Blackberry Soda

Came across a TikTok post from @woodsboundoutdoors for Blackberry Soda, and as I have a thicket of fat cultivated blackberries on my allotment, I thought I would give it a go.

Makes 1 litre

1 US cup blackberries

1/4 US cup sugar

Filtered water

Squish the blackberries into a pulp with a fork in a one litre capacity glass jar.

Add in the sugar and fill the jar with water.

Stir and cover with a paper towel secured with an elastic band.  Store in dark place for 24 hours, stirring every now and then to keep the berries submerged.

After a day, strain the liquid into a flip top bottle designed to hold carbonated drinks.  I used a washed out beer bottle.

Leave the bottle in the dark again for a further 24 hours, then refrigerate.  

As we are currently in the midst of a 30C+ heatwave I only left the bottle out for 12 hours. The resulting soda was only very slightly fizzy, but tasted delicious.  To find your desired level of fizz will probably take several trials!

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Rebujito, Andalusian Sherry Cocktail

Two girlfrien's and I recently enjoyed a food & drink packed day trip to Alicante (06.55 flight out, 21.40 flight back) for one friend's 60th birthday.  Between the three of us we drank Sangria, beer, Tinto de Verano (red wine with lemonade), Mojito, Cava, Manzanilla and Fino Sherry.  In the last bar I noticed several Sherry Spritz after I had ordered, so took a photo of the drinks menu and vowed to try at least one at home.

Tonight, on a balmy summer's evening (8pm, and still 22C outside), I have made a Rebujito.  A very simple sherry cocktail. Not technically a Spritz as there is no Prosecco (or Cava).  If you feel so inclined, you could add 60ml of Prosecco and 60ml of 7Up to the sherry.

Serves 1

60ml fino sherry (I used Cream Sherry, hence the caramel colour)

120ml 7Up or Sprite (you want a lemon & lime flavour)

A sprig of mint

A wedge of lemon or lime

Ice

Fill the glass with ice, then add the other ingredients. Mix gently and enjoy.

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Iced Latte

I wasn't a fan of iced coffee until I was introduced to Café Shakerato in Italy a few years ago.  As I fancied a longer drink in 34C temperatures in Hampshire this week, I experimented with an Iced Latte.  Not sure this is how coffee shops make their's, but this works for me.  A stainless steel cocktail shaker does seem to  make the best foamy coffee.  If you don't have one just make sure you use something that seals very well!

Serves 1

1 large espresso coffee

1 large expresso cup of cold whole milk

6 large ice cubes

Sugar to taste

Make your espresso and tip into the cocktail shaker with half the ice, and sugar if you take it.  Ensure the lid is on well and shake until the metal feels cold to the touch and you can't hear the rattling of the ice cubes.

Pour the foamy coffee into an insulated cup. Stir in the cold milk, and add more ice to keep it cold.

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Hot Chocolate con Chilli

It may look like ordinary hot chocolate, but this simple Mexican inspired version packs a little punch!

Serves 1

1 mug whole or plant milk 

1 tbsp 100% cocoa powder

1/8th tsp ground cinnamon 

Large pinch of chilli powder to paste

Add the cocoa, cinnamon, and chilli to a mug together with enough milk to mix everything to the consistency of double cream.

Fill the mug with more milk, stirring in the cocos mixture.

Microwave for 2 minutes on high power. 

If you don’t have a microwave pour the contents of your mug into a small saucepan and heat gently, whilst stirring constantly to ensure it doesn’t catch on the bottom, until piping hot.  Pour back into the mug to drink. 

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Rhubarb Cordial

My rhubarb at the allotment this year is plentiful.  And as I only made one batch of Elderflower Cordial this year, I thought I'd make Rhubarb Cordial to add to a Midsummer's Day Prosecco. Recipe is from BBC Good Food

Makes approx 600ml

450g rhubarb, rinsed and chopped

300g sugar

300ml water

Zest & juice of 1 lemon

Zest & juice of 1 orange

A slice of root ginger

Bring the water and sugar syrup to the boil.  Add the rest of the ingredients and bring back to the boil.  

Cover and turn down to a simmer.  Cook until the rhubarb has turned to mush.

Strain through a fine sieve, keeping the rhubarb pulp (Congratulations, you have made rhubarb compote too.  Save this for Rhubarb Ice Cream or Rhubarb Fool).

Store in sterilised bottles in the fridge for up to a month.  

Add around 25ml (just under 2 tbsp) to 100ml of sparkling water or Prosecco

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Homemade Lemonade

Homemade Lemonade, aka Citron Pressé or Spremuta di Limone is a great quick cooling drink in the height of summer. Depending on whether you have a sweet tooth or not, you may not need any sugar.

Ideally this is make with sugar syrup (a cooled water and sugar solution), but this assumes you want sugar.  With one Type 1 diabetic and now a pre diabetic in our family of five, we don't. Just stir well if you do add sugar.

Makes 500ml 

Juice of 1 lemon

500ml chilled still or sparkling water

Caster sugar to taste

Quite simply, juice half the lemon and add half the water. 

Taste it to see if you want sugar, and if so, how much.  Stir well to dissolve the sugar as best you can.  

Add the other half of the lemon juice and water with the same amount of sugar (if any) that you added to the first half.

Oranges or limes can be used instead of lemon.

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Quince Gin

I was given some rather underripe quince, possibly Japonica, but they were too immature to tell apart.  So the most fitting end to them.

700ml fine
120g granulated
375g quince 

Wash the quince and rub off any furry coating to the skin.  Quarter the quince and add everything into a large preserving jar.  Mix well until the sugar is dissolved and leave in a cool dark place for 2-4 weeks, checking for the first few days that the sugar has dissolved.

Strain into a clean bottle after the 4 weeks is up.

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Sloe or Damson Port

This recipe was on an allotment Facebook group I was on a few years ago.  I saved it as a screenshot, but am now saving to my blog for easier reference.

The recipe presumes you have made Sloe Gin.  More recently I have been making Damson Brandy, and this port works just as well if not better with brandied damsons.

500g drained sloes, after straining your sloe gin.

750ml cheap red wine

100g sugar

200ml brandy

Add (return) the sloes to a large preserving jar, together with the red wine and the sugar, seal and shake.

Shake (or stir - one of my cheap preserving jars leaks if upended) the jar every day for 3 weeks to dissolve the sugar.

After 3 weeks add the brandy and shake/stir again, then leave in a dark place for 3 months.

Drain, decant into bottles, and finally discard the sloes.

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Mulled Cider

For the second year in a row, we are not going to Bonfire Night. But I will still be drinking Mulled Cider as we have done for years, however, just a mug as I'm home alone.

500ml cider

500ml apple juice

2 star anise or 6 cloves

1-2 tbsp honey, or to taste

Gently heat all the ingredients to almost boiling.  Check for sweetness, adding more honey to taste, and serve.  Smaller quantities can be heated in a microwave.

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Sloe Gin

 Just putting it here for reference another year

750ml cheap gin

500g frozen sloes

250g sugar

Stir every week till Christmas.

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Caffé Shakerato

I first had a Caffé Shakerato in Tuscany last May. 

My parents were big fans of iced coffee, but this was nothing like it. Iced Coffee is watery in my opinion, whereas a Caffé Shakerato is velvety, rich, and smooth.

I tried making it at home and it tasted bitter and watery. But now in the South of France, with 37C temperatures I was tempted to try again. 

I may not have perfected it, but this was a pretty good coffee even if I say so myself. 

Serves 2

2 espresso cups of freshly made strong coffee

3 tsp sugar

5 ice cubes 

Put all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake like mad until the shaker feels cold. Strain (to avoid any ice) I to a glass and serve. 

Funnily enough our holiday let doesn’t have a cocktail shaker. I froze about an espresso cup of water in a small plastic bottle with a wide neck, and poured my fresh coffee and sugar into this to use as a shaker. 

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Banana, Orange, Oat, Nut, & Seed Smoothie

A diagnosis of high pressure has made me determined to eat more fruit and veg, and smoothies seem one way to do this.

Serves 1

Half a banana
3 tbsp porridge oats
1 tbsp mixed nuts
1 tsp chia seeds (optional)
200ml orange juice
1/2 tsp turmeric (optional)
1/4 tsp ground cardamon (optional)

Plonk everything in a Nutribullet or similar and blitz until smooth.

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Jamie Oliver's Epic Hot Chocolate

My kids one task this frosty morning is to make double quantities of Jamie Oliver's Epic Hot Chocolate.

We made it for the first time last Autumn, and made it again, and again.  I omitted the cornflour as I wasn't sure how it would work in the microwave, resisted the urge to add chilli instead of cinnamon as it is supposed to be for the kids, and had to concede to milk chocolate to placate one teenage girl.

4 tablespoons Horlicks
6 tablespoons icing sugar
8 tablespoons quality cocoa powder
1 pinch ground cinnamon
200g dark or milk chocolate

Finely grate the chocolate and mix all the ingredients together. Store in an airtight container until needed.

Just add 2 tbsp of the mix to a mug of milk, mix well and microwave for 2 minutes. Decorate with mini marshmallows if desired.

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Turmeric Chai Latte Cappuccino

I'm not ready to give up coffee (ever!).

So made myself a 'healthy' turmeric masala chai style latte cappuccino.

Warm half a mug of milk in the microwave for 1 minute, add a pinch of turmeric, cinnamon, cardamon + honey to sweeten. Top up with an espresso made from fresh ground coffee.

Can also be made with soya milk, and decaff coffee grounds.  But what's the point.

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Elderflower Cordial

I found this recipe on the internet many years ago and printed it out.  It is a self styled 'best recipe ever' and I have to say that I agree and post it here so I can keep on refering back to it many years after I've lost the print out.

35 medium sized elderflower heads
2 oranges
2 lemons
2 litres water
1.5 kg sugar
50g citric acid
1 campden tablet (optional)

Heat the water and dissolve all the sugar in it.  Leave to cool.

Roughly slice the oranges and lemons and add to a container (saucepan, wine making bucket) large enough to take the sugar solution, fruit, and elderflowers.  Stir in the citric acid.  Cover with a cloth and leave to infuse for 2-3 days.

Strain through a muslin or clean drying up cloth (I save the orange & lemon slices to make St Clements Marmalade) leave for another 2 days.

Siphon the cordial, leaving behind the sediment/dregs, into another container adding 1 crushed Campden tablet per gallon of cordial if using.

Shake well, and then leave for 3-4 hours to settle.  Siphon into sterilised bottles, leaving behind any more dregs.
   

How to sterilise bottles
* Microwave – 2-3 minutes should kill anything.
* Oven -  put glass bottles into your cold oven. Run it up to about 140C, keep it there for 10-15 minutes and then leave it to cool.
* You can also use Milton or even just very hot water.

How long you can store your cordial:
* With no acids or tablets – 3-4 weeks in the fridge. Freeze in plastic bottles for longer storage.
* With the citric or tartaric acid it will keep for 3-4 months in the fridge.
* With the Camden tablets, elderflower cordial keeps almost indefinitely (years) in a cool, dark place.

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Damson Brandy

Having had a bad experience with gin in my youth, I usually make Sloe Brandy at this time of year.  But my secret sloe hunting ground seems a bit bare this year so I decided to make Damson Brandy.

The recipe I use is from Richard Mabey's Food for Free, and is the sketchiest of recipes.  I simply take one bottle of cheap/value brandy and pour it over about 1lb of fruit (I slit the damsons with a sharp knife) and 1/2lb of sugar in a large kilner jar.  Store the jar in a dark cupboard and turn from time to time to dissolve the sugar.  Richard Mabey then says this will be ready by Christmas.  But I'll be starting it as soon as the liquid has turned ruby red and the sugar appears to be dissolved.

In a similar vein, I made Blackberry Whiskey last year...

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