Grab the Good Life with Rocco DiSpirito
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August 15, 2005 - August 15, 2005
WOR 8/15/05
Grab The Good Life everyone! We have a great tequila laced show lined up for you!
Today on the show we have Anna Maria Cesena. She is the brand manager for Jose Cuervo Tequila.
Give us a call at 1-800-321-0710.
Rocco recounts Mike's birthday madness!
Rocco: I had an absolutely tiring weekend. First of all started with Mike Figliola's birthday party and let me tell you I forgot what it was like to have a party when you are 25 years old. It's been about 15 years, maybe 20. But, basically a bunch of friends get together, sit around in a circle and drink & drink & drink & drink!
George Mathews and Waller: and drink & drink and drink some more
Rocco: And drink & drink & drink…stop me when it was enough.
Mike Waller: Everyone just record this and play it on a loop.
Rocco: It's amazing and what happens when you are really drunk and you don't know if you are drinking, talking, speaking, excreting in your pants. What happens at the end of that party. Is it fun?
George: Definitely not for the person cleaning up.
Waller: Which was me. I was the only one who was sober and had to do all the cleaning up in the morning.
Rocco: Yeah…you were the only sober one! And the great thing is that the only thing they serve to eat is chips...like Doritios and Pringles and that was it.
Mike: You are lucky there was food at all!
Rocco: Did any of you have dinner before that?
Mike: Yeah I had White Castle.
Rocco: And I am really sorry about your pan.
George: It suffered the wrath of the nun chucks.
Rocco: Now George is here. George is replacing Mike this week because Mike is on vacation!
Bloody Mary:
Rocco: So this weekend I discovered the Bloody Mary. How good is a Bloody Mary. I went to my favorite place for bunch, Balthazar restaurant. I would move in, as a matter of fact, if they had a little bedroom there. And I decided to order a Bloody Mary. Everyone always forgets that the Bloody Mary exists. Especially, if you are young…under 40 or 50. Bloody Mary wasn't a drink that you were born with or grew up with and you forget how good it is. And it's kind of like an appetizer. It's a great drink because it has tomato juice, horseradish and spices. Its good stuff! Let me just tell you how to make one:
Rocco's Blood Buddy Mary:
1 ½ oz of vodka or more if you like
3 drops of tobasco sauce
Now you can use chili flakes. I happen to like chili flakes and I like them in everything. They are pretty good in Bloody Mary because they infuse the Bloody Mary and when you bite on them it tastes really good.
3 oz of tomato juice (You can use V8).
If you want a little clam flavor you can buy clamada. Actually, the clam juice in there tastes really good.
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
A lot purists out there claim that everything has to be fresh. Everything has to be hand picked by virgins otherwise it is not good, but I disagree. I think purists are boring, but in this case with pepper, fresh grind makes a big difference. Now the easiest way to have both fresh back and white pepper is to buy a pepper mill for each. My favorite is the 9" Peugeot pepper mills. They are about $20 and they will last a lifetime. Just make sure that about every year you put a little drop of oil on the little screw on top and it will last forever. The only thing that goes bad with those is that the top rust and it becomes hard to open. Now, for all of you who hold the mill like a baseball bat and twist and convulse that is not the way to do it. You need an under hand and over hand hold on the bottom. It's hard to explain over the air, but if you watch me cook on TV you'll know what I am talking about.
Purists Version:
1 lemon: juiced
Salt- Kosher has a nice bite
½ teaspoon Worcester sauce
Shake it all up and strain it over ice cubes
You can use some lime. If you are using lime or lemon in a drink please make sure it is washed. The best way to clean a lime or lemon is to take a tea towel and rug it with a little water. You always want to cut the top and bottom off about a ¼" and cut out the little piff on the inside and remove the seeds. The whole idea of putting it on the glass just urks me. So, just add it in the drink and stir it all up.
1 big stick of celery with all the leaves on it from the heart of the celery. There is nothing worse than unpeeled celery so please make sure it is peeled.
Prepared horseradish
Add Tomato juice. For those of you who like to use your own fresh garden tomatoes. You can put it in a food mill and you have one serious bloody Mary. I also like to add cocktail shrimp and hang it over the glass for dipping.
Rocco: Tequila is probably my favorite spirit. Now, our intern Patricia has made us a tequila cake with glaze from the tequila cookbook by Nusom.
Patricia: Since it is Tequila Day, I figured I would make this and bring it on the show!
Rocco: That is so sweet of you!
Here is the recipe:
This calls for 2 cups of sugar, one cup of butter, 1 cup of butter
4 eggs lightly beaten
1/2 cup of milk
3 ½ cups of all purpose flour
3 teaspoons of baking powder
¼ teaspoon of salt
¼ cup of tequila
For the glaze
1 cup of light brown sugar
1 cup of dark brown sugar
¼ cup of water
Pinch of salt
¼ cup of tequila
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Cream sugar, butter and eggs together in a large bowl. Stir in milk, then add flour, baking powder and salt, and beat. Add tequila and beat well until smooth and shiny.
Fold batter into a greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Remove from oven, let cool, then turn cake out onto a serving plate.
For the glaze, pour the sugars, water and salt into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until the mixture becomes semi-caramelized (the sugar melts and mixture starts to turn clear), about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in tequila and Grand Marnier. Pour over cake while glaze is warm. Makes 8 servings.
Give us a call at 1-800-321-0710.
Gail from New Jersey: I am making Tomato Sauce and I am listening to you! First off: I use Pink Pepper Corns for pepper.
Rocco: Here is my problem with this - they have a little seed in the inside and it doesn't break down no matter how much you grind them. These Pink Peppercorns are actually seeds. To avoid this, if you have a siv, dry the pepper corns and rub them on the civ. That way youll have all the good parts of the peppercorns but not that seed part. Now, did you know that the pink pepper corns are great for ice cream?
Gail: No I didn't Rocco!
Rocco: They are intoxicating! They are actually sweet. You can use cuman seeds, ground up mace, cloves and put them in pepper mills - and they will gring rather nicely. The one thing that doesn't grind nice here are chile's.
Anna Maria Cesena, brand manager for Jose Cuervo Tequila!
Rocco: Welcome to the show Anna Maria, where are you from?
Anna Maria Cesena: I am from Mexico.
Rocco: Ahh - is most Tequila from Mexico because of the Agauve plant?
Anna Maria: Yes - it only grows in the central western state of Jalisco where the town of Tequila is located.
Rocco: Is there a town caleld Chijuaja?
Anna Maria: Actually - YES!
Rocco: I knew it! Let me ask you this, does Mexican Food in America resemble Mexican food?
Anna Maria: Not realy. The Tortilla is the base, but the cheese is always white in Mexico.
Rocco: So why are you a tequila expert?
Anna Maria: I actually studied Tequila in Mexico!
Rocco: How much do you need to drink to be an expert?
Anna Maria: You have to drink a lot to be an expert I think.
Rocco: Let's test her - go in Mike's drawer and there is a little Tequila there...No I'm kidding. So Jose Cuervo is owned by The Jose Cuervo Family.
Anna Maria: They were the first to make tequila 210 years ago.
Rocco: When you pronounce tequila, how is it pronounced?
Anna Maria: De-Keel-ah!
Rocco: Love it. How would tequila be served in Mexico? Is it still serevd with salt and lime?
Anna Maria: Well, in a shot glass and the lime and salt was an old tradition. The lime and the salt was to make a coating on the mouth as you would enjoy the tequila because old world tequila was rough. So today people still do it.
Rocco: In Amsterdam they serve it with Orange and Cinnamon, is this true?
Anna Maria: It's so true.
Rocco: Is tequila the most drunk in Mexico?
Anna Maria: Yes- Tequila, then rum and then beers. The beers come in a 10 oz beer - nothing cools like a beer.
Rocco: What's the best way to enjoy Tequila?
Anna Maria: Chilled and either a white or a Reposado Tequila. White Tequila does not need any aging - it is the purest form of tequila.
Rocco: What are the other 3 different tequilas and explain them!
Anna Maria: Oro or Gold
Is tequila Blanco mellowed by the addition of colorants and flavorings, caramel being the most common. It is the tequila of choice for frozen Margaritas. There is Reposado or Rested
It is Blanco that has been kept (or rested) in white oak casks or vats called "pipones" for more than two months and up to one year. The oak barrels give Reposado a mellowed taste, pleasing bouquet, and its pale color. Reposado keeps the blue agave taste and is gentler to the palate. These tequilas have experienced exponential demand and high prices. and Añejo or Aged
It is Blanco tequila aged in white oak casks for more than a year. Maximum capacity of the casks should not exceed 600 liters (159 gallons). The amber color and woody flavor are picked up from the oak, and the oxidation that takes place through the porous wood develops the unique bouquet and taste.
Rocco: Thanks Anna Maria!
Anna Maria: Thanks Rocco!
Grab the Good Life and see you all tomorrow!
