Flipping through the pages, I was initially drawn to the Corpse Reviver #2 (feeling a little logey tonight and all!), but I figured I would rather try one of the cocktails I’ve never [...]]]> So I figured it was time to revisit Ted Haigh’s Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, to continue the cocktail journey through the ages.

Flipping through the pages, I was initially drawn to the Corpse Reviver #2 (feeling a little logey tonight and all!), but I figured I would rather try one of the cocktails I’ve never had before.

Side note here:  if you haven’t had a Corpse Reviver #2, go make one — now! They are very tasty!

Even though it was nice and bright and sunny, I was hankering after brown spirits, so I ended up settling on the Lion’s Tail.  This cocktail makes use of Pimento Dram (which I had recently made a batch of.  According to Ted Haigh, lore has it that this was first published in London in 1937, with the creator thought to be a cocktail refugee from the American prohibition.

This is a slightly sweeter cocktail, where the spiciness of the Pimento Dram complements the sweetness of the bourbon, (I used Knob Creek for this cocktail).  I also substituted Jerry Thomas Bitters for the Angostura, just because I thought they might go well.  Definitely tastes like another, and even Jeff (not a huge cocktail afficionado) gave it two thumbs up!

The Lion’s Tale (from Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails)

• 2 oz. bourbon
• 3/4 oz. Pimento dram
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 tablespoon simple syrup
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass

One of the other things on the list was to incorporate chia seeds into more of the [...]]]> Well I’ve had a couple of things I needed to do on the gluten-free baking front, one being to work on a new loaf to add to the mix, and a cinnamon raisin loaf seemed like just the thing.

One of the other things on the list was to incorporate chia seeds into more of the baking as a replacement for eggs.

So having some time this afternoon, off I went with the mixer and baking pans!

I started with a recipe from Betty Hagman (this woman was a gluten-free baking genius!!!) and made a few changes along the way to make it vegan, so this loaf is gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free!

Oh, one of the other things I’ve been wrestling with is the apparent difference in strength of xantham gums — some are ground more finely than others, and I recently made a change in brands and had some puzzling results which I thought were the fault of yeast (or my fault due to overproofing!) Turned out it was neither, but the fact that the more dust-like xantham gum isn’t as strong as the stuff that has a slightly more granular texture!  Of course, I found reference to this in one of the last books Betty Hagman wrote! Oh well, live and learn!!

So here’s the loaf — I modified the recipe to use both xantham gum and guar gum (which results in both working together very nicely).  The addition of the chia seeds creates a nice moist loaf with some good shelf-life to it, and the teff creates a nice mildly nutty flavour.   The loaf is only very lightly sweet — 1/4 cup of raisins in this one, as I wanted to see how well the dough carried the raisins, it could probably be upped to about 6 Tablespoons for extra raisiny goodness!

Gluten-free Cinnamon Raisin Bread (adapted from a Betty Hagman recipe)

• 80 grams teff flour
• 30 grams sorghum flour
• 154 grams Bette’s Featherlight Mix (equal parts cornstarch, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, plus 1 teaspoon potato flour for every 1 cup other flours)
• 2 tablespoons almond flour
• 3/4 teaspoon xantham gum
• 3/4 teaspoon guar gum
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon gelatin or agar powder
• 2 Tablespoons evaporated cane juice
• 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 Tablespoons chia seed soaked in 6T warm water
• 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 2 tablespoons light agave syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons warm wter
• 1/4 cup – 6 Tablespoons raisins

Bake at 400 degrees for 55-65 minutes, until internal temperature registers 205 degrees.

This yeasty recipe is being sent over to Yeastspotting – if you haven’t been there already, go check it out!  And if you have already, go on back and see what’ new this week!

So while other people are sipping on margaritas in shapes and variations, I decided to continue in the spirit of Pegu Doug’s Tiki month, and have a Mai Tai in honor of [...]]]> Well today is many things, including National Margarita Day, but its also Don the Beachcomber’s birthday, one of the founders of all things Tiki.

So while other people are sipping on margaritas in shapes and variations, I decided to continue in the spirit of Pegu Doug’s Tiki month, and have a Mai Tai in honor of Don the Beachcomber!

For those of you unaware, there was a period of time where the origin of the Mai Tai was being hotly contested — between Trader Vic and Don the Beachcomber.  Trader Vic won out on that one in the annals of cocktail history, but the Don the Beachcomber recipe is still a tasty one, and one worth having in the tiki drink arsenal.  Yes, they are similar, but they are quite different drinks – Don’s containing falernum, bitters, and a dash of Pernod among other things, which results in a less sweet, and slightly more complex range of flavours (imo).  So here’s to you, Don!  and thanks for all the Tiki!

Don the Beachcomber Mai Tai

• 1 1/2 oz. Jamaican rum
• 1 oz. Cuban rum
• 0.75 oz. fresh lime juice
• 1 oz. fresh grapefruit juice
• 0.25 oz. falernum
• 0.5 oz. Cointreau
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 dash Pernod

Shake well with ice, strain into a glass filled with crushed ice.  Garnish your heart out!

My first attempts used Ener-g [...]]]> Ive been playing around with the Timtana flour and the gluten-free recipes from Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes per day for a little bit now.  The basic recipes all use eggs in them, and I decided I would like to try and make them vegan for those unable to eat eggs.

My first attempts used Ener-g egg replacer, which worked fine for the loaves baked immediately, but did not perform so well when the dough was stored (which is the whole point of ABin5!).

I was also interested in finding a way of using the Timtana flour, as I really like the way it performs in yeast-raised breads, so after a bit more dabbling, here`s what I`ve come up with.

This is a dense loaf, as it contains a fairly high whole grain/starch ratio. With the delayed fermentation, this bread has a nice, slightly sour taste, and a very crusty exterior.  The addition of the timtana flour, helps the bread remain moist and pliable for a few days after baking (as well as being pretty darn tasty!)

This recipe is adapted from Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes per day to use the Timtana flour, as well as be egg-free. For those who don’t have timtana flour, an equally tasty variation on the loaf can be made with teff and light buckwheat flour.

Printer friendly recipe: Timtana Artisan Bread

Gluten-free Artisan Style Timtana Bread

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk well to mix.

• 2 cups (316 grams) brown rice flour (or sub 240 grams light buckwheat flour)
• 1 1/2 cups (180 grams) Timtana flour (or sub 180 grams Teff flour)
• 1 1/2 cups tapioca starch (180 grams)
• 1 1/2 cups potato starch (288 grams)
• 2 Tablespoons xantham gum
• 2 teaspoons agar powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 Tablespoons instant yeast

Add liquid ingredients to the bowl of a mixer, then add the dry ingredients and mix well with the paddle attachment and mix until the dough smooths out, about 2 minutes.

• 2 2/3 cup water at room temperature
• 1/3 cup grapeseed oil
• 2 Tablespoons light agave syrup or cane sugar

Cover and allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 90—120 minutes, until risen.  If you use immediately, take about 700 grams and shape into a smooth ball on parchment.  Allow the dough to rest for 30-40 minutes while the oven preheats to 400 degrees.  Slash the top just before baking.  Bake (with steam) for 45-50 minutes.

Refrigerate the remaining dough.  Let the cold dough sit for 90 minutes after shaping.

Dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

I still have about 250 ml of homemade falernum to use up, and have been trying it in as [...]]]> Another evening with falernum needing to be used up … another colonial cocktail from Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails!  I think I’m up to number 6 or so of these that I’ve documented here or on Flickr.

I still have about 250 ml of homemade falernum to use up, and have been trying it in as many cocktails as possible.   This cocktail actually dates back to the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (founded in 1844 and still in operation today!).

This is a simple, classic cocktail, but is Tiki in spirit — protoTiki if you will!  One of Trader Vic’s early creations, it uses Barbados Rum as a base, (even though its the Bermuda Yacht club :/ ), made a bit more complex with the spicy, ginger notes of falernum, and the sweetness cut with some lime.  A dash of Cointreau provides a final note of citrus.  This is not a sweet cocktail, but is quite drinkable, and I found it quite enjoyable to relax with after dinner while snuggling with the Shiba Inus!

Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Cocktail

• 2 oz. Barbados rum
• 3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
• 2 dashes Cointreau
• 2 teaspoons Falernum

Shake with ice, double strain into a cockail glass

Shortly after the tragic earthquake in Haiti, Lauren, from Celiacteen put out a call that she wanted to publish an e-book to help raise funds for earthquake relief in Haiti.  She has single-handedly pulled together an amazing book with 87 different recipes in it — doing [...]]]> … see, food can help in all kinds of ways!

Shortly after the tragic earthquake in Haiti, Lauren, from Celiacteen put out a call that she wanted to publish an e-book to help raise funds for earthquake relief in Haiti.  She has single-handedly pulled together an amazing book with 87 different recipes in it — doing everything from compiling it, to layout, to editing … and getting it set-up so payments would be matched!  All while going to school and coming up with her own gluten-free recipes!

Lauren is an awesome gluten-free cook who is a fellow Vancouver Islander, and just happens to be a teenager!  I encourage you all to check out the full gamut of recipes.   When Lauren originally asked for recipes, she wanted recipes that made us think of/feel at home.  Not all are gluten-free, but many are, and a number of those that aren’t, are easily converted to gluten-free.   I sent her a recipe for lentil soup, and there are lots of recipes from many familiar names in the food blogosphere!

A donation of $10 (or more!) will get you your own copy of the ebook, and if you get one before Feb 12, it will also be matched by the federal government.  Lauren’s parents have also generously offered to match the first $1000!!!  All funds raised by the e-book will be going to the Canadian Red Cross.

So go check it out, get your own copy, and help out some folks in need in the process!

But before we get into the recipe, here’s a couple of things you need to know about me:

So tonight’s Dr. Cocktail Bingo landed on The Blackthorn Cocktail!  This one is a gin-based cocktail of few ingredients.  Its on the [...]]]> Its more than enough time since the last cocktail from Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails and while I’m not strictly going in alphabetical order, I am moving roughly from the front to the back.

So tonight’s Dr. Cocktail Bingo landed on The Blackthorn Cocktail!  This one is a gin-based cocktail of few ingredients.  Its on the dryer side, and because there are so few ingredients, the garnish of a lemon twist really does make a difference here, so make sure you do it right — taking the twist off the lemon overtop of the cocktail glass in order to catch all that lemon oil!

The Blackthorne Cocktail (from Ted Haigh’s Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails)

• 2 oz. gin (I used Plymouth)
• 3/4 oz. Dubonnet Rouge
• 3/4 oz. Kirschwasser

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with a cherry* and a lemon twist.

*I use dried cherries rehydrated with brandy and soaked in Maraschino liqueur