Homemade Swiss Muesli

I know you’re thinking that the Swiss guys at the CBC called their Mom’s over the weekend for this recipe - And you just might be right! This recipe is perfect for any day of the week. The best part is that it can be prepared and stored in the fridge for a great nutritious breakfast (or lunch) whenever your hunger pangs call.

Don’t be afraid to experiment and add whatever fruit your heart desires. Dried fruit is also nice but high in sugar content. Personally I like to add a teaspoon of vanilla and some mixed berry yoghurt. It is best to buy nuts which are sold in the baking section of your supermarket, as they’re usually not roasted and do not have added salt.

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon honey
1-2 apple, peeled and grated
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts (toasted tastes better but is not necessary)
1 cup low-fat yogurt (any flavour you wish)
Preparation:

Combine oats, milk and honey and leave soaking in the refrigerator overnight.
Next morning, add the grated apple, hazelnuts and yogurt.

* Makes approximately 4 servings

Tortilla Soup

This hearty soup, which is perfect for a cold winter’s night like tonight, is also suitable on warm spring days.

Dean Fearing Texan Chef extraordinaire and personal friend, created this soup when he was the Executive Chef at The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, Texas. This soup was a favourite of Caroline Rose Hunt, creator of Rosewood Hotels and The Mansion on Turtle Creek and was a staple on the menu at The Mansion.

This soup may be prepared 1 day in advance and gently reheated before serving.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons corn oil
4 corn tortillas, coarsely chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh epazote (or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro)
1 cup fresh onion puree
2 cups fresh tomato puree
1 tablespoon cumin powder
2 teaspoons chilli powder
2 bay leaves
4 tablespoons canned tomato puree
2 quarts chicken stock
Salt to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste
1 cooked chicken breast, cut into strips
1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 corn tortillas, cut into strips and fried crisp

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Saute tortillas with garlic and epazote over medium heat until tortillas are soft. Add onion and fresh tomato puree and bring to a boil. Add cumin, chilli powder, bay leaves, canned tomato puree, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil again, and then reduce heat to simmer. Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste and cook, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes. Skim fat from surface, if necessary.

Strain and pour into warm soup bowls. Garnish each bowl with an equal portion of chicken breast, avocado, shredded cheese, and crisp tortilla strips. Serve immediately.

Serves 8 - 10

I want to live my next life backwards!

You start out dead and get that out of the way.

Then you wake up in an old age home feeling better every day.

You get kicked out for being too healthy; go collect your pension,
then when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day.

You work 40 years until you’re young enough to enjoy your retirement.

You drink alcohol, you party, you’re generally promiscuous and you get ready for High School.

You go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, you have no
responsibilities, you become a baby, and then…

You spend your last 9 months floating peacefully in luxurious spa-like
conditions with central heating, room service on tap, larger quarters
every day……and then, you finish off as an orgasm!

Since there is a better chance of hell freezing over, why not just treat yourself to a multiple orgasm…cocktail that is!

Multiple Orgasm cocktail

Ingredients:

Baileys Irish Cream
2 shots tia maria
1 shot vodka
Ice
whipped cream
1 shot white rum

Put 2/3 cubes of ice in a glass. Add to that 1 shot of vodka and 1 shot of white rum. Then add two shots of tia maria. Quickly pour this mixture over the baileys and whisk briskly to combine all the spirits together. Finally - add some whipped cream on top to finish it off.

A Sunday brunch suggestion for all you potato lovers…

Tomato, Garlic and Potato Frittata

Ingredients:

6 whole large eggs
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan (2 oz), or feta or goat cheese (or a combo of your choice)
1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lb boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 cups grape tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes (6 oz)
Note: If you are a meat eater, you can also add crispy bacon or pancetta for additional flavour and texture.
For those vegans who want to try a different variation: try adding some sliced artichoke hearts.

Preparation:

Whisk together whole eggs, whites, 1/4 cup of cheese , basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in large bowl.
Preheat broiler.

Cook garlic over moderate heat in a generously coated skillet of olive oil so it doesn’t stick! (Of course a non-stick and ovenproof pan will also work well). Stir until golden brown, about 1 minute. Transfer garlic with a slotted spoon to a bowl.

Add potatoes to skillet and saute over moderately high heat, stirring, until just tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to bowl with garlic.

Add 1 tablespoon oil and tomatoes to skillet and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until tomatoes brown and skins split, about 4 minutes.

Add an additional tablespoon of olive oil and potatoes with garlic to skillet, spreading evenly, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Pour egg over vegetables and cook over moderately high heat, lifting up cooked egg around edges to let uncooked egg flow underneath, 3 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate and cook with the cover on for an additional 5 minutes (centre will be moist).

Remove lid and broil frittata 5 to 7 inches from heat until set, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle top evenly with remaining 1/4 cup of your preferred cheese, then broil until cheese melts and frittata is golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.

Slide onto a platter and cut into wedges. Don’t hold back on garnishing with plenty of fresh basil.
*If you do not have an ovenproof skillet, then simply wrap the handle of your skillet with heavy-duty foil (or a double layer of regular foil) before broiling.

Makes 4- 6 servings, depending on how thick you slice it.

Seduce your partner in record time

And if you can’t get it right on your own, then do swing by the InterContinental Bar and get some first hand lessons from our pro - Joel!

Joel’s Seduction:

Muddle 1 fresh strawberry with 10ml of sugar water (combine 4 tablespoons of water with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mix well until sugar is diluted).
In a shaker with fresh ice cubes, place a dash (15ml) of Grand Marnier or Brandy mixed with a splash of OJ, 10ml vodka, 20ml of passion fruit (1 passion fruit halved and scooped out is best. However if timing is an issue, store bought juice will also do the trick) and, 20ml of cranberry juice.
SHAKE everything vigorously!
Double strain (this means strain from the shaker over a tea strainer) into a sexy shaped - chilled glass of Rose Champagne(you can’t go wrong with Dom Perignon rose, however an inexpensive rose such as Jacobs Creek, which you can purchase at Tesco for a fiver, will also get the job done).
Garnish with an orange slice or zest, and if you are a real pro and want to make a lasting impression, twist that orange.
Once again, shake it baby and then let this potion work its magic!

If you are anything like me, you are in full-swing of the post-holiday blues. Your Christmas tree is sitting road-side and your packing up the last of the tree decorations, and pondering over how you are going to keep your New Year’s resolutions.Time for a break and a little comfort food to get you through this transitional month.

This quiche is very delicate and elusive in flavour, and is perfect to serve for a Sunday brunch or luncheon. Served with a fresh fruit salad of strawberries, papaya and pineapple and a few slices of banana bread would make this menu complete.

This recipe comes from one of my favourite cookbooks called: A Private Collection, written by the Junior League of Palo Alto (northern California). It is a compilation of special recipes, not readily found in other cookbooks, that have been lovingly shared by aunts, mothers, grandmothers and dear friends over the years.

QUICHE with WHITE WINE and SHALLOTS:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup minced shallots
1/2 cup dry white wine
6 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
3 cups heavy cream
Dash of freshly grated nutmet
12 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
1 10×2″ pastry shell, baked*

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place shallots and wine in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Sprinkle salt and pepper over eggs. Beat lightly, then beat in cream, nutmet, and wine-shallot mixture, respectively.

Sprinkle grated cheese evenly over the pastry shell. Pour in custard mixture.

Bake for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown and firm in center. Let rest 5-10 minutes before cutting.

*Note: This recipe will fill 2 8-inch shells, but reduce baking time.

Serves 6 as entree, 12 as a 1st course.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes

Dear friends and associates of the CBC, we wish you all the best and a Happy New Year!
Back in Switzerland there we used to have a legendary barman at the Badrutt’s Palace in St.Moritz, Mario DaComo. An institution in itself he made some of the best drinks in the world, and he would anytime day or night, for ladies or gentlemen, young or old, know the perfect tailored drink for the spirit and make the right comment in the circumstances. St.Moritz New Years eves were always long and powerful, and the day after spirits demanded for similar powerful cures, we would eat cases of oysters, lobsters and langoustines in the the middle of the snow crowned Swiss Alps. And Mario always setup his bar with some of the best cures I have ever come along. The last year I realized that his theories need to be shared with the world and this seems to be the right space to do so. Mario’s pharmacy bar consisted of Bull Shot’s, Bloody Marie, Prairie Oysters and Blood Transfusions, and the Corpse Reviver which was created at the Ritz Bar, Paris, in the 1920’s. The drink was immortalized in The Savoy Cocktail Book with: “To be taken before 11am, or whenever steam and energy is needed.”

For the Corpse Reviver use 3cl Brandy, 2cl Sweet Vermouth (I like to use Lillet) and 2cl Calvados: Pour the brandy, Calvados and Lillet into a mixing glass, Stir and strain into a glass.

For the gentler souls I suggest one of my personal favorites, the Bull Shot. Here it is said that if you don’t want to start lunch with soup, then starts with a Bullshot - a drink, full of strong flavor, finishing with the sharpness of lemon. Use 5cl Vodka, 15cl strong beef bouillon, dash of fresh lemon juice, few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, celery salt, black pepper: Shake all ingredients sharply. This drink can be consumed hot, or cold shaken on ice.

A slightly more bizarre drink is the Prairie Oyster where it is said that this cures the worst headache and the most upset stomach: Rinse a glass with olive oil (a small wine glass or Cognac sniffer), add a tablespoon full of tomato ketchup, one fresh egg yolk (don’t brake it) and season with Worcestershire, Tabasco, salt and pepper and a dash of white wine vinegar. Close your eyes and drink in one gulp while thinking about the pleasures you had the night before, serve with a large glass of ice water.

Fruit juices are also a good cure as the body is dehydrated and needs lots of liquid! Happy New Year and let me know your tricks.