Raspberry shrub: Work in progress

Picking raspberries

The raspberry thief

Squish.

When we were in Portland over Labor Day weekend, I had some amazing blackberry drinking vinegar at Pok Pok. Inspired by the drink (some might say obsessed), I decided to give it a shot at home. 

Apparently drinking vinegars, also known as shrubs, were popular in the 1800s. Who knew? A shrub is essentially a fruit vinegar, and at Pok Pok it was mixed with sparkling water.

I convinced a friend that picking raspberries with babies would be a fun Sunday afternoon activity and so we headed to Makielski Berry Farm (Note: Raspberry bushes have thorns and thus may not be the best activity with one-year olds. Oops. Next time we'll try apple picking.).


After the fruit macerates in the vinegar for a week, you boil the concoction with sugar and strain out the solids. O. and I thought that the shrub was pretty good, but next time we'll use a more potent or a larger amount of vinegar. The shrub at Pok Pok definitely had more of a punch. Work in progress.

SHRUB

From the NYTimes

Makes about 1 1/2 to 2 quarts, depending on fruit used.

These measurements can be played with quite liberally, as some fruits contain more natural sugars.

2 quarts fruit, use any fruit, pears, figs, raspberries, cherries
1 liter apple-cider vinegar (preferably Bragg) or other vinegar.
1/2 to 1 cup raw sugar
Soda water
Ice

1. Rinse the fruit and discard any rot. Place in a large non-reactive or ceramic pot and mash for several minutes with your hands or a wooden spoon to break up. Pour in enough vinegar to cover and top with a lid. Let macerate at room temperature for a week, stirring once a day. (Do not be alarmed by the smell or the sludge on top.)

2. After a week, stir in 1/2 cup of the sugar and gently boil for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly, then strain. (The smell created from boiling is a bit offensive, so open the doors and windows.)

3. Make a test shrub: cool 3 to 4 tablespoons of the fruit mixture. Fill a 20-ounce glass with ice. Add water or soda water to almost the rim, then add the chilled fruit mixture. Taste to determine sweetness. If it is too tart, add sugar to the fruit mixture, little by little, while still hot. Cool fully and funnel into bottles. Will keep indefinitely in refrigerator.

NOTE: Next time I would try a different type of vinegar so that the shrub has more of a punch. They are not kidding about the smell. Open your windows or better yet, boil it on the grill. 

Two art projects

Last week was L's first birthday. In honor of the occasion I made a mini banner with washi tape and baker's twine, and some miniature flags for his cake. I ordered the washi tape from Happy Tape.


L worked on some finger painting. Very messy but very fun.

Birthday recipe rundown: Chocolate pots de crème

Whew. Lately there has been too much illness in my house, my friends. Thankfully, nothing has been serious, just disruptive.

My parents came to visit for my birthday, which was a lovely treat. We spent some time at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens, where L. practiced standing up on anything and everything. We also went to Top of the Park and lounged around on a blanket listening to good music. Altogether a very relaxing visit.

The very cool monkey puzzle tree (photo by O.)

Hanging with Dad

On my actual birthday, we went out for sushi and L. hammed it up with the wait staff and chowed down on sushi rice. O. made me celebratory chocolate pots de crème from the Tartine cookbook. They were extremely decadent and super delicious.

So now that my birthday has come and gone, I am working diligently on my list. It has actually been a nice opportunity to reflect on the types of things that make me happy and how to incorporate said things into (or in some cases, back into) my life. More to come. But for now.....the recipe!

CHOCOLATE POTS DE CRÈME
From Tartine by Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 3/4 cups heavy cream
3 tbsp sugar
pinch salt
8 large egg yolks
Unsweetened softly whipped cream for serving

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Have ready 8 custard cups or ramekins that hold ¾ cup each. Choose a baking pan or baking dish for a water bath large enough to accommodate custard cups or ramekins without touching, and deep enough to hold water that will reach three-fourths of the way up the sides of the molds once they are added. Pour enough water into the pan to reach about halfway up the sides of the pan, and place the pan in the oven while it is heating.

Pour water to a depth of about 2 inches into a saucepan, place over medium heat, and bring to a gentle simmer. Select a heat-proof bowl that will rest securely in the rim of the pan over, not touching, the water. Put the chocolate in the bowl, place over the water, and heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate melts and is smooth. Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the cream, sugar, and salt, place over medium heat, and heat to just under a boil. Place the egg yolks in a mixing bowl and whisk until well blended. When the cream mixture is ready, remove it from the heat and slowly pour it into the melted chocolate, whisking to incorporate. Slowly add the chocolate-cream mixture to the egg yolks, again whisking well to incorporate. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher or large measuring cup. You should have about 1 quart.

Line up the custard cups or ramekins on the countertop, and pour the mixture into them, dividing it evenly. Pull out the oven rack holding the water bath and place the molds in the bath. Pour in more water if necessary to reach three-fourths of the way up the sides of the molds.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. To test for doneness, jiggle one of the molds; the center of the custard should still be a bit wobbly, but the outside should appear set. Remove the water bath from the oven, and remove the custards from the water bath. Let cool. The custards will continue to cook and set up as they cool. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream.

Note: The whipped cream was delicious, but I actually preferred mine sprinkled with some smoked sea salt to bring out the deep chocolate flavor. I think that these would also be fabulous with lavender or lemongrass (steeped in the cream mixture).

Weekend Recap

Leslie Science Center

Father's Day snooze.

I hope that you had a relaxing weekend. We went to a Bacon Street Party on Saturday. Yum. The best thing that I tried was the Maple Bacon Gelato- sweet, salty, and peppery = perfection. O. was excited to try the Mexican Coca-Cola (I know, not bacon related) made with cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. It was less syrupy and seemed more effervescent than American Coca-Cola. Apparently in 2006 Coca-Cola was trying to stop the importation of Mexican Coke because they were worried about competition in the US market. Sad.


On Sunday we had brunch at Zingerman's Roadhouse where L. tried his first donut. It was love at first bite. We also paid a visit to some turtles at the Leslie Science Center. Perfect Sunday.

On the list

This salad sounds delicious. Maybe I can find some fresh asparagus at the farmer's market this weekend.

I love these yellow stone earrings from J. Crew. So pretty.

Spotted ages ago on Simple Lovely.

These wedges have been on my list for awhile.

When we were at the Art Institute of Chicago a couple of weeks ago, we made a wrong turn and ended up in a gallery which featured artwork from picture books. This is where we were introduced to the fabulous book, Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty. We definitely need to pick it up for L.

He is starting to find books amusing. The bath and exercise scenes in The Going to Bed Book bring on the giggles. Exercising before bed (and post-bath) is pretty hilarious.