Posts for December 8th 2011

Sugar Shout Out Dec 08, 2011

Sugar Shout Out: Get Design Inspiration For Your Home Office

See the most inspiring office images of the year Zac Efron goes shirtless in The Lucky One trailer How to watch movies in the theater for free Face brush faceoff: which is best for you?

by Katie Henry

rum Dec 08, 2011

Hot Buttered Rum

From YumSugarHot Buttered RumIngredientsFor hot buttered rum mix: One stick of salted butter (1 cup), softened 2 cups brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg For hot buttered rum: Dark rum Hot water Cloves Directions To make hot buttered rum mix: combine butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

by Nancy Einhart

From YumSugar

Hot Buttered Rum

Ingredients

For hot buttered rum mix:
One stick of salted butter (1 cup), softened
2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

For hot buttered rum:
Dark rum
Hot water
Cloves

Directions

To make hot buttered rum mix: combine butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
To make each hot buttered rum cocktail: add a dollop (about 1 tablespoon) of butter mixture to a mug, then top with two ounces of dark rum and fill mug with hot water. Garnish each drink with a couple of cloves.

Makes one 8-ounce jar of hot buttered rum mix (enough for about 12 drinks).

Cocktails Dec 08, 2011

Happy Hour: The Hummingbird

During the holidays, I like to buy a big bottle of St-Germain, mostly because the bottle is so beautiful and I'm a sucker for great packaging, but also because I just love the delicate elderflower flavor.

by Camilla Salem

During the holidays, I like to buy a big bottle of St-Germain, mostly because the bottle is so beautiful and I'm a sucker for great packaging, but also because I just love the delicate elderflower flavor. Made from hand-picked elderflowers, it's a delightful and unusual addition to cocktails.

St-Germain goes well with almost everything, from whisky to tequila, but The Hummingbird cocktail combines delicate champagne bubbles with sparkling water and a lemon twist. This refreshing cocktail won't leave you feeling tipsy after a drink or two, but it's still incredibly celebratory and perfect for the holiday season. Are you craving one yet? Keep reading for the recipe.

party planning Dec 08, 2011

Taste Epoisses, the "King of All Cheeses"

Napoleon loved it, and Jean Brillat-Savarin, a famous French epicurean, dubbed it the "king of all cheeses."

by Anna Monette Roberts

Napoleon loved it, and Jean Brillat-Savarin, a famous French epicurean, dubbed it the "king of all cheeses." Époisses de Bourgogne is a creamy, semisoft white cheese with a runny interior and a distinct wrinkled orange rind that was created in the 16th century by a group of Cistercian monks living in Époisses, France. Women in the region learned the unique method, and carried the tradition until World War II, when production of the cheese nearly died out.

Read how Époisses was rediscovered.

recipes Dec 08, 2011

12 Days of Edible Gifts: Butter-Braised Onions

It's nice to imagine a perfect world in which everyone's a meticulously detailed home cook, but the truth of the matter is, even a frequent kitchen dweller like myself is often simply looking to make the speediest dinner possible.

by Susannah Chen

It's nice to imagine a perfect world in which everyone's a meticulously detailed home cook, but the truth of the matter is, even a frequent kitchen dweller like myself is often simply looking to make the speediest dinner possible.

So when it comes to homemade edible gifts, I'm fond of gifting my friends what Thomas Keller has called "lifesavers" — those flavor-filled building blocks that add depth to what would be an otherwise-blasé meal. Eight-hour butter-braised onions may sound fancy, but in reality, all you need are three ingredients and a slow cooker.

I love to package these in quaint French terrine jars, with a little note that offers up easy serving suggestions. Some of my favorites? This fast French onion soup or a caramelized onion tart. These sweet, creamy-soft onions are wonderful as a crostini topping, too. Eager for the recipe yet? Then keep reading to make your own butter-braised onions.

edible gifts Dec 08, 2011

Eight-Hour Butter-Braised Onions

From Gifts Cooks Love: Recipes for Giving by Diane MorganEight-Hour Butter-Braised OnionsIngredients10 large sweet onions, such as Walla Walla, Vidalia, or Maui 1/2 cup unsalted butter, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme Directions To prep the onions, trim the stem end, cut in half lengthwise through the root, and peel each half.

by Susannah Chen

From Gifts Cooks Love: Recipes for Giving by Diane Morgan

Eight-Hour Butter-Braised Onions

Ingredients

10 large sweet onions, such as Walla Walla, Vidalia, or Maui
1/2 cup unsalted butter, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme

Directions

To prep the onions, trim the stem end, cut in half lengthwise through the root, and peel each half. Leaving the root end intact, cut each half lengthwise in 1/4-inch-thick slices. Trim to remove the root.
Scatter butter in the bottom of a 6-1/2-quart electric slow cooker. Add the onions and sprinkle the thyme over the top. Place the lid on the slow cooker, set the cooking mode to high, and set a timer for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, stir the onion mixture. Set a timer for 6 hours, continuing to cook on high.
After 6 hours, turn the power off, remove the cover, give the onions a stir, and let cool in the ceramic insert for 1 hour.
Ladle the onions into the jars through a wide-mouth funnel, dividing evenly. Cool completely and then cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Makes two 6-cup (1-1/2 liter) jars of butter-braised onions.

recipes Dec 08, 2011

The Hummingbird Cocktail

I used a sparkling rosé and I loved the rosy color of the cocktail.

by Camilla Salem

I used a sparkling rosé and I loved the rosy color of the cocktail. If you don't have a Collins glass, a large wine glass or goblet is a nice alternative.

From St-Germain

The Hummingbird Cocktail

Ingredients

2 ounces brut Champagne or dry sparkling wine
1 1/2 ounces St-Germain
2 ounces club soda or sparkling water
Ice
Lemon twist, for garnish

Directions

Stir ingredients in a tall ice-filled Collins glass, mixing completely.
Garnish with a lemon twist.

Makes 1 drink.

gift guide Dec 08, 2011

Holiday Gift Guide: Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice

This holiday, spice up your life — or that of a loved one — by adding an arsenal of killer salts, sugar, and spice accoutrements to the average home pantry.

by Susannah Chen

This holiday, spice up your life — or that of a loved one — by adding an arsenal of killer salts, sugar, and spice accoutrements to the average home pantry. A few dreamy ideas: combine an elegantly boxed chocolat chaud ($20) with Nielsen-Massey vanilla paste ($8) from Madagascar for a killer vanilla-chocolate combo; for the savory food aficionado in your life, try pairing The Flavor Bible ($22), Karen Page's definitive reference on culinary creativity, with this La Boîte à Epice seasonless spice trio ($30). And don't forget: no spice drawer is complete without a mastrad spice grinder ($25). The ultimate showstopping piece for that truly special gourmand? This bisque porcelain Hering-Berlin mortar and pestle ($750).