pimm's

here's a quick cocktail to get your holiday weekend started off just right! pimm's no. 1 cup is a gin based liqueur and the drink of choice if you're headed to any polo matches this summer. we love the pimm's cup so much it was one of the signature drinks at our wedding! there are several different versions - some with lemonade, some with sliced apple, some with mint or basil, and they're all equally delicious but this is our favorite right now. have a wonderful & safe memorial day weekend!

Pimm's Cup

serves 1

fill a highball glass with ice. add 2oz pimm's no. 1. top with ginger ale and stir. garnish with 2 slices of lime, 2 slices of tangerine, a slice of english cucumber and a small sprig of lemon thyme. enjoy!

tart & tangy

like i mentioned earlier, a friend gave me the big sur bakery cookbook for my birthday and i couldn't wait to make something out of it! it's a wonderful cookbook about a quaint eatery in one of the most beautiful places on earth and is filled with great stories of local farmers, fishers & butchers, including the story of a woman named Clovis and her bearss limes. i didn't use that variety of lime for the tart this time but it was still amazing - perfectly balanced between the salty homemade graham crust, tart lime custard and fluffy white meringue topping. reminded me a little of the super tart lemon meringue pie my grandma always made that had everyone around the table puckering. the graham crackers that you make for the crust are a real treat to nibble on while you're making the rest of the pie - or stash them away for later.

have a great weekend!

Clovis's Lime Tart

makes one 10-inch tart

for the graham cracker crumbs:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup plus 1 tbs brown sugar

1 tbs honey

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup plus 1 tbs whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

cream the butter, sugars and honey with the paddle attachment of an electric mixture until light and fluffy. add the remaining ingredients and mix until dough comes together. roll the dough between two pieces of parchment until you have a rough 1/4-inch thick rectangle. chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 3 days. preheat oven to 375 degrees F. peel back the top layer of parchment and place dough on a cookie sheet. bake for 20-25 minutes or until brown. let cool to room temperature. break the graham cracker into pieces and pulse in a food processor until fine.

for the shell:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (see above)

2 tbs sugar

2 tbs unsalted butter, melted

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. in a medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and melted butter. lightly grease a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. sprinkle the crumbs into the pan and use the bottom of a measuring cup to press the crumbs evenly over the entire pan and up the sides. refrigerate for 20 minutes. bake 7-10 minutes, remove and cool completely on a rack.

for the filling:

1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice

1 cup sugar

6 eggs

1 cup heavy cream

reduce oven to 325 degrees F. whisk together all the filling ingredients in a medium saucepan. cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the liquid is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. pour into cooled crust and back 10-15 minutes or until the filling is set. let the tart cool to room temperature and then place it in the freezer until the filling is firm to the touch, about 25 minutes.

for the meringue:

6 egg whites

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

increase oven to 400 degrees F. place the egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan of barely simmering water. whisk the mixture constantly until the sugar dissolves. remove bowl from heat and whisk the whites with an electric mixer on high speed until medium peaks form. add vanilla and whisk to combine. remove tart from the freezer. spread the meringue over the top of the tart, leaving the edges of the shell uncovered. bake 2-4 minutes until the meringue is browned. refrigerate until ready to serve & enjoy!

it's five o'clock somewhere

as i'm sure you've heard, old school handcrafted cocktails with traditional ingredients are back in style. there's something so classy about the art of drink, respecting the cocktail and bringing it back to what it was. we're reminded of this tradition at places like this while sipping a dark & stormy and listing to jazz as the subway gently shakes your booth. the cooper's union cocktail has an old fashioned taste and is an elegant drink we discovered in an old issue of bon appetit - it comes from this restaurant in minneapolis. serve it in a beautiful champagne flute like this marc jacobs for waterford crystal coupe we got for our anniversary in october. happy friday and have a wonderful weekend!

Cooper's Union Cocktail

serves 1

1 oz pink grapefruit juice

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

1 oz st-germain elderflower liqueur

3 drops orange flower water

1 oz vodka

champagne or sparkling wine to top, chilled

in a mixing glass, stir all ingredients, except bubbly, together. pour into a champagne flute and top off with champagne.

crab & corn

as promised, here's a little appetizer that will go perfectly with our pretty in pink cocktail! sweet corn is nice and ripe right now and a great friend to big lumps of crab, a squeeze of lime and a hint of spice in these crab & corn cakes. serve them as an appetizer with some homemade meyer lemon aioli or make it a light refreshing meal with two cakes and a little salad of mache, avocado and grapefruit. 

Crab & Corn Cakes

makes 10 cakes

1 lb lump crab

3 ears corn, white or yellow

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup light mayonnaise

3 green onions, chopped

1 egg

juice of 1 lime, plus wedges for garnish

2 tbs fresh chopped cilantro

1 tbs dijon mustard

2 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp sambal chili garlic paste

olive oil for frying

drain crab well and place in a large bowl. cut kernels of corn off cob carefully. use the back of the knife to scrape some of the "milk" and bits left on the cob and combine with crab. add remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. form 2 1/2-inch patties with your hands and place on a sheet pan. refrigerate for 20 minutes. heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and carefully add a few cakes, not overcrowding the pan. lightly pan fry cakes for 2-3 minutes per side or until nicely browned. remove any corn kernels that fall out from the pan while frying, as they will jump and pop. let rest on paper towels, repeat with remaining cakes and serve immediately. enjoy!

pretty in pink

here's a bright refreshing cocktail for you since the weather seems to be warm everywhere now. this drink is inspired by something similar we had before dinner here and is kind of a ramped up greyhound proper, one of our favorite go-to beverages. a splash of aperol gives it a unique flavor. it's an italian aperitif we've been seeing more of lately and is also a great addition to a glass of champagne. enjoy this cocktail on a sunny patio or rooftop deck with friends and check out a crab & corn appetizer recipe here on friday that would go perfectly. cheers!

Pretty in Pink

5 oz fresh grapefruit juice

2 oz gin

1.5 oz aperol

5 drops bitters

combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. pour over ice into a highball glass and serve.

frozen

the few dwarf citrus trees we have in our backyard decided to all produce ripe fruit at the exact same time this year. fresh meyer lemons, mexican limes and pommelo with a little tangerine from farmer's market seems like the perfect way to bring a little summer sunshine onto your winter table for dessert. plus a granita is like eating flavored snow! use whatever citrus you have on hand and adjust the sugar depending on the sweetness of your juice.

Fresh Citrus Granita

4 cups water

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup meyer lemon juice

1/2 cup tangerine juice

1/4 cup pommelo juice

in a saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil for 2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. let cool completely and then stir in citrus juices. pour into a 9x9-inch pan and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight. scrape with a fork to loosen and serve.