James Bond prefers his shaken, not stirred.
I like mine thick enough for a spoon or a fork.
When it comes to that icon of cool, a martini glass can hold a classic
American cocktail. Or nowadays, a whole lot more.
Ahi tartare. Silky panna cotta. Spicy ceviche. Basil ice cream.
Even good, old-fashioned mashed potatoes or Jell-O.
Put anything into a martini glass, and instantly it’s glam.
That’s why Gillian Baggen, pastry chef at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in San Francisco, loves to serve individual desserts in the sophisticated stemware, especially layered desserts that look so alluring behind clear glass. She might start with some coffee gelee, add a layer of biscotti bits, then some mascarpone mousse, and end with icy coffee granita. It’s a distinctive dessert made all the more striking by its vessel.
“The martini glass is so versatile and so attractive,” Baggen says. “With its wide top, it’s very nice to decorate. The stem gives it a different dimension; it has that height. Whatever you put into it becomes tall and elegant.” With its wide conical bowl perched atop a slender, fragile stem, the glass has an artsy, sexy and dangerous air. After all, even when you’re seated, it takes a steady hand to avoid spilling its contents.
As with a wine or champagne glass, the stem on a martini glass allows you to pick it up without warming the contents with your hand.
Some say the wide rim heightens the gin’s bouquet in a classic martini. Others say the glass was created during Prohibition because it allowed the martini to be quaffed in three gulps or quickly dumped out in the event of a police raid.
No matter the occasion, a martini glass always serves high drama.
So skip the cosmos and the lemon drops. Next time you entertain, set aside some snazzy martini glasses for something more substantial.
Make it easy – a scoop of Haagen-Dazs with a drizzle of fudge sauce.
Or make it challenging – a scallop mousse topped with lobster and caviar. Whatever you put inside is sure to dazzle.
Bottoms up.
Martini of Spicy Tuna Poke with Avocado
Poke, pronounced POH-kee, refers to the cubed raw tuna dish popular in Hawaii. Adapted from “Roy’s Fish & Seafood” (Ten Speed Press, $35), by Roy Yamaguchi, serves 4.
Ingredients
For spicy tuna poke:
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For salad topping:
Directions
Prepare poke: Put diced ahi in bowl. In separate bowl, mix together mayonnaise, sriracha and fish sauce. Stir enough mayonnaise sauce into ahi to moisten and cover all pieces. Add more sauce if you like, depending on how saucy you want it. Season ahi mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and refrigerate.
Prepare salad topping: Toss greens with truffle oil, 2/3 of the lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle nori over salad mixture.
Assemble: Chill 4 8-ounce martini glasses. In bowl, gently toss avocado with the rest of the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
Layer an eighth of avocado and tuna poke in each martini glass, starting with avocado and ending with poke, and repeat so that each glass has 4 layers. Garnish with salad topping and tobiko.
Per serving: 493 calories, 26g protein, 39g fat (6g saturated), 14g carbohydrate, 515mg sodium, 72mg cholesterol, 1g dietary fiber.
Cucumber Soup
From “Soup, A Way of Life” (Artisan), by Barbara Kafka, serves 4.
Ingredients
Directions
In food processor, chop cucumbers medium-fine. Scrape into medium metal bowl. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt. Let stand 1 1/2 hours. Drain cucumber in medium-fine sieve, pressing lightly. Put cucumber in metal bowl.
In food processor, chop garlic and mint fine. Add to cucumbers.
Stir in remaining ingredients. Refrigerate until cold.
Before serving, stir to combine. Spoon into 4 martini glasses. Top with mint leaves. Makes 4 cups.
Per serving: 88 calories, 6g protein, 2g fat (1g saturated), 14g carbohydrate, 560mg sodium, 5mg cholesterol, 2g dietary fiber.
Buttermilk Panna Cotta
This cold, creamy, not-too-sweet eggless custard is fantastic on its own. But it also can be topped with fresh berries, brandied cherries, orange or tangerine segments, chocolate shavings, or even chocolate chips. For a fun party idea, set out small bowls of each to create a “toppings bar” and let your guests help themselves. From Gillian Baggen, pastry chef of the Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco, serves 6.
Ingredients
Directions
Bring cream and sugar to boil in large saucepan, add scraped vanilla bean and its seeds. Stir to combine.
Remove pot from heat, discard vanilla bean. Set aside.
Pour buttermilk into bowl or measuring cup. Sprinkle gelatin over the top, and allow to bloom for 2-3 minutes, without stirring.
Place saucepan of cream and sugar back on stove-top on medium-high heat. Slowly pour buttermilk-gelatin mixture into saucepan, whisking constantly until well mixed. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat, and whisk in lemon zest. Pour mixture into 6 martini glasses. Chill until firm, at least 5 hours or overnight.
490 calories, 9g protein, 34g fat (21g saturated), 39g carbohydrate, 200mg sodium, 128mg cholesterol, trace of dietary fiber.
Berries in Minted Gelatin
From “Icebox Desserts” (Harvard Common Press, $17.95) by Lauren Chattman, serves 4.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine sugar, 1 cup water and chopped mint in small heavy saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 5 minutes.
Pour through fine mesh strainer into heat-proof measuring cup. Let cool to room temperature. (This will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator up to 2 days.) Divide berries among 4 martini glasses.
In small stainless-steel bowl, sprinkle gelatin over remaining 1/2 cup water and let soften for 2 minutes. Bring 2 inches of water in a medium-size saucepan to a bare simmer. Set bowl over pan, without letting it touch water, and whisk constantly until gelatin is completely dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Quickly whisk gelatin into mint sugar syrup, then pour syrup evenly over berries. Syrup should come up almost to the top of each glass. Let cool slightly, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours or overnight.
To serve, unwrap and garnish each glass with a mint sprig.
Per serving: 141 calories, 2g protein, trace fat (trace saturated), 34g carbohydrate, 7mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol, 3g dietary fiber.
Shrimp “Ceviche”
Because the shrimp are cooked, this isn’t a true ceviche. But the flavors are bright, sprightly and just a tad hot – just like all good ceviches. From “The Minimalist Entertains” (Broadway Books), by Mark Bittman, serves 8.
Ingredients
Directions
Cook shrimp however is convenient: You can steam them above boiling water, immerse them in boiling water or microwave them; in any case, the cooking time will be just a few minutes. Chill (if you’re in a hurry, run shrimp under cold water).
Quarter two limes and set aside; juice remaining limes. Combine lime juice with oil, tomato, onion, garlic, jalapeno, and shrimp. Toss and add salt and pepper to taste, along with more jalapeño if you like. Stir in about half the cilantro. Divide ceviche among 8 martini glasses. Garnish each glass with a little of the remaining cilantro.
Serve with lime wedges and tortilla chips.
124 calories, 19g protein, 3g fat (1g saturated), 4g carbohydrate, 139mg sodium, 140mg cholesterol, 1g dietary fiber.
