Mai Tai

I wish my toes were in the sand as I write this. What would be better than sitting on a beach and sipping a Mai Tai? Unfortunately, I can’t get to a beach this week, so I’ll have to settle for sipping a Mai Tai while sitting in my backyard. When I read the article about Mai Tais on The Atlantic last month, I realized that this cocktail could be a vacation in a glass. A regular weekend quickly becomes more interesting when you have a fruity, tropical cocktail in hand. The article I read mentioned drinks that are like liquid candy and drinks that allow you to taste the rum and tartness. The recipe offered was of the latter type, and I had to try it. It’s made with lime juice, Cointreau, simple syrup, rum, and Orgeat syrup. I’d heard of Orgeat before, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to find it locally. First, it’s pronounced or-zha not or-geet, and the important thing about it is its almond flavor. My first stop in my search for it was a well-stocked liquor store, where the person who helped me locate it mispronounced it. Not a good sign. The product I was shown was a big bottle full of artificial flavors, etc. I decided to keep looking. I checked online and learned that Monin brand makes an Orgeat syrup, and it has the exact same ingredients as their almond syrup. So, when I located Monin almond, I went with that.

Now, the recipe from The Atlantic was very specific about the type of rum to use as Appleton 21-year old was mentioned by name. I wasn’t feeling that picky since I had some good, aged rum in the house which we had poured into a decanter, and for the life of me I can’t remember what brand it is. The recipe also suggests floating Demerara rum on top as an option. I skipped that option. Aged rum, lime juice, Cointreau, simple syrup, and Orgeat or almond syrup were placed in a cocktail shaker with ice, it was given a good shaking, and it was poured over crushed ice in a glass. I did follow the instructions regarding garnishing with mint since the mint in my garden hasn’t died yet this year.

One sip of this, and you’ll imagine the sound of waves crashing nearby. It’s the Orgeat that gives it that tropical vibe. It blends with the tart lime and rum and adds a distinctive, happy, rounded flavor. My drink is ready and all I need is the surf, the sand, and a palm tree or two.

Citrus Tart

When I was growing up, I didn’t get to see lemons growing on trees. No, in Illinois, citrus was certainly not a local crop. However, several years later when I moved to Austin and started gardening, one of the first things I wanted to add to my garden was a lemon tree. It has to be container grown here because we have to move it inside when we have below-freezing temperatures. But, for most of the year, I get to see a lemon tree in my own backyard. Actually, I now get to see two lemon trees. My friend Kirsten, an amazing garden designer and gardener, entrusted her lemon tree to me when she and her husband moved from Austin to Edmonton. Happily, her tree is still doing fine (even though my gardening skills pale in comparison). Both trees produce Meyer lemons which can take almost an entire year to mature from blossoms. The lemons become ripe and ready to pick in late December or early January. I seem to have good luck with lots of lemons one year and then not so many the next. This was a good year. I picked plenty of lemons for limoncello, lots of vinaigrettes, and more. Since only the peels are used for limoncello, I had a couple of cups of lemon juice in my freezer waiting for inspiration to strike when I saw this citrus tart in the January issue of Living. The tart combines lemon and lime juices which seemed perfect since the lime would sharpen up the sweeter Meyer lemon juice.

This tart’s crust is a press in the pan type made with butter, flour, salt, ground almonds, confectioners’ sugar, and an egg yolk. I used almond meal that I had on hand rather than grinding blanched almonds in a food processor. The dough was a little sticky, but it was simple enough to press it into the tart pan. Then, it was placed in the freezer for 20 minutes. The crust was baked for about 23 minutes and left to cool while the filling was made. Eggs, sugar, salt, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh lime juice, and cream were mixed and then poured into the cooled crust. The tart went back into the oven, at a reduced temperature, for about 25 minutes or until set. I had to leave mine a few extra minutes until the center was no longer jiggly.

I whipped some leftover mascarpone with cream and a pinch or so of sugar, and my goodness, can someone please tell me why I had never before added mascarpone to whipped cream? That is definitely one of the most delicious concoctions, and it made a very nice topping for the tart. The crust was buttery and rich and possibly just a tad too rich and too sweet for me, although I didn’t hear any complaints. Still, I might opt for a standard shortbread crust or even a pate brisee next time I make this, but I won’t change a thing about the filling. The mix of lime and Meyer lemon juices was fresh and bright and just enough sugar was added, and of course, picking the lemons yourself makes them taste even better.

Basil Limeade Slushies

There was an article in the August issue of Food and Wine (Farm-Fresh French Recipes) with several great-looking recipes I intended to try. Among those recipes were chilled zucchini soup with purslane, brown rice pilaf with green olives and lemon, oven-roasted tomatoes stuffed with goat cheese, and basil limeade slushies. Unfortunately, I was having the kind of day during which everything that could go wrong did. I had brought home some heirloom tomatoes that were real beauties, and I had procured some goat cheese, and my own basil plants are still going strong. I made the goat cheese stuffing, placed it in the tomatoes, and roasted them. No problems there. However, when I reached into the oven to remove the baking dish, it slipped out of my hands, and the tomatoes and goat cheese stuffing landed upside down and smooshed all over the oven door and the floor. By some miracle, the dish didn’t break, but brunch was ruined. Later that night, I had much better luck with these slushies before dinner. As for the name, I previously made watermelon margarita ‘slushes’ while these are named ‘slushies.’ Tomayto tomahto. I’ve just gone with the name that was printed with each recipe.

There’s a note at the beginning of the recipe stating that by adding rum these would make great cocktails. So, of course, especially after my unfortunate morning, I made them into rum cocktails. Ice, water, lime juice, basil leaves, sugar, and rum were blended. That mixture was poured into glasses and was topped with sparkling water.

I actually used a bit less sugar than suggested which made our slushies nice and tart. The basil and lime together was a delicious combination that mixed very well with rum. I was certain this would be a concoction that only I would enjoy, but Kurt actually gave it a big thumbs-up. Regardless of how your day is going, these slushies would be a nice part of it, and I’m sure they’d be just as good even if you left out the rum.

Strawberry Sparkler

Crisp, cold, fruity, and refreshing. This was a perfect cocktail for the 4th of July holiday. I perused some cocktail recipes here and there online but didn’t find quite exactly what I wanted. So, with inspiration from several sources, I created this light and lovely strawberry sparkler which proved to be a delightful thirst quencher in the July heat. The fresh strawberries were steeped in lime juice and simple syrup and were then pureed with ice and rum. Sparkling mineral water topped it off and gave the drink its effervescence. I left these cocktails a little light in the sugar department, but the simple syrup can be added to taste. The important thing here is to use fresh, organic strawberries and fresh lime juice. I specify organic strawberries because when grown conventionally, they are a very heavily pesticide-covered fruit. Also, I’ve been using organic sugar lately and find it has a warmer or rounder flavor than bleached, granulated sugar. One more tip: turbinado sugar makes a nice crunchy coating on the top of the glass.

3/4 c organic sugar
1 c water
2 1/2 c organic strawberries, hulled and halved
16 oz fresh lime juice
1 c your favorite summer rum
4 T turbinado sugar
Sparkling mineral water, chilled

-place sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves; remove from heat and let simple syrup cool to room temperature
-place strawberries in a medium bowl and cover with lime juice; add 3/4 c cooled simple syrup and let sit for 20 minutes or longer; save remaining simple syrup for another use or add more to taste
-fill blender pitcher 1/3 full with ice; add half of the strawberry mixture and steeping liquid; add 1/2 c rum (or more to taste); blend until smooth
-place turbinado sugar on a small plate; dip tops of four tall glasses in water or steeping liquid and then press into turbinado sugar; fill glasses 3/4 full with blended strawberry mixture and top with sparkling mineral water
-repeat blending and serving for four more cocktails or refills