LUPEC: Meeting minutes for May 5, 2001. Theme: Cocktails Parisienne, Cocktails spotlighted: Moulin Rouge, La Blonde Negresse, La Blonde Parisienne

Attendees: JB, JG, CP, The Pink Squirrel PS I Love You (AR) , JW
Hors d'oeuvres Spotlighted: Petit Fours, Canapés de Fromage a la Crème



Cocktail Recipes:

MOULIN ROUGE
2 oz Orange Gin
2 oz Apricot Brandy
2 dashes Grenadine.

Mix and pour over ice.

*****
LA BLONDE NEGRESSE
(named in honor of Josephine Baker)
3/4 oz Gin
3/4 oz Crème de Cacao
1/2 oz 1/2 & 1/2

Mix in shaker, add ice and shake. Pour over ice

*****
LA BLONDE PARISIENNE
2 oz Dark Rum
2 oz Triple Sec
2 oz Light Cream

Mix in shaker, add ice, shake and pour over ice


Hors d'oeuvres Recipes:

PETIT FOURS
(based on a recipe from the May 2001 issue of "In Style" magazine and some Betty Crocker recipe I dimly remember making for French Club at Elyria High School...)

NOTE: You will need a few bowls, one really big one, and a large wire rack. Make sure you have a couple layers of newspaper under the rack. Make sure you don't want any coupons or obituaries out of the paper. This is going to be messy.

1 box cake mix, prepared as a sheet cake (something chocolate or fruity)
Amaretto or fruity brandy
3 cups confectioners' sugar
34 Tablespoons of milk
1 1/2 teaspoons of almond or lemon or cherry or any appropriate flavoring
Couple drops of food coloring.

1. Bake the cake as a sheet cake. Let cool and then cut away all the crunchy sides. Cut into bite size squares (about 1 inch or so) If you can, peel off the top and bottom "skin" of the squares.

2. Pour the amaretto (or fruity brandy) into a bowl. Quickly dip the cake squares into the alcohol of your choice. Its best to dip a couple sides but be careful not to "dunk" as the cake might disintegrate. Place on the large wire rack

3. Eat crunchy sides and top/bottom skins and drink leftover alcohol.

4. Put confectioners sugar in large bowl and gradually stir in milk. This is why it is measured out in tablespoons--a little at a time. You want to end up with a pourable consistency, something a close to thick pancake batter.

5. Add flavoring and coloring.

6. Eat any cake squares that don't make the cut.

7. Pour the glaze over the cake squares but DON'T GOWHOLE HOG! You need the glaze to last for two coating. do not expect Swiss Farm standardization of glazing. Expect some parts of the cake to stick out. This actually looks kind of cute and adds to the made-by-me look.

8. Top with candied flowers, chocolate shavings, slivered almonds, whatever.

*****

CANAPÉS DE FROMAGE A LA CRÈME *OR* CREAM CHEESE BITS
(from "The French Cookbook", Culinary Arts Institute, Chicago, 1955)

Mash together:

3 oz cream cheese
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
1 tablespoon brandy
1/4 teaspoon salt

Blend well and spread onto 24 crackers.


First Order of Business: Taste-testing drink
Reactions to Moulin Rouge (average 3.5)

JB: "Dimetapp at the first taste - less limey Cosmopolitan - Good & Got Better"
JG: "Strong - tasty - the longer I drink it, the more I like it - sweet"
CP: "Induces uproarious laughter upon first sip…it becomes surprisingly smooth by cocktail's end" (3.5)
AR: "Very strong, but sweet, sweet goodness"
JW: "Competes well with grandmother's cold remedies"

It was agreed that all drinks after this point would receive, as well as comments, a rating on a point scale from 1 to 5. While not all definitions for the point scale were created at this meeting the following were:

1 - Dimetapp
2 - undefined
3 - undefined
4 - Estrogen Drip
5 - either French kissing Isabella Rosselini or Drinking a tubful of Isabella Rosselini's bathwater

Next followed the reading of the Gertrude Stein letter (in an attempt to bring Pittsburgh and Paris together) by AR.

It was agreed by all in attendance that henceforth, all LUPEC meetings will fall in the early afternoon of the first Sunday of each month. CP may have trouble attending some, but stated that her schedule was in flux. If it continues to be a problem, a review of the time of club gatherings may be necessary.


Hostesses shall be responsible for no less than two drinks accompanied by "appropriate" hors d'oeuvres. The following calendar was adopted:

2001 Hostess(es) Theme
May JB Cocktails Parisienne
June Mama Spell Cocktails "Tiki"
July CP & AR ---
August JW & MS Cocktails Southerne
September JG FIELD TRIP
October JG Wine, Women, & Song (?)
November --- ---
December --- ---
2002
January --- FIELD TRIP
February AR Cocktails de la Casa?
March JB Cocktails (Women's History Month)


Second Order of Business: Taste-testing drink
Reactions to La Blonde Negresse (created in honor of Josephine Baker) (average 4.5)

JB: (5) "Amazing! As slinky & sweet as Ms. Josephine"
JG: (4) "Like chocolate milk with a big kick - too rich for too many"
CP: (5) "Scrumpshy boo-boo. C'est deliciouse…"
AR (4) "Hip enlarging, creamy goodness. Almost a B52."
JW: (4.5) "Fabulous fudgesicle - the Madeleine of drinks"

JG discussed the field trip that she will host in October 2001. It involves (my notes get fuzzy) a bar in Ligonier (?) City.
She was still dating Tom. They went to a fair and on the way back she stopped her Mustang at a bar/restaurant that caught her eye. There were statues of guys and other things. It hasn't changed….in many, many years. They were sitting at the bar, being invited home by a couple they did not know and kept wondering what was in the back. They decided to escape the couple by going in the back [I think]. There were about 30 people back there, all of whom stopped to look at them when they arrived in the back of the bar. This space was considerably larger than the front. It had a big "U" ceiling with an "amoeba shape with lights like stars, a dance floor, and a shelf with tables with red tablecloths with lights…" [That's all I got. I'm sure I did not do JG's story justice, and apologize.]

There was also mention of a field trip to Sunnyledge [and something about HH Richardson].

Also , JG mentioned her mother's SUV and willingness to drive many women from venue to venue so that they can drink [cool.]

JG agreed to come up with a LUPEC graphic --- a women's symbol with an olive.
Other miscellaneous (and perhaps useless) notes I wrote down include:
· Sheet music from the History Center "Knocking at the Knitting Club"
· LUPEC shall remain a women-only club
· Each member shall come up with their own "web name" so that strange persons do not attempt to contact us using our actual names.
• AR will be "Pink Squirrel, P.S. I Love You"
• CP will be "Grasshopper"

The following points were agreed upon:
· There will be no membership fee. Each hostess shall be financially responsible for her own meeting.
· We did not come up with a chapter name at this meeting. The two possibilities that I remember are:
• Dorothy Parker
• Evenlyn Nesbitt (whom JB attempted to explain, or may have explained, but I cannot remember whom she is for the life of me)


Third Order of Business: Taste-testing drink
Reactions to La Blonde Parisienne (average 3.7)

JB: (4) "Not as horrific as the ingredients would indicate: Very nice."
JG: (3) "Smooth, creamy, smells great, starts strong, finishes easy."
CP: (4) "Actually rather smooth. Cream drinks rule."
AR: (3.5) "Frog in throat. Too• thick."
JW: (4) "A strong 'hello,' a soft farewell."


01.05.10 ar


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