GREY GARDENS COCKTAIL - SERVED BY "VAL"

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"Would you like to see my new book?" was the message from Heike Kevenhörster, a friend and former colleague from Public Address Press Agency in Hamburg (where I counseled students for many years, as online-"Dear Abby").

"Craft Cocktails by Val"

Two weeks later I found my copy of "Craft Cocktails by Val: Drinks Inspired by Hillary Rodham Clinton", Heike's self-published book, in the mail.

Bartender "Val", the alter ego of Hillary Clinton, played by herself in an episode of "Saturday Night Life", doles out drinks and sympathy to a full-campaign-mode, hyper (and slightly tipsy) "Hillary Clinton" (played by Kate McKinnon).

This hilarious skit, and the catchphrases thrown at us during last year's presidential election campaign, were the inspirations for the cocktails Heike presents in her book.

Hillary fans will appreciate the "Glass Ceiling" (with St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur and lemon balm), "Woman Card" (with raspberry liqueur and cream) or "Shoulder Shimmy" (with gin and cranberry juice)

But her opponents can have their cocktails too: "The Swamp" (with gin and caperberries) and "Bye, bye, Bernie" (with vodka and Blue Curaçao).

Heike, who studied British literature, journalism and history, loves cooking for family and friends, but, also, worked for several years as weekend-chef at Karo Ecke, in one of Hamburg's trendy quarters. One of her hobbies: creating new cocktails.

Heike Kevenhörster (photo: Public Address)

Like many Europeans, she didn't miss a beat of the innuendos of our (seemingly never-ending) election campaign.

Heike dedicated her book "to the 65.844.610 people who voted for the first woman to win the popular vote for President of the United States of America".

Whimsical photo collages, created by American artist Sarah Sole in real time during Clinton's campaign, capture the spirit of each of the 47 cocktails, and make the book a fun read.

Normally, this blog is devoted to my love for baking, especially breads. But "Craft Cocktails by Val" tempted me not only to spend (an outrageous amount of) money on fancy liqueurs, but, also, post about one of Heike's crafty cocktails.

Though I mostly drink beer - the best of all husbands gets migraines from wine, but can split a Dos XX or Guinness with me - I do like a cocktail, when we are in a restaurant. The liquor bottles in our pantry are almost solely used for cooking or baking, and last for a long time.

(This was not always the case: when I was still living in Germany, the growing pile of oversized juvenile sneakers in my mudroom was mysteriously connected to a shrinking level of cooking liquors in my kitchen!)

For Heike's delicious take on a "Long Island Ice Tea", I only needed to buy a bottle of gin, everything else I already had in my pantry. And we drink Earl Grey tea every day.

Grey Gardens

GREY GARDENS (adapted from "Craft Cocktails by Val" by Heike Kevenhörster & Sarah Sole)
(2 servings)

2/3 oz (2 cl) vodka
2/3 oz (2 cl) gin
2/3 oz (2 cl) white rum
2/3 oz (2 cl) tequila blanco
2/3 oz (2 cl) Cointreau (I used triple sec)
1 tsp Earl Grey tea leaves
1 oz (3 cl) fresh lime juice
2/3 oz (2 cl) simple syrup*)
2 oz (6 cl) Coca Cola (or to taste)
ice cubes
2 lime slices, for garnish

*) In small sauce pan, bring to a boil 1/2 cup water with 1/2 cup sugar, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Let cool. The syrup can be stored in a jar with lid for at least 2 weeks in the fridge.

Vodka, gin, white rum and tequila are infused with Earl Grey tea leaves

In a small teapot (or bowl), combine vodka, gin, rum, and tequila. Add Earl Grey leaves to a tea filter or small strainer (I used the filter of my regular teapot), and let them steep in the liquid for 4 minutes.

Tea-infused alcohol mixture

Remove the filter or strainer, and pour the infused alcohol in a shaker. Add Cointreau, lime juice, and simple syrup, and shake on ice. (Or, like I did, simply refrigerate the teapot with the mixture until using).

Fill two Collins glasses (high, straight glasses) with ice cubes, add the tea-infused alcohol and top with coke (to taste, depending on how sweet you like your drink.)

Serve, garnished with a slice of lime.

"Prost!"

PUMPKIN ROLLS WITH RUM FRUITS

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When I came back from my Hamburg trip it started snowing here in Bar Harbor. The thick, wet flakes soon melted from the streets but left the garden a wintery mess - no way to get rid of those pesky maple leaves covering lawn and flower beds now.

The first snow in our street

Hanaâ's ABC-bakers had posted their Cranberry Pumpkin Rolls for November already, but all their appetizing photos convinced me to tackle those little golden rolls, albeit belatedly, too.

Combining pumpkin, cranberries, raisins and crystallized ginger with warm spices like cinnamon and cloves was very tempting (the smell!) and just the right thing for this cold, unfriendly transition from fall to winter.

As ususual, I adapted King Arthur Flour's recipe to my preferences, exchanging a quarter of the white flour with whole wheat, reducing the salt, and, since the crystallized ginger was sugary, also the amount of sugar. Most important, I gave the dried fruits a bath in rum!

Dried fruits for the rum soaker

A slow overnight rise (with less yeast!) allowed the rich ingredients to meld and develop their flavors. And with pumpkin inside - why shouldn't there be pumpkin seed on top, too?

The little, soft rolls were so delicious that we devoured them within two days (I made half the recipe). Thanks to the long, cold fermentation they had a mellow spiciness, and the rum soaked fruits were soft and plump without any harsh alcoholic note.

With jam or just with butter: delicious!

PUMPKIN ROLLS WITH RUM FRUITS (nach King Arthur Flour)
(16 small rolls)

Fruit Soaker:
64 g dried cranberries
64 g golden raisins
53 g crystallized ginger, diced
1/8 cup/60 ml rum

FINAL DOUGH
18 oz/510 g all-purpose flour
2 oz/57 g whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1.4 oz/40 g brown sugar, light or dark
1 tsp./6 g salt
2 1/4 tsp./0.3 oz/7 g instant yeast
6 oz/170 g/3/4 cup canned pumpkin (or homemade*)
rum fruits (with soaking liquid)
2 large eggs
3 oz/90 ml water (or more, depending on the water in the pumpkin)
2 oz/57 g/4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
egg, slightly beaten with a little water, for egg wash
pumpkin seeds, chopped, for topping

*homemade pumpkin puree see Dan Lepard's recipe) 


DAY 1
In the morning:
Mix dried fruits and rum in a small bowl, cover and leave to soak, stirring now and then.

In the evening:
Mix all dough ingredients at low speed (or with wooden spoon) until they come together (1-2 minutes). Let rest for 5 minutes. Knead at mediump-low speed (or by hand) for 6 minutes, adjusting with a little more water or flour as needed (dough should be soft and a bit sticky).

Then work the dough with stretching & folding as described here (S&F 3-4 times).  Place dough in a lightly greased bowl or container, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

After the last S & F the dough is ready for the fridge

DAY 2
Remove dough from refrigerator 2 hours before using. It should have almost doubled in volume, if not, let it rise longer.

Divide dough in equal pieces and shape into rolls

Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide it into 16 equal pieces, roughly 2.75 oz/78 g each. Shape pieces into rolls. Place rolls, smooth side up, on parchment-lined or perforated baking sheets. 

Shaped rolls before rising...

Brush rolls with egg wash and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds, pressing seeds lightly to adhere. Cover, and let rise for about 1 hour, or until they have grown at least 1 1/2 times their original size (finger test: a dimple should remain visible).

Preheat oven to 350ºF/175ºC. No steaming.

....and ready to be baked

Bake rolls for 20 - 25 minutes (rotating pan 180 degrees after half the baking time for even browning), until golden brown (internal temperature at least 190⁰F/90ºC). Turn rolls out onto a wire rack to cool.

Freshly baked - you can eat them warm

Serve warm or at room temperature.

STORAGE: Wrapped in plastic foil, the rolls can be kept at room temperature for three days. Or you can place them in a ziploc bag and freeze them.

For BreadStorm users (also the free version) here the interactive formula to download:
Submitted to YeastSpotting

PANETTONE'S LITTLE COUSINS - PANETTONE MUFFINS

A sprinkling with sparkling sugar adds a nice crunch

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 A hopefully happier New Year (no broken foot, no deer in the car, and no campaign ads!) has begun  - and with it a brand new Avid Baker's Challenge. In 2013 we will throw out combined baking efforts at King Arthur recipes, published on their website.

As a professional bread baker, I use a lot of King Arthur Flours, but in this recipe were some unknown ingredients that made me wonder whether I should spend the extra money, or make do with substitutes.

Our January challenge, Panettone Muffins, requires "Fiori di Sicilia" - Flowers of Sicily, a citrus vanilla essence that is, according to King Arthur, traditionally used to flavor panettone.

After an inner struggle with my thrifty super ego I ordered it - who am I to spurn a time honored Italian tradition! (It better be good - for that price!)

The Cake Enhancer, listed as an optional ingredient, was another matter - no way I would use an additive that wasn't a matter of life or death. And besides - enhancers are for wimps! I dare any cake or bread not to give its best when I bake it.

Apricots, pineapples, prunes, cherries and raisins soaking in a rum-orange mix

For the dried fruit mixture I chose mostly tangy fruits, like pineapple, prunes, tart cherries, apricots and golden raisins. I didn't have quite enough rum to soak them, so I topped it off with orange juice, using the microwave for a flash soaking.

Adding dry ingredients alternating with milk to the butter mixture

Preparing the batter was fast and easy. I changed two things: we don't like it too sweet, so I reduced the sugar. And I exchanged some of the white flour with whole wheat pastry (my favorite flavor enhancer - and anti-staling agent.)

Folding in the soaked fruit

The batter was sufficient to fill the twelve muffin cups almost to the top. A sprinkling of coarse sparking sugar added a nice crunchy topping.

Fresh from the oven

After 18 minutes the muffins were done. They were still rather pale on top, so don't wait for them to turn golden brown - if you do, they will be dry.

The best of all husbands could hardly wait until the muffins were out of the pan, no wonder, they looked really nice and smelled so good. The rum-orange soaked fruit pieces could have been a little more (I was cautious and used only the smaller amount). The muffins had a very delicate citrus flavor from the 1/4 teaspoon of Fiori di Sicilia.

A day later, the muffins tasted even better. And we noticed that they were moister - overnight the liquid from the fruit had permeated the crumb. There was no noticeable alcohol taste, next time I would be probably bolder and make an all-rum soaker.

Here is King Arthur's Panettone Muffin recipe - you can switch between volume, ounces, and metric measures. A very handy tool!

My recommendations:

1. Use the full 9 ounces/255 g of fruits.
2. Reduce the sugar by a quarter or a third - the fruit and sugar topping are sweet, too.
3. Exchange a quarter of the all-purpose with whole wheat pastry or white whole wheat flour.
4. Don't wait for the muffin tops to get a golden color on top - they might get over-baked and dry. 
5. DO WAIT a day before eating them, your muffin will be more flavorful and moister. 

Like their big cousin, the Pannetone Muffins taste better after resting for a day

We Avid Bakers don't bite and welcome company! So, if you'd like to bake along, here is the link to Hanaâ's blog.