Thirsty Thursdays: Green Tea Martini Edition

Ok, people, its clear we need to talk about this whole gin thing. I knew I was taking a risk when I selected gin for my first Thirsty Thursdays Cocktail Challenge. I knew that many of you have expressed a preference for vodka. But here's the thing: anything you can make with vodka you can make with gin ... and it will be better!

Why? Because gin is more flavorful. Because of the botanicals with which gin is made, it is inherently more flavorful - thus your cocktails will be more flavorful. Now, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against vodka, I quite like it, in fact. But if you're serious about cocktails, and heaven knows I am, then you seriously need to start working with gin.

Thus, I propose a little experiment for those interested. Today, I'm featuring a gin based green tea martini. My suggestion for experimentation is that you make this same drink twice - once with vodka and once with gin. Then decide for yourself which one tastes better. I know what I think, but your mileage may vary, of course.

Green Tea Martini:

• 1 green tea bag
• hot water
• 3 ounces of premium quality gin (I use Hendrick's)
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 2 to 3 drops white vermouth
• 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
• wheel of lemon for garnish

Place tea bag into a mug and over it pour some hot water, just to cover. Let sit for 10 seconds and remove tea bag. Place gin into small glass container and to it add the tea bag. Allow the mixture to steep for five minutes, then remove tea bag and discard it. To the infused gin, add 1/2 teaspoon of honey and stir to blend.

Place 2 to 3 drops of white vermouth into a martini glass. Swirl the glass to coat with the vermouth, then dump out any excess. Reserve the glass.

Fill a martin shaker with ice and over it pour the infused gin and the lemon juice. Shake well until the outside of the shaker frosts then strain into the prepared martini glass. Garnish with a wheel of lemon. Serve and enjoy, repeat as necessary!

As written this recipe will yield one amazingly refreshing cocktail.

The flavor of the green tea pairs beautifully with gin, especially Hendrick's. The lemon and honey round the whole thing out and, together, they form one ethereal elixir. Honestly, its a magical combination. I hope you'll try it!

I have to thank Kara Newman for highlighting the flash-infusing process on her blog a while back. She posted a recipe for a Daikon Green Tea-ni that looks absolutely smashing. As soon as I read it, I knew I wanted to try it. And I will ... soon. This time, however, I opted for the honey and lemon for the simple reason that my throat's been scratchy and tea with honey and lemon is the perfect cure ... made that much better by the addition of gin, of course!

Consider this my subtle plea to step away from the vodka bottle and give gin a try. You might be pleasantly surprised. And, hopefully, you'll be inspired to enter my April Thirsty Thursdays Cocktail Challenge.

Cheers!

Banana Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Muffins

Talk about feeling foolish ... I had every intention of entering last week's Blogger's Secret Ingredient Challenge (BSI). The secret ingredient, as chosen by Christina of Dinner at Christina's, was sour cream. Wonderful, I love sour cream. I knew right away that I wanted to bake something and I bought all of the ingredients to do so on Sunday.

I did not, however, make careful note of the challenge entry deadline. It was midnight on Sunday ... and I had planned to bake the muffins on Monday. Oops! No wonder I've never participated in BSI, I can't seem to get my act together!

And, meanwhile, I've got a bunch of bananas ripening on my counter and a tub of sour cream in the fridge. Let's get to it, shall we?

Better Late Than Never Banana Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Muffins:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice Powder, optional
• 3 ripe bananas, peeled
• 1 cup of reduced fat sour cream
• 1 stick of butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees F.

1. In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and Chinese Five Spice Powder. Whisk well with a wire whisk to combine and set aside.

2. Break the bananas into thirds and place the in the bowl of your food processor, pulse until chopped. Add 1 cup of sour cream to the bananas and process until combined and smooth. Reserve. (Alternately, you could mash bananas with a fork and whisk in the sour cream by hand.)

3. Using an standing electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well until light and fluffy.

4. Add the flour mixture by thirds, alternating with the banana mixture, beating only until blended, until all of the dry and wet ingredients have been added. Do not over beat. Add the mini chocolate chips and fold-in to incorporate, using a rubber spatula.

5. Grease a large muffin tin with butter and fill each cup 3/4 of the way up with batter. Bake in the middle of a pre-heated 350 degree F oven for 18 - 22 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked throughout. Baking time will vary depending on the speed of your oven. The muffins are cooked when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack. Serve warm.

As written, this recipe will yield 18 muffins.

While I may not have made them in time for the BSI challenge, I'm exceedingly glad I made these muffins period. They are spectacular! Moist, tender, just-sweet-enough, and full of that oh-so-luscious chocolate/banana flavor. They're so good I could smack myself!

As always, you should feel free to vary the choice of flour according to your needs. You can use 2 cups of all-purpose white flour, or any combination of the above. In addition, you may also choose to use 1/2 cup of agave nectar, in place of the sugar. If so, bake the muffins at 325 degrees F and begin checking for done-ness at 15 to 18 minutes.

The origin of these muffins is unclear. I found the recipe on a scrap of paper in my battered old recipe box and I've changed it up a bit by reducing the amount of sugar, using reduced fat sour cream and adding the spices. As far as the spices go, feel free to experiment. I love the subtle hint of warmth the Chinese Five Spice brings to the mix and cinnamon is always a must for me. Your mileage may vary, of course.

So, do you bake with sour cream? If so, what's your favorite way to include it? Hungry Diva wants to know.

Bon appetite!

Saturday Shopping

The weather was just gorgeous here this weekend, so we decided to head down to the Lower East Side for a bit of gourmet shopping. I was lucky enough to have a 20% coupon for some of the shops in the Essex Street Market, courtesy of Tasting Table.com - and we put them too good use!

If you haven't yet heard of Tasting Table, I urge you to take a look. On the main page, you can sign up for free daily "Epicurean Emails" that highlight everything you need to know about food, dining, wine, and cocktails in your area. There is a national edition as well as specific editions for: New York, L.A., Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.

Naturally, we needed to fortify ourselves for the shopping excursion - so our first stop was The Meatball Shop on Stanton Street. The Meatball Shop has been getting a lot of press lately and, I'll be honest, I was a bit skeptical ... we all know how picky I am about meatballs. Happily, The Meatball Shop was everything I hoped it would be and more!

We chose to have our meatballs in the form of "sliders", so we could sample a couple of different offerings. I had one "Classic Beef" paired with "Classic Tomato Sauce" and one chicken meatball, paired with "Spicy Meat Sauce". Both were outstanding, but oddly enough, I preferred the chicken. Surprisingly, it had more flavor, perhaps due to the spicy meat sauce. The husband also had a classic beef and one "Spicy Pork" paired with "Parmesan Cream Sauce" ... which was also exceptional. In all cases, the meatballs were tender and juicy, and I love the soft little brioche rolls on which they were served.

I rounded out the meal with side of the roast vegetables of the day: honey roasted carrots with dates, mint and walnuts. Delicious! And we closed the festivities with one of their famous ice cream sandwiches. They make both the ice cream and the cookies in house and the choices are truly crave-worthy. Unfortunately, they were out of both the chocolate and caramel ice creams on Saturday, so the husband chose vanilla ice cream between brownie cookies ... and it was spectacular! If you're anywhere near NYC, I strongly recommend a visit to The Meatball Shop. Great atmosphere, friendly staff, and a really great menu. Take a spin around their site, you'll see what I mean.

Thus fortified, we set off to the market, coupon in hand, where our first stop was Saxelby Cheesemongers. Saxelby features artisinal American farmsted cheese, crafted by hand in small batches from local Northeastern dairies. Pictured left, is the Hudson Red (from Twin Maple Farm in Ghent, New York) - a luscious, tangy, raw cow's milk cheese, similar in texture and taste to Taleggio. At right, the Vermont Shepherd (from Major Farm in Putney, VT) - a raw, aged, sheep's milk cheese, similar in texture to a cheddar, with a nice, nutty, savory finish.

We enjoyed both with the truffle honey I mentioned last week and some lovely multigrain bread purchased at Pain D'Avignon at the Essex Street Market.

Cheese and bread procured, we then set off to Roni-Sue's Chocolates to get our hands on some of her unusual and delicious confections. We were lucky enough to score a taste of her famous buttercrunch ... which was so good we just had to buy some! And there was no way I was leaving Roni-Sue's without a bag of her infamous BaCorn - homemade caramel corn studded with candied bacon bits and roasted chile spiked peanuts. Oh ... my ... stars, this stuff is good! Too good to share, so get your own bag when go! Naturally, we also had to pick up a small box of her chile spiked chocolate truffles. I mean, really, chiles and chocolate, what's not to love? Each was more spicy than the next and all were insanely delicious. Take a spin around Roni-Sue's site and do some drooling of your own. She's well worth the trip downtown all on her own!

As if that weren't enough, we closed the day with a long walk across the Williamsburg Bridge and popped into Marlow and Daughters for some meat. Grass-fed, house-cut steaks, to be exact. A giant, half cow for the husband and the sister-in-law to split, and a petite something or other for the Diva! The husband grilled them up, while I prepared some insanely good roast pink and white potatoes - also purchased at Marlow. Fear not, we rounded out the meal with a healthy serving of steamed broccoli ... and finished it off with the chile spiked chocolates!

I'd tell you that I may never eat again - except that I ended up loosing 2 pounds this weekend - probably from all that walking!

And there you have a rather lengthy look at the tasty treats available on the Lower East Side. My thanks to Tasting Table.com for the 20% off coupons and to the husband and sister-in-law for sharing the excursion with me.

So, what was on your menu this weekend? Curious Diva wants to know.

Bon appetite!

Thirsty Thursdays: Challenge Edition

I'm excited to announce the first ever Thirsty Thursdays Challenge today! I mean, honestly, I've been doing all the bar tending work around here, its about time I let you in on the fun. I've been meaning to do this for ages now and this month, finally, its on!

Here's the scoop: each month the challenge will feature a specific spirit or ingredient and, to enter, you will be asked to create a cocktail using that spirit or ingredient. I will choose a winner and the winner will have the honor of choosing the next spirit or ingredient for the following month. At least that's the plan so far. Let's see how it goes, as the challenge may continue to evolve. And, hopefully, I'll find a sponsor for some prizes along the way.

The spirit for this month's challenge is: Gin.

Gin is a colorless, or white, spirit that is most often distilled from grains such as wheat or rye. Traditionally, gin is flavored with juniper and usually includes a variety of botanicals, such as anise, cinnamon, orange peel, coriander, lemon, lime, licorice, etc., depending on the brand. Gin pairs beautifully with almost any kind of fruit, and any kind of herb ... so think outside the box, or bottle, if you will.

Suggested pairings might include: pomegranate, apricots, blackberries, cucumbers, ginger, honey, sage, rosemary, basil, mint, cilantro, rose water, champagne or curry powder. It goes without saying that citrus fruits are particularly well suited to pairing with gin, but I've also had great success with strawberries and watermelon. (Click those links for recipes.)

The options are endless, so use your imagination!

The Rules:

1. Create a cocktail using gin as the base and write a blog entry about it. Post your entry sometime before midnight on Thursday, April 29th. Previous blog posts in which you've offered a recipe for a gin-based cocktail will be accepted.

2. Blog about your Thirsty Thursdays Challenge cocktail, including photos, and include a link back to Beach Eats: http://beacheats.blogspot.com

3. Send an email entitled "Thirsty Thursdays Challenge" to:

ttchallenge@gmail.com

The email must include the following information:

• Your name
• The name of your blog
• The name of your cocktail
• The link to your blog entry and a photograph of your drink
• Entries must be received by midnight on Thursday, April 29th

You can still participate, even if you don't have a blog. Simply send an email with the above information, minus the blog stuff, and I will include you in the round-up.

The round-up for this month's challenge will be posted on Thursday, May 6th and a winner will be declared at that time. For this month, the winner will be lavished with praise and have the honor of choosing next month's spirit or ingredient. Prizes may appear in the future, stay tuned.

Entries will be judged on originality, creative use of ingredients, and Divaliciousness. Say what?! Divaliciousness = that certain je ne sais quoi that makes me want to make your drink.

So get out your martini shakers and mix-up something Divalicious ... I'm getting thirsty over here.

Cheers!

Chicken and Rice Casserole

How's about a little Leftover Magic today?

If you're anything like me, a trip through your refrigerator will often yield a somewhat disjointed collection of leftover bits in need of use. Perhaps a handful of steamed broccoli, some cooked rice, an assortment of pepper halves, a handful of button mushrooms, and maybe even a lonely half chicken that needs a good home. Or at least that's what I found last Wednesday as I was trying to throw dinner together.

The lesson for today isn't so much about a recipe, as I doubt you'll have the same ingredients lounging around your fridge, as it is about recycling ... using bits and pieces of other meals to create a new and satisfying dish. I recognize that this recipe may be better suited to last week's cooler temps, but given the holiday weekend, you might just have some leftovers of your own.

Let's face it, casseroles are where all straggling bits go to glory; so use what you've got. You can make this dish with rice, or leftover noodles, or any kind of pasta. You can make it with turkey, chicken, ham or roast pork. You can leave the meat out and double up on the veg. Its all good and all delicious ... especially when topped with cheddar cheese!

Basically, we're talking about a technique here: saute some veggies, make a roux, add some liquid, protein and a starch, then bake. It couldn't be more simple or more comforting.

Amounts here are flexible, as are ingredients.

Chicken and Rice Casserole:

• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 bell pepper, any color or a poblano, seeded and diced
• 1 shallot, peeled and minced
• 8 button mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Herbes de Provence (or whatever seasoning you like)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• dash of curry powder, if desired
• 3 tablespoons flour (I used white whole wheat)
• 1 1/2 cups of non-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup of fat-free Half and Half (or milk)
• 1/4 cup of sharp shredded cheese, cheddar, provolone or Parmesan
• 1 to 2 cups of cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
• 1 to 2 cups of steamed broccoli florets, chopped
• 3 cups of cooked rice (I used a brown and wild rice mix)
• some additional sharp cheese for topping
• some bread crumbs for topping

1. Add the butter and olive oil to a large skillet and melt over medium-high heat. Add the peppers, shallots and mushrooms and saute, adding a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper, and a dash of curry powder, if desired. Stir and saute until the vegetables begin to soften, about 4 to 5 minutes.

2. Add 3 tablespoons of flour to the pan and stir well to blend, continue to saute for 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth to the pan, raise the heat to high and allow the mixture to come to the boil, stirring well. Let the mixture bubble away until it begins to thicken, roughly 3 to 4 minutes, then add the fat-free half and half and 1/4 cup of sharp shredded cheese. Stir well to combine.

3. Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees.

4. Add the cooked chicken, the broccoli and the rice, stirring well to combine. Add more liquid, if it seems necessary. Transfer the mixture to a buttered casserole dish and top with some whole wheat bread crumbs and some additional shredded sharp cheese. Bake in the middle of a pre-heated 325 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until beginning to brown and hot throughout. Serve and enjoy!

As written this recipe will serve 4 to 6, depending on portion size.

So what's your favorite way to re-use leftovers? Hungry Diva wants to know.

Bon appetite!

Happy Spring!

Looks like we're finally going to have Spring in New York and hopefully its here to stay!

I'm a bit late in extending my Spring holiday wishes to you all, but nevertheless, I hope you've enjoyed whatever celebrations were on the menu for you last week.

Naturally, the Diva family and friends did some celebrating yesterday. We had our traditional Easter gathering in Brooklyn again this year at the home of my Divalicious sister-in-law H.

True to form, the festivities began with some nibbles. A selection of luscious cheese from Marlow & Daughters - and some marvelous truffle honey to go with, purchased from Chez What's Open Sky shop. The truffle honey was a huge hit and was spectacular when paired with the cheese, particularly that goat's milk blue that you see on the middle of the board. Some spicy Bloody Marys rounded out the pre-dinner pickings.

I'll be honest, The Diva was definitely off-duty yesterday ... both in terms of cooking and photographing. I made my signature mashed potatoes and our traditional Easter cake for dessert and that's about it. While I started strong with the appetizer pictures, my enthusiasm for photographing the day's events wained as hunger set in.

I got a shot of our Seven Hour Lamb before it hit the table and one of my lambie cake ... and that's about it!

We certainly enjoyed the feast. The table was loaded with: Seven Hour Roast Lamb, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, roasted brussels sprouts, spinach and asparagus quiche, an Italian sausage pie, dinner rolls, corn and carrot muffins and my cranberry blood orange butter.

The day was so sunny and warm, we decided to have our dessert up on the roof deck, with a view of the Williamsburg Bridge. Mama Diva provided a delicious selection of cookies and I brought our traditional lamb cake ... which looks more like a Labradoodle than it does a lamb! But that didn't stop us from hacking into it ... take a look at the "after" shot ...

Rather barbaric, isn't it? For those interested, the cake was made using Wilton's Stand-Up Lamb pan. It couldn't be easier and if you're more enterprising than I am, you can actually make it look like a lamb if you dust off your piping bag. I told you I was off-duty last week!

Many thanks to H. for hosting such a wonderful feast and to W. for bringing the wine and Easter treats! I may never eat again! ;)

So, how was your weekend? Celebratory Diva wants to know?

Happy Spring!

Thirsty Thursdays: Moonshine Edition, Part Two

As you may have guessed, its been a busy week in Divaland. I've had little time to cook and zero time to write. That said, its Thirsty Thursday, so you know we'll be getting our drink on! As promised, we're going to revisit that white whiskey today.

I wish I could take credit for this cocktail, but I stole it from Waldy Malouf ... or one of his bartenders, to be more specific. You see, the husband and I had occasion to dine at Beacon recently, and prior to dinner we sipped on a really delightful cocktail. I believe it was called the Irish Sage. Made with Jameson's Irish whiskey, lemon and fresh sage, it was perfectly balanced and altogether delightful. No sooner did I take my first sip than I decided to mix up my own version using the Hudson New York Corn Whiskey.

Basically, this is a whiskey sour with a twist - a bit of sage mixed into the simple syrup and muddled into the drink. I'd tell you that its a perfect drink for warm weather ... but we seem to be in short supply of that lately. So if you're feeling like you need a little sunshine ... why not take it in liquid form?

The Sour Sage:

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 4 - 5 large fresh sage leaves, torn (or mint)
• 1 ounce of lemon sage syrup (recipe to follow)
• 3 ounces of white whiskey (alternately, you could use brown whiskey)
• dash of lemon bitters, if desired

Pour the lemon juice into the bottom of a martini shaker and drop in the fresh sage. Muddle well, with a muddling tool, until the sage is coarsely ground. Drop in some ice and over it pour the lemon sage syrup, the white whiskey and a dash of lemon bitters. Cover and shake well until the outside of the shaker frosts. Strain into an ice filled rocks glass, garnish with a fresh sage leaf or slice of lemon. Serve and enjoy, repeat as necessary!

Traditionally, whiskey sours are made with white sugar, often in cube form. As you know, I'm not a huge fan of drinks made with sugar, so I've gone the agave route here. If you prefer, please feel free to substitute 1/2 cup of granulated sugar for the agave nectar in the syrup recipe below. Alternately, you could use some mint in lieu of the sage.

Lemon Sage Syrup:

• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1 cup of water
• 3 two inch slices of lemon peel
• 4 large whole sprigs of sage, torn

Bring all of the above to the boil in a small sauce pan. Cover, reduce heat to low and allow the mixture to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, strain and let cool before using.

So, how does it taste? Like really grown-up lemonade! Its tart, refreshing and certainly intriguing. The flavor of the corn whiskey, while somewhat tempered by the lemon, is present and up front. You definitely taste it, but the white dog is complimented by the fresh lemon and made all the more interesting for the subtle hint of sage.

This drink would be a perfect little refresher for a hot, sunny day. Its not at all sweet and it certainly goes down smooth. If you prefer a sweeter drink, by all means opt for the granulated sugar, or increase the agave.

While I enjoyed my solo sips of white whiskey last week, I find that I vastly prefer it cocktail form. I guess I'm not man enough to handle the white dog all on its own ... but add a little lemon and that dog heels just fine! Woof!

Stay tuned for more explorations of white whiskey in future Thirsty Thursday posts. I've got a whole bottle of the stuff, so its time to get creative.

Cheers!