Wooooohooo. That really sounded more like wheeeeeewww. It is Friday my friends and that is something to cheer about.

Last weekend I took a trip to Astor Wines & Spirits which is a dangerous move. I feel like a kid in a candy shop whenever I go there, except booze is a bit more expensive than candy. This time I only walked out with one thing that I didn’t really need and that’s Luxardo, a maraschino liquer. It had been coming up in conversations with different friends and I felt like I’d give it a try. It’s not sweet like maraschino cherries, it’s just strong with a hint of cherry. I whipped up a classic cocktail that uses the liquer, the aviation. It’s strong, and to be honest, gin is still not my favorite booze, but it’s a nice change.

Cheers! To a great weekend ahead!

Aviation
makes 1 cocktail

2 oz gin
3/4 oz maraschino liquer, like Luxardo
1/2 oz lemon juice1

Combine ingredients in a shaker along with an ice cube. Give it a few swirls and strain it into a glass.

It’s already time for Issue 2 of our little magazine Remedy Quarterly to hit the presses! Well, almost time. We has such an amazing response to Issue 1 when we posted it on kickstarter, we were really blown away. Since then we’ve been featured on all sorts of blogs (thank you!) and even in Readymade magazine. Issue 2’s theme is cravings and has an interview with blogger and pastry chef extraordinaire, David Lebovitz, a tasty story and recipe from Ashley English of Small Measure and all sorts of other great stories and recipes that will help fulfill your cravings.

You can help us kickstart Issue 2 by visiting our kickstarter page and pre-ordering an issue. If that’s not exciting enough, our super talented friend Erik Marinovich drew the amazing illustration above for one of our stories and you can order a limited edition print of his illustration. We’re super excited about this issue and can’t wait to send it out! Thanks again for all your support!

Growing up, I remember spending a weekend afternoon spent rolling out pretzel dough into loooonnnng tubes, then trying my best to twist them into perfect pretzel shapes. I’m pretty sure there were some wacky looking pretzels that came out of the oven, but who cares what they look like when I had soft, warm pretzels to look forward to. With memories like that, it’s hard not to try to recreate it.

A year or so ago I tried a different recipe and it was good, but then I saw this recipe over at Smitten Kitchen and thought it was worth a try. My instincts were right. This recipe makes a hefty amount of pretzels, especially if you take the super easy route by making pretzel nuggets rather than the twisted sort. Give yourself some time since the dough has to rise. After the dough has risen, but before you start rolling it out, prepare a pot of water mixed with baking soda and sugar. Next you’ll roll it, drop it in the water until it rises to the top, lay them on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and last but not least, pop them in the oven to get nice and golden.

At last you’ll have a boatload of cute little pretzel nuggets just waiting to get gobbled up. I’m not a fan of mustard but I realize I’m in the minority on that one. I paired my nuggets with a local spicy mustard from Schoolhouse Kitchen. Mustard or not, these pretzels are perfect. The outside is golden and lovely with a bit of stiffness while the inside is chewy and soft. They are the perfect snack to enjoy while watching your favorite movie or just having a lazy Sunday.

pretzel nuggets
from Smitten Kitchen

Makes 16 full-sized pretzels or 60+ 1-inch nuggets

2 cups warm water (100°F to 110°F)
1 tablespoon + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 packet active dry yeast
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons canola or other neutral oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1 large egg
Coarse or pretzel salt

Vegetable-oil cooking spray

1
Pour warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar into bowl and stir to combine. Sprinkle with yeast, and let sit 10 minutes; yeast should be foamy.
2
Add 1 cup flour to yeast and mix until combined. Add salt and 4 cups more flour, and mix until combined. Add another 1/2 cup flour and knead 1 minute more. If dough is still wet and sticky, add 1/2 cup more flour (this will depend on weather conditions); knead until combined, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a lightly floured board, and knead about ten times, or until smooth.
3
Pour oil into a large bowl; swirl to coat sides. Transfer dough to bowl, turning dough to completely cover all sides. Cover with a kitchen towel, and leave in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until dough has doubled in size.
4
Heat oven to 450°F. Lightly spray two baking sheets with cooking spray (parchment paper, ungreased, also works). Set aside. Punch down dough to remove bubbles. Transfer to a lightly floured board. Knead once or twice, divide into 16 pieces (about 2 1/2 ounces each) and wrap in plastic.
5
Roll one piece of dough at a time into an 18-inch-long strip. [I find the pretzels much easier to roll on an unfloured board, oddly enough, but see what works for you.] Cut into 1-inch pieces and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel. Continue to cut into nuggets. Let pretzels rest until they rise slightly, about 15 minutes.
6
Meanwhile, fill large, shallow pot with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Add baking soda (and step back, it foams up quickly) and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Reduce to a simmer; transfer 12-15 nuggets to water. Poach 1 minute. Use slotted spoon to transfer pretzels to baking sheet. Continue until all pretzels are poached.
7
Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush pretzels with egg glaze. Sprinkle with salt. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack, or eat warm. Pretzels are best when eaten the same day, but will keep at room temperature, uncovered, for two days. Do not store in covered container or they will become soggy.

Oh boy! I can hardly contain myself after hearing the news that Blue Bottle Coffee is coming to Brookyln. If you’ve never experienced it, it is awesome. I mean, the New Orleans Style iced coffee brewed with chicory is kind of like crack, in all the best ways of course. Now I can get my fix without traveling to San Francisco! Although, now that I mention it, I really want to go back.

Read more at the New York Times.

Images from The New York Times and Blue Bottle Coffee.

Who doesn’t love onion rings? Crispy, golden outside, soft oniony inside… sure you get bad breath, but it’s  totally worth it. I don’t remember much about my grandma june’s cooking, but I do remember her Friday night fish fries, which is the one night I would forgo my picky ban on not eating fish because her’s were so delicious. These onion rings would make an appearance on the dinner table alongside the fish and quickly disappear. Every now and then, I’ll make a batch and just as they did back in the day, they don’t sit on the table for long.

The secret to the delicate crispiness is to use saltine crackers, which if you’re like me, I always seem to have stashed away in the cubboard left over from sick days. Simply crush the saltines into small crumbs and spread on a large plate. Besides that, you simply need to slice and onion and make a batter.Once you’re set you’ll simply make a little assembly line: dip onion in batter, dip onion in crumbs, lay onion in hot oil, flip and tada! Pretty soon you’ll have loads of delicous onion rings and a rumbling stomach.

I love the texture of these onions. The saltines bring what almost seems like a soft crispiness. The outer coating is definitely crisp, but your teeth have something to sink into. I think they’re the perfect partner for a good old burger, either turkey or beef. If you’re feeling a little crazy, you could even put one on the burger.

grandma june’s onion rings:
serves 4
note: I found I needed to refresh my saltine crumbs about halfway through because the batter made the crumbs get a little gloppy.

1 large vadallia or spanish onion, sliced into 1/4-1/2 inch rings
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 sleeve of saltines, crushed into small crumbs
vegetable oil

1
Pour 1/2″ oil into the bottom of a large frying pan.
2
Combine flour, sugar, salt, milk and eggs in a medium bowl.
3
Spread saltine crumbs on a large plate.
4
Dip an onion ring in the batter, drain until the excess batter has dripped off but you still have batter coating the onion.
5
Dip the onion in the crumbs, making sure to cover all areas. Repeat process until you have a 4-5 rings.
6
Place onion rings in hot oil, being very careful as hot oil really hurts. Fry until golden, about 3 minutes, flip and fry the other side.
7
Drain on a plate lined with paper towel and salt to taste.
8
Repeat until all rings are used.

It looks like it’s bound to be a slushy snowy weekend here… the perfect time stay nice and warm indoors and toast the city with it’s namesake drink the Manhattan. A little bourbon and vermouth, a dash of bitters and a cherry to top it off… yum!

Cheers to staying warm!

Manhattan
makes 1 drink

2 oz bourbon
1 oz italian vermouth
dash of bitters
maraschino cherry

1
Chill glasses in freezer for 5-10 minutes
2
Combine bourbon, vermouth and bitters in a shaker along with an ice cube and give it a good shake.
3
Strain cocktail into chilled glass and top with a cherry.

I am so addicted to this salad. I’ve tried different variations that use apples instead of pears or pecans instead of pistachios and they’re all good… all awesome actually. But my favorite combo is freshly cut pear, some creamy gorgonzola and a few pistachios sprinkled about. Deeelicoius. Plus, it takes all of five minutes, tops.

Simply lay slices of pear over a bed of arugula, sprinkle some nice creamy gorgonzola, a handful of pistachios over top and drizzle a little balsamic over top. Then try to contain yourself. The greens and pear bring a liveliness that I need in February while the creamy, tangy gorgonzola bring an indulgence that I love any time of year. Yeah, it’s the perfect winter salad.

my favorite winter salad
adjust amounts to suite yourself

baby arugula
pistachios
creamy gorgonzola
pear, sliced
balsamic

1
Lay a bed of arugula on a plate, top with pear slices and chunks of gorgonzola. Sprinkle pistachios over the salad and dress with a drizzle of balsamic.

Oh happy day! It’s been a while since we’ve had a happy hour around here and boy am I ready! Since things are a bit nutty, I went for something super simple but pretty dang lovely to liven things up. There’s no easier way to make something pretty in the winter time than using blood oranges. I absolutely love those red gems. So go find yourself a few, pick up some gin on the way and make a lovely blood orange gimlet to celebrate another Friday.

Cheers!

blood orange gimlet
serves 1

1 oz blood orange juice
2 oz gin
ice
blood orange slice, to garnish

1
Pour the juice, gin and ice in a cocktail shaker and give it a good shake.
2
Strain the liquid into a nice, dainty glass and garnish with an orange slice.

I miss my weekly inspiration at the farmers market… the bright colors, happy farmers and new surprises each week. Now, I have to admit, I’m pretty lucky because our local farmers market is actually still open, but more often than not I find it hard to bundle myself up and face the walk. A few weeks ago Maude (my dog) and I got up the nerve to face the cold and made the trek. We didn’t come home with any colorful fruit or vegetables, mostly cheese and meat with a few root vegetables sprinkled in, but our one treasure of the day was the most delicious applesauce I’ve ever tasted. It’s made with one of my favorite apples, Fuji and pink in hue. I ate my fair share, but had enough leftover that I decided to make an apple quick bread with it and boy, did it cure my winter blues.

Every now and then I like to make quick breads for breakfast. They’re kind of like a giant muffin; basically a nice way to mix things up. The original recipe I found called for chopped apples, but since I had my treasured applesauce, I decided to use that instead. To account for the added liquid from the applesauce, I just reduced the other liquids in the recipe. I simply mixed the dry ingredients, added the wet, stirred in the pecans and topped it all off with a delicious cinnamony crumble topping, because that’s the best part of any breakfast bread.

Nearly an hour later, I pulled the bread out of the oven and barely let it cool before I cut a few sliced for Aaron and myself. Ohhhh-sooo-deeelicious! The bread is incredibly moist, with a lovely buttery sweetness from the applesauce (and butter!). The pecans are sprinkled throughout and provide just enough texture to make it interesting. Oh, and the crumble… awesome! Honestly, I think all my quick breads from here on out will have some version of this crumble sprinkled on top. If the cold weather’s bringing you down, warm yourself up with this delicious wintery quick bread.

apple pecan quick bread
adapted from this recipe from Magnolia Bakery Cookbook
makes 1 loaf

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup apple sauce, preferably fuji applesauce
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

crumble
3 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

My lovely friend Samantha of Maquette asked me to contribute a recipe for her week of Valentine’s inpsiration. I immediately thought of my favorite homemade caramels. They are perfectly decadent: buttery, sweet and chewy with a hint of sea salt to jazz things up. Make them for your favorite love or the one you’ve been trying to rope in and you’re sure to win them over with this recipe.

fleur de sel caramels
via gourmet
makes about 40 candies

1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon fleur de sel*
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water

1
Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then lightly oil parchment.
2
Bring cream, butter, and fleur de sel to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and set aside.
3
Boil sugar, corn syrup, and water in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved (about 2 minutes). Boil, without stirring but gently swirling pan, until mixture is a light golden caramel, about 12-15 minutes. Watch carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn.
4
Carefully stir in cream mixture (mixture will bubble up) and simmer, stirring frequently, until caramel registers 248°F on thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes.
5
Pour into baking pan and cool at least 2 hours. Cut into 1 or 2-inch pieces, then wrap each piece in a 4-inch square of wax paper, twisting 2 ends to close.

*If you don’t have fleur de sel, just use sea salt.