Talking Tiki

We had our November meeting this week, and it was a great one. Too bad some of the ladies couldn't make it, but that just meant more for those of us who did. Shelley Temple, Eight is Enough, our gracious hostess Delilah, and yours truly were present.

The theme this month was Tiki Drinks 101 and Delilah lined up a guest speaker to join us. James Teitelbaum is the author of Tiki Road Trip and a man of many talents. This was the first time a member of the male persuasion has attended one of our meetings, so we eyed him with suspicion initially. But as the night wore on, he won us over enough to let him stay for the evening.

Many in attendance didn't realize that there were good sipping rums, and had their eyes opened to new possibilities with rum. Thanks James!

The Drinks
James started our evening with the Test Pilot, a cocktail invented by Donn Beach, and a discussion of the beginnings of the Tiki movement. Next up was the classic Mai Tai and a discussion of Trader Vic. We finished the evening with the classic Dark 'n Stormy, made with Gosling's Black Seal Rum and Barritt's Ginger Beer. The Gosling's people would be most proud of us for respecting their trademark on this occasion.

The Eats
The food accompaniments included Cuban sandwiches, homemade tropical salsa and Ahi tuna skewers with a ginger-maple glaze. All were delicious. Of course we also had goldfish.

Here were the two favorite recipes, determined by a vote of the members in attendance:

Test Pilot
1.5 oz Dark Rum
.75 oz Light Rum
.5 oz Fresh Lime Juice
.5 oz Velvet Falernum
3 teaspoons Cointreau
Dash Angostura bitters
1/8 teaspoon Pernod
Blend with 1 cup crushed ice, garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Polynesian Glaze
3/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup
1 cup water
1 3/4 tbsp. Fresh Grated Ginger
4 cloves Garlic finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp. prepared Horseradish
1 tsp. salt
Combine all ingredients in a pan and heat until boiling. Simmer for 15 minutes (or until reduced by half). Enjoy over your favorite fish. Delilah served this over ahi tuna skewered with granny smith apples and green peppers.
Note: can be made ahead - glaze will keep in fridge for several days.

Now everyone go off and Tiki!

Edit: I forgot to add in this month's Rye Confession, which comes from Shelley Temple. She advised that she is often carded when out with her husband, even though he is not. This occasionally makes him quite upset, and encourages her to call him "papa" for fun.

More Recipes from Past Events

Before we head into October's event (coming up in a couple of days at one of our favorites, Weegee's Lounge in Chicago), here are the recipes from our last two events:

August 2008 - Meet Us in St. Louis

Planters Punch
2 oz Dark Rum
Juice of one lime and half of a lemon
2 tsp Grenadine
1 tbsp + 1 tsp sugar syrup

Pour all ingredients into a large mixing glass and stir. Add ice cubes and stir until thoroughly chilled. Strain into a tall glass that is 3/4 filled with cracked ice. Garnish with fresh fruit.


St. Louis Toasted Ravioli (recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)
2 tbsp whole milk
1 egg
3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 package of frozen cheese ravioli, thawed
3 cups vegetable oil
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
16 oz marinara sauce

Combine milk and egg in a small bowl. Place breadcrumbs and salt in a shallow bowl (and stir). Dip the ravioli into the milk mixture, then coat with breadcrumbs. Meanwhile, heat marinara over medium heat in a saucepan, bring to a simmer.

In a large heavy pan, pour oil to a depth of 2 inches. Heat oil over medium heat until a small amount of breading sizzles and turns brown. Fry a few ravioli at a time, for 1 minute on each side until golden. Drain onto paper towels. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately with hot marinara.

September 2008 - Parlez-vous Français?

Kiki's French 75 Cocktail
2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice (or more, to taste)
Champagne

Pour gin, simple syrup and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled and pour into a champagne flute. Top with Champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Apple Tarte Tatin (Serves 8)
Step One: Caramelized Apples - the apples can be made several days in advance and stored in the frig.

• 6-8 medium firm apples (I used golden delicious...and I used 8 apples).
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup unfiltered apple cider
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I actually used a bit more because I like the flavor)

Peel, core and thickly slice apples. Heat in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter, stir in apples. Sprinkle with half of the sugar and cook until apples begin to brown a bit (about 10 min).

Stir in the remaining sugar. Cook and stir until apples are golden (about another 10 min). Stir in cider, salt and cinnamon. Heat to a boil, cook, stirring until apples are tender - about 5 min (don't let them get mushy). Remove apples with a slotted spoon to a plate or bowl. Cook pan juices until they thicken slightly. Our over apples. If making these ahead of time - store in fridge. Otherwise proceed to next phase.

Step Two: Prepare the Apple Tarte Tatin
Carmelized apples (see recipe above)
1 unbaked refrigerated pie crust (or if you are a Martha Stewart type - make your own pie crust)
Sweetened whipped cream or softened vanilla ice cream (I used regular whipped cream and did not add any sugar to it)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. If apples have been refrigerated, warm them in a skillet on stovetop (or lightly microwave them if in a hurry). Transfer to 9-inch buttered pie plate. Fit the pie crust over the apples, tucking the crust inside the dish between the fruit and the dish. Cut a few slits in the crust to allow steam to escape.

Bake until crust is golden brown - about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on rack about 10 min. To serve, place a large serving platter over the pie plate, quickly invert the tarte onto the platter. Remove the pan. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Cobblers and Summer Snacks

Most of the lovely ladies of Chicago LUPEC gathered again last night at Morning Delight's place for an evening of classic cobbler cocktails and conversation. Being a trained chef, Ms. Delight wowed the group with a fantastic array of summer-themed salads and snacks. Pictured from left are Stone Manhattan, Delilah, Eight is Enough, Kiki Royale, Shelley Temple and Morning Delight. Unfortunately, Ginny Tonic was not able to join us, and Little Audrey (me) was taking the picture.


For those who might not be aware, cobbler drinks were popular in the mid to late 1800's and into the 1900's. Made with a base of wine or spirit, their main distinguishing characteristic is an abundance of fresh fruit on top of the drink. The first cocktail we tried was a blackberry bourbon cobbler, made as follows:

Blackberry Bourbon Cobbler
2-2 1/2 oz Old Whiskey River Bourbon (to taste)
1/2 oz Lejay Creme de Mure
Dash of simple syrup

Fill rocks glass with crushed ice. Shake ingredients with ice, strain into glass over ice. Top with a mixture of fresh berries. We used blackberries, blueberries and raspberries. Unfortunately the photo of the cocktail didn't turn out, so you'll have to imagine it with us.

This Month's Food Recipe
Not wanting to neglect the food side of our gatherings, we have decided that we will highlight both one drink recipe and one food recipe from each gathering to feature on our blog. This month's food recipe will be coming soon, I'm waiting for Morning Delight to send it to me (or post it herself). Here's a picture to tempt you:

And two other final notes:

• Goldfish Crackers - thankfully Ms. Manhattan remembered to bring these, or we would have violated our own rule. Given that she probably cannot attend our August event, Ms. Enough has been assigned the task of procuring the goldfish.
  

• Rye Confession - At this month's gathering, it was disclosed that two of our members were what you might call a "*#%^ing mess" when they were little kids, with lots of unusual challenges to overcome that involved corrective devices. At least one of their mothers said as much (a direct quote) when asked by a friend of the member. Her mom must be a helluva character. Luckily the stories were surrounded by much laughter from the tellers, and we're delighted to report that none us feel we are *#%^ing messes now, although others might disagree.