Washington's Cherry Bounce

 There are a lot of myth's about George Washing whose upcoming birthday is the 22nd of this month. There's the wooden teeth one and there's that cherry tree one. He probably did cut down a tree accidentally probably for the fruit it yielded. The First President was a cherry fiend and enjoyed the fruit several different ways

New contributor Ramin Ganeshram, an award winning food writer and The Westport Museum's Director For History and Cuture wrote this fascinating piece for today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Cherries were a big part of his estate in Mount Vernon ,Virginia. Plant nurseries were selling cherries varieties named for him  during his Philadelphia presidency . His enslaved workers gew multiple varieties which were preserved and sugared. Cherries were a versatile fruit,then and now.In washington's day they could be dried and baked into fruit cakes and stirred into sauces.They were also incorporated into one of his favorite drinks   cherry bounce/.It's a mix of tart cherries,cinnamon and cloves steeped in brandy.cognac whiskey or rum.It came with the English who called and still call it cherry brandy. The name bounce itself came from old time usage of the word meaning to strike or slap (where people in the Caribbean still use the term) The name probably came from the kick it brought to the drinker.

There are still ounce lovers today.Two companies today Tamworth Distilling and its' sister company Quaker City Mercantile included a recipe based on Martha Washington's one. Chef Patrick O'Connell chef at the Inn at Little WAshington uses his own version with apple brandy from Lairds, a hard cider and apple brandy distributor that Washington might have gone to. (It was established in the mid 1700's not far from here the Battle of Monmouth was fought). It's an easy recipe with the mod.It's then let to sit for two days and ern version consisting of three cups tart cherry juice (use Michigan;s Cherry Republics tart cherry juice for this, They ,by far have the best) along with four cups Morello cherries , cloves sugar and a cinnamon stick two cups of a good Cognac or brandy is used for the bounce.It's basically cooking all the fruit and spices along with granulated sugar . The brandy or cognac is then stirred in and the mix is then simmered Its then left to sit for two days Strain the mixtire through a high grain cheese cloth. The bounce is good on the rocks or with a shot of seltzer  to give it an adult  fizzy cherry soda vibe.

Yes , Washington was known for cherries. Yet it was a popular drink made from his beloved Morellos that gave him joy. Try it for  a lively drink this President's day weekend.

Sugar For Your Sugar

 Valentin'es Day is right around the corner.If you haven't found anything worthwhile and you're creative then think of homemade sweets.EVen a cake or trifle can be a lovely gift for after dinner.

This is the chocolate day. As I've written in past Valentine's Day posts you can make chocolate treats.One recipe I have't mentioned is homemade fudge. The easiest is the three ingredient one that involves microwaving dark chocolate chips, condensed milk and vanilla extract. A better version is one that has butter. This gives the candy a richer flavor and creamier texture. What's going around now is Dubai chocolate. This is a dreamy mix of pistachio  , shredded phyllo  and sweet syrupmarried to chocolate created by a Dubai housewife. Shew as looking for a new kind of candy to satisfy her sweet tooth and came up with . Now there are fudge recipes galore with it.It;sMilk chocolate layered with pistachio cream and there is a crunch supplied by Kadayif pastry. You could also make Dubai truffles too for a tasty treat for after dinner. If you're sugar isn;t a coca addict there is the CHinese rtnghulu recipe which has all sorts of fruits dipped in molten sugar syrup. This s hardens to a clear crackly coating, sort of like a candy apple. Two to three strawberries are stacked on a skewer and then dipped into the hot syrup.They're then plunged into a bowl if ice filled water.

Cakes and trifles make for a sweet treat after a romantic meal. Tiramisu is perfect after a dinner for risotto This is a layering of rum soaked ladyfingers with marscapone cheese. There is also zabaglione or sabayon between the layers.This so a boozy custard made with sugar, Marsala wine and egg yolks. Marscapone is whipped with whipped cream for another layer and then it;s all assembled, not unlike an icebox cake. Dust with cocoa powder and even chocolate shavings fro a really decadent treat.Another layered choco treat is Death By Chocolate ,You can make individual cups of it .Cube any chocolate cake and layer it with chocolate pudding and whipped cream. Both the cake and the pudding can be made from scratch but if you don;t have time then a store bought cake and Jello pudding will do nicely, Cool Whip can be subbed in for the real thing.Layer it this way- cake pudding and cream. Add some strawberries or raspberries on top for a tasty variation. 

Give your sugar some sugar this Valentine's Day. It could be homemade candy or a decadent trifle. Enjoy these sweets together.

A Lux Galentine's Day

 Love can be true .Friendship is truer.That's why a great idea is turning this Valentine's Day into Galentine's Day is a perfect salute to those friends who mean the world to you. Serve them lux dishes and fun treats.

A gal's night I could be a charcuterie board filled with yummy ,rich cold cuts. Think slices of prosciutto and mortadella along with  the French saucisson sec or dry salami and cured ham slices. Have wedges of Brie and slices of Gtuyere. Crackers are a must as are sliced apples and grapes to offset the savoriness. Rich flavored jams like fig paste are also perfect on a charcuterie board. The theme can be carried into a sea-cuterie where shrimp lobster and crab can be served. You can set out little ramekins of melted butter  tartar and cocktail sauces.  Slices a few lemons too and serve them in a bowl.There could also be bowl of tuna with olive oil and anchovies in oil too. These are perfect on slices of pillowy Italian bread slices. As for extras , olives work as well as cornichons and gherkins.Can vegetarians enjoy a charcuterie board too? Yes! Have raw or roasted veggies with a series for dips and flavored oils. Try tomatoes, sliced bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower and asparagus. Serve freshly made bruschetta with this as well along with vegan cheeses which you can get from Target under the chai brand.

A hot, luxurious meal also works. Groceries such as Lidl sell lobsters at an affordable price. You can also have a crab leg dinner , thanks to your local seafood shop r grocery. Individual Cornish hens have a certain glamour to them Create such tasty side dishes as a fruit laced stuffing ripe with Fuji apples and Craisins along with asparagus spears in a Hollandaise sauce.A hot seafood sauce based pasta is another lux way of celebrating with friends.A light crab linguine is a perfect meal, delicious with nuggets of rich crab meat in a cream sauce. Of course nothing beats a good steak dinner.Try the French bistro classic Steak Diane. It;s an easy cook, surprisingly that starts with a pan fried steak with a sauce made from the beef drippings from the steak cooked with more butter, shallots and garlic. Carefully deglaze the pan with either cognac or brandy and then add mustard, Worcester sauce and beef broth.Cream us then added at the end to give the sauce a silky mouth feel. What to serve with this? Pomme frites, thin, julieenned French fries that can easily be cooked in an air fryer. 

Celebrate your friends this Galentine's Day with a lux meal Ther'es no better way to tell them you treasure them, Have a delicious dinner with those you love.

A Good LIdl Dupe

 Every Lidl lover knows that the store has some pretty good dupes for the national brands.Thie creme filled sandwich cookies taste better than Oreos. Their honey loops are much more delicious than Honey Nut Cheerios. For those Hamburger Helper fans, it's time to try their take on this classic skillet dish.

I bought two boxes along with ImpossibleMeat to make a really quick week night dinner. I knew it was going to taste good and also love the simplicity of it.

This is what you get . A packet of bowtie pasta and a separate sauce one.

You do need some kind of meat so I knew the Impossible Beef was the best

The whole package went in , first having been microwaved to thaw out for three minutes. It was then sauteed with a combination of butter and olive oil. Two cups of water and the sauce packets were added.

Then the milk and d pasta. This was a quick cook and it only took about fifteen minutes son a medium flame to cook up.

It really was a tasty and rich dupe for Hamburger Helper. I plan on buying their Beef Stroganoff flavor next. 

Lidl' has some excellent dupes of national brands. Their Hamburger Helper one is very good and perfect for a quick week night meal. Try it for a tasty supper.

Your Favorite Superbowl Snack

Sunday  is the biggest party day  since New Year's Eve.Its the Super Bowl (along with the Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games). There will be all sorts of amazing foods  from crunchies to chili being served on Sunday night.

The question is what is your favorite? Are you excited about the fiery wings? The sliders full of fried onions and cheddar? Or is the sweeter side? The goal post brownies? Cupcakes in team colors? Mine has to be Acme's football cake. This is a vanilla one baked in that classic football oblong and of course decorated with chocolate icing. For some reason this signifies the game to me more than anything.

Let us know what  appetizers and treats you'll be cheering for when the Seahawks play the New England Patriots.

All Day Cafe All Day Joy

Can a cafe extend it's day? Yes. These staples of late breakfasts, brunches and lunches  are now extending to dinners. They can serve the same food or switch to a totally different cuisinesIt means more hours to enjoy a favorite place along with bringing in more money for the owners/

Regular contributor Brett Anderson wrote about this not so unusual practice in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Diners have been practicing this for decades , offering a wide range of meals , from early morning breakfast to late night burgers and fries. Now cafes have Ben jumping on the bandwagon. Having long hours or closing in the early afternoon and reopening later not only means appealing to loyal customers but bringing in more revenue.  Breakfasts are great ways of also bringing in loyal dinner customers and vice versa. According to Vivian Ku,owner of Pine and Crate DTLA, an all day Taiwanese cafe in Los Angeles, it;s a good  way to know customers and cater to their needs whatever the meal is. Then there are the bakery-restaurants that take their cue from casual eateries in Western and Northern Europe. There people can nosh whenever they feel like it and enjoy a lunch  followed by a sweet then come back for dinner and a coffee.

Keeping an all day cafe is a great way of expanding a chef's repertoire. There is Kelsey Britio who opened up the Dutchess in Ojai California. The early meals consist of breakfast plates full of eggs and bacon along with granola while the dinner menu is Burmese dishes like beef stay and Boek House Muttin masala. This varies customers ' tastes too. While they may enjoy a traditional lunch or brunch , dinner can be exotic and palate expanding.There is the similar Cafe Mochiko in Cincinnati , run  by Erik and Elaine Uykimpang-Bentz. During the day it's an Asia bakery that closes for the afternoon and reopens as a Japanese restaurant inspired by yoshuku or Japanese fusion food. There are croissants filled with purple yam and Thai tea snickerdoodle to start the day along with Earl Grey chocolate chunk scone. Dinner is Japanese curry rice and a salute to Cincinnati style chili in an unusual ramen dish.Maybe more restaurants and cafes will follow suit for an unusual all day dining experience.

All day cafes will become more popular as the demand for them increases. It's a fun challenge for chefs. It's a plus for loyal customers.

The Winning Super Bowl Get Together

 A Super Bowl party can either  be a winner or loser ,like everyone's favorite teams. A successful one starts with a plan and good foods. These are the backbone of  memorable and tasty get together ( along with a great half time show and successful team).

New contributor Ben Mims,a James Beard nominated cookbook author gave some excellent tips in today's New York Times Wednesday Foods section. His recommendation, as with any party buffet is pread it out throughout the evening. After all its going to be a long night. Guests will go through waves of hunger. One good idea is cook fully ahead of time.Every hot dish should be cooked ahead of time and reheated when need be. Take chicken wings for example. Cook them earlier in the day  and then blast them in a hot oven ten minutes before guests start to arrive. As they reheat take the time to prepare or heat up sauces. then transfer them to a large bowls. It's here when the wings are tossed in and them coated with the sauces ,ready to eat. (although the wings can be served "naked"and allow guests to do their own saucing and dipping). Making that Super Bowl classic chili is always done ahead of time.It only gets better as it sits, especially the crockpot kind. Ribs can be cooked long before the big do, even on Saturday. As with the wings add the glazes the day of and reheat.

What about burgers? Ubdercok them slightly at first. That way when they're popped back into the oven, they're  perfectly ready to go to sheet pan to bun. Reheat with a slice of cheddar on top. Make all your own dips. Homemade is always better. Cold dips do require a day to more or less marinate and get more flavor. Store them in their serving vessels  and., cover with Saran wrap. This way they'll be good to go when the party gets rolling. A very good tip from  Mr Mims is stagger the roll out. Don;t overwhelm guests with a plethora of food. Have the cold snacks like popcorn, chips and pretzels along with the cold dips. this will keep guests fed d out for the kitchen asking when the wings will be ready. During the second quarter, serve the hot stuff.Bring out the appetizer like foods. They could be potato skins or brick layer nachos or just nachos with hot cheese sauce.  Just before half time heat up those heavy hitters. These are the ribs wings, chili  and burgers to be eaten during the third quarter. The fourth quarter is dessert (if they're still hungry). Get out the brownies and cookies . (All grocery stores are featuring football cakes and cupcakes for the big game).

Don't fumble this Sunday's party. Its an easy spread with easy food. ENjoy it and root for  your favorite team.