Prime Cuts

Ahhhh, The Holidays. I love ‘em. No matter what holiday you celebrate, or whether you celebrate any at all, what they stand for is the same for us all: giving thanks for those you love, spending time with those you love most … and consuming rich, wondrous, deliciously sinful foods.

Right out of the blocks, I’ll let you know that this recipe is not for the faint of heart. If you’re the person who balks at anything that has more than 3 grams of fat in it, or who immediately worries about how to work off each bite of food, then this isn’t for you. I’m a believer in moderation. I think that if you live a healthy lifestyle, then it’s OK to indulge in something that’s really bad for you, at least every once in a while.

So, without further ado, let’s talk about EGGNOG, shall we?

It’s rich. It’s sinful. It’s sweet and creamy and indescribably delicious. Sure, it has a gazillion calories, but that’s OK. We only live once, right?

When I was growing up, friends always had store-bought eggnog in their houses. You know, the super-thick, super-cloying stuff that shows up in grocery stores just after Halloween each year. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that stuff. It’s great in coffee and kids really like it, but once you’ve had the real deal — eggnog that’s made from scratch — you’ll never look at it the same way again.

When I was growing up, my parents threw a big holiday bash each year. My dad always made a huge batch of his homemade eggnog and everyone in the neighborhood would clamor for a cup of that magical goodness. I wasn’t allowed to try it ‘til I was much older (you’ll understand once you see the recipe), but once I did, I was hooked.

For me, this drink exemplifies The Holiday Season. It says that enjoying yourself is a good thing. That it’s OK to relish in the finer things in life. That the holidays, themselves, are sweet and rewarding, much like the liquid love in your cup.

So, don’t think about the gym. Don’t think about your diet. Think about enjoying yourself. Think about good friends and good times. Think about having a cup of eggnog!

My Dad’s Classic Eggnog

Ingredients

1 dozen large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 quart whole milk
1 quart heavy whipping cream
1/5 (a regular sized bottle) Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum
Freshly-grated nutmeg

Preparation

In a large punch bowl, separate the eggs (save the egg whites to make “forgotten cookies” … I’ll post that recipe later!) Beat the egg yolks until they are a pale, lemony color. Beat in the sugar until thick. On a lower speed (you’ll make a mess otherwise), stir in the milk. Stir in the rum. Chill for AT LEAST three hours.

About an hour or so before serving time, whip cream until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into the eggnog mixture.

Chill for another hour. Serve in cups with freshly grated nutmeg sprinkled on top.

Enjoy life to its fullest!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to receive future articles delivered to your feed reader.

When I mention Cold Brewed coffee many people think I’m speaking of iced coffee but when I further explain that cold brewed coffee is something far greater than merely iced coffee their eyebrows peak with intrigue and their taste buds tingle with anticipation. If you’ve never experienced cold brewed coffee and the joy it can bring then you are clearly missing wonderful things. Let me explain what cold brew coffee is before I continue to blather on about its euphoria.

Cold brewed coffee is made with the same ingredients and roughly the same procedures as hot brewed coffee. Instead of using hot water to extract the beautiful, delicious taste of coffee you use cold water and let the coffee steep for twelve to twenty-four hours. The steeping process is very similar to making hot tea but only longer and with cold water. The principles of good cold brew coffee are the same with hot brewed; filtered water and great beans.

While explaining to many people about cold brewed coffee they often ask what are the benefits over hot brewed as the time needed is obviously much longer. With cold brewed coffee you’ll experience a mildly different taste to the same coffee using a hot brewing method. Now this isn’t due to some magic but very basic science, there is a chemical reaction when you steep coffee and when you hot brewed coffee. This is not to say that you’ll experience two wildly different flavors, aromas, bodies, and acidity (brightness). It is more subtle.

With hot brew you might experience a more earthy, smoky flavor but with cold brew you might experience those earthy, smoky flavors but now with floral hints. With cold brew you’ll also encounter a more sweet flavor, often those who put sugar in their hot coffee decide to forego it with cold brew as it is more naturally sweet. (My personal tests have found that sweetness is affected by the amount of time steeped, although I found it subtle.) One noticeable difference you’ll find with cold brewed coffee is what is described as “thin coffee,” some people mistake this for weak coffee as well. This difference is from the absence of oils that are extracted during a hot brewing method; there is nothing wrong with the coffee. Now for those who love drinking coffee but experience acid problems or stomach issues, cold brewed coffee has been hailed as the answer to drinking and enjoying coffee without the aforementioned problems. I’ve heard numbers like 65%-70% less acid problems with cold brewed coffee. Although I have not confirmed those exact numbers I have many friends who drink cold brew coffee and have reported less to no problems with acid or their stomachs.

After you cold brewed your coffee you will essentially have a coffee extract, you can simply put it into the refrigerator and enjoy straight, mixed, or even hot. I’ve found that making the right cold brew like any other method you use is a process and should be repeated until perfected for your taste. One problem that I’ve discovered with cold brew coffee is that many people have a hard time straining their coffee once the steeping process is complete. Unless you have a cold brew canister/product it can be difficult.  We have found the easiest way is to use a french press poured into a filtered drip cone. This method provides a double filtration for you, not only removing grinds but any additional silt that may slip through the french press filter. However, there are many devices you can purchase to make this process much easier but it’s all about preference. If you’re like me, you have an auto drip machine, espresso machine, grinder, french press, vacuum pot, drip cone, an array of coffee bean containers, and coffee making accessories. So for me it was just easier to use what we have than to pick up another type of machine/product.

At the end of the day cold brewed coffee is so versatile that it is most definitely worth the time spent to make it. It is the perfect choice for busy mornings and once brewed takes no time to make new mixed drinks. Cold brewing is close to my heart and I hope it will find a place in yours. Hot or cold brewed, enjoy your coffee and enjoy life!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to receive future articles delivered to your feed reader.

This summer isn’t over yet and this refreshing cocktail is the perfect drink for a hot summer night that goes perfectly with dessert or fruit. The recipe is very easy and the simple syrup can easily be replaced with regular sugar and a touch of water to dissolve it and mix with the juice.

Ingredients:

2 oz Vodka- any vodka will be fine, just make sure it isn’t flavored. The pineapple will be flavor enough!
1/4 cup crushed pineapple with juice. You can buy the canned pineapples and use the cubes and the juice. or buy fresh pineapples and cut those to use as the garnish and use pineapple juice from a bottle. Either is fine, but the ones in the can are easier and soak up more of the juice and have a better consistency.
1/4 oz simple syrup

Preparation

In a shaker with ice, combine the vodka, pineapple juice, a couple cubes of pineapple and simple syrup. shake well and strain into a chilled martini glass.  Garnish with pineapple slices and a cherry.

Cheers!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to receive future articles delivered to your feed reader.

Photo by: the bridge

It’s hot. And I don’t mean, “Gee, it’s a little warm. Maybe I should put on some shorts.” I mean, it’s HOT. The kind of hot that sears your skin, that burns your eyes when you walk outside. The kind of hot that makes it, quite literally, painful to breathe.
When it gets hot like this (and it always does on the East Coast, God bless it), there?s little you can do except to remain as motionless as possible (“Don’t touch me!”) The thought of leaving the comfort of your air conditioning is downright distasteful. Turning on the oven to cook is right out. So what do you do to relax and revitalize yourself?  How do you beat the heat?

Have I got a delicious, ahhhh-that’s-better, whistle-whetting solution for you!

Sangria. White Sangria, to be exact. My version includes ripe, juicy peaches, mouth-watering mangoes and cool, invigorating fresh mint. More than a few steps away from the everyday. Sweet, but not cloying, thirst-quenching, decadently delicious and almost embarrassingly simple to prepare, this take on the Spanish refresher will have you embracing the summer heat (even on the doggiest of dog days) and asking for more.

Don’t know how to make sangria?  Check out Joe breaking it down on Prime Cuts TV!

White Sangria with Peach, Mango & Fresh Mint

Ingredients

3 tablespoons of superfine sugar
3 shots of Peach Schnapps
2 ripe peaches, cut into wedges
The flesh of 2 ripe mangoes
1 bottle of white Rioja (or other dry white wine)
Fresh mint
Club soda, for topping off glasses (and giving them that extra “something”)

Preparation

In a large pitcher combine the sugar, Schnapps mangoes and peaches, making sure to mash the fruit just a little bit (this will help the flavors meld together nicely). Pour the wine on top of the fruit mixture and stir well. Refrigerate for several hours or until well-chilled.

When you’re ready to serve, put some ice in a tall glass or goblet, along with a sprig of fresh mint. Spoon in some fruit from the pitcher, then fill the glass to about 3/4 full. Top with a splash of club soda and sip to your heart’s content.

Salut!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to receive future articles delivered to your feed reader.

Photo by: trufflepig

On today’s episode of Prime Cuts TV, Joe shows you how we make Sangria at Caminito.  Sangria can be one of the best thirst-quenching alcoholic drinks you can have on a hot Summer day.  At Caminito we add lots of great fruit to make the drink even more fun.

If you’re having trouble viewing the video, you can also watch it over on YouTube.

[viddler id=386e9eca&w=437&h=288]

Note: As always, sorry for some of the background noise and bad lighting but hey, it’s a working kitchen.

If you want to try a recipe similar to the one we made in the video, make sure to check out Ashley’s perfect sangria recipe.

What’s your favorite alcoholic drink on a hot Summer day?

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to receive future articles delivered to your feed reader.

When Justin and I finally met at the Inbound Marketing Summit a few weeks ago, we celebrated with far too many glasses of champagne. This recipe is inspired by our celebrations, with a splash of peach to make the perfect delicious and refreshing summer drink.

Peach Bellini Recipe

You’ll Need:

- Blender
- 4 tall Champagne flutes (or other appropriate glasses)

Ingredients (Serves 4):

- 1 bottle of champagne
- 3 peaches (keep one sliced for garnish)
- 1 T Sugar (optional)

Preparation

Step one: Make peach puree. Remove skins and pits from two ripe peaches, cut into slices and blend on medium with one tablespoon of sugar (optional) until well blended.

Step two: Pour 3 tablespoons of peach puree (or about 1/4 of the glass) in the bottom of the tall champagne flutes.

Step three: Pour chilled champagne into each drink.

Step four: Garnish with peach slice, serve and enjoy.

Step five: Repeat steps one through four. (As if one glass was enough!)

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to receive future articles delivered to your feed reader.

I hope everyone tried last weeks drink and enjoyed it on those hot days. This weeks cocktail is really great and refreshing so I hope you like it just as much!

Ruby Red Martini Recipe

Ingredients

2 oz Finlandia Grapefruit (If you can’t find that, you can also use Absolut Ruby Red vodka)
1/2 oz yuzu citrus (fresh yuzu is hard to find, but you can find the bottle version in most grocery stores)
dash of pomegranate

Preparation

Shake well and garnish with a lemon and strawberry

Enjoy this one and I promise it will become a favorite!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to receive future articles delivered to your feed reader.

Photo by: Steven Fernandez

I hope you enjoyed last weeks drink pick for Sangria and hopefully you tried it out for yourself.  This week, I wanted to share a drink that is perfect for a hot day because it is by far the most refreshing drink I have tried.  I can’t take full credit for this one, but when I was in New York this past weekend, this was a drink that I had to share with everyone, but modified with a twist of my own.

Gin and Lemonade

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Hendrick’s Gin
1/2 oz Pimm’s # 1
1 oz Fresh Lemonade
Splash of soda water

Preparation

Shake well and garnish with fresh cubes of melon

I’m sure this is one that everyone will enjoy so have fun creating this one for yourself and friends!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to receive future articles delivered to your feed reader.

Being my first week and with the summer and warm weather right around the corner, I thought I would begin my initiation to Prime Cuts with a drink that I learned to make while working at Caminito with Joe and Justin. This Perfect Summer Sangria is easy to make and especially perfect to enjoy in these upcoming months.

Ashley’s Summer Sangria Recipe

Ingredients

1 Bottle chilled red wine (Choose a wine that isn’t too sweet because sugar is going to be added later. Blends such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are great to use because they don’t overpower the other ingredients.)
1/4-1/2 cup confectioners sugar (use to your desired sweetness)
1/4 cup Orangina
1/4 cup Sparkling water

Mix all ingredients to dissolve sugar then add:
1 cup fresh fruit, diced (some great fruits that I use are apples, strawberries, grapes, cantaloupe, pineapple and kiwi)
1/2 of an orange, cut into small chunks

Preparation

Stir all the ingredients and let sit for a hour so the fruit can absorb the wine! Serve in red wine glasses and Enjoy!  It’s as simple as that!

Check back next week for a new drink recipe!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to receive future articles delivered to your feed reader.

Photo by: CRLS