Apples & Oranges

Ingredients

2 oz Laird's Applejack
3/4 oz fresh squeezed orange juice
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz 1:1 apple cider simple
1 g ground cinnamon (about 1 bar spoon)

Recipe

Add ice to a cocktail glass. Fill with water. Set aside.

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice. Shake until your hands freeze to the shaker, a good 30-45 seconds ought to do it.

Dump the water and ice from the cocktail glass. Double strain the shaker’s contents into the cocktail glass.

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Because you like autumn cocktails, you may also like these recipes:

Brussels sprouts, pancetta, feta fondue

Last updated: December 20, 2025

Looking for a showstopper Thanksgiving vegetable dish? Or a showstopper anytime vegetable dish? Look no further.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Feta Fondue

• 25 g white wine

• 50 g Chicken Stock

• 200 g cream

• 100 g crumbled feta cheese

• 15 g, 1/2 oz gin

• 10 g water

• 10 g cornstarch

• 7 g salt

• 5 g lime juice

• Pinch of cayenne

To complete

• 450 g | 1 lb | Brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise

• EVOO, as needed

• 225 g pancetta, 1/4" dice

Recipe

For the Feta Fondue

• 25 g white wine

• 50 g Chicken Stock

• 200 g cream

• 100 g crumbled feta cheese

• 15 g, 1/2 oz gin

• 10 g water

• 10 g cornstarch

• 2 g salt

• 5 g lime juice

• Pinch of cayenne

In a six cup saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce wine until almost dry. Add stock, reduce until almost dry. Add cream, reduce by a quarter.* Add the cheese and blend using an immersion blender. Add gin. Combine water and cornstarch to make slurry, gently whisk into sauce. Cook for a minute. Remove from heat and mix in salt, lime, and cayenne. Set aside until ready to complete. May be made up to two days ahead of time.

*I find I usually underestimate the reduction in this step. Here’s a way to accurately measure the reduction: Weigh your saucepan immediately before adding the cream. This is your starting weight. Your goal weight is the start weight plus 150 g. If you double the recipe—which I recommend—your goal weight will be your start weight plus 300 g.

To Complete

• 450 g | 1 lb | Brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise

• EVO

• 5 g kosher salt

• 225 g pancetta, 1/4" diced

• Feta Fondue, from above

Coat the sprouts in olive oil, place them cut side down on an unlined baking sheet, and roast at 450˚F for 15 minutes. While they roast, add diced pancetta to a sauté pan large enough so the pancetta forms one layer, and cook over medium or medium-low heat until crispy, about 15 minutes.

Remove the sprouts from the oven, place in a bowl. Using a slotted spoon, spoon pancetta bits on top of sprouts spoon feta fondue over top. Serve.

Note

This is part of a cookbook proposal that’s out on submission right now. If you’d like to see what a book proposal looks like, click here.

Apple Cider Simple Syrup

Ingredients

250 g apple cider
250 g light brown sugar

Recipe

Microwave method:
Add apple cider and light brown sugar to a heatproof bowl and microwave on high until it boils, 3-5 minutes depending on the power of your microwave. Carefully remove from the microwave and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Cover with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature. Transfer to a glass or plastic squeeze bottle and refrigerate.

Stovetop method:
Note: You can also make this on the stovetop. Add the brown sugar and apple cider to a small saucepan set over high heat. Bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve all the ingredients. Cover and cool to room temperature. Transfer to a glass or plastic squeeze bottle and refrigerate.

The Cosmopolitan

Chances are you never had a really good Cosmo.

You were probably at an Outback, or a “lounge” with one of your girlfriends, or maybe you kicked your husband out of the house for a girls’ night. Someone said, “Let’s get what the girls on Sex in the City got!” and then squealed when they arrived. [At least that’s what I do.] But then you took your first sip and it was just kinda…okay.

Not these.

These are fantastic Cosmos. These are perfectly balanced Cosmos. A bit of sweetness from the cranberry juice cocktail and the Cointreau, a bit of tart from the lime juice. And a weeeeee bit of warmth from the vodka.

Make sure to get regular ol’ cranberry juice cocktail, the kind with sugar listed as the second ingredient. Straight cranberry juice can be quite bitter and tart [like me], and we need the extra sugar to smooth things out.

Also, I specifically call for Cointreau. If you use regular triple sec, or any other orange liqueur, your results will differ. Not saying they’ll be bad—I’ve used every triple sec under the sun in Cosmos—but just know it won’t turn out the way I intended. Triple sec has more sugar than Cointreau, so you may want to try one of the hippie-dippie cranberry juice brands to compensate.

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz vodka
• 1/2 oz Cointreau
• 1 oz cranberry juice cocktail
• 1/2 oz fresh squeezed lime juice

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Recipe

Add ice to a cocktail glass. Fill with water. Set aside.

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice. Shake until your hands freeze to the shaker, a good 30-45 seconds ought to do it.

Dump the water and ice from the cocktail glass. Double strain the shaker’s contents into the cocktail glass.

Garnish with a lime peel. (Note: When peeling a lime, it’s easier peeling from top to bottom, not around it.)

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Cheddar Cheese Coins

I’m gonna come right out and say it: These are better than Cheez-Its.

I don’t say that lightly. As someone who is married to a Cheez-It hound, I could be murdered for uttering that phrase since, in the eyes of anyone who loves them as much as her, nothing can compare to Cheez-Its. [Not even my love.]

You can substitute whatever cheese you like. Regular cheddar? Sure. Gruyère? Oui. I’ve mixed both of them with Piave and it was amazing. A funky cheese might be weird, but I won’t judge [I will]. If you go rogue and use a soft cheese you may need more flour to tighten it up.

Feel free to omit the cayenne if you can’t handle a tinge of spice [weakling].

Double or triple this batch. They go down fast.

Ingredients

Makes 45 coins

• 150 g all purpose flour

• 2 g smoked paprika

• .5 g cayenne pepper

• 2 g kosher salt

• 100 g butter

• 15 g thyme, leaves left on stems

• 200 g Vermont Cheddar cheese, grated

Recipe

Thyme Butter

• 100 g butter

• 15 g thyme, leaves left on stems

Add to a small saucepan on medium low heat. Remove from the heat when the butter begins to boil, but before it starts to brown, about 10-15 minutes. Strain through a mesh strainer, discard solids, and reserve thyme butter.

To Complete

• 150 g all purpose flour

• 2 g smoked paprika

• .5 g cayenne pepper

• 2 g kosher salt

• 200 g Vermont Cheddar cheese, grated

• Thyme butter, from above

• Olive or canola oil, as needed

Heat the oven to 350˚F and set the rack in the middle of the oven.

Spray three 9.5” x 13” baking sheets with oil. Alternatively, put a teaspoon of oil on each sheet pan and wipe with a paper towel.

Mix the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix cheese and butter. Add flour mixture and mix to combine. Squeeze dough together into a firm ball. Set the bowl on a scale and tare. Remove 10g of dough, shape into a ball, and place on the sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. You should have 15 balls on each sheet, arranged in a 3 x 5 pattern.

Bake for 20 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Rotate each pan 180 degrees after 10 minutes.

Note

This is part of a cookbook proposal that’s out on submission right now. If you’d like to see what a book proposal looks like, click here.

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Check Out My Nuts

These nuts are stupid easy to make. There’s no excuse not to pull these out of the oven the moment your guests arrive for cocktail hour. And, if you’re running behind schedule, these nuts will buy you some extra time to get the appetizer and dinner courses finished.

I only recommend Irish or European butter. Despite being inhabited by bohemian commies, Europe makes the best damn butter around.

And don’t get too bent out of shape trying to find The Perfect nut balance. My favorite nuts are pecans, so I lean pretty heavily on those. Cashews are next. Almonds are a distant third. Peanuts are dead last because, no matter how great the rest of your life is, they come across as “I’ve given up.” [If you can afford pistachios, your assistants are probably reading this for you.]

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Ingredients

• 90 g, 6.5 T Irish or European butter (such as Kerrygold or Plugra)

• 900 g, 2lbs mixed nuts

• 25 g, 1/2 cup fresh rosemary, leaves removed from stems and minced

• 25 g, 1/2 cup thyme, leaves removed from stems and minced

• kosher salt, as needed

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Recipe

• 90 g, 6.5 T Irish or European butter (such as Kerrygold or Plugra)

• 900 g, 2lbs mixed nuts

• 25 g, 1/2 cup fresh rosemary, leaves removed from stems and minced

• 25 g, 1/2 cup thyme, leaves removed from stems and minced

• kosher salt, as needed

Heat your oven to 450˚F. I don’t say preheat because that word doesn’t make sense to me.

Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Mix everything together in a large bowl.

Dump the nuts on the foil-lined sheet and arrange into one layer. Put the tray in the oven, lower the heat to 350˚F, and roast for 10 minutes. Rotate the sheet 180 degrees and roast for another 10 minutes.

Cool until they’re cool enough to handle without burning your face off.

Serve with Manhattans.

*In batch pictured here, the pecans were raw, but the almonds and cashews were both salted and roasted. I ended up not adding any additional salt.

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Note

This is part of a cookbook proposal that’s out on submission right now. If you’d like to see what a book proposal looks like, click here.

Eye contact is mandatory.

Suggested pairing: Manhattans

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Homemade Doughnuts

Epicurious invited me back to their 4 Levels series. This time, it was for doughnuts. Watch the video below to see how my doughnuts stacked up to the competition, and check out the recipe below if you’d like to make them for yourself. [You will.]

Ingredients

Makes 8 doughnuts and 8 holes

• 500 g, (3 ½ cups) AP flour

• 15 g (1½ tablespoons) instant yeast

• 225 g (1½ cups) granulated sugar

• 10 g (1 tablespoon) kosher salt

• 250 g (1 cup) whole milk, 75˚F, about 30 seconds in the microwave

• 110 g eggs (2 eggs)

• 5 g (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract

• 50 g (2 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1/2" cubes

• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

• Canola oil, as needed

DIRECTIONS

For Dough

• 500 g, (3 ½ cups) AP flour

• 15 g (1 ½ tablespoons) instant yeast

• 75 g (½ cup) granulated sugar

• 10 g (1 tablespoon) kosher salt

• 250 g (1 cup) whole milk, 75˚F, about 30 seconds in the microwave

• 110 g eggs (2 eggs)

• 5 g (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract

• 50 g (2 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into ½" cubes

Place flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in bowl of a stand mixer and mix well. Add milk. Mix on low until smooth, 5-10 minutes. Add eggs, mix until incorporated, about 5 minutes. Add butter. Mix for 5 minutes more.

Spray a large bowl with non stick spray (or wipe with an oiled paper towel).

Turn dough onto floured work surface. Work into rectangle. It. Will. Be. Sticky. Pull one of the long sides and fold over 2/3 of the rectangle. Like folding a letter. Repeat with the top and then the bottom.

Place seam side down into the prepared bowl. Let sit at room temp for an hour. Refrigerate overnight.

Turn onto lightly floured work surface. Shape into 11-inch round. The dough should be about 1/2" thick.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. Cut 3.5" rounds from dough, then cut 1.5" holes. Place on the prepared sheet pan. Reshape and roll dough to make enough doughnuts.

Cover sheet pan with plastic wrap and proof at room temperature until doughnuts have doubled in size, about an hour.

To Complete

• 150g, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar

• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

• Canola Oil, as needed

In a large bowl, add sugar and cinnamon.

Heat canola/grapeseed oil to 350˚F. Fry a few doughnuts for 30 seconds (don't overcrowd). Flip and fry for 45 seconds. Flip and fry for 45 seconds. Place on a cooling rack over a sheet pan. Let cool until you're ready to remove the next batch from the oil. At that point, toss the cooled doughnuts in sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Repeat with the next batch.

Note

This is part of a cookbook proposal that’s out on submission right now. If you’d like to see what a book proposal looks like, click here.

The starting lineup.

Holier than thou.

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Fried Squash Blossoms

I love that you can actually SEE the salt crystals on these little guys. They were SO SO SO SO good.

Oh.

My.

God.

Why do I keep playing the “I wonder what else we could fry” game? It’s becoming a problem. These little buggers are so easy and so delicious. Some would say too easy. And too delicious.

And also surprisingly light?!?

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Ingredients

Makes 24 stuffed squash blossoms

• 24 squash blossoms

• 150 g fresh ricotta

• 50 g heavy cream

• 1 g | 1/2 tsp lemon zest

• 3.5 g kosher salt

• 225 g all purpose flour

• 250 g cold sparkling water

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Recipe

Filling

• 150 g fresh ricotta

• 50 g heavy cream

• 1 g | 1/2 tsp lemon zest

• 1 g kosher salt

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix throughly. Transfer to a freezer strength Ziploc bag, remove as much air from the bag as possible, and reserve in the refrigerator. Use regular strength bags at your own risk. They may spring a leak when you pipe the filling into the blossoms.

Batter

• 225 g all purpose flour

• 2.5 g kosher salt

• 250 g cold sparkling water

Add flour and salt to a large bowl and mix. Add sparkling water and mix. Reserve in the refrigerator.

To complete

Prepare a tray to hold the filled squash blossoms. I use baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Snip off one of the corners of the bag containing the ricotta filling. Snip off a smaller part of the corner than you think you need, as removing too much will create too large of an opening which will make sliding the tip into the blossom more difficult.

Pipe one tablespoon of the ricotta filling into each squash blossom. Gently squeeze the base of the blossom to open it. Alternatively, and much less hygienically, you can gently blow into each blossom to open it.

Add a few inches of olive oil to a pan and heat to 375˚F. Use a pan deep enough that the oil doesn’t go over 1/3 the height of the pan, but not SO large that you’re using gallons of oil. I use a 1.5qt sauce pan.

Line a baking sheet or plate with paper towels. This will be where the hot blossoms will go when they’re finished frying.

Dredge each squash blossom through the batter and gently drop into the hot oil. Work in batches, being careful to not overcrowd the pan for two reasons: 1, they’ll stick together and, 2, the oil temp will drop too low. While you’re frying, adjust the burner to keep the oil temperature at 375˚F. Fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Use a spider or slotted spoon to carefully remove each blossom to the prepared sheet. Immediately sprinkle with kosher salt.

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Note

This is part of a cookbook proposal that’s out on submission right now. If you’d like to see what a book proposal looks like, click here.

Got a little something on your … blossom… 😐

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Apple Cider "Mimosa"

Cheers

Recipe

• Granulated sugar, as needed

• Ground cinnamon, as needed

• Apple cider, as needed

Mix enough granulated sugar and ground cinnamon to cover a small appetizer plate. Pour a little apple cider on another small appetizer plate, enough to cover the plate with 1/8” of cider. Dip the rim of each wine glass in the cider, then into the sugar and cinnamon mixture.

• 1 quart good apple cider.

• 1 bottle sparkling wine, inexpensive but tasty. DO NOT BUY KORBEL. or Andre. That stuff is California’s finest sparkling whiz. An inexpensive French sparkler—like Delacroix—is perfect. Or a Prosecco. Something in the $10 to $15 range is fine.

• Cinnamon sticks, as needed

Pour one and a half ounces apple cider into each wine glass. Top with four and a half ounces sparkling wine. You can eyeball it if you prefer.

Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Sun Dried Tomatoes, EVOO, Homemade Ricotta, Toast

Recipe

Coming soon!

Chicken Croquetas

Makes 32-36 balls

150 g, 1 1/2 cups Spanish onion, 1/4" diced
114 g butter, 8 tbsp
375 g, flour, (about 2 1/2 cups)
5 g, 5 tsp kosher salt
1000 g, ~1 L, 4 cups milk
300 g chicken
Flour, as needed (1 1/2 cups)
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
Olive oil, as needed

150 g, 1 1/2 cups Spanish onion, 1/4" diced
114 g butter, 8 tbsp
Melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and sweat until translucent.

375 g, flour, about 2 1/2 cups)
5 g, 5 tsp kosher salt
Slowly add flour, stirring to incorporate fully. Cook over medium heat until the flour taste cooks off. Stick a spoon in there and taste it if you’re not sure what that means.

1000 g, ~1 L, 4 cups milk
Add milk. Bring to simmer. Stir to fully dissolve the flour into the milk.

300 g chicken
Add chicken. Continue cooking over medium heat until the mixture is shapable by hand. Don’t reach in there and grab it! You’re not an idiot. Give it a few minutes. Stir enough so that it doesn’t burn. It’ll get a little tough. That’s okay. Once it’s pretty stiff, reserve to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet until cool.

Flour, as needed (1 1/2 cups)
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
Olive oil, as needed
Place the flour, eggs, and Panko in three separate bowls. Heat 2 inches of olive oil to 375˚F in a heavy bottomed, deep sided pan. Grab small handfuls of the cooled batter and shape into small balls [hehe]. Dredge the little guys in flour, then the egg mixture, then Panko, and then directly into oil. Work in batches of 4-5 balls so the temperature of the oil doesn’t drop. Adjust the heat to keep the temperature as close to 375˚F as possible. Cook until brown. Repeat with remaining balls.

Note

This is part of a cookbook proposal that’s out on submission right now. If you’d like to see what a book proposal looks like, click here.

Fried 🍆

People call me crazy for hating eggplant as much as I do. I can’t blame them, really. With a complete lack of flavor and texture, I’m surprised anyone out there hates it!

I’ve had eggplant cooked dozens of ways, all terrible. In Indian food it taste like mushy tofu. In Ragouts or stews, it tastes like mushy paper towels. Whether it’s grilled, roasted, or pureed, it’s disgusting.

But fried?

Oh man. Now we’re talking.

I ordered a farm box from my grocery delivery service, because that’s step two in “becoming an annoying millennial-hippie”. [Step one? Stop wearing deodorant.]. A “farm box” is fancy term for a box of whatever produce the local farms have just harvested. The produce is generally good—the greens are more flavorful than your typical grocery store greens. The artisan cheese is generally terrible. Last week I had a “Monterey Jack” that tasted like weed smells, if that makes any sense.

This week’s box featured an eggplant. Normally I would have thrown it right out the window. But I wouldn’t wish Death By Eggplant upon my worst enemy, and I was having a hippie dippie moment, so I thought, “let’s see if there’s a way to use this disgusting vegetable that makes it edible.”

Never being one to backdown from a self-imposed challenge, I looked for inspiration—which meant I asked Wiff “any ideas for eggplant recipes that don’t suck?”

She found one from José Andrés that looked simple enough: breaded and fried. I changed it for my tastes and processes, and the final product made me hate eggplant a little less.

And love fried food a lot more.

Seriously, it’s amazing. Go make it.

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Ingredients

• 1 eggplant, 1/4” slices on the bias [fancy term for “at an angle”]

• Kosher salt, as needed

• Whole milk, as needed, about 2 cups

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or Canola Oil), as needed, about 4 cups

• Flour, as needed, about 1 cup

• Sea salt, as needed

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Recipe

Arrange the eggplant slices on a baking sheet. Sprinkle liberally with salt. Place another similarly sized baking sheet on top of the salted slices and weigh it down with a pan. Let sit for an hour or two. The longer you let it sit, the more flavorless water you draw out from the eggplant.

Place the eggplant slices in a bowl and cover with milk. Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or at least a few hours.

Put the flour into a bowl or plate.

Heat an inch of oil to 350˚F in pan with high enough sides so that, in case the oil pops and spits, it won’t make a mess or worse, burn you. I use a Le Creuset Dutch Oven [one of the first items I’d grab if my home were on fire, perhaps from some errant oil that ignited].

Working one eggplant slice a time, remove from the milk—shaking off excess liquid—and dredge in the flour. Flip it over a few times to ensure there are no bare spots. Remove from the flour and carefully place into the hot oil, taking special care not to burn your face off. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until the coating has browned. Use tongs or a spider to remove the eggplant slices from the oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Immediately sprinkle sea salt.

Repeat with the remaining slices, adding only a few slices at a time.

NOTE: When you shallow fry like this, take special care to keep the temperature of the oil hot enough. When you add food to hot oil, the temperature of the oil will drop. I suggest heating the oil to 360˚F or so so that it doesn’t drop below 350˚F when you add the eggplant.

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Note

This is part of a cookbook proposal that’s out on submission right now. If you’d like to see what a book proposal looks like, click here.

Arancini with Kalamata Aioli

If someone had told me how easy it was to make arancini, I would have occasionally set aside some risotto for leftovers.

Actually that’s a lie.

I’d still probably eat it all. But I’d cook more specifically for arancini.

These balls are perfect to pass around while your guests arrive. They’re small enough to grab with two fingers and eat in two bites. Make more than you think you’ll need…trust me.

Ingredients

• 500 g leftover risotto

• 50 g kalamata olives, food processed into a paste.

• 50 g good mayonnaise

• 100 g all purpose flour

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 100 g panko

• 60 g mozzarella, broken into 12 small chunks

• olive or canola oil, as much as you need for frying

Recipe

Stir the olive paste and the mayonnaise together in a small bowl until well mixed. Reserve in the refrigerator.

Prepare three bowls, one each for the flour, beaten egg, and panko. Set a large piece of parchment near the bowls. This is where you’ll place the coated balls.

Using your hands, form small balls [tee hee!] of leftover risotto. The balls should be about 35-40g each, a little larger than a golf ball. Stuff each ball with a piece of mozzarella and reform the ball.

Roll the ball in flour, then in the egg, then in the panko. Reserve on a piece of parchment paper.

Heat oil to 325˚F in a deep-sided pot. You’ll need a few inches’ worth, enough to let the balls float freely. Use a spider to carefully lower a few balls into the oil and fry for 3-4 minutes, until the balls are golden brown. Work in small batches, about 3-5 balls, so that the oil temperature doesn’t drop too low.

Serve immediately with the reserved kalamata aioli.

Note

This is part of a cookbook proposal that’s out on submission right now. If you’d like to see what a book proposal looks like, click here.

Whipped Ricotta, Honey, Chives, Pine Nuts

Last updated: February 18, 2026

I love dips. All dips. Cheesy dips, creamy dips, weighted chest dips, Freak Nasty’s “The Dip.”

I love the lightness and freshness of this dip and so do my guests—assuming I haven’t already finished it by the time they arrive. The thyme and chive oils add just a nice zip of flavor that surprises you. Well, not you, since you’re the one putting it in the dish. But your guests will be surprised.

Do yourself a favor run a paper towel around the rim of the bowl to clean it up. It ups your presentation game.

Ingredients

400 g fresh ricotta
2 g kosher salt
Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
20 g chives
20 g honey
20 g pine nuts
5 g chive oil [optional]
5 g thyme oil [optional]

Recipe

Add the pine nuts to a medium skillet over medium-low heat. They’ll start smelling nutty when they’re toasted. That’s your sign that they’re done. Once finished, transfer to a small bowl. Set aside.

Add ricotta, salt, and a few tablespoons of olive oil to a food processor with the blade attachment. Process for a ten to twenty seconds to whip the ricotta. You want the ricotta the texture of gritty toothpaste; depending on the moisture content of your ricotta, you may need another few tablespoons of olive oil.

Transfer the ricotta mixture to a serving bowl. Smoosh it down so it’s flat for a sleeker presentation—or go with a more rustic approach, your call!

Spinkle pine nuts and drizzle honey. Finish with optional oils. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

How to Cook Sous Vide Chicken Breast

Last updated: March 24, 2026

Ingredients

Chicken Breast
Extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Heat a water bath to 65˚C. (I use the Sansaire immersion circulator, but I know a lot of folks who use and love the Anova.)

Chicken Breast
Extra virgin olive oil

Put the chicken breast into a Ziploc freezer bag with a few glugs of olive oil. The amount doesn’t matter; you’re just lubing the chicken so it doesn’t stick to the bag. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible.

Cook sous vide for 75 minutes.

If you’re going to eat it immediately, remove the bag from the water, remove the chicken from the bag, pat it dry, then sear in a pan over medium heat for 30 seconds per side. Serve immediately.

If you’re saving it for later, chill the chicken—still in the bag—in an ice bath, and then refrigerate.

See How To Do It

Note: In the video below I cook the chicken at 63˚C, but I’ve since changed my preference to 65˚C.

The Sidecar

The first time I tried cognac the bottom of my mouth went completely numb.

It was late in the evening. I was working [drinking] with a batch of nearly newly minted consultants from around the world at our company's training camp. One of these people was from France. He loved cognac and wanted me to love it too.

I did not.

Until that point I had been cognac free and after that point, I decided, I would remain cognac free.

But then a few years passed.

And the other, more terrible tasting spirits I'd experimented with [grappa] burned off enough taste buds that by the time I accidentally tried cognac again I liked it. A lot.

Not as much as a spring-breaker loves tequila and "gettin' lit" [is that what the young kids call it?], but it was far better than I remembered.

Imagine bourbon didn't taste like licking a charred oak barrel [a fantasy of mine], add the subtlety of good wine, and you'll have cognac.

Add Cointreau and fresh lemon juice, and you’ll have a Sidecar.

Ingredients

• 2 oz good cognac. Don't waste XO in a cocktail, but use decent cognac. If you see the letters VSOP you’re on the right track. Anything mentioned in a rap song is fine.
  

• 1/2 oz Cointreau. Some people prefer Grand Marnier. I do not.
  

• 1/2 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice. Do NOT buy the pre squeezed stuff. This is a real cocktail so use real juice.
  

• 1/4 oz simple syrup

Recipe

1. Extra Credit: Fill your cocktail glass with ice and then fill with water. Alternatively, chill the cocktail glass in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.

2. More Extra Credit: Your cocktail glassware should hold 4-6oz and no more. Any bigger and you look like you're serving drinks at Applebee's [not a dig; I love me some Applebee’s]. Your drinks should also be 3-4oz including dilution. Any bigger and they'll get too warm before you finish.

3. Add all ingredients to a mixing tin or pintglass full of ice. Any container will do. Get something clean that'll hold liquid and put all the ingredients in there. This isn't rocket science.
   

4. Stir for at least 30-60 seconds. Use this time to chat up your dinner guest(s).
   

5. Yes, you can shake the drink, and some idiots will tell you that you HAVE to because it has citrus [you don't, that's why they're idiots], but shaking drinks can make them cloudy, and cloudy drinks are unsexy.
   

6. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass [remember the extra credit from above?].

The Mint Julep

I don't know what a julep is. A flower? A horse? It doesn't matter. You could call this a Mint Cummerbund and I'd have 12, all while hollering "I do declare" in a seersucker suit. It's the official drink of the Kentucky Derby [I think?] and of Kentucky itself [don't fact check that]. Kentuckians [Kentuckites? Kentuckers?!?], by law, are required to learn this recipe on their 4th birthday so they can entertain guests like proper southern belles and beaus. Two ingredients, crushed ice, a sprig of mint, all served in a Glory cup. Try it. Y'all.

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INGREDIENTS

Makes 1 Mint Julep

• 2 oz good bourbon

• 1/2 oz simple syrup [extra credit: mint simple syrup]

• Crushed Ice

• 1 good looking mint sprig, for garnish

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RECIPE

1. Add crushed ice to a fancy cup.

2. Mix bourbon and simple syrup in a separate cup. Then add to the fancy cup.

3. Garnish with mint.

4. Optional: I recommend using a straw as trying to suck this cocktail down through all the ice can get dicey.

The Lombardi: An Italian Mocktail

Last updated: February 18, 2026

There are days when you want a cocktail [they end in y], and other days when you need a break from The Sauce [the day after my birthday]. But what if you still want the ritual of making and sipping a refreshing beverage? Enter the Mocktail, which autocorrect always wants to correct to cocktail.

It knows me better than I think.

Ingredients

1/2 oz toasted fennel syrup (recipe follows)
1/2 oz orgeat (recipe follows)
1/2 fresh lemon juice (ALWAYS fresh squeezed; we're not cro-mags!)
6 oz club sode
fennel front for garnish

Directions

Build in a Collins glass (the tall ones) with ice and mix gently. Gently is the key word here. Don’t scare the bubbles away! I find that pushing the ice down over and over is better at mixing everything than stirring.

Toasted Fennel Simple Syrup

150 g granulated sugar
150 g water
15 g fennel seeds

Add the fennel seeds to a pan and set over medium-low heat. The pan should be large enough that the fennel seeds are in one layer. Toast the fennel seeds until they turn a medium brown. Gently stir or toss the seeds to prevent them from burning. This should take about 5 minutes, but use your nose. Do they smell toasted?

Orgeat

(based on The Aviary’s orgeat recipe*)

100 g blanched sliced almonds
250 g water
250 g sugar
1.5 g kosher salt
10 g orange peel, pith removed

Toast Almonds

Toast almonds in a 350˚F oven until toasted, stirring once or twice to prevent burning. It should take about 15 minutes, but use your nose. Do they smell toasted?

Make Simple Syrup

Add water, sugar, almonds, and salt to a small pan set over medium heat. Remove from heat once it boils. Blend with an immersion blender.

Reserve

Add orange peels, let cool to room temperature, then steep in fridge for 24 hours.

*The Aviary Cocktail Book is one of the most beautiful cookbooks I’ve ever seen. The photography is more art than filler photos. This would make a PERFECT gift for anyone in your life who likes cocktails.

Mint Simple Syrup

I love mint almost as much as I love adding mint to cocktails.

Ingredients

50 g mint leaves (JUST THE LEAVES)
200 g water
200 g sugar

Recipe

Add water and sugar to a saucepan and heat over medium. Or high. It doesn't matter. Once it starts boiling, remove from the heat.

OR

Add water and sugar to a pyrex measuring glass and microwave on high until it starts boiling.

Stir until all the sugar dissolves.

Add mint leaves and let cool.

Strain.

The Daiquiri

“More daiquiris!” sounds like the last thing a bachelorette party screams before they blackout. The daiquiri is a classic cocktail but, just like its cousin the Margarita, it’s been perverted into a frozen concoction very unlike its former self.

2 oz Rum (I LOVE El Dorado 3 year.)
3/4 oz Freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 oz simple syrup*

*I infused my simple syrup with mint this last go around and it was FANTASTIC in this daiquiri.

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, jar, cup, or tin filled with ice. Stir for at least 30 seconds. Cold = good in cocktail land. Strain into a cocktail glass and enjoy.