Lemon Verbena Drop Recipe

2 oz. lemon verbena infused vodka (instructions below)

splash of Limoncello

sweeten to taste with superfine sugar or simple syrup (less grainy) - start with 1/4 teaspoon or so, and sweeten from there to taste.

In a shaker filled with ice add the lemon verbena vodka, a splash of Limoncello, and the sugar/simple syrup. When it comes to sweetness, you may want to add more or less sweetener depending on how you like your drinks. Shake well and serve in a martini glass with a sprig of lemon verbena and a curl of lemon peel (you can also sugar the rim if desired).

Lemon Verbena Infused Vodka

Clean and dry the jar you are going to use.

You want to wash the lemon verbena you are going to use really well, or the sediment will end up in your vodka. Wash several leafy sprigs of the lemon verbena and pat them dry with a clean towel.

Add the lemon verbena to the vodka. Depending on how much vodka you will be using adjust how much lemon verbena you add. You can see in the above picture I used quite a bit of the verbena and ended up letting it infuse for about 36 hours. It's not an exact science, just keep sampling it until the strength is to your liking.

Seal the jar and wait at least 24 hours. The lemon verbena imparts its flavor to the vodka quite willingly and you will also start to notice a change of color in the vodka. After the initial 24 hours, if you want a more pronounced verbena flavor, let it go longer and taste every 12 hours or so until you feel the infusion is complete.

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Beggar's Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 fresh chicken, 3 to 3 1/2 pounds, cleaned
• Marinade:
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon ginger juice
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Stuffing:
• 6 shiitake mushrooms, fresh or dried
• 4 ounces lean pork
• 2 ounces Chinese pickled cabbage, or preserved mustard greens
• 2 green onions
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder (optional)
• Other:
• 2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying
• 2 large sheets aluminum foil for wrapping chicken

Preparation:

To make the ginger juce, grate the ginger and squeeze out the juice until you have 1 teaspoon. In a small bowl, combine the marinade ingredients. Rub the marinade ingredients over the inside and outside of the chicken and let marinate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare the vegetables and pork. If using dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstitute by soaking in warm water until softened. Squeeze dry and cut into thin slices. For fresh, wipe with a damp cloth and slice. Cut the pork into thin matchstick pieces. Finely chop the remaining vegetables.

In a wok or heavy frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high to high heat. Add the green onion and the pork. Stir-fry until the pork is crisp and nearly cooked through, then add the mushrooms and preserved greens. Stir in the soy sauce, rice wine or dry sherry, sugar, sesame oil and five-spice powder if using. Remove from the pan.

Stuff the chicken loosely with the stuffing and close with skewers or strong toothpicks. Wrap the chicken tightly in the aluminum foil. Place the wrapped chicken in a roasting pan.

Bake the chicken for 75 minutes. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the juices run clear and the temperature of the chicken in the thickest part of the thigh is 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the stuffing and serve with the chopped up chicken.

Source : http://chinesefood.about.com

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