Don't Take Me for POMEGRANATE This Christmas

I love cocktails that are fizzy, simple, and almost savory in profile - especially during the Holiday season, when it seems that every party or gathering I attend is chock full of overly sweet eggnog or cranberry based drinks that are only good for ensuring a hangover the next day. So, I’ve devised the perfect holiday cocktail that is not only pretty, color appropriate, but is also clean, delicious, and high in antioxidants to help ensure a morning after sans headache. This “Don’t Take Me for POMEGRANATE This Christmas” cocktail falls under the category pf CLEAR & BRIGHT - Something light, effervescent that is the perfect aperitif before dinner, and particularly pretty, delicious to hold while mingling at a party.

Don’t Take Me for Pomegranate This Christmas 

(Clear, Bright)

2 oz Rock Town Distillery small batch vodka

3 basil leaves

Ice

1 squeeze fresh lemon

1 oz. Mountain Valley sparkling water

Garnish of 12 pomegranate seeds

Technique –

Clear Collins Glass – layer vodka, basil, ice, lemon, sparkling water, pomegranate seeds, stir 12 times

Be sure to watch me make this beautiful cocktail Christmas Eve on Good Day NWA at 12:30pm - Cheers!

Chocolate Christmas Cuddle in a Cup

When imbibing with friends, family during the Holidays, I like to consider TWO categories of cocktails; so check out this simple party planning idea that is certain to help make this the best Holiday ever!

1)      Clear & Bright – Something light, effervescent as the perfect aperitif before dinner; or that will be pretty, delicious to hold while mingling at a party

2)      Warm & Cozy – Something hot, rich as a welcoming warm up as guests arrive; or that will be ideal for cuddling up with that special someone in front of a fire or to watch an old holiday favorite movie.

Chocolate Christmas Cuddle in a Cup

(Warm & Cozy)

2 oz Rock Town Distillery Arkansas bourbon whiskey

2 oz. Markham & Fitz drinking chocolate

2 shakes orange bitters

Marshmallow - Toasted

Garnish of chocolate shaving, orange zest, nutmeg

Technique –

Handled glass or mug – layer bourbon, drinking chocolate, bitters, marshmallow; then top with shavings, orange zest, nutmeg

Chocolate Christmas Cuddle in a Cup - Be Sure to watch how we make this drink on Christmas Eve at 12:30pm on Good Day NWA!

Wonder Woman of the High South - Paula Jo Henry

Who; Paula Jo Henry

Where: Crepes Paulette, Bentonville

What: Pumpkin Cheesecake (Fausse) Mousse

Dighero’s Insights: Paula Jo Henry might be the hardest-working woman in the food biz of Arkansas – first, as owner and operator of the Crepes Paulette food truck, undeniably the most coveted culinary experience of its time at the Bentonville Farmers Market, and now, guiding that success into the award-winning brick and mortar paradigm of the same name, also located in Bentonville. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake (Fausse) Mousse

Pumpkin butter ingredients:

3 ½ cups steamed, pureed sugar pumpkin (or canned pumpkin)

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon allspice

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Pinch of salt

1 ½  to 2 cups water

Technique:

Preheat oven to 450. Mix all ingredients until smooth (mixture should be “soupy”). • Pour into greased 8” x 8” pan. • Bake for 20 minutes. • Remove from oven and stir. • Repeat this step two more times, until liquid has evaporated, leaving a creamy, smooth paste. • Let cool.

Mousse ingredients:

2 cups heavy whipping cream (cold)

1/3 cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

½ cup cream cheese

¾ cup pumpkin butter

Cinnamon

Speculaas cookies (or other buttery, crisp cookie), crushed

Technique:

Combine the cream, powdered sugar and cream of tartar in a pre-chilled bowl and whip to hard peaks (1 to 2 minutes on high with electric mixer). • Place in refrigerator. • Gently warm the cream cheese in double boiler or microwave and whip until smooth. • Add the pumpkin butter and mix until fully incorporated. • Retrieve the whipped cream from the refrigerator and fold in the pumpkin mixture with a large rubber scraper until just uniform. Do not overmix. • Keep in the refrigerator until serving. • Serve topped with a little cinnamon and a generous sprinkling of fine cookie crumbs.

  Makes 10 half-cup servings.

 Paula says to load mousse into a piping bag or Ziploc with a frosting tip of your choice and “pipe” into stemmed champagne or wine glasses.

Full Article Here: https://www.citiscapes.com/eats-drinks

Wonder Woman of the High South - Crescent Dragonwagon

Who: Crescent Dragonwagon

What: A Salad for Fall

Dighero’s Insights: There are those in life who inspire by merely breathing the same air as we do. Crescent Dragonwagon is one of those people. Her positive, sincere energy has been a welcome addition to the High South food scene since her recent move to Fayetteville from Vermont. Her reputation as award-winning cookbook author and owner of the iconic Dairy Hollow House Inn in Eureka Springs precedes her. And, we’re thrilled to have her in the folds of our community, teaching at Brightwater, sipping tea at the Fayetteville Public Library and even leading fierce writing workshops in her home. Her recipes are delicious, smart and narrative in nature – guaranteed to make you a better person when you make them this holiday season.

 

A Salad for Fall

Ingredients:

4 to 5 small, or 2 to 3 large, fresh beets (ideally, mixed varieties), scrubbed
1 recipe Sesame-Raisin Vinaigrette, recipe follows
1 head red leaf lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried

1 head romaine lettuce, base removed, washed and dried, sliced crosswise with a very sharp knife no more than an hour before serving
1 small red onion, sliced paper thin
3 ounces good-quality blue or Roquefort cheese (we used Maytag at the inn), crumbled; optional, may be omitted or served on the side for vegans

½ cup toasted walnuts

1 crisp, tart apple, cored but unpeeled, cut into small matchstick-size pieces

Technique:
1. Up to four days in advance, cook the beets – fold them into a piece of foil, sealing tightly, and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until tender-crisp. (Alternatively, you may steam the beets, or slice them and roast the slices; in any case, you want them cooked but not watery, and still with texture). Peel the cooked, cooled beets; dice into ¼-inch cubes.
2. Up to four hours before serving, toss the diced beets with 2 to 3 tablespoons Sesame-Raisin Vinaigrette.
3. Compose the salad as follows: line a platter, or individual plates, with the red leaf lettuce leaves. Top with the sliced romaine. Scatter the beets, onion, blue cheese, walnuts and apple pieces over the salad. Drizzle with some of the remaining dressing, passing additional at table.

Sesame-Raisin Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

½ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup agave syrup or honey

1/3 cup dark raisins, preferably Manuka
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¾ cup peanut oil
¼ cup toasted sesame oil

Technique:

Note: Must be prepared in a food processor. Make sure toasted sesame oil is nice and fresh; if it has been sitting on the shelf, it is likely rancid and should not be used.

 Place all ingredients except the oils in the processor, and buzz until the raisins are pureed to a dark, evil-looking paste. Then, with the machine running, gradually drizzle in the oils until the whole is emulsified. Taste for salt and sweetness, possibly adding a bit more agave or salt.

To toast sesame seeds:
In a small heavy skillet, watching constantly, toast the sesame seeds over medium heat until they begin to pop, are golden-brown, and give off fragrance. Shake the pan and stir as they toast; they burn if left unattended. Toasting should take 2 to 4 minutes, max.

 The dressing can be made up to a week in advance; the vegetables can be prepped as noted in recipe. But don’t assemble the salad until just before serving.

 Crescent says that this dish was a regular on the Thanksgiving menu back when she and her late husband owned Dairy Hollow House Inn – a country inn and restaurant that brought “nouveau’zarks” to the Eureka Springs area back in the late ‘80s.