French wines are generally all-weather in their appeal, yet that doesn’t mean that they cannot be paired selectively with seasonal dishes. Two such wines are Crus Bourgeois in Medoc and Côtes-du-Rhône Villages for the Rhône Valley.
Tequila is a great spirit, with many uses across a range of cocktails. With this in mind Areina Thomas has mixed up a variety of unique takes on traditional tequila cocktails, spicing up the recipes with many different flavor combinations and techniques, currently trending in the realm of mixology. For these drink recipes Areina uses Tequila Cazadores
1 ½ oz. Cazadores Reposado
½ oz. Mezcal blanco
½ oz. Aperol
1 oz. Perfect puree red roasted bell pepper
¾ oz. fresh lime juice
¾ oz. agave syrup
In a cocktail shaker combine all ingredients with ice, shake well and serve over the rocks in a double fashion glass with a hibiscus chiles salt rim.
2 oz. Cazadores Reposado
2 oz. Latini-syrup
1 oz. fresh lime juice
Latini Syrup Recipe
3 cups of water
2 cups of sugar
8 Guajillo or New Mexico dried chiles
1 pasila chile
3 slices of orange
3 oz. fresh lime juice
In a sauce pan, boil water, sugar, chile, orange slices for 15 minutes, cool and add lime juice, strain into a glass container. Keep refrigerated.
Shake together all ingredients with ice and serve up with a Tajin rimmed martini glass.
1 ½ part Tequila Cazadores Reposado
½ part premium triple sec (Cointreau)
½ part Agave nectar
½ part lime juice
½ part lemon juice
1 slice of jalapeno
Combine all the ingredients, besides jalapeno with ice. Shake with slice of jalapeno and serve over the rocks. Garnish with lime wedge
ABOUT AREINA THOMAS
With deep seated passion for all things food and drink, Areina Thomas has always felt at home when it came to the hospitality industry. From countless hours of watching and helping her mother, a personal chef to working in one of the top restaurants in San Francisco, Areina has worked with the best of the best. With her passion and taste for flavors, Areina is a dynamic mixologist and wishes to share her knowledge throughout.
If you are looking for comfort food with an exotic twist, food that might bring you flavors that remind you of a great vacation, look no further than Chef Adrianne Calvo‘s recipe for Hawaiian Nachos + Pineapple Avocado Relish + “Lava” Aioli.
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
2 Corn Tortillas, Quartered, Fried Crispy
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon cilantro, minced
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 lb Blue Fin Tuna, fillet
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup Pineapple, chopped
1/4 cup Hass Avocado, chopped
1 tablespoon cilantro
Pinch kosher salt
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon horseradish
1 teaspoon Tabasco hot sauce
Scallions for garnish
Directions:
Preheat fryer to 375 degrees F. Season Tuna fillet with brown sugar, garlic salt, and pepper. In a hot skillet with a small amount of canola oil almost to the smoking point, sear tuna on all sides quickly, and set aside. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 15 minutes for easy slicing. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl whisk garlic, cilantro, lime juice, honey, and mayonnaise. Set aside. In another mixing bowl, combine Pineapple, Avocado, cilantro, salt, lime, and black sesame seeds. Set aside. In another mixing bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, ketchup, cayenne pepper, horseradish, and Tabasco. To assemble, slice Tuna 1/4 inch thick. Place a small dollop of garlic cilantro sauce on crispy tortilla, place Tuna on top. Add a spoonful of the Pineapple Avocado Relish and then top with lava aioli. Garnish with scallions.
ABOUT CHEF ADRIANNE CALVO:
Adrianne Calvo is the Executive Chef and owner of Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard Restaurant and Wine Bar, Host of Maximum Flavor Live on NBC’s 6 in the Mix, author of four cookbooks: Maximum Flavor (2005); Chef Adrianne: Driven by Flavor Fueled by Fire (2008); #MaximumFlavorSocial (2014); and Play with Fire (2015), and founder of the Make it Count Foundation. Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard Restaurant and Wine Bar opened in 2007 and offers a varied and rotating menu with something for everyone. Monthly, the restaurant holds its signature event, Dark Dining, where guests are blindfolded for a sensual experience eliminating one sense in order to enhance another, providing maximum flavor. For more information, visit:
Healthee USA continues to release its Organic Brown Rice Bowls in multiple flavors. These include Spanish Style, Chicken Chipotle, Chicken, Coconut and Fried Style.
Goose Pasta recipe
You don’t have to spend all day creating great dishes from your leftover Holiday goose, turkey or chicken. Here is a quick and simple pasta recipe that will taste like it was the first course.
Leftover poultry (pulled from bone)
One large onion, diced
One garlic clover, diced
Olive Oil
4 Tbs Butter
1 Tsp Ginger Powder (or fresh diced ginger)
1 Tsp Mustard Powder (Coleman’s or another brand)
Salt & Pepper
Goose Pasta recipe
Add pulled pieces of your leftover poultry to the sauce in your sautee skillet (in this recipe we have used cooked goose from Schiltz Farms, but you can use leftover turkey or chicken if you desire)
Popup restaurants are not just in North America and Europe. They are everywhere!
Look at One Star House Party, which creates pop up restaurants across the world, built of the ingredients, cultures and people that they discover along the way. Currently on an international tour through 2018 www.onestarhouseparty.com
Some of the cities: BEIJING, HO CHI MINH, BANGKOK, MUMBAI, NAIROBI, CAPE TOWN, FLORENCE, BERLIN, LONDON, SANTIAGO, NEW YORK, VANCOUVER, TASMANIA, and KYOTO.
Below is a video on how they cook their Sichuan Duck at the Beijing OSHP.