roast. Although perfect by itself, I wanted to try a different twist after dinner with some of the remnants. From this experiment has emerged a new favorite--French Tacos. Wow! They are amazing. These will be developed in the near future into a main course, I'm sure. We were out of Brie (my first choice), so I used cream cheese, which worked really well. I may try brie next time, but then again I may stick with cream cheese. We will see.

French Tacos

(ingredients per serving)

1 slice cooked eye of round roast (~1/4 inch thick)
1 Tbsp balsamic reduction
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp cream cheese (or brie)
1 small handful watercress
1 flour tortilla

Melt butter and coat one side of tortilla. Add salt and place this side down on a plate Cover other side with balsamic reduction and heat in microwave 20 seconds or 30-45 seconds on stovetop in an ungreased pan. Remove from heat. Place cream cheese in center of balsamic-covered side of tortilla and spread, mixing well with balsamic reduction. Dice or cube beef and place in a line in the center of tortilla. Roughly shred watercress by hand and place in a line on top of the beef. Add a little salt and close the tortilla. Transfer to a new plate, remembering to remove excess melted butter with a paper towel. Serve with a southern Cotes-du-Rhone or Spanish garnache-tempranillo blend. Enjoy....just don't blame me for the coma.