Guys and Gals,
Here is a copy of a newsletter I mailed out for my catering company with some frozen drink and bbq recipes.
Enjoy!!
Chef & Armwrestling Legend
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M.A.D.
Hello fellow gourmets and gourmands!!
I hope this latest installment of our newsletter finds you and yours having a wonderful summer. Please enjoy our helpful outdoor barbeque tips and some great summertime cocktail recipes. Don't forget to visit
www.touchef.com for all of your catering needs!
Mike Dardenne
Useless Culinary Trivia
*Imperia, Italy is the home of the Agnesi Historical Museum of Spaghetti
*Cheese is the oldest of all man-made foods
*Pineapples are classified as berries
*The average person ingests about a ton of food and drink each year
*Tapioca is made from the starch in the roots of a poisonous plant known as bitter cassava
*On average, it takes 548 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter
*The table fork was introduced into England in 1601. Until then people would eat with their knives, sthingys or fingers. When Queen Elizabeth first used a fork, the clergy went ballistic. They felt it was an insult to God not to touch meat with one's fingers
Frozen Summertime Cocktails
White Peach Margarita
2 parts silver tequila
1 lime, juiced
1 1/2 parts peach schnapps
1/4 cup White Peach Puree
2 white peaches, sliced
Ice
Fill the blender 3/4 of the way with ice. Add all of the ingredients except 4 slices of peach. Blend together and serve with slice of peach.
Frozen Watermelon Margarita
2 1/2 cups seedless (or seeded) watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes, rind discarded before measuring
3 tablesthingys freshly squeezed lime juice
4 ounces tequila
2 ounces orange flavored liqueur
1 1/2 cups ice
Lime wheel or watermelon wedge, for garnish
Put cut watermelon in a plastic bag and place in freezer for a minimum of 2 hours. (If time does not permit this step, add a few extra ice cubes when blending, the difference is not that significant.)
Stuff all ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth. Garnish rim of glass with a lime wheel or a watermelon wedge and serve immediately.
Mint Juelp Martini
24 to 32 fresh mint leaves
4 tablesthingys simple syrup, (equal amounts sugar and water heated until sugar dissolves)
Crushed ice
8 ounces Belvedere Vodka
4 sprigs mint, for garnish
4 martini glasses, cold
For one drink: Put 6 to 8 mint leaves, 1 tablesthingy simple syrup and crushed ice in the bottom of a tall glass. With the handle of a wooden sthingy, crush and mash the leaves to extract the flavor. Add 2 ounces vodka and shake several times. Strain into a chilled martini glasses and garnish with a small mint sprig.
Frozen Mango Martini
Ice
7 ounces vodka
1- ounce vermouth
1/2 cup mango puree
Blueberries for garnish
To a martini pitcher add ice, vodka, vermouth, mango puree - stir. Strain into martini glasses. Garnish with blueberries
Summer Time Barbeque Tips
Before you start...
If you use charcoal, use 100% hardwood briquettes if possible. They burn hotter and faster with no tainting, chemical flavors. Do not use self-starting briquettes or petroleum starters for your barbeque. If you need a little extra help getting your fire started, squirt a little vegetable oil on your coals and always use long wooden matches.
(Bet you didn't know... Charcoal briquettes were invented by Henry Ford. He used the waste hardwood from building car frames and marketed them under the name Kingsford.)
Safety Tip...
Keep a spray bottle on hand with a 4 to 1 mixture of water and worctershire to use on flare ups.
Seasoning...
Salt and season meat before you barbeque. Allow the spices and meat juices to blend. Seasoning food while grilling, can contribute to clogging your grill grates and possibly burning the outside of longer cooking foods.
Barbeque sauces or glazes with high sugar content (which is most of them) should only be used to baste in the final stage of cooking to prevent charring.
SAFETY TIP #2:
Sauces used to marinate the meat should only be used once, and any remaining marinade should be thrown out.
Cooking...
Always barbeque with the lid closed. Open lid only to turn, mop or baste.
Thick steaks should be turned frequently so juices don’t pool at top and run off.
Parboil large potatoes or solid vegetables before grilling.
Foodie Question of the Month
How long should I marinate different foods?
Ideally, most items such as chicken, beef, and pork should marinate refrigerated a minimum of two hours. Tougher cuts of beef such as flank, or bone-in chicken or pork, should sit at least a full 24 hours under refrigeration.
For those under tight time schedules, there is another option that works well for most items. Marinate the product at room temperature for 30-45 minutes. If refrigerated for this short period of time, the marinate will not penetrate the cold solid protein matter.
Please note ;however, that this method will not work on very tough cuts such as flank or round steak. Fajita meat (skirt steak) can be done in this method if first cut into very thin strips.
Basically, marinating helps tenderize and flavor by breaking down the protein cells with an acidic agent mixed with some sort of seasoning.
Here are a couple quick and easy marinades:
For chicken breasts:
1 cup light olive oil
1/4 cup white wine worctershire
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 teasp. brown sugar
1/4 cup finely minced red onion
2 oz. sherry (optional)
1 T. chopped parsley
For Pork chops or Tenderloin:
1 cup peanut oil or light olive oil
1 T. Jerk seasoning
1 T. louisiana cane syrup
1/2 cup red wine (port or merlot are my favorites)
1 sprig fresh rosemary, torn
pinch of cracked black pepper
For Steaks:
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teasp. coarse grind black pepper
2 T. Mirin (Oriental sweet seasoning)
1/4 cup Lea & Perrins
1 T. Chipotle flavored Tabasco
Please note that after marinating, your product still needs to be seasoned before cooking. Use a mixture of Kosher salt, coarse grind black pepper, and granulated garlic. If you use a commercial blend, I recommend Zatarain's brand Creole seasoning.
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