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!!
~~

Strawberries & Silk - French Silk and Strawberry Tartlets

I wanted to post this last night, but it got too late... Like 2am too late. Then I was going to post this, this morning, but all I managed to do was edit the photos.... Figuring I could post it at lunch today, I emailed the photos to my work address, but the email never showed up. (I think it was stripped by the firewall) Oye...!! It's just been one of those weeks. I am SO glad this is a 3 day weekend... I need to BBQ and recuperate. LOL

So finally, I present the finished product for your perusal. A labor of love if ever there was one... Considering I only have 4 tart pans, and I had to make 12 shells.

Incidentally, I had to make 2 1/2 batches of my chocolate shortbread pastry recipe (pate sable) to make enough shells (12) for the double batch of Chocolate silk filling. But I have modified it here to make 6 - 4 1/2 inch tart shells. So it will match a single batch of Chocolate Silk Filling in the previous post. If you need to make 12, simply double this recipe.

French Silk and Strawberry Tartlets

OK, lets begin.... The filling is already chilling in the refrigerator, so it's time to make the pastry shells.

Chocolate Shortbread shells (Pate Sable au Chocolat?)
10 TB unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup Confectioners' sugar
6 TB Dutched Cocoa (Alkalized)
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 cup AP flour

In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter, powdered sugar, salt and cocoa on low speed.

Until it is creamy, but not so much that it gets all fluffy.

Add the flour about 1/2 cup at a time, mixing on low speed,

until a crumbly dough forms.

Using 4 1/2 inch tart pans with removable bottoms, press 4 TB of the mixture into the pan forming a solid shell.

Chill for 15, and preheat the oven to 325 degrees (I didn't have time to do this so I simply threw them in the oven; I needed to get the pans emptied so I could refill them again)
Prick the shells with a fork so they don't bubble as much.
Bake for about 15 -20 minutes.

Cool on a rack. (Mine pulled away from the side of the pan, just a little bit... because I didn't chill them first)


While the tarts are cooling... Make the Strawberry filling. I would have used balsamic, but I used the last of it on my BakeSpace challenge, and I didn't have time to run to Little Italy, during the week, to pick up some 2 leaf Balsamic.

6 oz Strawberry preserves
a couple grinds of Black pepper (fine)
a dash of Lemon juice

Bring to a simmer and then remove from heat.

Spoon 1 oz (approximately 1 TB) of the Jam into the pastry crust.

Spread with a small icing spatula.

Chill 15 minutes.

I would have preferred to brush the insides with Milk Chocolate first, to create a barrier against moisture, but I was out... I really need to make better grocery shopping lists... ;)

After they chill....
Fill a pastry bag with the Chocolate Silk Filling.

Pipe the filling into the shells. (trust me it makes it easier to spread in case the jam doesn't set properly)

Smooth the filling with a small icing spatula.

Chill until ready to serve.

Assembly before serving: (This really isn't a recipe, just a presentation)

Utilize a fine sieve to sprinkle dutched (alkalized) cocoa over the tarts.

Beat a little whipped cream (without Sugar) for piping.
Fan some strawberries.

Pipe the whipped cream, set a fanned strawberry on top.

Serve with a mint sprig if desired.

Then Dig in!!! The BEST part is when the filling oozes out from underneath the chocolate silk filling.. YUM!!!!

Surprisingly enough, even with all the issues I had with the Silk filling, it still turned out OK. It was slightly denser than it should have been, but still nice, and "silky" smooth. Melting quickly on the tongue, almost like a really high quality Chocolate truffle.

Mangia!!
~~

Cream of The Crop - PiskeFlødeValfer for BakeSpace Challenge #15 (Strawberries and Eggs)

Cream of the Crop - PiskeFlødeValfer? or Danish Whipped Cream Waffles

It was only a matter of time before I revisited Waffleville again. Yes, I have one more for you. This is another Danish waffle, made in the same flower/heart iron,

but containing copious amounts of whipped cream in the batter. This creates a very VERY rich waffle. Quite delicious with Raspberries, ya know, that whole Danish thing, or Black Currant preserves and a sprinkle of confectioners' sugar.

But I am gonna throw a little spin on it this time... you see, it's also time for the BakeSpace Monthly Challenge!!! That's right, and this month's challenge is Eggs and Strawberries. The eggs were covered by the Waffle batter, so that was not the challenging part. I felt it was necessary to take the strawberries past the point of just chopping them up with a little sugar and dumping them on top of a waffle, with some whipped cream.. SO... I did a little flavor testing... Borrowed a little culinary flair from France and some Strawberry "know how" from Italy and combined Fraises au Vin Rouge (Strawberries in Red Wine) with Fragole all'Aceto Balsamico (Strawberries in Balsamic Vinegar). Which was all kinds of good, but I needed a twist... Something a little more unexpected. Black Pepper.

I have had black pepper on strawberries before, eons ago. I can't even remember who served them to me at this point, all I remember is that they were out of Balsamic Vinegar so they sprinkled black pepper on them. You see, black pepper, like balsamic, makes strawberries taste MORE like strawberries.... This is a good thing, especially in this day and age, with all the hybridization and genetically modified foods, that tend to lack any sort of actual flavor.

The reason I say this is that the strawberries that I ended up buying, were terrible. Awful, flavorless blobs with pithy hollow middles.

Compared to the strawberries of my youth, these were not even fit for jam. BUT.... A little Balsamic, a little Black Pepper and a little Pinot Noir.... Voila!!! They suddenly tasted amazingly delicious!!!!

So, here is my secret for awesome Strawberries... Try this on Strawberry shortcake, you will not be disappointed... Trust me... and always remember, the flavor of a berry is greatly compromised by cold. So ALWAYS let berries "warm" up to room temperature before serving.

Peppered Balsamic Pinot Noir Strawberries

16 oz Strawberries (hulled and quartered)
2 TB Honey
1 1/2 TB Balsamic Vinegar

Combine and let macerate for 30 minutes.


Pour off juice into a sauce pan (There will be about 3-4 TB) and add
5 TB Balsamic Vinegar
3 1/2 TB Sugar
5 TB Pinot Noir (Red Fruit and Low earth - light Black pepper on the finish - Like Rex Hill Kings Ridge 2006)

Simmer over low heat until it is reduced to a thick syrup (this takes awhile)

You should have about 1/4-1/3 the amount when you are done.
Let cool until it is only warm to the touch.

Hit the strawberries with several grinds of coarse black pepper.

Pour the syrup over the Strawberries,

cover and leave at room temp while making the waffles.

2 1/2 cups Self Rising Flour
4 TB Superfine sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Large Egg
1 Large Egg white
6 TB Whole Milk
5 TB Unsalted Butter – Melt, then cool
12 oz Heavy cream
1/2 tsp Mace

Sift the Flour into a bowl with the Sugar and salt

Add egg, egg white, milk and melted butter;

Mix thoroughly. The dough will look kind of like brioche

In a separate bowl, whip the cream with Mace to stiff peaks.

Fold whipped cream into the batter.

Let stand for 30 minutes.
Heat waffle iron.
Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter just off center of the iron towards the hinges. (The hinged back tends to push the batter towards the front of the iron)

Bake in Iron for 3-5 minutes or until G B & D or the steam stops rising.

Move cooked waffle to a baking sheet lined with paper towels in a 200 degree oven to keep warm, while cooking the remaining waffles.

Serve with Strawberries above, Raspberries and Confectioners' Sugar, Lingonberry Jam, Blackberries and Whipped Cream or Currant Preserves.

Mangia!!
~~