Apr 27

Real Margaritas

Entertaining, Libations and Potables, Recipes, Technique No Comments »

Almost 20 years ago, my ayurvedic doctor said that if one is going to ingest alcohol, fine tequila and vodka were the best choices. (I had thought beer or wine for the lower alcohol, but she said it’s the sulfites in wine that are very unhealthy.) That’s the day I started trying good tequilas. Until then, like most Americans, Cuervo Gold was the only tequila I had ever had, but today, frankly, I pass on that brand.

The easy-to-find tequila brands that are my personal favorties are Tres Hermanos, Heradura, Cazadorez, and Centenario. Always choose reposado or añejo so to enjoy the nuances aging brings to tecquilas. Even silver tequilas are too medicinal tasting. Go for premium ingredients and sip, don’t chug!

There is nothing more delicious as the tartness of a real Margarita made from scratch with the finest, aged tequila plus a great liquor and fresh citrus juice.
In addition to foregoing the poor quality tequilas, I recommend never, ever using Margarita mix. All that high fructose corn syrup, synthetic yellow-green coloring and artificial flavors are as responsible for the morning after headache most people associate with Margariatas, as bad tequila is. I don’t even like bottled lime juice or those plastic limes that masquerade as real lime juice. What’s so hard about squeezing a real actual lime, anyway?

Buy most yellow tinged, softest fresh green limes you can find. To help release their juice, press on one firmly as you roll in between your hands or on a countertop. If it’s really unripe and hard, put it in the microwave for 5 seconds to soften it.

This is the classic, exalted to its greatest possible heights.

Tuxedo Margarita–the Premium Classic

1 1/2 oz anejo or reposado tequila
1 oz Grand Manier
1 oz lime juice
tad agave syrup to make it sweeter, if preferred

The best Margarita I ever had was at the One Aldrich Hotel in London. It’s easily recreated at home, if you prep a week ahead.

Blackberry Margarita

1 1/2 oz top shelf tequila reposado or añejo only
3/4 oz Chambord
2 oz fresh lime juice

Poke a pint of washed blackberries into the mouth of the tequila bottle and let them infuse for at least a week.
Use this flavored tequila and Chambord instead of the usual orange liquors. Shake vigorously and pour “straight up” into martini glass.
Garnish with a fresh blackberry and a slice of lime.

If that seems like too much work, here’s a good substitute for a Margarita:

Floridian Shortcut

3 oz fresh squeezed pin grapefruit juice
1 1/2 oz anejo or reposado tequla
pour over ice in a highball glass and stir
garnish with fresh lime wedge

Oct 20

Call for recipe testers for Pulled Chicken Molé

Announcements!, Dairy-Free, Entertaining, Ethnic Dish, Fab Food Photos, Learn to Cook!, The Enlightened Cook cookbook series, Wheat-Free No Comments »
Pulled Chicken Molé cropped

Saucy, luscious Pulled Chicken Molé with secret ingredient, cocoa powder

Hello People,

I’m working hard on finishing the first volume of the Enlightened Cook: Entrees.  Here is one recipe on which I’d love some feedback. What I generally ask of my recipe tests to provide feedback on the clarity of  the directions, accuracy of the measurements (i.e. too much salt? enough oil?). In the case of this terrific recipe, what I need in addition is info on how accurate the timing of each step was:

How long did it take at the given temperature to initially cook the chicken breasts so that they were slightly pink inside?

Was 2 minutes enough to sufficiently break down the tomato at the end into a smooth sauce?

I am considering instead instructing readers to add the tomato and then add the cocoa powder a few minutes later.  It’s really important the cocoa powder is not scalded or truly it ruins the sauce. (I’ve tasted that overcooked taste soooo many times in Mexican restaurants.)

So here is the recipe and a note on brining that will appear on that page of the book. Pulled chicken Molé is a recipe I truly love for it’s utterly unique yet unidentifiable flavor.

Pulled Chicken with Mole Sauce

3 cups vegetable stock
1 pound boneless chicken breasts
2 T olive oil
1 cup minced onion
2 t crushed garlic
1 t coriander
1 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1 t cinnamon
¾ t sea salt
1 t powdered arrowroot or kudzu
2 T cocoa powder
1 cup extra-ripe fresh tomato

Simmer chicken cutlets in the vegetable stock in a 2-quart pot until only the center remains slightly pink, approximately 5 minutes. Reserve the stock in a bowl and place the chicken breasts on a cutting board.

Mince the onions and the garlic and sauté them in the olive oil in the same pot on a medium heat.  When the onions are translucent, but not brown, add all the spices and cook for 1 minute as you stir with a wooden spoon. Then add ½ cup of the reserved stock. Slowly sift in the flour to the rest of the stock, then stir the mixture into the pot a little at a time. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes to reduce the liquid, stirring occasionally.

While the sauce cooks down, tear the cooled chicken into shredded pieces about 1 ½” inches long and ½” thick with your fingers.

When sauce has thickened to consistency of heavy cream, remove it from the heat and puree with a pistol-style hand blender until it smooth (or puree in a blender.) Stir in the cocoa powder. Add the tomato, which has been cut into ½” cubes. Add the chicken and stir well to coat the chicken evenly. Gently reheat on a medium-low heat for  2 minutes to finish cooking the center of the chicken pieces. Do not boil or the cocoa will make the sauce bitter. Serve with soup spoons in deep bowls to savor every drop!

To brine or not to brine;
That is the question
By all means, if you have the prep time, brine! This technique adds moisture to all kinds of red meat and poultry. It’s especially great for lean protein such as turkey, which tends to dry out when cooking. To brine add a handful of salt to a bowl of water and stir to dissolve. Add spices, if you like. Submerge the flesh and cover the bowl before refrigerating. An hour has a good effect. A day is terrific. Three days seems to work fine, because the salt kills much of the bacteria , which deters spoilage. If you brine, be sure to use no additional salt directly on the flesh.