Marx Foods Challenge - Cocktails and Mocktails

It's been a while since I have participated in one of the Marx Foods challenges, but when I heard that it was for Cocktails and Mocktails I said to myself, "Self, it's about time you got your challenge on." 
So I sent an email to Kate and lo and behold...   a box full of goodies showed up with the challenge to create a Cocktail and a Mocktail using at least 1 of the ingredients from the goody box in each one.... No repeats.

I suppose this is as good of a place as any to put the disclaimer statement in.....  so here it goes...

I am not employed by Marx Foods, I have never been employed by Marx Foods, nor am I related to anyone (that I know of) who is or has been employed by Marx Foods.  I am not being paid by Marx foods for any of the opinions contained within this blog post.  I am of sound mind and body (most of the time anyway) and therefore all opinions below are my very own.  :)  

OK, now that that part is out of the way, lemme tell ya what they sent me for the challenge....

Dried Pineapple, Saffron, Long Pepper, Dill Pollen, Fennel Pollen and Juniper Berries.

Hmmmm....  Juniper Berries are already a key ingredient in Gin so that was out, and I have used so much Fennel Pollen over the years that even the Dill Pollen couldn't inspire me into something.  Dried Pineapple?  Well, I do like Pina Coladas and gettin' caught in the rain, but I prefer fresh Pineapple for that.  SO.......

This will be all about Saffron and Long Pepper.

But the saffron will be first, cause I'm just wild about saffron......  Not saffron powder, which is often cut with tumeric and ground safflower stamens (making it uber-bitter and not at all very saffron-esque), but good saffron.  Nice red stamens of grassy effervescence are my favorite.  As a result, they often need to be soaked in warm water to release their color, flavor and fragrance.

For my Cocktail I decided to combine Saffron Simple Syrup with Rose Water, Silver Tequila and Lemon Juice.  My original name was going to be the Spanish Rose.... But I looked it up on the Internet and some fancy bartender in San Francisco has already laid claim to the name for a cocktail with a saffron foam on top (evidently I am on the right track with the syrup)  So I have now dubbed this the "Mellow Yellow"  For it IS very yellow, and it is definitely for those that are wild about saffron.

Saffron Simple syrup is, well, very simple.....

Place 1 1/4 cups Hot water in a sauce pan.
Add about 1/2 tsp Saffron Stamens to the warm water and allow them to soak for an hour.

Slowly, but surly, it will turn more and more yellow.

Place the saucepan over LOW heat and pour in 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar.

Stir until it is clear, then bring the whole thing to a simmer/slow boil.

Boil for 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the flame and allow to cool for 20 minutes.

Strain out the spent saffron stamens.

Pour into a glass bottle, stopper and keep in a cool dark place to maintain the saffron's integrity.

Spanish Gold in a bottle.

For the Mellow Yellow Cocktail........

Grab a shaker and fill it with the following.
1 Jigger (1 1/2 oz) Tequila Blanco (I chose Corazon silver)
Juice of 1 Medium Lemon (which is about 1 1/2 oz or a jigger)
1 TB Saffron Simple Syrup (maybe a little more, if your not as much of a sour puss as I am)
1 1/2 tsp Rose Water
Crushed Ice

Shake all the ingredients together and strain into a Martini-ish glass.

Garnish with a rose stabbed through a lemon slice and float on top like a Spanish Galleon.

(I was really stuck on the whole Spanish thing)

Now, lets talk some long pepper.  Yes my friends, long pepper has been around a long time... The Romans used it profusely...  Somewhere along the line, through many centuries of history, the Peppercorn gained favor and graces almost every table in America.  I had heard and seen Long Pepper several times in gourmet shops and the like, but didn't bite.  I was much too obsessed with my Tellicherry and Malabar Black Peppercorns and my Swarak White Pepper Corns and the occasional foray into Green Peppercorns...  Not to mention the "Pink" Peppercorns that aren't really Pepper at all.

So now here I am with a sampler of Long Pepper... Ya know what... It tastes just like Black pepper, BUT, it's a little sweeter, and smells slightly more floral...  (sigh)  I think I am hooked now. 

I decided to put it to the test with my Mocktail.

One of my favorite things to do is to "pepper" my Strawberries to bring out their flavor... I know it sounds weird, but the Italians have been doing it for centuries and I think it's about time the citizens of the U.S. caught up.  Another one of my favorite things, that is a little more commonplace here in the U.S. is Lemon pepper.  I love lemon and pepper together.... and that is what gave me the idea... I love Lemon and Pepper, Strawberries and Pepper and I love Strawberry Lemonade so why can't I combine all three into a Trifecta of thirst quenching deliciousness?

Thus I present......  Strawberry Lemon Long Pepper-ade

Select 3 ripe and juicy strawberries....

Remove the tops and cut in half (this will make muddling a little easier)

Place your Long Pepper in a pepper grinder (I had to break mine up just a little bit)

Apply a few grinds of Long Pepper to your slices Strawberries.

Move the strawberries to a cocktail shaker along with some broken ice.

Muddle until you have achieved a "puree".

Add your favorite Lemonade and stir, then pour into an awaiting glass.

Garnish with a Long Peppered Strawberry.

Cin Cin!!
~~

Funnin' Around with Fregola - Fregola Sarda Pudding

This is the first time I have done this in the 3 years I have been blogging about food, so bear with me. I received a free sampler package from Marx Foods...  I think I am suppose to put a blurb here about how I am not being paid write a review of any products, nor am I, in any way, affiliated with Marx foods. Blah blah blah blah....  Be that as it may, they have some really cool stuff.  :)

Some of that cool stuff showed up on my doorstep and wanted to play in the kitchen....  Some beautifully plump Vanilla beans, burnished red Saffron, Star Anise and this funny looking pasta that, for my love of ALL things Italian, I had never heard of before.... Fregola Sarda.

It's a form of couscous from Sardinia.  It's on the larger side, like Israeli couscous, but with one important difference... It's been toasted to bring out a nutty flavor in the durum semolina.  Yeah baby!  That's what I'm talking 'bout. Just look at how wonderfully mottled it is, like little toasted pearls of deliciousness.

I will admit that when I think of Couscous, I always think of Moroccan or Lebanese dishes.  Which was why it was fortuitous that the Fregola was accompanied by Star Anise and Saffron... Two great tastes that taste great together.  Or at least they do in Moroccan Semolina soup.  Which is where I got my idea for the challenge.  Oh, did I forget to mention that?  I was asked to utilize the Fregola Sarda and one of the other ingredients from the free sampler to make a dish.  Well, being somewhat of an overachiever, I decided to marrying the flavors of that Moroccan soup with the methodology of an Italian risotto...  Lightly sweetened and simmered into a beautiful Rice, er, I mean couscous "pudding".

Fregola Sarda Pudding

20 oz (590 ml) (2 1/2 cups) Whole Milk
1 Star Anise
10 Saffron Threads (DON'T overdo it... or it will be bitter)
2 oz (56 g) (~1/4 cup) Caster Sugar
5.2 oz (150 g) (~1 cup) Fregola Sarda

Bring the first 4 ingredients together in a small sauce pan.

Heat just until the milk begins to simmer, then remove from the heat.. cover and allow to steep for 30 minutes.

Remove the Star Anise and the Saffron threads (I don't like to eat the threads)

Place the Milk back over medium heat and when it begins to simmer again, add the Fregola and stir.

Reduce the flame to low and simmer; stirring (like risotto) until the Fregola is just passed the al dente stage. (20-25 minutes)

Remove from the heat and cover, letting the pudding set for 10 minutes.

Spoon into champagne coups or other serving dishes.

Personally, I like my rice pud....  I mean couscous pudding at room temperature...

The scent was pure heaven.  The flavor?  Well, what can I say...?  It was exotic to say the least; hints of anise wrapped around the grassy saffron and hazel-nutty pearls.  Way beyond the realm of mere Tapioca pudding. (Which, historically, has been one of my UN-favorite foods)  The texture of the couscous is very different from that of tapioca pearls.  It was much more like a golden rice pudding.  Honestly, I loved it... A most enjoyable combination of Italy & Morocco...  :)

And thanks to Marx Foods for the free samples and opening my mind to the possibilities of this wonderful pasta. 

Mangia!!
~~

Foraging On The Forest Floor - Creamy Nettle Soup

I always have been, and probably always will be, a Mountain Man.  Not necessarily in a Grizzly Adams or creepy survivalist sort of way.  More of a "this is where I find peace" sort of way.  I know this, simply because I spent 15 years in San Diego, minus the 2 years I lived in Palm Springs.

I can hear you saying, "What does that have to do with anything?"

Basically this;  I lived in what is suppose to be "America's Finest city"; and with some massive infrastructure upgrades, it just might be.  I was surrounded by sand, palm trees and sun.  Yet I think I spent a total of 5 hours at the beach in 15 years I lived down there.  For when I needed to relax and decompress, leaving behind the stresses of everyday life, I traveled 45 miles outside the city to Julian or Alpine.  While living in Palm Springs yet again, I drove 35 miles outside the city to either Big Bear or Idyllwild.

What do all these places have in common?  They are all perched atop mountains, far from the Dessert floor or the Ocean waves and, more importantly, far from the insanity of freeways, potholes, broken sewer lines spewing into the bay, rush hour traffic, sink holes and rude people.  Yes, my solace was to be found above 4000 feet.  None of those crashing ocean wave ions for me.  Give me the scent of clean crisp air, trees and moist leaf litter.  (Did you know palm trees don't smell? At least , *I* can't smell them. Odd, huh?) 

So, now I am safely enveloped in a protective screen of Hemlock, Alder, Western Red Cedar, Spruce, Douglas Fir, Yew, Dogwood, Broad leaf and Vine Maple with a scattering of Elder.  (it smells SO good outside, especially when it rains) Now I won't lie to you.  Their is a price to be paid for all this vibrantly verdant vegetal goodness...  Rain.

It rains a lot in the Pacific NW.  (We don't call it the "Great North WET" for nothin') As a matter of fact, that was part of the reason I left Oregon to begin with.  I was experiencing, what I thought was, Seasonal Affected Disorder.  What better place than sunny San Diego, right?  I have come to the conclusion that it was an age thing though.  Granted, I have only been back for a little over a year.  But, it's been pretty darn wet and overcast to the point where the lack of sunlight has caused me to become so pale, that I swear I will glow if exposed to black light.  But, I have not been experiencing any sort of depression. Maybe I outgrew it, maybe I was just experiencing a vitamin D deficiency and didn't know it, or maybe I am just so glad to have my mountains and trees back that it compensates for the effects of gloomy overcast skies broken only by the pervasive patter of precipitation.  (Or, I was just a young punk who didn't know how good he had it and thought the grass was "greener" on the other side of the fence)  LOL

But rain and S.A.D. aside......

The time has finally come.  There have been a few precious breaks in the clouds, releasing the rays of that ever elusive orange orb in the sky.  This has caused a western Oregon phenomenon to occur, for the harbingers of our rainy spring have "sprung" forth from their winter hibernation.... The Trilliums.

Once the trilliums bloom, many foresty things begin to happen...  Most of them are edible too.  Woo Hoo!!!   For starters, it's time to pick Morel mushrooms.  YUM!  The other exciting thing is the gathering of the nettles.  For they too, have begun their slow and methodical take-over of every empty patch of forest floor.  Poking their little heads through the forest hummus.  (Please wear gloves)

So armed with a heaping bowl of nettles, picked during one of the cloud cover's less drippy moments, I embarked upon one of my favorite foods when it's cold and wet...  Soup.

For nettles make awesome soup fodder.  Normally I would make Nässelsoppa which is a lively Scandinavian combination of nettle puree, beef stock, cream and chives to be served with a sliced boiled eggs on the side.  But I decided to take a queue from those clever Greeks and mix it up a little by putting the egg IN the soup this time.  Think Avgolemono soup, but with Cream, Nettles and an elusive hint of Saffron grassiness.   It's like a sunshine dappled forest in a bowl.

Creamy Nettle and Saffron Soup

4 cups (950 ml) Chicken Stock
1/8 tsp Saffron Threads (a pinch)
4 oz (110g) Nettle tops
Water as Kosher Salt for Blanching
2 large Egg Yolks
Lemon juice, to taste (About 1/2 of a medium lemon)
1/4 cup (60 ml) Heavy Cream
Kosher Salt
White Pepper

Soak the nettles in salted water for 10 minutes before drying in a salad spinner.

Heat the chicken stock in a medium pot, adding the saffron as the stock begins to warm.

(Yes, it's time to break out the precious saffron; but you only need a little bit.)  :)

In a separate pot, begin heating some salted water over high heat.

Once the Stock and Saffron come to a boil, remove from the flame and let set for 4 minutes before scooping out the threads. (this is a personal preference. I love saffron, but I don't like biting into the threads)

Using tongs (to keep from feeling the sting) plunge nettles into the salted boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes.

Remove from the water and spin in the salad spinner again, to remove excess water. (you can chop them if you like, but I like the whole tops floating in the soup)

In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks with lemon juice until pale.

Whisk a ladle-ful of the hot stock into the yolk mixture to condition the yolks. (I always whisk in a second ladle-ful just to be on the safe side)

Whisk the egg mixture back into the stock.

Then stir in the cream.

Add the blanched Nettles,

Then gently reheat over low flame, without boiling or it will curdle.

Season with White Pepper and Kosher Salt to taste.

You may need to adjust the acidity of the soup by adding a little more lemon juice....  I had a small lemon, so I resorted to using the whole thing, instead of only half of it.

Then serve.

Mangia!!
~~