Spring Herb Julep

When Maker's Mark approached us to do a new spin on the classic Mint Julep, we couldn't refuse because we never say no to bourbon. And Maker's Mark? It is the good stuff.

The first time I made a Mint Julep - way back when in my fledgling mixology days - I did NOT use the good stuff. I used some cheap bottle of bourbon that was kicking around in the back of my liquor cabinet. The resulting drink was rubbish, and I unwisely deduced that I did not like Juleps. How silly of me! Once I schooled myself in bourbon I realized the error of my ways. 

Around this time of year, Sarah and I are always wildly eager to head to our kitchens with fresh, local produce, but Colorado can be a little slow to yield results. However, herbs are always reliably sprouting and thriving, even with our April snow. Our backyards yielded the herbal trifecta for our julep: mint (of course!), lemon balm, and thyme. Lemon balm is a close cousin of mint, but has a strong lemon aroma which adds a bright citrus note to this drink.

In the picture above, L-R, lemon balm, thyme, and mint.

Crushed ice is essential for this drink, and we crushed ours by hand using our wooden muddler. We placed cubed ice into a large shaker, and gave it quite a few good thwacks until it looked the way we wanted it.

Spring Herb Julep

Makes 1 cocktail
ingredients:

• fresh mint, 5-6 leaves, plus a sprig for garnish

• fresh lemon balm, 5-6 leaves, plus a sprig for garnish

• fresh thyme, 1 long sprig, plus a sprig for garnish

• 1 tsp granulated sugar

• 1 TB water

• 2 oz Maker's Mark bourbon (or other good bourbon)

• crushed ice 

special equipment:

• muddler

• julep cup (not completely essential, but alway delightful)

1. In your julep cup, add 1 teaspoon granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon water. Stir for a minute to let sugar fully dissolve.

2. Place the  herb sprigs into the julep cup, and muddle into the sugar water. Do it enough to release the herbal flavor, but not enough to completely brutalize the leaves.

2. Stir in the 2 ounces of Maker's Mark. Add crushed ice to fill the cup to the top. Garnish with remaining herb sprigs.

Strawberry Lavender Cocktail

Can't you just taste it already? These two amazing summery flavors combine to make a drink that deserves to be served on your patio at least once this season. (Or twice. Or more.)

We decided we wanted to really get the full flavor of fresh seasonal strawberries in this cocktail, so we pureed and then strained them, to get out all those pesky seeds. (A few seeds don't bother me, they are so itty bitty, but you do want to use as fine a strainer as you have.) This drink was also our first time using a lavender simple syrup, though certainly not our last. (I am drinking a lavender lemon cocktail as I type this!) This drink just gets me fired up for farmers' markets and the sweet smell of summer.

Strawberry Lavender Cocktail

• 1/3 cup strained strawberry puree (see note below)
• 1 oz lavender simple syrup
• 2 oz vodka

Place strawberry puree in a glass. Add simple syrup and vodka and stir vigorously. Add lots of ice, and enjoy!

Note: We pureed 15 large strawberries which resulted in enough puree for at least 4 drinks. Puree in a food processor or blender to get it as smooth as possible. Use a very fine sieve to remove as many seeds as possible, pressing the puree through with a spatula.

Spring Herb Vinaigrette

Ever wish you could bottle up the essence of spring? We do too, and this is basically the best we could do: a zesty vinaigrette filled with finely chopped spring herbs.

We are always looking for a good dressing to add a little panache to a ho-hum side salad at dinner. With springy chives, mint, and basil, this dressing will adoring our salads all season along, and perhaps beyond. You should use a mixture of whatever herbs you have on hand, as this recipe is easily adaptable. Don't have a shallot? No worries. Leave it out, or sub in a clove of garlic. Anything goes.

Spring Herb Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 Tb Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup loosely packed chives, mint, and basil, finely chopped
• 1 small shallot

1. Combine vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper in a bowl. In a slow and steady stream, add the olive oil to the bowl, whisking until blended. Whisk in herbs and shallot.
2. Use right away, or refrigerate up to a day. Mix well before serving.
Makes one cup.

Sugar Snap Pea and Radish Salad

While wondering what I was going to make for lunch, I stumbled upon this recipe on Bon Appetit's website. Sugar snap peas? Radishes? A little mint? This was just the spring fix that I needed. Add a little crumbled cheese, and I am pretty much in heaven.

 I was surprised to see that the original recipe called for boiling the sugar snap peas. To me, snap peas are in their perfect state when raw, and nobody wants to turn on the stovetop if they don't have to, so that step was omitted. Now this dish is just spring perfection. Crunchy, a little sweet, creamy, radishy, fresh. So fresh.

If you have some hard-boiled eggs left over from Easter (and do I ever!), they go extremely well with this salad. We served this up for lunch, and modified it only slightly to put together an excellent kids' lunch for our 3 year olds. All it took was removing the offending radish slices, subbing in some orange pepper slices on the side, and these kids gobbled up their meals.

Sugar Snap Pea and Radish Salad

adapted from Bon Appetit

• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 1 Tb fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sumac 
• 1 1/2 lbs sugar snap peas, trimmed, stringed, cut in half on diagonal
• 1 bunch radishes, trimmed, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces feta, crumbled
• 2 Tbs coarsely chopped fresh mint 
• Freshly ground black pepper
• kosher salt

1. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, and sumac. 

2. Toss together snap peas, radishes, feta, and mint cheese in a large bowl.  Pour dressing over, and mix together to coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper.

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs (for Food52)

Check it out! We revisited our Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs for Food52 today.  Here’s a link to the full article.

The most exciting things? We experimented with dipping the eggs in multiple different dyes to create new colors.  We love the soft robin’s egg blue that was a result of a soak in blueberries followed by a quick dip in turmeric. And, we shot some new pictures of pretty pastel eggs to share with you!

Strawberry Basil Sparkler

This sparkler is made with thinly sliced strawberries, torn basil leaves, a little vodka, and a lot of sparkling water.  Here's why we love this cocktail: it isn't sweet or sour or bitter. It's a whole new animal -- a fizzy collection of real ingredients, sliced thinly & torn roughly to give up the edge of their unique flavors, but not overwhelm the pureness of the vodka and sparkling water.

The combination of strawberries and basil is unexpected; basil isn't as sweet smelling as mint. We chose it for this reason specifically, because against the sweet strawberries, it elevates this drink's flavor profile to something sophisticated.

Strawberry Basil Sparkler

Visit our Whole Foods column, Locally Mixed, for the recipe. 

Spring Herb Mojito

Hardy mint and its close cousin lemon balm are just about the only edible things that are looking robust in our backyards these days.  We plucked a few tender leaves, and plan to kick back and sip these spring herb mojitos as Spring advances.

All those fresh green leaves suspended in white rum with a spritz of lime – the perfect breath of an early spring garden.

Spring Herb Mojito

• 1 teaspoon sugar 

• Small lime, juiced 

• 3 leaves lemon balm 

• 3 leaves mint 

• 2 ounces white rum 

• 1 ounce sparkling water 

• 1 sprig thyme

• Ice

Muddle sugar, lime juice, and herbs together in the bottom of a glass until sugar is dissolved and the herbs release some scent. Pour in rum and sparkling water, fill glass with ice, garnish with thyme sprig.

Lemon Asparagus

We found bundles of skinny new asparagus at the store this week! This recipe is our winner for spring asparagus.  It’s so simple and fast, but feels special and fancy.  That’s our favorite type of recipe, after all.  Here’s our trick:

Thin lemon slices arranged on a baking sheet.  Olive oil drizzled asparagus arranged in a layer over the top of the lemons.  Sprinkle with salt, broil for a few minutes.   Done!

The lemons get a little charred, and waft their lemony vapors up into the asparagus as they roast. 

The asparagus gets a little charred, too, during their quick trip under the broiler.  I especially love this treatment for the super skinny asparagus because their pointy tips get crispy and brown.  Oh and PS: our 2 year olds loved these!  And I quote “more green! more asparagarararasuss!”  Great liberties were taken with the pronunciation of the word asparagus.  We basked in the glow of toddlers gobbling vegetables of their own free will.

Lemon Asparagus

• One pound fresh asparagus
• One lemon
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• sprinkle of salt

Thinly slice the lemon.  Arrange in one flat layer on a baking sheet.

Toss the asparagus with the olive oil until evenly coated.  Arrange asparagus over the lemon slices.  Sprinkle with salt.  Broil for approx 6 minutes (in our oven) or until asparagus spears get a few browned and crispy areas.

Spring Herb Quinoa Patties

Spring is so close! But really, it’s just barely here.  If you’re lucky you might have some tender leaves sprouting in your herb pots (I found chives in mine today!) but other than that we still have a bit of a wait until it’s really spring.

Those tiny little spring herb leaves are so exciting, though, that we wanted to let them shine in these delicious quinoa patties. Mint, parsley, and green onion are tossed with quinoa and shavings of flavorful cheese.  Crispy on the outside and packed with flavor, this is my spring go-to lunch.



These are made with simple whole foods ingredients. All you do is mix everything up in a bowl, then form little patties and pan fry them until they’re golden and crisp on each side. 



The mixture stores well in the fridge for a few days, so you can whip up a full batch and then fry just a few each day for lunch.  That’s what I’ve been doing! 

Spring Herb Quinoa Patties

inspired by a recipe in Super Natural Every Day, by Heidi Swanson
Yield is 8-10 patties

• 2 cups cooked quinoa (about 3/4 c. dry)
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp chopped green onion
• 2 Tbsp chopped mint
• 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
• 1/2 c. grated strong cheese – we used an aged sheep’s milk cheese
• 1/2 c. bread crumbs
• 1/4 tsp salt

Combine everything but the quinoa in a large bowl and mix well.  Fold in the cooked quinoa until it’s fully incorporated and the mixture is even.
Heat a large frying pan, with a drizzle of oil to coat, to medium high.
Using a spoon & your hands, form appox 2” patties with the quinoa mix and plop them into the hot frying pan.
Cook each side for approx 3 minutes, or until golden brown.  Don’t disturb them for the first minute or two to prevent them from falling apart!  Flip, and cook the other side for an additional 3-ish minutes, or until both sides are golden brown.
Serve with more freshly grated cheese on top.

Rhubarb Strawberry Compote

I always kind of assumed that making a compote would be tricky and laborious.  Turns out it is super simple.  It involves cutting fruit into 1” pieces, adding a little sugar, and simmering everything for 30 minutes.  Pretty much like making oatmeal, but with chopped fruit instead of oats.
Rhubarb & strawberries are both excellent spring fruits that go perfectly together, so that’s what I used in my first compote.

It tastes a lot like those expensive all-natural all-fruit jams… but better because it tastes less like sugar and more like fruit.  And it is much less expensive, too, which I am known to appreciate.

So far I’ve enjoyed this compote over French toast at our May brunch, and then also with yogurt and granola.

Rhubarb Strawberry Compote

• 4 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1” pieces
  
• 1 lb strawberries, quartered.  About 3 cups.
  
• 1/2 c. vanilla sugar (regular sugar would work just fine here)
  
• 1/4 c. water

Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pan on medium-high heat.  Stir regularly for the first few minutes to ensure the sugar dissolves into the water and the fruit gets coated in the hot liquid.  The goal is for the fruit to release its own liquids to simmer in; the 1/4 c. water is added to help things get started without any burning.
Once things are getting mushy looking, turn the heat down to medium (for a low simmer) and let it go for 30 minutes.  The final compote will be thick and fruity with a few pieces of fruit here and there.  Spoon into jars, let cool, and then store in the fridge for a week or the freezer for as long as you dare.

French Toast with Mascarpone and Rhubarb Strawberry Compote

May Brunch Party {Monthly Menu}

It’s finally the time of year where we can have brunch parties outside on the patio.  We’ve been excited for warm weather for a few months now and when it finally hit us this weekend we could barely handle it.  Complaining about the heat and sun almost happened, but then we realized how ridiculous that would be and restrained ourselves.

Instead we celebrated with a delicious May brunch.  The star of the show was this French toast smothered in homemade mascarpone and strawberry rhubarb compote.

May Brunch Menu

• French Toast topped with
• Homemade Mascarpone and
• Fresh Rhubarb Strawberry Compote
• Frittata modified with asparagus, goat cheese, and pepitas (101 Cookbooks)
• Lemon Cucumber Thyme Water
• Bacon

The mascarpone that topped the french toast was almost like butter – but better.  Just as rich and decadent in flavor, but more closely resembling a very creamy cheese in texture.

The tangy strawberry rhubarb compote was made with fresh fruit and just a bit of sugar. 

We threw in some delicious and healthy egg dishes to even things out a bit.  Oh but then we added back in a platter of crisp bacon; not so healthy.  But it’s a party! What do you expect?

Flowers were arranged, tables were set, umbrellas to shade from the suddenly powerful sun were procured.  Spring is here!

French Toast for Brunch

• 1 large loaf French bread, sliced 1” thick. Approx 10 slices.
• 4 eggs
• 1 c whole milk
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• butter (for frying)

Whisk together the eggs, whole milk, cinnamon, and vanilla.  Pour mixture into a fairly shallow dish to allow for easy dipping of the slices of bread.

Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, then flip over to coat the other side.  I don’t let my bread soak in the egg mixture for long – just enough to completely coat it.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat, and fry each side of the dipped bread until golden brown.

Top with Mascarpone and Strawberry Rhubarb Compote.

Lemon Cucumber Thyme Water

This weekend we celebrated a beautiful sunny Mother’s Day by throwing a little backyard brunch for ourselves.  One of the most simple but delicious things on the menu at the brunch was this Lemon Cucumber Thyme water.

Honestly you don’t even need a recipe for this baby. 

It’s easy – just slice a lemon and a small cucumber into a glass pitcher, add fresh thyme sprigs, cover in ice and then fill with water.  The longer this sits on the table as you linger over coffee and second servings of french toast with mascarpone & rhubarb compote, the most herbal and delicious it becomes.  Just keep topping it off with ice to maximize refreshment. 

Lemon Cucumber Thyme Water

• One lemon, sliced thinly
• One small cucumber, sliced
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• approx 2 liters water
• lots of ice

Slice the lemon & cucumber into a glass pitcher. Toss in the thyme sprigs.  Cover in ice and then fill the pitcher with water.  It’ll taste great right away, and the flavors continue to intensify as the water rests.

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

Yesterday we dyed Easter eggs using only natural, whole foods: beets, blueberries, coffee, spinach, and turmeric.

The final product was actually quite beautiful!  More pastel than we’re used to, but very lovely in their own natural way:

Beets were the most successful dye, which isn’t too shocking considering they stain countertops, dishes, and clothing pretty much instantly.  They created a lovely pink shade within seconds.

An egg emerges from its beet bath:

Turmeric was also very successful; it made yellow eggs.  The dark brown dye is coffee, which made tan eggs.  By the way,I felt the need to tease that you could just go buy tan eggs…  Right?

Please observe the glass lurking in the background with the sickly green dye.  That was spinach, and that was a resounding failure.  It turned the eggs a kind of dingy color - I wouldn’t even call it a green.  Or any color at all, other than maybe dirty white. 

Here is the final product, a lovely bowl of pastel eggs & their color source.  Note that these eggs were soaked in the dye solution for just a few minutes.  Others have let the eggs soak overnight in the dye to obtain deeper colors.

One note about the process: it was messy.  Consider the following steps:

• Shredding, food processing, or blending the whole food ingredients to fully release their color.
• Simmering the ingredient with water & a little vinegar on your stovetop for 10 minutes.
• Straining the final dye product (to remove the pulp).
• Then, upon an egg’s remove from its color bath it needed to be wiped off with a paper towel to remove the stray bits of vegetable pulp left on it.  If you used cheesecloth or a finer mesh sieve during the straining process, you could avoid this problem.

This would be a really fun project to do with children. Our 18 month olds were admittedly a little young to handle the process of dyeing, but they did enjoy carrying around the final product!

More info on how to make natural Easter egg dyes can be found here and here, however here is the general recipe.  We used beets, blueberries, spinach, turmeric, and coffee as our dye materials.

Natural Easter Egg Dye

• 1 cup of shredded fruit or vegetable matter (beets, blueberries, etc)
• 2 cups of water
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• hard boiled white eggs

Shred, blend, process, or in someway pulverize the fruit or vegetable to be used as the dye source.  Put this material into a small saucepan and add 2 c of water.  Add the 1/4 c. of white vinegar. Simmer for 10 minutes or so, then strain through a fine mesh sieve or cheese cloth into a glass jar.  We found that bigger jars with a lot of extra room to accommodate overflow (the water lever rises a lot when you add the egg) were best. 

Let eggs sit in the dye for a few minutes or longer.  I read that you can get more intense colors by letting the eggs sit in the dye over night – if anyone has tried this, let us know.  Especially if you have comparison pictures!

Note: For turmeric, we used about 5 Tbsp in 2 cups of water.  For coffee we used straight coffee with no additional water added. Vinegar was added to both.