Presenting "Name That Fruit!", the interactive FOTL game featured on Ep. 28 Superfruity Cocktails. Listen to the episode and play along at home with Superfruit and the Jeffs!








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Combine lime juice, agave, pineapple, and serrano slices in martini shaker. Muddle ingredients until pulpy. Add tequila and Cointreau. Add ice. Shake vigorously. Strain and pour over ice.
*Non-alcoholic version: substitute Jarritos Pineapple Soda for the tequila and Cointreau
Combine lime juice, agave, kiwi, and mint in glass. Muddle ingredients until they are mixed thoroughly. Add ice. Add rum. Top with soda. Briefly stir and serve.
*Non-alcoholic version: substitute 7Up or Sprite for the rum.
Combine watermelon and basil in martini shaker. Muddle ingredients until fragrant. Add vodka. Add ice. Shake vigorously. Strain and pour over ice. Top with soda. Briefly stir and serve.
*Non-alcoholic version: substitute club soda for the vodka.
In a champagne flute, combine St.-Germain and grapefruit juice. Top with champagne.
*Non-alcoholic version: substitute Jarritos or Hansen's Grapefruit Soda for the champagne and St-Germain.
Recipe from Nastaran Dibai
Makes 6-8 cups, 18-24 1/3 cup side or appetizer servings
3 or 4 large Russet potatoes
1 large chicken breast
2 hardboiled eggs
1 cup of diced pickles (preferably kosher dill)
3/4 cup green peas
1 cup of mayonnaise
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon Pepper (optional)
Cook potatoes (skin on) until they’re fork tender, then peel and dice.
Poach chicken breast (skin on), then take take skin off and dice.
Dice hardboiled eggs.
The dice on everything all the above should be small — around 1/4 inch.
Cook green peas, then shock with ice water to maintain green color.
Make sure all the above is cold or at least room temperature, then toss all of it together with the pickles.
Once it’s all mixed, add the lemon juice, the mayonnaise and toss together until everything is coated. This is a matter of taste, so if it feels it could use more mayonnaise, then you can add more, but only a spoonful at a time, so you don’t end up overdoing it.
Finally, add salt and pepper to taste. I personally like more of a lemony flavor, so I always toss in some lemon pepper in addition to the salt and pepper, but this is optional. If you do add the lemon pepper, then you might want to add less regular pepper.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and preferably overnight. The flavor and texture continue to blend and develop the whole time. Can be kept for up to 4 days covered in the refrigerator.
2 oz Michter’s Rye
3/4 oz sweet vermouth
a “squirt” (about 1/4 oz) of Rosewater/Pomegranate Essence (recipe below)
Garnish: Luxardo Cherry (or other Maraschino), Orange peel strip
Place a cherry or two in a cocktail glass, add a cube or two of ice. Rub the peel around the rim and place the peel in the glass.
Place ice in a cocktail shaker
Add whiskey, vermouth and Rosewater/Pomegranate Essence and stir briskly until very cold. Strain into prepared glass and enjoy.
Jeff’s note: These are one of the two wing recipes that started it all for me. The other — the “Sesame Chicken” wings — remain a recipe that’s somewhat elusive. Maybe it’s taste memory making the ones from my childhood so much “better” in my brain, but I don’t know. When I get them right, I’ll share that one too. In the meantime, this one is a great and easy one.
Optional dipping sauce (never a bad thing) mix another batch of the marinade in a small sauce pan and heat over medium low heat, stirring until well blended. You can add garlic or hot sauce if you like. Don’t use leftover marinade if its touched raw chicken — too risky. Any sauce that’s touched raw chicken should be brought to a low-boil and simmered for 10-15 minutes, add 1/4 cup water and cook until it re-thickens.
Jeff’s variation — I’ve recently started adding about 1 T of sriracha or other hot sauce to the marinade… I’ve also tossed the wings in a mixture of 1 T minced garlic and 1 t minced fresh ginger and 1 t chili flakes right before they go in the oven…. (omit the garlic powder in that case). Both are excellent.
Inspired by Chris Rich
Ingredients
Makes 1 Omelet
Time: 6-8 minutes
Instructions
1) preheat a nonstick pan on medium low
2) in a medium bowl, beat the egg(s) gently with a fork until they form a thoroughly-blended mix that pours back into the bowl in a thin stream when you lift a “forkful” of it
3) add a small pat of butter to the warm pan and swirl just enough butter to lightly coat the pan (if the butter “foams” when you put it in, the pan is too hot), pour off any excess
4) add the egg to the pan, gently swirl the egg to evenly cover the whole bottom of the pan and then keep gently swirling until the egg starts to evenly cook
5) as the omelet begins to solidify ("set-up”), use a silicone spatula to gently pull a little of the edge of the omelet back toward the middle of the pan (this prevents the edge from browning) and then tip or “swirl” a bit of the remaining uncooked egg into the “open” area on the pan. Continue this, pulling at the edge of the omelet, working around the pan in a circle to clear and refill a little new section until most of the loose/uncooked egg has been spread around.
6) When there’s no more loose egg but the top surface of the omelet is still glossy, remove it from the heat and let it “rest” for one minute to finish cooking. If you’re going to add any fillings, do it as soon as you take it off the heat.. Chris likes no fillings. Maybe chives. Add any fillings in a stripe about 2 to 3 inches wide down the center of your omelet/pan. Lightly season with pepper and just a touch of salt.
7) French omelets are folded in thirds (see the picture) — with the help of a nonstick-safe spatula, fold one edge of the omelet across the middle (mostly cover any fillings if you’ve added any), then fold the other edge across almost all the way to the edge of the first fold.
Get your plate ready. Tip the pan up and “pour” the omelet onto the plate, top with some flake salt and a few chopped chives if you wish, and…. Voila.
A buttery/French option: add a little pat of butter to the newly-exposed pan after you’ve made your first fold, this will add a glossy shine to the surface, make the omelet slide out a little easier and taste delicious.
If it doesn’t come out “perfect”… it’s still going to taste like it is!
Note from Jeff Strauss: I LOVE this stuff! It really is the amazing ketchup/salsa replacement that Neela imagined when she invented it. I make it on the stovetop, with a medium-sized, heavy gauge saucepan set on medium low heat to cook the chutney down and thicken it, but this recipe, adapted from Neela’s “The New Indian Slow Cooker” uses, what-else?... the slow-cooker!
Cook-time: two-hours plus 10 minutes prep for slow cooker. About 45 minutes plus prep on the stove-top
INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Turn the slow-cooker on to the high setting for 15 minutes, while you prepare the rest of the ingredients, until the insert is warmed through.
2) Drain the tomatoes in a strainer for a few minutes, then coarsely chop them in a food processor.
3) Being careful to remove or hold the blade in place (ask Strauss’s thumb) Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar, and jaggery to the slow-cooker.
4) In a small saucepan, heat the oil over high heat. (Keep a well-fitting lid nearby). Tilt the pan slightly away from you to form a pool and carefully add the panch puran, kari leaves, and chilis to the oil; cover immediately to avoid splattering.
5) Listen. As soon as they stop sputtering, transfer the oil and the spices to the tomato mixture in the slow cooker. Stir well, cover, and reduce to low heat and cook for 2 hours.
[Strauss’s comment: if using a saucepan, cook over low heat for about 30-45 minutes until slightly thickened]
6) When the chutney has reduced and thickened slightly and the flavors have combined well, transfer it all to a mixing bowl to cool to room temperature. When cooled, stir in the vinegar and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Note: this recipe is too low-acid to be stored for a long time but will keep for a week to ten days if stored in a sterilized jar in the refrigerator. If you’re concerned about food safety, bring the chutney to a gentle boil and let it re-cool to room temperature after it’s been stored for a while.
Serves 6
For hangovers: eggs have needed amino acids, asparagus has compounds that aid in recovery and a little salt helps rebalance electrolytes and the lower-fat presentation is gentle on the stomach. For non-recovery brunches, this is just an awesome and beautiful dish! (That goes great with champagne too!)
Asparagus Puree (can be made a day ahead, stored in refrigerator and re-warmed)
1) “Blanch” asparagus for 2 minutes in a medium pot of lightly salted boiling water then “shock” in water with ice (this keeps the color bright green and the flavor very fresh) pour out hot water
2) In the same medium pot, melt butter and sauté shallots until just translucent, do not brown,
3) Add stock and bring to a boil, remove from heat, add cream and stir
4) Pour liquid into a blender and add cooled/cooked asparagus, cover
5) Blend, starting on low and increasing speed carefully until a smooth, creamy puree is formed
Prosciutto “Crisps” (can be made a day ahead)
1) with nonstick pan at medium-high heat, brush with 1-2 teaspoons of canola oil, lay prosciutto flat and place another pan or “bacon press” on top
2) cook for 2 minutes and check for doneness — should be a deep golden-red brown color and should be crisp
3) cook until brown and crisp then remove to a large plastic container lined with paper towel where prosciutto can lay flat until ready to use
Slow-poached eggs
Using an immersion circulator, sous vide supreme or other constant-temperature method: cook, immersed in water held at 142F for 35 minutes
To finish:
In a small bowl or glass “sorbet” cup, float a shell-less, warm egg in 1/4 cup of the warm asparagus puree. Season with 1t of Argan oil (or other flavorful oil) and season with a dash of flake-salt, a grind of white pepper and a pinch of chives. Top with a sheet of the prosciutto and serve immediately.
Serves 6
The slightly tangy tone of the creme fraiche is a great note with the eggs and the salty caviar. I don’t indulge in things like caviar very often, but when I do, I like to serve it generously to maximize the experience — figure at least a heaping teaspoon per serving if not more. You don’t “need” the fanciest caviar, Tsar Nicolai offers some lovely and reasonable whitefish roes and many people prefer the taste of trout or salmon roe — al can work great. The eggs should never get dry, they should stay glossy with the texture of a soft cottage cheese.
1) Over medium-low heat, melt the butter
2) Crack the eggs into the pan and immediately begin stirring
3) Season with a few grinds of black pepper and then stir steadily to keep the eggs gently cooking
4) When the eggs are about 50% solidified, reduce the heat to low and add about half the creme fraiche and stir to combine…
5) Before the eggs firm-up fully, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining creme fraiche. This stops the cooking process and keeps the eggs from overcooking. Season to taste with a pinch of salt and a little more pepper if desired. Remember that the caviar will also add to the saltiness of the dish and the creamy eggs are better if they are much less salty by comparison.
Place in a teacup or small bowl and top with a generous teaspoonful of caviar and serve immediately.
The Cheeses
1) Langres — a washed rind cow cheese from the region of Champagne-Ardenne. Northern France Near Belgium. A washed rind is the result of the outside is bathed or scrubbed with wine, or salt-water brine as the cheese matures. This encourages good bacteria to grow and both protect and add flavor to the cheese, it also keeps the outside soft. Other “washed rind” cheeses are Epoisse & Taleggio.
2) Chaource Rouzaire — comes from the same part of France as the Langres — Champagne — but from a different village. This is also from cow’s milk. It’s creamy and buttery tasting like brie & camembert and other soft/"white mould" rind cheeses.
3) Midnight Moon — a goat cheese from Cypress Grove, a California Company but this is made in Holland in the style of a Gouda. It’s aged 12 months — a hard cheese with a wax rind.
4) Melkbus Lavender Gouda — a cow’s milk Gouda from Holland. It’s crusted with Lavender and also with rosemary and thyme. It’s a young Gouda — 10 weeks aged.
5) Moliterno Sheep/Goat’s milk cheese with black truffle — a hard cheese from Sardinia. Aged first until it’s semi-soft, then injected with black truffle paste.
6) Vacherin d’ Mont D’or — This one is Swiss from the Jura Mountains on the French border. Washed rind cow cheese made from milk from the end of the season in the areas that produce Comte and other traditional Swiss but when the milk is running out and they can’t produce the huge wheels… they make this. Boxed as it ages in round fir wood strips. Take the top rind of the cheese off and scoop it onto great crusty bread.
7) Beemster XO — 26-month-aged cow Gouda from Holland. Natural rind. Salty grains. A nutty butter-scotch flavor — amazing with full-bodied red wines.
8) Rogue River Blue 2016 — Seasonal from Rogue Creamery in Southern Oregon.
All cheeses were purchased from Cheese Store of Beverly Hills
The Wines
Henriot Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne, non-vintage
Longtable 2012 “The Gathering” Red Blend Mt. Veeder, Napa (Available at Longtable Wines & shipping worldwide at Backroom Wines Napa)
Prep time: 30 minutes or less. Cook time: 3 1/2 hours to “confit”, 30 minutes to crisp and serve.
Ingredients:
Preparation:
1) Using a sharp knife, carefully remove the “drumstick” portion of the wing from the middle/tip – you should have 8 pieces total.
2) Pulse the 6 cloves of garlic and the herbs with the salt in the bowl of a food processor until a coarse, green “dust” has formed. Add the black pepper and pulse until just mixed. Rub the salt mixture over all sides of all parts of the wings until evenly coated and place in a glass, ceramic or enameled container. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight (8-12 hours) to “dry cure”. This will not only infuse flavor into the meat but will draw some water out, concentrating the flavor of the turkey itself. (Note: I often use the enameled cast-iron pot I’ll be cooking in to save on cleanup.)
3) The next morning, preheat the oven to 375F. Remove the wings from the refrigerator, rinse off as much of any remaining herb herbs/salt mixture as you can and pat dry with a paper towel. If you’re using the same pot in the oven, rinse and dry it, too. If using duck fat, melt it over low heat until liquefied and set aside to cool slightly. Place the wing pieces into a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, packing the pieces as close together as possible. Add remaining 2 cloves of garlic. Pour duck fat, olive oil, or combination over wings until wings are fully covered. Cover the wings and the top of the oil with a sheet of parchment paper or foil, then cover the pot with a well-fitting lid and place in the oven. NOTE: you may want to set a rimmed baking sheet under the pot to catch drips in the case your confit bubbles over a little.
4) Reduce the oven temperature to 225F and cook for 3 to 3 ½ hours until the meat is quite tender but not completely falling off the bone. Remove from the oven.
5) Allow to cool for 30 minutes to an hour before handling the turkey. Refrigerate the wing pieces and the oil, stored either together or separately, until needed. (If kept together, fully covered in oil, the meat should keep 2 weeks or more. If kept apart, use the turkey within a few days.)
6) When you’re ready to serve, carefully remove the wings from the oil and roast on a rimmed baking sheet in a 400F oven for 20 minutes, turning once, or in a skillet large enough to hold the pieces in a single layer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally until browned and crisp on all sides. Drain and serve anywhere from piping hot to room temperature,
(A SECRET: there’s a rich and flavorful stock that settles below the oil during Step 4, I separate it and save it to use in soups, stocks or sauces – it freezes too! And strain and save the oil too – it can be used again to make confit or works brilliantly to roast or sauté vegetables or potatoes.)
(From Lisa Ritter, co-founder of Big Sugar Bakeshop, Studio City/Los Angeles)
This recipe is easy to make, versatile, and very good. It requires just enough “to-do-ing” that you feel like an accomplished baker, but never so much that it becomes a chore to produce.
Makes 1 9”x5” loaf
Ingredients
*A note on “very ripe” bananas: These can be seriously ripe — we’re talking well past the point where you would consider eating them out of hand and, really, even beyond smoothie territory.
Preparation
Forks on the Left - Beef Heart Tartare
Serves 4 as appetizer, 1-2 as main
Ingredients:
Preparation:
NOTE: A perfect accompaniment for tartare (as they are the perfect food) are crisp, hot fried potatoes -- I prefer a thick-cut or "steak-fry" style, twice-fried, if possible.