Chef Casey 411

Christmas “Mule”tide Cheer

Ice
1 lime
12 leaves of mint
3 oz. dark rum preferably Gosling’s
Ginger Beer preferably Reed’s
2 tsp rum cranberries plus 1 T of the syrup
zest of orange

In a cocktail shaker, add1 tsp of rum cranberries plus 1 T of the cranberry syrup. Add mint and the juice of 1 lime. Muddle all ingredients. Add rum and ice. Shake the shaker no less than 15 times. Strain the ingredients in the shaker into a rocks glass with ice in it. Top the glass with Ginger Beer. Garnish with the remaining tsp of cranberry, fresh mint leaves and the orange zest.

Drunken Cranberries

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 cinnamon sticks
1 star anise
1 vanilla bean, split
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 strip of orange zest
1 jar with seal tight lid

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add water, sugar, spices. Bring to a low boil and add cranberries. Boil for 1 minute just until the cranberries have popped. Remove from heat and allow mixture to sit for 2 minutes. Strain liquid from cranberries, reserve liquid. Remove all except cinnamon sticks. Add Cranberries to the jar with sticks and add orange peel. Pour in liquid carefully making sure the cranberries are covered completely. Seal and refrigerate for 4 hours or keep refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.

Watch for some exciting news, Texas.

The holiday season is definitely upon us. Not in the sense of present buying pressure or that feeling of stress from excessive traffic. The season has changed. The weather, the foods, even the cocktails! It is intoxicating(no pun intended). This is my favorite season. The vineyards are gold, green and red. The farmers markets are filled with chestnuts, persimmons and gourds.

I have the urge to braise things, slow cook vegetables, and make risottos. It is an exciting time in the kitchen. When I cook for myself, I take something that I want to eat. For example stew. You remember having stew as a child, potatoes, carrots, possibly celery and of course, beef. But now, the ingredients that go into a stew can make all of the difference in taste. I have a stew braising in the oven as I am typing. Each breath I take gets deeper and deeper as I am inhaling the glorious scent of the wine and beef and tomato starting to become one. I can’t wait for tomorrow. I will let it refrigerate overnight. This stew has local, grass fed, organic bone-in ribeye and chuck. Sweet carrots, porcini mushrooms, and white organic german potatoes that will add to the flavor. I also added aged Italian Balsamico for flavor. Good ingredients makes good food.

I stumbled upon the first cranberries I have seen in the stores today so I picked some up. I macerated them in simple syrup and rum. I love the gingered mule cocktail. So, here is the holiday”mule tide”. I will be placing these recipes on my website. Have a great fall and enjoy cooking.

Cheers.

KC