BOOK/A TABLE - The Casi-no Royale Cocktail

My birthday twin and I celebrated our special day with lunch at Alain Ducasse’s French bistro Benoit. There among the wines and cocktails were booze-free alternatives, such as the Wannabe a Spritz, composed of a pre-made Phony Negroni with sparkling Earl Grey tea.

Our waiter was indifferent to the drink, so I didn’t order it. But...I was intrigued, thinking I should try to make a version at home.

First of all, the Wannabe a Spritz uses the Phony Negroni to get the flavors of Campari and sweet vermouth found in a traditional Negroni, although the use of sparkling water really makes it more of an Americano. However, since the Negroni and Americano both feature Campari and sweet vermouth, I used non-alcoholic substitutes for those aperitifs that I already had on hand as I toiled over my shaker.

It’s an Americano that the British James Bond orders in Casino Royale (the first of Ian Fleming’s books to feature the secret agent), so it did make sense that I should flavor my mock Negroni/Americano with British Earl Grey tea, as they do at Benoit. I just created a homemade Earl Grey tea-infused syrup instead. 

Along with the syrup, a drop of lemon and a splash of sparkling water, it all ended up being a most satisfying no-alcohol concoction—the Casi-no Royale!

“Bond ordered an Americano and examined the sprinkling of overdressed customers, mostly from Paris he guessed, who sat talking with focus and vivacity, creating that theatrically clubbable atmosphere of l’heure de l’apéritif.”

Just say “yes” to the Casi-no Royale (or perhaps the Doctor No-Groni). A recipe for a no-alcohol Americano, the America-no, is also below.

Casi-no Royale

Ingredients
1 oz Ritual Aperitif Alternative
1 oz Lyre’s Apéritif Rosso
1 oz Earl Grey simple syrup

A few dashes of non-alcoholic bitters, such as All the Bitter

Lemon wedge
Club soda

Method
To make simple syrup: Steep an Earl Grey tea bag for five minutes in 1 cup boiled water. Stir in half cup sugar to blend. Refrigerate in a tightly sealed container for at least 20 minutes and give it a good shake before use.

To make the cocktail: Shake the first four ingredients into an ice-filled shaker and strain into a rocks glass over ice. Squeeze lemon wedge over your cocktail and then drop it in. Top with club soda to taste.

America-no

Ingredients
1 oz Ritual Aperitif Alternative
1 oz Lyre’s Apéritif Rosso

Club soda or sparkling water

Orange slice or lemon twist

Method
Pour Aperitif Alternative and Apéritif Rosso over ice in an old fashioned glass and stir. Add a splash of the club soda or water, to taste. Garnish with the orange slice or lemon and serve!

P.S. Give the wheel a spin: If you prefer to hit the hard stuff, click here for a traditional Americano or try an Earl Grey Negroni from tablemagazine.com, made with Earl Grey-infused gin and lemon bitters.

                                             

BOOK/A TABLE - Rollin' on the River

Percival Everett’s remarkable novel James reimagines The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as narrated from the enslaved Jim’s perspective. The New York Times bestseller was also recently announced as Barnes & Noble’s Book of the Year.

During Jim and Huck’s journey together down the Mississippi river, they discover a stash of books that includes Candide. I loved Jim’s testament to the transporting nature of reading:

       “I pulled my sack of books closer, reached in and touched one. I let my hand linger there, a flirtation of sorts. The small thick book I’d wrapped my fingers around was the novel. I had never read a novel, though I understood the concept of fiction. It wasn’t so unlike religion, or history, for that matter. I pulled the book from the bag. I checked to see if Huck was still sleeping soundly and then I opened it. The smell of the pages was glorious.

       In the country of Westphalia...
       I was somewhere else. I was not on one side of that damned river or the other. I was not on the Mississippi. I was not in Missouri.”

Now, the friends don’t find a lot to eat during their travels (their bread ruined, they mostly subsist on catfish and berries), but talk about nourishment! Huck couldn’t read much, but Jim was thankful that he could feed his soul.

What are you reading that feeds your soul? What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? While you chew on that, think about making these traditional yeast rolls courtesy of Southern Living to share with your family and friends as you break bread together for the holiday.

Why? Because that’s how you roll, of course.

Click on the Southern Living link below for tips and make-ahead options and do enjoy!

Buttery Yeast Rolls
Adapted from Southern Living Test Kitchen
By Southern Living Test Kitchen
Yield: 32 rolls

Ingredients
2 (1/4-oz) envelopes active dry yeast (4 1/2 tsp)
1 1/4 cups warm water (105° to 115°F), divided
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
5 to 5 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, as needed, divided, plus more for work surface
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tsp flaky sea salt

Directions
Activate yeast:
Stir together yeast and 1/4 cup of the warm water in a large bowl; let stand until mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.

Make dough:
Add eggs, shortening, sugar, salt, 2 cups of the flour, and remaining 1 cup warm water to yeast mixture. Beat with a wooden spoon until well combined and smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually stir in 3 cups of the flour until a soft dough forms, adding up to 1/4 cup remaining flour if dough is too sticky.

Complete first rise:
Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel; let rise in a warm place (about 80°F) until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Divide dough into rolls:
Punch down dough in bowl. Turn out onto a floured work surface, and knead until slightly smoother, 3 to 4 times. Divide in half. Working with 1 portion at a time and keeping remaining dough covered, shape each portion evenly into 16 balls (about 2 heaping tablespoons each). If baking right away, skip to Step 6.

Freeze dough balls if making ahead:
To freeze, arrange dough balls about 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap. Freeze until solid, about 4 hours. Transfer to a freezer-safe zip-top bag. Seal bag, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at least 8 hours in the refrigerator, covered, before using.

Complete second rise:
Arrange fresh or frozen dough balls in 2 lightly greased (with cooking spray) 9-inch square metal baking pans. Cover each pan with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place (about 80°F) until slightly more than doubled in size, about 1 hour. If dough balls were frozen, let rise about 1 hour, 30 minutes. You can also let the dough rise in the refrigerator overnight. Let sit at room temperature while the oven preheats before baking.

Bake rolls:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove plastic wrap from baking pan. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from oven, brush evenly with butter, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Serve warm.

BOOK/A TABLE - Fegato alla Venezia

If you’re like me, you probably have a stack of books waiting to be read. The books in my pile are removed as I finish them of course, but new additions keep coming in and the pile never seems to dwindle...

I also keep notes in my datebooks (dating back to 1988!), listing more titles I intend to cross off one day. Somewhere around 1993, I made a notation to read Sister Carrie.

Well, saints preserve us, I finally read Theodore Dreiser’s novel just last month.

Was it worth it after all this time? Did I enjoy following Carrie’s eventual ascendence to the stage despite the unsuitable men complicating her life? Sure. I didn’t love (it ain’t Tess of the D’Urbervilles), but like so often when turning to the classics, I find it extremely satisfying to discover the lives secreted away in the pages, the stories I’ve long heard about unearthed at last.

At one point, Carrie proposes to make dinner for her tiresome husband Hurstwood:

“We’re all out of flour,” she said; “you’d better get some this afternoon. We haven’t any meat, either. How would it do if we had liver and bacon?”

Now, liver and bacon is something I do love, espcially when served with melted onions. When my D.C. friend comes to visit me in Manhattan, we hightail it to Joe Allen, one of the few places in town (Gene’s is another) that has liver on the menu. Reading Sister Carrie I was reminded too of the outrageously good Fegato alla Veneziana (Venetian-style liver) found in POLPO: A Venetian Cookbook (of sorts) and which may be easily prepared at home. 

The cookbook is so fabulous, filled with uncomplicated recipes that pay delicious tribute to the glories of Venice. Pictured above is my splattered copy. Sadly, I ruined the gorgeous cover during a misfortune that involved a pear galette—but that’s another story!

What are you reading? What’s on your reading list? Please let me know in the comments!

Fegato alla Veneziana
Adapted from POLPO: A Venetian Cookbook (of sorts)
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
6 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 large white onions (Spanish, or cipollini if you can find), finely sliced
Flaky sea salt and black pepper
12 sage leaves
1 kg (about 2 lbs) calf’s liver, trimmed, cleaned and thinly sliced
50 ml (a quarter cup) white wine
50 g (3-4 tbs) unsalted butter

Method
Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into a heavy-based pan and sweat the onions with a pinch of salt on a very low heat for approximately 30 minutes, or until soft. The onions will become translucent and should not burn—they should be only lightly brown. Add a grind of pepper. Take off the heat and set aside.

Cut the sliced liver into thin triangles. In another large heavy-based pan, heat the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil on a medium flame with the sage leaves and when hot add the liver, season, and cook until brown on both sides (if your pan is hot this should be no more than 1minute in total). Add the melted onions, heat through, and add the wine. Turn up the heat to get it bubbling for one minute and then immediately add the butter, simmer for another minute, check the seasoning and serve.

If you want to include bacon...fry up a proper amount, then drain off the fat and pat dry. Crumble when cool and top your dish.

COOKBOOK/A TABLE - Howdy, Dolly!

 

Someone’s in the kitchen with Dolly—and it’s her sister Rachel!

My cousin is one of those kind and generous souls who doles out little gifts throughout the year, whether or not it’s your birthday or a holiday. It’s her wonderful way to let you know she is thinking about you. When I recently visited my hometown in NH, she presented me with Dolly and Rachel’s Good Lookin’ Cookin’: A Year of Meals—A Lifetime of Family, Friends, and Food, featuring a whimsical calendar of seasonal recipes designed for delicious celebrations.

Included in the Parton sisters’s spirted, down-home collection are Southern favorites such as a Mother’s Day Mimosa, Barbecue Ribs for the 4th, a Thanksgiving Turkey with gravy, a festive Crème Brulée for Christmas—and Fried Chicken and Mac and Cheese, which of course are welcome anytime.

Fortunately for my family, my cousin also makes a fantastic Mac and Cheese that she brings to many gatherings, but until I wrest that particular recipe from her...here’s how the Partons do it!

“Ours is made with a variety of cheese, but we had to include a little Velveeta—ultimately, that’s what makes this version so creamy and good.”

 

Mac and Cheese
Adapted from Good Lookin’ Cookin’: A Year of Meals—A Lifetime of Family, Friends, and Food

Makes: 6 to 8 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes

Ingredients
Butter, for greasing
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon mustard powder
8-ounce block Velveeta, cubed

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with butter.

Place a large saucepan of water over medium heat, add the salt, and bring it to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook for 2 to 3 minutes less than indicated on the package. Don't overcook and don’t rinse. Drain the macaroni well in a colander, return it to the pot, and add the olive oil. Gently stir to coat so the macaroni doesn’t stick together.

Set aside 1/4 cup of the shredded cheddar and 1/4 cup of the shredded Monterey Jack for topping.

In a large bowl, use a wooden spoon to combine the eggs, milk, sour cream, butter and mustard powder. Add the Velveeta, remaining cheddar and remaining Monterey Jack, stirring well. Add the macaroni to the mixture and stir until well combined and the macaroni is nicely coated.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, spreading it evenly, and sprinkle the top with the reserved cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. Bake until the cheeses are bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes to thicken before serving.