Hibiscus Tea Cocktail

This is really more of a summer cocktail but after dealing with -25 to -33 temperatures for the last two weeks I decided I needed to tast summer.

Brew 1 cup Hibiscus Tea and let cool.  Add to iced cup with lemon juice freshly squeezed from 1/2 lemon, 1 oz gin, a drop of grenadine and top with sparkling water. Add raspberries and blueberries. Enjoy

Ginger and Blueberry Skillet Cobbler

I love using my cast iron skillet, it is by far my most used pan.  I rarely however use it for dessert and I was thrilled to try a dessert in it.  This recipe I followed pretty closely except for changing the Demerara sugar to dark brown sugar.  It is a great dessert with a home/comfort food feel to it.  From Food and Drink 2015.

This beauty can be assembled ahead and held in the fridge until you’re ready to slip it onto the grill midway through dinner. If you’re lucky enough to be making the cobbler with wild blueberries, decrease the amount of cornstarch to 3 tbsp (45 mL). Don’t sweat it if you don’t have the right skillet—a 9 x 13‑inch (3.5 L) metal baking pan can be used as a substitute.

8 cups (2 L) blueberries
¾ cup (175 mL) demerara sugar
¼ cup (60 mL) cornstarch
¼ tsp (1 mL) allspice
¼ tsp (1 mL) cinnamon
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
½ tsp (2 mL) salt
2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
½ cup (125 mL), 1 stick, cold butter, cut into chunks
⅓ cup (80 mL) finely chopped candied ginger
1 cup (250 mL) cold whipping cream,
plus extra for brushing
2 tbsp (30 mL) white sanding sugar
2 tbsp (30 mL) maple sugar

1 In a 12-inch (30-cm) heatproof skillet, at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep, combine blueberries, demerara sugar, cornstarch, allspice and cinnamon; gently toss to combine; level and set aside.

2 Add flour, salt and baking powder to the bowl of a food processor; pulse to blend. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Turn out into a medium bowl; stir in ginger. Pour 1/2 cup (125 mL) cream over and stir until just combined. Gather dough with your hands and knead once or twice to bring together.

3 Tear an approximately 2-tbsp (30-mL) piece of dough and pat into a rough round about ½ inch (1 cm) thick. Place on top of blueberry mixture about ½ inch (1 cm) from edge of skillet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing the biscuits equidistant from one another; blueberries will not be completely covered. (Cobbler may be prepared to this point and held in refrigerator for 6 hours.) Lightly brush tops of biscuits with a little cream and sprinkle sanding sugar over biscuits.

4 Light one side only of gas grill, turn to medium, close lid and bring to 375°F (190°C).

5 Place skillet on side of grill that is off, close lid and bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until blueberries are bubbling and biscuits are golden. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

6 Meanwhile, combine maple sugar and remaining ½ cup (125 mL) cream; whip only until sugar is dissolved and cream is lightened and soft (before soft peaks form).

7 Divide between 10 small bowls and drizzle each with an equal amount of cream.

Serves 10

Turducken Burgers

The Cajun holiday roast—a chicken stuffed inside a duck, stuffed inside a turkey—gets a summery burger twist (and no deboning of birds is required). Buy good-quality ground turkey and chicken and packages of the sliced, smoked and dried duck at a butcher shop or specialty food stores. If you can’t find the smoked and dried duck, you can use a smoked duck breast with the skin and most of the fat trimmed off and chopped fine for the burger patties. You may want to use grilled prosciutto slices for the topping instead of the duck breast, as duck breast won’t crisp up. For ease, if you prefer not to stuff and layer the patties, you can combine the ground turkey and chicken and chopped duck all together with the egg mixture and form mixed patties instead. The Cherry Barbecue Sauce is worth making from scratch as it sets off the burgers just perfectly. Sweet potato fries are a most suitable side dish, along with some grilled sweet peppers.  

Tomato Ancho Salsa

With patio season upon us here is a great little salsa to pair up with tortilla chips and your favourite beverage.  From Food and Drink Summer 2015.

1 small onion
3 large, ripe but firm tomatoes, about 750 g
2 dried ancho chilis
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

• preheat grill to high
• Cut onion in half through the middle; peel and grim off root but leave halves intact.  Arrange, cut side up on the grill; place whole tomatoes stem side down.  Cook, turning from time to time until vegetables are well charred on all sides, about 15 minutes total for the onions and 35 to 40 minutes for the tomatoes.  Remove from grill and cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, toast chills in a small skillet over medium low by pressing against pan until fragrant and pliable, about 90 seconds per side.  When cool enough to handle, tear open; remove and discard the seeds and any pale coloured ribs.  Place in a small heat proof bowl and pour enough boiling water over to cover.  Soak for 30 minutes; remove chills with a slotted spoon to a blender.  Reserve soaking liquid.
• Roughly chop the onion and tomatoes; add to the blender along with the garlic, vinegar, oil, salt, and cumin.  Add 2 tbsp reserved chili water and pulse to a chunky sauce.  Turn out into a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  (Salsa will keep for 5 days in refrigerator.  Warm to room temperature for an hour before serving.)  Sprinkle with cheese and serve alongside your favourite tortilla chips.

Makes about 3 cups

Chopped Salad

A small amount of wild rice adds texture and flavour to this easy to make salad.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup very thinly sliced red onion
500 g fresh green beans, trimmed
1 small head radicchio, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup cooked wild rice
1/2 cup crumbled feta

• In a large bowl, combine, oil, vinegar, and salt; stir in onion and let stand until beans are ready.
• In lightly salted boiling water, cook green beans 7 to 8 minutes, until tender but still bright green. Drain in a colander under cold running water; shake to drain excess moisture.  Stack in bundles and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• Place green beans, radicchio, rice and cheese in a large bowl; toss with dressing to coat.

Marmalade-Glazed Chicken Thighs

Orange Marmalade is a wonderful tart yet sweet glaze for grilled chicken thighs.  This can also be used for chicken breast if you prefer white meat or pork loin.  This recipe is from Canadian Living - The Barbecue Collection.

2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 fps each salt and pepper
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, halved crosswise
2 tbsp orange marmalade

• Whisk together lemon juice, oil, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper; toss with chicken until coated. Marinate for 15 minutes or covered and refrigerated up to 8 hours.
• Reserving any remaining marinade, thread chicken onto double pronged bamboo skewers or 8 pairs of soaked wooden skewers; brush with marinade.  Grill, covered on greased grill over medium heat, turning once, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, microwave marmalade, covered, at high until melted, about 30 seconds. (or heat in small saucepan over low heat until melted.) Brush skewers with marmalade; grill, turning once for 1 minute.

Makes 4 main course servings

Strawberry, Raspberry and Toasted Coconut Crumble Pie

This is an easy and fun recipe from Food and Drink 2015.  I cut the recipe in half as it was just for our family and I switched the coconut to Toasted Slivered Almonds as we have a coconut hater in the household.  You can use either fresh or frozen fruit for this but I find fresh is usually better.

Slab Pie Pastry for 1 slab pie crust

Slab Pie Pastry for 2 slab pie crusts
5 cups , or for 1 crust 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp or for 1 crust 1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups, or for 1 crust 1 cup frozen unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups or for 1 crust 3/4 cup cold water
2 tbsp or for 1 crust 1 tbsp lemon juice

• Combine flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl.  Working with 1 stick of butter at a time, coarsely grate into flour mixture.  Toss to coat, then repeat until all the butter has been incorporated.
• Combine water and lemon juice.  Drizzle into the flour mixture a little at a time, stirring or kneading gently until all the flour has been incorporated and you can bring dough into a ball (you may need to add slightly more or less liquid depending on how much the butter has worked through the dough).  Cut ball of dough in half if you have made enough for 2 crusts; wrap in plastic and flatten into rectangular discs.  Chill for 2 hours or overnight.

FILLING

1 kg strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered if large, about 7 cups

750 g raspberries, about 7 cups

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup tapioca flour/starch

TOPPING

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp salt

2 cups shredded toasted sweetened coconut

• Preheat oven to 400F.
• Line a 13 x 7 inch rimmed baking sheet (jelly roll pan) with parchment paper.  Roll pastry out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 15 x 19 inches.  Fit pastry into prepared baking sheet and trim so that overhanging edge is about 3/4 inches wide all around.  Moisten pastry edge with a little water and fold over to create a pastry lip that stands slightly above the edge of the pan.  Squeeze pastry edge all around to seal.  Chill while making filling and topping.
• Combine strawberries, raspberries, lemon juice, sugar and salt in a bowl, and stir gently to mix.  Let stand 10 minutes or until sugar has dissolved and fruit looks juicy.
• Combine flour, butter, brown sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process until all flour has been absorbed and mixture looks like cookie dough.  Add coconut and process until incorporated.
• Add tapioca to fruit mixture and stir gently until it coats the fruit and is completely moistened.  Spread fruit and any juices into prepared pastry crust in an even layer.  Break crumble topping into large and small chunks and sprinkle all over fruit layer.
• Bake pie in the lower third of oven for 50 minutes or until fruit juices are bubbling and thickened, and until both pastry and crumble are golden and cooked through.

Makes 16 servings

Coriander Pork Skewers With Red Onion Salsa

I really like this one, lots of great summer flavours.  Bay leaves are just for flavour as they are to hard to eat so always discard them after grilling.  If you don’t have hot paprika, mix 3/4 tsp sweet paprika with 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper.  From Canadian Living/The Barbecue Collection.

450 g pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp hot paprika
1/2 tsp salt
12 fresh bay leaves (approx)

RED ONION SALSA
1 tomato
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Pinch each salt and granulated sugar
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

1. Toss together pork, garlic, coriander, oil, cumin, paprika and salt until coated; marinate for 10 minutes.
2. For salsa:  cut tomato into quarters; seed, core and slice.  Toss together tomato, onion, vinegar, salt and sugar.  Stir in mint.
3. Alternately thread pork and bay leaves onto skewers, using more bay leaves if desired.  Grill, covered on greased grill over medium high heat, turning once, until just a hint of pink remains inside pork, about 12 minutes.  
4. Serve with red onion salsa.

Marinated Grilled Steak

It is BBQ season…here is a staple for the summer.

1 kg steak (best you can find)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp kosher coarse salt

Pat steaks dry with paper towels.  Place in a resealable plastic bat or container.  Stir marinade ingredients, except salt, together in a small bowl.  Pour marinade overtop.  Massage into meat. Marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.  Remove from fridge, about an hour before grilling.  Remove steaks from marinade and discard marinade.  Sprinkle with salt.  Bring to room temperature.

Preheat BBQ to medium high.

Grill steaks for 4 to 5 minutes per side until charred and cooked to medium rare.  Remove from grill to a platter.  Loosely cover with foil.  Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes then serve.

Steak Shish Kabobs

If you can try to use a rib eye for this, it has great flavour that makes wonderful kabobs.  When threading meat onto skewers, don’t cram the pieces up against one another, leave a little space for even cooking.  From Canadian Living - The Barbecue Collection.

Half onion, grated
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
Generous pinch cinnamon
Generous pinch cayenne pepper
675 g beef rib eye grilling steak or strip loin grilling steak, cut into 1 inch cubes
450 g cherry tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt

• Mix together onion, oil, lemon juice, garlic, allspice, cumin, pepper, cinnamon and cayenne; toss with beef until coated.  Marinate for 20 minutes or covered and refrigerated, up to 4 hours.
• Alternately thread beef and tomatoes onto skewers, sprinkle with salt.  For rare, grill on greased grill over high heat, turning once for about 6 minutes; for medium rare to well done, grill over medium high heat until desired doneness. 10 to 12 minutes for medium

Makes 4 to 6 main course servings.

Per each of 6 servings:  about 252 cal, 20 g pro, 17 g total fat (6 g sat. fat), 4 g carb, 1 g fibre, 48 mg chop, 234 mg sodium, %RDI: 2% calcium, 19% iron, 6% bit A, 17% bit C, 6% folate.

Spicy Steak Kabobs

A simple recipe that works well on a warm summer day when you just don't want to turn on the oven.  I got this recipe from Canadian Living - the Barbecue Collection.

Half white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 piece fresh ginger, chopped
3 tbsp Tomato paste
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp chili paste
1 tsp packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
450 g grilling steak, cut into cubes
1 each sweet red and green pepper, each cut into pieces

• In a blender (I used my mini blender for this) pulse together onion, garlic and ginger until coarse paste.  Add tomato paste, vinegar, chill paste, sugar and salt; pulse until smooth.
• Transfer onion mixture to bowl; toss with steak until coated.  Marinate for 10 minutes.
• Discarding tomato mixture, alternately thread beef and red and green pepper pieces onto 8 skewers.
• Grill, covered on greased grill over medium high heat, turning occasionally until medium rare, 10 to 12 minutes.

Makes 4 main course servings.

Soak wooden or bamboo skewers in water for about 30 minutes before using to keep them from charring or catching fire.

Beef Satays

I really enjoyed this flavourful and easy to prepare barbecue dinner.  I was not able to buy kecap manis in my rural community so I did the homemade version of it.

1 tsp finely grated or minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
450 g beef sirloin grilling steak or lamb or pork cut into 3 x 1  x 1/4 inch strips

Sweet Soy Satay Sauce
1/4 cup peanut oil or vegetable oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tbsp chopped Thai birds eye peppers or other hot peppers
1/3 cup kecap manis
1/4 cup lime juice
3 tbsp finely chopped peanuts (I used almonds)

Homemade kecap manis
Boil together 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1 1/2 tbsp fancy molasses until sugar is dissolved

1. SWEET SOY SATAY SAUCE:  in small saucepan, heat oil over medium high heat; fry shallots until golden.  Remove with slotted spoon.  Add garlic to pan; fry until golden.  Remove with slotted spoon, reserving oil.  In mortar with pestle, pound Thai peppers to paste; add shallots and garlic and pound until almost smooth.  (or finely mince Thai peppers; add shallots and garlic and mince until almost smooth.) Mix in kecap manis, lime juice and peanuts.
2. Mix together 1 tbsp of the reserved oil (save remainder for another use), ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, coriander, turmeric, cayenne and cumin; toss with beef until coated.  Marinate for 30 minutes or covered and refrigerated, up to 8 hours.  
3. Thread onto skewers.  Grill on greased grill over high heat, turning once, until desired doneness, about 4 minutes for medium.  Serve with sweet soy satay sauce.

Pink Lemonade Sangria

A perfect summer drink - from Food and Drink Summer 2011

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add 1 chopped wedge each of lemon and orange, 5 raspberries, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 1/2 oz simple syrup.  Shake and strain into a glass filled with ice, top with dry rose wine and garnish with additional raspberries and a slice of lemon or orange.
Serves 1

Pitcher Size
To a large pitcher, add 1 lemon and 1 small orange, both thinly sliced, and a cup of raspberries.  Stir to bruise the raspberries slightly and top with 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 3/4 cup simple syrup 1 cup water and bottle (750ml) of dry rose wine.  Chill thoroughly for at least 4 hours to allow the flavours to steep, and serve in a tall glass or large wine goblet over ice.

Serves 6

Simple Syrup Combine equal parts sugar and boiling water and stir until sugar has dissolved.  Once cooled, store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Rose Summer Sangria

A great summer drink for the patio.

1 cup strawberries
1 wedge of watermelon
1/2 pink grapefruit
1 bottle rose wine, 750 ml
1/2 cup St Germain liqueur or Cassis liqueur
2 cups carbonated or sparkling water
Strawberries and pink grapefruit for garnishing

1. Trim and chop strawberries.  Cut watermelon into small pieces and measure out 1/2 cup.  Segment grapefruit half, then cut into small pieces.  Pour wine into a large pitcher or punch bowl.  Add fruit.  Refrigerate and allow flavours to infuse overnight.
2. Just before serving, stir in liqueur and carbonated water.  Ladle sangria, including fruit, into ice filled rocks glasses.  Garnish with fresh strawberries and a wedge of grapefruit, if you like.

Bangkok Lemonade

From Food and Drink Summer 2011.  This is a refreshing lemonade with a tropical flavour.

Add 1 stalk chopped lemon grass, the juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 oz simple syrup (recipe follows) and 1 1/2  oz white rum to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.  Shake sharply and strain into a tall glass filled with ice.  Top with coconut water and garnish with an additional stalk of lemon grass and a wedge of lemon.

Serves 1

Pitcher size:
To a large pitcher filled with ice, add 3/4 cup lemon juice, 1 cup lemon grass syrup (recipe below) 5 cups coconut water and 1 cup white rum.  Garnish individual glasses with a stalk of lemon grass and a wedge of lemon.

SIMPLE SYRUP
Combine equal parts sugar and boiling water and stir until sugar has dissolved.  Once cooled, store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

LEMON GRASS SYRUP
In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup simple syrup with 6 stalks of finely sliced lemon grass.  Bring to a boil, remove from heat and allow to cool.  Strain and reserve syrup.  Discard the lemon grass.

The Colada Mojito

This is more suited to warmer weather…but if you crank up the heat and put on some summer music you can pretend you are on the beach.  From Food and Drink Summer 2014.

To a blender, add 1 cup ice, 1 1/2 oz spiced rum, 2 oz margarita mix, 2 oz pina colada mix and 5 mint leaves, torn.  Blend until slushy.  Pour into a Colada glass and garnish with a pineapple spear and a mint sprig.

Grilled Chicken Satays with Late Harvest Peach Dipping Sauce

A really simple recipe that is great for summer grilling.  From Food and Drink Summer 2011.

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
24 wooden skewers, soaked in warm water for at least 1 hour

MARINADE AND SAUCE
2 shallots, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 red chili, seeded and chopped
2 tbsp chopped ginger
1/2 tsp each ground turmeric and cumin
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup late harvest wine
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup peeled and sliced peaches
Cilantro and roasted almonds, chopped

1. Slice chicken into thin strips.  Place in large bowl; set aside.
2. In a blender or food processor, combine shallots, garlic, chili, ginger, turmeric, cumin, soy sauce, wine and vegetable oil.  Blend until smooth.  Pour half of the mixture over the chicken.  Stir until well combined, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
3. Add peaches to remaining marinade and process until combined.  Transfer to bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
4. Thread chicken onto wooden skewers.  Grill over medium high heat until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.  Serve immediately with peach dipping sauce and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and chopped roasted almonds.

The Amazon Jungle

Another lovely summer drink.  Not a Margarita - but still a great drink.  Got this from the LCBO.

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add 1 oz Margaritaville Oro (or tequila of your choice), 1/2 oz Alize Sunset Passion liqueur, 2 oz orange juice and 2 oz pink grapefruit juice.  Shake sharply and pour into a tall glass.  Garnish with a pink grapefruit slice.

Burgers!

How about a nice change from turkey?  Brush the leaves off the BBQ, don a raincoat and get grilling!  I usually BBQ until the snow is so high outside that I just can't get to it anymore - so here is a great, simple burger recipe. This recipe came out of Todays Parent July 2008

1 1/2 lb (750 g) Lean ground beef
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp pepper

In a bowl, stir together the ground beef, water, soy sauce and pepper.  By hand, very gently form into 4 to 6 patties, handling the meat as lightly as possible.  Arrange on a waxed paper lined platter and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the meat to firm up.  Cold meat will hold together better on the grill.

At grilling time, preheat the barbecue on high for 5 minutes.  Place the burgers on the grill, turn the heat down to medium and grill for 4 to 5 minutes per side (flipping once) or until the meat is no longer pink inside.

Remove from the grill and serve on buns with the usual accompaniments.

** Goat cheese or feta makes for a wonderful adult hamburger accompaniment.

Summer Celebration Punch

Best punch I ever made!  Easy and delicious!  The grape and Chambord really work well together.  More of a summer drink (thereby the name) but I would have it anytime.

In a glass punch bowl, combine 8 oz gin, 4 oz Chambord, 4 oz cherry brandy, 2 cups grape juice, 2 cups cranberry juice and 2 cups lemonade.  Add 1 cup raspberries, 1 cup seedless grapes, halved, and 1 cup fresh blueberries.  Stir to mix.  Pour into glasses filled with ice and top with soda if desired.

Makes approximately 12 servings (or two really big ones)

Got this from Food & Drink Early Summer 2005