The Lush Chef

Last weekend I had a couple of picnics and a wine tasting to attend, but only one day to really make anything.  I had spied this recipe for Fennel and Semolina Cake on Tasting Table a few weeks ago, and loved how it paired fennel with the fennel and anise-inflected Pernod.  Cake with absinthe?  Yes, please!  Next time I make this, I definitely need to use a larger fennel bulb, and I'll probably add less rose water to the fennel syrup.  Rose water is just so overpowering to me and 1 Tbs seemed like too much to me.  I also don't think you need to soak the cake with an entire 1 cup of syrup (I used a little less).  Plus, that leaves more fennel-flavored syrup for cocktail making and shaking!  Regardless, my friends enjoyed this unusually savory and sweet, and incredibly moist cake to end our various cheese and hummus-filled picnics.  I also used a finer semolina flour, as that was all I could find, and it ended up giving the cake a really lovely texture.

Fennel & Semolina Cake - serves 10-12
Ingredients for the Fennel

• 3 Tbs fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs Pernod
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tbs fennel seeds
• Pinch of salt
• 1 large fennel bulb, sliced about 1/8-inch thick with the core left intact
• 1 tsp rose water

Ingredients for the Crust

• 4 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
• 6 Tbs light brown sugar

Ingredients for the Cake

• 2 cups whole milk Greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups semolina flour
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 5 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp fennel pollen
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, melted and then cooled to room temperature

- Pre-heat the oven to 350.

To Prepare the Fennel
- In a small saucepan over high heat, add the lemon juice, Pernod, water, sugar, fennel seeds, and salt and bring to a simmer.
- Cook until the fennel seeds become tender (about 15 minutes).
- Strain the syrup into a medium bowl, discarding the fennel seeds.
- In a medium saucepan, add the syrup and bring to a simmer.
- Add the fennel and cook, covered, until tender (about 20 minutes).
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fennel to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and arrange in a single layer to cool.
- Transfer the syrup back into the same medium bowl and add the rose water.
- Measure out 3/4 cup of syrup and reserve any remaining for cocktails!

To Make the Crust
- In a 8x11 baking dish, drizzle the melted butter and sprinkle the light brown sugar evenly to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Arrange the fennel slices on top in a single layer.

To Make the Cake
- In a medium bowl, add the yogurt and milk and stir to evenly combine.
- In a large bowl, add the semolina flour, sugar, baking powder, fennel pollen, and salt, and stir to evenly combine.
- Add the yogurt and milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Add the butter and stir.
- Pour the batter into the baking dish.
- Bake until golden brown (about 40-45 minutes).
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.
- Run a knife around the edges of the cake and then cover the baking dish with a large cutting board.
- Carefully invert the cake onto it, and using a toothpick or wooden skewer, poke holes all over the cake.
- Slowly pour the reserved syrup all over the cake and let it soak in for about 30 minutes before serving.

One of my favorite things about living in Santa Monica are all the free outdoor activities that take place.  In the summer, they host the Twilight Concert Series on the pier, and always gather an eclectic and amazing group of musicians.  While there's some lovely dancing and rocking out on the pier, my friends and I prefer the massive picnic/illicit wine drinking situation on the beach.  This week is going to be very New Orleans-inspired with Trombone Shorty and the Dustbowl Revival, and that got me craving a Sazerac...so there might be some cocktail shaking in the sand...

It's one of America's oldest cocktails and is a New Orleans variation on an Old Fashioned.  The name came from the brand of cognac that was originally used in this classic libation - Sazerac de Forge et Fils - and was sold at the Merchants Exchange in the 1850s.  A gent named Aaron Bird took the space over and changed its name to the Sazerac House and served a cocktail using that namesake cognac, absinthe and some bitters from a local druggist down the street - a Mr. Antoine Amedie Peychaud.  In the 1870s, the cognac got switched out for rye whiskey because of an epidemic that devastated France's grape crop.  When absinthe was banned in the US in 1912, it was replaced with other anise-flavored liqueurs, such as New Orleans' very own Herbsaint.  The history and prevalence of this drink is so tied to the city, that a bill was actually passed in the Louisiana State Senate in 2008 to make it the official drink of New Orleans.  It's such a simple drink to make, and everyone should really have this American classic in their bartending arsenal.  Now time to whip up a batch of these for the beach!

Sazerac
Ingredients:

• 1 tsp absinthe (I used Pernod) or Herbsaint liqueuer
• 2 oz rye whiskey (I used Templeton) or cognac
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• 2-3 dashes Peychaud's bitters
• Lemon peel

- "Rinse" a chilled coupe or Old-Fashioned glass with the absinthe by rolling it around the inside of the glass and evenly coating.
- Shake out the excess liqueur.
- In a mixing glass filled with ice, add the whiskey, simple syrup and bitters.
- Shake and strain into the prepared cocktail glass.
- Take a peel of lemon and squeeze over the drink to release the essential oils and drop in the glass.

Libations used: 1/2 cup & 2 Tbs of Pernod...
Libations left over: There's enough Pernod in this dish as it is, but if you insist, pour yourself an ounce or two over ice as an aperitif before dinner...
I just got back from Italy with my family and can't wait to share details of the trip with my readers, along with new recipes and cocktail ideas.  But before I left, I queued up a bunch of posts, as I had a feeling the last thing I'd want to do is cook and write while jet lagged.  I made this Spring Vegetable Risotto with Pernod Shrimp from Food 52 for some neighbors a few days before I left for the "Eternal City."  Even though I knew I'd be eating a lot of risotto and pasta, the peas and asparagus just looked so beautiful at the market that I couldn't resist.  The large amount of veggies, and the addition of mint and lemon freshens up what's normally considered a heavy dish.

The original recipe calls for preserved lemon rind, which I didn't have time to make, so using fresh lemon zest is just fine.  Pernod, which is a French anise-flavored apéritif and absinthe, plays heavily in this dish — there's 1/2 cup stirred into the risotto and 2 Tbs marinated with the shrimp.  Don't be scared off by the word absinthe though.  You're not going to start seeing the green fairy with Pernod distributed in the U.S., as the levels of wormwood, which contributes to those hallucinations, is pretty low.  The anise flavor in the Pernod and the fennel complement each other so well in this dish too.  I don't have a grill, so I quickly cooked the shrimp in the broiler, for about a little over a minute on each side.


Spring Vegetable Risotto with Pernod Shrimp - serves 6-8
Ingredients for the shrimp:

• 24-32 large, deveined shrimp, shell on
• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 2 Tbs Pernod
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• Zest from half a large lemon
• 2 tsps finely chopped rosemary
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Ingredients for the risotto:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 small fennel bulb, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minded
• Sea salt to taste
• 2 cup Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup Pernod
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 6-8 cups chicken stock
• 3 Tbs unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup mascarpone
• Zest from a large lemon
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped mint leaves
• 2 cups peas
• 1 bunch thin asparagus
• Freshly ground white pepper

To make the shrimp:
- On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the shrimp with the olive oil, Pernod, garlic, lemon zest, rosemary, salt and pepper.
- Let the shrimp marinate at room temperature while the risotto is prepared.

To make the risotto:
- First, blanch the asparagus by bringing a kettle of water over the stove to a boil.
- In a glass baking dish, line up the asparagus in a thin layer.
- Pour the boiling water over the asparagus and let it sit for 3-5 minutes, or until the spears are crisp tender.
- When the asparagus has cooled, chop into 2-inch lengths.
- Meanwhile, heat up your chicken stock in a stockpot, as this is going to help your risotto cook properly and get the right, creamy texture.  Cold liquid is bad for making risotto and room temperature is meh.  Always use a hot liquid.
- In a large Dutch oven, heat up the olive oil over low heat.
- Add the onion, fennel and garlic and let them sweat for about 10 minutes, or until all the ingredients are soft and translucent.
- Season with some salt about halfway through.
- Add the Arborio rice and bring the heat up to medium-high.
- Stir to coat the rice and slightly toast it for about 3 minutes.
- Add the Pernod and lemon juice to the rice mixture and continue stirring until almost all the liquid is completely absorbed.
- Add a ladleful of the hot chicken stock to the rice mixture and continue stirring.
- Make sure the temperature of the rice is an even, medium heat with a few bubbles coming to the surface.  It shouldn't be boiling, but you also don't want the heat too low.
- As the stock gets absorbed, add another ladleful and stir away.  Ladle and stir.
- Keep going until the rice is creamy, but still al dente, for about 20-30 minutes.
- Remove the risotto from the heat and immediately fold in the butter, mascarpone, lemon zest, peas, the majority of the mint (saving some for garnish) and some generous grinds of the white pepper.
- The heat of the risotto will actually cook the peas.  Yay!
- Stir slowly to blend all the ingredients and check for seasoning - add more salt and pepper, if needed.
- Carefully fold in the asparagus and put a lid on the risotto.
- Grill or broil the shrimp for about 60 seconds on each side, or until the flesh is completely opaque.
- Top each serving of risotto with 4 shrimp, some mint and a little pepper.

Back in the spring, my friend and I hosted a whiskey tasting, where we walked our buddies through the differences amongst bourbon, whiskey and scotch, and also taught them how to make Old Fashioneds and Gold Rush cocktails.  It was a huge hit and we vowed we'd do another similar gathering.  Well, it took us nearly a year, but this past weekend, we hosted a Bitters Cocktail Party to teach our friends about the beauty of bitters.  If you frequently read this blog, you'll know my passion for bitters - they're to cocktails as finishing salts are to food.  I'm fascinated by the history and also make my own line of bitters called Bitter Revenge.

For those who aren't big cocktail enthusiasts, bitters are still a bit of a mystery and most are only familiar with the major brands like Angostura and Peychaud's.  The bitters boom really started a little after the vintage and artisanal cocktail movement happened.  As bartenders started looking through old recipe books, they discovered all of these flavors for bitters that no longer were on the shelves, or even just created new ones.  Some enterprising cocktail lovers either tracked down old recipes or bought antique bottles of bitters with a few drops left so they could reverse-engineer the recipes.  Now, when you go into a liquor store, gourmet foods market or scroll through the menu at your favorite fancy cocktail joint, you'll see all sorts of flavors: orange, lemon, grapefruit, apple, celery, cucumber, lavender, coffee, chocolate and more.  It can be a little overwhelming to figure out how to accent cocktails with different flavors, so that's what we sought to teach.  


Rather than just throwing our friends blindly into pairings, we gave everyone a little direction by providing some basic cocktail recipes that highlight bitters, the best being an Old Fashioned because of it's simplicity and ability to really highlight the bitters.  We also had recipes for each kind of base spirit, so non-whiskey drinkers could have some options as well, and we kept them fairly simple.  Nothing had more than 3 or 4 ingredients and left room for experimentation.  Writing out the recipes on little cards (laminated are even better) encourage socializing amongst your guests without you having to explain recipes each time someone wants to make a drink.  We offered up Manhattans, Sazeracs, Martinis, Rob Roy's, Pink Gin (just gin and aromatic bitters), a Horse's Neck (bourbon, bitters and ginger ale) and Champagne Cocktails (we all agreed lavender was the best).

My friend and I didn't want to break the bank on alcohol, so we told everyone to bring their favorite base spirit, which could be whiskey, bourbon, scotch, vodka, gin, rum or champagne.  We provided mixers such as lemon and lime juice, tonic and soda water, ginger ale, sweet and dry vermouth, Pernod (for the Sazeracs), oranges, lemons and limes for garnish peels, maraschino cherries, white and brown sugar cubes and a bunch of flavored simple syrups.  Because I'm the Lush Chef, I always have a bunch of simple syrups stocked in the fridge.  In addition to plain and rich simple syrups, I also provided honey syrup, ginger, lemongrass and spiced.  Also make sure you set out enough mixing glasses, shakers, jiggers/shot glasses, stirring spoons and citrus peelers for people to make drinks.  Besides regular ice, we also had some King Ice Cubes and whiskey stones on hand.

When trying the bitters, I recommend that people put a drop or two on their top of their hand to smell and taste it, so they really understand what the flavor is on its own and how it would best accent a cocktail.  Darker spirits tend to go best with the more aromatic and warmer flavors and clear spirits go best with the citrus and floral flavors, but a lot of times you can cross the line.  I've had many a good Old Fashioned with orange or lemon bitters.

We had the following bitters out for folks to try: Angostura, Peychaud's, Fee Brothers' West Indian Orange, The Bitter Truth's Jerry Thomas, Bar Keep's Lavender, my Bitter Revenge bitters in Blood Orange & Rosemary, Coffee Pecan, Meyer Lemon and Apple Cinnamon.  There's also a new company called Napa Valley Bitters, and the founder was gracious to send a dozen samples for all of us to try in unique flavors such as Cucumber, Tamarind-Lime-Chili, and Love Potion (aromatic).  I would even encourage your guests to bring their favorite bitters as well.

Here are some of my favorite brands if you're looking to stock your home bar:
Fee Brothers - One of the oldest brands out there, after Angostura and Peychaud's.  Their Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters are known for selling out as soon as they're stocked on the shelves.
The Bitter Truth - Their Jerry Thomas Own Decanter bitters are an aromatic homage to one of the most important bartenders of the 19th century.
Bittermens - They have fun names and flavors for their bitters like Xocolatl Mole, Boston Bittahs and Elemakule Tiki.
Bar Keep - They're organic and delicious.