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Come Party With Me: Moroccan Dinner - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:00:00 -0700

My Moroccan dinner would not be complete without sweet mint tea. This hot concoction is a common commodity on the streets of the North African country. Although alcohol is not traditionally consumed in Islamic culture, at my party I'll offer guests an alcoholic variation of the tea in the form of a green-tea cocktail. Water - both sparkling and still - local beers, and a couple bottles of wine will round out the drink menu.

For the recipes to both the hot and spiked teas, read more.

Moroccan Mint Tea
From Gourmet magazine

Ingredients

1 tablespoon loose Chinese gunpowder green tea
5 cups boiling water
3 to 4 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
1 large bunch fresh mint (1 ounce)

Directions

Put tea in teapot and pour in 1 cup boiling water, then swirl gently to warm pot and rinse tea. Strain out and discard water, reserving tea leaves in pot.
Add remaining 4 cups boiling water to tea and let steep 2 minutes.
Stir in sugar (to taste) and mint sprigs and steep 3 to 4 minutes more. Serve in small heatproof glasses.

Serves 6.

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Green Tea Cocktail
From Eat Entertainment

Ingredients

1 oz. green tea liqueur
1 oz. vodka
5 oz. white cranberry juice
1 lime slice or rosemary stick

Directions

Mix the green tea liqueur, vodka, and white cranberry juice, stirring to combine.
Serve in an ice-filled highball glass. Garnish with a lime slice or a stick of rosemary.

Makes 1 cocktail.

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Yummy Link: Top Chef Bracket Game

YumSugar — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 13:45:31 -0700

Don't agree with the results of the last two seasons of Top Chef? Then join in on the Top Chef Bracket Game. Who would you have cooking in your kitchen? - Entertainment Weekly via Serious Eats

Noteworthy Nibbles - Nov. 3-10, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:00:07 -0800

Kick-start the new month with a number of celebratory fêtes that are happening this week. Learn all about the art of butchering (and enjoy fire-cooked meats) in Napa Valley; sample food from Boston's best new chefs; or watch Paula Deen's antics in the nation's capital.

Where will your stomach lead you this week? Let us know below.

Boston, MA: StarChefs Boston Rising Stars Revue - Nov. 3
Washington DC: Tour de Champagne - Nov. 6
Houston, TX: Chocolate Festival of Texas - Nov. 6-7
Big Sur, CA: Big Sur Food & Wine Festival - Nov. 6-7
New York, NY: Cook. Eat. Drink. Live. - Nov. 6-8
St. Helena, CA: PRIMAL Napa - Nov. 7
Abbeville, LA: Giant Omelette Celebration - Nov. 7-8
Washington DC: Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show - Nov. 7-8
Los Angeles, CA: Great Chefs Go Organic - Nov. 8
San Antonio, TX: New World Wine & Food Festival - Nov. 8-15

Coming Soon: Twilight, the Restaurant

partysugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:32:15 -0700

Considering that everyone - Sugar included! - is getting caught up in the hype surrounding the Twilight series, it comes as no surprise that one couple, Annette and Tim Root of Forks, WA, have decided to launch a Twilight-themed restaurant in the town where the books are set.

Although the family-style eatery will be named Volterra, after the Italian city where the Volturi law-enforcing vampires live, the cuisine won't be Italian. Instead it will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a focus on steak and seafood. The couple hopes to debut their themed restaurant, complete with bar area, early next Spring.

Since I enjoyed the first two books and found the movie hysterically entertaining, I think the idea of a restaurant sounds fun. How about you? Would you be interested in eating at a Twilight establishment?

Where Do You Eat Outdoors?

partysugar — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:30:10 -0700

Yummy Links: From Clinton Kelly to Guy Fieri

partysugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:15:17 -0700

What Not to Wear's Clinton Kelly's ultimate guide to entertaining. - The Epi-Log
A detailed inside look at the New York Wine and Food Festival. - Eater NY
Learn how to make perfectly boiled eggs.- Serious Eats
The simple chic approach to Fall decorating. - Hostess With the Mostess
What's the difference between a digestif and an apéritif? - Chow
10 things Anthony Bourdain and David Chang hate. - Grub Street NY
On Saturday Night Live, Guy Fieri gets attacked by birds. - Eat Me Daily

Top Chef Vegas: Episode 5

partysugar — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:06:42 -0700

In what may be the world's first pairing of chuck wagons and ceviche, the Top Chef gang went camping this week. In 100-plus degree heat on a dusty dude ranch, the chefs prepared meals over fire pits for a group of hungry ranchers. It looked simultaneously horrible and highly entertaining.

Who do you think looked most home on the range? Let's talk about it when you read more.

Do you like the "high stakes" quickfires more when they win money or immunity?
I feel like we're finally getting to know the contestants; did this episode give you a new perspective on any of the chefs?
Is ceviche this season's scallops?
Is Michael V. too cocky, or does he deserve to be?
Which challenge seemed harder: cooking cactus or cooking at the camp?
Would you want to eat fish on a dude ranch?
Does Tom Colicchio seem to be getting tougher and less polite with each season or is it just me?
How odd was it that Ron made mojitos even though he doesn't drink?
Whose dish would you most want to eat? I'm curious to try Kevin's, since I'm fixated with watermelon and tequila right now.

Did I forget an important point of discussion? Bring it up in the comments.

Photo courtesy of Bravo

Make Eating Fruit Fun With a Taste Test

partysugar — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:15:49 -0700

The other day I got a call from a family friend. "Would you be interested in a peach taste test?" she asked. My answer was an enthusiastic yes! She purchased four types of stone fruit from the farmers market and thought it would be entertaining to taste them all. While she's researching what kind of peach to plant in her garden, I thought the taste test would be a great way to get my dad excited about eating fruit! Normally when I offer him a slice of peach, he politely declines, but when I told him it was a taste test, he was eager to try all four fruits. Conducting a taste test is also a great way to encourage kids to eat more fruit and vegetables. With the farmers markets over flowing with in-season produce, it's an opportune time to purchase several varieties of one item and taste the differences. Here's what we did:

Use all your senses. Before you slice open the peach (or whatever fruit), touch and smell it.
Cut the peaches in half and look at the flesh. Compare and contrast the colors of each fruit.
Slice into pieces and taste. Note how the flavors of one can affect the taste of another. For example, the white nectarine, when paired with the other peaches, tasted horribly bitter. Later, when I went back and took another taste of it, not after eating the others, it tasted sweet and juicy.

Have you ever performed a taste test? What are your tips for getting nonfruit eaters to consume more fresh produce?

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Noteworthy Nibbles - Mar. 24-31, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:00:40 -0700

Spring is in the air, and that's evident with the number of fun food events going on this week that pay homage to everything from rum to crawfish.

We can't wait to taste our way through the year's best wines at Wine Enthusiast's annual Toast of the Town, and taste tequila cocktails made by SF's top mixologists at the Nirvino Mixology Contest.

What events will you be eating your way through this week?

Seattle, WA: StarChefs Rising Stars Revue - Mar. 24
Coral Gables, FL: Coral Gables Wine & Food Festival - Mar. 26
San Francisco, CA: Wine Enthusiast Toast of the Town - Mar. 26
Tampa Bay, FL: International Rum Festival - Mar. 26-28
Chalmette, LA: Louisiana Crawfish Festival - Mar. 26-29
Lake Tahoe, CA: Winter & Wine Fest - Mar. 26-29
West Palm Beach, FL: Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show - Mar. 26-29

To see the rest, read more.

Hammond, LA: Smokin' Blues & BBQ Challenge - Mar. 27-28
Lodi, CA: Lodi Spring Wine Show - Mar. 27-28
Uniondale, NY: Spring Craft Beer Festival - Mar. 28
Rutherford, CA: Napa Valley Mustard Festival Grand Finale Event - Mar. 28
Miami, FL: Deering Seafood Festival - Mar. 29
New York, NY: Friends of James Beard Benefit - Mar. 29
Miami, FL: Deering Seafood Festival - Mar. 29
Washington, DC: Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation DC - Mar. 30
San Francisco, CA: Nirvino Mixology Contest - Mar. 31

Source

What Would You Do?

YumSugar — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:00:22 -0700

We've all been in crazy situations, and I want to know how you handle entertaining fiascoes and bad restaurant behavior. I'll present a situation and you tell me what you would do. Here's today's scenario:

You and a friend have sidled up to the bar at a small French bistro famous for burgers. You share the burger and a bowl of mussels, which are so good, you want to enjoy them to the last bite. But before you're finished eating, the waiter starts accosting you with polite, yet passive-aggressive questions like, "May I take your plate? Are you done with that?" You're still working on the mussels, but the shell plate - and all your silverware - get cleared without asking! After a few attempts to finish your meal sans utensils, you finally throw in the napkin.

Following the aggressively rushed service, you receive your bill, and want to tip accordingly. That's when you realize that the bistro's lone server is standing over you, watching you fill in the gratuity on the bill. What would you do?

To find out what I did - yes, it happened to me at a San Francisco hot spot! - read more.

Despite the server's rushed attitude, I refused to crack under the pressure. After all, I had already finished my meal before I was ready! My friend and I waited for what seemed like an eternity before he walked away and then signed our checks, which, it goes without saying, reflected the terrible service.

What do you think about the way in which the situation was handled? How would you have reacted if it happened to you?

Source