Archive for the ‘Recipe’ Category

How hard do you think someone had to twist my arm to attend the Chelsea Handler Bloody Mary Brunch with Belvedere Vodka? Do you even need to answer that question? There wasn’t a chance I was missing this brunch. 

Somehow, by the grace of the PR gods, I was invited to the Belvedere brunch for the launch of their new vodka, The Bloody Mary. The event was being hosted not only by Belvedere but Adam Rappaport, the newly appointed editor-in-chief of Bon Appetit, and Chelsea Handler, their funny-lady spokeswoman for Belvedere Vodka.  I emailed requesting to interview some of the team members from Belvedere and Adam. Seeing that Adam is the editor-in-chief of the biggest food publication, I guess I’m not surprised I didn’t have the opportunity to even rub up against him. Trust me, at the very least, I was hoping to brush past him because our entire table agreed, Important-Food-Guy was pretty handsome. Thus, I left slightly disappointed that I didn’t have the chance to meet Adam nor did he have the chance to fall equally in love with me, Beauty and Her Feast. Eh, my next vodka party.

I did, however, interview Charles Gibb, CEO of Belvedere, and Claire Smith, Head of Spirits and Mixology which was fascinating. For the blog, I was more interested in their maceration process for the new Bloody Mary Vodka. It was like a lovely story time with both Claire and Charles. Charles was very clear that his role as CEO is to encourage a creative process to do things differently and expand their product. He provides a freedom for the team to get there while still staying true to the brand. What I learned from Charles about flavored vodka is that other companies use chemicals or the essence of a flavor to trick your nose. With Belvedere, their maceration process allows for a completely natural flavor to permeate the vodka. As Charles said, “We harm real fruits and vegetables to make our vodka!” 

To truly understand what Belvedere does, I sat down with Claire Smith who walked me through the birth of a flavor (watch her video by clicking on her name). First, I had to ask her, “Do you not love what you do? You get to drink on the job and get paid? How cool is that?” With a full out laugh she said, “Pretty cool for sure.” So, let’s get down to business, how the heck does she figure out what flavors to macerate and why the Bloody Mary? First, she works with the marketing team on what they think the consumer will get excited about. Because her background is in mixology, she knows how to translate one side of the bar to the other. The Bloody Mary is an iconic vodka cocktail so it made perfect sense to create a product that the consumer could work with as a simple neat vodka or a mixed beverage. Claire then works backwards by taking the ingredients to expose the cocktail. For the Bloody Mary, she ended up macerating 7 individual ingredients in separate vats. They then distill them four times and blend each vat dialing up or down based on the depth of each to balance the final product. What worked was: horseradish, black pepper, red pepper, chili pepper, tomato, lemon and vinegar. I was surprised by the vinegar but Claire informed me that it has the same flavor profile as tabasco, a common ingredient of the mixed Bloody Mary. What thoroughly amazed me was the complexity of flavors you could taste. Somehow, we all tasted celery, yet there was none in the vodka. 

The Bloody Mary vodka is a game changer for the industry as it allows the consumer to have a consistent base. Also, you don’t need complicated ingredients for a finished product. Belvedere managed to develop a savory vodka which really hasn’t been done. By creating such an expressive foundation, it also allows for a continued artistic process by experimenting with additional flavors. During the brunch, we tasted four very different cocktails using the Bloody Mary vodka. Belvedere has provided Beauty and Her Feast with the recipe for my favorite one which also seems to be the “star with both consumer and press at each launch party,” says Tenten Wu, Global Director of PR for Belvedere. 

Belvedere Pineapple Mary 

·     1.5 oz Belvedere Bloody Mary vodka

·     3 oz Fresh Pineapple juice

·     .75 oz Fresh Lime juice

·     2 bar spoon Simple syrup

·     2 dashes Orange bitters

·     1/8 bar spoon Smoked paprika (hot)

Shake and strain all ingredients into a rocks glass filled with cubed ice.

Garnish with a pineapple chunk

Belvedere Bloody Mary vodka is available in most liquor stores including Binny's. 

Welcome to the first video blog on Beauty and Her Feast called "Cooking with Beauty". I was wise enough to charm some of the best chefs around to teach me a few tricks in their kitchens. Now, I am sharing the culinary fun with you! The first of my on-going series was filmed at Sunda Chicago with Chef Jesse DeGuzman. Chef Jesse walks us through one of my favorite dishes on his menu but won't give us the full recipe for the Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. So, Beauty and Her Feast is hoping all you cooks pitch in and send us YOUR recipes! 

Stay tuned…in one week, Sunda Part 2 will be uploaded for the Sushi segment. Beauty and Her Feast has a fantastic line up in kitchens across Chicago. Then, this summer I am headed to LA to cook with some West Coast culinary masters. Make sure to subscribe to the Beauty and Her Feast youtube channel so you don't miss an episode. Enjoy!

Thank you to Sunda Chicago, Chef Jesse DeGuzman and my brother Kelly Luthringshausen for filming. 

Today, I’m adding a little flavor to your week. You’re going to say, “Hmmm, that’s it?” But once you make this, keep it around and really use it, you will thank me, especially with summer just around the corner…we hope. 

A couple of weeks ago, I dined at one of my favorite Chicago restaurants, Davanti Enoteca in Little Italy with my Stanford. The good thing about dining with Stanford is he is quick to figure out the food. We ordered a dish that we assumed would be fairly simple but realized quickly it was packed with flavor. The dish: grilled hearts of palm with tomatoes and marinated lemons. Sounds rather simple right? The lemons made me swoon…then I pulled apart the plate. 

Stanford had the recipe down before I could flag down the waitress to interrogate her. Marinated Lemons. Brilliant. So, I’m sharing my version based on Stanford’s help of this essential condiment before summer gets underway…and you’re welcome because I know you will want to thank me. 

Marinated Lemons

2 lemons, washed

Olive Oil

Juice of 2 limes

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 small jelly jar

After cleaning the lemons, use a mandoline to thinly slice them. While doing this, the pulp will macerate somewhat but add that to jar. Once the two lemons are sliced, put half in the jar. Squeeze 1 lime, sprinkle half salt, sugar and red pepper flakes and add enough oil to just cover. Use a fork to mix the lemon mixture in the jar. Repeat with remaining ingredients. The lemons should be covered with oil but not overflowing in the jar. Again, carefully use a fork to mix the ingredients. Put the lid on the jar and set aside for two days. After two days of marinating, the lemons will be ready to use. 

I put my jar on the counter but you can also stick the lemons in the fridge. The lemons can be used endlessly. Grill some fish or chicken and top with a little marinated lemons. The process of marinating them breaks down the bitter rind a little to soften and flavor it while the pulp and oil balances out with a citrusy sweetness. I made wok-fried green beans and shallots then added the lemons on top. I also made a tuna salad by chopping the lemons and adding them to the mix, great tuna salad sandwich! Think of the lemons as a condiment that will finish off just about any dish, hot or cold. My jar was gone in a week! 

Some days, it’s about comfort food. But everyone’s idea of comfort is relative. Mine happens to be pasta because that’s what I grew up eating…lots of pasta. During college, I studied in Florence and part of the program was helping out everyday at lunchtime in the kitchen of the school. The space was a little cantina and added to the whole experience. The cooks spoke no English so anyone in the kitchen was forced to speak Italian or sign language. Thankfully, my Italian was pretty kick-ass at the time. I offered myself up each day after class. To this day, I vividly remember learning this dish which has now become my comfort food and a dinnertime staple. I learned it in the basement kitchen of this tiny Florentine school by watching and helping which is how I pretty much learned to cook. 

Pasta Amatriciana, or more commonly on menus served as Bucatini all’Amatriciana, is my all-time favorite pasta. A few years back while visiting San Francisco, Prince Charming and I stopped off at a very romantic restaurant in Sausalito called Poggio. It was one of my favorite meals on vacation because I ordered…Amatriciana. It sparked my love for this dish again. Prince Charming loves it, my kids devour it and if you are ever invited over…remind me to cook it for you. With very few ingredients, it’s a quick dish with tons of flavor. More importantly, make sure to use quality ingredients as each element plays an important role in this sauce. I was given some artisanal pastas a few weeks ago and I knew they needed Amatriciana. The pasta was perfect as it held its shape well and cooked to a nice al dente. The Verrigni pasta I used, is made with the best mixture of grains and rigorous drying at low temperature to ensure the highest quality of pasta. This process enables it to absorb the seasonings. 

Amatriciana Sugo

6 oz of pancetta, chopped into small pieces (ask deli to slice on a 3 which is a bacon cut)

1 onion, sliced thin (I often use red but white fine too)

3 garlic cloves

1 - 2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes*

Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper

1 lb of Bucatini or spaghetti

Pecorino or Parmigiano

Start heating the pasta water while making the sauce.

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Brown the pancetta making sure to break up pieces so they crisp up in the hot oil. Once pancetta is browned, add in onion. Toss around until onion is translucent and starting to caramelize, also make sure they don’t burn. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, saute for two minutes. Pour in can of tomatoes. Stir to combine everything. Season with salt/pepper. Be careful here, pancetta has some saltiness so taste as you season. The sauce will be cooked in about 30 minutes.

While the sauce is cooking, your water should have come to a boil. Drop the pasta in and cook until al dente. Times vary according to brand. Drain and toss the pasta in the skillet with the sauce. Serve with freshly grated cheese. The cheese is important because it finishes off the flavors of the sauce. 

*I always buy Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes. They have a great flavor and add more depth to my sauces. 

 Viola Imports is proud to represent Verrigni Pasta. For information on where to purchase Verrigni's artisanal products, please click here.