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Happy Hour: Caipirinha

YumSugar — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:00:30 -0800

It may be the dead of Winter, but this past weekend, San Francisco felt like pure Summer, with clear skies and balmy temperatures. I decided to celebrate with a drink that couldn't be more appropriate: the Caipirinha.

This drink, is made with limes, as well as a special liquor called achaça, which incidentally happens to be the national liquor of Brazil. Over the past five years, cachaça has developed a large fan base in the United States. Like rum, it's made from sugarcane, but while rum is made from distilled molasses, cachaça is the product of fermented sugarcane juice. To make this cocktail, you can choose any brand, but I used Água Luca ($28.99), a premium variety of cachaça that's filtered a whopping 12 times.

On the nose, it resembles tequila, and it has a light, clean flavor with a slightly sweet finish. Although Água Luca can easily be enjoyed by itself on the rocks, its sweet-tart flavor is incredible when used in a caipirinha. To transport your palate to Brazil, read more.

Caipirinha
From Água Luca

Ingredients

2 oz. cachaça
1 oz. simple syrup
1 lime, quartered
Cracked ice

Directions

In a shaker, muddle sugar and limes thoroughly.
Add cachaça and cracked ice. Shake vigorously and pour contents of shaker, including ice, into an old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Makes 1 cocktail.

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Revisiting Travel Week

partysugar — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 10:50:18 -0800

This Summer YumSugar and I went on a trip around the world, and we invited you along for the ride! We devoted entire days to discussing the delicious cuisines from 10 different countries around the globe. I've looked back at all of our coverage and picked out my favorite memories from our culinary journeys. Here they are for you to revisit! Starting in top left corner and moving clockwise:

Yum celebrated all things Brazilian by making Pão de Queijo, a Brazilian cheese bread.
I planned a travel party.
In Morocco, we chowed down on kefta - spiced meatballs - with eggs.
We learned how to say cheers in 12 different languages.
When we went to Japan, we channeled our inner sushi chef by rolling sushi.

How about you? Where did you enjoy traveling to this year?

Definition: Cachaça

partysugar — Tue, 29 May 2007 15:58:19 -0700

Cachaça, pronounced, ka-cha-saw
The national liquor of Brazil. Both rum and cachaça are made from the sugar cane plant - rum is made from distilled molasses while cachaça is made from pure, fermented sugar cane juice. With origins that date back to Portuguese settlers in the 1600s, the liquor became a symbol of Brazil in the 1920s. It ranges in age and colors, similar to a tequila, and is sipped on the rocks all throughout Brazil.

52 Weeks of Baking: Brazilian Cheese Bread

YumSugar — Tue, 29 May 2007 14:55:31 -0700

When I ~~dined~~ stuffed my face at the Brazilian steakhouse, it was really difficult to not devour the complementary mini loafs of cheesebread. Known as Pão de Queijo, these little puffs are made from tapioca flour and are so light and fluffy and surprisingly dense at the same time. When we decided to highlight Brazilian food today, I knew I'd have to use the opportunity to dig up a recipe. It's pretty easy to follow, just make sure you don't underbake them (which would result in an uncooked/doughy middle). To knead up your own batch, check out the recipe, just read more

Pão de Queijo
Adapted from Recipezaar and Sonia-Portuguese

1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
2 cups tapioca flour
2-3 eggs (I had a cracking accident and used 2 eggs, 1 yolk and some white)
2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a medium-large sized pot bring milk, water, oil, and salt to a low boil. Remove from heat once boiling.
Add in tapioca flour, stirring as fast as possible. Use a wooden spoon, not a whisk, as the dough will become very sticky. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
Move dough to a large bowl and knead in eggs.
When eggs are kneaded in, add grated cheese and knead until dough is smooth. Note: If your cheese is coarsely grated, it will appear a bit lumpy.
Once kneaded, form into balls about 2 inches wide and place on parchment paper coated (or greased) baking sheet. Note: you may want grease your hands with vegetable oil before trying to form dough balls.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until rolls are golden brown.
Serve warm! If you let them sit too long, reheat in the oven/toaster oven, the microwave will make them too gooey.

Note: Next time I'm going to go 2 1/2 cups of cheese!

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Happy Hour: Caipirinha

partysugar — Tue, 29 May 2007 13:12:33 -0700

A caipirinha (pronounced kai - preen - ya) is the national cocktail of Brazil, made with the national liquor Cachaça. Within the last ten years, caipirinha's popularity has grown tremendously thanks to the International Bartender Association's addition of it to their official cocktail list. Although it's not common in the majority of bars, there are a growing number of establishments where caipirinhas appear on the menu. The ingredients and drink making technique are similar to that of a mojito. To learn how it's made, read more.

Caipirinha
From Drink of the Week

2 oz. Cachaça
1 Lime
1 tsp. Sugar

Cut the lime into 8 wedges and put in a rocks or old-fashioned glass.
Add sugar. Muddle the lime and sugar together until they are well mixed.
Fill the glass with crushed ice.
Add Cachaca. Stir.
Garnish with a lime wedge.

Serves 1.

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Go To Rio In Your Kitchen - Brazilian Shrimp Soup

partysugar — Tue, 29 May 2007 08:01:19 -0700

Whipping up a culturally rich dish inspired by a certain country is a great way to travel in the comfort of your own home. Just because you may not be familiar with the dish, techniques, or ingredients, doesn't mean that you can't create a fast, healthy, and delicious supper for your family. A Brazilian shrimp soup is quickly ready with the help of canned tomatoes and coconut milk and is flavored with red pepper flakes, lemon juice, and parsley. Go to Brazil by making this soup tonight, just read more

Brazilian Shrimp Soup
From Food & Wine magazine

2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup long-grain rice
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups canned crushed tomatoes in thick puree (from one 15-ounce can)
5 cups water
1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, shelled and cut in half horizontally
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

In a large pot, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes.
Add the rice, red-pepper flakes, salt, tomatoes, and water to the pot. Bring to a boil and cook until the rice is almost tender, about 10 minutes.
Stir the coconut milk into the soup. Bring back to a simmer and then stir in the shrimp.
Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are just done, 3 to 5 minutes.
Stir in the black pepper, lemon juice, and parsley.

Serves 4.

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You Call That a Skewer? This is a Skewer!

YumSugar — Tue, 29 May 2007 01:48:32 -0700

A few months ago, my friends and I embarked on a magical meat journey at Espetus, a Brazilian steakhouse (churrascaria). Taking a cue from Brazilian Gauchos - who would skewer meats and roast them over a large fire pit - churrascarias serve their clientele barbecued meat directly off of large sword-like skewers. In most places, the servers continue bringing meats until you've had your fill and in our case, we had a wheel that displayed green for more or red for stop. While there we ate at least seven different kinds of meat, including a delicious bbq'd tri-tip roast called picanha. If you can't find a churrascaria near you, I've got a recipe you can try at home, to check it out, read more

Picanha
From Touch Family Recipes

1 tri-tip roast (2-4 lbs.)
5-6 cloves garlic
1/2-3/4 cup coarse salt (0.5-0.75 cups)
1/4 cup olive oil

Trim excess fat from the meat. There's one side that is mostly a large slab of fat; trim down to 1/8" approx.
Mix salt and garlic together to make a paste, rub all over the meat. Add a little olive oil if the paste won't stick. Marinate the tri-tip several hours (2-3 at least), turning it over once an hour or so. Liquid should come out of the meat.
Scrape most of the mixture off the roast, esp. the large chunks of salt. Don't worry about getting all of it, but try to get most of it off. Rub the meat with a little olive oil, and a little more garlic. Do NOT add pepper - it burns on the grill.
Grill over very high (highest setting) heat. Do NOT turn over until the first side is nearly burnt, but the meat is still about 20-30 degrees F from being 'done'.
Turn ONCE, cook until 'done' (rare using a meat thermometer). Take off heat and let sit for 5 minutes before carving.
Carve perpendicular to the grain in 3/16"-1/4" slices (around 5mm). Try to catch the 'juice' for the serving plate. Serve warm or cold.

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Do You Like Brazilian Food?

partysugar — Tue, 29 May 2007 13:11:36 -0700

Happy Hour: Blackberry and Cabernet Caipirinha

partysugar — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:00:12 -0700

After being inspired by San Francisco Cocktail Week, I've decided that this Summer, I'm going to experiment with different spirits and mixers. First up is the Brazilian sugarcane rum known as cachaça. The caipirinha is the classic cocktail that features cachaça. Normally it consists of muddled lime and sugar, but this recipe takes a sangria-like approach to the drink and combines the potent rum with red wine, fresh citrus juice, and smashed blackberries.

The final concoction is punchy, flavorful, and wildly fruity. Be careful though: while this caipirinha is perfect for sipping on a warm afternoon, it's a deceptively potent cocktail. Enjoy one too many and you may end up passed out on the couch. The straightforward recipe is ideal for a party because it's easy to double (or triple as I did) the batch. It requires at least one hour of chill time, so mix it well before your event begins. Check out the recipe and read more.

Blackberry and Cabernet Caipirinha
From Duggan McDonnell of Cantina

Ingredients

24 blackberries
4 ounces simple syrup
12 ounces cachaça (potent Brazilian sugarcane spirit)
4 ounces Cabernet Sauvignon
8 ounces fresh orange juice
2 ounces fresh lime juice
Ice
6 lime wheels and 6 orange wheels

Directions

In a pitcher, muddle 12 of the blackberries with the simple syrup.
Add the cachaça, Cabernet, and the orange and lime juices and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
Stir well and strain the drink into ice-filled white wine glasses. Garnish with the remaining 12 blackberries and the lime and orange wheels.

Makes 6 drinks.

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Yum Market Finds: Globalize Your Kitchen

partysugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 15:43:39 -0700

All week we have been showing you how to use food to take you on a journey in your own home. Cooking up delicious, exotic and foreign dishes is a great way to globalize your life, as is using fun internationally-inspired cooking tools and gadgets. Judging by all of the cool worldly things you've bookmarked in the Yum Market on TeamSugar, you guys already know this! Experience Italy with this ricotta making set that mellie_608 bookmarked. Or serve your ratatouille in classic French dishware or teach your kids how to use chopsticks with holdstix. Other ways to bring the world to you: drink Hawaiian coffee, keep your stews in an authentic Brazilian soapstone, and mix up guests a classic Cuban mojito.

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