Now that Thanksgiving is officially behind us, it's time to get in the holiday spirit. There's no better way to do it than with a refreshing and festive homemade cocktail. This cranberry mint martini is potent but easy to sip with a beautifully vibrant hue. It's well-balanced and not too sweet. The ingredient list calls for cranberry vodka, but if you don't have it, regular vodka is a fine substitute. It's the perfect tippler to enjoy after a long day of shopping, so get the recipe.
An Elegant Breakfast Idea From Chef Laurent Tourondel
When I was a new cook, I was afraid of eggs. After all, it's said that a true way to judge a chef is by his or her egg-making skills. Luckily, with a little research and a lot of practice, I've overcome my fear and now enjoy eggs — poached, boiled, fried, etc. — on a regular basis. However, I'm always on the lookout for new tips, and one I recently came across involves scrambled eggs. In his new cookbook, Fresh From the Market, Laurent Tourondel says that the key to perfectly fluffy scrambled eggs is to whisk "plenty of air into the eggs before cooking."
I followed his method for scrambled eggs with white mushrooms and was wonderfully pleased with the results. These aren't your grandma's scrambled eggs; they're light and delicate with a creamy texture and cheesy flavor. Instead of simply mixing in chunks of mushrooms, Tourondel makes a velvety puree of mushrooms that he spoons over the eggs. Served with generously buttered toast and a fresh-squeezed orange juice mimosa, it's a wildly luxurious breakfast. Want to give his recipe a try? Read more.
Michèle Gentille Takes Us to the End of the World
I enjoy living here in sunny Northern California, where we're spoiled by the fresh produce. I couldn't really imagine living anywhere else, especially a place as cold as the South Pole, where there's no naturally grown produce of any kind. And yet, that little fact doesn't stop the chefs down at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.
Recently chef Michèle Gentille wrote a piece for the Wall Street Journal, in which she recounted her Summer as a sous-chef at the South Pole station. She mentioned that they turned mostly frozen and canned products into delicious, nourishing food. Local produce was out of the question as the nearest farm was 3,000 miles away.
In October — when their Summer starts — fresh vegetables arrive from New Zealand on a weather-permitting weekly basis. They also have a greenhouse that produces enough for salad two or three times a week. Using these ingredients, along with other frozen goods, all 10 chefs aimed to cook a menu from Laurent Tourondel's New American Bistro Cooking.
To read an excerpt from her adventure, read more