National Lemonade Day

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In honor of National Lemonade Day, I'm serving up the chicest and simplest of recipes, Lavender Lemonade! I first tried this refreshing drink at the Ocean Edge Resort in Cape Cod and thought it was divine. This recipe is non alcoholic and is therefore perfect for everyone during the summer, but feel free to liven it up with your favorite spirit as needed! Here is my adaptation of the drink from Ocean Edge Resort:

Image courtesy of Munchin with Munchkin

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup dried lavender

      2 cups sugar

      fresh lemon juice

      water

PREPARATION:

To make the Lavender Syrup, boil 1/2 cup dried lavender with 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water. Strain and save in a squeeze bottle.

Next, boil equal amounts of sugar and water (i.e., 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water) to create a simple syrup.

To make Fresh Ocean Edge "Signature" Lemonade, combine one part simple syrup, one part fresh lemon juice and four parts water. Stir thoroughly.

Fill a 12-oz. glass with cracked ice, then coat ice with about 1 Tablespoon of Lavender Syrup.

Top with fresh squeezed lemonade.

Happy Birthday Julia Child - All American Brownie

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In honor of what would've been Julia Child's 100th Birthday yesterday, I'm sharing with all of you one of her many classic recipes. Here are Julia Child's Best Ever Brownies courtesy of Shine from Yahoo. And you know if Julia says they're the best ever, they definitely are! 

"Master chef and teacher Julia Child, who would have been 100 Wednesday, is famous for complicated French dishes such as her six-page cassoulet recipe, but one of her favorite sweets was a straight-forward, all-American brownie. Developed for the cookbook Baking with Julia, these decadent confections have a deep chocolate flavor and cakey texture that firms up and gets chewy if refrigerated.

Bon appétit!"

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

8 ounces unsalted butter

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 large eggs, room temperature

Directions:

1. Put a rack in the center of the oven and pre-heat to 350 degrees.

2. Sift together the flour and salt; set aside.

3. Melt the butter and all of the chocolate together the in the microwave in a large bowl or gently over double boiler.

4. Add one cup of the sugar to the chocolate-butter mixture and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in the vanilla.

5. Mix the remaining sugar and the four eggs in an electric mixer bowl for a few seconds until just combined.

6. Little by little, pour half of the sugar-egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, stirring gently but constantly with a rubber spatula so that the eggs don't set from the heat.

7. Whip the remaining sugar and eggs in the electric mixer until they are thick, pale, and doubled in volume, about three minutes.

8. Using the rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped eggs into the chocolate mixture.

9. When the eggs are almost completely incorporated, gently fold in the dry ingredients.

10. Pour and scrape the batter into an un-buttered 9-inch square baking pan.

11. Bake the brownies for 22-26 minutes, they should rise a little and the top will look dark and dry.

12. Make a small cut in the the center of the brownies after about 22 minutes to check for doneness. They'll be perfect if they are just barely set and still gooey.

13. Remove from oven and cool in the pan on a rack before cutting.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIA!

Ice Cream Sliders

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A new take on the Ice Cream Sandwich. I found this recipe on the Tasting Table, a wonderful food blog that I'm a total fan of. I thought this recipe was so creative; such a fun interpretation of a classic dessert. The perfect summer treat...that is, if you can eat it before it melts!

Yield: 6 ice cream sliders (with leftover wet nuts)

Cook Time: 8 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Wet Nuts

  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • Pinch sea salt
  • ¾ cup roughly chopped mixed nuts (such as walnuts, pecans, almonds and macadamia nuts)
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract

 

Sliders

  • 1 pint container vanilla ice cream
  • 1 pint container chocolate ice cream
  • 6 mini brioche buns, sliced in half crosswise
DIRECTIONS1. Make the wet nuts: In a medium saucepan, combine the corn syrup, maple syrup, brown sugar and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cooking until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the nuts and cook until they are warmed through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the almond extract, cool, then transfer to a container. Store in the fridge until ready to use.2. To make the sliders, use a serrated bread knife to slice each pint of ice cream crosswise into six ½-inch-wide discs. Place a disc flat on a cutting board and use a 2½-inch round cookie cutter to stamp a circle out of the center (save the trimmings for milkshakes; if your kitchen is very hot and the rounds soften or start to melt, quickly transfer them to a plate and freeze to harden the ice cream). Quickly place a vanilla round on a bun bottom, top with a chocolate round, cover with a spoonful of wet nuts and place the other bun half on top. Repeat five more times. Serve immediately.

Apricot Sparkling Wine Floats

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A grown up interpretation of Fine Cooking's recipe. Elegant, yet playful, and a great way to take advantage of stone fruit season.

Serves 6

  • 1 tablespoon vanilla paste
  • 1 lb ripe apricots, pitted and cut into pieces (about 3 cups)
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 pint vanilla ice cream
  •  750 ml bottle of Cristalino or off-dry sparkling wine chilled

In a 3-quart saucepan, add apricots, sugar, lemon juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 2 tbs water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar and sal. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apricots are very tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath by filling a large metal bowl with a few inches of ice and water. Have ready a second metal bowl that will fit into the ice bath.

Transfer the apricot mixture to the second bowl and put the bowl in the ice bath. Stir occasionally until cool, about 5 minutes. Puree the apricot mixture in a food processor.

Put two small scoops of the ice cream in each of 6 tall, narrow glasses. Top each with about 2 TBS of the apricot sauce. Repeat with another layer of ice cream and sauce. Add about 1/2 cup of sparkling wine to each glass. Serve immediately with straws and spoons.

Mini Apple/Peach Tarts

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These are great because they can be made a couple of days beforehand. They have a delicious buttery crust that lends itself to more than just apples; peaches, strawberries, or chocolate mousse with caramel would also be delicious.  

Serves 12

For the dough

  • 2 cups all-purpose
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 2 sticks salted butter, chilled and cut into pieces

For the apples

  • 2 ½ pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 16 equal pieces
  • 2 ½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 teaspooons ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 ½ tablespoons salted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature

 

  1. Preheat oven 10 400 F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat
  2. In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar until blended. Add the chilled butter and pulse until the mixture resembles crumbs. Add up to ¼ cup ice water and pulse until dough just comes together when pinched with your fingers.
  3. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and gently knead together with your hands. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling out the dough.
  4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out onto a lightly floured surface until the dough is approximately 1/8 inch thick. Using a 3 1/2 inch round biscuit cutter cut out 12 rounds. Prick each round with a fork and partially bake them on a sheet pan for 8 minutes. Let cool on the sheet pan.
  5. Meanwhile, to prepare the apple filling, in a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice, cinnamon, and granulated sugar.
  6. Place in a baking dish and dot the top with small pieces of butter
  7. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the sugar-cinnamon mixture has begun to caramelize and thicken and the apples are cooked through. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan, stirring occasionally.
  8. To assemble, arrange the apples on each pasty round, covering the entire surface and spooning a little of the juices left into the pan over each.
  9. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden.

 

Lulu's Watermelon Popsicles / Ice Cubes

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Though watermelon is 90% water, as its name suggests, it's sweet as candy. During these summer months it's a refreshing alternative to chocolate in desserts. Try my frozen pops for just that.

  • 2 cups Watermelon juice
  • 1 can limeade
  • 1 can  mint
  • 1 can water

Mix: Limeade, mint, and water in the blender. Use the limeade can to measure the mint and the water

You will need a large square ice cube tray.  I used a Tovolo King cube ice trays. It is best to place the ice cube tray on a cookie sheet.  Easier to work with to pull in and out of freezer

Pour the watermelon juice 2/3 the way up each cube.  Put in the freezer.  After a couple hours pour the limeade mixture on top of the watermelon juice.  Do not fill all the way to the to the rim.  Just below the rim. This makes it easier to get the ice cubes out.

Just an idea:  If you want to make these into popsicles.   About an hour after you put the limeade on top.  Stick in your popsicle sticks
Optional: You will have some of the mint lime mixture left over.   Pour some vodka in them and they become a delicious sneeky.