The King's Toddy, or My New Health Tonic

I have never been one to sip a little something when I'm not feeling well. I always thought it was an old wives' tale that having a dram of whiskey or something could cure your ills. I'm beyond thinking that now.

A few months ago, I was invited to the Boston launch of No. 3 Gin and The King's Ginger (a ginger liqueur) at Eastern Standard. I, of course, tried all the iterations of gin cocktails that were offered to me, but my favorite of the night was a simple hot toddy made with both No. 3 and King's Ginger. The King's Ginger especially was intriguing to me because it has a much better, richer, fuller ginger taste than the other ginger liqueur on the market. I couldn't wait to get a bottle for myself. Or I thought I couldn't. Instead, I forgot all about it.

Last week, though, after feeling sick for most of this month, I was reminded of the cocktails I had tried at the event, and I remembered just how much I had loved that hot toddy. I searched around for No. 3 and King's Ginger (eventually finding them at Downtown Wine and Spirits in Somerville) and got to work.

I've made these toddies a few times now, and it only takes a sip or two to feel its effects. Between stress at work (Christmas retail in a store with concrete floors is HELL) and whatever illness I have that won't go away, I'm definitely more tense than I should be, but a King's Toddy soothes like nothing else. The warmth coupled with the intoxicating ginger, the subtleties of the gin paired with lemon and honey all add up to love in a mug.

The King's Toddy
1 oz No. 3 Gin
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz King's Ginger
tsp honey

In a mug, combine gin, lemon juice, ginger liqueur, and honey. Top with hot water and whisk to dissolve the honey. Garnish with lemon twist.

Citrus-Braised Endive Pasta

I had so much fun creating a recipe for December's Kitchen Play event that I thought I should try my hand at a recipe from this month's gathering, sponsored by California Endive. Frankly, I don't know if I've ever had endive before, but this seemed like as good a reason as any, so I jumped right in.

Wicked Good Dinner's recipe for citrus-braised endive (the amuse bouche entry on Kitchen Play) immediately intrigued me, and I thought it was perfect for this time of year. As I read through the recipe, though, I thought that the flavors would make a great pasta sauce as well, so I changed the recipe around to become a whole meal.

I'm so happy with how this dish turned out. The flavor combination is unique and unexpected but so harmonious. The final dish is sweet and salty, bitter and unctuous, soft and crispy - there are just so many good things going on! This dish serves 2, but could easily be doubled.

Citrus-Braised Endive Pasta (adapted from Wicked Good Dinner)

2 Tbsp honey
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small grapefruit, zested and juiced
1 Tbsp grated ginger
1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 white endives
1/2 cup (3-4 slices) minced bacon
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 oz of penne (or other pasta shapes) (about 1/3 of a box)
1 orange or grapefruit, supremed (I used a blood orange)
1 avocado, cubed

Whisk together the honey, garlic, grapefruit zest and juice, ginger, and vinegar and set aside.

In a medium pot, bring salted water to a boil and add endive. Cook for 4 minutes, then remove from pot and cool slightly; chop into 1/2-inch pieces (I discarded some of the tips of the outer leaves that had turned brown while boiling). Set aside. Discard water (it will be bitter) and refill pot. Bring water to a boil for pasta.

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium-high until crispy. Remove bacon pieces and drain on a paper towel. Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package. Add olive oil to the remaining bacon fat in the pan, then add endive and spread it across the bottom of the pan. Allow to cook 3 minutes or so until it begins to caramelize, then toss the whole mixture and allow to caramelize on the other side for another 3 minutes or so. Remove endive from pan. Add honey mixture to the pan and bring to a boil, whisking up all the little bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat and cook 3 minutes, until reduced. Add endive, bacon, orange wedges, avocado, and cooked pasta and toss to coat (you can add a few tablespoons of the pasta water to create a little more sauce). Salt and pepper to taste.

Ginger Explosion!

I'm a big fan of ginger in all its spicy, cold-curing glory. I love both ginger ale and ginger beer (what a surprise that was, the first time I ordered a ginger beer...), and I always keep a bag or two of candied ginger around (Trader Joe's makes it without the sugary coating, too, which is so much tastier). But ginger has never seemed like an overly popular flavor past ginger ale when you're sick and gingerbread at Christmas (don't even get started about ginger hair).

Imagine my surprise, then, at an entire event organized around this zesty tuber. eatBoston, who helped organize this past summer's Ice Cream Showdown, put this together, hosted at Grand in Union Square and benefiting the Somerville Arts Council. Little tables were set up all around the store, and five local restaurants served up their best ginger dish.

Ronnarong Thai Tapas, Tupelo, and Petit Robert Bistro all presented hearty savory dishes. Ronnarong's ginger chicken stir-fry (I don't know if it had a real name) was the ideal Thai dish, with perfectly cooked veggies and amazing flavor coming from the huge slivers of ginger. Tupelo's ginger-infused gumbo got it's spice from the ginger in a nice sinus-clearing way, and it was a good spin on the traditional dish (now if only Tupelo would put it on the menu). Petit Robert's ginger veal stew was less gingery after the other two, but the meat was perfectly cooked.

I love how versatile a spice ginger is. It works wonderfully in savory dishes, but it almost works better in sweet desserts. Petit Robert offered up a second dish of ginger macarons (I had my very first macaron at Petit Robert, but I favor their floral flavors over this ginger one). Bambara made classic gingersnap cookies, which had a nice chew and plenty of ginger flavor (although I was hoping for something that more directly represented their menu). Picco served little bites of their amazing soft gingerbread, which is more of a cake than anything. At Picco, the gingerbread is served hot with ice cream and caramel sauce, but it was just as good on its own here.

Of course, eating all this good food got me thirsty. Thankfully, Bambara had gingerbread martinis (with crushed gingersnaps on the rim), and Ronnarong had a hot Thai Toddy, with black tea, sake, ginger syrup, ginger, and lemongrass. I'm pretty sure that toddy would cure any cold, and the next time I'm feeling under the weather, I think I'll have to make a stop at Ronnarong. (They also have a housemade ginger soda on their menu, if sake isn't your thing).

Now, of course, I'm craving ginger and want it in everything I eat. I especially have a hankering for Grasmere Gingerbread, this crazy delicious stuff that's only made in one shop in the small town of Grasmere in England. At least Picco was handing out the recipe for their gingerbread - may have to give it a try this week ;)

I'm definitely looking forward to eatBoston's next delicious event.

Carrot Parsnip Ginger Soup

Mmm, root veggies. One thing I love about fall is the abundance of sweet, earthy vegetables that are awesome just about any way you prepare them. I don't really have a story about this soup - it's just quick and easy, hearty and delicious. If you're not a huge fan of ginger, you might want to bring it down to a 1-inch piece instead of 2-inch.

Carrot Parsnip Ginger Soup
4 cups chicken stock
1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped
1 pound parsnips, peeled and chopped
2 inches of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced finely across the grain
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1 tsp sugar
salt
white pepper

Bring the chicken stock to a boil over medium high heat. Add carrots, parsnips and ginger and reduce heat to medium low. Cover and simmer until the veggies are tender (about half an hour - the carrots are the hardest, so check them for doneness). Remove from heat and blend with an immersion blender (you can also blend in small batches in the blender). Blend in milk, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Yep, that's it.