Sometimes you just need a Margarita

April 23, 2020

Picking a favorite Margarita must be a lot like picking a favorite child.  I wouldn’t know about that but I know I can’t pick my favorite dog, each is “special” in their own way.

But, this is a very special Margarita.

Ice

4 shots Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville Key Lime Tequila

3 shots Triple Sec

2 Fresh Oranges, juiced

1 Lime Juiced

Tajin to rim the glass

 Fill Pint glasses and a shaker with ice.  Fill the shaker with Tequila, Triple Sec, Orange and Lime juice.  Use the cut lime to wet the glasses and then rim with Tajin.

Shake until cold and pour into glasses.  Garnish with Orange and Lime slice.

The Watermelon Mojito

 

 

Goes great with a Good Burger,

Check back later for the

Best Burger in the World

recipe

 Summer is here!  Or we hope soon around the corner.  Time to grill, hang out doors and do our best to stay cool!  And staying cool does NOT mean cooping yourself up in an air conditioned, climate controlled environment.  Grab a cold refreshing drink and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air because it will be winter soon enough and then you'll be complaining wishing it was summer!!!

Ingredients

 

Make a watermelon puree by chopping watermelon and pick out the seeds

Puree it in a blender, if any seeds ended up in the mixture, strain them out

Mint and sugar for muddling

1 1/4 oz Parrot Bay Key Lime Rum

3/4 oz Triple Sec
1/2 oz Simple Syrup (equal parts sugar and water, warmed until sugar dissolves)
1/4 Fresh Squeezed Lime
Watermelon puree

In a pint beer glass muddle the mint with sugar.  If you haven't muddled yet, it uses a wooden stick that is used to grind up and tear the mint.  Oh it smells soo good!!! Go get a muddler, it will open new worlds to you.

Fill glass about 3/4 full of ice, add Rum, Triple Sec, Simple syrup, and lime.  This should fill the glass about 1/2 to 3/4 full.

Now fill with watermelon puree, stir, and garnish with a torn Mint Leaf.

Perfect for a Hot Summer Afternoon on your back deck! If you plan on a full afternoon of Watermelon Mojito's, make a pitcher but add more watermelon puree.  You can tell yourself it is healthy and hydrating!

Enjoy! (responsibly...)

The Elusive Blood Orange Margarita

Ahh,  the elusive Blood Orange Margarita.  Just thinking about it conjures up visions of Dexter’s morning routine, elusive because the Blood Orange is only in season in the dead of winter not prime Margarita season. Unless of course, you come to Zimmer von Hosie for ski season, that IS Margarita season!

Now making the Blood Orange Margarita is more than just throwing some Tequila, ice and mixer in a blender. 

Ingredients:

4-5 Blood Oranges (enough juice for approx. one cup)
3 T Sugar
Blender filled with ice
4 shots Tequila Blanco (I prefer Margaritavilla Lime for Margaritas  DO NOT USE Cuervo)
3 shots Triple Sec
1 Fresh squeezed Lime (the secret to any good margarita)

Juice the Oranges and place juice in a small saucepan and add sugar.  Allow mixture to come to a boil and reduce volume about ½.  Allow to cool.

Add ice to blender, pour in Blood Orange Syrup (it won’t be real thick).  Add Tequila, Triple Sec and Lime in that order.  Blend until ice is crushed.

If you feel you must rim the glass, use sugar not salt although I think it is best without.  Add a slice of lime and enjoy!

But, how do you get that refreshing Blood Orange Margarita on a hot July afternoon?  Get an old ice tray, make up a double or triple batch, then fill the ice tray and freeze the concentrate.  Now you an just throw a few cubes in the blender Enjoy!

 

 

Cranberry Sauce

Ahhh, the lowly Cranberry sauce. Most of my generation know it as the jelly type stuff that plops out of the can. Rounds are sliced off for everyone with the rings from the tin can being the perfect template.  Great for turkey sandwiches though!

Several years ago, I discovered that cranberry sauce can be made from scratch.  I've made many, most were very tart, strong and made you pucker your lips!  This year was different. I've perfected my cranberry sauce recipe.


Zest from 1 Orange
Zest from 1 Lime
Juice from 2 Oranges
Juice from 2 Lime
1 cup Sugar
2 cup fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cup frozen fruit medley (Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries)
2 Cinnamon sticks

 Zest the Orange and Lime and then juice each along with an additional Orange and Lime. Place the juice in a small saucepan.  Add the sugar. Bring to a boil then add cranberries, frozen fruit, cinnamon sticks and fruit zest.  Allow to boil down to approximately one half volume. Once it cools it will thicken slightly.

Enjoy!

Hash Browns

Hash Browns, how hard can they be? I wouldn’t think there is anything to them but I just hate going to a great diner, getting bacon, eggs, toast and then mushy white potatoes. They are hash BROWNS, not hash whites! So how do you get nice crispy Hash Browns?


This is another recipe that grew out of sea kayak trips. Before we leave I bake several potatoes. I slater them with butter, wrap them in tin foil and bake them. Then on the trip I can slice them for fried potatoes for dinner or, grate them for Hash Browns. These Hash Browns are crispy and crunchy, just how you want them.

Now I have a couple tricks here. If you are having baked potatoes in the evening, make a couple extra and just put them in the refrigerator. Grate them the next morning, skins and all and fry them up! They will keep in the fridge for several days too! But here is the hip tip, when potatoes are on sale (sometimes as cheap as $2.50 for ten pounds) bake up 10 or 12 of them. Dice one onion for every 3-4 potatoes. Now get out your food processor. Yep, that one you got as a wedding present and is in the back of your cupboard. Now start grating potatoes. Mix in the diced onion, and seal in ziplock sandwich bags. Now lay them flat in the freezer. When you are ready to eat them, just pull a ziplock bag out of the freezer and toss in the frying pan. One sandwich bag of hash browns is just perfect for two people.

See that food processor you got for a gift is useful!

Heat oil in the pan, fry on medium/high heat and resist the urge to stir. Let them sit and brown. Then flip them. Be ready to add more oil but be careful, too much oil and they get greasy and mushy. Practice and it will get perfect.

Some home smoked bacon, fresh bread from the bread machine and a bit of fruit salad and a couple of fried eggs
That goes good with crispy, crunchy hash BROWNS!

Get it down and you will have skillet breakfast that puts Denny’s to shame!

Maine Maple Syrup Creme Brulee

Crème Brulee is one of those elegant desserts that tastes totally decedent but is surprisingly simple to make. Traditional Crème Brulee is vanilla in flavor and a real vanilla bean adds a very rich, excellent taste. This is a variant of the original.


Since Tena is from Maine, I’m totally hooked on pure Maple Syrup. It is better if it is from Maine! This recipe combines that wonderful flavor of Maine Maple Syrup, vanilla and the rich, creamy custard. The nice thing is you can make this up to three days in advance and take the pressure off when company comes over.

So if you want to impress your friends, make Crème Brulee!

2 Cups Heavy Cream
½ Vanilla Bean
1 Small Egg
3 Large Egg Yolks
7 T Pure Maple Syrup
4 T White Sugar for Topping
Crème Brulee Molds (Ramekins)

Preheat oven to 325 Degrees

Pour Heavy Cream into a non-reactive saucepan and warm over medium heat

While Cream is heating, slice vanilla bean lengthwise using a sharp paring knife. Separate the seeds from the skin by scraping it with a knife. Place the seed and the skin in the cream (With this recipe, you can cheat with 1 T of high quality vanilla extract, DO NOT use imitation vanilla extract.)

Scald cream until bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan.

In a large mixing bowl whisk the egg, egg yolks and maple syrup until very well blended but not frothy.

This is the tricky part! Add a small amount of the hot cream mixture to the egg mixture while you continue to whisk. Continue adding it in small amounts until they are completely combined and homogenous in color. If you add the hot cream to quickly, it will cook the eggs and you will have creamy, sweet, scrambled eggs!

Pour the mixture through a fine sieve to strain out the pieces of vanilla and any cooked egg (you can skip this if you use vanilla extract and don’t cook the eggs!)

Now place your ramekins in a baking pan and fill the bowls half full with the brulee. Now set the entire pan in the oven and finish filling the ramekins as full as possible.

With hot water from the tap, fill the pan just high enough to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Now bake for about 40 minutes. If necessary, add hot water to the bath. When done baking they should just tremble slightly when shaken. Check them about every 5 min. to not overcook them. If it is still runny, they are not ready. There are times it has taken over an hour to cook.

Once they are done cooking remove from the oven and place the ramekins on a cooling rack for at least 30 min then place then into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

Now comes the fun part!!!

Get a propane torch from the hardware store. Fancy cooking stores sell an expensive alternative but the hardware store torch adds panache!

Just before serving, sprinkle a generous layer of sugar on top of each dessert. Gently torch the sugar until it just caramelizes. Do your best not to burn it!


Someone couldn't wait for the photo and started eating!


It should now have a crusty, hard layer of sugar.

It sounds difficult but once you break down the steps it is surprisingly easy.
 
Now serve and listen to the oohhs and ahhs!