Punch, Cocktails Katie Lee Joel's Way
Katie Lee Joel, accomplished cook and food writer and wife of rock star Billy Joel, is out with her first cookbook, "The Comfort Table."
She's also a brand new Early Show contributor.
The book is a compilation of her favorite recipes from her childhood. In addition, it also features tips on preparing and throwing fabulous and effortless dinner parties.
Says Katie Lee, "My dining and entertainment philosophy -- I can boil it down to "the three C's -- I like my food like my fashion: casual, classic, and with a touch of couture."
Katie Lee, who goes by Katie, also says, "I love to have a dinner party. I love to have people over. I like the feeling it creates in my home -- having guests laughing and telling their stories, and I put a lot of thought into it. I plan my menu kind of depending on whatever mood I'm in.
"I think it's fun to serve comfort food, because it's an instant ice-breaker. If somebody's expecting fancy food and you whip out some fried chicken, they feel like, you know, they can put their elbows on the table and the etiquette police aren't going to come out.
"I also like to set my table. I like to make it look really nice, and I do that usually the night before, so I'm not rushing around, and I like to get as much done ahead of time as possible."
This week, The Early Show will feature Katie in three segments, during which she'll prepare recipes from her book.
On Monday, she showed how to make a few of her favorite cocktails and punches.
Tuesday, she'll make appetizers. And Wednesday -- desserts, including a peach cobbler she says is husband Billy's favorite.
Editor's note: "The Comfort Table" is from Simon Spotlight Entertainment, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, which is part of the CBS Corporation, as is CBSNews.com.
Katie, who was raised in a modest, tight-knit West Virginia family, began cooking at the tender age of four, under the guidance of her mentor, Grandma Dora. Using fresh vegetables from her grandpa's garden and meat from the family's cattle and pig farms, Katie quickly learned the value of seasonal ingredients. Many of the classic recipes in "The Comfort Table" come directly from her Grandma's kitchen, but with Katie's special twist.
DRINKS MENU
Peach Fizz
Polar Bear
Iced Sweet Tea
Bourbon Slush
Ahmad's Marga-tini
TIPS
RECIPES
Drinks/Cocktails
Iced Sweet Tea
If there were an official beverage of the South, it would be sweet tea. Katie only calls for a half-cup of sugar, but says you should adjust it to your taste. She has friends who put in a whole cup, some even a cup-and-a-half!
4 tea bags, such as Lipton or Luzianne
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups boiling water
Place the tea bags and sugar in a heatproof pitcher. Pour the boiling water over and let the tea steep about 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Cool to room temperature and serve over ice.
Garnish with mint or lemon slices.
Yield: 4 cups (4 to 6 servings)
Peach Fizz
When peaches are in season, Katie eats them every day. She usually just cuts them up on her cereal or makes a peach cobbler, but, "When I'm feeling especially festive, I make this peach fizz."
6 fresh peaches (about 2 pounds), peeled and roughly chopped (about 5 cups)
One 6-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate
1/4 cup gin
1/2 cup ice
Fresh mint sprigs
Combine peaches, lemonade, gin, and ice in a blender. Make in batches if necessary. Blend until smooth. Pour into cocktail glasses and garnish with mint sprigs.
Yield: about 5 1/2 cups (4 servings)
Polar Bear
This is like a grown-up coffee milkshake. Katie says she loves the flavor of the vanilla ice cream mixed with the coffee liqueur: "It will cool you down in the summer, and warm you up in the winter!"
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup coffee-flavored liqueur
Cocoa powder
Put four dessert glasses in the freezer. Whip the cream with the sugar until soft peaks form. Combine ice cream, milk, and coffee liqueur in a blender. Blend until smooth. Serve in the dessert glasses, topped with a dollop of whip cream and a sprinkle of cocoa.
Yield: 4 servings
Bourbon Slush
In Huntington, W.Va., Kay Earles is a hometown regular at every Marshall University football game. She is famous for her bourbon slushes, and always shows up before games with plenty to go around. It's very easy to spot her car in the packed tailgating lot, because of the massive crowd of thirsty people clamoring for one of her slushes.
3 cups bourbon
24 ounces frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
12 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
4 cups strong brewed tea
In a very large pitcher or bowl (at least 1-1/2 gallons capacity), mix together the bourbon, frozen concentrates, and tea. Stir to mix. Stir in 3 quarts water. Place in the freezer. Stir after 8 hours. Continue to freeze for 2 hours more, and up to 2 days. Take out of the freezer 30 minutes before serving. Stir and serve.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Ahmad's Marga-tini
Crushed ice
1/3 cup white tequila
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Rose's lime juice
1/4 cup club soda or seltzer
Lime wedge
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the tequila, lime juice, and Rose's lime juice. Shake until mixed and chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain over ice in a cocktail glass and top with the club soda. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Yield: 1 serving