A good cocktail can become great when the rim of the glass adds extra flavor or texture. Thank about that margarita glass rimmed with salt [or sugar!]. A Cosmo would not be a Cosmo without a rim of bright sugar.
Here’s an idea Suzen and I found quite unintentionally. We’re experimenting with a lemon tart and in the process had to make lemon sugar. It’s so good by itself that I immediately thought about using this citrus sugar for crowning my cocktail glasses.
Here’s how to make the lemon variety. In a bowl, place 1/3 cup of sugar. Zest one lemon, ideally with a MicroPlane zester. Add the zest to the bowl. With your finger massage sugar and zest together until you get a texture of wet sand.
Go ahead. Take a taste. It’s very good.
Now, for your cocktail, take a sliced lemon half and run it around the edge of a dry cocktail glass. Turn the glass upside down and twist in your bowl of lemon sugar. You may need to put the sugar first on a flat plate if the cocktail glass is too wide for your bowl.
Because the lemon sugar is “sandy” you won’t get the same smooth border you would with plain granulated sugar. Don’t worry about perfect converage.
Your glass is ready for your beverage: margarita, Cosmo, or just about anything.
I’ve called this citrus sugar because I believe you can find equal enjoyment with other flavors. Instead of one lemon, try two limes or the zest of a half orange. Grapefruit zest will work, too, of course.
Experiment, taste, and enjoy.
Source: Brian O’Rourke
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Farro. Isn’t that a city in North Dakota? That one in the movie with the grisly scene of someone disposing of a body in a mechanical wood chucker?
No, that’s Fargo.
Farro is, well, actually there is disagreement. Farro is certain grains of some species of wheat. After that, there are real regional differences. In Italy, the word farro can mean emmer, spelt ,or einkorn. Sometimes barley is considered faro. Further north in Germany, spelt is considered faro. In Switzerland, spelt is called dinkel but is their version of faro.
Rather than be confused, we can all settle on a couple of facts. Farro is not a common ingredient on American tables. And, farro is delicious. Cooked in water or better stock, farro becomes a grain of substance that can simply be eaten by itself. But the best use of farro is in salads where the nuttiness of the grain can be contrasted with vegetable flavors. In this recipe, fennel — another less utilized food — is an excellent complement for farro.
Try this salad as a recipe, and you may become a farro aficionado. This salad can be a main course or the perfect side dish for just about any protein main dish: chicken or beef, roasted or barbequed.
Feel free to adjust proportions here and to add or subtract ingredients. For example, if you are not a fennel fan, go with cucumbers and served the salad chilled.
Farro Salad
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 quart chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
- 1½ cups farro
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
- 1 small red onion finely chopped
- ½ cup minced parsley,
- 3 medium carrots, julienned
- 2 small fennel bulbs, diced
- ½ cup pitted Kalamata or other brine cured black olives
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
Bring the water or stock, farro and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until the farro is tender but still chewy, about 20-25 minutes. Drain the farro and transfer to a large bowl.
Add the tomatoes, onions, carrots, olives and parsley to the farro and stir to combine.
In a small bowl combine the garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir gently to combine.
Sources: A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen by Jack Bishop and Wikipedia
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