Ginger Syrup

I credit my amazing friend Beth as being one of the people to spike my interest in the ginger flavor.  She’s raved about the flavor many times.  Since I began to dabble with this flavor, I quickly jumped in full force.  In fact, these Double Ginger Crackles rank really high on my list of favorite cookies.  I’ve made not one but two different muffins involving the ginger flavor (#1 and #2).  The flavor goes well with salmon, shrimp, chicken and more.  And OF COURSE… in cocktails.  So many amazing drinks I’ve been enjoying involve either ginger syrup, ginger beer, or even candied ginger.  Like ones I’ve had at Tavern (1920), Holland House (Pimm’s Cup), and No. 308 (Whiskey Ginger), as well as the ever faithful Jackson’s (Misery & Gin) & Rumba (Cumberland Sidecar, Kentucky Karma, & many more).

Thanks to the wonders of Twitter, last fall I was tipped off to a specialty latte being made at my former neighborhood coffee shop, and one of my favorite places, Dose.  I can’t remember if it was Kelly or Kira that first mentioned Dose’s Ginger Latte, but I kid you not, I drove over there that.very.day to experience it for myself.  It was every bit as good as I imagined.  I’ve ordered quite a few since then, and as the weather turned warm this past spring, I switched to iced coffee with ginger syrup.  As I began to transition into my Starbucks Iced Via addiction I really wanted to add that ginger flavor to my coffee at home.  So finally I set to it, and made this ginger syrup.  And then I immediately made another batch.  I’m not kidding.  I quickly realized between the coffee & the cocktails, I’d go through this pretty quick.  Plus, I wanted to make some extra to give as a birthday gift to the girl who kickstarted my love of ginger!  Though I was about 2 months belated in my gift giving, I think Beth still appreciated the syrup!

This syrup tastes GREAT in my morning iced coffee, or in fresh squeezed lemonade, and of course cocktails.  Quite a few times I’ve had bourbon, over ice with a dash of this syrup, and a splash of Domain de Canton Ginger Liqueur.  If you’re looking for a cocktail to whip up with this ginger syrup, I can highly recommend the Ginger Rogers, on Beth’s blog!

This recipe says to simmer 30 minutes to 1 hour. I realize that is a large range of time, but remember this is a gentle simmer, not a full boil. The range of time will help determine the consistency of your syrup. If you want your syrup on the thinner side, simmer this for less time, if you want a thicker syrup, simmer it for the full 1 hour.

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Ginger Syrup

Yield: 2 cups

Cook Time: 1 hour

Often to save time, I start the sugar and water to boil, then begin prepping the ginger. Once I have turned off the heat, I like to let the syrup "rest" for a few hours or overnight to cool completely and also really absorb more ginger flavor. To strain I use a fine mesh strainer.

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 six-inch piece fresh ginger, diced or cut into slivers

Directions:

Place sugar, ginger, and water in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until ginger flavor is quite strong, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. (The longer you simmer the thicker the syrup will be.) Remove from heat, cover and let cool. Strain before using. Refrigerate.

adapted from Martha Stewart

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Pineapple Sangria

I don’t really have a quick or witty story to tell to relate to this sangria, I just wanna say “Make this sangria… it wuz good.”

Just kidding.

Seriously though, this was a mighty tasty sangria.  For some reason I’m more drawn to white sangrias than I am your typical red sangria.  Way way way back in 2008, I made a Peach White Wine Sangria.  I think perhaps I just prefer the lightness of a white wine sangria.  I made this for my neighbor’s 4th of July party and it was VERY well received.  And all of his friends have VERY good taste in potluck party fare.  Seriously, I was so happy at the first party of his we attended to discover couscous and fresh veggie salad, fresh caprese skewers, my favorite local goat cheese, and more delectable dishes.

I knew I’d be making this for a crowd, so I multiplied the recipe to use a 3L bottle of wine.  I went ahead and added the mint and orange slices to the sangria and poured it all into my lovely new drink dispenser!  This sangria was gone WELL before the sun set for fireworks.  I like that it’s not sickeningly sweet, and the fresh mint really adds a herbal zing to please the palate.  Here in Tennessee it’ll be hot well into September, so luckily we have plenty more opportunities to enjoy this refreshing drink!

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Pineapple Sangria

Yield: Makes 8 servings

I doubled the ingredients listed below (and used a 3L bottle of wine) to serve a crowd. Please note if you want as much sangria as you see if my photo, you'll want to do the same. If you want to serve a smaller group of friends, the amounts listed below is what you'll need.

Ingredients:

3 cups pineapple juice
1 bottle dry white wine, such as Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc
1 cup brandy (pear brandy or apricot brandy will work)
1 ripe pineapple, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup pineapple soda
1 bunch fresh mint, roughly chopped
1 orange, sliced

Directions:

In a pitcher, combine the juice, wine, brandy, pineapple, and soda with ice and stir. Pour into large wineglasses and garnish with the mint and orange.

from Epicurious

PS. If you’re interested in a traditional red wine sangria, check out this one over at The Novice Chef!

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Mocha Ice Cream

Confession time!  If I want coffee from a coffeeshop, I go out of my way to make sure I get it from a local shop.  Nashville has SO many great, authentic, unique shops.  I have a different reason I love each and every one of these I could tell you, but I don’t want this post to get too long and rambling.  I will at least name my favorites: Crema, Dose, Drinkhaus, Bongo Java (especially Fido), Frothy Monkey, & Dunn Bros.  Starbucks doesn’t enter my mind as an option very often (unless they are having some kind of special like Frappuccino Happy Hour!).  I just find the coffee at all the aforementioned places to be much better.  However….(and this is where the confession comes in) ever since I attended Blog Her Food ’11 back in May, I’ve been incredibly, embarrassingly addicted to Starbucks Iced VIA.  Like really, really, really addicted.  As in, I recently found a mega-deal and purchased enough to have 50 little packets of instant goodness ready for my enjoyment.

It was at the closing party that I stopped at the Starbucks table and chatted with the lovely ladies representing Starbucks.  They had swag bags to give out with a few different VIAs, including Italian Roast, French Roast, Decaf, and the aforementioned Iced VIAs.  They encouraged me to take some of the extra samples of the (non-iced) VIA packets.  Me, being lover-of-all-things-free, happily dug my hand into the bowl for a fisty stash.  Only later at home, when I was counting my swag did I begin to wonder what in the heck I was gonna do with all this Starbucks VIA, especially the decaf!  Finally, it came to me… Make ice cream!

This ice cream was definitely rich!  Decadent, and deep with flavor.  I brought some to my parents to share with them, and my little brother told me when him & his friends were eating it, they ate vanilla alongside it because it was so rich!  If you like coffee, and you like chocolate, this will definitely be the flavor for you.  I’m so glad I had the decaf VIAs to use to make this.  That way, I could enjoy this ice cream at night, and not worry about it keeping me awake all night!  Along with the Starbucks swag I used to make this, I also used the Scharffen Berger chocolate we got as swag at the conference too.  They were nice enough to have LOTS of their awesome product to share.  I think the Scharffen Berger really contributed to the richness in this ice cream.

If you’re interested in attending a food blog conference, whether it be for the swag, to meet other bloggers, or to pick up tips on how to be a better blogger, there’s one coming to Nashville!  Food Blog Forum is coming Saturday, October 8th (with a kick-off event the Friday before).  I’m really excited, as I’ll be going!  It’s not too late to get your ticket and join in on the fun!  After all, besides all the Nashville bloggers in attendance, there’s going to be some pretty awesome out of towners too!  😉

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Mocha Ice Cream

Yield: 5 cups

Ingredients:

1 (8-ounce) package semisweet chocolate squares, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup strong brewed coffee
2 cups whipping cream
1 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup sugar, divided
3 tablespoons instant coffee granules
4 egg yolks

Directions:

Microwave chocolate in a 1-quart microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 1/2 minutes or until melted, stirring twice; stir in brewed coffee. Set chocolate mixture aside.

Bring whipping cream, half-and-half, 1/2 cup sugar, and coffee granules to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar and coffee dissolve.

Beat yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar at high speed with an electric mixer until thick and pale. With mixer at low speed, gradually pour hot cream mixture into yolk mixture; return to saucepan.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 6 to 8 minutes or until mixture thickens and coats a spoon. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate mixture. Cover and chill 2 hours.

Pour chilled mixture into freezer container of a 5-quart hand-turned or electric freezer. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

Pack freezer with additional ice and rock salt, and let stand 1 hour. Serve ice cream with cookies, if desired.

from MyRecipes (June 1997 Southern Living) as seen on Lauren's Kitchen

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Spicy Sauteed Fish with Olives and Tomatoes

I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this before, but summer is not my favorite time of year.  I know most people seem to look forward to summer, and relish it.  But in my opinion, it’s too dang hot to want to do anything outside, even too uncomfortable to just sit on the front porch and read.  I’ve never been a pool person and hate laying out (perhaps that’s why I hated being a lifeguard so much).  And summer is NOT a relaxing time for me, I always seem to be on the go-go-go all the time.  I was out of town every single weekend in May, and ever since then we’ve gone out of town at least every other weekend.

But, just taking one look at this plate makes me want to stop whining about all the things I don’t like about summer, and focus on the things I LOVE about summer.  Like tons of great produce in my CSA box.  And having enough light to take a decent photo!  When I get a good train of thought going like this, it leads me to think of other good things about summer.  While it’s true we’ve been out of town every other weekend this summer, most of it’s been because we’ve been visiting family in Kentucky.  Between pool parties, barbecues, and going out on the lake, I must say we’ve had a nice summer.

This recipe utilized some great tomatoes from the CSA box, and was super quick and easy to prepare.  I know Nathan loves anything with a kick of crushed red pepper, and this recipe has that.  He’s not usually a fan of olives, but he more than tolerated them in this dish.  I think the olives combined really well with the tomatoes and fish.  Having a bountiful box of veggies every two weeks keeps me pretty well supplied with easy, healthy side options, so the roasted veggies were an obvious choice.  I don’t think I’ll ever get enough roasted squash & zucchini. (And if I do get tired of roasting, I can just make this raw veggie salad!)  Alongside the fish with olives and tomatoes, and the roasted veggies, I cooked up some whole wheat couscous.  Once the couscous was done, I mixed in some jarred basil pesto for flavor.  The meal was topped off with a sprinkle of fresh local feta cheese I recently picked up at the Farmer’s Market from my favorite goat cheese maker, Noble Springs.  This recipe brought everything together really well, and I know it’s one we’ll enjoy again!

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Spicy Sauteed Fish with Olives and Tomatoes

Yield: 4 servings

The original recipe called for parsley, which I didn't have, so I subbed fresh basil.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds tilapia, red snapper, or orange roughy fillets
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (or parsley)
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced

Directions:

Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Add half of fish to skillet and sauté until just opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer fish to platter. Repeat with remaining fish. Add basil and crushed red pepper to same skillet; sauté 1 minute. Add tomatoes, olives, and garlic; sauté until tomatoes are soft and juicy, about 2 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper; spoon over fish.

adapted from Epicurious via Love & Olive Oil

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