Simple Summer Drinks for a Crowd: Fresh Fruit Agua Frescas

I was very excited to be asked to participate in this weekend's first ever Freshworks Festival benefiting Jones Valley Urban Farm in Birmingham. Jones Valley is a teaching farm and a garden oasis in the center of downtown Birmingham. Their slogan is "Jones Valley is not just a place where delicious food grows, it is a place where young minds blossom." Their mission is to make the community a healthier place through programs centered around growing fresh fruits and vegetables.

The Freshworks Festival was a day of music, local growers, chef presentations, and food... lots of delicious food, most of it handcrafted from locally produced ingredients. I was honored to be asked to do a presentation for the inagural event and was so pleased to meet so many new friends. One of these new friends is Brittany Russell... Brittany wrote about the day on her blog The Veggie Vore. Read all about Freshworks Festival 2012...

Here's what I made for my presentation... Fresh Fruit Aqua Frescas. Agua Fresca (Spanish translation is fresh water) is fruit infused water. If you have ever been to Mexico, you probably had one. Simply put, it is fruit puree, a bit of sugar and some water. I love them for a party because they are not only delicious, they are simple to make, healthier than soda and sooo refreshing!

You can make almost any type of Aqua Fresca... even sliced cucumber in ice water is so refreshing on a hot day and you really get the flavor of the cucumber. My favorite agua frescas are strawberry, watermelon, and cantaloupe. Other favs are peach, honeydew, blackberry and pineapple.

FRESH WATERMELON AGUA FRESCA

1 small seedless watermelon

1/4 cup sugar (more or less to your taste)

a tiny pinch of kosher salt (omit if you want but it helps bring out the flavor)

Juice of 1/2 lime

4-6 cups water or to taste; this will depend on several factors... how large your melon is, how juicy it is, and how strong you want the resulting drink to be. I like a strong fruit flavor so I use less water, others prefer a hint of juice so use more water.

Cube and seed the watermelon and place in a food processor or blender... or you can use an immersion blender like I do. Add 1 cup of water.

Puree the fruit completely until it is thinned out. Strain the juice with a fine mesh strainer (or you can use cheesecloth) to remove the pulp. Add the sugar and remaining water. Serve over ice with fruit wedges or mint as a garnish.

OPTIONS

Use Infused Simple Syrup

I love to use my favorite infused simply syrups to make agua frescas. I use the mint simple syrup with canteloupe or watermelon. I use basil with strawberry. I use vanilla with pineapple. Get the recipe...

Make it Fizzy

When it is hot outside, a fizzy or sparkling drink just seems to make you cooler... I'm not sure why. I often use club soda instead of tap water for agua frescas... especially if I am going to add alcohol to them.

Add a Kick

If you want to serve Agua Frescas as a cocktail, you can! Reduce the amount of water by half and add Prosecco or Champagne... you will have a Bellini or Mimosa sort of result.

You can also add vodka or tequila to kick these into a true cocktail. Add your alcohol of choice before you add the water. Top with club soda.

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Simple Summer Fun: Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

When I was a kid, my mom would make homemade ice cream every weekend in the summer when we would go to the lake. I'd watch her cook the custard for the ice cream and remember turning the handle to freeze it when I was really young. We'd all take turns cranking for what would seem like hours. Years later, I would help Mom pack the ice and ice cream salt around the container of our electric ice cream maker and even though we didn't have to crank anymore, it still took forever before we'd get that gorgeous, creamy vanilla or fresh peach ice cream.  

Here's the base ice cream recipe my mom used for her homemade ice cream. She always used vanilla extract but I prefer to use the vanilla bean... so much more flavor.

HOMEMADE VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

Makes one quart

2 cups heavy cream (you can substitute Half and Half if you want to)

2 cups whole milk

1 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean, split and the seeds scraped

10 egg yolks, beaten

Add the cream, milk, and sugar to a large saucepan. Over medium heat, stir the mixture constantly with a wooden spoon and bring it to 120 degrees. (about 10-12 minutes and the mixture thickens)

Next, temper the egg yolks with the hot mixture. Add the hot mixture to the eggs gradually by whisking 1/2 cup of the cream mixture to the eggs. Repeat two or three more times until you have tempered the yolks. Whisking constantly, add the yolk mixture back into the remaining cream mixture in the pan. If you do this step too quickly, you will cook the eggs with the hot mixture. Add the vanilla beans and the pod. Switch back to a wooden spoon and continue to cook the mixture carefully until it comes to 180 degrees- take care not to allow the mixture come to a boil. Immediately remove from the heat.

Cool completely, stirring frequently. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator at least eight hours or overnight. It is even better if you allow the mixture to chill overnight. That way, the flavors have a chance to develop completely before you spin the ice cream. Remove the vanilla bean pod before you freeze the ice cream.

Note: Make sure to chill completely or the ice cream will not freeze. You can chill the mixture down using an ice bath; simply fill a large bowl with ice, water, and salt. Put the pan with the ice cream mixture in it, taking care not to allow water to get in. Stir frequently until the mixture is cold.

Spin the ice cream according to your ice cream maker's instructions. The ice cream never freezes completely so it's best to spoon it into a container and put in the freezer for an hour to harden before serving. If you like a soft-serve consistency, eat it right out of the ice cream maker like I do. 

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Simple Summer Fun: Host a Food Festival in Your Own Backyard!

Check out my ideas for simple summer entertaining from Talk of the Town in Nashville... I suggested a summer food festival right in your own backyard complete with food stations, games, a parade... simple summer fun. Our party theme was a Peach Festival with Chilton County peaches from my great state of Alabama but you can also center the party around your summer favorite: tomatoes, watermelon, blueberries, BBQ, ice cream... you name it!

GET THE RECIPES:

FRESH PEACH TARTS

FRESH PEACH SANGRIA

FOR SUMMER FOOD FESTIVALS, RECIPES AND GREAT ALABAMA FOOD CHECK OUT THE YEAR OF ALABAMA FOOD... LOTS OF GREAT FOOD FROM MY HOME STATE!

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Fresh Peach Tarts

Peach season is just weeks away and there is nothing I love more than peach cobbler. My mom used to make them almost every day in the summer. Since I don't always need a whole cobbler or pie, here's a way you can make just the number you need. Don't be afraid of making pastry crust. This one is super fast, super simple and it is just about no-fail. There is hardly any way to make it wrong; it is always flaky, buttery, and so delicious! Use it with any fruit but reduce the amount of butter in the filling if your fruit is really juicy. You can easily double the recipe if you want to make a larger amount and you can make the tarts as large or small as you like.

FRESH PEACH TARTS

Makes 2-3 tarts

For the pastry:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated or superfine sugar plus 1 teaspoon reserved

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 pound (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter, diced

2 tablespoons ice water plus a few drops (you may need a few drops more if the dough seems a bit dry)

For the filling:

1 1/2 pounds fresh peaches, sliced (4-5 medium peaches, overly ripened peaches can be a bit too juicy so just ripe peaches actually work best)

1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest

1 teaspoon fresh orange juice or substitute Grand Marnier or orange liqueur

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced into small pieces

1 tablespoon orange marmalade, heated for a finishing glaze

Egg Wash (optional)

1 egg, beaten with a teaspoon of water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine the dry ingredients. Add the butter, a little at a time, pulsing between additions until the butter is the size of peas. Then, turn the food processor on and add the ice water all at once through the feed tube; stop the machine just before the dough becomes a solid mass. Turn the dough out onto a piece of floured plastic wrap. Just make it into a round, don’t over work the dough because it will be tough. Wrap the round with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.

When you are ready to make the tarts, lightly flour your work surface and your rolling pin. Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. Use a biscuit cutter or a knife to cut 2-3 smaller circles. I like to use a small saucer as a guide and cut around it. Wrap it over the rolling pin and transfer it to a baking sheet.

For the filling, peel and cut the peaches. I like the look of slices- I usually slice a medium peach into 8-12 slices. Put the peaches in a bowl and toss with the orange zest and orange juice or orange liqueur.  Next, add the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and allspice. Add the cold butter. Mix all of the ingredients together until the peaches are well coated. Spoon the peaches onto the crust, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border all the way around.  Gently fold the border over the peaches to enclose the dough, pleating it to make a circle. Finish the crust with the egg wash using a pastry brush. Simply beat the egg well and lightly brush it over the crust before baking. Sprinkle with the reserved sugar.

Bake the tarts for 20-22 minutes, until the crust is golden and the peaches are tender.

Make a finishing glaze by putting a teaspoon of orange marmalade and a few drops of water in a heat-proof bowl and microwave for a few seconds. Lightly brush the top of the peaches with the orange marmalade. Allow to cool slightly before cutting. 

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Sure Fire Favorites: Old-Fashioned Southern Lemon Meringue Pie

For some reason, I've had a craving for lemon meringue pie for about 2 months. This has long been a favorite of mine- my mother would make it for my birthday... but I've never really been able to master the thing and as any of you who know me know-- my mom did not use recipes. Therefore, I've been about the task of recreating her recipe and think I finally have it down. Lemon meringue pie is finicky, I've decided. It does not like too much humidity. It does not like too much heat. But even if it fails to set up properly or the meringue gets a bit sticky, there is still no better pie to me than this one. Hey, and if it doesn't set up, you can always use a spoon:)

OLD-FASHIONED SOUTHERN LEMON MERINGUE PIE

This can be used for tarts or for a pie. It will make about 12 tarts. One thing I learned from several mistakes is to pay attention to the directions and stir, stir, stir. Don't get distracted:)

You will need one crust, the filling, and the meringue topping. This took me about an hour, start to finish, not including the time to cool the pie completely before serving.

PASTRY PIE CRUST

I picked up some tricks from Alton Brown for crust making... I think my mom would have approved.

Makes a 9-inch pie crust

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt (use regular table salt)

1/3 cup butter, chilled for 20 minutes

2 tablespoons shortening, chilled for 20 minutes (Alton uses lard-I chose Crisco)

3 tablespoons ice water (sprinkled in one at a time and you may need 4 depending on consistency)

Use a food processor with the blade attachment. Add the flour and salt. Pulse twice to combine. Then cut the butter into small cubes. Pulse a few times. Add the shortening. Pulse a few more times - until the mixture looks a bit like little peas. Be careful not to over mix. Next, let the processor run and drizzle in the ice water one tablespoon at at time until the dough just starts to come together. You may only need 3 tablespoons. Some days I have needed 4 so that the dough starts to form into a ball. Don't over mix it. Stop the food processor just as it starts to come together.

Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic. Working quickly so the heat from your hands does not melt the butter, form into a disc. Wrap in the plastic and refigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.

To use: lightly flour the surface of another piece of plastic wrap and your rolling pin (and your hands). Gently roll out the crust, taking care to work quickly and not over handle or over work the dough. Use the plastic to drape the crust over the pie plate. Put a second pie plate over the top of it to gently press the dough into the pie plate. Remove the plastic wrap and you've got a pretty great looking pie crust. Easy, peasy.

You have to blind bake this pie crust before filling it. Prick the sides and the bottom with a fork. This prevents the pastry crust from puffing up too much. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

LEMON MERINGUE FILLING

For a 9 inch pie or 12-15 tarts, depending on the size of your tart pan

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups whole milk

4 egg yolks, beaten well. Reserve the whites for the meringue.

1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons butter, room temperature

 In a heat-proof bowl, add the egg yolks and beat them well until they are slightly thickened. Add the sugar, salt, and cornstarch to a saucepan. Use a fork to combine the ingredients. Add the milk, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring each addition to incorporate very well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil one minute, stirring constantly to keep it from burning. Remove from the heat. Carefully temper the egg yolks with the hot mixture... add 1/4 cup of the hot liquid into the eggs, stirring constantly, to bring the eggs up to temperature. (If you do this step too quickly, you will end up with scrambled eggs) Add another 1/4 cup of the hot mixture to the eggs and then turn the tempered egg mixture into the saucepan.

Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and butter. Stir well to combine. Pour into the baked pie shell once you have the meringue ready to go. Some people butter the bottom of a baked pie shell to act as a barrier between the filling and the crust so it won't get soggy. I did not do this step but you can if you like.

MERINGUE

4 egg whites

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (find it in the spice aisle)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Put the egg whites in a mixing bowl. Add the cream of tartar. Beat on high speed for 30 seconds. Add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time until all the sugar is added and stiff, shiny peaks form. This takes about 3-4 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Spread the meringue over the hot pie filling. The key is to make sure to seal the edges so the meringue doesn't shrink away from the crust.

Bake the pie at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Put the pie on a wire baking rack and allow it to cool before cutting it. I usually allow it to sit for 20 minutes and then put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.

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