The Lush Chef

With the long holiday weekend coming up, you'll inevitably be throwing a Memorial Day party or attending one, which means either way, you'll be contributing some booze.  Regardless of whether you're the host or a guest, you can amp up the weekend and impress your friends with a super simple punch. No one wants to be shaking or stirring up individual cocktails during a big party.  Well, maybe you do, but then everyone's waiting for a drink.  I also like to stir these punches up in those 2-quart beverage coolers and slyly cart them to the beach.  It's The Lush Chef way. The below are some of my favorite summer recipes.  Just be careful, because they go down easily...

You can do champagne, and then you can really class it up and do champagne cocktails for New Year's Eve.  Whether you're hosting a party and pouring cocktails all night or want to do something special for that midnight toast, this Forbidden Pear cocktail is sure to impress your guests.  It's a slight twist on Liquor.com's Forbidden Apple recipe, which is also a slight twist on a traditional champagne cocktail (sugar, bitters, champs).  Isn't almost any cocktail a twist on something classic?  Liquor.com used Calvados, which is an apple brandy, Grand Marnier and some Angostura bitters.  Instead of Calvados, I used J Pear Liqueur, which I included in a Spiced Pear Margarita for last New Year's Eve.  I absolutely love this stuff.  It's made by J Vineyards & Winery in Healdsburg, California using Bartlett pears and has hints of cinnamon, vanilla and honey — perfect for winter.  If you can't find this particular liqueur, feel free to use any kind of pear brandy, as well as your favorite aromatic bitters.  I had recently finished making a batch of aromatic bitters for my little Bitter Revenge line to give out during the holidays.  I left out the orange twist, as I wanted to taste more of the pear notes.  I can't wait to make this drink for friends and really kick off the New Year, or just find an excuse to celebrate anytime this winter.  It's a rich, slightly sweet libation that makes any special occasion feel a little more luxe.

Forbidden Pear 
Ingredients:

• 3-5 dashes of Angostura or aromatic bitters (I used my Bitter Revenge "Et Tu, Brute" house bitters)
• 1/2 oz Grand Marnier
• 1 oz pear brandy (I used J Pear Liqueur)
• 4 oz champagne (I used Moet Chandon's Imperial)
• Optional - orange twist for garnish

- Add the bitters, Grand Marnier and pear brandy into a champagne flute.
- Top with champagne.
- Optional to add the orange twist.

I haven't been blogging much lately, as work has been keeping this Lush rather busy, but I still find time to shake up a cocktail on a Monday or Tuesday night.  A great libation always helps me write a little better too!  Doesn't it help all great writers?

Anyway, when fall rolls around, that means I'm putting Applejack, a bonded apple brandy, in nearly all my drinks.  And I'm drinking apple cider morning, noon and night, so why not add that in a cocktail?  This little creation includes three iterations of apple with Applejack, spiced apple cider (Trader Joe's version is a fave) and an apple slice garnish.  The Grand Marnier balances out all that apple with some orange flavor and adds an extra boozy kick.  I lined the glass with some Vermont maple sugar that my parents gave me to create a festive look and add a little more sweetness.  Sooooo perfect on cocktails.  Thanks mom and dad!  If you can't get your hands on maple sugar, then a cinnamon sugar combo would work equally well.  Batch this up and serve as a punch during Halloween, or serve individually for a lovely pre-Thanksgiving dinner cocktail.  You might even make Matt Damon jealous...
How You Like Them Apples?
Ingredients:

• 1/4 oz lemon juice
• 3 oz spiced apple cider (I used Trader Joe's)
• 1 1/2 oz Applejack
• 1 oz Grand Marnier
• Maple or cinnamon sugar for garnish
• Apple slice for garnish

- Chill a martini glass and run an apple slice around the rim, so you can garnish it with the maple sugar.
- In a shaker, combine the lemon juice, apple cider, Applejack and Grand Marnier with ice.
- Shake and strain into your prepared glass.
- Garnish with an apple slice.

Libations used: About 1 cup of white wine and 1 oz of Grand Marnier...
Libations left over: About 3/4 of a bottle of wine, so pour yourself a glass, because these popsicles will need to freeze overnight...
There's no better way to get your fruit intake during the summer than through sangria, and my favorite kind to make during this season is with peaches.  Even better, sangria is the perfect libation to turn into popsicles!  This recipe from Daisy's World and Serious Eats uses a combination of stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, plums) and mango.  I used a Sauvignon Blanc, which pairs nicely with those kinds of fruits, and amped up the booze factor with some Grand Marnier.  You can also use Cointreau or any kind of orange-flavored liqueur.  Instead of peach and white grape juices, I used pear, but any white juice will be fine.  Not only do these popsicles make a fine dessert, but as a friend suggested, they'd be perfect for breakfast!

White Sangria Popsicles - makes 8 
Ingredients:

• 7 oz white wine (I used Fire Road Sauvignon Blanc)
• 1 oz Grand Marnier 
• 1 1/2 cups chopped fruit (I used a combination of peach, nectarine and mango)
• 1 1/4 cups pear juice
• 5 Tbs sugar
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• Pinch of salt

- In a medium bowl, macerate the fruit in the wine, and let it sit for about 20 minutes.
- In a small sauce pan over medium heat, add the pear juice and sugar, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved.
- Strain the fruit, saving both.
- Add the wine to the juice mixture.
- Add the orange juice and pinch of salt to the mixture.
- Fill each popsicle mold about halfway full with the fruit.
- Top with the juice and wine mixture, making sure to leave a little room at the top since the mixture will expand.
- Freeze overnight.

Nothing like celebrating the 4th of July with a British punch.  Hey, it's a way for us to forgive, and honor various traditions, right?  The Garrick Club Punch was first served in the London club of that name around 1835, about four years after it's founding.  It's a great punch for any time of year, but it's especially refreshing in the summer.  According to my friends, it was like the best booziest lemonade they'd had.  Be sure to let those muddled lemon peels soak up the sugar for about half an hour.  This punch is traditionally made with maraschino liqueur, but if you don't have that on hand, you can substitute Grand Marnier, according to David Wondrich's update on the recipe.  I made it with Tanqueray London Dry Gin, only because I didn't have enough Bols Genever to spare.  I toted a couple coolers of this out to the beach and we finished it in no time.  There's no better way to celebrate the summer (and American independence) than with something classic, extra boozy and British.

Garrick Club Punch - serves about a dozen
Ingredients:

• 4 lemons
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice, strained
• 1 750 mL bottle of gin (I used Tanqueray London Dry Gin)
• 4 oz Grand Marnier or maraschino liqueur
• 24 oz chilled club soda

- Peel all the lemons with a vegetable peeler and make sure you avoid the white pith.
- Muddle the lemon peels with sugar in a 3 quart pitcher or punch bowl.
- Let the peels stand for 30 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the gin and Grand Marnier and stir.
- Fill your pitcher or punch bowl halfway with ice and add the club soda.
- Stir and enjoy!

Libations used: 2 Tbs Grand Marnier...
Libations left over: The glaze is boozy enough...
I realized earlier this week that it's probably been months since I've baked.  With social engagements and a busy period at work, I just haven't had the time.  To continue the brunch recipes from last week, I decided to make these Grand Marnier-Glazed Almond Scones from The Kitchn.  They called it a Valentine's Day recipe, but I say it's perfect for any time of year.  I still cut them out in heart shapes though and gave them to my awesome neighbors.  The Grand Marnier, an orange-flavored liqueur, packs plenty of a punch and pairs nicely with the almonds.  If you're looking for a healthier version, I would say these scones are perfect with just some orange marmelade spread on them.

Grand Marnier-Glazed Almond Scones - makes about a dozen
Ingredients for the scones:

• 2 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 salt
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Ingredients for the glaze:

• 2 Tbs Grand Marnier
• Zest of a small orange
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 tsp orange juice

To make the scones:
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Cut the coconut oil into the dry ingredients and work it in with a pastry cutter or wooden spoon. There will still be some small pieces of coconut oil throughout.
- Make a well in the center of the bowl and set aside.
- In a small bowl, add the yogurt, egg and sliced almonds and whisk to thoroughly combine.
- Add the wet ingredients into the well of the bowl of dry ingredients and combine thoroughly until all the flour is absorbed.
- Roll the dough into a 1/2 think rectangle and wrap in plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut out circle or heart shapes.
- Place them about an inch apart on the baking sheet and bake for 18 minutes, or until lightly browned.

To make the glaze:
- In a small mixing bowl, pour the Grand Marnier over the orange zest and let it sit for about 15 minutes.
- Add the confectioner's sugar and orange juice and stir to combine.
- Dip the scones or frost them in the glaze.

Libations used: 1/4 cup Grand Marnier, 3 Tbs of orange bitters
Libations left over: None, but gosh, there's a lot of booze in this salad already...
Right now it's prime citrus time at the markets, and for those living in cool clime, it's probably the only kind of decent fruit you can get.  This recipe from The Kitchn for a Winter Citrus Salad has a slightly sweet and slightly bitter dressing with honey, Grand Marnier (an orange flavored liqueur) and fruit bitters.  Feel free to get creative with the types of citrus you use and play around with the sweet, sour and bitter notes.  The Kitchn suggests combinations of oranges, clementines, tangerines, kumquats, satsumas, pumelos, tangelos and grapefuit, and then orange, Meyer lemon or Buddha's Hand zest.  I opted for orange zest and juice with Minneola tangerines for their sweetness, pink grapefruit to add a little bitter flavor and kumquats for texture.  For the bitters, you can use lemon, orange or grapefruit.  I went heavy on the bitters with 3 tsps of Fee Brothers' West Indian Orange Bitters because it has a rather light and floral flavor.  To really make this salad pop and look pretty on the table, try to cut the fruit in different ways.  I peeled and separated the tangerines into segments, cut the grapefruit into supremes and then cut again in half, and the kumquats were sliced in half.  This dish is perfect to make for a boozy brunch, or to clear your fridge of all the citrus lying around.


Winter Citrus Salad - serves 6 to 8
Ingredients:

• 2 tsps finely grated orange zest
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup light, floral honey (I used clover honey)
• 1/4 cup Grand Marnier
• 3 tsps Fee Brothers' West Indian Orange Bitters
• 6 cups fresh citrus fruit pieces - I used 3 Minneola tangerines, 3 pink grapefruit and about 20 kumquats

- In a large bowl, add the orange zest, orange juice, honey, Grand Marnier and bitters and whisk.  If you're not big on bitters, try adding it 1 tsp at a time to gauge the taste.  Each brand of bitters is going to have a different flavor profile.
- Add the fruit and toss gently to coat.
- Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to 12 hours for the dressing to seep in.
- Let the salad sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving.