Sangria Season!

Oh Sangria, my dear, dear friend- is there no situation that you can’t make better with your presence? I want to thank you for hanging out this past weekend and making not only my Friday night post-work decompression time all the more relaxing, but also staying over to share your festive spirit with our dinner soiree guests, it was much appreciated!

Sangria is such a versatile cocktail, and it lends itself well to a lot of different flavor combinations, and meal pairings. It is the perfect way to get some extra mileage out of less expensive wine, and a great way to showcase fresh seasonal fruits. I personally find it a lot of fun to fish bits of Triple Sec laced fruit out of a glass while sitting around and relaxing with friends. Last summer I had a group of friends who would get together for weekly summers and without fail, my friend Alyssa and I would whip up a big batch of white or red Sangria for the gang. The options are really endless for making Sangria, and as a result each person’s approach is a bit different, but the results are almost always fun!

The vast majority of times, I find most restaurant versions to be overly sweet, with too much emphasis on fruit juice, and not enough on the wine and actual fresh fruit (the exception being Salvation Café, a fabulous Newport spot that makes is perfectly!). I prefer my Sangria a little less on the sweet side, with lots of fresh citrus for a refreshing finish. Too much added sugar can leave you with the “mouth coat” feel, which is not appealing when the mercury starts to rise. When making Sangria for a party or get together, I usually start it a few hours in advance, leaving ample time for the fruit to infuse the mixture and absorb some of the Triple Sec- the extra time gives the finished Sangria a bit more cohesion, and gives the ingredients a better chance to come together. A few years ago I started adding fresh herbs to cut a little of the sweetness of the Triple Sec, and the end result was a well balanced, porch sipping Sangria that is perfect for the upcoming holiday weekend.

Red Sangria with Fresh Fruit & Herbs

- 1 .75ml (standard) bottle of Pinot Noir
- ¾ Cup Grand Mariner or other Triple Sec
- 1 Lime, halved & sliced thinly
- 1 Star or Ruby Red grapefruit, halved & sliced thinly
- 2 White peaches, sliced
- 3 Plums, sliced
- ½ Cup fresh Basil leaves, torn
- ¼ Cup fresh Mint leaves, torn
- 6-8oz. Seltzer water- I prefer using Pomegranate or any other flavored seltzer

Combine fruit, herbs & Triple Sec in a large, wide bottomed pitcher. Using a wooden spoon, begin lightly bruising fruit & herbs against the bottom and sides of the pitcher, releasing some of the juice into the mixture. Set aside for at least 30 minutes. Give mixture a good stir and add in wine. Cover & place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes, or even overnight if time allows. Just before serving, remove from refrigerator, add in seltzer and stir well. Serve over ice.

Note: Any fresh seasonal fruits are a perfect addition to Sangria- other recommendations would be blueberries, strawberries, black raspberries, star fruit, clementines, apples, etc.

Derby Day Fun!

Even though the Derby was a few weekends ago, with the Preakness coming up this weekend, I decided it would be a great time to get up a post on how my friend Jill and I rang in the (soggy!) 2010 Kentucky Derby.

I volunteer with Jill downtown every weekend, and given that the Derby is on Saturdays when I am working with her, I wanted to bring us down a little treat to commemorate the special occasion. In an effort to not incriminate ourselves for sneaking in some treats, I will not reveal the actual location of my volunteer work, but rather just say that it is in a beautiful and historic building downtown overlooking the water- a vague description for the Newport area! :-) But I digress…

I had given Jill a heads up that I would be bringing us a little something, and what goes better with Derby day than Mint Juleps? Given that I have been bartending on and off for the past seven years in various capacities, I knew a couple of these traditional beauties would be the perfect fit. I love the freshness of the mint coupled with the bite of bourbon and the sweetness of the simple syrup- it really is the perfect Southern drink! Having made Juleps a few times in my day, I employ a couple of tricks (infusing the simple syrup with mint first, a splash of ginger ale to lighten up the bourbon) to make them refreshing and crisp.

I wanted to couple the Juleps with a little snack that has always screamed “spring” to me, so my natural go to was Deviled Eggs. My mother has always makes these for Memorial Day and throughout the summer season, and as the mercury has slowly been creeping up the thermometer in Newport, I thought it would make a great pairing. I deviated a bit from my standard recipe for the eggs to incorporate fresh herbs from my container garden, and they turned out perfectly- not too heavy, with plenty of brightness from the herbs. Using a fork to “whip” the filling helped to create a lighter texture as well.

Although neither of our horses won (her Sidney’s Candy was 17th and my poor Backtalk came in last!) we had a great treat to enjoy while enjoying the Derby preview and watching the boats in Newport harbor wake up from a long winter.

Running of the Roses Mint Juleps

(enough for 2-4 servings, depending on the size of your cup!)

-½ Cup organic sugar
- ½ Cup water
- Medium bunch of fresh mint leaves
- 10 oz. Kentucky bourbon (Jim Beam is my go to fella)
- 2oz. (or so) Ginger ale
-Crushed ice

Combine water and sugar in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Heat well until sugar is fully dissolved and mixture reduces slightly. Remove from heat, tear ½ of mint leaves and stir into syrup and pour into a good sized pitcher (or jar with tight fitting lid if taking to another location to watch the race!). Pour in bourbon and ginger ale and stir well (or shake if in jar) to combine and dissolve sugar. Fill small glasses with crushed ice and top off each with half of the remaining mint leaves torn up. Pour julep mix over ice and stir. Garnish with a sprig of mint, sip & enjoy.

Derby Day Deviled Eggs

(proportions are for 3 people)

- 6 Large fresh organic eggs

- 1 ½ - 2 Tblspns chopped fresh herbs (I used a mix of dill, flat leaf parsley and arugula)

-1 Heaping Tblspn finely minced shallot or sweet onion

- 1 ½ Tbspns English cucumber, seeded & diced small

- 2-3 Tblspns mayonnaise

- Sea salt
- Fresh cracked pepper

Place eggs in the bottom of a sauce pan, cover eggs with water and place on stovetop over medium-high heat. When water reaches a boil, turn off heat and set pan aside for 10-12 minutes. While timing, prepare an ice bath in a bowl large enough to hold eggs. Remove eggs from pan and place in ice bath for a few minutes until cool enough to handle. Peel eggs, slice in half lengthwise, remove yolk and place in a small bowl. Combine yolks with all other ingredients & season to taste with salt & pepper. Using a dinner fork (or small whisk if you have one), whip a little air into yolk mixture for lighter consistency. Spoon mixture back into eggs, dust with smoked paprika (optional) and serve or stash in refrigerator until ready to serve.