June 25, 2013

Apricot Nectar


How to make the best apricot nectar:


Instead of those monster, monotone supermarket ones, use petite, melting, bicolored beauties. Real apricots. This is much more easily-done if you grow your own - or you happen to have generous neighbors.  

  A perfectly ripe apricot will not split easily, it will squish before it does, the perfumed juice dripping allover hands. 
They are precious, each fruit treasured; their season is short and in the blink of an eye they are gone for another whole year.
The smell of the apricot halves cooking down is absolute heaven; tasting the finished nectar is even better. This recipe captures the essence of apricots, a sweet distillation of the dry days and warm nights needed for the proper growth of the fruit.
Ethereal on the palate and an immense pleasure just to gaze at, it is the very color of the morning sun.
I suggest this nectar tempered with an equal measure of ice and water combined as a refreshing drink.
It is also perfect as a base for amazing barbecue sauce. Enjoy! 


Apricot Nectar

4 lbs apricots, halved & pitted (10 cups)
3 cups water
2/3 cup sugar
6 TBSP lemon juice - juice of two lemons

  Combine apricots & water in a large saucepan, cover, and simmer over medium-low for 10-15 minutes, until apricots are soft and breaking down. Then,
puree with an immersion blender.  Strain through sieve back into pot.
Add sugar & lemon juice.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring often.
Ladle into pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.  Cap, and
process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Makes 4 1/2 pints

originally from The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves by Linda Ziedrich

June 17, 2013

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies


Some recipes are so good that they need repeating. Like these Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies, for example.   They are especially perfect for Father's Day, at least around here, but they're good for barbecues or potlucks or anyplace you need to take them; they're quite portable (and they will last two weeks if wrapped in waxed paper and then sealed in a zip-lock bag. They'd also be ideal for the Fourth of July - chocolate chips are just so...Americana. 
   Enjoy. 



June 6, 2013

Spiked Iced Coffee


Let me put it this way: I'm thoroughly obsessed.
With iced coffee, that is.
There is just something about iced coffee that, at times, can have such a restorative effect. I don't know how exactly it works, but it does.
Maybe it's not that great for you, but at the time, I was willing to risk it.
It all started on one of our frickin'-hot Southern California days, one of those days
where just breathing is labor-intensive. Sitting in the drive-thru, pumping gas - it all seemed unbearable and everyone seemed miserable. There's a certain concentrated slowness to everyday functions at that point.
Hills covered in straw-colored, long-dead grasses hissed as the hot, dusty breeze rankled.  
Then,
 beckoning from not far off, a bake shop. Seems unlikely, given the heat.  But.  But.
It was not a baked treat we were after. No, it was something icy-cold to drink.
Mango Lassi and Iced Coffee were downed with immense refreshment, a feeling of calm coming over me as a sweet coolness prevailed.  I have not been able to stop thinking of that Mango Lassi... soon as I find a recipe, I am SO making one.  But I did get the iced coffee down. (It wasn't originally spiked, but that never hurts. I needed a hazelnut boost, and Frangelico delivered.  But by all means, use a hazelnut syrup for a non-spiked version.) Here's the recipe:


Brew up a batch of extra-strong coffee, using equal parts French Roast and Hazelnut. 
Once brewed, stir in 1 to 2 Tablespoons, to taste, of brown or maple sugar into every cupful of coffee, and a tablespoon of hazelnut liquer or syrup if desired. 
Let cool 15 minutes or so.  Stir in a handful of ice cubes, stirring until fully dissolved. The coffee should be well-chilled at this point.  Pour this mixture over a glass of ice. Serve, kick back, and enjoy.