putneyfarm

Weekly Cocktail #11: The Maiden’s Prayer

April 26, 2012

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The Maiden's Prayer Cocktail

Yes the name is….”interesting”, perhaps suggestive, but also a curse. We will get to that. Meanwhile our goal this week was to post a great, but perhaps lesser-known, drink made from very common ingredients. It’s fun to buy things like Maraschino, Chartreuse and Cocchi Americano and learn about obscure cocktails, but sometimes it is good to have a few recipes that you can make anytime, anywhere. We think the Maiden’s Prayer fits the bill.

And you can probably make the Maiden’s Prayer now, or after a quick trip to the market. The ingredients are dry gin, Cointreau, lemon juice and orange juice. That’s all. (You might want to add some orange or lemon bitters, if you have them…but there we go, getting all “cocktailian”). But the Maiden’s Prayer is a very, very tasty drink. Light, balanced and refreshing, with some depth from the gin. After trying it, Carolyn and I were both surprised the Maiden’s Prayer isn’t a more popular cocktail. The Maiden’s Prayer is certainly a cocktail you could serve to a group and leave everyone happy. And if you have a friend who says “I don’t like gin”, this cocktail might change their mind, the gin blends in quite smoothly. So why don’t we see this drink more?

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Posted By: putneyfarm Category: All Recipes, Cocktail Recipes, Gin Tags: Cocktail, cointreau, david wondrich, gin, maiden's prayer, maiden's prayer cocktail, maiden's prayer cocktail recipe, paul clarke, Savoy Cocktail Book
Rapini Fritto Misto

April 25, 2012

17 Comments
Rapini Fritto Misto

Carolyn and I are suckers for cookbooks and cooking magazines (and cooking shows and cooking websites). Frankly, we have way too many, but we never stop, we can’t help it. We may be Food Porn Addicts. We probably need to seek treatment. But, as it is, we keep buying.

When we buy a cookbook, unless it is a familiar author, we are making a leap of faith. You would be surprised how many bad, and we mean bad, cookbooks are out there. But with the magazines, we start to see some predictable patterns. We know that Cook’s Illustrated will give some good tips but often adds useless steps to make their recipe seem “new and improved”, or just because they seem to all have OCD (and need to keep selling cookbooks with the same recipes rehashed 😉 ). Saveur recipes are good, but can be inconsistent and need to be thoroughly reviewed before we try them. And our friends at Sunset magazine have good, solid recipes but the dishes are almost always under-seasoned, at least to our tastes.

And this leads us to today’s recipe for Rapini Fritto Misto. The recipe is adapted from a Sunset recipe, and guess what? We added more seasoning. But it is a fun, tasty dish and since it involves frying, everyone likes it. Rapini, also known as Broccoli Rabe, is a relative of broccoli. The rapini is basically a thinner, leafier version of broccoli, with smaller “florets”. We think rapini is a bit more flavorful and easier to cook than regular broccoli and buy it at the farmers market when we can- normally fall and spring. Usually we sauté the rapini with a little bacon or pancetta, garlic, red chile flake, salt and a few splashes of wine. But we wanted to try something new, and deep-frying is always a popular way to make almost anything.

So let’s talk a bit about deep-frying, there are many reasons some cooks prefer to not deep fry at home. It can be messy. It does involve some danger of burns and fire. You need to use some specific tools. If done improperly the food will taste bad and be greasy. And, honestly, we do not deep fry all that often. But it is fun, and deep-frying is a technique that can be very useful for the home cook. (Just wait until we give you Carolyn’s recipe for home-made jelly doughnuts, yum). Continue reading →
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Posted By: putneyfarm Category: All Recipes, Kitchen Gear, Lunch / Salads / Sides, Vegetables Tags: broccoli rabe fritto misto, broccoli rabe recipe, deep fried broccoli rabe, deep fried rapini, rapini fritto misto, rapini recipe

Maple Syrup Scones

April 24, 2012

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Maple Syrup Scone with lime curd and clotted cream

Most weekends, and some weekdays, Carolyn will bake fresh muffins, scones or coffeecake for the boys and I (yes, she is perfect and we are very grateful). Carolyn has dozen of good recipes, but recently has been working with recipes from “Breakfast, Lunch, Tea” a cookbook from the Rose Bakery in Paris. The cookbook is very well-designed, with stylish photos and is turning out to be a very good resource for baking and some savory dishes. It is a good cookbook and worth a look.

One of the best things we have tried from the cookbook so far is a simple recipe for Maple Syrup Scones. Scones are a great treat for breakfast and can be made that morning- so they are a good pastry to have in your toolkit. This is a simple recipe, but the addition of the maple syrup adds wonderful flavor and aroma that just screams “breakfast time”. I won’t lie, it is a joy to wake up to the smell of Carolyn baking tasty treats.

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Posted By: putneyfarm Category: All Recipes, Breakfast, Dessert Tags: breakfast, maple scone, maple scone recipe, maple syrup scone recipe, maple syrup scones, rose bakery, rose bakery cookbook, scone recipes
Posole Rojo: Cooking With Maricela

April 23, 2012

1 Comment
Posole Rojo

Mexican food at Putney Farm today, which we absolutely love. But we have a special treat- a recipe from an expert. In this case the expert is our good friend Maricela. Maricela hails from Michoacan in Mexico but is now a citizen of the US and matriarch of a third-generation family of wonderful kids and grandkids. To say we are all close would be an understatement. We are blessed to have them as part of our family.

Maricela is a fantastic cook and does some catering, but mostly cooks for family and friends. We are lucky enough to get the occasional treat from Maricela like tamales, enchiladas and “all-day mole” (because it takes all day to make), and the food is incredible. Deep, complex, flavors and textures that few other cuisines can match. And “real” Mexican food is often lighter and more complex than many people might think. Such is the case with today’s dish, Posole Rojo (also spelled pozole).

Posole is a light stew of chiles, hominy (corn treated in lye, don’t worry it’s fine- we use the same stuff for grits) and pork that’s served with a vast array of garnishes. It is the perfect “weekend” soup and will please almost any crowd. The dish is also much lighter and “brothier” than you might think- it is actually a pretty healthy dish. But don’t let that stop you, it tastes great. We are big posole fans and Maricela was kind enough to cook with us, share her recipe and help us make this batch. As a home cook, it does not get any better and cooking with a real expert, and Maricela gave us a great lesson and some key tips to making a super-tasty posole. Continue reading →
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Posted By: putneyfarm Category: All Recipes, Dinner Tags: hominy posole pozole, mexican dishes, posole, posole recipe, posole rojo, pozole recipe, pozole rojo

Oreo The Cat Wants In

April 23, 2012

6 Comments
Oreo would like to come in.

This is Oreo the cat, our pet and professional varmint-killer. Oreo was a barn cat- a mouser who protects the feed at a horse barn- who lost her tail to some coyotes (it is not all goodness and light in the country). She was nursed back to health by friends, who are allergic to cats, and our boys fell in love with Oreo- so we took over.

Oreo would like to come in now, and thinks we are being a bit "slow"

Oreo is a great cat, affectionate and playful inside and a stone-cold killer outside. Happily, Oreo mostly leaves the birds alone and focuses on rodents, lizards and the occasional snake. Since we don’t like semi-dead snakes being brought into the house as “gifts”, Oreo does not have a pet door. But as you can see, Oreo seems to think she does. The screen door has been no match for the cat. She can climb through the hole in the screen, but prefers to perch in the hole and “remind” us that she would like to come in. Funny stuff that gives you a smile in the morning- no so much at night.

Oreo is just realizing the main door is still closed. Hmmm...
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Posted By: putneyfarm Category: Musings Tags: cat and mouse, funny cat photo, oreo the cat, putney farm, silly cat
Putney Farm Has Been Nominated For a Sunshine Blog Award

April 22, 2012

7 Comments
It has been a great weekend. Friends, wine, cooking, gardening, plant sale, surfing, baseball and a very pleasant dinner with the boys at a “fancy” restaurant. To top it off, our friend at Storybook Apothecary, a great blog on green/organic skin care products (and some fun writing and musings), nominated us for a Sunshine Blog Award. Thanks!

For those who do not know what a Sunshine Blog Award is (and that included us), it is a prize is awarded to “bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere”. As an award winner, there are a few rules to follow:
- Thank the person who gave this award and write a post about it.
- Answer the questions below.
- Pass on the award to 10 bloggers you like, link their blogs, and let them know you awarded them.
Well, we could never resist a chain letter when we were younger, so here we go…

BTW, this is our family blog- so there may be some “hedging” on certain questions…;-)

So, our favs are:
- Favorite Color – Orange and Black for the GIANTS!
- Favorite Animal – Snap the dog and Oreo the cat. They came to us around the same time and almost seem like a unit.
- Favorite Number – 13. It has been a good sports number for the boys.
- Favorite Drink – Homemade lemonade is the family fave. Good with iced tea, by itself or in cocktails.
- Facebook or Twitter – Facebook. This blog is all about real friends and family. We reach them through Facebook (but Pinterest is closing fast!)
- Your Passion – Family, Friends, Food.
- Giving or getting presents – Giving, mostly in the form of food, drink and experiences with friends. Sharing with others is the best part of life.
- Favorite Day – Today. Every day we wake up.
- Favorite Flowers – Climbing Roses. They are always beautiful, but it is cool to see them climb to new parts of the house over the years. They become something of a time-lime (you will see some pics of ours soon).
Blogs we nominate:

Boozed and Infused: A great blog on making your own liqueurs and infusions. Alicia is so good at it, we send people to her with questions on flavorings for drinks. She is a prolific writer, too.

Fed Up Food: Food rants (funny) and some good recipes. Not sure how they will feel about a “sunshine” award…;-)

Miss Apis Mellifera: A very well-written and passionate blog on beekeeping. It is a great read even if you have no interest in bees- she is becoming a great “naturalist” writer IMHO. Continue reading →
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Posted By: putneyfarm Category: Musings Tags: entertainment, family blog, family cooking, putney farm blog, sunshine blog award