dirty mojito

As it turns out, we spent this summer "researching" cocktails and building quite an impressive bar collection, with not only staples like: gin, vodka or tequila, but also with some interesting additions of Lillet, Dubonnet, Creme de Cassis or Chartreuse. We've purchased all kinds of barware and befriended new words like jigger and muddler. It's been an interesting adventure for a "cocktail virgin", like myself.
So far, we've found some definite favorites, like this refreshing cucumber gimlet or very festive looking Pimm's cup. We were amazed, how easy it is to make your own ginger ale, and even easier to mix it into some fun cocktails. And finally we've started growing mint to support our ongoing taste-testing of summery mojitos. We've tried all kinds of different recipes and in the end settled on a dirty mojito as our favorite. This recipe calls for dark rum and brown sugar. They will both make your mojito look like muddy waters, but don't be put off by its color, as it has very interesting, complex flavor.

Dirty Mojito

(you can find "clean" version here)

ingredients

6 oz spiced rum

12 mint sprigs, roughly broken apart(spearmint works best)

6 Tbsp fresh lime juice

4 Tbsp evaporated cane juice sugar

2 lime slices

club soda

ice

directions

Place mint and some lime juice in a shaker, muddle it gently. Add rum, sugar, few ice cubes and the rest of lime juice. Shake well, until most of sugar dissolves. Divide between two tall glasses filled with ice. Top it off with desired amount of club soda. Garnish with lime and enjoy!

Posted by M. at 12:31 PM 29 comments

banana pecan engagement muffins

I'm sure your hear stories of someone getting engaged over muffins every day.
And you patiently sit there and listen to her describing: how it was typical San Francisco's cold and foggy morning, and how she missed her trip to the farmers' market, and how she needed some comforting, so she put two pairs of socks and thick sweats on, and how she decided to make their favorite breakfast: banana-pecan muffins, and how he was making coffee, and how she was mixing and toasting and mashing, and how he was suspiciously weird and nervous that morning, and how she was reaching for a baking powder and grabbed some tiny box instead...
and you can only imagine what happened next...pecans got toasted to a carbon black, the dough got over-mixed and muffins turned out dense and over-baked, but... delicious, best she'd ever had!
And you still sit there with a big smile on your face wondering...if there are any muffins left???
So, I'll spare you all the sappy details and just share this delicious recipe instead.











Banana Pecan Muffins
adapted from Chocolate and Zucchini blog

1 C sugar
1 egg
1/2 C unsalted butter
2 large ripe bananas
1/4 C milk
2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1tsp salt
1Tbsp vanilla extract
1 C pecans, toasted and chopped

Preheat the oven to 360F, and grease muffin pan or line them with baking cups.

In a large mixing-bowl or in a food processor, cream together the sugar, the egg, vanilla extract and butter. In a small bowl, mash together bananas with milk. In another separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with banana-milk mixture in two parts, stirring with spatula until just combined (don't overmix or your muffins will be a little dense). Stir in the pecans.

Pour the batter into the muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes, or until the muffins are nicely golden-brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes then transfer onto a rack.

They taste delicious with whipped butter, lemon curd or honey.

Posted by M. at 1:01 PM 41 comments

My currant affair

started many years ago, when I was little, during summer vacation at my grandma's house. She had currant bushes scattered all over her backyard, growing so tall, that my sister and I could play our favorite, hide and seek. We also loved eating those sweet-tart berries straight from the vines or holding them up toward the sun and pretending, we'd just found some highly valuable jewels and then, let them pucker our mouths. If I remember this right, my grandma wasn't particularly fond of those shrubs, complaining about them taking over the whole garden, steeling light from other plants and hosting hoards of snails. Luckily for us she wouldn't dare to remove them, out of, what I like to think was, respect for their old age. So summer after summer was filled with delicious currant compote and jelly making.
Somehow in my adult years, I have forgotten those little gems, partially, because I had no idea how to use them in my cooking and partially because, they are rather hard to find, unless you grow them yourself. So few weeks ago, when I spotted them at the market, in beautiful shades of white and red, I couldn't resist. I had to rekindle my love affair with those sweet-tart berries.

From just a handful of currant recipes I could find, I wanted to share with you two, I really liked. Sweet: Fresh Red Currant Scones(which you will have to tune in for sometime next week) and savory: Shallot-Cassis Marmalade, spread over fresh baguette and paired with goat cheese, simply delicious!!!

Shallot-Cassis Marmalade by Amanda Hesser via NYT
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups peeled and thinly sliced shallots
1 teaspoon salt
5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
4 tablespoons créme de cassis
1/4 cup red currants, fresh or frozen, or 2 tablespoons red currant jam
1 round Chaource or Chevrot (or any other goat cheese that has a rind but is still soft inside, I used Humboldt Fog)
1 baguette

Directions
Melt the butter in a large sauté pan and spread the shallots over the bottom. Sprinkle with salt. With the heat on low, allow the shallots to caramelize. It will take about 30 minutes, stir from time to time so the shallots don't burn. In the meantime, pull the leaves from the thyme.

Mix the thyme with shallots, then transfer into a bowl. Place the pan back on the stove, add the vinegar and over medium-high heat stir to deglaze the pan. Pour the contents of the pan over the shallots and stir to mix. Add the crème de cassis, a little at a time, to taste. Allow the shallots to cool, then stir in the currants. Refrigerate.

Before serving, bring the cheese and shallots to room temperature. Slice a baguette and serve with a dollop of marmalade and a generous slice of cheese, for garnish you can use leftover berries or sprinkle with thyme.

Posted by M. at 9:35 AM 37 comments