Summer Sangria

Last night I was at Guestblogger Alita's house for a gathering amongst girlfriends and it was one of those perfect nights where we ate, drank, laughed hysterically and really enjoyed one another's company. Alita had a supremely delicious spread laid out when we arrived including: roasted red pepper and white bean dip, a cheese plate with my favorite mango stilton, fresh tomato crostinis, tortellinis with lemon creme fraiche dip, olives and the best sangria ever.

For nearly a decade, Alita and I have been making this sangria which originates from our good friend John. He served it at a birthday party for me many years ago and revealed that its goodness masks the fact that cheap red wine is the main ingredient. "Cheap" sort of insults this fantastic recipe so let's just say instead that the wine used is economically mindful.

Feel free to halve this recipe, or double it for an extra-large party, being careful of the fact that it goes down quick and the boozy fruit can sneak up on you in a major way. This sangria is easy, fruity, thirst-quenching and an essential summer party drink.

To serve a crowd:

• 1/2 gallon cheap red zinfandel
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 1/4 cup triple sec
• 1/2 quart orange juice
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 quart club soda
• 1 orange, thinly sliced
• 1 lime, thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 1 pint strawberries, stemmed and sliced
• 10-12 ice cubes

Thoroughly chill all ingredients (preferably overnight). Combine wine, brandy & triple sec in a large punch bowl. In a separate bowl, stir the orange and lemon juice with the sugar until it's dissolved, then add the wine mixture and stir. Add the fruit and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Just prior to serving add the ice cubes and soda. Stir and serve immediately.

Thai Fried Rice with Green Mango & Tofu

There is an amazing family-owned Thai restaurant here in Minneapolis called Sen Yai Sen Lek where I had the best fried rice of all time. It had all the amazing flavors that Thai food is known for: sweet, salty, spicy...delicious. This particular fried rice dish stuck out because it incorporated two ingredients I hadn't had in this manner before: green, unripe mango and long beans cut into short lengths. Their version also incorporates fried, dried shrimp (so good!) and sweet caramelized pork.

My version took a few tries to get right and uses more conventional ingredients. I substituted standard green beans for the long beans and omitted the pork and dried shrimp using only tofu instead. The mango, because it isn't ripe, acts like an unusual vegetable, slightly sweet and fragrant.

I think the trick with this dish is to cut all the ingredients into uniform, small pieces so that every bite is a perfect bite. The crispiness of the shallots and the tart lime are perfect, and necessary, final touches. I find this fried rice to be totally addicting and without question, I could eat this often without ever tiring of it.

For 2-3 servings:

• 4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 6 ounces extra firm tofu, cut into half-inch cubes and blotted with paper towels
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cups cooked jasmine rice (preferably day old, cold)
• 1-2 serrano or thai bird chiles, chopped
• 1 cup green beans cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 unripe mango, peeled and cut into thin slices
• 1 lime, quartered

In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar. Set aside.

In a large non-skillet or well-seasoned wok, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and saute, stirring occasionally, until golden on all sides. While the tofu is cooking, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a smaller skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot until deep golden brown, stirring often, being cautious to not let them burn.

When the tofu is done, remove it with a slotted spatula into a bowl and set aside. When the shallots are done, lay them out on a paper towel to drain and set aside. They will crisp up as they cool.

Add the egg to the large skillet or wok and scramble, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Push it to one side and add the chiles and green beans, stir-frying until the beans are bright green, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir the ingredients together, cooking for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add the tofu back to the wok and stir everything together again. Pour the soy sauce mixture over the rice and stir, cooking for a couple minutes more. Taste, and add a bit more fish sauce if desired.

To serve, spoon the rice onto 2-3 plates, add the mango and limes on the side, sprinkle the shallots over the top and serve immediately.

Frozen Berry Pie in a Vanilla Walnut Crust

I'm so happy to welcome Guestblogger Alita back! It's been far too long. She and I have talked about how our mom's used to make a variation of this pie when we were growing up and so am thrilled that she took the same concept and used fresh, seasonal ingredients. --A Crafty Lass

This fabulously frozen berry pie has seen many variations in our house. It or something similar are always welcome when the temperature & humidity of a Minnesota summer keep me from wanting to make any type of dessert that requires the oven to be on for an hour or more.

This recipe was developed as I was staring at many quarts of frozen strawberries from an amazing U-Pick place near my family’s cabin near Ottertail Lake and at some point I decided I could & should use them for more than my soy strawberry banana smoothies! I remembered having a similar pie at graduation parties & summer BBQs over the years that was a little too pre-packaged/processed for my taste: pre-made graham cracker crust with an artificially flavored yogurt/cool whip filling. So I became interested in finding something similarly refreshing, yet less processed.

This more homemade version uses a nice combination of fresh strawberries & blueberries that nicely enhances the creamy, sugary base. The crust can be made of other types of crackers or cookies you prefer – we’ve used graham crackers & chocolate wafers in other variations. I think the vanilla wafer & nut combo is my favorite though. Pecans are a great substitute for the walnuts. Any combination of berries would be delicious, I like adding raspberries when they are in season. And as an added bonus, it is perfect to make a day or 2 ahead of when you need it… just remember to take it out of the freezer a little while to thaw slightly before serving.

This dessert is the perfect ending to a backyard BBQ and could be easily be made into individual portions in ramekins or a cupcake pan for a more sophisticated garden party. To dress the pie or individual dessert up a little, finish with some fresh whipped topping, pretty berries & a sprig of mint. Enjoy!

Crust:

• 1½ cups vanilla wafers crumbs
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 5 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Filling:

• 1½ cups sliced strawberries
• ½ cup blueberries
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 egg white
• 1 cup sour cream

Combine the vanilla wafer crumbs, walnuts, butter and vanilla in a bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom & sides of a regular 10” pie pan (a little slightly taller 9” pie pan works too). Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove & let cool.

For the filling, combine strawberries, blueberries, sugar & egg white in a mixing bowl. Beat at high speed until it forms soft peaks (could take up to 10 minutes). Gently incorporate the sour cream by hand. Pour the filling into the crust & place the pie in the freezer. Be sure to take it out a little while before serving so it’s not impossible to cut, it will freeze fairly solid. A dollop of whipped cream is always a good way to finish.

Note: If you use frozen berries, you can decrease the sugar to about ½ cup.

Sour Cream Cornmeal Pancakes with Blueberry Rhubarb Compote

This recipe started with the compote...the pancakes were just a delicious vehicle for getting the fruity goodness into my mouth. I have made all sorts of rhubarb + berry combinations but am certain I have never merged the blueberry rhubarb worlds. Now that I have I really don't know what was stopping me before. The blueberry's rich, sweet flavor is enhanced by the ruby tartness of the rhubarb and when the fruits are splashed with maple syrup and cooked together, well, it's just good.

I love the crunch of cornmeal in my pancakes. I buy the coarse, stone ground variety which I think has the best texture. Whisked together with some whole wheat pastry flour and rich sour cream, you really can't go wrong. These pancakes are good keepers and reheat nicely the next day.

I made these in a breakfast-for-dinner capacity and then had the leftovers the next morning. There's something satisfying about forgoing the standard protein+veg dinner and instead diving into a stack of cakes with warm, summery fruit and a tall glass of milk.

For Compote:

• 2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
• 1/3-1/2 cup maple syrup (depending on the desired level of sweetness)
• 1 pint blueberries

Combine the rhubarb, water, ginger and 1/3 cup of the syrup in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to simmer and reduce the heat to medium. Allow to simmer for 8-10 minutes until the rhubarb has softened. Add the blueberries and cook for 10-15 minutes more until the compote has thickened and the blueberries have released their juices. Taste and add additional syrup if needed. Serve warm over the pancakes or store, covered in the refrigerator for a week.

For Pancakes:

• 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup coarse ground cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted + more for cooking the pancakes

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, egg, vanilla and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and fold together with a spatula until just combined.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the skillet with butter. Add 1/3 cupfuls of batter to the skillet and cook, until there are bubbles on the surface and the underside is golden. Flip carefully and cook for an additional minute or two. Keep the pancakes warm as the rest are being cooked. Serve with the warm compote.

Rhubarb Round-Up

It's rhubarb season and I thought it might be a good idea to remind all of you about some of the rhubarb recipes I've published as well as some favorites from other sources. Rhubarb is such a sweet, fleeting time and I always try and take full advantage of it.

Perhaps the most famous rhubarb recipe posted on this blog came from Guestblogger Alita for Rhubarb Slush. A sweet, dangerous, vodka-laden mix that is stored in the freezer. Scoop some pretty pink slush into a glass, top with ginger ale or the like and have at it. Beware, after the first sip you may wonder aloud - "there's really alcohol in here?" I can assure you that yes, there is, kind of a lot.

Rhubarb does well canned as jams and I have really enjoyed both the Rhubarb Strawberry Jam and Rhubarb Marmalade. The tartness of it compliments many fruits and I like the way the texture of it holds up through the canning process.

A personal favorite is my Honey Vanilla Rhubarb. The fragrance it gives off while baking in the oven is amazing. My good friend Burt had me over for dinner recently and made this for dessert. His twist was to make a traditional fool out of it by layering the rhubarb and juices with whipped cream. Beautiful and supremely delicious.

A recent rhubarb triumph are the Rhubarb Raspberry Tarts. Rich, red and deeply flavored, these tarts are a lovely springtime dessert or teatime snack.

One of my go-to recipes is Rhubarb Anise Upside-Down Cake from Gourmet. I make this every year and think it the perfect cake. The anise seed is a surprising and unique compliment.

And from around the blogosphere check out:

• Rhubarb Sorbet from Simply Recipes
• Red Wine-Poached Rhubarb from David Lebovitz
• Rhubarb & Raspberry Yogurt Ice Pops from La Tatine Gourmande
• The Best Rhubarb Strawberry Crumble Ever from Everybody Likes Sandwiches

Asparagus Salad with Chervil Vinaigrette

Last year I planted chervil for the first time. It's a delicate, lacy looking herb with undertones of anise and fresh citrus flavors. I was surprised to see it sprout up this spring and didn't think it had the strength to come back on its own. Now, after some sunshine and spring rain, it's quite abundant and healthy so I have been thinking up all sorts of ways to use it.

I came up with this salad after buying my weekly bundle of asparagus. The thin stalks needed only a quick blanch in some simmering water for a couple minutes before they were ready. I had some leftover toasted hazelnuts from the Rhubarb Raspberry Tarts so gave them a quick chop and added them in. It was finished off with some shavings of pecorino and the chervil vinaigrette.

The vinaigrette itself can be modified in all sorts of ways by switching out different herbs and vinegars. I wanted something light that wouldn't overwhelm the other ingredients and so chose the white wine vinegar and a touch of lemon juice for acidity. This vinaigrette comes together in no time in the blender and also emulsifies nicely.

For 4 servings:

• 1 1/2 cups asparagus, cut into 3-inch lengths
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup chervil leaves, stems discarded
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• pinch of kosher salt
• pinch of sugar
• 4 cups lettuce mix
• 1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• Shavings of pecorino, to taste

Blanch the asparagus in a pot of simmering, salted water for a couple minutes and then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

In a blender, combine the oil, vinegar, chervil, lemon juice, salt and sugar. Blend, scraping down the sides once, until emulsified.

In a salad bowl, combine the lettuce, hazelnuts, asparagus and vinaigrette and toss to combine. Shave the pecorino over the top and serve immediately.