Summer Spritzers And Sparklers

One of the most refreshing summer drinks is anything made with seltzer. The fizz makes any wine or juice festive and it's a nice departure from the usual cocktails and ades. They're perfect for barbecues or even just enjoying movie night by yourself.

The New York Times Food section on Wednesday gave some good advice regarding making the perfect spritzer. Robert Simonsen wrote about going to and looking towards Northern Italy for inspiration. Generations have made the perfect spritzer. All it takes is three factors : bitter , bubbly and low in alcohol.Sadly , us Yanks made a blander version popular in the States during the Seventies and Eighties.It was known as the white wine spritzer in which any white was combined with seltzer. It wasn't a memorable drink , neither in taste or character. The true Italian spritzers should be more wine than seltzer or soda water. What is used is up to the bartender. Seltzer is the best because there's  more of a lightness and fizz. Soda water has a definite mineral taste in it that can detracts from the flavors of the other ingredients One of the best spritzes is the Aperol, composed of the bitter orange liqueur, prosecco, the Italian sparkling wine, and seltzer.Another refreshing combo is a mix of California Chardonnay with Bruto Americano, a liqueur with such diverse ingredients as coffee bark, bitter Seville oranges and balsam fir, Pink grape juice give it a blush color in this spritz called Cali Spritz, created by Jon Santer, owner of the Emeryville California bar Prizefighter.

Seltzer can also liven up the non alcoholic as well. These are called sparklers and can be made with a variety of juices. You can use store bought  fruit juices or crushed fruit. For the first try to get the purest and the most natural. The Simply Juice company sells juices as if they've just come from the juicer itself. Try their lemon or limeade for a truly refreshing thirst quencher. The two can be combine and mixed with seltzer for a tart drink, perfect for those holiday barbecues.Their orange juice is another one that can be mixed with any fizzy seltzer for a drink that can be sipped all day long. In fact it make for a perfect virgin or clean mimosa for any brunch.Cranberry fans could make a clean Cape Codder spiking up the juice with seltzer. As for fresh juices you can use a juicer. The drinks will have a different, more fresher taste. Home mixologists can also use fruit simple syrups, a variation of the classic bar staple. Basically it's a cup of sugar and water mixed with one and a half cups of fruit.They're boiled together and then strained through a fine mesh strainer. Any fruit can be used. Think tart for some flavor contrast. Take advantage of the blackberry and raspberry season right now. They not only make for flavor packed drinks but also for pretty ones too. The cooked berries tint the seltzer  lovely shades of pink.

It's summer, the perfect time for both spritzers and sparklers. Open a few bottles of seltzer and create a cool and bubbly thirst quencher,excellent for a hot summer's night. Sit back, look at the stars and sip.

The Surprise Ingredient Roses!

Summer is the time for roses. They grace our gardens with their delicate blooms and  sweet perfumes,However those beautiful buds can also be used in dessert as well and not just decorating cakes and cupcakes. Their essence can add a certain gourmet quality to an ordinary summer tart..

t was the highlight of Melissa Clark's A Good Appetite column in yesterday's New York Times Dining section. .Adding roses or any flower to food is nothing new.It was first done and was a huge success in medieval times and really became a chef's must during both the Renaissance and the 18th Century. Some Middle Eastern dessert recipes, especially Syrian and Armenian ones feature rose water in their puddings and baklavas. Nowadays flowers are used to spruce up salads and they're mostly begonias and sparklers(which look like snapdragons).

Ms. Clark uses the petals in a strawberry topped tart's cream filling. She simmers them with milk to extract their essence and then lets them stand for an hour. The best roses to use are th e most fragrant such as cabbage roses or American Beauties. A tea rose would be too delicate to try in this. The petals are then discarded and the liquid is added to a rich custardy mix of five egg yolks and whole milk along with flour. It's a surprise she doesn't use whole cream to make it really rich but the milk does work. She places the mixture in a almond cookie crust and tops with fresh strawberries. The flavors form the rose to the almonds to the berries work perfectly together.

Roses are not just for gracing a summer garden. They can grace the flavor of a delicate and delicious summer tart with their sweet , rich essence. The blooms are a perfect addition to any light summer dessert, giving it a rich and unusual flavor.