Summer Mocktails (p 20) - Healthful Elements

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CATEREDOutdoor EatingMichael reminds us that with the hot, humid Julyweather finally upon us, there are plenty of waysto cool off outside.watermelon can best be appreciated.Watermelons go very well withjicama, mint, olive oil, or arugula.A splash of acid like lemon juice orbalsamic vinegar will go a long way inhighlighting the flavors of the salad.Pair a watermelon salad with seafoodlike grilled shrimp, seared scallops, ora mixed seafood salad.Finally, for desserts, nothing beatsa fresh fruit at its peak ripeness.Watermelons and cucumbers reallydo not grill well or go well in bakeditems, but they can be made intosome stellar ice creams. Pair yourfruits with sauces like a coconut limecrème fraiche or a rum-caramel sauce.A mint or lavender honey would begood, too.As with any event, the mostimportant thing is to have fun.Experiment with different flavorpairings, and move forward withthe ones you think are best. If youdon’t think you can do it, don’t do it!Either choose something simpler, orhire a caterer to help you out. Butregardless, HAVE FUN!Michael Kricsfeld is an event planner anddesigner with Lon Lane’s Inspired Occasions,a full-service custom caterer located inthe Brookside neighborhood. He can bereached at 816-444-8372 or by email atMichael@inspiredoccasionskc.comCold, refreshing foods like icecream or an ice cold beveragetaste so much better after along afternoon in the sun. Personally,I think cucumbers and watermelonsare the perfect summer food! Becauseof their high water content, they arecrisp, refreshing, and the best thing toadd to your favorite dish.A couple years ago I first heard ofcucumber-infused vodka. Initially,I was intrigued, but after tasting it,I became its biggest fan! It is easyto make – just peel and slice someseedless cucumbers and let them sitin the vodka for a couple of days.The result is a refreshing vodka thatwill produce the best martini orbloody mary you have ever tasted.It’s so mild it can be enjoyed just onthe rocks. If you do not have thepatience to wait a couple of daysto enjoy an infused flavor in yourdrinks, try muddling your favoritefruit or herb into your drink.When mojitos how became populara couple years ago, the cocktail worldrealized the benefit of muddling foodsinto drinks. Adding cucumber orwatermelon to your mojito or freshbasil to your lemonade will make aworld of difference. Pair your favorite10 July, <strong>20</strong>08herb with your favorite fruit andexperiment. Mint goes great withwatermelon, lemon, and blueberries.The added benefit of the fresh flavorand texture to the cocktail will makeit one of your instant favorites.Beyond cocktails, cucumbers andwatermelons make great bases forrefreshing summer salads. One of theeasiest to make is a marinated cucumbersalad. Fill a pint glass 1/3 full of sugar,add vinegar to cover the sugar (I preferrice wine vinegar), and fill the rest ofthe glass with water. Pour over slicedcucumbers with bell peppers, redonion, cilantro, and a few red pepperflakes, and you have an incredibly easy,delicious salad. This can be served asa first course or as garnish to an entréelike grilled fish.Instead of slicing cucumbers intraditional rounds, try slicing themlength-wise and then cutting theminto “cucumber noodles.” This makesan incredible side dish. Sautee the“noodles” in butter with some mint,salt, pepper, lemon juice, and lemonzest for 1 minute, until just heatedthrough. You will be shocked thatcucumbers are so versatile.Watermelon salads are best servedwhen very cold and the crispness of the
Eat SweetIce CreamIce cream is the perfect sweet ending to anyoutdoor gathering.blueberries, blackberries, raspberries,or strawberries will work. Warm themover medium heat with a little bit ofsugar (to taste). Warm the berriesthrough-just until they begin to burstand thicken slightly. Squeeze a littlebit of lemon in to brighten the flavor.If you love chocolate, whisk in ½cup good quality unsweetened cocoapowder into the warming creammixture. Or make a chocolate sauce.Warm 6 oz of cream and pour over8 oz of bittersweet chocolate. Whiskuntil smooth for a decadent chocolatesauce. (serve warm) Spike it withKahlua, bourbon, or Grand Marnier!Mix in pieces of your favoritecookie dough.For a grown-up treat, try anaffogato. Pour a hot espresso shot ortwo over a couple of scoops of vanillaice cream.Another fun option is to serve icecream sandwiches. Visit a local bakeryto pick up some freshly baked cookiesto enhance your homemade treat.Some of my favorite pairings are:peanut butter cookies with chocolateice cream, gingersnaps with peach icecream, chocolate chunk cookies withvanilla ice cream, and snickerdoodleswith vanilla ice cream.Enjoy playing with your ice creamthis summer. Dress it up with a fancysauce (store bought or homemade)and fresh berries or bring out thechild in all who indulge by buildingice cream sandwiches.Erin Reynolds is the pastry chef/ownerof Dolce Baking Company in PrairieVillage, Kansas. She and her small teamproduce gourmet, from-scratch pastriesdaily. The best cinnamon rolls in town,scones, cookies, tarts, cupcakes, specialoccasion cakes, and wedding cakes are justa few of the treats you will find at Dolce.Contact her at erin@dolcebakingco.com~ 913.236.4411 or stop by at 6974mission road, prairie village.Using a vanilla bean will really make a difference in thetaste of your ice cream. You can pick them up at manygrocery stores or wherever you buy spices. To save a fewbucks, call a local bakery that uses fine ingredients andask if you can purchase a single bean from them. Mostlikely, they buy beans in bulk at a wholesale price andwould be happy to sell you one.Homemade ice cream isincredibly easy to make andthere are endless possibilitiesfor classing up this summertimefavorite. Requirements are a few simpleingredients, an ice cream maker, and afew minutes of your time.Cream - Use the good stuff! Savecalories elsewhere, and use the realthing here.Sugar - Mix it up. Use granulated(white) sugar, brown sugar-for abutterscotchy sweetness, or even honey.Egg yolks. - They give the ice creambody and richness.Homemade Ice Cream3 cups half-and-half1 cup heavy cream8 large egg yolks9 oz sugar1 vanilla bean-split lengthwise withseeds scraped outPlace the half-and-half and the heavycream into a medium saucepan, overmedium heat. Bring the mixture justto a simmer, stirring occasionally,and remove from the heat. Removevanilla bean.In a medium mixing bowl whisk theegg yolks until they lighten in color.Gradually add the sugar and whiskto combine.Temper* the cream mixture into theeggs and sugar by gradually addingsmall amounts, until about a third ofthe cream mixture has been added.Pour in the remainder and returnthe entire mixture to the saucepanand place over low heat. Continueto cook, stirring frequently, until themixture thickens slightly and coatsthe back of a spoon and reaches 170to 175 degrees F. *tempering allowseggs to be warmed slowly- withoutscrambling them.Pour the mixture into a container andallow to sit at room temperature for 30minutes. Place the mixture into therefrigerator and once it is cool enoughnot to form condensation on the lid,cover and store for 4 to 8 hours.Pour into an ice cream makerand process according to themanufacturer’s directions. This shouldtake approximately 25 to 35 minutes.Serve as is for soft serve or freeze foranother 3 to 4 hours to allow the icecream to harden.Enjoy a drink while your ice creamin churning and dinner is cooking onthe grill. By the time dinner plates arecleared, dessert will be ready-almost.Now it’s time to dress up yourcreation. If brightly colored berriesare in season, by all means! Toss acouple pints of berries into a smallsaucepan. Any combination ofJuly, <strong>20</strong>08 11
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Summer Mocktails (p 20) - Healthful Elements

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