Sweet Tea
Sweet Tea
Makes 1 pitcher
2 family sized tea bags
3 cups water
1-2 cups sugar (depending on taste)
Ice
Place tea bags in teapot or saucepan and bring to simmer with water. Add sugar to taste. Pour into serving pitcher over ice. Add cold water to fill pitcher. Add more ice and stir. Can refrigerate.
Variations: Can add lemon slices or apple slices. Can add mint. If under-sweetened, can utilize rock candy for garnish.
Cucumber Lemon Water
Cucumber Lemon Water
Makes 1 pitcher
Water
1 small cucumber, cut into 1/4" slices
1/2 lemon, cut into 1/4" slices
Mint (optional)
Place the cucumber and lemon in a 2 quart pitcher and fill with water. Refrigerate for two hours or more. Serve over ice. May add sprigs of mint.
Coconut Margarita
Coconut Margarita
Serves 2
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, plus 2 tablespoons for glasses (about 5 limes)
3/4 cup Coco Lopez or cream of coconut
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons tequila
1/4 cup Cointreau or other orange liqueur
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss coconut with the salt. Spread on sheet; toast in oven, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool, then crush with your hands until crumbly.
Pour 2 tablespoons lime juice into a shallow dish. Place coconut mixture in another dish. Dip rims of two cocktail glasses in lime juice, then in coconut mixture, coating well. Combine remaining ingredients with 1 cup ice in a blender; purée until smooth. Divide evenly between prepared glasses, and serve immediately.
Mango Energizer Drink
Mango Energizer Drink
Serves 4
2 mangoes, chopped
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1 cup low-fat milk
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon wheat germ
Juice of 1/2 lime
1. Place all ingredients in the jar of a blender. Blend until well combined and smooth. Divide evenly between 4 chilled glasses; serve immediately.
Note: You can substitute this recipe with other fruits and juices.
Chai Tea with Milk
Chai Tea with Milk
Serves 4
10 whole green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
5 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 piece fresh ginger (about 2 inches), peeled and quartered
1/2 vanilla bean split lengthwise and scraped
1/3 cup honey, plus more for serving (optional)
4 bags black tea
1 1/2 cups milk
1. Place 3 cups water in a small saucepan; add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla bean and scrapings. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer until mixture is aromatic, about 15 minutes. Whisk in honey; drop tea bags in pan. Turn off heat, and let steep 3 minutes.
2. Strain tea through a fine strainer or a coffee filter into a warmed serving pot. Heat milk in same saucepan over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes. Do not let milk come to a boil because it will separate. Pour into serving pot with the tea, and stir well to combine. Serve immediately, with more honey on the side if desired.
Note: Tea can be kept in the fridge up to several days to have a ready supply available before mixing it with milk.
Passion Fruit Caipirinha
Passion Fruit Caipirinha
Makes 1
1/2 lime, juiced, rind reserved, plus slice, for garnish
2 teaspoons superfine sugar
1/4 cup cachaca
1/4 cup passion-fruit juice
1. Place lime rind in a heavy 12-ounce rocks glass; sprinkle with sugar. Add lime juice, cachaca, and passion-fruit juice; let stand 5 minutes. Fill glass with ice and stir until well combined. Garnish with lime wheel; serve immediately.
Classic Caipirinha
Classic Caipirinha
Makes 1
1/2 lime, juiced, rind reserved, plus wedge for garnish
2 teaspoons turbinado (raw cane) sugar
1/4 cup cachaca
1. Place lime rind in a heavy 12-ounce rocks glass; sprinkle with sugar. Add lime juice and cachaca; let stand 5 minutes. Fill glass with ice and stir until well combined. Garnish with a lime wedge; serve immediately.
Pineapple Cocktails
Pineapple Cocktails
Makes 12
2 1/2 cups fresh or store-bought pineapple juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
2 pineapples (each 4 to 5 pounds), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds Caramel Dust (recipe follows)
12 ounces vodka
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Put 1 cup pineapple juice and the sugar into a roasting pan set over two stove burners on medium heat. Scrape vanilla seeds from bean into pan with the tip of a paring knife; add bean to pan. Whisk until sugar has dissolved. Add pineapples, and cook until they begin to release juices, about 10 minutes. Place pan in oven; cook, basting occasionally with pan juices, until edges of slices are deep golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. Discard vanilla bean. Let cool completely.
2. Purée pineapples and pan juices in a blender, then pour through a fine sieve into a heatproof airtight container. Refrigerate until cold (up to 3 days).
3. Sprinkle caramel dust inside twelve 8-ounce glasses. For each cocktail, combine 4 ounces roasted-pineapple purée, 2 ounces pineapple juice, and 1 ounce vodka in a cocktail shaker; add ice. Shake 30 seconds, then strain into a prepared glass.
For a nonalcoholic version, omit the vodka, and top each drink with seltzer. Garnish with Pineapple Flowers (recipe follows).
Pineapple Flowers
Makes about 2 dozen
1 small pineapple
White sanding sugar
1. Preheat oven to 225°. Peel pineapple, and halve lengthwise. Remove core. Using a melon baller, remove eyes (tough, brown spots remaining after peeling). Using a mandoline or a chef's knife, cut pineapple halves crosswise into paper-thin slices.
2. Place slices on baking sheets lined with nonstick baking mats or parchment paper. Bake, flipping halfway through, until dry, about 30 minutes per side. Let cool. Pineapple slices can be stored in an airtight container in a dry place at room temperature up to 3 days. Before serving, moisten outside edges of slices with a clean, wet paintbrush; dip in sanding sugar.
Caramel Dust
Makes about 1 cup
If the caramel dust begins to clump, regrind it in the food processor.
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1. Heat 2 tablespoons water and the sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Continue to cook, without stirring, until mixture comes to a boil, washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush two or three times to prevent crystals from forming. Let boil, gently swirling pan occasionally, until light amber.
2. Remove from heat. Add butter and salt; stir until combined. Immediately pour onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let cool completely. Break hardened caramel into pieces; finely grind in a food processor. Caramel dust can be stored in an airtight container in a dry place at room temperature up to 2 days.
Martha’s Famous Eggnog
Martha's Famous Eggnog
Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart
This eggnog's rich, cloudlike texture is produced by separating the eggs and beating the whites before adding them to the milk mixture. The eggnog base can be made one day in advance; just beat in the stiff egg whites and whipped cream just before serving.
12 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
1 quart whole milk
1 1/2 quarts heavy cream
3 cups bourbon
1/2 cup dark rum
2 cups cognac
Freshly grated nutmeg
1. In a very large bowl, beat egg yolks until thick and pale yellow. Gradually add sugar to yolks. With a wire whisk, beat in milk and 1 quart cream. Add bourbon, rum, and cognac, stirring constantly.
2. Just before serving, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into mixture. Whip remaining 1/2 quart heavy cream until stiff, and fold in. Sprinkle with nutmeg.
Winter Smoothie
Winter Smoothie
Serves 4
2 1/2 cups pineapple juice
2 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice, plus orange sections for garnish (optional)
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 banana, peeled and halved
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for garnish
1. Fill one ice-cube tray with pineapple juice and another tray with orange juice. Place in the freezer until frozen, several hours or overnight. Place yogurt, banana, honey, and cinnamon in the jar of a blender, and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, and set aside. Rinse blender, and fill with pineapple ice cubes and remaining pineapple juice. Process until smooth.
2. Divide among four glasses, top with reserved yogurt mixture, and place in the freezer. Meanwhile, process the orange-juice cubes with the remaining orange juice. Remove filled glasses from freezer, and top with orange-juice slush. Garnish each glass with additional cinnamon and an orange section, if desired. Serve immediately.
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