Good Living 123

August 30 is National Mai Tai Day. The timeless rum-based cocktail was created in 1944 by Victor Bergeron (founder of Trader Vic’s) in Oakland, California. The name hails from his Tahitian friends, who said it translates to “out of this world” or “the best.”

Here’s the original Mai Tai recipe.

4 parts gold rum
1 part orange curacao
½ part simple syrup
1 part orgeat syrup
2 parts fresh lime juice
Combine and shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Strain into glass; add crushed ice. Garnish as you choose… mint leaf, twist or round slice of lime, or some other favorite.

Super Simple Beef Stroganoff

Last night we enjoyed dinner with friends and served up Super Simple Beef Stroganoff.

One of our friends is not a mushroom fan, so we kept them separate for his sake and served them tossed with the stroganoff sauce in a separate bowl.

(This recipe is for you, Elaine!)

Stroganoff Preps

Super Simple Beef Stroganoff
Serve simply with crispy onion bread and tossed salad on the side. This recipe can also be cut in half easily.

2 lbs of steak strips
1 tsp salt
2 T olive oil
6 T butter (divided)
2 lg sweet onions, peeled & sliced
1 lb shiitaki and/or cremini mushrooms, sliced
½ tsp minced garlic
2 T flour
2 tsp paprika (sweet or smoky)
1 T Dijon mustard
2 c beef bone broth or stock, whisked with 1 T Better than Bouillon Beef
2 c light cream or half-and-half
1 c sour cream
Ground black pepper, to suit your taste
4-6 T chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Sprinkle beef with salt; heat the oil and 2 T butter in skillet over med-high heat. Add steak strips; stir-fry 3-4 min. Transfer steak with slotted spoon to a large bowl and set aside. Add 2 T butter to pan; add sliced onions; reduce heat to medium; let cook for 5 min, stirring a couple of times. Transfer onions to bowl with steak. Add 2 T butter to pan and the sliced mushrooms and garlic; cook 3-4 minutes till mushrooms have released their moisture and started to brown. Transfer mushrooms to the bowl with steak and onions. Remove pan from heat and whisk in flour, paprika, and a couple spoonfuls of broth. Then whisk in mustard and 1 cup of the broth. Return pan to heat and whisk in remaining broth. Stir over med heat till stock thickens. Reduce heat to low; add the cream; bring to a simmer over med heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the sour cream, beef, onions & mushrooms. Season with pepper. To serve, spoon over hot cooked pasta (egg noodles or rotini) or rice and garnish with parsley. Makes 8 servings.

KISS Tips: Remove steak, onions, and mushrooms from pan with slotted spoon, reserving liquids in pan. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. (Thaw in refrigerator.) This makes a creamy sauce, which we like as pasta absorbs sauce liquids, but you can cut back on the broth for a thicker sauce. You can also keep this warm in a slow cooker, with or without the pasta stirred into the mixture. While cooking steak and veggies, boil water and cook & drain pasta.

Celebrate National Prosecco Day with a Harry’s Bar Bellini with the delightful Italian sparkling wine.

Naturally, we can’t all be in Venice, Italy, and pop into the famed establishment where the classic beverage was first created. However, we can easily make genuine Bellinis at home. Harry’s Bar has a full-time staff member dedicated to pureeing white peaches for their Bellinis.

The official recipe is prosecco, white peach puree, and a touch of raspberry puree. That was added to offset the inconsistent sweetness level of fresh peaches. It’s not served fancy at Harry’s… just in a regular glass and no garnishes.

Version 1.0.0

Enjoy a genuine Bellini or one of my Super Simple modifications. Catch more of my recipes for sparkling wine drinks and tapas treats to serve with bubbly in “Champagne: Facts, Fizz, Food & Fun.”

Super Simple Bellini
In a flute or other glass:
½ shot Peach schnapps
Then fill ½ full with Peach nectar
Fill with champagne

KISS Note: To get the slightly rosy color right, add a bit of raspberry sorbet or puree
Frozen version: Use Peach sorbet rather than Peach nectar.

Celebrate National Grand Marnier Day!

For Sir Ronald, Grand Marnier is his favorite after-dinner drink…

served in a large snifter, of course. I’ll take mine in Crepes Suzette, please. The classic French dessert is served with the famous orange liqueur flambéed, but there are other options.

Super Simple Crepes Suzette
6 pre-made crepes (homemade recipe follows, if you prefer)
Sauce:
½ c butter
¼ – 1/3 c granulated sugar
2 T fine, fresh orange zest
¼ – 1/3 c orange juice (fresh or purchased)
4 T Grand Marnier liqueur
2 T cognac or brandy, optional
1-2 T additional sugar

Garnish options:
Med or fine fresh orange zest
Warmed mandarin orange sections, whole or halved
French vanilla ice cream
Whipped cream

Melt butter in 12” skillet over medium heat. Whisk in sugar and orange zest. Constantly whisking, slowly drizzle in the orange juice. Continue stirring for 3-4 minutes till syrupy. (If not flaming the sauce, add the liqueurs here.) Reduce heat to low. Use 2 forks to lower each crepe into the sauce, turning to moisten both sides. Then place crepe on baking sheet, folding in half and in half again, forming a triangle. Repeat with remaining 5 crepes. Transfer all 6 folded crepes back into the skillet, overlapping as needed. Scrape any sauce collected on the baking sheet into the pan. Sprinkle the additional sugar over the top.

To flambé, add the liqueurs and carefully light with long-handled lighter. Use long-handled spoon to quickly spoon flaming sauce over the crepes for about 30 seconds till flames subside. Transfer crepes to serving plates. Top with remaining sauce from the skillet and garnish, as desired. Serve immediately. Makes 6-8.

KISS Tip: Instead of orange sections, you can also use thin peach slices and/or fresh raspberries for garnishing.

Homemade Crepes
2 lg eggs
3 T sugar
1/8 tsp salt
¾ c flour
½ c milk
¼ c water (or Grand Marnier, for extra flavor)
½ – 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 T melted butter
Additional melted butter for skillet

In medium bowl, whisk eggs till frothy and smooth, before whisking in sugar and salt. Gradually whisk in flour till well combined. Then whisk in milk, water, and extract thoroughly. Finally, whisk in the 2 T melted butter. (Batter can be refrigerated at this point.) To prepare, heat a 6-8” nonstick skillet over med to med-high heat. Brush with melted butter. Add 3 T batter and quickly tilt and swirl pan to evenly distribute batter. Cook just 45-60 seconds (edges will start to curl up). Use long spatula to flip crepe over; cook another 10-15 seconds. Transfer crepe to a baking sheet. Wipe out skillet lightly with a paper towel and lightly brush with butter again. Repeat process with remaining batter. Set crepes aside and make the sauce.  Makes 6-8 crepes.

KISS Tip: Substituting Grand Marnier for the water adds more flavor. Another option is adding 2 T finely grated fresh orange zest.