New Years Eve Coconut Rice Pudding

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked Jasmine rice
• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ¾ cup coconut milk
• 2 oz. sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom (or other favorite spices)
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 1/3 cup unsalted pistachios or almonds, chopped

Preparation

• In large non-stick saute pan placed over medium heat, combine rice and milk. Heat until mix begins to boil. Decrease the heat to low and cook at a simmer until the mixture begins to thicken, stirring frequently (5 min).
• Increase heat to medium, add cream, coconut milk, sugar, and cardamom. Continue to cook until it begins to thicken again (5- 10 min). Use a whisk to help prevent the cardamom from clumping.  
• Once the mix begins to thicken, remove from the heat and stir in the raisins and pistachios.
• Transfer mix into individual serving dishes or glass bowl and place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding.  
• Serve chilled or at room temp. 

Comments

• This is one of my favorite desserts ever! I always make sure it is a part of our New Years Eve dessert buffet.
• Serve with a little sweetened whipped cream or homemade caramel to really set their Christmas sweaters on fire!
• Try different spices. I do not always have cardamon around so will use ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, or nutmeg too.
• Raisins are easy to leave out, but substitute some dried cranberries or other dried fruit. 
• Also experiment with your favorite nuts. I like the almonds or pistachios the best though.
• This recipe will serve 4-6. If you include cooking the rice first, the entire process is about one hour to get it in the fridge. I do like it slightly chilled, but it is great warm too.
• Garnish with a few maraschino cherries, fresh pineapple or mango. Enjoy, and Happy New Year from Evins Mill! 

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Headless Horseman

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz Pickers Vodka (going to be your new favorite)
• 1/2 oz ginger syrup (recipe below)
• juice from 1/2 lime
• dash of bitters
• club soda
• ice

Preparation

• Prepare ginger syrup by bringing 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, and 1/2 cup fresh ginger peeled and thinly sliced to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Strain syrup and keep refrigerated.
• We start with a shaker of ice then add 1 1/2 oz. of Tennessee's Pickers vodka.
• Add 1/2 oz of your ginger syrup, juice from 1/2 of a lime, and a dash of bitters.
• Shake well and strain into a Collins glass with ice.
• Finish filling the glass with club soda and garnish with a lime!

Comments & Credit

• Any vodka will work, but as with any recipe; the better the ingredients, the better the finished product. Pickers has been our new favorite this year; it has the quality of a vodka 3-4 times more in cost! Super smooth.
• The ginger syrup will keep refrigerated for a couple of weeks; it could also be frozen.
• A big thanks to our bartender, Benjy for working on this great drink and letting me be the taste tester! Benjy is also responsible for the awesome photography above.
• This has been an addictive drink at Evins Mill this fall; enjoy!   

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Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients

• 1 5-7 pound spaghetti squash
• 2T Olive oil
• 1 cup diced, fresh tomato
• 1t chopped garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh or dried herbs to taste

Preparation

• With a large knife, cut both ends off of the squash; then standing it on one end, cut squash in half lengthwise
• Scoop out seeds with a spoon and discard
• Lay squash flat in a baking dish, skin side up
• Add enough water to the baking dish to cover the bottom 
• Bake in a 350F oven for 1-2 hours or until squash is soft to the touch
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool
• Once cool, scoop out the flesh away from the skin and save; discarding the skin. This should come away from the skin fairly easy and in what looks like strings of spaghetti, thus the name
• Heat olive oil in a saute pan or cast iron skillet to medium high
• Add tomato and garlic, salt and pepper and herbs
• Saute for about 1 minute or until garlic starts to brown
• Add squash and reduce heat to medium low; cook, stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes
• Taste for additional seasoning and serve

Comments

• Spaghetti squash is a great fall vegetable that few it seems know what to do with. 
• It does take a little time to get the squash ready to saute, but this part may be done in advance so you will only be minutes away from dinner.
• This goes great as a side with just about anything, or even on its own as a vegetarian option.
• The size given in the ingredients for the squash seems to be about the average you will find; this will feed 6-8 as a side dish. 
• Total time will be around 2 hours including the baking of the squash, but the remainder of dinner can be pulled together while this is happening!

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Summer Pesto

Ingredients

• 2qt fresh basil leaves, packed (app. 12oz)
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, (app. 2-3t)
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1 1/4 -1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Preparation

• Combine all ingredients into a food processor or blender; this may need to be done in batches depending on the size of your food processor or blender
• Puree until smooth or desired consistency
• Remove and place in a container for the fridge or freezer

Comments

• Fresh pesto is a favorite to sneak into all sorts of dishes from pasta salad, salsa, dips, sauces, sandwich spreads...anything!
• We tend to use almonds the most, but try out different seeds and nuts. Traditionally the pine nut is used, but they all work pretty well.
• The better the cheese...the better the pesto. Same with the olive oil.
• Additions such as sun dried tomato, olives, and roasted garlic are fun...make it your own.
• Pesto will turn brown when left exposed to the air, so it will be normal for the surface to discolor in your container. Pour a little extra oil on top after putting the pesto in; this will help.
• Pesto will keep well in the fridge for a week or more, but also freezes well so we tend to freeze in small batches so we can pull out what we need when we need it.
• Enjoy this seasonal treat, but freeze some away so you can reminisce this winter! 

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Calfkiller Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 12oz of your favorite Calfkiller beer
• 1t vanilla
• 6 egg yolks
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2t kosher salt

Preparation

• Simmer 5oz of the beer in a saucepan over medium heat until reduced by half, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
• Combine the yolks, cream, sugar and salt in a stainless steel or non aluminum saucepan. 
• Bring mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring often. The goal is to bring the mixture to a temperature of 180F. Mixture will begin to thicken at this point. 
• Remove from the heat and strain through a fine sieve.
• Add the vanilla, reduced beer and the remaining 7oz of beer that was not reduced to the custard and combine.
• Allow mixture to refrigerate overnight or until thoroughly chilled.
• Freeze using the instructions on your ice cream maker.

Comments

• Use good quality ingredients, (eggs, cream, vanilla). They do make a difference.
• I like Calfkiller's Dead Horse Stout the best when making this recipe - the darker beers seem to have better flavor qualities for ice cream.
• The 180F is key. If it is not cooked long enough, it will not have as nice of consistency. The same is true if you over cook it.
• Keep stirring - you do not want it to stick to the bottom and scorch! 
• We make this for our Calfkiller Beer Tasting Dinners and will serve as an ice cream/beer float or with homemade cookies for an ice cream sandwich. Enjoy!

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Simply Snow Peas

Ingredients

• 8 oz fresh snow peas, washed and trimmed
• 3 T extra virgin olive oil
• coarse sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Preparation

• Julienne snow peas into long, thin strips
• Place peas in a mixing bowl and add oil, salt and pepper to taste
• Toss to combine and allow to set at room temperature for 30 minutes
• Add to any dinner for a light, crispy, tasty side

Comments

• Use very fresh snow peas. If they are limp, soak in ice water for an hour before cutting.
• Substitute the olive oil with sesame oil or an infused oil that you like.
• Sea salt is key; I like the crunch!
• Allowing them to sit for the 30 minutes will allow them to turn bright green, almost like you cooked them perfectly; they make a beautiful plate.
• Do not add the oil and salt to the peas too early, as they will continue wilting the longer they sit. 30-60 minutes is about right.
• Try with other raw veggies like asparagus, green beans, and broccoli to make your own creations. 
• Snow peas are so good raw and so easy to overcook, this is a great way to get that sweet taste without having to worry with cooking (which usually turns into ugly and mushy... boo!) 
• Enjoy!

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Veggie Slaw

Ingredients

• 1 gallon of cut vegetables (cabbage, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, radish,etc.)
• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 2 T apple cider vinegar
• 2 T sambal olek chili paste or other chili/hot sauce
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 t lawry's seasoning salt
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t granulated garlic
• 1/4 t black pepper

Preparation

• Cut vegetables into desired shapes & sizes and place in a bowl large enough to allow for the dressing to be added and for salad to be tossed.
• In a separate bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar and seasonings together.
• Pour dressing onto veggies and toss well to incorporate.
• Chill in fridge for a few hours and enjoy.

Comments

• Size can vary on the vegetable cuts, but not bigger than bite size is best or even smaller if your plan is to enjoy this on a barbecue sandwich. 
• Get creative with your veggie selection, even some fresh basil in the summer is a great addition.
• Try different vinegar flavors; they are all good options (rice wine, red wine, white wine, etc.).
• If you are leaving out the chili paste, you will need a little more vinegar or liquid to loosen the dressing and not have it too thick.
• This being said, I do like a thick dressing on my slaw because it will release the water from the veggies and your slaw will always end up wetter than it seems when you first mix the dressing in. So do not start with a runny dressing or too much dressing!
• This will make about 2-3 quarts of slaw once it sits for a while, depending on your choice of veggies.
• This slaw is best a few hours after the dressing is added, but is OK for the next day. The veggies will continue to break down the longer it sits. To get a head start, cut you veggies and make your dressing the day before, but do not mix them together until a few hours from serving time.
• Enjoy at your next cook-out, or cook-in! 

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