Category: Great Hallow Tweet

Hot and Sour Soup… The Ultimate Brew and Cure All

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As I type this this the evil winds are howling in Chicago. Wicked germs are flying around but I feel safe and warm after having some Hot and Sour soup. That is all I need to ward the wicked cold away.

I remember the first time I ever had Hot and Sour soup. I was repelled by the site. The thick dark concoction with unidentifiable things floating in it just didn’t appeal to meal.I didn’t even bother tasting the bowl put forth. Then years later at a better restaurant, I was enticed to try it and have been a fan ever since. It’s  my go to brew when I’m under the weather. Hot and Sour soup is the cure the common cold. Why am I posting this for the Great Hallow Tweet? Well its just the sort of brew I see a witch cooking up in her cauldron. Only the intentions and results are good.

Hot and Sour soup is one of China’s most popular soups, yet it can vary by region. The more spicier version being Szechuan of course. Vegetarian versions can be made too with vegetable stocks and no meat. If you are lucky you will find Lily buds( golden needles) which add the healthful benefit .They look like fingernails  .I’m not sure about the mushrooms I got in the market but I thought they were beautiful. Most recipes call for Cloud Ear and other dried mushrooms. A well stocked Asian Market will have the mushrooms and Lily buds  dried. Hot and Sour Soup gets it’s heat from white pepper  and the sour from vinegar. I kicked my heat up a notch with the addition of red chili oil.Remember prep is key to this recipe.

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Hot and Sour Soup

  • Various dried mushrooms
  • 4-6 pieces dried mushrooms like Shitake
  • 12 pieces of Cloud Ear mushrooms
  • 3 cups boiling water for soaking
  • 10-12 pieces of dried Lily Buds
  • 1/2 cup chopped  raw pork ( tenderloin, chop)
  • 1/2 bamboo shoots
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 4 tablespoons corn starch or tapioca starch
  • 1 tablespoon peanut oil
  • 6 cups chicken or beef stock
  • 1 cup diced firm tofu
  • 3-4 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • salt
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon chili oil
  • 2 teaspoons white pepper
  • Scallions to garnish
  1. In a bowl soak your dried mushrooms with enough boiling water to cover.Cover with a plate and let sit for 30 minutes.
  2. Soak Lily Buds in warm water for 30 minutes.
  3. Marinate chopped pork with 2 tablespoons of Soy Sauce for 20-30 minutes. While the other items are soaking.
  4. Drain mushrooms and Lily buds.Set aside 1/4 cup of mushroom soaking liquid.
  5. Slice the mushroom and Lily Buds thinly , discarding any hard parts.
  6. In small bowls mix your cornstarch and the reserved mushroom liquid in one. In another  mix your vinegar, remaining soy sauce with sugar and salt.
  7. In a large wok or sauce pan heat with peanut oil until very hot.
  8. Add drained chopped pork and stir-fry for a few minutes until no longer red.
  9. Add ginger.
  10. Add mushrooms and Lily Bud’s and drained bamboo shoots.
  11. Stir-fry for a few minuted.
  12. Add Chicken or Beef stock and bring to a boil.
  13. Add Tofu.
  14. Bring to another boil.
  15. Add vinegar and stir in.
  16. Add cornstarch and water. The soup should start to thicken. If you feel you need more, add more dissolved cornstarch in water to reach desired level of thickness.
  17. Beat egg with some sesame oil and add in a drizzle to the soup.
  18. Add the white pepper and remaining  sesame oil. At this point you can add chili oil to add desired amount of heat.
  19. Taste and adjust with any extra soy , vinegar, or sugar needed.
  20. Serve garnished with scallions and an extra drizzle of chili oil.

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Hot Buttered Rum with Apple Cider… A Witches Brew for the Great Hallow Tweet

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There was an old cabin in the woods. It was rumored that there lived an witches coven who blended magical brews in their cauldrons.  It was only on  Hallows Eve that the town folk were fearless. The aromas of cinnamon and spice filled the air  and beckoned anyone in their vicinity to their door. Taking the young ones trick or treating left most exhausted and the siren call of a warm fire and a hot drink could not be turned down. Upon entry one is greeted by other townsfolk who were lured by the promise of warmth and hospitality.

“Yummm, There is no Eye of Newt or  Toe of Frog in this brew!” a guest proclaimed.

” Oh, There was some bubble, bubble, but it really wasn’t much of a toil and trouble to make. Would you like the recipe?” asked the witch?

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Hot Buttered Rum With Apple Cider

Serves  4 small cups or 2 big mugs

  •  2 cups Apple Cider
  • 1 cup Dark Rum or more depending on taste
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons  Brown sugar
  •  a  few cloves to taste
  •  1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • Whipped Cream
  1. In a saucepan  melt butter with brown sugar. Do not burn sugar.
  2. Add cinnamon, nutmeg,  cloves and cider.Heat until almost a boil.
  3. Add rum and lower heat to simmer a few minutes.
  4. Strain while pouring into cups.
  5. Top with with whipped cream.

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Marzipan Eyeballs…Great Hallow Tweet Halloween Blog Hop

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It’s that time of year again . Time for the Great Hallow Tweet. Now many of my faithful readers know that I like  to craft both the beautiful and macabre from edible sources. So naturally with Halloween coming up , why not some edible eyeballs amongst the pumpkins. I don’t have kids, but I think they will love this easy project. Serve them up on a bed of almonds for a homemade candy . You can make your own marzipan or buy it.  I find with most brands I like to add a bit of mine own flavor. Rather than knead color in , the colors are painted on. This a great gluten free, child friendly, no cook recipe project.

Be sure to visit my other ghoulish partners in the Great Hallow Tweet on my sidebar for other fantastic ideas and recipes.

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Marzipan  Eye Balls

Things you will need:

  • Food Grade Color gels from Wilton or other sugar craft supply source (White, Blue, Black, and Red)
  • Good quality Marzipan. A little goes a long way.
  • 3-4 small brushes used only for cake decorating.
  •  A few tablespoons Clear Vanilla Extract or Vodka/Rum to dilute food color gel
  • Piping tip to make indentation.
  • Toothpicks  to remove color and drag paint veins in eyes.

*Normally I steam finish my marzipan’s to set the color,however as this is a child friendly recipe, you can skip this step.

How To:

  1.  Roll marzipan’s into round balls.
  2.  Take a piping tip and indent the shape of an Iris. This will help keep your colors in place and add depth.
  3.  Dilute your white food color gel with clear alcohol (vodka or clear extract)
  4.  Paint eyeball white with the exception of Iris.
  5.  Paint Iris color of choice.
  6. Paint Pupil Black.
  7. Taking a thin brush or toothpick dragged in red gel, paint on veins on the whites.
  8.   Lift with offset spatula and let set and dry.

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Suggested Serving Ideas:

  • Boxed up for your  party guests
  • Cupcake or Cake toppers
  • On a tray of almonds

 

SKYY Infusions Halloween Themed Cocktails

I normally don’t post this type of thing from Public Relations firms, but these are some amazing cocktail recipes for a grown up’s Halloween. Certain Someone and I will be getting in the spirit with some of these this weekend.

Welcome the Spirits this Halloween …

Even if you choose not to wear a costume this Halloween, the holiday for all things sinfully sweet and “creepy, crawly” serves as the perfect occasion to dress up your cocktails. Simple drinks turn festive with the use of fun cocktail glasses and gory garnishes; all designed to bring out the frightful fun of Halloween, with a sophisticated twist. So while you may be tempted to partake in some of the more traditional Halloween activities such as bobbing for apples and pumpkin carving, we all know that there is only one way to really drink in the spooky spirit of the season!

This year, All Natural SKYY Infusions are serving up a truly bewitching cocktail menu, featuring the line of fresh fruit-infused vodkas that offer an unrivaled true-to-fruit taste year round. Each inspired by one of the many hallowed Halloween traditions, these SKYY Infusions cocktails will help you get into the spirit of Halloween, whether you’re in a packed house or with a few friends at home. To add a bit of glamour to your regular Halloween celebrations, try mixing up some of the sweet treats below – no tricks necessary.


Jack-O-Lantern


2 oz. SKYY Infusions Citrus
1 oz. Mango Nectar or Juice
0.5 oz. Orange Juice
0.5 oz. Fresh Sour*

Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and pour into a goblet glass and garnish with a slice of orange and a mint leaf laid flat on top.
*Combine 0.25 oz fresh lime juice and 0.75 oz simple syrup.

Vampire’s Elixir


1.5 oz. SKYY Infusions Raspberry
.75 oz. White Chocolate Liqueur
1 oz. Half and Half
Strawberry Syrup

Dress strawberry syrup on the inside and rim of a chilled martini glass. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into martini glass. Garnish with vampire teeth.

Black Widow

1.5 oz. SKYY Infusions Raspberry
0.5 oz. Triple Sec
2 oz. Pomegranate Juice
Squeeze of Fresh Lemon Juice
Raspberry Syrup

Draw a spider web on the inside of a chilled martini glass with raspberry syrup. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with plastic spider.

Red Zombie
1.5 oz. SKYY Vodka
3 oz. Tomato Juice
0.5 tsp. Finely Grated Horseradish
1 tsp. Barbeque Sauce
3 Dashes Worcestershire Sauce
3 Dashes Tabasco Sauce
0.5 tsp. Finely Chopped Chipotle en Adobo
Pinch of Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Generous Squeeze of Lemon Juice
Pinch of Celery Seeds
1 Celery Stick
2 Large Green Olives
2 Lychee Fruits

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into martini glass. Garnish with green eye balls, laid across the rim of the glass*.
*Cut the end of a stalk of celery so it measures 5-6 inches long and split the stick in half lengthwise. Slide the green olives into two lychee fruits to make eye balls and push the thin celery stick through both as garnish.

Wicked Witch Apple Punch

1 750 ml bottle SKYY Infusions Passion Fruit
1 750 ml bottle Sparkling Apple Cider
1 64 oz. bottle Cranberry Juice Cocktail
1 Liter Ginger Ale
2 cups Pineapple Juice
Red Apple Slices

Combine all ingredients in a large black witch’s cauldron with ice and stir. Garnish with large slices of red apple floating on top and dry ice.

Daring Bakers …Hazlenut Macaroons with Spicy Chocolate Ganache and Strawberry or "Vampire Kiss"

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.
OR I attempted this months Daring Baker Challenge three times. I am not a macaroon novice, and have made them a few times before. I’m not an expert either, but this recipe and technique just wasn’t for me. The following is just my experience and is meant to be constructive and analytical. The first go round I grounded my own almonds and added dried hibiscus for color and flavor. Disaster. The second go round I used store purchased hazelnut meal, as almond meal couldn’t be found in several stores, and no flavor ingredient, just color. As you see from the first picture , they didn’t turn out and really stuck to the parchment. I found the baking time was not sufficient and to low at first, then to high. I followed the recipe and instructions to a tee. I have used parchment several times when baking macaroons and never had issues. The third time I decided to use my tried and true recipe from the Macaroon Queen , Tartelette ,herself. I figure this is fair because I made the actual challenge recipe twice before with disastrous results. Success. Not perfect, but pretty good. I compared the ratios and technique.
Helen’s calls for drying for 1 hour, which I feel is essential. That’s how I was taught at my classed in the French Pastry School as well. I noticed I kept getting tips when piping, but reading Helen’s articles, that can be resolved with a bit more folding.I was to cautious and didn’t want to over fold. The recipe I used from Desserts Magazine tutorial by Tartelette.It is now only available by subscription (Issue #2). However this recipe from Helen is basically the same, except for the flavorings. Here is a PDF of the whole tutorial someone made public.

Notice the difference in a comparison Chart of both recipes:

Daring Bakers/ Claudia Fleming’s
5 egg whites
Granulated Sugar (2 tbsp/25 g)
Confectioners Sugar (2 .25 cups/225 g)
Almond Flour/meal (2 cups/190 g)

Helen’s ( Tartelette) Recipe
3 egg whites (100 g)
Granulated Sugar ( 50 g)
Confectioners Sugar (200 g)
Almond Flour/meal (110 g)

Notice the significant difference in ratios and technique. I really don’t think Claudia Flemming’s technique works for most ovens as its to tricky with the different stages and temps. As this was my first time using dry powdered food colors , I was timid, Next time I will use more. Up to 1 tablespoon is recommended.

As this week, I am participating in the Great Hallow Tweet, Halloween Blog Hop, I was attempting a Vampire like theme. See side link to see others who are participating.

I sprinkled some black sanding sugar. I should have been more aggressive with my dry food color.

I was so happy to see feet!

A ganache infused with a Thai Chili and Cinnamon was piped onto the shells.

Then some Strawberry Jam……

My little Vampire kisses.

Love at first bite.

Be sure to visit the other Daring Bakers. Thank you Ami for giving us a challenge we all have been dying for. While the given recipe didn’t work for me, it was a great challenge to compare. I really feel weights/metric make a big difference in the art of pastry. Its more exact and can really alter the results.I notice the Macaroons taste even better after storing in the fridge for a few days and allowing to come to room temperature. The flavors really meld .

Here is the Daring Baker Challenge Recipe:

Recipe Source: I’ve tried many, many recipes, and have discovered that my favorite macaroon recipe comes from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern. They have given me the most consistent results and so, for everyone’s delectation, I present to you an adaptation of Ms. Fleming’s recipe
Preparation time: Not taking into account the amount of time it takes for you to bring your egg whites to room temperature, the whole baking process, including making the batter, piping and baking will probably take you about an hour to an hour and a half. How long it takes to make your filling is dependent on what you choose to make.
Actual baking time: 12 minutes total, plus a few minutes to get your oven from 200°F to 375°F.
Equipment required:• Electric mixer, preferably a stand mixer with a whisk attachment• Rubber spatula• Baking sheets• Parchment paper or nonstick liners• Pastry bag (can be disposable)• Plain half-inch pastry bag tip• Sifter or sieve• If you don’t have a pastry bag and/or tips, you can use a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off• Oven• Cooling rack• Thin-bladed spatula for removing the macaroons from the baking sheets• Food processor or nut grinder, if grinding your own nuts (ouch!)
IngredientsConfectioners’ (Icing) sugar: 2 ¼ cups (225 g, 8 oz.)Almond flour: 2 cups (190 g, 6.7 oz.)Granulated sugar: 2 tablespoons (25 g , .88 oz.)Egg whites: 5 (Have at room temperature)
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C). Combine the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour in a medium bowl. If grinding your own nuts, combine nuts and a cup of confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor and grind until nuts are very fine and powdery.2. Beat the egg whites in the clean dry bowl of a stand mixer until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.3. Sift a third of the almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold gently to combine. If you are planning on adding zest or other flavorings to the batter, now is the time. Sift in the remaining almond flour in two batches. Be gentle! Don’t overfold, but fully incorporate your ingredients.4. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain half-inch tip (Ateco #806). You can also use a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off. It’s easiest to fill your bag if you stand it up in a tall glass and fold the top down before spooning in the batter.5. Pipe one-inch-sized (2.5 cm) mounds of batter onto baking sheets lined with nonstick liners (or parchment paper).6. Bake the macaroon for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and raise the temperature to 375°F (190°C). Once the oven is up to temperature, put the pans back in the oven and bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or lightly colored.7. Cool on a rack before filling.
Yield: 10 dozen. Ami’s note: My yield was much smaller than this. I produced about two dozen filled macaroons.