Whisky

Whisky Cocktails

With summer kicking in, cocktails - and cocktail parties - are inevitable. So when we were invited for a whisky tasting recently, we asked Indian master mixologists Shatbhi Basu to give us some smokin’ hot summer whisky cocktail recipes.

Twisted Whisky Sour: 45ml Tennessee Whisky, 20ml lime juice,15ml Sugar syrup, 30ml Orange juice, 2/3 drops of Aromatic Bitters. Method: Take a mixing tin filled 3/4th with ice, add whisky, lime juice, sugar syrup, orange juice, bitters. Shake. Serve in a champagne tulip. Garnish with a slice of orange or a cherry.

Bourbon Swizzle: 45 ml Tennessee Whisky, 15ml lime juice, 3oz club soda, 3ml superfine sugar, 1 dash Bitters. Method: Shake bourbon, lime juice, superfine sugar, and bitter in a shaker with ice and strain into a Collins glass over ice. Add club soda and stir. Serve with a swizzle stick.

Peach Smash: 45ml Tennessee Whisky, 4 mint leaves, ¼ lemon, sliced, 1 medium peach, 15ml water, 15ml simple syrup. Method: Mix all ingredients except whisky in cocktail shaker. Add whisky and shake the ingredients over ice. Strain into rocks glasses filled with ice. Garnish with fresh mint and a peach slice.

Choco Nut Madness: 45ml Tennessee Whisky, 1 bar spoon peanut butter, 1 scoop of Vanilla ice cream, 30ml chocolate sauce, 30ml fresh cream. Method: Fill the shaker to the half mark with crushed ice. Add all the ingredients and blend until it becomes a smoothie. Pour it in a wine glass and garnish with a chocolate stick.

Black Gold: 30ml Tennessee Whisky, 30ml Kahlua, splash of cola. Method: Take an old-fashioned glass and fill it ice. Pour whiskey, Kahlua and add a splash of cola, then stir. Garnish with a stick of Kit Kat chocolate.

Image and Recipe Credit: www.luxpresso.com

Coconut Laddo

Ingredients:

We’ve included the measurements just to get you started but these little balls of goodness can include any of your favourite nuts while omitting anything you just don’t like.

1/2 cup each:

♣ Almonds
♣ Walnuts
♣ Pecan nuts
♣ Hazel nuts
♣ Pumpkin seeds (or Flax seeds)
♣ 3-6 dates
♣ 2-4 tablespoons virgin coconut oil

To taste:

♣ Unsweetened cocoa powder
♣ Freshly ground coffee
♣ Shredded coconut

Method:

Blend the nuts and seeds in a mixer until ground into a fine flour. 
Remove the nuts and seeds and then grind the dates and shredded coconut in the mixer until smooth.
Mix these ingredients together with coffee and cocoa powder according to taste.
Finally, add the coconut oil and mix it all together by hand. Roll the paste into little balls and sprinkle them with shredded coconut.
These snacks should be refrigerated to become firm.

As a general guideline, ½ a cup of each of the nuts will yield a dozen little balls. Dates add the sweetness and also add stickiness to hold the balls together. If you don’t have the time to roll them into balls you can even spread them in a pan and cut them up into little squares. Whether as balls or as bars, these coconut chocolate balls are great to satisfy hunger pangs or that often neglected sweet tooth!


Image and Recipe Credit: www.healthmeup.com  

Tomato Soup

Tomato-Basil Soup

ingredients

• 3-1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup finely chopped onion (1 large)
• 1-1/2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• 1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1-1/2 cups finely shredded Gruyere or Emmentaler cheese (6 ounces)
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon Armagnac or cognac (optional)

directions

1. Set aside 1 tomato. To peel remaining tomatoes, dip in boiling water for 30 seconds or until skins start to split. Dip in cold water. When cool enough to handle, remove skins and core tomatoes. Coarsely chop; set aside.
2. In a 4-quart Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add the chopped tomatoes. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Transfer tomato mixture in batches to a food processor or food mill. Cover and process until smooth. (If using a food mill, discard tomato seeds and onions.) Return pureed mixture to pan. Meanwhile, finely chop basil; reserve 1/4 cup.
4. Stir remaining basil, the salt, and pepper into tomato mixture. Heat through. Add cheese, cream, and, if desired, Armagnac. Heat and stir until cheese is just melted.
5. Chop remaining tomato; combine with reserved basil. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with chopped tomato and basil. Makes 6 servings.

recipe source BHG.com

Dum Aloo

Ingredients for dum aloo:

                

900gms Aloo (Potatoes)

33/4th cups water

Salt To Taste

Ghee or oil for deep-frying

1 cup ghee

1 large Onion (finely chopped)

4 tbsp tomato puree

140 ml curd

4 tbsp hot water

1 green pepper (seeds removed and sliced)

1tsp garam masala powder

Spices

4 cloves

4 bay leaves

6 black peppercorns

4 green cardamoms

1 brown cardamom

1piece cinnamon stick

Paste

1 large onion (chopped)

12 flakes garlic

2 tbsp ginger

6black peppercorns

1 tsp poppy seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 dry red chilies

1 tsp turmeric powder

A pinch of ground mace

A pinch of ground nutmeg

How to make kashmiri dum aloo:

Scrape the aloo (potatoes), prick all over with a fork and soak in the water with little salt for 2 hours.

Dry the potatoes on a cloth and heat the ghee or oil.

Deep fry the potatoes until golden brown. Drain and set aside.

Heat the measured ghee in a flameproof pan and fry onions with all the spices until golden.

Grind the paste ingredients to a fairly smooth paste and stir into the onions.

Cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree, curd and salt.

Add the aloo (potatoes) and hot water and stir over a low heat for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle the dum aloo with pepper and garam masala and cook for few minutes.

Recipe Source: Indianfoodforever.com

Image Source: Nandyala.org

Bhindi Ki Subji

Ingredients:

1/2 kg fresh okra tops and tails cut off and diced into 1" pieces

2 tsps vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 large onion sliced thin

2 green chillies chopped fine

6 cloves of garlic minced

1 tsp coriander powder

1/4 tsp dry mango powder

2 large tomatoes cut into small cubes

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a wide pan on a medium flame and add the cumin seeds. Fry till they stop sizzling.

Add the onion, green chilli and garlic and fry till the onions turn light brown.

Add the okra and mix well.

Add the coriander and dry mango powders and mix again. Season to taste. Fry for 5-7 minutes.

Add the tomato and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Serve immediately with hot chapatis (Indian flatbread) or parathas (pan-fried Indian flatbread).

Scramble Eggs

What You Need

4	EGGS
	cup milk
	Salt and pepper
2	tsp. butter

Step 1

BEAT eggs, milk, salt and pepper in bowl until blended.

Step 2

HEAT butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. POUR IN egg mixture.

Step 3

As eggs begin to set, GENTLY PULL the eggs across the pan with an inverted turner, forming large soft curds. CONTINUE cooking – pulling, lifting and folding eggs – until thickened and no visible liquid egg remains. Do not stir constantly. REMOVE from heat.SERVE immediately.

Recipe and Image Credit: Incredibleegg.org

burger

house-made burger with pimento cheese

ingredients

• 1  lb.  ground sirloin
• 1  lb.  ground chuck
• 1-1/2  tsp.  kosher salt
• 1/2  tsp.  freshly ground pepper
• 6    hamburger buns
•     Pimiento Cheese
• 1    shallot, grated
• 1  8-oz.  block sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/2  cup  or more to taste of mayonnaise (not light)
• 1/2  of a 4-oz. jar  pimientos
•     Freshly ground pepper

directions

1. Build charcoal fire or preheat gas grill for direct cooking. Mix ground sirloin and chuck together gently with salt and pepper. Form into 6 patties. Press indentation in center of each patty (see "shaping the burgers," below). Brush with olive oil. Place directly over medium heat (about 400 degrees F); grill 10 to 12 minutes, turning once halfway through. Remove from grill. Top with a tablespoonful of Pimiento Cheese. Serve on buns.

Hanger Steak Burger:Cut about 2 lbs. cold hanger steak in 1-inch pieces. put through a meat grinder or place 1/4 at a time in food processor; pulse until finely ground. Season, shape into patties, and grill as above. Makes 6 servings.

Pimiento Cheese: Grate shallot on a box grater or process in a food processor. Mix shallot and cheese. Add mayo and stir with a large fork just until mixture holds together. Stir in pimientos and some of their liquid. Season with pepper. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. Store, refrigerated, up to a week.

Shaping the burgers:Both Elizabeth and Jamie press an indentation in the patties so that they don't puff up in the center as they cook. Gently form patties, then press down slightly in the center to form an indentation about an inch wide.

Direct Grilling:For this method, the food is placed on the grill rack directly over the heat source. Direct grilling is best for searing and cooking small, tender cuts that cook in 30 minutes or less, such as steaks, burgers, or boneless chicken.

nutrition facts

• Calories518, 
• Total Fat (g)32, 
• Saturated Fat (g)12, 
• Monounsaturated Fat (g)13,
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g)2, 
• Cholesterol (mg)112, 
• Sodium (mg)695, 
• Carbohydrate (g)22, 
• Total Sugar (g)3, 
• Fiber (g)1, 
• Protein (g)34, 
• Vitamin C (DV%)3, 
• Calcium (DV%)13, 
• Iron (DV%)26, 
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Image and Recipe Credit: Bhg.com