The Lush Chef

This time of year, the Lush Chef always has a big jug of cider in the fridge.  I drink it cold with breakfast, hot at night while I'm watching TV or added to my cocktails.  Ever since I got a nice big bottle of Bols Barrel Aged Genever, I've been playing around with different recipes.  I decided to do a fall twist on their Manhattan by adding some of Trader Joe's Spiced Apple Cider.  You can obviously use regular cider, but I wanted this cocktail to have a spiced kick and it went perfectly with the sweet and herbal Genever.

Spiced Apple Cider Manhattan - makes 1
Ingredients:

• 2 oz Bols Barrel Aged Genever
• 1 oz sweet vermouth
• 1 1/2 oz spiced apple cider
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 cocktail cherry (I used one of my yummy Brandied Cocktail Cherries)
• 1/2 or whole piece of star anise

- Add the genever, vermouth, apple cider and bitters in a mixing glass with ice.
- Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass that has your cherry in the bottom.
- Garnish with the star anise.

Libations used: 1/2 cup red wine
Libations left over: pretty much the whole bottle
Fall is always a busy time for publicists in the entertainment industry, and the madness began for the Lush Chef about two weeks ago.  I didn't have much time to cook over the weekend, so this fairly quick Bolognese-Smothered Parmesan Polenta from the gals at Bite Me seemed like the perfect dish to whip up on a Sunday evening.  And that also meant I could crack open a bottle of red wine and have a glass while I stirred the polenta...and waited for the sauce to simmer.  Since I really only had time to eat lunch during the week, this hearty and hot dish got me through the cold days and left me satisfied until my events were over.

Bolognese-Smothered Parmesan Polenta - serves 6-8
Polenta Ingredients:

• 5 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Bolognese Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms (I used a variety of cremini and shiitake)
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup dry red wine (I used a Cabernet Sauvignon)
• 2-3 inch piece of Parmesan rind
• 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

To make the polenta:
- Coat an 11x7 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large pot, add the water and salt and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and slowly add the cornmeal, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for about 10 minutes.  The polenta should be thick and smooth.  Your wine glass should be full.
- Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
- Spoon into your prepared baking dish and set aside.

To make the Bolognese Sauce:
- In a large pan or skillet, sauté the ground beef over medium-high heat and break it up as it cooks, for about 5 minutes or until no longer pink.
- Drain the beef in a colander and return the beef to the skillet.
- Add milk and cook the beef over medium-heat for about 3 minutes, until the milk is absorbed.
- Add the mushrooms, carrot, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper, cooking over medium-low heat for 8 minutes or until the onion is softened.
- Add the tomato sauce, wine and Parmesan rind to the meat mixture.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer partially covered for 30 minutes.
- Continue sipping your glass of red wine, or maybe have another glass.
- Remove from heat and discard the rind.
- Slice the polenta into 6-8 servings and spoon the sauce over each portion.
- You can finish with freshly grated Parmesan, if you desire.

Since I've started blogging about cooking and cocktails, it's been amazing how much I've learned in the past 6 months or so.  This endeavor began as a way for me to expand my creative boundaries and gain some knowledge in the process.  So when I got a beautiful bottle of Bols Barrel Aged Genever in the mail from their lovely publicist, I couldn't wait to try it and share the knowledge and results with my readers.

You may have seen Bols Genever on cocktail menus, and wondered what the heck it is.  Jenever or Genever is a juniper-flavored liquor made primarily from malt wine, and is actually the libation that gin originated from.  Hailing from Holland, it's a distillate made from rye, wheat and corn and is triple distilled in copper pot stills.  The unique spiced flavor comes from a blend of hops, cloves, anise, licorice, ginger and of course, juniper. Back in the olden days (Bols Genever goes all the way back to 1575), the distilling process resulted in rather unpalatable concoctions, so the herbs were added to mask the taste.  Because of the medicinal properties of juniper berries, Bols Genever was first sold as a medicine in the late 16th century.  In 2007, it was awarded AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controllée) status, so Genever can only be produced in Holland and some select neighboring areas.  

The barrel aged version I received was aged for 18 months in oak barrels form the French Limousin region.  The maturing results in a slightly sweet taste and maintains some of those young wood flavors.  I also love the way it's packaged—in grey clay jugs.  Basically, if you're looking for a twist on a whiskey cocktail, you can substitute this.  It's yummy in Manhattans and Mint Juleps, or you can sip it straight or as an aperitif.  It's a great starter liquor for those who aren't big fans of brown libations—the sweetness factor helps one ease in.

Libations used: 1/4 tsp dark rum
Libations left over: None.  Lay off the sauce for a while, won't ya?
Every time I walk up to my door, the pumpkin I picked a couple of weekends ago sits there in silence and reminds me I need to make something with him.  Well, I want him to sit there and look pretty a little longer, but there's always store-bought purée.  This Pumpkin Spice Pull-Apart Bread from Willow Bird Baking has been tempting me for weeks, and a quiet Sunday afternoon finally afforded me the time to make it.

Making bread is a rather lengthy process because of all the rising and resting, blah, blah, blah.  But I love making it, and my co-workers love eating it even more.  The pull-apart nature of this bread makes it easy and fun to share, and who doesn't love sugar and spice coated bread with tons of rum glaze (arrr!)?  The top of this bread gets all crispy and caramelized, so definitely share this because you could very well eat the whole pan...in one sitting...



Pumpkin Spice Pull-Apart Bread with Butter Rum Glaze - serves 8-10

Bread Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp (1 envelope) active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup pumpkin purée 
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups bread flour

Filling Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 Tbs unsalted butter

Butter Rum Glaze Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs unsalted butter
• 1/8 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbs + 1 1/2 tsp milk
• 1/4 tsp rum

To make the bread:
- Grease and flour a medium loaf pan and set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, brown the butter.  Let it bubble and foam and when you see it start to brown, stir so it browns evenly.
- When it looks like some dark pirate rum, remove from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl to cool.
- In the same saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the milk until it bubbles.
- Remove from heat and pour into the large mixing bowl.
- Let the mixture cool to about 100-110.
- Stir in the sugar and yeast and let the mixture sit for a few minutes.
- Stir in the pumpkin, salt and 1 cup flour.
- If you're using a stand mixer with a dough hook, attach that or knead the dough by hand.  Add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring between each addition.
- When the dough is combined, knead for about 4-5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with a damp cloth.  Let it rise in a warm place for an hour or until it doubles in size.  If you do this the night before, put in the fridge overnight and then let it sit out for 30 minutes before rolling it out.

To make the filling:
- While the dough is rising, mix the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a small bowl.
- When the dough is almost done rising, melt the 2 Tbs of butter in the small saucepan over medium-high heat and brown it like before.  Let it cool before you use it as indicated below.

To shape the bread:
- Knead about 1 Tbs of flour into the dough to deflate it.  Let it sit for about 5 minutes.
- Flour your work surface and turn the rested dough onto it.
- Roll it out to a 20x12 inch rectangle.  You may have to lift the corners and tug to shape.  If the dough is  snapping back, cover it with the damp towel and let it rise for about 5 minutes before continuing.  I definitely had to do this a couple of times.
- Spread the browned butter over the surface of the dough with a pastry brush.
- Sprinkle the sugar mixture onto the dough and pat it down so it mostly sticks.
- With the long edge of the rectangle facing you, cut it into 6 strips.
- Stack the strips on top of each other and then cut again into 6 portions.
- Place these little strips one at a time into your loaf pan.  The strips should have the short end on the top and bottom.  I also ran some of them through the extra sugar mixture so they're coated evenly.
- Cover the pan with the damp cloth and let it rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes, or until it's about doubled in size.
- While the dough rises, preheat the oven to 350.
- When the dough has risen, place the loaf pan on top of a cookie sheet to catch those cinnamon/sugar drippings and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until it's a dark golden brown on top.
- Let the bread cool for 20-30 minutes before dousing it in glaze.

To make the glaze:
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the butter, milk and brown sugar to a boil.
- Remove from heat, add the powdered sugar and rum and whisk until smooth.
- Drizzle the glaze over top, or you can remove from the pan and drizzle warm glaze over individual portions.

The Lush Chef's dad is so supportive of her writing endeavors. His Sip and Savor blog inspired me to write my own, dedicated to libations and vittles.  He sends her recipes all the time, which I've posted on here or tuck away in my recipe files for future cooking adventures.  He even sends her little musings like this Drink Pyramid from the Underground Detroit blog.  This past summer, the USDA decided to do away with the food pyramid because it just confused people and didn't give folks a real sense of how much broccoli they should be eating a day.

















So they reconfigured it to look like a plate and dumb it down for us all.  Uh...huh.  Still not clear to me.  What if I don't eat from all four food groups for one meal?  What do I do?



















There's Ruth Bourdain's gluttonous option.  God bless him/her.

















But Underground Detroit's version made the most sense to me.  I measure cocktails all the time!  So tuck this in your pocket and remember to imbibe healthfully this Halloween weekend.  Oh yeah, and raise a glass to the Lush Chef's dad.

Libations used: 1 cup of red wine
Libations left over: Pretty much the whole bottle, so pour yourself a glass...or two while cooking, or serve the bottle with dinner if you can wait that long.
I love, love making soups during this time of year.  Sometimes, I want to eat it every day (and get pretty close to it).  One of my favorite soups to make is French Onion.  It makes my apartment smell like heaven and it's one of the cheapest dishes you can make.  Feel free to get creative with the herbs and additional seasonings, but this recipe is a good base to get you started.  And since I'm the Lush Chef, I like to put some red wine in there too because yes, it really does make everything taste better.

French Onion Soup - serves 4 (or 2 hungry people)
Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 lbs of onions - I like to use a mixture of yellow and sweet
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3 cups beef stock 
• 1 cup red wine - I used a cheap Shiraz that I had on hand
• Freshly ground black pepper & salt
• 1 huge sprig of rosemary - I just toss the whole sprig in
• French baguette, cut into medium slices
• Gruyere and Parmesan cheese

- French cut the onions.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat.
- Once the butter has melted and foamed up, add the onions and stir to coat them well with the butter.
- Turn the heat to medium-low and let the onions caramelize for about 45 minutes.  Here's where you pour yourself a glass of red wine and hang out by the stove.  You'll want to stir occasionally so the onions don't burn and you get a nice dark color on the onions.
- When the onions are done caramelizing, add the beef stock, wine, rosemary and freshly ground pepper, to taste.  If you're going to be topping the soup with cheese, then I like to leave out the salt because the cheese already has a salty taste.
- Bring the broth to a boil and then turn the heat to low and let it simmer for about 45 minutes.
- While the soup is simmering, heat your oven to 425.
- When ready to serve, pour the soup in oven-safe bowls (I like using my little Staub Cocottes) and top with a few bread slices and a mixture of Gruyere and Parmesan cheese.  I like to use little chunks as opposed to grating the cheese, because I loooooove cheese.
- Put your bowls on a baking sheet and then pop in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

With the Lush Chef's full-time job, it's not like I'm home every night baking, cooking and mixing up cocktails (as lovely as that sounds).  I'm a social butterfly and sometimes my work involves catching up with friends and work acquaintances over lunch or drinks, so when I was invited to the fall menu preview at the Crescent Hotel in Beverly Hills, I happily obliged.  My office is in the area, so it's always nice to find a quick and convenient spot for a drink meeting that won't require me to go further east.

I had been to this hotel many years ago with friends and had completely forgotten it was there.  It's on a quiet corner of Crescent and Brighton Way (403 N. Crescent Drive) and there are some public parking lots around, in addition to valet.  They have an intimate outdoor patio by the fireplace and a cozy lounge decked in white.  The noise level is perfect for an after-work meeting over a cocktail and some tasty small bites.

The night I was there, they debuted 3 new cocktails (I took sips from two):
- Lucia Bosé - Genever, Campari, Strawberry Gomme, Lemon + Rosé

- Spiced Amaro Julep (served in a legit julep cup!) Black Pepper Infused Bourbon, Amaro Nonino, Pineapple Gomme + Mint

- Grassroots - Vodka, Amaro Montenegro, Sweet Vermouth, Lime + Rosemary

They have other specialty cocktails that include mezcal, rum, tequila, whiskey and pisco, in addition to traditional libations.

Small bites they served us that night included Lamb Meatballs with a mint yogurt and chickpea lentil stew (I could have eaten several of these), Falafel Sliders with tahini aioli, feta, caramelized onions and frisée and Kobe Beef Sliders with truffle aioli, pea shoots and monterey jack cheese.  There were two flatbreads— Prosciutto with fig tapenade and burrata and Grilled Taleggio with porcini and chard.  Of course I tried one of everything with American Trilogy, the lovely Lynn from The Actor's Diet (a fantastic blog that documents her dining and culinary adventures) and her husband Abe.  A perfect, chill night on a crisp, fall evening.