What a wonderful show and with such gracious, inspiring people! This is what it’s all about, kids!!
Author: Heidi Lee (Page 8 of 96)
Color me Summer!!! Chef Tracy Dempsey takes her expert hand to a soup for us and we couldn’t be more pleased. Summer in a spoon…and a bowl!
Roasted Peach Gazpacho with AZ Bitters Lab Orange Sunshine Bitters
6 ripe peaches, peeled, pit removed and cut in large pieces
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ large English cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut in large dice
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Water as needed to thin
2 tablespoons Sherry
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 sprigs fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
4 fresh basil leaves, julienned
¼ cup English cucumber, fine dice
AZ Bitters Lab Orange Sunshine Bitters, to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Place peaches on a sheet pan and toss with honey and olive oil. Roast in oven until just tender. Remove and cool.
2. Place the peaches and the cucumber in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and process until relatively smooth. Add vinegar. Add some water to thin. Finish with the Sherry and season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
3. To serve, place gazpacho in serving glasses or bowls. Garnish with the herbs and diced cucumber. Finish with 3-5 splashes of the bitters. Serve.
So, this is pretty cool! Prior to meeting Bill and Lill from AZ Bitters Lab, I made a seriously, subtle suggestion via email that maybe they try their hand applying their Bitters for our Soup of the Week. Challenge accepted! They’d never used their products for a savory, much less a soup, and spent several days coming up with this concoction! HOW COOL IS THAT? Oh, and it’s awesome!!
Pea Soup with Bourbon and Bittered Crema
(based on a recipe by Jeff Mauro, Food Network)
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 parsnips, peeled, chopped
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh oregano
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2oz Booker’s bourbon
• 1 lb split peas
• 8oz smoked ham
• 8 cups chicken broth
• ½ cup Mexican crema combined with 8 dashes of AZBL Orange Sunshine bitters
1. Sautee celery, parsnips, onion in oil for 15 mins
2. Season with salt and pepper
3. Add oregano, thyme, bay leaf and sautee for 3 mins
4. Turn off heat, add bourbon, return to simmer for 3 mins
5. Add peas, ham, stock and cook for 1 hour. Adjust seasoning as needed
6. Pull ham and bay leaves, then blitz soup with an immersion blender until creamy
7. Chunk up ham into ¼” cubes and return to soup
8. Serve soup with a garnish of the bittered crema swirled on top
Mexican Chocolate Affogato for Two
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2 ounces semisweet chocolate (I used a 72% bar)
¼ teaspoon chipotle chile flakes
¼ teaspoon cayenne
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon agave nectar
2 pinches coarse sea salt
1 shot espresso, chilled (I used cold brew coffee)
Dark rum, to taste
Crushed ice
AZ Bitters Lab Más Mole bitters, a couple splashes
2 medium scoops cinnamon, chocolate or vanilla ice cream
2 Luxardo Cherries, optional
Chocolate shavings, optional
1. In a small sauce pan combine the cocoa powder, chocolate, spices, milk, agave nectar and sea salt. Place over medium heat and bring just to a simmer, stirring to melt the chocolate. Remove from the heat and allow to steep for about 10 minutes before straining and discarding the chile flakes and any bits of unmelted chocolate. Taste for sweetness, adjust as needed keeping in mind that the ice cream will add an element of sweetness. Add the espresso, stirring to combine. Chill overnight.
2. In two chilled martini glasses place a scoop of ice cream, Place some crushed ice in a martini shaker, add some espresso mixture and the rum. Shake. Strain over the ice cream. Finish with several splashes of the bitters. Garnish with chocolate shavings and a cherry. Serve immediately.
3. Leftover espresso-“hot” chocolate mixture will keep refrigerated for 3 days.
Tiki Alexander
(based on a recipe by Jeff Levy, Turntable Kitchen)
• ¾ oz Aged rum (Brugal’s Extra Viejo)
• ¾ oz crème de cacao (Giffard)
• ½ oz fresh lime juice
• ½ oz unsweetened pineapple juice
• ½ oz heavy cream
• 1 dash AZBL Mi Casa bitters
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake hard to combine and strain into a mug filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a spritz of Mi Casa bitters and grated nutmeg.
What a wonderful time we had with this truly lovely man! We met on radio nearly 9 years ago and have been good friends and colleagues ever since! You’re a star and thank you so much for your friendship. OKAY, enough of that blathering shit…let’s listen to the show!!!
This is just one of the many ‘Ramens’ you can concoct starting with this lovely base from Executive Chef Joshua Hebert. He’s got a new gig opening up in early Fall, Hot Noodles Cold Sake, and we can’t wait to line up for his amazing creations! Eat in or take out! If he doesn’t have this pairing on the menu, make sure you have some at home to sip and slurp alongside your fave bowl of comfort! What we love most is that if it only had an ‘a’ at the end…KiJoshu(a) Sake!
Shoyu Ramen base
1 T sesame oil
1 T pork fat
1t chopped garlic
1t chopped ginger
1t chopped shallots
1/2 c sake
1/2 c mirin
1 cup soy sauce
2 cup dashi
2 cup pork stock
2 oz pork belly
4 oz ramen noodles
1oz sprouts
1 t chopped scallions
2 slices naruto
1 T bonito flakes
1 sheet nori
Add pork fat and sesame oil to a pan, and add shallots garlic, and ginger. Gently toast. Add sake and mirin, deglaze and reduce to 90 %. add soy sauce and bring to a simmer. Add dashi and stock, bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and soy sauce, and simmer yu noodles seperately. Add to broth in a bowl, and garnish with all items. enjoy
Recent Comments