• Russian Dressing

    From JIM WELLER@1:135/392 to DAVE DRUM on Sat Nov 6 19:05:00 2021

    Quoting Dave Drum to Jim Weller <=-

    jim weller wrote to dave drum <=-

    russian dressing is mayonnaise based. what you have there is a nice looking variant on catalina dressing.

    in your (never humble) opinion.

    Not mine. Hundreds of chefs and food historians say so. Mayonnaise
    is one of the two key base ingredients.

    From the wishbone web site: "sweet tomato, tangy vinegar, and a
    classic blend of herbs and spices

    And then there's one dissident from as a Conagra subsidiary.

    Ken's Steak House Russian Dressing, 16 oz

    OK, two.

    MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

    Title: The Perfect Daisy
    Categories: Alcohol, Beverages
    Yield: 1 Serving

    THE DAISY:
    2 oz Rye Whiskey
    1 oz Fresh lemon juice
    1 ts Homemade grenadine
    1 1/2 ts Simple syrup
    Club soda
    GRENADINE:
    1 Pomegranate
    1/4 c Sugar

    To stretch the metaphor, the essential DNA of the Daisy involves
    adding a little soda water to a Sour (spirit, citrus, sweetener).
    Beyond that, though, you can take some liberties. - Imbibe Magazine

    The Daisy is an old drink, the kind of glorious elixir that existed
    150 years ago. According to David Wondrich it used to be one of the
    most popular drinks of its day. But the recipes for the drink differ
    so wildly, it's hard to pin down exactly what it is. From what I can
    tell it's really just a liquor mixed with lemon juice, a sweetener of
    some kind, and soda water. In the beginning the sweetener was often
    an orange cordial (like Triple Sec or Curacao). So if you use Brandy
    as the liquor, the drink is oddly similar to the Sidecar (one of my
    favorite cocktails). When you sub in tequila and change the lemon to
    lime, you have the Margarita (which explains why a good Daisy
    sometimes reminds me of one). Of course, the legal paternity papers
    are not present to pin this down for sure.

    But somewhere along the way the Daisy seemed to switch from orange
    cordial to grenadine

    Before we get started, you might wonder why I didn't just saunter
    off to the liquor store and buy pre-made grenadine. But those mixes
    often don't actually have any pomegranate juice in them. It's
    usually just dyed red and sweetened beyond reason. Making your own
    is the way to go.

    And it turns out it's a relatively simple process, especially after
    I found this trick for juicing pomegranates from Saveur. It couldn't
    be easier. Just roll the pomegranates around on a cutting board,
    pressing down on them with your palm. Then cut a tiny slit and
    squeeze as much juice out as you can. It's relatively clean and
    you'll get a good 2 to 3 ounces of juice out. That's more than
    enough for a drink.

    From what I could find there are two methods for making grenadine.
    The most common method is to reduce the pomegranate juice in a pan
    by half and then add the sugar. But I became enamored of a method
    found on Paul Clarke's amazing site The Cocktail Chronicles. There
    he recommends just simply shaking the sugar and pomegranate juice
    until the sugar has dissolved. The juice has a fresh, clean taste,
    that is less syrupy. It really appealed to me.

    All that was left was to belly up to counter and figure out the
    whole liquor situation. The options are many. Gin, Whiskey, Cognac,
    and Rum are all considered fair game in the concoction. I decided to
    do the fair thing, and spend an evening tasting each one. Gin will
    produce an almost effervescent drink , one that's cute and almost
    embarrassingly pink. Its flavor is clean and a tad simple. When you
    skip over to the brown liquors, especially Rye Whiskey, something
    special happens. Each sip awakens your tongue, and smacks some sense
    into you. It'll still look a tad effeminate in the glass, but one
    sip is enough to convince you otherwise. It's a brilliant drink no
    matter what you happen to call the thing.

    Grenadine: Press firmly down on the pomegranate with the palm of
    your hand and roll it around until it is soft. Make a small slit
    with a knife along one side. Squeeze as much juice out as you can.
    It will have about 2 ounces of juice.

    Pour the juice into a jar and add an equal amount sugar, which
    should be about 1/4 cup. Secure the lid on the jar and shake until
    the sugar dissolves. That's it.

    Prepping the Glass: Go with cracked ice for the drink. I learned
    this from LeNell Smothers, when I used to work at her liquor store.
    It takes a bit more time, but you crack each ice cube by hand with a
    muddler. Just place the ice cube in your (clean) left hand and smack
    it until breaks into dozens of tiny chards.. It hurts like hell at
    first, and many wacks don't do anything. But once you've properly
    cracked some of the ice, it turns into a strangely masochistic
    activity. After a while you'll get so good at it that it no longer
    hurts. But that takes a while. And maybe it's just all the liquor
    you've drunk that starts to relieve the pan in your hand. Anyway,
    you can't argue with the results.

    The Daisy: Pour the whiskey, lemon juice, grenadine, and simply
    syrup into a shaker. Add enough ice to come 3/4 of the way up the
    sides. Shake for 10 seconds. Strain into a glass filled with cracked
    ice. Top with a bit of club soda.

    by Nick Kindelsperger on December 9, 2009
    From: The Paupered Chef

    MMMMM

    Cheers

    Jim


    ... The drink is done. The night is yours.

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  • From Dave Drum@1:3634/12 to JIM WELLER on Sun Nov 7 04:51:00 2021
    JIM WELLER wrote to DAVE DRUM <=-

    russian dressing is mayonnaise based. what you have there is a nice looking variant on catalina dressing.

    in your (never humble) opinion.

    Not mine. Hundreds of chefs and food historians say so. Mayonnaise
    is one of the two key base ingredients.

    The original "Russian" dressing was a vinaigrette with paprika and
    mustard. As is usual in cases like this - for every "expert" you can
    find I can find another who will say your expert is a rhinestone studded, rhodium plated charlatan. Bv)=

    From the wishbone web site: "sweet tomato, tangy vinegar, and a
    classic blend of herbs and spices

    And then there's one dissident from as a Conagra subsidiary.

    Ken's Steak House Russian Dressing, 16 oz

    OK, two.

    Which sent me into research mode. "Russian" dressing is an American
    invention from James E. Colburn in New Hampshire. The condiment came
    to be called "Russian" since the original recipe included caviar, a
    staple of Russian cuisine.

    Kraft also makes both red and orange "Russian" dressings.

    Russian dressing is similar to Thousand Island or French dressing.
    Some manufactured versions omit the mayonnaise and are clear rather
    than creamy. https://www.wish-bone.com/creamy-dressing/russian-dressing

    You may have figured out that I prefer the bite and tanginess of the
    red Russian over the creamy blandness of the pink/orange stuff. If I
    want that I'll go right for 1000 Island dressing.

    MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

    Title: Russian Salad Dressing #2
    Categories: Sauces, Citrus, Vegetables
    Yield: 2 cups

    1/2 c White sugar
    3 tb Water
    1 1/2 ts Celery seed
    1/2 ts Salt
    1/2 ts Paprika
    2 1/2 tb Lemon juice; fresh
    1 tb Worcestershire sauce
    1 tb White vinegar
    1 c Oil
    1/2 c Ketchup (I love using the
    - spicy kind)
    1/4 c Onion; grated

    Cook the sugar and water until it spins a thread then
    let it cool.

    Next, Combine remaining ingredients and add the sugar
    water and beat thoroughly.

    Next, chill ingredients. Makes about 2 cups, this makes
    great BBQ sauce as well!

    From the kitchen of Joyce & Rusty DeVoid

    RECIPE FROM: https://www.justapinch.com

    Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives

    MMMMM

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