December 2010

Mimosa .. not just for Brunch any more!

Holidays are around the corner!!!! And many of us have endless list of chores and errands that have to be done during this exiting but crazy busy season. Today I will show you a very easy and fast way to jazz up your holiday party. I'm talking about a signature drink!

I love to use sparking wines in my holiday menu. Even word Champagne makes you think about celebration and party. Champagne could be very pricey. But it is absolutely not necessary (it actually would be a waste) to use a good quality Champagne in the mixed drink. It is like using Patron in the margarita. Save it when you are doing tequila shots! Only then you will truly appreciate it's taste.

Today I will show you how to make Blood Orange Mimosa - Dinner Style. To make this cocktail I will be using prosecco - sparkling wine from Italy. Unlike Champagne it undergoes it's secondary fermentation in the steel tank which makes it so much cheaper (you can find a nice quality prosecco for about $10.00 per bottle).

Prosecco is generally made from grape variety Glera, which previously also was known as Prosecco. The main area where Glera is grown and Prosecco is produced is the Veneto region of Italy.

The blood orange is a mutation of sweet orange with crimson, blood-colored flesh. This fruit has a distinct, sweet flavor with a hint of raspberry. It is smaller than an average orange. Sometimes there is dark coloring on the exterior of the rind as well, depending on the variety of blood orange. The distinctive dark flesh color is due to the presence of anthocyanins, a family of pigments common to many flowers and fruit.

Anthocyanin, is an antioxidant. Blood oranges may also diminish the risk of heart disease and some types of cancer. Additionally, they may reduce the risk of cataracts, and aid in the body's healing process. So there you go - now you can feel good drinking it!

Blood oranges, like all citrus fruits, are a great source of vitamin C. It also provides 16% of the recommended daily intake of dietary fiber. Oranges can also be a valuable source of folate, calcium, and vitamin A.

Blood Orange Mimosa - Dinner Style 1/4 part lemon vodka 1/4 part blood orange juice 3/4 part Processo Traditionally breakfast mimosa is made with 1 part of orange juice and 1 part of sparkling wine. So for dinner I will spice it up with significantly larger amount of sparkling wine and, my personal favorite, citrus vodka! You can still serve it in the champagne glass or in any cocktail glass over the ice.

Comfort Food

If the summer is all about grilling, winter is all about comfort food. This is when braising and roasting come to mind. And what could be more comforting then a nice chicken dinner? The only problem that it takes awhile to roast whole bird. I'm not a big fan of the time saving alternative - the boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Sure you can get them done in 15 min but the too-lean-to-be-injoyable dish will taste like.. well... chicken.

So here is what I do when I plan to roast a chicken for dinner but I don't have that precious hour and a half - I remove the chicken's back bone (the spine) and then pan roast it. It cuts the cooking time more then in half and will take a million time better then boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Pan Roasted Chicken

1 whole chicken, 3-4 pounds, preferable organic

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder

sea salt and black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken on the large cutting board, breast side up and make a split along the breast bone with your knife.
	Open the chicken like a book then remove the spine.
Mix all the spices in the small mixing bowl. Generously season the chicken on both sides with the spice mix.
	Put a cast iron or other oven proof skillet large enough to hold the chicken over medium heat and get it hot. Drizzle the pan with olive oil. Add both chicken halves to the pan, skin side down, in a single layer. Cook for about 5 minutes until the skin turns golden brown and becomes crisp. Turn over and cook 3 more minutes. Turn the chicken again (skin side down).
Place the pan in the oven. Roast until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 30 more minutes. P.S. I LOVE to use fresh herbs and fresh garlic in all my cooking. But I found that powdered garlic and dry herbs work better for roasting. Because the large amount of sugar in fresh garlic it tends to burn very quickly.

Chai

It's beginning to feel a lot like winter... Brrrrr... and as I mentioned in my previous posts I'm not too happy about it. Warm socks and soft wool sweaters are my closest friends now. But hot tea is still my BFF! We have been friends for a very long time. Being born and raised in Russia I remember drinking tea first thing in the morning, few cups during the day and then looking forward to chatting with my mom very late at night over yet another cup of tea with her delicious homemade jams. Tea is Russia's #2 most popular beverage (vodka, no doubt, comes first!)

In Russia we have tea drinking tradition that goes way back to the early 17th when Chinese ambassador to Russia presented the Czar with many chests of high quality tea. The Czar refused the chests saying they were useless. But despite that official reaction the tradition of drinking tea in Russia became very popular. By 1735 tea traders with caravans 300 camels long were making frequent trips from China to fill growing demand.

There are no other drinks as versatile as tea. It can be black or green or red, hot or iced, caffeinated, decaffeinated, herbal (it is called teassane) ect. There are the teas that stimulate you, calm you down, help you to digest. I love going to Teavana store in King of Prussia. It is tea heaven!!! You can easily drop $100.00 there in no time. I sure did a few times...

Recently I tried Masala tea at the local coffee shop. It was nice but waaay to sweet for my likening. All the spice flavors were muted and the tea tasted diluted. But I liked the idea of having creamy spiced tea on the cold winter day. So I looked into my spice cabinet and got a few some cinnamon sticks, Black cardamom, cloves and fresh ginger from the fridge. 20 minutes later my first spiced tea (or should I say chai!) was ready. It was like a sip of simmering hot summer, it made me feel warm, happy and cozy. I truly enjoyed this pleasantly sweet, aromatic, smoky with nice refreshing aftertaste.

Makes: 2 cups * 3 cups water * 2 cinnamon stick * 3 green cardamom pods * 1 doz whole cloves * 1 inch fresh ginger, smashed * 1 tablespoon loose black tea leaves * 2 teaspoons raw sugar or honey * 1/2 cup whole milk

In a medium pan, bring the water, all of the spices and the ginger to a boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat and allow it to steep for 10 minutes.

Bring the mixture back to a boil, then add the tea. Turn the heat off, and allow it to steep for another 5 minutes. Stir in the sugar and milk. Strain, enjoy and stay warm!