Test Kitchen

10 Dec

Posted at 09:00h in Beverages, Cocktails, Dinner Parties & Entertaining, Recipes, Test Kitchen by
Cocktail party: A gathering held to enable forty people to talk about themselves at the same time. The man who remains after the liquor is gone is the host. - Fred Allen Origin The origin of the term “cocktail” itself is rife with rumor and speculation, so we’ll leave that to the drink historians. We are far more concerned with putting the cocktail into practice. However, for reference, the term was included in the magazine The Balance in May 1806: "Cocktail is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters - it is vulgarly called bittered sling and is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion." Description Ah, the cocktail. It is the introduction to “happy hour,” the ice-breaker, the way to finish a long day and start a magnificent evening. Cocktails can be as simple as scotch on the rocks or as complex as one’s imagination will allow, so it is the one type of beverage that allows for utter creativity. Some cocktails have fallen strictly under the umbrella of “girlie,” i.e. the Cosmopolitan, sweet martinis (chocolate et. al.) and fruit-laced concoctions, while others are very “masculine.” Think of the dry martini, gin and tonics or any kind of strong spirit. We tend to stay away from lines of gender demarcation and bring all varieties of cocktails together for our favorite type of gathering: the cocktail party.

16 Oct

Posted at 10:30h in Ingredient Profiles, Recipes, Test Kitchen by
Nobody likes beets Dwight! Why don’t you grow something that everybody does like? You should grow candy! I’d love a piece of candy right now...not a beet. -Michael Scott, The Office Etymology Beta vulgaris (Latin) Origin Beets have been farmed for at least 5,000 years. Ancient growers in the Mediterranean region used them as a storage vegetable to provide sustenance during the winter months. Migration moved them north into Europe, and they were subsequently brought to the United States by European settlers. The sugar beet, which is cultivated for its sucrose, was originally discovered by a German scientist and developed as a sugarcane substitute during the late 18th Century, when sugarcane sources from the West Indies were cut off in Europe. Thankfully for us and all beet lovers, our garden variety table beet has flourished. Description Beets are a root vegetable consisting of leaves which attach to a root bulb. The bulb can vary greatly in size, with table beets being smaller than sugar beets. Despite their high sugar content (table beets contain 10% sugar and sugar beets 20%), they are, much to our delight, a low-calorie food. And if high levels of Vitamin B, C, calcium and folic acid aren’t enough motivation for you to indulge and treat your body to some super-nutrition, their antioxidants called betalain have been studied for their cancer-fighting qualities. Healthy and delicious, beets are arguably one of the most underrated vegetables in the garden. Speaking of gardening, what better place to get to the root of beets than the Black Dirt region of New York’s Hudson Valley? Listen to our tour of Rogowski Organic Farms , where we get our shoes all muddy, pick our dinner right from the ground, and connect with five beet varieties and their veggie friends. We totally dig the farm sounds in that podcast. Types The beet was originally grown for its leafy greens. Leaf beet (more commonly known as Swiss chard) is used mostly for its leaves, and table beets are grown mostly for their roots, though the leaves are also edible. There are several varieties and colors of table beets: Italian heirloom Chioggas are known for their candy cane-like striped appearance, and we think they are absolutely gorgeous. Golden and albino beets are similar to red beets in all aspects except for their red pigment. Bonus: They will not turn your hands purple, but are equally delicious. Smaller beets are more tender; once they grow larger than 3 inches in diameter, they can be too fibrous and tough. For the freshest beets, chose firm ones that still have their tops.