Cherry Mind Eraser

We eat copious amounts of cherries over the summer. Bags and bags of them. There's always a full bowl on the table at the Cape and that's what we snack on throughout the day. But as much as I adore them, I so rarely cook with cherries. They just never last long enough to do anything with them. Which may have been why I was set on using them for this cocktail. Just a way to mix things up and play with an ingredient I don't utilize enough. 

The cherry-coffee pairing isn't one I see very often, but that rich, dark fruit along with the vanilla/caramel notes in the Kahlúa® were meant for each other, as evidenced by this Cherry Mind Eraser (you can get the ingredients over at Drizly). What I didn't expect was how it'd taste almost exactly like cherry cola. But that's pretty much what it is. A boozy cherry cola, making it the perfect porch sipper. I've loved all of the recipes I've created using Kahlúa®, but this Cherry Mind Eraser is the one I've been most excited to share with everyone and the drink I plan on preparing for guests all summer long. 

This is my third creation featuring Kahlúa® and I think each one was quite different. While the Mind Eraser is definitely for warmer months, the Kicking Bull and Coconut Milk White Russian feel a bit more suited for cooler weather. 

To try your hand at making a Cherry Mind Eraser head over to my recipe page on Drizly to get your cocktail ingredients! (There's a code for free delivery just for you! Just use "KahluaBOS" when you checkout.)

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Kahlúa®. All opinions expressed here are my own. Also, please drink responsibly.

Cherry Mind Eraser

Yield
1 drink

Special tool
Cherry pitter

Ingredients
For the cocktail
1 part Kahlúa®
1 part vodka
1/4 part cherry syrup (see recipe below)
1 part soda water

For the cherry syrup
1.5 cups fresh cherries, pitted
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water

Directions
To make the cocktail
1. Fill rocks glass with ice.
2. Add Kahlua and vodka.
3. Add cherry syrup.
4. Top with soda water.

To make the cherry syrup
1. Place the cherries and sugar in a saucepan. Add water and lemon juice and stir to combine. 
2. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium. Cook for 12-15  minutes, being sure to smash the cherries with a wooden spoon (to release juices) and stir often.
3. Remove from heat and let cool. 
4. Strain liquid of cherries (be sure to save the cherries so you can snack on them later). 
5. Transfer syrup to an airtight container and refrigerate (will be good for a few weeks). 

Source: Adapted from the Mind Eraser recipe posted on the Kahlua® website. 

Beverage and prop styling by Catrine Kelty

Linguine with Mint Pesto and Corn

Finally, a sunny day. It was so gloomy last week and it definitely brought everyone's mood way down. On the plus side, the cloudy, slightly damp weather has produced some wonderful green grass. Our lawn has never looked so good. We spent last weekend on the Cape where we got to celebrate Derby Day with our neighbors (there was fried turkey and Mint Juleps) and Mother's Day with Eric's mom. We've both been busy and will continue to be over the next few weeks, so it was good that we took the time to spend a few days down there. 

I was surprised to see corn at the store the other day (maybe it's because it hasn't felt remotely like summer around here), but I didn't really question it. I can eat corn all the time and in July and August, that's pretty much the case. It adds a lovely sweetness to dishes (and I love the pop of color), so I think it goes especially well with pasta. This is a favorite way to serve it: dressed in pesto and topped with slivered almonds for a little texture. 

Linguine with Mint Pesto and Corn

Yield
4 servings

Ingredients
1 pound linguine
1/3 cup packed mint leaves
1/4 cup packed parsley leaves
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup slivered almonds
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
3 ears uncooked corn

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Following the instructions on the packaging, cook the pasta until al dente. 

2. In the bowl of a food processor, add the garlic and half of the slivered almonds and pulse until it has turned into a coarse paste. Add the mint, parsley, lemon juice, lemon zest, and olive oil and pulse until blended. 

3. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt, to taste.

4. Using a knife, shave corn kernels into a bowl.

5. Add remaining olive oil to a sauté pan set over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook for two minutes.  Add corn and season with salt. Cook for another two minutes. 

6. Transfer drained pasta to the pan with the corn and onion. Stir in pesto and toss to combine. Top with more slivered almonds.

Fig and Black Pepper Scones with Clotted Cream + A Giveaway

I don't know if other people have such strong feelings about scones, but I'm very picky about mine. For years, I've been making them one way and have been happy with the results. The recipe isn't anything particularly complicated: flour, , butter, heavy cream, sugar (you know, the best things on Earth), some baking powder, and salt. The dough is always loaded with whatever I feel compelled to mix in (blueberries or chocolate chips never disappoint). The recipe works... providing a dense, but flakey pastry. I've made it countless times and thought, "Well, I got that one down. Can't imagine a better scone recipe than this."

And then I made Samantha Seneviratne's fig and black pepper scones from her gorgeous book, The New Sugar & Spice: A Recipe for Bolder Baking. I came late to the party and, for some reason, just recently got around to baking from it. Having heard rave reviews, I had to try something... anything. When I saw these scones, I knew that I had to whip up a batch. They are marvelous scones. To be honest, the best I've ever had. And, with her permission, I'm sharing the recipe with all of you. Per Samantha's suggestion, I served them with a dollop of clotted cream.

In addition, I'm thrilled to announce that I'm giving away a copy of The New Sugar & Spice to one lucky person. Just leave a comment on this post (one entry per person). It's only open to U.S. residents (sorry to my Canadian and international readers). Giveaway closes at 12PM EST on Friday, May 6th. The winner will be contacted via e-mail. 

Mission Fig and Black Pepper Scone

Source
The New Sugar & Spice by Samantha Seneviratne (very mildly adapted)

Yield
8 big scones

Ingredients
1/4 cup cold heavy cream, plus more for brushing
1/4 cup cold buttermilk
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups (10 1/8 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 1/2 ounces dried Mission figs, stemmed and finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)

Directions
1. In a small bowl, stir together the cream, buttermilk, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, pepper, and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is the texture of coarse meal with some larger pea-size pieces. Add the figs and toss to combine.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

3. Add the cream mixture to the flour mixture and mix with a fork just until shaggy dough forms. Tip the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it, just 2 or 3 times, to get the mixture to come together. Try not to overwork the dough. Form the dough into a 6-inch circle. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 equal triangles. Spread the triangles out evenly on the prepared sheet. Freeze for 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

4. Brush the tops of the frozen scones with cream and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake the scones until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 15 to 18 minutes. Completely frozen scones may take a few extra minutes. These are best eaten warm.

Serve with clotted cream (see recipe below)

Credit: Reprinted with permission from The New Sugar and Spice, by Samantha Seneviratne, copyright © 2015, published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

Quick Clotted Cream

Yield
2 cups

Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar, sifted

Directions
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks.

2. Hand whisk the sour cream, vanilla extract and confectioner's sugar into the whipped cream until completely blended.