Fresh Peach Daiquiri

Last weekend, Eric and I hosted our first summer barbecue. For many years, we organized a winter gathering somewhere around the end of January or beginning of February and we'd trek out onto our snow-covered porch and fire up the grill.  That became a tradition and we kept it going for a while, until the year we moved and then things fizzled out. We had this weekend blocked off for months because my friend Mandy was having a surprise birthday thrown for her (normally we'd be on the Cape). As soon as we heard about it I said to Eric, "We have to use this as an opportunity to throw a barbecue in our backyard!" And so we did. Friends gathered outside, dining under tents we put up. There was a ton of food (way more than we needed) and homemade rosemary lemonade with bottles of booze next to it so people could add their own. The weather was incredible, which was a nice surprise seeing that the forecast had called for thunderstorms. It was exactly what we'd wanted it to be and we hope to do it again next year. 

I made a lot of the dishes for our party using our new blender that we ordered the other week. It was an impulse buy... on-sale on Amazon for one day and we decided that it was time that we get one. It is amazing the number of things you can do with a blender. I made baba ganoush and hummus and dressings for different salads. I'm not sure how I ever managed without one!

And then there are these fresh peach daiquiris (which were not served at the barbecue... sorry friends!). I blended up some ripe peaches with a little sugar and lemon juice to make a puree. A tablespoon of that added to the shaker with rum (I used some Diplomatico, which paired nicely with the peach), lime juice, and just a touch of agave (if you like it to be a bit more tangy, this can be left out). All of that is shaken with ice and strained to make for one tasty summer cocktail. These are best served on a porch, overlooking a body of water with a warm breeze hitting your face.  That's just my recommendation. 

Fresh Peach Daiquiri

Yield
1 Drink

Glassware
Coup

Ingredients
For the cocktail
3/4 oz. lime juice
2 oz. light or dark rum (I think dark rum holds up better with the peach puree)
1 tablespoon peach puree (see recipe below)
1/2 tsp. agave

Directions
1. In a cocktail shaker, add the lime juice, rum, peach puree and agave. Shake with ice.

2. Strain into chilled coup glass. 

Ingredients
For the peach puree
2 ripe peaches, pitted and diced
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions
1. Add the peaches, sugar and lemon juice to a blender and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Press through a sieve and strain to remove any pieces.

Silent Sunday: Bar Mezzana (Boston, MA)

For more restaurant photography, check out my portfolio and other blog posts.

Bar Mezzana
360 Harrison Ave.
Boston, MA
(617) 530-1770
www.barmezzana.com

Sautéed Squid with Leeks and Shishito Peppers

As much as I wanted this to be a slow, relaxing summer, I knew that work would get in the way. And now, here we are, already in July. Our weekends are booked up and now almost every day involves a shoot. Instead of being disappointed by the lack of downtime, we are starting to plan ahead to this fall and winter and are looking to take another vacation around the holidays. We went to Hawaii last year and it was a magical ten days. As much as we love culture and exploring cities, the best part of that trip was relaxing by the pool. We've been talking for years about doing the all-inclusive (and "adults only") thing. An island resort with nothing to do but read, eat, and drink (I gained five pounds in Hawaii so I can only imagine what this trip will do to me). So, that's the direction we're looking in (we're totally open to suggestions if people have them... thinking Cancun, the DR, maybe Turks and Caicos). 

Squid is one of those ingredients I seldom work with. I'll order it anytime it's on a menu, but cooking at home never occurs to me. I did find myself purchasing a few pounds the other week (an impulse buy), along with shishito peppers (which, until this recipe, I had never prepared) and a bunch of leeks. I fired up the wok (one of my favorite kitchen implements) for this dish. It's not a complicated recipe, but it does pack a ton of flavor.  

Sautéed Squid with Leeks and Shishito Peppers

Servings
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 pounds cleaned squid, a mixture of tentacles and bodies, bigger tentacles cut in half, the bodies cut into 1/2" rings
1 bunch washed leeks, light green and white parts only, sliced into thin rings
8 ounces shishito peppers, stems removed
2 teaspoons of fresh minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Olive oil
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Red pepper flakes

Directions
1. Place 1 tablespoon of olive over in a wok or large skillet set over high heat. Heat for 1 minute. Add the leeks and cook for 1 minute. Add shishito peppers and stir to combine. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the peppers begin to blister. Transfer peppers and leeks to a bowl.

2. Return the pan to the stove and set over medium-high heat. Pour in 1 tablespoon olive oil and let it heat up for 1 minute. Add squid to the pan, and drizzle 1 tablespoon of soy sauce over them. Cook, without touching them, for one minute. Add minced ginger and garlic. Flip over squid and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

3. Add the cooked peppers and leeks to the pan with the squid and toss to combine. Drizzle 2 teaspoons sesame oil over them and sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes on top.