Martinez Cocktail

Martinez Cocktail

1 oz Plymouth Gin
2 oz Sweet Vermouth
1 Dash Angostura Bitters
2 Dash Maraschino

Cream Gin Fizz

1½ oz London Dry Gin
1½ oz Milk*
2 oz Fresh Lime Juice
3 tsp Sugar
1 oz Club Soda

Dissolve sugar in lime juice, then place in a cocktail shaker along with gin, milk and plenty of ice. Shake well. Pour into a tall glass, leaving a little room on top. add soda water. Stir quickly to make it foam , then serve immediately.

This drink is a bit easier to make than a Ramos Gin Fizz. First it uses fewer ingredients and doesn't incorporate egg whites. With any cream or milk based fizz drinks, the trick is to shake the hell out of them to get a good foam. I use large ice cubes also, for some reason it helps to get that good foam.

I made one modification to the recipe in Sippin' Safari and that was to replace milk with half 'n half cream (18%) and a splash of milk. This recipe calls for 2oz of lime juice which will curdle your milk and make for a chunky gin fizz, which isn't very appetizing.

http://www.theartofdrink.com/blog/2007/09/cream-gin-fizz.php#more

Baked Halibut With Spring Peas and Lemon Vinaigrette

Baked Halibut With Spring Peas and Lemon Vinaigrette
Serves 4
Joshua Perkins

INGREDIENTS
4 6-ounce halibut filets
Fleur de sel and white ground pepper
1 cup white wine
1 lemon, quartered  Spring Peas with Lemon Vinaigrette
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup olive oil
1 pound English spring peas, blanched
2 Tablespoons thinly sliced tarragon leaves  

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350�F. Place halibut on a non-stick baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Splash with wine and top with lemon. Bake for 12 minutes.

To make the vinaigrette, combine the lemon juice, shallot and garlic in a bowl. Whisk the oil. Toss in the peas and tarragon, and season with salt. Serve with the halibut.

   Adapted by StarChefs.com

  Yield: 4 Servings

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

  Round Out the Meal:
With steamed brown rice.

  Kid Friendly:
This is kid friendly!

  Wine Pairing:
A 2001 Pinot D'Alsace-Hugel "Cuvee Les Amours."

Chicken With Sage, Fontina, Prosciutto, and Caramelized Lemon

Chicken With Sage, Fontina, Prosciutto, and Caramelized Lemon
Serves 4
Paul T. Anders

INGREDIENTS:
4 6-ounce chicken breasts, with skin
8 large sage leaves, torn in half
4 1-ounce slices fontina cheese
4 very thin slices prosciutto
8 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 lemons, halved  
Salt and pepper

METHOD:

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and press a sage leaf into the flesh (non skin side). Top with the cheese and prosciutto, and hold together with a toothpick.

Heat 2 Tablespoons butter and oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook until the skin is golden brown. Flip over and cook until equally crisp, and cooked through. Remove the chicken, add the remaining 6 Tablespoons butter and cook until browned and has a nutty aroma. Pour over the chicken. Sear the lemon in the same skillet until deeply caramelized, and serve with the chicken.

   Adapted by StarChefs.com

  Yield: 4 Servings

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 8 minutes

  Round Out the Meal:
With garlic wilted spinach, arugula, or Swiss chard.

  Kid Friendly:
This is kid friendly!

  Beverage Pairing:
A Belgian beer such as the Blue Label Chimay.

Pan Fried Tilapia With Sugar Snap Peas, Sweet Corn, and Cilantro Juice

Pan Fried Tilapia With Sugar Snap Peas, Sweet Corn, and Cilantro Juice
Serves 4
Paul T. Anders

INGREDIENTS:
4 6-ounce tilapia filets
4 Tablespoons all purpose flour, seasoned with ground coriander and cumin
Oil for frying
2 Tablespoons butter
4 large cloves garlic, smashed
8 ounces sugar snap peas, blanched  
3 ears sweet corn, blanched in milk and kernels removed  
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
2 Tablespoons plus 1 bunch chopped cilantro
1 cup light chicken stock
1 teaspoon cumin 
Salt and pepper

METHOD:

Pat the tilapia dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Dredge in the seasoned flour. Using a heavy pan (Chef Anders prefers cast-iron), heat 1/4-inch oil over medium-high heat. Gently add the fish and pan fry until golden brown. Carefully flip over and repeat.

Heat butter in a skillet over low-medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sugar snap peas and corn kernels, and quickly sauté until warmed through. Add the parsley, 2 Tablespoons cilantro, salt and pepper.

To make the cilantro juice, quickly blanch the remaining 1 bunch cilantro in salted boiling water, and shock in ice water. Squeeze out excess water from the cilantro and place in a blender. Turn the blender on and slowly add the stock in a stream. Season with cumin, salt and pepper.

   Serve the tilapia over the vegetables and drizzle with the cilantro juice.

   Adapted by StarChefs.com

  Yield: 4 Servings

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

  Round Out the Meal:
With sauteed wild mushrooms.

  Kid Friendly:
This is kid friendly!

  Wine Pairing:
A Gruner Veltliner such as the Traisental Alte Setzen.

Crazy Crust Pizza

Somewhere out there must be a federal manual, dry as dust and bearing a bunch of random numbers as a title, devoted to school cafeteria recipes.

How else to explain that so many of us remember the same dishes from our school days, despite the fact that we grew up in far-flung locations? Carol Sanford's kids lived for the thick, meaty pizza squares served at San Martin School. Bob from Campbell says he and his brother and sister would pester his parents a week in advance, wanting to buy lunch on an upcoming pizza day at Soquel and Capitola elementary schools. And I remember the same slightly greasy, hefty pizza squares from my school days in Tennessee.

''It made your day just light up to eat that wonderful pizza, so tasty and so filling that I can't even remember what else even came on the food tray along with it,'' Bob says.

He thinks a dish called ''Crazy Crust Pizza'' from a Pillsbury cookbook comes close. The recipe makes a 12-inch round pizza, but I think the recipe would work in a 13-by-9-inch pan as well, since the two pans hold a similar amount.

CRAZY CRUST PIZZA

1 1/2 lb. ground beef or sausage or 1 c. thinly sliced pepperoni sausage BATTER: 1 c. Pillsbury's Best all-purpose flour 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. Italian seasoning or leaf oregano 1/8 tsp. pepper 2 eggs 2/3 c. milk TOPPING: Meat mixture 1/4 c. chopped onion, if desired 1 (4 oz.) can well-drained mushroom stems and pieces, if desired 1 c. pizza sauce 1 c. (4 oz.) shredded Mozzarella cheese If using Pillsbury's Best self-rising flour, omit salt. If desired, use 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce, 1 to 2 teaspoons leaf oregano and 1/4 teaspoon pepper as a substitute for the pizza sauce. In medium skillet, brown ground beef or sausage, seasoning to taste. (No need to brown pepperoni.) Drain well. Set aside. Lightly grease and dust with flour or cornmeal 14 or 12-inch pizza pan or 10x15 inch jelly roll pan. Prepare batter. (No need to sift flour; measure by lightly spooning into cup and leveling off.) In small bowl, combine flour, salt, Italian seasoning, pepper, eggs and milk, mixing until smooth. Pour batter into pan; tilting pan so batter covers bottom. Arrange Topping of meat, onion and well-drained mushrooms over batter. Bake on low rack in oven at 425 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until pizza is deep golden brown. (Deep brown gives a crisp crust.) Remove from oven; drizzle with pizza sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven for 10 to 15 minutes. TIP: For 9x13 inch pan, use 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning or leaf oregano, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, 1 egg and 2/3 cup milk for batter. Top with 3/4 pound browned ground beef or sausage or 1/2 cup thinly sliced pepperoni sausage; 2 tablespoons chopped onion, if desired; 1 (2 oz.) can well-drained mushroom stems and pieces, if desired. Prepare and bake as directed above. Top with 2/3 cup pizza sauce and 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese. Bake as directed.

Butternut Squash Risotto With Sautéed Shrimp

Butternut Squash Risotto With Sautéed Shrimp

Serves 4

Frank Brunacci

INGREDIENTS:

     3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

     1 medium onion, chopped

     3 garlic cloves, peeled, plus 1 Tablespoon chopped garlic

     2 ½ cups Arborio rice (Chef Brunacci prefers Ferron brand)

     1 cup dry white wine

     8 cups hot chicken stock, or canned reduced-sodium chicken broth

     ¾ pound butternut squash cut in ½-inch cubes, about 2 cups

     1 Tablespoon whole-grain mustard (Chef Brunacci prefers Maille brand)

     1 Tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

     2 Tablespoons chopped fresh chives

     ½ cup cream

     1 Tablespoon olive oil

     20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

     Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

METHOD:

Heat 3 Tablespoons butter in a wide, 3- to 4-quart braising pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and garlic cloves and cook without browning, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened. Add the Arborio rice and cook until grains are coated with butter and toasted (the edges will become translucent), 1 to 2 minutes.

Add white wine and cook, stirring constantly, until reduced. Season the rice lightly with salt and ladle enough of the hot broth into the pan to barely cover the rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until all the stock has been absorbed and you can see the bottom of the pan when you stir. Continue cooking, pouring in the remaining hot stock in small batches--each addition should be just enough to completely moisten the rice--and cook until each batch of stock has been absorbed. Stir constantly until the rice mixture is creamy but al dente. This will take 16 to 20 minutes from the time the wine was added.

Meanwhile, steam cubed butternut squash over boiling water until completely tender, about 5 to 6 minutes.

When risotto is nearly al dente, add the steamed squash, whole-grain mustard, tarragon, chives and cream to the risotto. Continue cooking and stirring to blend flavors, until risotto is creamy but not soupy. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over moderately high heat. Sauté the shrimp with 1 Tablespoon chopped garlic until shrimp are pink and opaque in the center. Season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, divide the squash risotto among 4 shallow bowls and top with sautéed shrimp.

Adapted by StarChefs.

Yield: 4 Servings

Round Out the Meal:

With an apple, pecan and red leaf lettuce salad.

Healthy Hint:

Omit or reduce the quantity of cream; substitute olive oil for butter.

Kid Friendly:

This dish is a great way to serve your child winter squash. You may want to limit garlic.

Wine Pairing:

A crisp, dry Chenin Blanc such as the Indaba Chenin Blanc 2004 from South Africa.