Hibiscus Tea: the Perfect Summertime Drink

Posted on July 30, 2022 by Rosanna

Hibiscus tea is the perfect beverage for a hot summer day. The bold burgundy hue gives it a festive air sure to brighten any party or pool deck. It’s non-caffeinated, allowing you to relax and unwind without becoming restless or, more importantly, it’s something kids can drink without an extra jolt of energy. When served chilled, it tastes refreshingly sweet with floral notes and a hint of tartness. The smell is intoxicating, inviting you to take a sip.

How to Make Hibiscus Tea

To make hibiscus tea, first steep dried hibiscus flowers, also known as flor de jamaica,with water overnight. Then strain the flowers out, pressing on them to release all their precious liquid; next add additional water and sugar to sweeten it. I like to make it in a big batch so I can sip it over the course of several days. It’s also great for parties and you can always add a shot of rum to your tea, if you want to make it into an adult beverage. read more

How to Make Café con Leche Using a Bialetti

Posted on August 17, 2020 by Rosanna

During these stressful and uncertain times, I’m trying to find small ways to boost my happiness. My favorite kind of coffee is café con leche literally translated as coffee with milk. However, it’s so much more than that description connotes. First you take freshly brewed espresso and pour it over sugar and stir it until it dissolves. Then you take steamed milk and froth it until it’s foamy and combine it with the espresso mixture. This produces a rich and comforting cup of coffee to sip, savor, and thoroughly enjoy. read more

Ribeye Steak with Red Wine Sauce, Blue Cheese, Pancetta, and Candied Pecans

Posted on April 28, 2015 by Rosanna

Ribeye Steaks with Red Wine Sauce, Blue Cheese, Pancetta, and Candied Pecans

Ribeye Steak with Red Wine Sauce, Truffle Mac and Cheese, Salad, and Red Wine

It’s not very often that a wine–or any alcoholic beverage for that matter–inspires what I cook. Normally, I choose a meal first, then think about the beverage pairing. But when Corey and I received a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon last summer, I made an exception.

Corey and I have very different wine preferences: I prefer light, refreshing German Rieslings with floral and sweet notes, while Corey prefers robust reds. When Corey mentioned this predicament to a colleague at his future firm this summer, she kindly sent him a bottle of Orin Swift Cellars Palermo Cabernet Sauvignon 2012–a wine that we both adored.

Orin Swift Cellars Palermo Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Its label is gorgeous in a morbid, Poe-esque way. If you don’t know by now, I’m a fan of creepy things. Take a look at my “glass” cupcakes or these “blood-splattered” cookies. But label aside, how did it taste?

Delicious, jammy, hedonistic, and bursting with flavor. It’s a very soft, low-tannic wine. The aftertaste is wonderful and there’s no lingering bitterness, as you sometimes get with red wines. It was the perfect compromise for our differing tastes.

2012 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Palermo

So why did I wait so long to blog about this delicious wine? I needed to perfect my steak recipe first! The best steak I’ve tasted was at Pisces in Key West. Ever since, I’ve wanted to re-create that experience.

Filet Mignon with Red Wine Sauce, Blue Cheese, Pancetta, and Candied Pecans

It took me several tries, but I finally approximated the dish at Pisces. I chose to use ribeye steak instead of filet mignon because the former’s higher fat content pairs well with Cabernet Sauvignon–though I’m sure filet mignon would have done nicely as well.

The ribeye steak with red wine sauce that I created is packed with flavor! Salty pancetta, creamy blue cheese, sweet pecans, and a rich, luxurious red wine sauce will have you swooning. Round the meal out with a delicious bottle of wine,

white truffle oil mac and cheese read more

Korean Roasted Barley Tea

Posted on March 8, 2015 by Rosanna

Korean Roasted Barley Tea and Buddha Board

I love drinking tea, especially during the long winter months. There’s something comforting about sipping hot tea on a cold day–it has a calming effect that forces me to slow down and appreciate life. I usually drink black tea in the morning to energize me for the day ahead, but when I have a bit more time, I like to sit down with my Buddha Board–a painting surface upon which you can paint temporarily with water–and a cup of roasted barley tea.

Roasted Barley Tea and Barley Tea Painting

Paintings on Buddha Boards aren’t meant for permanence (they fade as the water dries), which makes photographing the image tricky. As you can see, parts of the painting are already starting to fade mere seconds after its completion.

So what is roasted barley tea? It’s a drink made by boiling and steeping roasted barley. It’s not a “tea” in the technical sense (i.e., it’s not made from actual tea leaves), but it stands in as a non-caffeinated alternative to traditional teas. It can be served hot, at room temperature, or chilled, and it’s very popular in Korea and Japan. In Korea it goes by the name boricha, and the Japanese call it mugicha. read more

Sashimi, Seaweed, and Cucumber Salad with Ponzu sauce

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Rosanna

Tuna and Salmon Sashimi, Seaweed, and Cucumber Salad with Ponzu Sauce

It’s a new year and for a lot of people that means a clean, healthy beginning, because of this I wanted to feature a dish that is simple, fresh, healthy, and most importantly, delicious. This sashimi, seaweed, and cucumber salad is all of these things and appetizing to boot.

My mind always drifts to Japanese cuisine when I think of using fresh ingredients in a pure and simple way. Jiro Ono, renowned sushi chef and owner of the three-star Michelin restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro, says in the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, “Ultimate simplicity equals purity,” and I believe this can be seen throughout Japanese cuisine.

I kept this idea of “simplicity equals purity” when creating this dish. The sashimi, seaweed, and cucumber salad showcases the natural flavors of the ingredients, resulting in a refreshing salad. Sliced cucumbers comprise the base of the salad, which is topped with seaweed salad, flying fish roe (tobiko) and tuna and salmon sashimi cubes. The salad is finished with ponzu–a citrusy, tangy-sweet sauce.

I used a spiral vegetable slicer to cut the cucumbers (my new Christmas kitchen gadget), but you can also julienne or slice the cucumbers by hand.

Fresh Salmon and Tuna with Shun Knife

It’s important when buying the ingredients for the dish to make sure they are fresh; this is especially true for the fish and seafood because they will be consumed raw. If you’re in Chicago, the Mitsuwa Marketplace has a wide assortment of fresh seafood. Otherwise, tell your fishmonger that you are looking to buy fish to consume raw and ask for their recommendation. For more advice about buying raw fish, read this article here.

I chose to top my salad with tuna and salmon sashimi, but you can use whatever fish or seafood combination you desire. You can also use imitation crab, if you prefer a cooked option.

Tuna and Salmon Sashimi Salad with Choya Japanese Plum Wine (Umeshu)

This sashimi, seaweed, and cucumber salad goes great with Choya Japanese plum wine—a slightly sweet, but not overpowering wine made with ume fruit.

I hope you enjoy this healthy and flavorful salad as much as I do! If you experiment with different seafood or ingredient combinations, feel free to send pictures or let me know in the comments.

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Category Archives: Beverage