Ingredients:

Brine

2 quarts water
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 apple wedges
1/4 cup sliced fennel
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1 tablespoon dried bird chilies
rind from 1/2 lemon
1/8 cup dark Myer rum
1 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 tablespoons juniper berries
2 slices orange rind
Handful fresh parsley
7 stems fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves
2 bay leafs

Braise

4 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed and tied
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup fennel, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 cup leek, white portion, sliced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup dry white wine
Sachet (bay leaf, 10 peppercorns, 5 juniper berries,
3-4 fresh thyme stems, fresh flat parsley)
1 cup apple juice reduction
4 cups (approximately) chicken stock
2 Golden Delicious apples, cored and cut into eights
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/8 cup Calvados
2 white belgium endives, halved
1 head radicchio, quartered
pinch of kosher salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
 

What to Do

• Brine

• Sauté and Braise Pork
(1) Remove pork from brine and rinse. Pat dry. Tie with kitchen twine to ensure even cooking. Season with salt and pepper.
(2) In a sauté pan over high heat, add a touch of olive oil and sear pork on all sides. Remove pork from pan.
(3) Degrease pan. Add aromatics to pan (onions, carrots, celery). Cook until golden color to develop flavor.
(4) Pincée. Add tomato paste to aromatics.
(5) Deglaze with white wine and reduce au sec (dry)
(6) Add pork back in pot and cover 2/3 with chicken stock and apple cider.
(7) Cover and cook in preheated oven at 350. (a tight cover is necessary so when water evaporates it condenses on lid of the pot and drips back downy to baste the meat).
(8) Pork is done when it is plastic fork tender
(9) Remove pork and set aside.

• Sauté Apples
In a sauté pan over high heat, melt butter. Add diced apples and sugar. Cook until they are soft. Off heat, add Calvados. Return to heat and reduce au sec. Remove from heat and set aside.

• Make Sauce
Using a chinois, strain cooking liquid into a large sauce pan. Use a fat separator or a spoon to remove grease from strained liquid. Reduce to sauce consistency ( à la nappé). Add more chicken stock if necessary. Adjust seasoning.

• Plate
Add apples to top of pork and pour sauce over to cover (not drown).
 

• Braise Endive and Radicchio.
Heat pan with little butter in sauté pan. Place endive and radicchio face down and salt lightly. Once lightly browned, ladle in chicken stock (cover 2/3). Cover with a lid to braise. Reduce heat and cook until tender (should take about 10 minutes, if undercooked will be bitter… if overcooked it will fall apart.)

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6 egg yolks
¾ cup superfine baking sugar
2/3 cup half-n-half
1 pound mascarpone cheese or 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 ¼ cups whipping (heavy) cream
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup brewed espresso (Shotz available at Surfas is great)
2 tablespoons rum or 1 teaspoon rum flavoring
3 packages ladyfingers
2 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, shaved (optional)

1.      Beat egg yolks and sugar in 2 quart saucepan until well blended. Beat in half-n-half. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly; reduce heat to low. Boil and stir for 1 minute; remove from heat. Pour into medium bowl; place plastic wrap directly onto surface of custard mixture. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until chilled.
2.      Add cheese to custard mixture. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth; set aside. Beat whipping cream and vanilla in chilled medium bowl on high speed until stiff; set aside. Mix espresso and rum or rum flavoring.
3.      Separate ladyfingers horizontally; brush with espresso mixture (do not soak). Arrange half the ladyfingers in single layer in ungreased baking dish, 11 x 7x 1 ½ inches. Spread half of the cheese mixture over ladyfingers; spread with half of the whipped cream. Sprinkle with cocoa. Repeat layers with remaining ladyfingers, cheese mixture and whipped cream. Sprinkle again with cocoa. Refrigerate at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours to develop flavors. Store covered in refrigerator.
4.      Optional: shave semisweet chocolate over chilled Tiramisu before serving. Enjoy!

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1/3 cup superfine baker’s sugar
3 tablespoons Minute Tapioca
2 ¾ cup Coco Lopez Coconut Cream
1 egg, well beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon coconut flavoring
4 cups Cool Whip, defrosted in the refrigerator
½ cup brewed espresso (Shotz available at Surfas is great)
2 tablespoons rum or 1 teaspoon rum flavoring
3 packages ladyfingers
1 cup sweetened coconut
1 cup sweetened coconut, toasted

1.      Mix sugar, tapioca, coconut cream and egg in saucepan; let stand 5 minutes.
2.      Cook on20medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to full boil. (This mixture thickens as it cools.) Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and coconut flavoring. Pour into medium bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding mixture. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until chilled.
3.      Add 2 cups unfrozen Cool Whip to pudding mixture. Set aside in refrigerator. Mix espresso and rum or rum flavoring.
4.      Toast 1 cup sweetened coconut for 10 minutes at 325’, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Remove from oven and let cool. Set aside.
5.      Separate ladyfingers horizontally; brush with espresso mixture (do not soak). Arrange half the ladyfingers in single layer in ungreased baking dish, 11 x 7 x 1 ½ inches. Spread half the pudding mixture over ladyfingers; spread with half the remaining Cool Whip (1 cup). Sprinkle  the remaining 1 cup of the sweetened coconut. Repeat layers with remaining ladyfingers, pudding and Cool Whip, followed by the cooled toasted coconut. Refrigerate at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours to develop flavors. Store covered in refrigerator.

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Ingredients:
2 tbsp Maple Spice Monin
1 Shot  rum
1 cup Hot coffee or steamed milk
Whipped cream
Caramel or chocolate sauce
For a non alcoholic version omit the rum.  You can also use bourbon for this instead of the rum.

Method:
In a mug add steamed milk or hot coffee, rum, and maple spice monin.  Top with whipped cream and drizzle chocolate or caramel sauce on top.

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2 cups frozen strawberries
4 shots rum
2 shots basil simple syrup
1 shot lemon juice
water as needed

In a blender add strawberries, rum, basil simple syrup and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Add water as needed to get a pour able consistency. Pour into Daiquiri or Tall Fancy glasses. Garnish with a strawberry and a sprig of fresh basil.  This recipe can be adjusted for a Margarita by adding your favorite tequila and a little more lemon juice or you can omit the alcohol and add the pureed mixture to a glass of lemonade for strawberry lemonade.

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TRADER VIC’S 1947 ZOMBIE
Single serving & batch recipes adapted by Andrew “the Alchemist”

note: bsp. = level barspoon, or half teaspoon

Use only freshly-pressed lemon juice.
Freshly-pressed orange juice is superior, but any good not-from-concentrate orange juice may be used instead.
Authentic grenadine custom-made the traditional way with a little brandy in it is best, otherwise see below.

THE ALCHEMIST RECOMMENDS:
Grenadine:
                                             Sonoma Syrup Company

Absinthe (recommended, but Pastis Liqueur may be used instead):
                Premium:              Kübler [Beverage Warehouse or Beverages & More]
                Luxury:                 Absinthe Edouard [http://www.absintheonline.com/acatalog/Jade.html]

Demerara Rum (overproof – check for correct proof on the label):
                Standard:              Lemon Hart (151-proof) [Beverage Warehouse or Vendome Liquors in Beverly Hills]

Jamaican Rum (dark):
                Standard:              Myer’s [anywhere]

Puerto Rican Rum:
                Well:                     Bacardi Superior, Ronrico Silver or DonQ Cristal (none preferred)
                Standard:              Ron del Barrilito 2-star [Beverage Warehouse or Beverages & More]
                Premium:              Ron del Barrilito 3-star [Beverage Warehouse]

Curaçao Liqueur:
                Well:                     DeKuyper or Hiram Walker [Beverage Warehouse or Beverages & More]
                Standard:              Senior Curaçao of Curaçao [Beverage Warehouse]

Pastis Liqueur (if not using absinthe):
                Standard:              Herbsaint, Pernod or Ricard [Beverage Warehouse or Beverages & More]

TRADER VIC’S ORIGINAL 1944 MAI TAI
With suggested adaptation by Andrew “the Alchemist”

Use only freshly-pressed lime juice.
If a sweeter Mai Tai is desired, increase the amount of Orgeat Syrup and Curaçao Liqueur equally.

THE ALCHEMIST RECOMMENDS:
Orgeat Syrup:
                                             Monin or Torani

Aged Jamaican Rum (Wray & Nephew 17-year is no longer produced):
                Standard:              Appleton Estate V/X [Beverage Warehouse or Beverages & More]
                Premium:              Appleton Estate Extra [Beverage Warehouse or Beverages & More]

Curaçao Liqueur:
                Well:                     DeKuyper or Hiram Walker [Beverage Warehouse or Beverages & More]
                Standard:              Senior Curaçao of Curaçao [Beverage Warehouse]

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