By Lynne Rossetto Kasper
Scripps Howard News Service
Dear Lynne: We are bored with Sangria. We're look for a new summer drink, something everyone doesn't know about. — Bored and Thirsty in Trenton
Dear Bored and Thirsty: Pimm's Cup is great, so are all kinds of punches, but last summer we had something we fell in love with.
Our friends Nan Bailey and Sam Haislett of Alexis Bailey Vineyard in Minnesota served it and shared the recipe. I'm not sure where it originated. They remember it had something to do with Brazil's playing for soccer's World Cup.
Sam says to buy an inexpensive, light-bodied, fruity red with low tannin, like a Spanish Tempranillo. If you spend more than $10, you've gone way over the top.
The World Cup Cup
Ingredients:
juice of 2 fresh limes
1/3 cup sugar
1 bottle light-bodied, fruity red wine, chilled
ice
lime wedges for garnish
Preparation:
In a large pitcher, combine the lime juice and sugar; stir until sugar dissolves. Add the wine and stir. Pour wine mixture over ice in chilled wine glasses. Garnish with a wedge of lime.
To cut back on the alcohol content, do half bubbly water and half "Cup."
Serves 6 to 8
Dear Lynne: I was the kid who wouldn't stop eating her spinach. Creamed spinach is my comfort food. I wilt spinach in hot water, squeeze it out, puree it and fry in butter and cream. Can you make this healthy? Please, none of those phony nonfat substitutes. — "The Kid" from Tulsa
Dear "Kid": Keep the "comfort" in comfort food by cutting back, not eliminating. And use a pear trick from French chef Michel Guerard. Wilt the spinach and squeeze dry. Saute it in half the butter for one minute. Puree in food processor with some peeled and cored pear, salt, pepper and fresh grated nutmeg to taste. Figure half a pear for every pound of fresh spinach or 10 ounces of frozen.
Now take half the amount of cream you usually use. Simmer that to thicken, stir in the spinach and heat through. The pear enriches the spinach without fat. You could stir in a little butter just before serving for stronger butter flavor.
Dear Lynne: How do you dry mushrooms? We got a bargain on some wild ones and want to keep them for next winter. — Barry and Barb in Oregon
Dear B and B: Brush any earth from them, check there are no small creatures present and string them on heavy cotton thread. Knot after threading on each mushroom, leaving about 2 inches between them. Hang in a cool, dry, dark place. Moisture is the enemy here.
Drying time varies with local climate and weather. Once dry, you can store them in a jar.
Dear Lynne: I'd like to make my own vanilla extract. What alcohol should I use and how many vanilla beans? — Cooking in Clarksville
Dear Cooking: Use the pure, flavorless alcohol often found in liquor stores. Figure two vanilla beans split down the middle in every cup of liquid for a very intense extract. Let it mellow four to five weeks in a dark, cool place. You can then take out the beans, rinse and dry them and use them again.
By the way, vanilla is wonderful with summer fruits, especially the stone fruits like apricots, peaches and nectarines.
Dear Lynne: What kind of grill do you think is best, gas or charcoal? — Shopping in Minneapolis
Dear Shopper: "Best" is tricky. What I prefer for taste and the challenge of cooking over fire is using wood charcoal, or hardwood that I burn down to the hot coal stage. The grill I yearn for is a large, shallow box with vents. It has a steel rack you can raise and lower and a domed lid attached to the base by a hinge.
Gas grills can't be bettered for convenience. You come home from work, flip it on and cook. And cleanup is easy.
So if you don't mind the cleanup and have the time to wait the 20 minutes or so for coals to get to the right temperature, go for the charcoal model. Otherwise, use gas and some wood chips.
(Lynne Rossetto Kasper is host of "The Splendid Table"(r), Minnesota Public Radio's national food show. Find recipes, station listings and more at splendidtable.org, or 800-537-5252.)
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