the place where the blackberries grow...

well, one of them, anyway.

Fire & Ice Ginger. Lychee. Smoothie.

Lychees are fragrant, weird-looking, ancient (think ginko), delicious little tropical fruits.  Their knobby mauve skins, covered with slightly pointy bumps, belie the treasure within. The underside of the skin is a shock of hot pink. Once peeled, the single shiny brown seed barely shows through the juicy, translucent fruit.
They have a flavor all their own. Somewhat bitter, lightly sweet, very floral. Their texture is like that of a firm  grape.   

Lychees and ginger were meant to be combined - the spicy ginger is tempered by the lychee, while the floral flavor of the lychee is enhanced by the ginger bite.  

This smoothie is rather like coconut water and horchata; it's milky, in a good, plant-based way, and it's completely beyond refreshing. Not to mention, addicting.

  This is sweet, but not too much, and not too little, with a nice, smooth, balanced flavor.

I feel so awake after drinking it, and without any caffeine! It's my new favorite morning pick-me-up.     

Ginger-Lychee Smoothie

30 (or so) peeled, seeded lychees

1 knob ginger root, roughly 1x1-inch

1 cup ice cubes

Grate ginger over lychees. Add lychees and grated ginger to a powerful blender. Blend until smooth.

Add the ice and blend until no large ice chips remain.  Strain if desired - the little bits of ginger add a flavorful kick, but make for a slightly chunky drink  - and down, ASAP.  

Hwy's 18 & 38

Pics from last weekend - the annual Xeriscape Tour in Big Bear: 

...The drive up:

...some of the gardens & nurseries on the tour:

...The drive down:



Mango-Tahini Smoothie

So smooth, so icy, so refreshing. Make this right now - you won't be sorry.

Inspired by January 2013 Whole Living as well as this incredibly hot day.  

Mango-Tahini Smoothie

2 mangos, skins & pits removed (reserve all juice that collects)
1 scant TBSP. tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 cup ice cubes

Add to a powerful blender the mango chunks and pulse briefly several times to puree, stopping and shaking the contents, if neeeded, to settle the bigger pieces to the bottom where the blade is. Once pureed,
add the tahini; pulse once or twice until combined.  Add the ice & blend til the mix is finely icy throughout.
Pour into glasses if, if you feel like sharing, and try not to gulp too fast- enjoy the flavor!

Fouth-of-July + Pie

Family can be a royal pain, as I was reminded this fourth of July.
Cranky, obnoxious, rude, the works. There were plenty of fireworks before the ones up in the air were blasting.
 Somehow, my dysfunctional family manages to stick together, through thick and thin. I was reminded, too, of the resilience of the family unit in general.

It was nothing a bit of pie couldn't fix.
Especially plum-strawberry-blackberry pie, with a minemum of crust (They don't like crust. But I happen to be something of a crust lover. This is the measure of my devotion.).




[

[assembly]Clockwise from top left: ingredients;
the filling before being mixed; after a brush with
egg white & a sprinkle of sugar, the folded pie
is ready for the oven; filling the pie.

  


This pie is killer-good; the mix of fruits makes for a phenomenal flavor bomb, the crust is crisp and delightfully (in my eye) wavy....rustic and simple and tasty. 




Strawberry-Plum-Blackberry Pie

2 cups quartered Santa Rosa Plums
2 cups halved strawberries + 1 2/3 cups more, whole
1/3 cup blackberries

Put plums and halved strawberries in a bowl. Put whole strawberries & blackberries in another bowl. Add the

Juice of half a lemon,
a scant cup sugar,
& 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch.

Mash with a fork coarsely, making sure that starch is fully dissolved and no chunks of it remain before adding the following; the plums & remaining strawberries, and a scant

3/4 cup more sugar. 

Stir to combine. Pre-heat oven to 400F. Make the crust:

Combine 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cut in
1 stick cold butter which has been cut into small cubes.
Mixture will resemble coarse crumbs.
Combine

1 egg yolk,
1/4 cup ice water,
and 2 tsp. vanilla.

Beat with fork til combined, then drizzle over crumbs. Stir it all with a  fork until dough forms large clumps.  Dough should hold together when a small handfull is pressed.  Form into a disk.  On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to an approximately 13"-circle.   Roll dough over rolling pin to transport to a deep-dish 9" pie plate.  Unroll, center the dough, and press into the pie plate.  Sprinkle with

1/3 cup almond meal.  Using a slotted spoon, scoop filling into crust. Add about 1/2 cup of the liquid from the fruit mixture (all of it is too much).  Fold edges of dough over the filling, crimping as you go. Brush edges with

1 beaten egg white, then sprinkle with
1/8 cup sugar all around.

Bake at 400F for 35 minutes, cover loosely with foil, and bake 20-25 minutes more. Let cool about 4 hours or until somewhat set. 


loosely adapted from EveryDay with Rachel Ray

Be sure to use the leftover juice from the filling... topped with some sparkling mineral water, it makes one hell of a drink!