Archive for the ‘Drinks’ Category
El Bulli is undoubtedly one of the most famous restaurants in the world, renowned not just for the quality of its food, but for the way that chef Ferran Adria reinvented ingredients and presented food in an astoundingly innovative fashion using techniques that have come to be known as molecular gastronomy. El Bulli was not an easy restaurant to get a reservation at (and was definitely a splurge if you could get one!) and closed in February 2011. This left chef Adria to pursue new culinary adventures in Barcelona. He currently has two restaurants there. Tickets is a casual fine dining experience and 41 Degrees, next door to Tickets, was supposed to be a low key tapas bar serving traditional tapas and a few small El Bulli bites. I was excited about the possibility of tasting some of Chef Adria’s creations when in Barcelona and I headed out to 41 Degrees to give it a try.
I had a little bit of a surprise because about 5 days before I arrived in Barcelona, Chef Adria changed the concept of the restaurant. It went from a no-reservations tapas bar to a 16-seat fine dining restaurant serving a 41 course tasting menu. Reservations required, of course. Nowhere near as expensive as El Bulli was, either. The concept was so new (and so unadvertised) when I was there that I might have actually been able to get it, but since I had no idea that the restaurant changed from a tapas menu to a tasting menu, I never got the chance.
After the tasting menu diners clear out, 41 Degrees turns back into a regular bar and that is where I walked in: confused at the concept change, disappointed that I didn’t try to get seats at the restaurant (and that they didn’t serve food at the bar) and ready to try one of the chef’s cocktails. A cocktail bar doesn’t sound that revolutionary here, but few bars in Barcelona seem to serve anything more complicated than a gin & tonic unless it’s a hotel bar that really focuses on international (and American) clients.
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Agua fresca is a fresh fruit-based drink that is very popular in Mexico. They’re typically made by mashing or pureeing fruit such as strawberries or melon and then thinning the mixture out with juice or water until it has a light, drinkable consistency and is easy to sip through a straw. They’re lightly sweetened, both to highlight the sweetness of the fruit to ensure that the drink is a nice contrast for the spicy, savory food that it is usually served with. I like them because they’re very refreshing and because there is a lot of variety, from strawberries to hibiscus to tamarind.
This watermelon agua fresca is my spin on one of my favorite types of agua fresca. Watermelon seems even more refreshing to me than many other fruits, simply because it contains so much water to begin with. For this drink, I blend watermelon and a few strawberries with just enough water to puree them easily, then pour the mixture into a tall serving glass where I’ve muddled a little bit of sugar and mint. The mint is not traditional for this type of drink, but it works beautifully with the berries and the watermelon, making the drink seem even more refreshing. I chill the fruits before making this drink and serve it straight after I’ve prepared it. If you want it colder, chill the mixture for an hour or so before serving. Don’t add ice to the blender – or you’ll have to call your drink a smoothie!
If you strawberries and watermelon are sweet enough, you will probably only want to add a little bit of sugar to this drink, as I did. If they’re not quite as sweet as you’d like, add an extra tablespoon or two of sugar when blending the fruits together. And if you’re looking for a grownup finish to this drink, cut back on the water to make the puree a little bit thicker and spike your finished product with a splash of rum.
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I drink a lot of coffee and I also bake with it on a regular basis. I have more than one coffee maker and this is for good reason: each of them has its own purpose, even though they all make coffee. Traditional pots brew enough for a crowd, or multiple cups when you know that you’re going to need that extra caffeine. Espresso machines take a little more time and finesse, but there is no other way to make a good latte. Instant coffee is great for baking and Starbucks Via is good both for baking and when you’re on the go. It might not seem like there is room for yet another type of machine, but Keurig manages to fit right in there perfectly.
Keurig makes one-cup coffee brewers that use tiny K-cups, small cups that have both grounds and a small coffee filter inside of them. When you pop one into the machine, hot water shoots through the filter and produces a fresh cup of coffee in less than a minute. It’s a neat design because the coffee is vacuum sealed in its little container and isn’t exposed to the air until it goes into the machine, which helps keep the coffee fresh tasting. The machine is great when you typically make just one cup of coffee at a time and don’t need a whole pot on a daily basis, and if you do drink a lot of coffee, it’s nice to have the option for a quick cup at your desk or in the middle of the afternoon without brewing a whole pot or running out to the coffee shop (not to mention that it’s also less expensive!).
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This is another post for foodies who like photography, hot on the heels of my quick review of The Food Stylist’s Handbook. It’s The Camera Lens Mug, which is one of the only ways I’ve ever seen photography and food literally combined. The mug is not made out of a real lens – which is good, because that would bump the price way up and be a waste of a nice camera lens – but it does look just like a real 24-105mm Canon DSLR lens. The cup body is plastic, but it has a rubber-grip focus, zoom rings, a switchable auto focus switch and even has a lens cap lid. It couldn’t get any more realistic unless it was attached to a camera body! The cup is lined with stainless steel and it is insulated, to help keep your drinks warm or cold.
Need some drink inspiration apart from coffee or tea? Try filling yours up with one of these:
Fans of Starbucks’ ultra-convenient instant coffee, Starbucks Via, are definitely going to take note of the brand new flavored versions of Via that Starbucks has just released. These instant coffees are flavored with natural flavorings and sweetened with a little bit of sugar. This makes them more of an all-in-one product that regular Via, which comes plain and unsweetened, although it is available in different roasts. They’re available in Vanilla, Caramel, Mocha and Cinnamon Spice and incorporate easily into both hot and cold water, just like regular Via does. The flavors come through very well (especially the Vanilla!) and compliment the coffee. You might have to add your own milk or cream to the coffee when using these, but this works out well for me because I’d rather add my own milk than have powdered milk of some kind already blended into the coffee.
And how to they work for baking? While regular Starbucks Via is great for baking because it has such good flavor and is so easy to incorporate into a recipe, the flavored Vias are not quite as versatile because of that small amount of sugar in the mix. It might be nice to get that extra boost of vanilla flavor in a recipe, but the sugar can throw off the ratios a bit and might end up making your dessert a bit too sweet. That being said, it is not a huge amount of sugar and if you’re not a fan of black coffee, it might be more worthwhile to keep these around for drinking and just keep in mind that, if you are going to use them to bake, you might want to cut back on the sugar in your recipe by a tablespoon or two.
