Now that the colder weather is here and you’ve put away your beach towel it’s time to winterize your cocktails. One way to achieve this is by using amari, the rich, bitter, herbal European-style liqueurs-before–dinner aperitifs and after-dinner digestifs-that have become more popular and widely available. Amari can add structure and backbone to cocktails and is often the secret behind some of the most iconic classic drinks. Amaro is perfect for colder months, to pair with flavors like honey, citrus, and spices. Adding it is like seasoning food because it enhances flavors and gives the drink more character.
This season bartenders are combining them with brown spirits like dark rum, bourbon, rye, and Scotch for autumn and winter drinks. You could make a variation on the Brooklyn cocktail with bourbon, amaro, maraschino liqueur, dry vermouth, blood orange liqueur, and bitters.
Some add amaro and bourbon to mulled wine or change up that Irish Coffee by using single-malt whiskey, two kinds of amaro, coffee, simple syrup, and topped with whipped cream. Change up the Negroni by keeping the gin, but replacing the Campari with amari and adding amontillado sherry.
Be inventive and try adding amari to your holiday cocktails. You may just create a new classic.
“Work With What You Got!”
©Tiny New York Kitchen © 2018 All Rights Reserved
Everything From Apple Sauce To Tzimmes!
For a Sensational Seder you’ll want to have these traditional Passover dishes on hand.
Coconut Macaroons (You’ll Go Coco-Loco For Coconut Macaroons!)
Haroseth (For A Sweet Seder)
Matzo Ball Soup (Keep Your Eye On the Matzo Ball)
Potato Kugel (When Life Gives You Potatoes, Have Kugel)
Apple Sauce (Passover’s Special Sauce For Latkes & More)
Chopped Chicken Liver (What Am I? A Great Topper For Matzo!)
Kosher Passover Soups (A.K.A. Jewish Penicillin)
Karpas (That’s Parsley, For The Gentiles)
Matzo (You Gotsa Have Lotsa Matzo On Passover)
Root Vegetable Tzimmes (Get In Touch With Your Roots!)
Honey Glazed Carrots (Yummy)
Gefilte Fish (Just Like Your Grandmother Used To Make)
Kedem Concord Grape Juice (Tasty Enough For All Four Cups)
Raspberry Jelly Ring (If It’s Kosher, You Shoulda Put A Jelly Ring On It!)
Honey (Make A Nod To The Land Of Milk & Honey)
Beitzah (Don’t Forget The Eggs!)
Whole Kosher Brisket (Braise With Onions & Make Your Bubbe Proud)
Leg Of Lamb (Get A Leg Up On Seder Dinner)
Flourless Cake With Chocolate Glaze (Because 8 Days Without Cake Is A Long Time)
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2016 All Rights Reserved
Dates & Blue Cheese
The next time you’re hosting a few friends, make some magic by putting out a plate of simple hors d’oeuvres that are salty, sweet, creamy, and crunchy.
Cut a slit into the dates and remove the pits. Stuff each with a semifirm blue cheese (like Gorgonzola picante and Spanish Valdeon). Finish with a sprinkle of toasted sliced almonds and drizzle with honey.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2016 All Rights Reserved
Paleo Diet
The Paleo Diet (short for Paleolithic) is fashioned around the eating habits and available foods of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. These ancestors had to nourish themselves with the meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and fats available to them in nature. With the benefit of large supermarkets, it’s easy today to mimic these foods in wider variety. Specific recommendations for eating Paleo will vary; however, the main ideas are the same: Reduce the risk of debilitating diseases and optimize health by eating whole, fresh, unprocessed foods and avoid foods that were not available prior to the advent of modern agriculture.
Research studies looking at the Paleo Diet have noted that eating a Paleo Diet for a short term improved the glucose control and lipid profiles in people with type 2 diabetes, compared to eating a diet containing low-fat dairy, moderate salt intake, whole grains, and legumes. Additional research indicates similar results may be possible in people without type 2 diabetes as well. The Paleo diet may result in higher levels of satiety (fullness) throughout the day when compared with a low-fat, low-calorie diet.
Paleo Do’s
Eat plenty of non-starchy vegetables and fruits.
Make fresh meat, poultry, fish, and seafood your primary sources calories.
Avoid highly processed meats that contain preservatives, artificial flavors, and sugar, such as some sausages, bacon, deli meats, and smoked fish products.
Consume nuts and seeds.
Use coconut oil, grass-fed butter, olive oil, avocado oil, nut and seed oils, and animal fats, such as goose fat or duck fat, for cooking and eating.
Balance the intake of acid-producing foods (meats, fish, salt, and cheese) with base-producing foods (fruits and vegetables) for optimal health.
Use sea salt to season foods, but try to decrease sodium intake in general.
Paleo Don’ts
Consume highly processed packaged foods.
Get heavy handed with the salt shaker.
Eat grains of any kinds. Quinoa, bulgur, rice, wheat, bread, pasta, etc., are all out.
Consume sugar (including honey and maple syrup), sweets, candy, or desserts.
Use artificial sweeteners, such as monk fruit extract, stevia, NutraSweet or Equal (aspartame), Splenda (sucralose), or sugar alcohols, such as xylitol, sorbitol, or maltitol.
Eat legumes, beans, peas, lentils, or soy, or foods make from soybeans.
Use canola or soybean oils or consume hydrogenated oils (trans fats).
Consume dairy, with the exception of fermented dairy or raw milk cheese on occasion.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2016 All Rights Reserved
Watermelon
Watermelon is the ultimate summer snack. As a kid growing up in Nebraska, my favorite way to eat watermelon was outside, with the juice running down my face and arms. Here is how I’m eating watermelon this summer.
Treat It Like A Steak
Cut watermelon into 2 inch slabs and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and red pepper flakes. Eat with a steak knife.
Make A BLW
Forget the tomato and use a few thin slices of watermelon on your sandwich instead. Add some cheese for good measure.
Blitz It
Purée watermelon (seeds and all), strain, then add honey, and lime juice. Serve on ice with a mint sprig. Add rum or tequila if you want to be naughty.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2015 All Rights Reserved
Did you know that you can keep your honey from crystallizing by storing it in the freezer? You don’t have to worry about it freezing solid because the moisture content is low. When purchasing large amounts of honey, divide it into freezer proof containers and freeze. When you need to use it just defrost it at room temperature for about 1/2 hour. The honey will appear thick and a bit sludge-like until if fully reaches room temperature.