Rediscovering Gin: Summer Cocktail Series

Summer is nearly over and for me it is has been a summer to rediscover the refreshing delights of gin. Gin was actually the first hard liquor I 'learned' to drink and the gin and tonic became my drink of choice. It was my WASPy birthright I suppose and also my grandmother's preferred mix drink if nobody was making daiquiris.. While others were experimenting with elixers designed to mask the taste of alcohol for maximum consumption, I actually enjoyed the subtleties of its infused flavors. Its preferred sidekick, tonic water, even allows the botanical flavors to come through. I'm told gin has medicinal roots and that just adds to its story for me. Somewhere along the line vodka became king and now when most people order a martini these days they are incorrectly expecting it to be made with vodka. Vodka certainly has its own merits but it has nowhere near the flavor depth of gin. (Perhaps thats why vodka takes so well to being drowned in sugary juices and syrups?) There are just as many ways to get your gin on, however. Earlier this summer I extolled the virtue of the Pimm's Cup which is a gin based beverage. I think it was No. 1's quinine notes that triggered this summer's gin rediscovery.

Personally I think quinine and gin were meant for each other but if that isn't your thing, then don't forget that the real martini is made with gin. I am of the school that a real martini uses 4 parts gin to 1 part dry vermouth, if not more vermouth. It has become trendy to make a big deal of ordering a martini "dry', which means only a drop or two of vermouth in the mix. Vermouth has a tasty effect on the joys of gin cutting the gin just so and making the drink smooth without getting in the way of gin's subtleties. If your guests insist on a dry martini I suggest proportioning the gin by filling your shaker with ice, adding an ounce of vermouth and strain the vermouth out of the shaker into the sink. Coating the cubes. Add gin, stir, and then strain into the martini glass.

But what does this have to do with summer? Nothing. But a nice summer variation on a gin martini (a redundant term I admit) is to use 1 part Lillet instead of dry vermouth in your 4:1 ratio. Lillet's sweet, spiced, citrus-y taste is a nice and refeshing twist on the classic and is also surprisingly easy to sip on! (By itself Lillet makes a very refreshing cocktail for summer. That is, if you can consider a drink with one ingredient a cocktail!)

Citrus is a perfect companion to gin which brings me to my latest gin discovery and perhaps the most refreshing way to drink it yet. I have been finding it just PERFECT for these way-too-warm summer nights we are having.

The Cucumber Gin and Tonic. Many years ago I had the pleasure of tasting cucumber infused gin while in the UK. To recapture the taste somewhat I would garnish my gin and tonic with many cucumber slices floating in the glass. This makes a great presentation if you are doing a pitcher of G and T's but who does that anymore? Then, several weeks ago, I saw a recipe for cucumber gin and tonics at onceachefalwaysachef.com and they have been the perfect summer drink for August.

Cucumber Juice:

1 and 1/2 cucumbers. Peel one cucumber and not the half. Cut them up and put them in a blender with 2 TBS water and then liquify in blender. Pour through a sieve into a container. Cucumber juice will keep in the refrigerator for severl days in an airtight container.

Cucumber Gin and Tonic:

• 2 oz gin
• 2 oz cucumber juice
• tonic
• 2 wedges lime

In a Collins glass mix the gin, cucumber juice and sqeeze the two lime wedges into the glass and leave the peels in. Fill with to the rim with ice and them pour the tonic. Garnish with lime and a slice of the remaining 1/2 cucumber you did not use in the juice.

If cucumber is not your think you can make a Tom Collins. Danny over at overthehillandonaroll.com reminded me how easy it is:

Tom Collins:

• 2 oz. gin
• 1 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. simple syrup
• soda water
• lemon twist for garnish.

Fill a cocktail glass with ice and all the ingredients, stir, enjoy!

Basil Cherry Tomatoes

I started life as someone who did not like tomatoes and ended up quite the fan. I eat at least a pint of cherry tomatoes a week, mostly in my lunch salads. They are so convenient and when I add them to the salad I take for lunch to work every day I know they won't get all watery on my afternoon meal. When they are especially abundant I like to cook them up as a side dish for anything I might be grilling for the evening. My preferred method is a 'recipe' I picked up from my good friend Gary. Gary probably got it from the doyenne of roasting, Barbara Kafka and it became a staple in both our daily fares. Barbara has an easy method for roasting. No matter what it is, roast it at 500 degrees. Whether it is your Thanksgiving turkey, pork tenderloin or veggies, foat it at 500 degrees. Any less and you are just steaming your food and missing out on all that roasting has to offer.

Back to the cherry tomatoes:

2 pints cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
2 TBS Olive Oil
Garlic Salt
Salt
Pepper
2 TBS fresh basil, cut into a chiffonade

Put the cherry tomatoes in a heavy roasting pan with the olive oil and shake to cover tomatoes. Liberally season tomatoes with garlic salt, salt, and pepper and shake again to distribute. Put tomatoes in oven and keep an eye on them until they cook through and 'burst', about 10 minutes. if tomatoes start to brown, shake the pan until desired doneness is achieved. i like to pull them out JUST as they start to brown but if they go brown, they are still going to be quite tasty! Add basil and mix to distribute then serve.

Keeping Herbs Fresh

Many of us in the office have been gossiping about Herb. I mean herbs. As in how to keep them fresh. Our CSA boxes from Morningsong Farm have been arriving with more than generous amounts of fresh herbs: Chives, basil, rosemary, mint, parsley and dill have all been abundant. Frankly, I'm not used to so much fresh herbs in the house. I've grown used to going out and buying any herbs I need from the supermarket where they come in those tiny little plastic boxes and cost way too much. At least with those small boxes there isn't much left over to go bad. Check out this great idea from overthehillandonaroll.com. I will definitly be doing this as the herbs (especially the chives and basil) do not do well in the fridge.

Cherry Tomato Tarts for Lunch

The picture doesn't do these justice. Inspired by two boxes of cherry tomatoes in last week's Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box and the discovery of two mini-tart pans in our semi-annual weekend garage cleanout, I set out to make a savory tart for lunch. As good as these were, I have to say that I defintiely traded some 'specialness' for 'ease' with this recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated. I used a frozen pie crust when a home made buttermilk or buttermilk/herb crust would have been much better. The mustard was a bit strong for the effect here as well and needed to be countered with something else. Not sure what though. Perhaps more of a dairy base for the tart than just a cheese? I added Bulgarian Feta to the mozzarella for flavor and that was a good move. Or perhaps its just that cherry tomatoes, halved, didn't provide as much 'flesh' as sliced tomatoes spiraled in a tart would have. These weren't bad, but I know I can do better! Hopefully we'll be getting more tomatoes!

P.S. Be sure to sprinkle the fresh basil on the tart AFTER you cook it. Duh. I can't believe I forgot about that.

White Bean and Pesto Dip

Somewhat inpired by Michelle's hummus dip but with no chickpeas and no tahini on hand and a bunch of pesto left over from last week's CSA basil-fest, I set out to make some white bean and pesto dip to go with the potato chips I shouldn't have in my cupboard but I do. Here is the result, all ready in a to-go container to go to a pot luck this evening:


White Bean and Pesto Dip:

• 1 can white beans, rinsed
• Olive oil to desired consistency
• 1/2 cup pesto
• 4 TBS lemon juice
• Pepper to taste
• Walnuts and lemon zest for garnish.

Puree white beans in food processor with a little bit of the olive oil to get get it going. Add pesto and pulse processor. Add more olive oil if necessary being careful not to over process. Add lemon juice and pepper to taste. Garnish with crushed walnuts and lemon zest.

Summer Cocktail Series: The Watermelon Martini

I would probably entertain a whole lot more if the proper cocktail party format was revived again. Back in the heyday of the quintessential cocktail party (back in the 1950's) the expectation was no more than a 2 hour get together. The host would offer a choice of two or three cocktails and one or two "smart" snacks. At the end of the two hours, say 8PM at the latest, all the guests were expected to leave and fend for themselves. Doesn't that sound civilized? Nowadays, anyone throwing a party is expected to offer a full bar and a full meal to all guests making it a much larger committment to pull it off.

I think what makes a cocktail party special is the host's attention to detail when setting out the party's aesthetic. The making and serving of cocktails has a whole set of signifiers and rituals. Be sure you put out cocktail napkins, bowls of garnish at the bar, swizzle sticks, and and ice bucket and tongs. Dress well. Play snappy, somewhat bouncy music. Use the best glassware you have available (especially the martini glasses which say cocktail party all by themselves) and make sure they are appropropriate for the cocktials you are serving. Or not. (I was recently served a vermouth cocktail in a Bell jar and it worked well! I think I'll try that the next time I make a Pimm's Cup!) I also think the best cocktail parties are when there is no occassion other than the cocktail party itself.

One summer several years ago I attempted to revive the format of the aforementioned cocktail party. Along with the usual white wine, and soda water I offered my guests the watermelon martini. It was an unexpected offering and quite the hit. I don't think a single guest had anything anything else and we were shaking these all night long. There are many recipes for a watermelon martini. The following is the one I settled on for the party as it seems to appeal to the widest variety of tastes being more of a watermelon cosmopolitan than martini.

First, make the watermelon juice by putting chopped watermelon (no seeds) into a blender and liquify. Strain contents through a seive into a pitcher.

Watermelon Martini

• 1 part watermelon juice
• 1 part citron vodka
• 1/2 part fresh lime juice1/4 part simple syrup

Put contents into a shaker and have at it. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a piece of watermelon. If lime juice and simple syrup are not available, 1 part sweet and sour will work. Try it out and adjust the proportions to your liking and then make a pitcher for your summer guests!

Things to do with Basil.

Basil is abundant now. We all know that means pesto time. Pesto is a cook's way of preserving the goodness of basil for use at a later time. As long as you have a food processor there is never a reason to let any pesto go to waste. Gillian and Caitie made pesto as did I when we were fortunate enough to get it in our CSA box. That very same week my good friend Cindy made pesto and blogged about it and kindly revealed her secret pesto ingredient, lemon juice. I scoffed at first because, like all cooks, I thought nobody could beat my pesto recipe but Cindy was right. In the blind taste test it was the addition of just a bit of lemon juice that took my recipe to a new height.

I was lucky enough to get two bundles with my CSA because somebody put a bunch in the exchange basket. I snapped it up! With most of it I made pesto (of course) because I needed a cup of it for a Pasta Pesto and Peas salad I had on the menu for a family picnic last weekend. Like most of my "secret recipes" this one was Ina Garten's first and it has become a 'go to' recipe for me for picnics and potlucks year after year. I had plenty of pesto left over so in addition to using it on some broiled tomatoes I used some for a pizza sauce when I had to find a way to use up the rest of last week's basket!

I don't think that there is anything that isn't made better with a little pesto on it. This past week pesto found its way onto grilled and roasted veggies, into a turkey sandwich, and even into a salad dressing. Fresh basil itself, however, is just as easy to use on its own. In fact, the many Persians I know eat it just as is, fresh, as a palatte cleanser with other fresh herbs like tarragon. Its actually quite good. I was at a party at my friend Meshia's house and look what she did with fresh basil: Mini caprese salads! They were so pretty on the platter that I had to take a picture of them.

Just thread the marinaided mozzarella balls on a toothpick with a basil leaf and a cherry tomato. Serve with a dipping sauce of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. How easy is that? Have a few sprigs left? I made a simple syrup with lemon zest and a handful of basil leaves for these lemon basil cakes. In fact, the syrup is now in my refridgerator begging to be used for some new invention. Any ideas?
Lemon Cakes with Lemon Basil Syrup:

For cakes:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus 1 1/2 tablespoons, melted
3/4 cup matzo cake flour plus additional for dusting
2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature for 30 minutes
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

For syrup:
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 (4- by 1-inch) strip fresh lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
8 large fresh basil sprigs For whipped cream
1 cup chilled heavy cream

Make cakes:Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly brush 8 muffin cups with some of melted butter and chill 2 minutes, then butter again and chill 1 minute more. Dust cups with matzo cake flour, knocking out excess.
Beat together softened butter, 2/3 cup sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, then add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until well blended. Beat in lemon juice and 2 teaspoons zest until combined. Add flour and mix at low speed until just combined.

Beat whites with remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt in another bowl with cleaned beaters until they hold soft peaks. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, a little at a time, beating, then beat until whites just hold stiff peaks. Stir one fourth of whites into yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Spoon batter into 8 prepared muffin cups.
Blend remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon zest with your fingertips and sprinkle over batter, then bake until cakes are puffed, edges are golden, and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then lift out cakes carefully (tops will break easily) and cool completely on rack.

Make syrup:Bring all syrup ingredients to a boil, covered, in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, then remove lid and boil 10 minutes. Pour syrup through a sieve into a bowl, pressing on and then discarding solids. Cool to room temperature. Syrup can be made ahead of time and stored in the refridgerator.

Assemble dessert:Beat cream in a bowl with cleaned beaters until it just holds stiff peaks.
Spoon 1/4 cup syrup into each of 8 shallow bowls and top with cakes. Spoon whipped cream on top of cakes.

Will we get any more basil this week?

Google Followup: Calendars and Contacts.

I received a few emails on my recent article suggesting a personal migration to Google asking about contacts and calendars. Unlike other programs, Google treats contacts and calendars as seperate items. This is done so that your contacts can be shared across other platforms. (Gmail, Google Voice, etc.) Google was a little bit late to the party with providing easy ways to synch each of these with the programs that you were more likely to consider your "home" contact management utilities. For the majority of us, that is still Outlook.

Here is a good article on how to keep your Outlook calendar and your contacts synched with Google. Its easy, and once you set it up, your information will always be available to you and the many Google products you get for FREE!

Summer Cocktail Series: The Greyhound.

Last week there was an abundance of grapefruit in my CSA basket.

On OneBoxAWeek.com I posted about the two best things to do with grapefruit. Of course, one is a cocktail perfect for summer:

The Greyhound

• 1.5 - 2 oz vodka
• Juice of one fresh squeezed grapefruit
• Garnish with lime
• Highball glass filled to the rim with ice.

How simple is that?

Keeping It Simple: Grapefruit

I had forgotten how good a grapefruit can be. Perhaps it was because the last I had from the grocery store were too bitter or perhaps my brain just hasn't been thinking about simple cooking the last few months. The last two weeks baskets had grapefruit that was just amazing. While grapefruit makes a great ingredient in salad dressings and you won't get any argument from me on how great citrus for cooking with fish, but to my way of thinking there are only two things to do with a fresh, sweet, juicy grapefruit like these:

The first, of course, is to slice, segment, and eat it for breakfast. Grapefruit is served "classic style" when it is eaten with a slice of toast and coffee. But if the work day is complete or you are otherwise enjoying a Sunday afternoon. and have a juicy grapefruit available, make a Greyhound!

It is a criminal waste of vodka to make a greyhound with canned or bottled grapefruit juice so I only enjoy this classic cocktail when I have a grapefruit on hand. Fill a highball to the rim with ice. Add 2 oz. vodka (or your preference) and then add the juice of one grapefruit (including just enough pulp to your own taste. ) Pour contents of glass into shaker and back into the glass to mix well. Garnish with lime. This is one of the most refreshing drinks there is. (If you salt the rim of the glass and you have a "salty dog". Get it?)

Go Get a Google [Account!] & Catch the Wave!

If you haven't yet swallowed the Google Kool-Aid, it is now time. Every day you don't do it, is one day you lose on the learning curve. It also seems like every day there is a new Google announcement that makes the case for a Google account even stronger. (Disclaimer: I realize that what follows will read like a full court suck up to Google but since I actually use the services mentioned, I feel don't feel too guilty about it.) While you may not think you need a new email address (and you do) the Google account itself unlocks dozens of internet feaures and free programs that have nothing to do with search or email. Having them all work together (often seamlessly) and under a single account and password will make your computing experience easy and more mobile than ever. But first back to email: if you are still using an email address given to you by your service provider, say like Cox or Comcast (accountname@cox.net) or if you are still using an AOL email (is that company dead yet?) it is time you started the task of moving your email address to Gmail, an email address that will move with you if you should change service providers or move to another geographic location.

Changing your email can be a difficult task requiring updating a lot of contacts and notifying online accounts but gmail has new features that make it easy and even more desireable than ever to bite the bullet and get it over with. The time to do it is now when you and your contacts can make the change comforably and not when you are stressed out, moving, or possibly up against a service loss deadline. One by one the engineers at gmail have eliminated all the usual objections to going to the online email provider. Gmail Desktop will now allow you to download and store your email on your local computer. Gmail integrates easily with Outlook and any other email reader including an iPhone and just about any other messaging device. (I even read my email on an old fasioned cell phone without a data plan.) While you could always configure Gmail to "collect" all your email from all of your email accounts to read in one place, as of last week you can now configure Gmail to to reply without showing the world that you aggregated in Gmail. That is a direct hit at Outlook if you ask me! (I have about 7 email accounts for various projects, legacy accounts, etc. and they are all now going directly to Gmail and nobody will be the wiser!)

Want to write a blog? Get Blogger. Want to organize and edit your photos? Get Picassa and they will be available to you online anytime you want them. (They will also be available to show through your Tivo for fun slideshows when friends are over.) Google Finance will keep track of your portfolio, Google Calendar will not only keep track of your appointments but also those of your spouse and allow each of you to enter things in the other's calendar. (Make another calendar for your kids!) YouTube ,of course, is also Google company that also uses your Google account name and password. There are dozens more including Google Toolbar (which will make all your web bookmarks available to you anywhere in the world on any machine) and even free anti virus programs that good enough for most consumers. Free.

In addition to Gmail, My daily Google fix includes Google Reader in order to read all my subscribed blogs in one window. Additionally, Google Voice is the phone number I give out as my one and only phone number keeping me in total control of my phone and voice mail. (Read this piece by NYT columnist David Pogue.) GV is still invitation only but when it comes out of Beta it will be a force to be reckoned with.

You can't take advantage of any of these products without a Google Account. So go get one and then you can sign into iGoogle which will let you access ALL of these apps on a single web page or home page! There are more, but you can find info on them here. Also, you will want to be ready for Google Wave when it comes out. It may just be an email killer! Watch the developer demo here and you will see what I mean: