My Own Greenmarket Mixology

I’ve been very interested in the large attention that has been paid to mixology over the past few years, especially since it has raised the quality of drinks served in restaurants and bars.  This summer, I’ve been glad to hear on many occasions of mixologists who are using farm-fresh ingredients in their drinks to highlight herbs and produce.

The other day, when I was puzzling over what to do with some leftover cooked corn and some shredded beets, I decided to use them as flavorings for simple syrups.  Following the simple method of disolving sugar in water at a 1:1 ratio and allowing the flavoring to steep in the syrup for a while before straining, I produced two beautiful simple syrups: 1 corn and 1 beet.  I first thought that using the corn simple syrup in a drink using a liquor made from corn would make sense.  However, I longed to maintain the summery, fresh flavors of the syrups.  I decided to use vodka, which would let the flavors of the corn and beets shine. 

What I came up with was a simple yet seasonal and elegant cocktail.  I found it refreshing and thought it went well with the summer-y cookout food I made that night.  Here’s the recipe–enjoy!

The Song of the Reaper:

2 oz. vodka (I used Absolut)

1 T beet simple syrup (recipe follows)

The Song of the Reaper

1.5 t corn simple syrup (recipe follows.  ATTN: DO NOT SUBSTITUTE CORN SYRUP)

1 t water

In a shaker with ice, combine the ingredients, shaking intensely.  Strain into a cocktail glass with ice and sip as you watch the summer sun fading on the horizon.  Or just drink it.  But appreciate the flavors.

BEET SIMPLE SYRUP:

2/3 c shredded beets

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c water

combine ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat.  Bring to a simmer to dissolve the sugar and then let sit for ten minutes before straining into a bowl and cooling in the refrigerator.

CORN SIMPLE SYRUP

corn kernels from 1.5 ears of par-boiled corn

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c water

follow method for beet simple syrup, above.

Resto–I’m not Pigheaded, am I?

I recently went to Resto, one of the restaurants for which I have long held curiosity.  I have always wondered about its various offerings of pig and other Belgian style foods, especially the frites.  After ahving dined there, I have to say that the food was generally up to snuff.

Really, I would rather eat there again before making any decisive conclusions about Resto, but I will report on my singular experience accurately as possible.  It would probably have been easier to get a general sense of the menu’s offerings with a larger group in tow, but alas, I ate there with only one dining companion. 

Always drawn to more off-beat selections, I immediately decided that I could not pass up the tete de cochon (pig’s head) sandwich with cilantro, carrots, and sriracha mayonaise.  Also, as I am a fan of tasting many different things at once, I found it necessary to order the frites with all of the sacues (there are nine). 

All of the frites sauces were delightful, as were the fries themselves.  I loved the tete de cochon, but I thought the grilled bread was somehow a little disappointingly soggy. 

For dessert, I had the liege waffle with vanilla whipped cream and chocolate sauce.  Compared to all other waffles, I actually did find this waffle to be in the upper echelon.  It was thick but fluffy with a pleasant sweet flavor and a crisp exterior.  It was very good in the whipped cream and chocolate.  Still, I envied the tower of waffle and ice cream sandwich at the tabkle next to us.  Ah, next time I suppose. 

All in all, I was pleased with what I ate at Resto.  I would have to return to verify my opinion of the food, but for now I’d deem the restaurant worth a visit for all.

Avocado: Sweet Victory

Ever since reading an article about a girl who enjoyed eating avocadoes with sweetened condensed milk, I have been curious about the sweet applications of the green fruit.  Of course my life had been full of delicious guacamoles and the like, but I hungered for an avocado epiphany. 

As I perused an old copy of Art Culinaire Magazine, I came across a recipe for Avocado Sherbet.  I was intrigued, and since I possessed all of the ingredients, I gave it a go.  While the ice cream machine whirred away, I used the extra avocados I had to make a mousse.  I blended about 1 2/3 avocados with some confectioner’s sugar, honey, heavy cream, water, bloomed gelatin, and a little salt.  Then, I loaded my isowhip with the mixture and chilled it. 

Later, enticed by another Art Culinaire recipe for muscovado brown butter cake, I found myself baking up the fragrant batter.  Because the avocado has a nutty quality that goes with brown butter, I found that pairing the three concoctions would be successful.  Therefore, I topped the cake with the mousse and accompanied it with a quenelle of the sherbet, drizzling olive oil around it for some peppery notes.