"Hot as Haiti" - a drink

It seems that alcoholic beverages of all varieties are very much in Vogue again. And with variety like we've never seen. Everything from alcoholic smoothies, to the be-all, end-all Martini. My friend Linda T's daughter Kris introduced me to this drink on Christmas Day, 2006, at her mother's home in Carlsbad. We were en route to our daughter's home in Poway to celebrate Christmas Day and dinner, and stopped for a brief visit. Kris was bartender for the day, and was offering two mixed drinks: one made with Pimm's, or this one, a rum-based drink with fruit juices. I opted for the latter, and have enjoyed this cocoction numerous times in the ensuing months. As long as you have the ingredients on hand - tangerines, limes, ginger ale, and mint, you're in business. Normally I'm out of tangerines and limes, maybe even ginger ale, so I need to plan ahead. Currently we're out of tangerine season here, so I've used orange juice, and particularly like the color when I've used blood oranges. I've used sugar-free ginger ale and added Splenda to sweeten the drink, with no appreciable change in flavor. It's the fruit juices and mint that travel through, and the rum is subtle, as long as you don't overdo it.

Kris got this from a little cookbook of drinks, Highballs High Heels - a Girl's Guide to the Art of Cocktails (currently out of print). This is very refreshing drink and will make a really nice break in a warm, almost hot, sunny Southern California afternoon. The picture was taken in Linda's kitchen a few weeks ago when I spent a very fun weekend with her in Carlsbad. She remembered that I had enjoyed the drink and provided the ingredients, so we both had one. What fun! Thanks, Linda. Thanks, Kris.

Hot as Haiti

Source: Linda T's daughter Kris

Author: Highballs High Heels - a Girl's Guide to the Art of Cocktails

2 pieces lime, seeded, 1-inch wedge
2 pieces tangerine, seeded 1-inch wedge
1 tablespoon sugar
6 whole ice cubes, or 6-8 cubes crushed
1 oz. dark rum
3 oz. ginger ale, chilled

Place the lime wedges, tangerine wedges, and sugar in bottom of an 8 ounce double old fashion glass or a thick, heavy bottom glass. Muddle the mixture until juice is extracted and the sugar dissolves. Add enough ice to fill the glass. Pour in the rum, and top with ginger ale to serve.
Per Serving: 257 Calories; 1g Fat (2.3% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 53g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 14mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Fruit; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

To print just the recipe, click the title at the top.

Tangerine Vinaigrette

A citrus dressing is not always the appropriate fit for every meal. But when it is, this recipe is my go-to citrus dressing. It may not be the right fit for a side green salad either, depending on the ingredients with which you compose your salad, i.e., I wouldn't use it with tomatoes, fennel, onions, or many of the other myriad vegetables you might use in a salad. The flavor of the citrus is just so BRIGHT in this salad, it needs to stand almost alone. I have no doubt you'll like it if you try it.

This came from a cooking class Cherrie and I took at Our House, South County, the cooking school in San Juan Capistrano, which we frequent with some regularity. Actually, I found this exact recipe on RecipeZaar, so perhaps the cooking school found it there too. Unless you have an extensive citrus garden, you may have to plan ahead to make it since it requires limes, lemons and tangerines. When tangerines are in season, freeze some juice in ice cube trays, then put them in a double plastic zip bag, so you'll have it on hand. I've also made this with blood oranges instead of tangerines. I almost always have shallots on hand, and y'all know how fond I am of garlic, so that always exists in my pantry too. I usually use Splenda as the sweetener instead of sugar, although I didn't include it in the recipe. We have a Valencia orange tree on our slope, and a Meyer lemon tree, so I freeze juice and zest every year, so I don't waste much of the fruit.

Tangerine Vinaigrette

Servings: 16 Preparation Time 10 minutes

1 tablespoon garlic -- minced

1 tablespoon shallot -- minced

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

4 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon grated lime rind

10 tablespoons tangerine juice -- fresh

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice -- fresh

2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine all the ingredients except the oil and whisk to blend and dissolve the sugar. Slowly whisk in the oil to emulsify and thicken. This is better if made the day before using, and it will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Yield: 2 cups

Serving Ideas : Makes a lovely dressing for a salad of baby spinach, caramelized walnuts, sliced fresh oranges and pomegranate seeds.

Per Serving 105 Calories; 10g Fat (85.1% calories from fat); trace Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; trace Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

If you want to print just the recipe, click on the title above.