Yes, I am feeling so bad about messing around and changing around things on LIVING TASTEFULLY yesterday, that I am posting a second recipe today... Yes, you heard me correctly -- 2 recipes in one day! And this is a good one. I made the blood orange sorbet by David Lebovitz the other day, and this morning I read Dorie Greenspan's post on fresh vanilla beans. All of that inspired me to make Donna Hay's Apple, Vanilla & Ruby Grapefruit Soda (with a few scoops added of that gorgeous, raspberry-red blood orange sorbet of David's). All I can say is, what a treat! Perfect for all of those upcoming dinners out on the patio this spring and summer.
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As many of you already know, I am a big espresso drinker. I start off each and every morning with a cappuccino. Many days I follow that with another in the early afternoon. But once the weather turns colder and the snow (or freezing rain as it's doing today) begins to fall, I start thinking about hot chocolate. I actually have boxes of hot chocolate mix from France stacked in my pantry. Every time I visit Paris I bring more home with me. Although the boxed hot chocolate is better than most you are able to buy here in the States, nothing beats making your own. If it's just me at home alone on a snowy afternoon I'll add the chocolate mix to the milk, but if it's a special occasion with family or good friends, I like to make my own hot chocolate. The following recipe is from French pastry chef Pierre Hermé who developed chocolat chaud recipes for Parisien patisseries Fauchon and Ladurée. WARNING: It is very rich! You may not want to eat anything else the rest of the day! But once in a while that's o.k., isn't it? CHOCOLAT CHAUD This week we picked our Edleweiss grapes; a variety developed by the University of Minnesota. The rush is on when they have finally ripened to get them off the vines before the birds and squirrels eat them. A couple of years ago we admired our grapes one night and woke the next day to find not a single grape on any of our plants. At first we thought it was a cruel joke played on us by a neighbor, but soon enough realized it had been the community of wild animals outside our back door that robbed us of our Edleweiss. By my account, I'd say we ended up with about 2 bushels of very fragrant grapes. Growing up in Amana, my aunt had a large trellis covered with Concord grapes. At the end of each summer she would make Trauben Saft or a concentrated grape juice to which we would add water. I used the Amana recipe for saft this morning to make a white grape version. TRAUBEN SAFT Yes, yes, I know. After July 4th you should not cut rhubarb and let the plants regenerate. But really....
I've done the rhubarb compotes, the rhubarb pies, the rhubarb upside-down cakes, so when my friend Kathy stopped by last week for dinner and told me about the rhubarb slush she drank at a wedding, I thought... this is it! I'm going into rhubarb slush production! I searched the web looking for recipes, and there were hundreds; the majority of which included strawberry jello. I chose to leave that ingredient out of my slush. What we drank out on the patio last night was very, very good; just what I hoped for, and even tho' we enjoyed a beautifully cool evening, this is a refreshing drink that is perfect for a hot summer day. If you are inundated with rhubarb, I suggest you go into slush production as well. Sit outdoors with family and friends and enjoy! |
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