I don’t have much experience with Swiss Summers, but this Summer has been hot!  The past few weeks have regularly reached 30C (86F) and higher, and this particular spoiled American has been used to the luxury of central air for [...]]]>

I don’t have much experience with Swiss Summers, but this Summer has been hot!  The past few weeks have regularly reached 30C (86F) and higher, and this particular spoiled American has been used to the luxury of central air for too many years.  That, along with being one who thrives in cold climates, makes these past few days a bit more challenging for me than they should be.  But I’m getting better, and acclimating slowly but surely.  I remember melting when the temp reached 25C earlier this Spring, and now at 25C I can envision a nice cool mountain breeze caressing my face as the trees gently rustle in the wind, a completely refreshing experience.  As with all things, it’s all relative and about perspective.  As I adjust to non-A/C life, I notice these differences less and less.  I suspect next Summer won’t be an issue at all

However, the hot weather is a PERFECT excuse to escape away to the mountains for some hiking!  I am going to have to make sure to do some trips up to the higher elevations this summer – does anyone have any suggestions for some beautiful hikes up in the Swiss Alps that are a must-do during the Summer months? The mountains in my view aren’t snowcapped anymore, but I would love to see some snowy mountains again, like these off in the distance from an earlier trip to Gruyères a few months ago:

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Read the rest of Refreshing Summer Drinks: Coconut Iced Tea & Coffee (634 words)

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Aperitifs seem to be pretty popular here, and almost every time I have gone out to eat, we socialize and drink from the cocktail menu before ever thinking about ordering food.  It’s a type of restauranting that is very different from what I am accustomed [...]]]>

Aperitifs seem to be pretty popular here, and almost every time I have gone out to eat, we socialize and drink from the cocktail menu before ever thinking about ordering food.  It’s a type of restauranting that is very different from what I am accustomed to in the States.  For one, I have yet to see a sit-down chain restaurant here, and two, no dinner has been under two hours yet, even at the most casual of places.  Contrast that with my myriad experiences in large national chain restaurants in the States, where everything is so rushed that before you even realize it, you are out the door and never really had a chance to think about what your food tasted like.  All of a sudden you realize that you’ve really missed being able to take time to actually enjoy food and the company around you.  Going out to eat can be more than just a way to grab some grub because you don’t want to cook, it can be an experience all in of itself.

Part of that experience has often started with aperitifs, a nice taste to sip on while you start to become tantalized by the beckoning aromas wafting from the kitchen.  One of my favorite drinks that I have had here is a combination of champagne and crème de cassis, a sweet blackcurrant liqueur.  I have a penchant for champagne-based cocktails, mainly because I love how the fizz laughs and dances on my nose every time I lift the glass to my lips.  A dry champagne helps temper the almost sickly sweet of the cassis, and the addition of a little bit of peach nectar really rounds out this drink as well.

Luckily, these drinks are super easy to make at home, and serving drinks with little bites before a meal can help create a social atmosphere for visiting with family and friends.  After all, while eating and tasting delicious food is well and good, it is the memories that we make with each other that we really cherish.  Sometimes it’s better to not focus solely on getting a meal out.  Delay the food for a bit, and enjoy spending a bit of time with each other.

Ingredients (for each serving):
3 oz. champagne brut
1 oz. crème de cassis
1/2 oz – 1 oz. splash of peach nectar (optional, but recommended)

Directions:
1. Open champagne – gently and discreetly keeps the champagne in the bottle.
2.  Pour champagne in a glass, and then add the crème de cassis and peach nectar.  Give it a swirl or stir, and then serve and enjoy.

Ideally one would serve these in cute champagne flutes.  We don’t own any yet, please bear with us as we navigate home and kitchen shopping in a language we really need to learn more of quickly!

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Did I ever mention that I love espresso?  If you know me at all you will know that is a gross understatement.  Coffee (in some form or another) is an absolute necessity in my daily life.  And because of that, I have a lot of fun trying new coffee [...]]]>

Did I ever mention that I love espresso?  If you know me at all you will know that is a gross understatement.  Coffee (in some form or another) is an absolute necessity in my daily life.  And because of that, I have a lot of fun trying new coffee based beverages.  Ever since I saw this listed as a drink on a certain very large national coffee shop chain, I wanted to make it at home.  For one, this homemade latte did not cost me $4!   My version doesn’t really have fewer calories or carbs so I’m not going to many any dramatic health claims, but it is quite tasty, and you can make it in less monstrous serving sizes.  I actually prefer a smaller sized drink than is typically served in such places, but with the same amount of espresso in it, so that the espresso has a bit stronger flavor.

How does espresso and egg nog blend together?  Absolutely wonderfully.  The espresso adds a bitterness and acidity that really helps to cut the egg nog and balance out the drink a bit.  While I love egg nog, it’s often a bit much for me to drink on its own.  I love how egg nog and nutmeg instantly conjures the holiday cheer in everyone and really helps to create that festive atmosphere to a gathering, and this drink is no exception.  I think egg nog is just as justified at Thanksgiving as it is in the December holidays too And besides, what better way is there to enjoy the holidays than with a great yummy latte that you can sit and relax with?

I’ll give a little confession though.  I cheated a bit.  I didn’t make the egg nog from scratch this time.  But I definitely will (Elise of Simply Recipes has a good eggnog recipe, though I’d omit the alcohol when making it for these lattes) when I serve this for holiday get togethers!

This post is also going to be submitted as part of the Holiday Food Fest, for the “Holiday Cocktails, Mocktails and Appetizers” theme coming up in a few weeks hosted by Amy of Simply Sugar and Gluten Free.  Be sure to check out all of the great Holiday Food Fest submissions each week!

Printer Friendly Recipe

Ingredients (for 2 lattes):
your favorite espresso, ground
water for the espresso
pinch cinnamon
1 1/2 c. (12 oz.) light egg nog
freshly ground nutmeg

Directions:
1.  Prepare espresso as you normally would (I use a stovetop espresso maker).
2. Add pinch of cinnamon to the egg nog, and steam the egg nog.  This can be done by heating it up in a small pan on the stove (on med.) stirring often until steaming, or using more convenient devices like a frother on a cappuccino machine or our automatic milk frother.  Even a hot chocolate maker would steam the egg nog well.
3. Fill at least a third  of the mug with espresso, and then the rest with egg nog.  Garnish with some freshly grated nutmeg.  Enjoy!

© Jenn Cuisine, 2009 - 2009. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us

The nights are starting to be a wee bit chilly now that we are heading full force into Autumn here in New England.  ’Tis the time for oversized woolen sweaters, cinnamon sticks, and cuddling up with a good book warmed by the radiating heat of the wood stove. [...]]]>

The nights are starting to be a wee bit chilly now that we are heading full force into Autumn here in New England.  ’Tis the time for oversized woolen sweaters, cinnamon sticks, and cuddling up with a good book warmed by the radiating heat of the wood stove.  I’ve even begun seeing a few pockets of bright orange and red poking their way through the trees that are still trying to hold on to the dog days of summer that were so few and far between this year.  One of my favorite things about coming into Autumn is my almost daily routine of drinking tea.

You see, I LOVE tea.  And I’m not just talking about the plain old boring stuff you get for only $2.00 a box in the grocery store.  I am talking about tea that isn’t bitter, but that you can savour sip by everlastingly flavorful sip.  Most people think tea must consist only of tea leaves, but to think so is to be a bit naïve about the world of tea.  Tea can be made from just about anything.  For example, I made tea from fresh lemon balm a while back, which I enjoyed immensely.  Many herbal teas include flowers or spices or other great additions that can create a little glass of heaven when some hot water is added.

So far my newest favorite tea is this blend from Teavana, which is a mixture of the Sweet Amore Rooibos and Strawberry Paraiso White teas. The rooibos tea has the perfect blend of all of my favorite fall flavors – cinnamon, vanilla, almonds, it’s wonderful.  The white tea, however, is very fruity, with flower petals, actual dried strawberries, and other fruits that look like candied dates.  But what really surprised me was the popcorn!  I still have no idea really why there is popcorn in this tea blend?  What flavor does it impart?  I’m not really sure.  But either way, the combination of these two flavor blends is amazing – perfectly relaxing and calming with the right blend of warm Fall spices and refreshing fruity and flowery aromatics.

Brewing tea is very simple.  The main trick is to use good quality whole leaves, and don’t overbrew it.  Other than that, it really takes little effort at all, and you can be instantly transformed into a place in my mind full of Zen-like tranquility.  Ah another relaxing night with my favorite tea, a great evening!

How to brew the perfect cup of tea:

1. Buy your favorite loose leaf tea.
2. Start heating up some water in a tea kettle.  Let the water in the tea kettle heat up to the proper temperature – you NEVER want to pour boiling water directly onto your tea unless you are brewing a black tea – otherwise you will release too much of the tannins and the tea will taste bitter.
3.  Have your tea pot ready.  Pour a little of the hot water into the pot, and then add your tea leaves, either into a mesh container or directly into the pot if your tea pot has a strainer on the spout.  Use a healthy sized pinch per cup of tea.  By adding the water first you will help the leaves wet and start releasing flavor better.
4. Pour the rest of the hot water into the pot.  Let steep for the appropriate time depending on the type of tea.
5.  Pour into tea cup and serve.  Add a bit of sugar or honey to sweeten, or some steamed milk (which is especially good with chai)

P.S.  This post was not endorsed in any way by Teavana or Amazon.  All opinions are my own, I received no compensation whatsoever from providing such a post or my opinions.

© Jenn Cuisine, 2009 - 2009. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us

This drink was also featured on Giada’s show, just like the Nonna Luna’s Rice that I just made, and is as pretty to look at as it is to drink!  Well, sort of.  Giada used blueberries instead of raspberries.  But it is the height of raspberry season right now, [...]]]>

This drink was also featured on Giada’s show, just like the Nonna Luna’s Rice that I just made, and is as pretty to look at as it is to drink!  Well, sort of.  Giada used blueberries instead of raspberries.  But it is the height of raspberry season right now, and blueberries are still coming into their own – they won’t peak here for a couple weeks yet.  While raspberries complement a good dark chocolate really well (and is one of my favorite food combinations ever), they also happen to pair magnificently with lemons.  This cool spritzy drink is super refreshing on a hot summery afternoon, and is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser for your guests!

Printer Friendly Recipe
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:
Fresh raspberries
A couple sprigs of mint
2 parts lemon flavored sparkling mineral water
1 part Limoncello liqueur

Directions:
1. At least an hour ahead of time, put raspberries in the freezer.  Alternatively, you could use frozen raspberries, but freezing the fresh ones keeps them from being so runny.
2. Add a couple of crushed small leaves/pieces of mint to each glass and add some frozen raspberries – these will serve as your ice cubes!
3. Add limoncello, then sparkling water.
4. Enjoy!

If you want this drink to be non-alcoholic, I would do 2 parts lemonade to 1 part sparkling water.  The limoncello is a lot stronger in flavor than lemonade would be, and so if you make this with lemonade instead you are going to need more.

The original recipe uses a much higher proportion of limoncello than I listed here.  Feel free to change this to your taste.  It was a bit too much limoncello for my taste that way, and felt that there was plenty of lemony flavor the way I listed it here.  I am sure the lemon flavored spritzy water helped keep it from tasting diluted.  Also, using the raspberries for ice cubes helps too.

Wonderfully, there were no gluten issues with this drink, which my husband really appreciated!!

© Jenn Cuisine, 2009 - 2009. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us

If I am not making a latte, I am often making beautifully aromatic coffee with my French press.  I love using a French press – no counter-space required, no fancy machinery, just some hot water.  The average one will run you $20-$30, that’s it.  And in my opinion, using a French press correctly will result in a [...]]]>

If I am not making a latte, I am often making beautifully aromatic coffee with my French press.  I love using a French press – no counter-space required, no fancy machinery, just some hot water.  The average one will run you $20-$30, that’s it.  And in my opinion, using a French press correctly will result in a better, stronger, and tastier coffee than traditional filter/drip methods.  This is because you brew the coffee with the grounds free floating in your water, giving them as much contact area and time as possible to release their flavor into your drink.

Of course the first step to an awesome cup of coffee is awesome coffee beans.  Currently I have some coffee that my dad brought me back from a recent trip to Brazil.  I’m sorry, but no matter what you do with bad flavorless coffee, you just can’t magically make it become awesome.  However, if you have decent beans, it will make a huge difference.

Next you need to grind your beans if they are not already ground (if you can, buy whole beans and grind them fresh each time, because they will retain their flavor longer – pre-bought ground beans tend to lose flavor quicker).  Fill your French press with the ground coffee – my press tends to fill about 3 mugs worth and this is how much I fill mine 1-2 cm:

Now all you need is some hot water, which is easy for me since I have a tea kettle that permanently lives on my stove.  Heat the kettle until the water is just starting to boil, and then pour over your coffee grounds.  Good coffee will develop a nice “crema” and some of the grounds will float to the surface.  A crema is typically associated with espresso brewing, but most everyone I know who uses a French press refers also to the crema formed by making their plain old coffee this way as well.  Crema refers to that foam that builds on the top layer of your coffee.  Let your French press sit like this for at least 5 but I typically let it go for closer to 10 minutes.  This will allow the flavor to develop in your coffee.

See the crema here – sometimes creamy will be more frothy, sometimes more foamy like this – I think that’s a function of the specific coffee you use:

Once the grounds have steeped enough, push the plunger in the lid piece all the way down to push the coffee grounds down to the bottom.  Now when you pour your coffee it will be filtered from the grounds.  Just pour into your favorite mug and prepare like you normally would – cream, sugar, etc.  Yum!

I also use my French press for brewing loose leaf tea, because the filter is perfect for straining tea leaves after steeping!

© Jenn Cuisine, 2009 - 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is an herb that I purchased last week at the farmer’s market – it’s a member of the mint family, but when you crush the leaves it releases this fresh lemony scent it’s great.

Lemon balm is a plant native to the Mediterranean region, and has been used in cultures dating back [...]]]>

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is an herb that I purchased last week at the farmer’s market – it’s a member of the mint family, but when you crush the leaves it releases this fresh lemony scent it’s great.

Lemon balm is a plant native to the Mediterranean region, and has been used in cultures dating back to the ancient times.  Supposedly it has a lot of medicinal properties.  If you rub the leaves on your skin it is supposed to ward of mosquitos, and if you ingest it it is supposed to have antiviral/antibacterial characteristics, as well as be calming (like chamomile).

I had purchased some originally to go into my strawberry compote that I used for French toast last weekend – because lemony goodness was meant to be married to strawberries in my opinion, and in this case, I was definitely right!  That compote was so awesome I could just eat it plain (and did haha!)

But I kept reading about making tea with lemon balm, and it was intriguing.  After a long stressful day trying to work on some projects for work, I decided to give it a try, and see if lemon balm tea was as calming and relaxing as it’s claimed to be.  I put my kettle on the stove and heated the water up to just before boiling.  This is typically the temp. I will get my water to when making tea.  I find if the water is boiling when making tea, tea tends to come out too bitter.  So I just went with how I normally go when brewing.

Since I only had enough lemon balm leftover for one cup, I used this single serve cup for steeping loose leaf tea – I let the leaves dry out all day, and then in the evening, I chopped up the lemon balm, poured the hot water over it, and let it steep for about 5 minutes.  After which, I removed the leaves and added in a little bit of honey.

The result? This tea tasted fantastic, and indeed was extremely calming and relaxing.  It put me in the perfect zen place for the rest of the evening and was just what I needed to sit and focus on my work.  If you ever find some lemon balm, I highly recommend making this herbal tea!

Hmm I wonder if I could read my fortune in those leftover tea leaves…

© Jenn Cuisine, 2009 - 2009. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us

Actually, the word chai is kinda redundant, since in Hindi, chai = tea.  However, in America, chai has become synonymous with a specific set of flavors mixed together in a somewhat sweet milk based tea.  And while I LOVE Starbuck’s tea lattes (especially the London Fog one, before which I never thought I’d ever [...]]]>

Actually, the word chai is kinda redundant, since in Hindi, chai = tea.  However, in America, chai has become synonymous with a specific set of flavors mixed together in a somewhat sweet milk based tea.  And while I LOVE Starbuck’s tea lattes (especially the London Fog one, before which I never thought I’d ever like earl gray tea), I don’t like paying $3.30 each time I want one.  This way takes a little bit of time, but I would argue is much better than what you’d get at Starbucks, and probably slightly more authentic.  Not sure about the specific way to make it, but this is what I do that makes a fairly yummy serving of tea:

Ingredients (for two servings):
16 oz. milk (I’m a Stonyfield 2% girl)
2 tbsp. fine quality black tea (I have some assam tea my dad brought back to me from one of his recent trips to India)
2 clove
decent sized pinch each of cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger (can be altered to reflect your tastes)

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, heat up milk on med-high heat, stirring often enough so that it doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan.
2. Once it is steaming, add in all your tea ingredients.  You can do this from the beginning, it doesn’t really matter, the tea doesn’t release it’s flavor until it’s hot anyways.
3. Keep at steaming (don’t let it boil) for another minute or two, until it gets a little frothy.
4. Pour in a teapot with a filter for loose leaf tea.  Keep steeping until desired strength.  Fill your travel mug, or serve and enjoy!

You will notice I don’t have any sweetener in here.  If you need a little something, feel free to add in some honey or some sugar in the raw (I’ve found plain old white sugar just doesn’t taste the same).  According to one of my best friends who has a lot of family in India, traditionally, chai is not served as a sweetened beverage – though if you look at this wikipedia article here, it appears it is.  Maybe someone can clear this up for me.

Now I have a beautiful delicious chai tea latte, for what – $.50 instead of $3.30.  Not bad!

This probably did not take any longer than it would take to stop at a Starbucks, order my drink, pay, and then wait for my drink to be made.  Haha, it always makes me laugh any time I go into a Starbucks with a drive through, I will get out of my car and walk in and order, and by the time I get my drink and leave, the car that was at the end of the line in the drive through has only moved up like 2 spots and STILL hasn’t even ordered yet.  I love how people automatically think drive-through = convenience, when a lot of the time it can leave you waiting even longer than if you just took the effort to park the car and walk in. Ha oh well, sometimes people just make me laugh.

Note – I usually try not to go to Starbucks, because their coffee is often over-roasted, and it’s a big chain that doesn’t understand how to properly expand their franchise without losing business, and has a history of issues with environmentally friendly practices despite their “crunchy granola atmosphere”, though I do have to admit they are trying somewhat.  But they STILL don’t even have compostable coffee cups!  Even the small local chains here have no problem selling coffee in 100% biodegradable single use cups.  I much prefer to go to local chains instead and put money into the local economy here – except when I want a tea latte, because no local place makes them yet, sadly.

Oh comment on the teapot – I bought it a couple of weeks ago at Origins for $6.  It’s so cute and I love the bright and happy yellow color!

© Jenn Cuisine, 2009 - 2009. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us

I made my attempt of my own version -

Here is how:

I boiled about 2cups of water with some sliced ginger (guess 1/4 cup?), some agave syrup, and some green tea and white tea bags, after boiling, I let it [...]]]> So one of my favorite restuarant/cafes in town makes this awesome ginger ale from scratch.  It’s fantastic.

I made my attempt of my own version -

Here is how:

I boiled about 2cups of water with some sliced ginger (guess 1/4 cup?), some agave syrup, and some green tea and white tea bags, after boiling, I let it steep a bit.

I chopped up some mint, and sliced a lime.

I poured the tea mixture about 1/4 the way in a glass, added some ice cubes, some mint and squeezed the lime slices and dropped them in, and then filled the rest w/ sparkling water and stirred it all together.

I could probably make about 4 drinks like this with the amount of ginger/tea mixture that I made.

And my awesome Michael Aram stirrers I thought went great with the drink!

© Jenn Cuisine, 2009 - 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us

It came out alright, I dont think I packed enough espresso in, I also think I put too much water in, and skim milk is definitely NOT awesome in a latte….but I have confidence it will improve in the next few tries!

I don’t own an espresso machine, I [...]]]> I made my first homemade latte today !

It came out alright, I dont think I packed enough espresso in, I also think I put too much water in, and skim milk is definitely NOT awesome in a latte….but I have confidence it will improve in the next few tries!

I don’t own an espresso machine, I have a stovetop espresso maker and an automatic milk steamer/frother.

The stovetop espresso maker is by Bialetti, and the automatic frother is a Nespresso Aeroccino.  These two items together are much more affordable than an espresso machine, and I feel very versatile.  The average stovetop espresso maker runs around $30, and the automatic milk frother was $90.  These items are also much friendlier to the limited counter space that I have compared to what an espresso machine would be, which is also important in our tiny kitchen.

Also, the milk frother is awesome for hot chocolate. too….seriously all you do it pour in the milk, put it on the stand that you see in the pic, and push the button.  That’s it!

© Jenn Cuisine, 2009 - 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us