Recipe Mutiny steals recipes from food blogs and recipe sites. Then we publish them. With credit (Naturally).
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Show of hands — who is here to watch the game…. ok, now, who is here for the food?! Yup, that’s about what we figured.
Not to say you can’t enjoy all the touch downs, field goals, and extra points happening on the screen, but what’s the point of getting together to watch the game if there’s not a huge buffet of food involved?
Continue reading "6 Recipes for a Super Bowl Fiesta" »
New Year’s Eve is the best night of the year to create your own custom cocktail for a celebration. There are so many festive choices, and you can pick a spirit and provide a buffet bar of options to let guests customize their drinks. Whether you go with bubbly or not, this roundup of cocktail recipes will give you a solid foundation to improvise from for a celebratory start to the New Year.
1. Gigi
Our recipe for this coquettish cocktail (created by Jackie Patterson at Le Colonial in San Francisco) contains three fancy French liquors: Lillet Blanc, St-Germain, and rosé champagne. You can substitute with unflavored vodka, but the Grey Goose La Poire has a really spectacular pear flavor that pairs beautifully with the elderflower taste of the St-Germain.
Photo and recipe from CHOW
Kiwi, Prosecco, and peach liqueur make for a dazzling New Year’s Eve choice. Muddle the kiwi with some brown sugar if you want to add a bit more sweetness. And be sure to strain this cocktail to separate out the smashed kiwi pieces if you’re concerned about smooth sipping.
Photo and recipe from CHOW
3. Classic Champagne Cocktail
Aromatic bitters are the way to really differentiate this champagne cocktail from the rest. You can try out orange, grapefruit, or any type of bitters you already have on hand to dash onto a sugar cube that will meld beautifully with freshly poured champagne and a lemon twist.
Photo and recipe from The Kitchn
4. El Diablo
This tequila-based cocktail is a delightful hint of summer, brought to you by the rich blackberry color and flavor of crème de cassis. The thyme garnish adds a fancy touch, and although tequila is the main spirit, the drink still tastes very delicate with spicy ginger beer (or homemade ginger soda).
Photo and recipe from Bon Appétit
A New Orleans favorite, the original Sazerac is altered here for a party-perfect treat to serve alongside appetizers. With rye, lemon, and bitters, you can turn a Jell-O shot into something more elegant. And with only a third of an ounce of alcohol per square, five or six of these equal a normal-sized cocktail. You don’t even have to pace yourself.
Photo and recipe from CHOW
6. Holiday Mule
If you can find a traditional copper mug to serve this holiday mule in, you’ll really have outdone yourself. Rosemary sprigs, orange slices, and sugared cranberries are some seasonally appropriate garnishes that look as good as they taste. This recipe calls for gin, but you can substitute vodka (or really any clear alcohol) to suit your taste.
Photo and recipe from Home Sweet Jones
7. Platinum Sparkle
The name alone is reason enough to make this cocktail for a fancy New Year’s Eve celebration. You can make this recipe in a large batch for a party and shake it in a cocktail shaker with ice to serve individual portions. Garnish with a brandied (or maraschino) cherry and you’re all set.
Photo and recipe from Food & Wine
8. Onward-Upward Cocktail
This is another case where the name of the cocktail makes it hard to pass up for a New Year’s celebration. An interesting combination of mezcal, rye, and sweet and dry vermouth, this will appeal to fans of Manhattans and Boulevardiers.
Photo and recipe from Forbes
9. Prince Harry Cocktail
Fit for royalty, the Prince Harry Cocktail is similar to a Dark ‘n’ Stormy, with a tangy kick from ginger beer. You can adjust the amount of ginger beer to dilute the cocktail, but don’t skimp on the fresh lime juice: It’s absolutely essential. Garnish with a lime twist and you’re ready for a royal start to 2015.
Photo and recipe from Serious Eats
10. Sherry Splash
Our recipe for a Sherry Splash uses the somewhat unusual manzanilla sherry, which is a little bit salty and pairs well with the sweet St-Germain elderflower liqueur. Again, this recipe calls for gin but you can just as easily substitute vodka if you’re so inclined. Shake with ice and strain into a champagne coupe for extra panache.
Photo and recipe from CHOW
11. Pomegranate Margarita
Festive and not too sweet, this delicious pomegranate margarita is a beautiful ruby color. Fresh lime juice, tequila, triple sec, and a substantial amount of pomegranate juice are combined and shaken in batches; use a fancy flavored salt for contrast and you’ll be sure to wow even the most discerning guests.
Photo and recipe from Food & Wine
12. Old-Fashioned Gin Cocktail
Similar to the champagne cocktail, this is a simple recipe that will taste even better if you use your favorite gin. With variations for a “Fancy Gin Cocktail” (squeezing a thin-cut lemon peel over the rim of the glass) and an “Improved Gin Cocktail” (adding a teaspoon of Grand Marnier and some bitters), this recipe is easy to customize.
Photo and recipe from Esquire
13. Blue Blazer
This drink is a real showstopper. It involves boiling water, blended Scotch whisky, powdered sugar, and fire. Exercise serious caution while pouring the flaming whisky from one tankard to the other; your guests will be superimpressed if everyone survives.
Photo and recipe from interesting-today.com
14. Rusty Nail
Drambuie and Scotch are an elegant combination for a nightcap. This is hardly a cocktail recipe, containing only two ingredients, but the honey, spices, and herb flavors in the Drambuie and the hint of sweetness round out the flavors of the whisky and make for some extremely smooth sips on the rocks.
Photo and recipe from Imbibe
15. Bourbon Sour
Our recipe for a properly made bourbon sour is vastly different from the normal store-bought sour mix. Fresh lemon juice makes it sour, but not in a fake or acidic, chemical way. With a frothy egg white, it’s a great way to kick off the New Year.
Photo and recipe from CHOW
Danish YouTuber and self-proclaimed hot pepper enthusiast, Klaus Pilgaard, better known as Chili Klaus, has a hilarious way of spicing up your holiday season. He challenged Denmark’s Herning Boys Choir to eat a bunch of chilis while singing Christmas carols. The result is one of the most tortured renditions of “O Come All Ye Faithful” that you will ever witness
The clip below is especially deranged. Things start out precious enough, as the pepper-less choir belt an amazing verse of the holiday classic. But then, just slightly over a minute into their performance, they’re instructed to eat the devilish peppers. Watch out ’cause Chili Klaus is coming to town!
In an interview with Buzzfeed, Pilgaard discussed the method to his madness. “I graduated the chili peppers a bit. The mildest for the youngest boys and the hottest for the grown ups— to make a common experience for all of them,” he said. The peppers consumed in the video range from ghost peppers to the milder (but still very spicy) Chocolate Bhutlah and cayenne peppers.
As mentioned, some of the older participants did endure ghost chiles, which are one of the hottest peppers in the world. They measure in at a million Scoville heat units. That’s over 100d times hotter than a standard jalapeño. In other words, it’s a lot of heat, especially for anyone trying to sing their hearts out.
These boys really try though. Through the tears and the coughs and the burning sting, some still manage to sing as if they haven’t been hit with a whopping avalanche of peppery pain. Despite the anguish, it’s still a nearly flawless performance. Seriously, you try staying on pitch under more sobering circumstances. If you’re anything like me, you can’t. So kudos boys! Here’s hoping you get everything you want for Christmas. You earned it.
Before I got married earlier this year, I was convinced that I’d be using everything I put on my wedding registry constantly. I imagined that as soon as we got back from our honeymoon, I’d be busting out my Le Creuset on the regular to whip up gourmet (or at least gourmet-ish) meals all the time in my quest to be a kick-ass wife. The reality has been a bit different. Between work obligations and a hectic schedule, most nights my husband and I find ourselves pulling up Seamless or making grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner (they’re delicious, but a human cannot live on grilled cheese alone). So recently, I’ve made it my personal goal to get back into the kitchen and actually take advantage all the fancy items that our nearest and dearest gave to us with the hope that we would actually use them. Here’s how I made a dent over the holidays, and how you can, too.
1. Pull out the martini shaker
Chowhound
One of my favorite adult holiday traditions is wrapping holiday gifts to the tunes of Frank Sinatra songs. And what goes better with “Ol’ Blue Eyes” than a martini? Nothing, that’s what. Due to some shipping snafus and going the gift card route for a few people this year (sorry!), I didn’t actually have much to wrap, but that didn’t stop me from christening our martini shaker with some gin and vermouth while I listened to the chairman of the board sing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” I realized after mixing that we didn’t actually have martini glasses, but some old margarita glasses from the back of our cabinet worked just fine for our impromptu Rat Pack concert…which then transitioned to Mariah Carey holiday songs on repeat.
2. A slow cooker is not just for food
Chowhound
I have to admit that I’ve been a bit intimidated to use my Crock-Pot, and also worried that there would be no occasion that would warrant me making quite as much food as you can in one. (Okay, I’ve been a bit lazy, too.) But two of my best friends were hosting a holiday party, which seemed like the ideal time to try a lil somethin’ somethin’ in my slow cooker. I eventually settled on mulled wine, since it was snowing the day of the party, and booze is always a welcome addition to any fete. Nothing quite like a cozy glass of the stuff to put you in the festive spirit…and to fuel a fun game of White Elephant. (My husband and I ended up with a mermaid tail blanket and dart board, respectively. Not too shabby.)
3. Let exciting ingredients inspire you
Leite’s Culinaria
At the start of December, my husband and I braved the crowds to go to the holiday market at Bryant Park, which seemed like it would be a bust until I discovered that the Truffleist was selling truffle everything there—basically my nirvana. We eventually bought truffle oil and salt to experiment with at home and I spent some time furiously researching what to use the ingredients for. A few days later, I ended up making a huge batch of mouthwatering truffle mac and cheese, finally putting some bakeware to work that I hadn’t used yet. Totally worth dealing with the weekend crowds at the market!
4. Don’t neglect your veggies
Damn Delicious
The holidays and clean eating don’t exactly go hand in hand, but after days of binging on festive cookies from Trader Joe’s and skipping the gym for holiday parties, my body was craving some veggies. This prompted me to whip out my never before used spiralizer to make this zucchini shrimp scampi, which was so good that I didn’t even miss the pasta. Heaping on some Parmesan cheese to the final dish probably cut down on the health factor slightly, but I was just happy to get some green on my plate during the month of December.
Bottom line: during this part of my mini-experiment, I realized that with a bit of planning, some Pinterest inspiration, and the right Spotify playlist I can actually put to use the stuff that our generous friends and family gave us even during the most hectic time of year. Can’t wait to pull out the champagne glasses to toast to the new year!
Looking for a festive roast for a special dinner or a holiday celebration? This cranberry apple stuffed pork loin presents beautifully, and is easier to pull off than it looks. Really!
Continue reading "Cranberry Apple Stuffed Pork Loin" »
If Hollandaise is a classic mother sauce, then Béarnaise is the funky maiden aunt living out a more unconventional existence, entering the room with a near-imperceptible wink and an air of “now what trouble can we get ourselves into?” She finds herself able to adapt to a wide variety of circumstances, like the versatile chameleon she is, from formal English garden party to late-night smoky tapas bar with equal ease.
A cross between Hollandaise and beurre blanc, Sauce Béarnaise is an emulsified egg and butter sauce made tangier and brighter with the addition of shallots, champagne vinegar, and herbs, particularly tarragon, which elevates the je-ne-sais-quoi factor immeasurably. No really, try to describe the flavor of tarragon. “I don’t know what” is about the best way to summarize it. That, and the general feeling it gives of “aren’t I one of the clever people?”
Like Hollandaise, Béarnaise can be made in a blender, or the more-traditional double-boiler method. Swap it in for Hollandaise when you yourself are feeling more unconventional than classic, and check out these preparations when you really want to crank it up to 11.
When you’re feeling so ballsy as to combine Steak and Eggs and Eggs Benedict into one dish, why settle for simple Hollandaise? Go Béarnaise or go home. Get our Steak and Eggs Benedict with Béarnaise Sauce recipe.
The Runaway Spoon
There are deviled eggs, and then there are truly devilish eggs, incorporating all of the show-off elements of Sauce Bearnaise into the yolk stuffing for a potluck dish that says “you’re welcome, minions.” Get the recipe.
The Anthony Kitchen
An unconventional vegetable meets an unconventional sauce for a marriage that just might have a chance of lifelong happiness. Get the recipe.
Food 52
Officially replacing avocado toast as the most sophisticated thing you might eat for breakfast. Get the recipe.
The Healthy Gourmande
Because you were never the kind of person who could be trusted to dress a salad with anything as pedestrian as “salad dressing,” this elegant potato salad incorporates olives and green beans (pardon me, haricots verts) and binds everything with Béarnaise. Get the recipe.
The Cozy Life
Maybe you don’t have the funds to go to Reykjavík to hike glaciers and see the Northern lights this winter, but that’s no reason you shouldn’t try this Iceland-inspired cod gratin dish smothered in Béarnaise for a cozy yet cosmopolitan evening at home. Get the recipe.
Recipes Plus
Why settle for a simple steamed salmon with Hollandaise when you can bring pastry and Béarnaise into the equation? Get the recipe.
The Red Painted Cottage
Just because you’re a classic French sauce doesn’t mean you can’t hang with some down-and-dirty Big Easy spicy chicken. Get the recipe.
The Franglo Saxon Cooks
This open-faced chicken sandwich incorporating not one but two sauces, one being Béarnaise, was named after a Revolutionary War general, and we think this dish is every bit worth rising up over. Get the recipe.
Enjoying Spanish Recipes
Béarnaise: for all of your surf and turf (and bacon) needs. Get the recipe.
