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…in the heat of passion


This is my translation of the tantalizing cocktail at “Milk & Honey” in Santa Barbara, where I had my first Habanero-infused cocktail & got instantly hooked!

4 shots of Habanero-Infused “Sauza Plata” Tequila (or your favorite)
1/2 c. Fresh Passion Fruit Puree
4 Fresh Limes, juiced
I piece of thinly sliced fresh ginger
Agave nectar to taste
Ice

Run water over glasses, chill in freezer while you make the cocktail.
Place all ingredients except the garnishes in the cocktail shaker.
Shake about 10-12 times to dissolve  the agave nectar & bruise ginger.
Pour into chilled cocktail glassed, garnished with sugared rims & a twist of lime.
Serve up.

enjoy!

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Grandioso

‘GRAND CAFE‘

Last week I was in San Francisco for the Fancy Food Show & I had the pleasure of  an amazing evening & a lovely meal with friends at the infamous “Grand Cafe” on 501 Geary Street.

…if someone blindfolded you going in, once through the Grand Entry- you’d open your eyes & feel like you’d arrived in Paris- the sculptures, the cuisine, the ambiance…

My mouth waters just thinking of this tantalizing cocktail-

Grandioso

2 oz Reposado Tequila
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
Squeeze Lemon Juice
.5 oz Agave Nectar
Muddled Basil- 3 leaves
Jalapeno- fresh 2 thin slices
Shaken till Bruised
Served on a stem

recipe compliments of
Gregory Nasser
Assistant General Manager
Grand Cafe – Hotel Monaco San Francisco
501 Geary Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

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Filthy Farmgirl Martini

This is for a very special friend of mine that could use a little TLC & a strong drink this week-

4 oz Gin
2 T. Dry Vermouth
5 T. Olive Juice
1 t. Ojai Jalapeño Jelly
5 Large Olives
Ice

Rinse two Cocktail Glasses with water and place in the freezer for a few minutes while you prepare the drink.

Fill your Martini Shaker with the above ingredients, including the olives.

Shake hard about 10 times, helping the Ojai Jalapeño Jelly dissolve.

Remove Cocktail Glasses from freezer and pour out any excess water.

Promptly fill the glasses with Cocktail & serve it up with a prepared appetizer & a wink~

enjoy!

 

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Cranberry Sauce with a Zing

1 bag fresh Organic Cranberries, washed & drained
Fresh Organic Orange Juice or Ojai Pixie Tangerine Juice- enough to cover the cranberries in a pot
1 c. Sugar
1 Cinnamon Stick
4 whole cloves
Ojai Jalapeño Jelly

Put the cranberries in the pot, cover with juice, add sugar, cloves & cinnamon stick. Over medium heat, bring to a slow boil- listen for the cranberries to ‘pop’- lower the heat a little, then once you’ve heard lots of cranberries ‘pop’, remove from heat, let cool. Set aside the cooked cloves.

You can add a few tablespoons of Ojai Jalapeño Jelly for some zing~ it tastes wonderful as a garnish with Roasted Turkey.

This cranberry sauce is festive served in a small, hollowed-out pumpkin & garnished with the cinnamon stick.

DON’T forget to save the ‘left over’ liquid for future holiday martinis- it has such a great flavor! I toss the leftover cloves in the mix for added flavor.

enjoy!

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Party like Murphy… Martini

Habantini

Simple version;

2 T. Ojai Habanero Jelly
2 shots Kettle One Vodka
Ice
Garnish with a Bleu Cheese stuffed olive, a cocktail onion or a lemon zest curl~

In your Martini Shaker, shake the Ojai Habanero Jelly with the vodka & ice until the Jelly has dissolved completely.  Then strain off any Pepper bits with a tea strainer.  Garnish.

notes; this recipe can be toned down with a very light, sweet juice, or make it ‘dirty’ by using the juice from the olive jar-

The recipe I prefer involves making fresh cranberry sauce & saving the left over liquid for future martinis.

enjoy!

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Suze’s Camping Meyer Lemon Drop Martini

I went camping in the Santa Ynez Valley with my brother & the Santa Barbara Trail Riders-
On that outing I had my first lemon drop made in a pickle jar, & what a tasty cocktail it was!

You’ll need;
a large jar with a lid- like a pickle jar that cannot smell of pickles!

  • Juice of 12 lemons-(my favorites are Meyers)
  • 2/3 c. sugar
  • 12 fresh mint leaves, washed (you can use fresh basil, or lavender instead)
  • 10 shots vodka-
  • Ice cubes
  • Sugar-rimmed martini glasses

Wash the lemons, then roll them a few times on a cutting board or counter top, to activate the oils in the skin- Squeeze the lemon juice into the large jar & then toss in the remains of the lemon, skin & all.
Add sugar, mint, vodka, and lots of ice and shake it until you see the sugar has dissolved.
Be sure to test the cocktail to adjust the ingredients to your liking-
Pour into sugar-rimmed martini glasses, sugar rimmed blue-enamel camping mugs, or whatever you have available–
Garnish each with a fresh sprig of mint-

It’s hard to keep enough made- It’s refreshing like lemonade, but WAY more fun to start the
evening with…

enjoy!

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Goodbye to 2010…

My great friend and neighbor had a small dinner party this evening-
I took my baked brie but excluded the onions & sage.  I used sage butter
& garlic.  I cut Indian naan up in strips and served it lightly toasted- on a platter with a small dish of Habanero Jelly.
It was delicious.

Goodbye 2010-

I wish all of you the best of health & happiness in the new year- Happy 2011!

Suze

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Savory Egg Salad Sandwich

Savory Egg Salad Sandwich

Do this first step ahead of time:

12 hard boiled eggs –
We get our eggs fresh from the chicken coop, wash them, set in cool water then boil them, shell them, then soak them in dill pickle juice for about one week or more in the refrigerator-

For the sandwich we use 10 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
1/2 c. safflower mayonnaise (or your favorite)
1/4 c. dill pickles, minced
1/4 c. purple onion, minced
1/4 c. celery, minced
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. mustard (Dijon or American)
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of paprika (I occasionally use curry or cumin)
lettuce
tomato
avocado
Ojai Jalapeño Jelly
12 slices of sourdough or rye bread, lightly toasted (helps keep sandwich from falling apart)

In a large bowl mash the eggs with a fork or a pasty blender.  Stir in mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice and spices.

Lay out 6 slices of toasted bread.  Slather with Ojai Jalapeño Jelly. Divide the egg salad evenly between the slices.  Add a lettuce leaf, tomato slice &/or avocado if desired.

Eat open-faced or coat other slice of bread with Ojai Jalapeño Jelly and top the sandwich.

I put a decorative toothpick in each half to help hold it together, slice diagonally and eat~

I garnish the plate with a dill pickle and a pepporchini

enjoy!

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Kick Ass Tuna Sandwich

Kick Ass Tuna Sandwich

12 ounce jar of Chucks fresh canned tuna, drained

1/3 c. dill pickles, minced
1/3 c. purple onion, minced
1/2 c. celery, minced
1/2 c. safflower mayonnaise (or your favorite)
Ojai Jalapeño Jelly- enough to coat the bread
salt & pepper to taste

Mix ingredients together

Lightly toast the Sourdough or Rye bread

Slather the bread with Ojai Jalapeño Jelly.
Add a crisp lettuce leaf, thinly sliced tomatoes and/or avocado.

Serve with a Beer Bloody Mary- be sure to have long-stemmed celery to stir~

enjoy!

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Habanero Jelly

Habanero Jelly

I’ve been doing some experiments making Habanero Pepper Jelly-
My first samples were pretty intense…
just ask my friends!

The Habanero Pepper is much hotter than the Jalapeño Pepper- see my page ‘about the heat’.
I’ve found the important balance of sweet, hot & savory to establish a flavorful Habanero Jelly-
The way I’ve made it, it’s no hotter than the Jalapeño Jelly, just a different delicious flavor~

coming soon!

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Hot Crantini…

Hot Crantini

For the holidays I make cranberry sauce with fresh cranberries, orange juice, sugar, lemon zest & a cinnamon stick.
I save the sweet juice that I pour off of the cranberries.  I refrigerate the juice & then add it to Jalapeño Infused Vodka or if I don’t have that handy I add a few tablespoons of Ojai Jalapeño Jelly or  my new Habanero Jelly–
I shake it with ice in a martini shaker, strain it & serve…  It’s been a hot holiday hit!

enjoy!

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Corquenna’s Salad Dressing

My friend Corkey has recently informed me that she is ‘hooked’ on
Ojai Jalapeño Jelly–
She came up with a new way to use it that even I had not tried until tonight.
She’s been going on & on about it, so I had to give it a try.
My daughter turned her nose up at it but LOVED it once she tried a bite- then she ate almost the whole bowl of salad.
I usually use 1 head of Romaine Lettuce for every 2 people & I usually make my dressing but not when I’m exhausted, like tonight.

Corqueena’s Salad Dressing-

About 1/4 c. of salad dressing- “Soy Vay” Toasted Sesame Dressing (from Trader Joes)
Add about 1 T. Ojai Jalapeño Jelly
Squeeze of fresh lemon
Shaved Parmesan Cheese

Don’t over dress the salad, toss & serve.

enjoy!

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Jalapeño Inspired Halibut

Jalapeño Inspired Halibut

Fresh Halibut Steaks (1 steak per person, bone)
1 or 2 Large Purple Onions- sliced in 1/2″ thick rings
Ojai Organic Jalapeño Jelly- 1 T. per Halibut Steak
Olive Oil- (preferably ‘il fustino‘ Arbequina Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil)
Dill (fresh or dried)
Capers
2 Fresh Lemons- 1 sliced in discs, seeded, 1 cut in wedges
1/2 C. Asiago or Parmesan Cheese- grated
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/4 C. Créme Fraiche

Preheat oven to 325º
Place enough foil on a 2″ deep (or larger) baking dish to enclose the finished product (about 10″x10″).  Drizzle with olive oil.  Place the sliced onion on the foil- Use one set of rings for each halibut steak.  Remove about 1″ of the center of each onion.  Put a heaping Tablespoon of Ojai Organic Jalapeño Jelly in each ring center.  Place the halibut on top of the onion.  Sprinkle the capers, dill, salt & pepper on top of the Halibut.  Place a 1/8″ lemon slice on each halibut steak.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle about 2 T. grated cheese on top.  Bring together sides of the foil & seal into a tent, leaving a small air space on top. Bake until the fish is white throughout- about 20-25 minutes.
Unwrap.  While it’s resting a moment freshen up the look by removing the cooked lemon slice.
Garnish the  Halibut by adding a fresh sprig of dill, a dot of créme fraiche & a squeeze of lemon~
Place a lemon wedge on each plate & serve immediately.

Great with Brown Rice or a White Wine Risotto, fresh vegetable & salad~

Another way to make the Halibut is to leave the onion slices with their centers & simply paint the fish
on both sides with Ojai Organic Jalapeño Fish Basting Sauce (in production-released soon).
Follow the recipe above otherwise.

enjoy!

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Mediterranean Apricot Jalapeño Relish

Some people think that ALL PEPPERS are too spicy.  Many Peppers are too hot, but not these.  Try this & see if you like it…

I love APRICOTS-especially Mediterranean Dried Apricots.  They’re not all dry & hard like most dried apricots~ they’re moist & supple.

The other night I was craving something sweet.  I was rummaging through the pantry only to discover we’d eaten all of the dark chocolate.  That’s when I found the delicious treats.  I diced a handful of Mediterranean Apricots and added them to about 4 ounces of Ojai Organic Jalapeño Jelly & it was fantastic! Try this with turkey, chicken, pork, PB&J’s, or with cream cheese on crackers.

1/2 c. Mediterranean Apricots, diced
4-6 ounces Ojai Organic Jalapeño Jelly

enjoy!

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Thanksgiving Treat in a hurry~

Not sure of what to make but want it to compliment your holiday meal in a hurry?
Try this delicious cranberry sauce that takes about 5 minutes to prepare;

Jalapeño Cranberry Sauce

One 9 ounce ‘hooked ‘ size jar of Ojai Organic Jalapeño Jelly
1 bag fresh cranberries, washed & drained
Approximately 2 cups fresh orange or tangerine juice
1 or 2 cinnamon sticks

Place the cranberries, fresh juice & cinnamon sticks in pan over medium heat.

Stirring, heat only until the cranberries ‘pop‘, then set aside to cool slightly, drain off juice.
Set aside cinnamon sticks for the serving dish.

Add the cranberry mixture to a pretty serving bowl, add the Ojai Organic Jalapeño Jelly.
Stir, add back cinnamon sticks & serve~

enjoy!