Some chefs are inspired to go beyond classic recipes and create their own unusual take on a dish—or a drink.

Chef Julio Medina, who has an empire* of refined Latin cuisine restaurants in New York City, likes to create special menus, including specialty Margaritas, for each location.

His latest creation, for Toloache, is an homage to spring and Cinco de Mayo that combines traditional Mexican flavors with his classic French culinary training.

*The restaurants include Coppelia, Toloache 50, Toloache Taqueria and Toloache 82, Yerba Buena Avenue A and Yerba Buena Perry.

†Today Cinco de Mayo is primarily a regional holiday celebrated in the Mexican state of Puebla on May 5th. It is actually a bigger event in the United States than it is in Mexico, thanks to American promotional know-how, a large population of Mexican-Americans and other Americans who like Mexican food, music and a good celebration.

A different but really good Margarita. Photo courtesy Toloache 50 | New York City.

The homage to Cinco de Mayo is the name of the drink: Invaciones Frances Margarita, French Invasion Margarita. The holiday of Cinco De Mayo† commemorates the 1862 victory of a small and poorly-equipped Mexican militia led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin, over the much larger French army at The Battle Of Puebla. It temporarily stopped the French invasion of the country.

The homage to spring: the fresh spring peas and tarragon in the mixture.

Peas and tarragon in a Margarita? Absolutely—and absolutely delish. We present, for your pleasure, the French Invasion Margarita.

THE FRENCH INVASION MARGARITA

Ingredients Per Drink

Remy Martin’a unaged eau de vie, V
(pronounced “vee”). Photo courtesy Remy
Martin.

Preparation

1. In a cocktail shaker, muddle together 1 sprig tarragon and the peas. Add the remaining ingredients with ice and shake well.

2. Double strain the Margarita into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a small sprig of tarragon.
  
WHAT’S REMY MARTIN V (PRONOUNCED VEE)?

Produced by the great Cognac maker, Remy V is not a Cognac but an eau de vie. Eau de vie (plural, eaux de vie) is the name given to a spirit distilled from grapes and other fruits that has not yet been aged. At this point it is a clear liquid, like vodka.

It is through aging in oak barrels for at least 2-1/2 years that eau de vie takes on the complex aromas, color and flavors of Cognac. Instead, Remy Martin V is finished with a cold filtration process, like vodka.

Hence the name “V,” a reference to eau de vie (also pronounced “vee,” and meaning “water of life”). It’s unaged Cognac.

And now the challenge: Where to find it. Remy Martin V has limited retail distribution in the U.S.

So here‘s our recommendation: Substitute pisco, a clear, distilled grape spirit from Peru that, like Remy Martin V, is produced in the manner of Cognac. Pisco Portón is an excellent brand, with good distribution.

WHAT’S A BAR SPOON?

A bar spoon is a teaspoon on a long handle, typically 11 inches in length. It is used to measure ingredients and to layer drinks (by pouring the different layers of alcohol over the back of the spoon, where they flow gently into the glass).

The long handle lets the bartender dip deep into jars to scoop up olives and cherries. If you don’t have a bar spoon, it’s inexpensive and doesn’t take up much room. Here’s a good bar spoon.

Have you ever had a grilled cheese sandwich for dessert?

There are more than a few sweet grilled cheese sandwich recipes out there, perfect for dessert or a sweet snack. We’ll start you off with two, courtesy of the Grilled Cheese Academy, the best grilled cheese website, sponsored by the great cheese makers of Wisconsin.

THE BIANCA: A SWEET GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH WITH DULCE DE LECHE

Ingredients

Sink your teeth into this delightful combination of mascarpone, homemade dulce de leche and raspberry preserves on cinnamon raisin bread. Makes 4 servings.

Here, mascarpone is the grilled cheese. Photo courtesy Grilled Cheese Academy.

Preparation

1. To make dulce de leche, place a can of condensed milk in a deep pot and cover with water; bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 90 minutes. Turn burner off and let the can sit in the water until cool. Dry and open the can. The contents will be caramel-colored (and hard to resist eating).

2. Mix mascarpone with vanilla; stir to incorporate air and lighten the cheese.

3. Heat skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Butter bread slices on one side; place in pan, butter-side down and grill until golden brown and crisp.

4. Remove and spread the unbuttered sides of 4 slices of bread with 1 tablespoon raspberry preserves, 2 tablespoons mascarpone and 1 tablespoon dulce de leche, in that order. Top with another toasted piece of bread, browned-side up, and more dulce de leche. Garnish with whipped cream and fresh raspberries, if desired.

Bananas, bacon and peanut butter were a favorite of Elvis. But because there is already an Elvis sandwich, this one is called the Lisa Marie. Photo courtesy Grilled Cheese Academy.

THE LISA MARIE: A SWEET GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH WITH HOT FUDGE

Ingredients

Bananas, peanut butter, butterkäse cheese and chocolate-sauced bacon caramelized with brown sugar and maple syrup: Wow! Makes 4 servings.

Butterkäse originated in Germany. A very mild and creamy cheese with a buttery texture, the name literally means butter cheese. If you can’t find it, substitute cream cheese or mozzarella.

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. Place bacon slices on baking sheet pan with sides (a jelly roll pan) and bake until lightly browned and starting to crisp, about 5-6 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, mix brown sugar and maple syrup until smooth. Using a pastry brush, brush the hot bacon slices with mixture. Return to the oven for another 5-6 minutes, turning once and being careful not to burn the sugar. Remove to cooling rack and let cool.

4. Heat griddle or sauté pan over medium heat. Butter one side of the bread slices. Spread other side with peanut butter. Top each slice, peanut butter-side up, with 1 butterkäse slice and some banana slices. Place butter-side down on griddle and grill until sandwich bread bottoms are light golden brown.

5. Meanwhile, heat chocolate sauce until warm (the microwave is perfect for this). Dip each slice of bacon into warm chocolate to cover half of strip and place over bananas. To serve, drizzle sandwiches with additional chocolate sauce.

Affogato: an Italian sundae. Photo courtesy Talenti Gelato.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When it gives you gelato, make affogato (ah-foe-GOT-toe).

We’re perplexed as to why this quickie Italian sundae—a scoop of gelato topped with a shot of espresso—is rarely found on Italian restaurant menus in the U.S. Most of them serve both gelato and espresso. Did someone lose the affogato recipe?

The next time you’re at an Italian restaurant, order an affogato for dessert. If they won’t make it for you, unleash your inner Robert Eroica Dupea—the character played by Jack Nicholson in “Five Easy Pieces”: 

Order an espresso and a dish of gelato and combine them yourself.

Affogato means “drowned” in Italian. You can further drown the gelato with a flavored syrup or a shot of liqueur. Consider amaretto, chocolate, coffee, hazelnut or vanilla syrups or liqueurs—or go fusion with some Irish cream liqueur.

Make Affogato At Home

It’s easy to make affogato at home—as a treat for yourself or a surprise for family and friends. While vanilla is the traditional gelato flavor, chocolate, coffee and hazelnut gelato are even more delicious. (While it goes without saying, we’ll say it: You can substitute ice cream for gelato.)

In this cooking video, Giada Di Laurentiis tops vanilla gelato with syrup and and then adds a shot of hazelnut liqueur before topping the “sundae” with with hot espresso.

You can re-concept affogato from a sundae to a beverage by adding a scoop of gelato to a glass of iced espresso.

Check out all the different types of espresso drinks.

The difference between gelato and ice cream.

A chocolate mousse alternative that can be
vegan. Photo courtesy HouseFoods.com.

Allergic to eggs? Lactose intolerant? Vegan? Cholesterol-averse?

You can still celebrate National Chocolate Mousse Day, April 3rd, by substituting soft tofu.

While traditional mousse recipes use heavy cream and eggs (high in calories and cholesterol), House Foods America provides a healthier and vegan-optional alternative for you to celebrate National Chocolate Mousse Day.

House Food’s Soft (Silken) Tofu is a flavorless ingredient that can transform itself into any flavor or texture (find more recipes on the company’s website).

The recipe delivers a smooth texture that, when blended with semi-sweet chocolate, milk or coconut milk, vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom, creates a luscious dessert that tastes just as indulgent as the traditional version.

This recipe serves 4-6, and takes only 15 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. Open the tofu package and strain out the water. Remove tofu and blend in blender until smooth.

2. With the stove on low or simmer, melt the chocolate chips and milk in a pot, stirring until smooth. Add the tofu mixture and stir until it is blended evenly with the chocolate.

3. Stir in vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom. Quickly remove from heat, cool in a bowl or individual serving dishes and set in fridge until the mixture becomes mousse-thick.

You can add your own personal twist to this recipe:

The Classic Chocolate Mousse Recipe

Here’s Julia Child’s chocolate mousse recipe, and the history of mousse.

“Dessert coffee” has come to mean flavored coffees, which continue to grow in popularity. Flavored with extracts that add just two calories or so, one can have a “cup of dessert” in dozens of flavors, from Apple Pie and Chocolate Cheesecake to Crème Brûlée and German Chocolate Cake. (Try some Chocolate Fudge Brownie coffee.)

But flavored coffees only substitute for dessert if you’re a serious calorie counter. There are other ways to approach “dessert coffee.” This recipe from Eight O’Clock Coffee shows how to really enjoy coffee and a dessert in a single cup.

If this sweet, dessert-like coffee keeps you away from a piece of cake or pie, you actually save on calories. If you’re seriously counting calories, make a reduced-calorie version with caramel-flavored coffee (here’s one from Starbucks); whip some cream with powdered noncaloric sweetener and use a half dozen chocolate chips instead of the toffee candy.

CARAMEL COFFEE ”DESSERT”

Ingredients Per Serving

Drink your dessert. Photo courtesy Eight O’Clock Coffee.

Preparation

1. Drizzle half of the caramel syrup into the bottom of mug. Pour in coffee. Add milk and whipped cream.

2. Drizzle the remaining caramel syrup over the whipped cream. Garnish with toffee candy.

Variations

You can turn this concept into a multitude of “dessert coffee” recipes.

Find more coffee recipes.

Find more dessert recipes.

Nothing picks up the flavor of a mousse recipe—be it chocolate, coffee, raspberry or other favorite—than a spirit or liqueur (liqueur is a spirit that has been sweetened with flavors, oils and/or extracts).

We always add a tablespoon of cherry, coffee or orange liqueur to chocolate mousse. In the recipe below, SKYY vodka replaces cherry liqueur with its cherry vodka.

You can try other flavor-infused vodkas with the recipe—orange or espresso, for example—but first try:

SKYY Infusions Cherry Vodka Chocolate Mousse

Kids might prefer a box of chocolate-covered cherries, but adults tend to favor cherry-vodka-spiked chocolate mousse. If you’re making dessert for both kids and adults, split the batch before you add the vodka.

And should you happen to have a box of chocolate-covered cherries, add one to each plate as “the cherry on the cake.”* Serve a shot of cherry vodka or cherry liqueur with the mousse.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Put some spirit(s) in your mousse!
Photo courtesy SKYY Spirits.

Preparation

1. Place the semisweet chocolate in a large bowl in the microwave. Microwave on high for 1 minute, give the chocolate a stir, then microwave for another 30 seconds until completely melted. Set aside.

2. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer at high speed until it holds medium peaks. Set aside.

3. In a chilled clean bowl, beat the cream with an electric mixer at high speed until it holds medium peaks. Mix the yolks and vodka into the melted chocolate. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites to lighten the mixture; add the remaining 2/3 of the egg whites and fold gently to keep the air in the beaten egg whites.

4. Add the whipped cream and fold in gently, taking care not to over mix. Spoon the mousse into 4 martini glasses.

5. Using a vegetable peeler, shave chocolate on top of the mousse. Garnish with mint. Chill for at least 1 hour or up to a day ahead.

*An idiom for “something wonderful at the end of something good.” In French, it’s a direct translation, “la cerise sur le gâteau.”

More Mousse Recipes

Find more mousse recipes in our Desserts Section.

Add the right fruit sorbet to the right
sparkling wine: delicious! Photo courtesy
Domaine Chandon.

September is California Wine Month. The first sustained California vineyard was planted in 1779 by Franciscan missionaries, at Mission San Juan Capistrano (in southern California, halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego). The first documented imported vines (from Europe) were planted in Los Angeles in 1833. And about the same time, the first vineyard using indigenous grapes was planted in the Napa Valley, in northern California.

California wines were enjoyed locally, but were an afterthought on the world stage—if they were thought of at all. The breakthrough came at the history-making Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, a competition in which French judges blind-tasted top Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon wines from France and from California. French wines were considered the best in the world. No one thought that the California wines stood a chance.

Surprise: California wines ranked highest in each category (the details). Americans, who had previously enjoyed cocktails before and with meals, began to drink lush California red and white wines.

Cocktails & Desserts

Most of us drink wine and use it in cooking, but it can also be turned into a dessert. Today’s tip: pair sparkling wine with sorbet as a cocktail or dessert. (FOOD 101: Only wines made in the Champagne region of France can legally be called Champagne. All other bubblies are called sparkling wines.)

We use the sparkling wines from Domaine Chandon—established in the Napa Valley in 1973 by the great French house of Moët et Chandon—and pints of artisan sorbets from Whole Foods Market.

We liked Happy Goat caramels—made from goat’s milk—so much that we made them a Top Pick of The Week.

In our review, we suggested making caramel sauce by melting the caramels.

Now, Happy Goat has launched its own goat caramel sauce in two flavors:

 
You can purchase both on the company’s website.

Photo by Jaclyn Nussbaum | THE NIBBLE.

Try dipping apple slices in the flavor of your choice. (Or why choose? Try both!)

You know that the same delectable chocolate sauce (fudge sauce) that tops ice cream and profiteroles can also be used on a brownie or waffle.

But how about using it:

 
See all 15 of our suggestions for ways to use chocolate sauce.

How many different types of dessert sauce can you name?

See them in our Dessert Sauce Glossary.

Check out our favorite dessert sauces.

Our favorite white chocolate sauce from
Somebody’s Mother’s. Photo by Corey Lugg | THE NIBBLE.

We have lots of chocolate bars and pieces of chocolate that have been nibbled on for reviews, as well as blocks of couverture chocolate (used for baking).

When life gives you extra chocolate bars, make chocolate curls.

Also known as shaved chocolate, the curls can be used to garnish cake, ice cream, pudding, hot chocolate (or iced hot chocolate), cappuccino or anything that can benefit from a bit of chocolate glamor.

You can make dark, milk or white chocolate curls—or a combination. We’re particularly fond of white chocolate curls atop dark chocolate frosting.

TIP: If you won’t be using the curls immediately, place them in a storage container instead of on a cookie sheet.

Chocolate curls are a pretty garnish that
adds an intense bite of chocolate.

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CURLS

In addition to the chocolate, you’ll need a vegetable peeler, cookie sheet or storage container (we use a low, square Tupperware-type container), waxed paper and a toothpick (we use tiny tongs that our grandmother used to add saccharine tablets to her tea).

For small curls, shave the narrow side of the bar; for wide curls, shave the broad side of the bar. You may have to practice to get the pressure right (maintain a steady pressure and speed).

1. The chocolate bar needs to be softened: hard enough to shave, but not so hard as to be brittle. We put our bar in a cold oven for half an hour, or on the stove top for 10 minutes on each side (to be warmed by the pilot light).

2. While the chocolate softens, cover a cookie sheet or the inside of a square or rectangular plastic storage container with waxed paper.

3. Make the chocolate curls by drawing the vegetable peeler across the chocolate. Don’t use a light touch, as with a potato or carrot. You’ll need a strong and steady stroke.

4. Use the toothpick to lift the curls gently onto the waxed paper. If you’ll be using them shortly, place them in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to harden. Otherwise, store them in an airtight container in a cool place (we keep them near the vent of our kitchen air conditioner). Some people refrigerate them, but the quick transition from cold to a warm room can cause the chocolate to bloom.

Once you get the hang of it, we think you’ll be using chocolate curls a lot!

MORE CHOCOLATE FUN

Check out our Gourmet Chocolate Section for tips, recipes, reviews, trivia and more.