HOME & LIVING
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2021
TAHINI
Continued from Page B1
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons avocado oil or
extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tablespoon chopped mint
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh
chives (or green onion tops)
1. Set 1 hatch or poblano chile directly
over a gas burner or a hot grill, or under a
hot broiler, turning often, until chile skin
blisters and blackens, about 5 minutes
total. Cool, then peel off the blackened
skin, remove the seeds and rinse under
cool water. Chop.
2. Put 7 1/2 ounces of beans, 1/4 cup
tahini, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt
and the juice of 1/2 a lime juice into a
blender. Add 1/2 of the roasted chile and
1/3 cup water. Blend smooth. Taste for
spice and add remaining chile if desired
and blend smooth. Consistency should
be that of creamy salad dressing; to thin,
add a little more oil or water.
3. Cover and refrigerate for several
days. Use at room temperature.
LAMB CHOPS
WITH GREEN
CHILE TAHINI
SAUCE
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes
Makes 3 to 5 servings
2 pounds lamb chop loins,
about 9 to 10 chops
Salt
COCKTAILS
Continued from Page B1
A quick hit of simple syrup
softens the tanginess of the citrus
juices, and a tablespoon of orange
liqueur rounds the drink’s edges.
Grenadine is added, too, just to
make it pretty.
If you fl oat the 151 rum on
top, you can light it on fi re. That’s
always fun, but if you try to drink
it too soon it can be dangerous.
Not just dangerous — scary.
Pomegranate Rum Punch is
both full-fl avored and refreshing,
and is made in a large enough
batch to be a hit at a Halloween
party.
The blood-red color comes
from pomegranate juice, and
so does the primary fl avor. But
strong hibiscus tea adds charming
fl oral notes, with cinnamon pro-
viding a touch of exotic spice and
spiced rum bringing an alluring
kick.
Fresh-squeezed orange juice is
ut
ndi- a mild counterpoint to the pome-
40 granate, and the punch is turned
just immediately eff ervescent with a
ter. bottle of prosecco.
The next cocktail I made,
Witches’ Brew, is just a lot of fun.
eet It is a bright neon green, courtesy
ll of Midori melon liqueur, which
h. blends remarkably well with an
he orange liqueur, such as Cointreau
er. or Triple Sec.
Those liqueurs are both on the
ar- sweet side, so the Witches’ Brew
a adds fresh lemon juice to create a
en sweet-and-tart combination that is
unusually pleasant.
en. For Halloween, we added a bit
turn of dry ice to create that smoky
cauldron eff ect. It isn’t fright-
ala- ening, but it’s diverting.
The next two cocktails I made
nd
are pitch black, which is admit-
e tedly a great look for Halloween.
back. Both are made with black
il
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup green chile tahini sauce,
see recipe in notes
1/2 cup cooked or canned
white beans (4 ounces)
Chopped roasted green chiles, for garnish
Fresh chives, for garnish
1. Pat 9-10 lamb chops dry and place
on a baking sheet. Sprinkle all sides
generously with salt and pepper. Drizzle
both sides with olive oil and refrigerate
uncovered for up to 2 days.
2. Prepare a charcoal grill until coals
are covered with gray ash or preheat a
gas grill to medium-hot. Remove chops
from the refrigerator. Gather all ingredi-
ents to the work surface.
3. Place chops over heat source on
grill. Cover and grill for 4 minutes. Flip
chops; close grill and cook to medium-ra-
re, 2-3 minutes more. Remove to a platter.
4. To serve, put 2 or 3 chops on each
serving plate. Drizzle chops and the
serving plate with some of the green
chile tahini and olive oil. Sprinkle with
beans, chiles and chives.
MAPLE TAHINI
GLAZE
Prep 10 minutes
Makes about 1/2 cup
To use this as a salad dressing, double
the lemon juice and add 1/4 cup
olive oil. Use on crisp romaine or over
a wedge of iceberg. Sprinkle with
chopped nuts and blue cheese.
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
Grated rind of 1/2 lemon
3 tablespoons water
vodka, which is a problem. There
is only one brand in the world that
makes black vodka, Blavod, and it
can be hard to fi nd this side of Chi-
cago. So I made my own.
Black vodka is just vodka that
is colored black. All I did was
take plain vodka and added food
coloring to it. I couldn’t easily
fi nd black food coloring (black gel
coloring would be even better, but
black writing gel for cakes does
not work), so I just kept adding
blue, red and green food coloring
to the vodka in small amounts
until it essentially turned black.
I used the black vodka to make
a Black Magic cocktail, which is
simple yet delicious. It, too, is a
sweet-and-tart drink, of the most
elemental sort. Along with the
essentially fl avorless vodka, all it
has is a squeeze of lime juice and
an equal amount of simple syrup.
Sweet, meet tart.
The black vodka makes it look
cool, and a swirl of edible pearl
dust (it’s used for baking) adds a
mystery of white specks.
The other drink using black
vodka is called a Black Heart
Cocktail, and it is amazing — if
you like fi gs.
I love fi gs, but I had not even
heard of fi g vodka. Neverthe-
less, it exists, and a Black Heart
Cocktail mixes a tablespoon of it
with a tablespoon of black vodka
and three tablespoons of crème
de cassis, the liqueur made from
blackcurrant berries. A few drops
of dry vermouth help to cut the
sweetness.
It makes an exceptional, per-
fectly balanced drink for any fall
or winter day.
My fi nal cocktail takes a
classic and adds an autumnal
twist. A Cider Sidecar takes the
cognac, Cointreau and lemon
juice that makes up a traditional
Sidecar and adds a hefty helping
of fresh apple cider.
ys
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nd
THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD — B3
Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch-TNS
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter,
at room temperature
1 1/3 cups light brown sugar
1/3 cup tahini
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup chopped sesame honey cashews
or dry-roasted unsalted cashews
5 1/2 ounces best-quality white
chocolate broken into bits or chips
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
Coarse salt, for garnish
Kristen Mendiola/The Daily Meal-TNS
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Makes 48 small bars or 24 medium bars
Be sure the butter is soft for easy
mixing. Sesame honey cashews are
available at Trader Joe’s. You can also
use chopped bits of sesame brittle or
any dry-roasted nut.
2 1/3 cups all-purpose fl our
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahren-
heit. Line a 13-by-9 inch baking pan with
foil. Spray lightly with nonstick spray or
brush lightly with oil.
2. Mix 21⁄3 cups all-purpose fl our, 1 tea-
spoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon
salt in a small bowl.
3. Beat 2 sticks of room-temperature
butter in a large bowl with an electric
mixer until light and fl uff y. Beat in 11⁄3
cups brown sugar and 1⁄3 cups tahini
until smooth. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla,
then beat in 2 eggs, one at a time, until
smooth.
4. With the mixer on low, beat in fl our
mixture just until incorporated. Use a
spoon to stir in 1 cup chopped nuts and 5
1/2 ounces white chocolate.
5. Transfer batter to prepared pan, then
use an off set spatula to spread into an
even layer. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons
sesame seeds and a few generous pinch-
es of coarse salt.
6. Bake until the edges start to pull
away from the sides of the pan and the
top is golden, 30-35 minutes. Cool on a
wire rack for 10 minutes.
7. Use foil to lift the bars from the pan
and let cool completely on the wire rack.
Cut into small bars. Store in a covered
container for several days.
BLACK MAGIC
COCKTAIL
BLACK HEART
COCKTAIL
Yield: 1 serving
Yield: 1 serving
1/2 ounce black vodka, see note
1/2 ounce fi g vodka
1 1/2 ounces creme de cassis
Dash of dry (white) vermouth
Note: Black vodka is made by Blavod,
but it can be hard to fi nd. Make your
own by adding black food coloring
or gel into a bottle of vodka, a few
drops at a time, and shaking until
it becomes black. Or add blue, red
and green food coloring or gel into a
bottle of vodka, a few drops at a time,
and shaking until it becomes black.
Creamy lemon hummus.
Put all ingredients in a small bowl and
stir until combined. The glaze should be
about the consistency of barbecue sauce.
Refrigerate covered up to several days.
ROASTED
ZUCCHINI WITH
MAPLE TAHINI
AND PISTACHIOS
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Makes 4 servings
This is also great as a glaze for blanched
green beans. Coat the beans in oil, then
a few tablespoons of the glaze and roast
until glazed, about 10 minutes.
2 large zucchini, total 1 1/2 pounds
Olive oil
Salt
1/4 cup maple tahini glaze,
see recipe in notes
Toasted crushed pistachios,
hazelnuts or pecans
The cider makes it a diff erent
drink altogether. Instead of tasting
like a cocktail, it becomes an
apple-cider drink with a mellow
alcoholic warmth.
I added a pair of eyeballs to
mine, made out of lychee nuts
and blueberries. You know, to
be scary.
CIDER SIDECAR
Yield: 1 serving
2 ounces apple cider
2 ounces cognac
1 ounce Cointreau or other orange
liqueur (Grand Marnier, triple sec)
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
Strip of lemon zest
Brandied or maraschino cherries
2 blueberries, optional
2 lychee nuts, optional, see note
Note: Lychee nuts are available canned
in international food stores.
1. Place cider, cognac, Cointreau and
lemon juice in a cocktail shaker. Add ice,
cover and shake until the shaker feels very
cold to the touch, about 20 to 30 seconds.
Strain into a glass and top with zest and
cherries.
2. If desired, place blueberries into
lychee nuts to form “eyeballs” and serve
with drink.
Per serving: 290 calories; no fat; no
saturated fat; no cholesterol; no protein;
25 g carbohydrate; 23 g sugar; 1 g fi ber;
17 mg sodium; 7 mg calcium
— Adapted from Country Living
POMEGRANATE
RUM PUNCH
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
convection or 400 degrees Fahrenheit
conventional. Cut 2 large zucchini length-
wise into 1/3-inch-wide slabs. Turn the
slabs and cut into 1/3-inch-wide sticks.
Put onto a baking sheet. Toss with oil to
coat well. Season with salt.
2. Roast zucchini, stirring once or twice,
until nearly tender, about 10 minutes.
Toss the zucchini with the maple tahini
glaze to coat pieces lightly. Roast until the
glaze starts to turn golden, 5-15 minutes
more, depending on the oven. Serve hot
sprinkled with crushed pistachios.
SESAME CASHEW
AND TAHINI
BLONDIES
2 1/2 ounces black vodka, see note
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup, see note
Edible pearl dust, optional, see note
Notes: Black vodka is made by Blavod,
but it can be hard to fi nd. Make your
own by adding black food coloring
or gel into a bottle of vodka, a few
drops at a time, and shaking until
it becomes black. Or add blue, red
and green food coloring or gel into a
bottle of vodka, a few drops at a time,
and shaking until it becomes black.
To make simple syrup, boil
together equal amounts of water
and granulated sugar, stirring
occasionally, until the sugar dissolves;
can be stored in a clean jar in the
refrigerator for several months.
Edible pearl dust can be found
at baking supply stores or in the
baking aisle of craft stores. Do not
use similar products that do not
specifi cally say they are edible.
Place black vodka, lime juice and
simple syrup in a cocktail shaker, add
ice and shake until cold. Sprinkle edible
pearl dust in bottom of a martini or coupe
glass. Strain in drink. Add more pearl dust
if it is not shimmery enough; stir with a
bar spoon to combine it.
Per serving: 207 calories; no fat; no
saturated fat; no cholesterol; no protein;
12 g carbohydrate; 11 g sugar; no fi ber; 1
mg sodium; 3 mg calcium
— Recipe from elletalk.com
WITCHES’ BREW
Yield: 12 servings
4 hibiscus tea bags
1 small cinnamon stick, smashed
3 cups pomegranate juice
1 cup spiced rum
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 (750 ml) bottle prosecco or other
sparkling wine, chilled
Pomegranate seeds, for serving
1. Place tea bags and cinnamon stick in
a large measuring cup. Add 1 cup boiling
water; let steep 5 minutes. Strain and cool
to room temperature.
2. Combine tea, pomegranate juice,
rum and orange juice in a pitcher or
punch bowl. Slowly stir in prosecco. Serve
over ice with orange slices and pome-
granate seeds.
Per serving: 146 calories; no fat; no
saturated fat; no cholesterol; 1 g protein;
15 g carbohydrate; 13 g sugar; no fi ber; 9
mg sodium; 19 mg
calcium
— Adapted
from Country
Living
Yield: 1 serving
1 1/2 ounces Midori
1 1/2 ounces Cointreau or other orange
liqueur (Grand Marnier, triple sec)
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
Cocktail cherry
1 small piece (1/2-1 inch) dry ice, optional
1. Add the Midori, Cointreau and lem-
on juice to a glass or cocktail shaker, add
ice and stir until cold. Strain into a lowball
glass. Garnish with cocktail cherry.
2. If desired, carefully add a piece of
dry ice. Do not drink until the dry ice has
dissolved.
Per serving: 243 calories; no fat; no
saturated fat; no cholesterol; 1 g protein;
26 g carbohydrate; 23 g sugar; no fi ber; 4
mg sodium; 8 mg calcium
— Recipe from acouplecooks.com
The Cider Sidecar cocktail.
Pour black vodka, fi g vodka, creme
de cassis and vermouth into a cocktail
shaker. Add ice, shake until cold, and
strain into a glass.
Per serving: 268 calories; no fat; no
saturated fat; no cholesterol; no protein;
21 g carbohydrate; 18 g sugar; no fi ber; 2
mg sodium; 30 mg calcium
— Recipe from minted.com
ZOMBIE
Yield: 1 serving
1 ounce white rum
1 ounce gold rum
1/2 ounce orange liqueur (Cointreau,
Grand Marnier or triple sec)
1 1/2 ounces fresh orange juice
1 ounce pineapple juice
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup, see note
1 1/2 teaspoons grenadine
1/2 ounce 151 rum
Notes: To make simple syrup, boil
together equal amounts of water
and granulated sugar, stirring
occasionally, until the sugar dissolves;
can be stored in a clean jar in the
refrigerator for several months.
If you do not have a 1/2-ounce
measure, use 1 tablespoon.
Pour white rum, gold rum, orange
liqueur, orange juice, pineapple juice, lime
juice, simple syrup and grenadine into a
cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake until
cold. Fill a tall glass with ice and strain
drink into it. Carefully pour 151 rum on
top; do not stir. If desired, you can light
top of drink on fi re.
Per serving: 350 calories; no fat; no
saturated fat; no cholesterol; 1 g protein;
36 g carbohydrate; 32 g sugar; no fi ber; 6
mg sodium; 11 mg calcium
— Recipe by Daniel Neman
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