Grapefruit & Watermelon Agua Fresca . Sprouted Kitchen

I am motivated by the "summer bucket lists" I've been hearing about or seeing on Instagram. With Curran and the work we have to do around the house, I've thought the fun parts of this season would fall to the wayside but that is silly thinking. There are local weekend trips to take, pizza down at the beach at sunset, farmers market hauls for peach crisps, and apricot jam to swirl into plain yogurt. There may be a fence to build, a storage area to fix up, and a kitchen that needs updating but those tasks can blend in with the things that make us feel alive too. I forget that sometimes. Head down, responsibility, get things done... it's never that stuff that lightens my heart and fills me up even though it's my default setting. Time for a summer list.

It started warming up around here this week and I'm not great about drinking water. My goal is to reward every two tumblers of water with a more tasty drink - I have a cucumber, apple, kale juice in the fridge which I like over ice or this super refreshing grapefruit and watermelon juice with a splash of sparking water for fizz. Sunkist sent me some California Star Ruby grapefruits that were super juicy and the watermelon juice cuts the tartness just right. I went for a 50/50 blend this round, but you could alter that based on preference. Also, it makes a dreamy cocktail mixer. The happy hour fix is crushed ice, this juice, a tiny tip of triple sec and a glug of tequila for the best summer margarita. Maybe a little extra lime if you have one around. This recipe makes enough juice to make about six cocktails so it'd be great for a small party. All said, I hope your summers have started off in the best way.

GRAPEFRUIT + WATERMELON AGUA FRESCA // Makes one generous liter

I use a juicer for efficiency sake, but I understand not everyone has one. For the grapefruit and lime, you could squeeze the juice by hand or with a citrus juicer into a bowl. The watermelon pieces can be blended in a food processor and then strained to get a smoother juice. You basically need about 2 cups of each grapefruit and watermelon and the juice of one lime. Use whatever grapefruits you like, I find the red varieties produce more juice.

4 Ruby Grapefruits, peeled
1 small watermelon, cubed and peeled
2 limes, peel mostly removed, plus another for garnish
crushed ice
sparkling water, optional
tequila, optional

In a juicer, juice the peeled grapefruit, watermelon and lime. Stir together to mix. Add more lime to taste. If you don’t have a juicer, blend it all up and strain it.

As an agua fresca, enjoy cold over ice. I add a splash of sparkling water, another squeeze of lime and a shot of tequila.

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Side

GRATIN OF ZUCCHINI, RICE + ONIONS

Sara Forte · June 10, 2015

Brown Rice & Zucchini Gratin . Sprouted Kitchen

I am finding that the romance of cookbooks isn't really in flipping through for inspiration, but when I surrender to a recipe's every word. The page is marked with a little post it and I keep referencing back to it's open pages to make sure I'm doing just what it directs. Hopeful it comes out as delicious as the photo leads me to believe and refreshed to have a dish so different than my everyday normals. I am in this strange but wonderful phase where I am not feeling particularly creative in the kitchen, so I am either cooking from cookbooks or resorting to my staples (scrambled eggs, bean and cheese tacos, roasted vegetables, ice cream and an occasional kale salad once I feel guilty enough about too many bean and cheese tacos and an unnecessary ice cream routine). I'm not calling it a rut, it is just a different season and I actually think it's healthy if the work you do is creative. I just want someone else to tell me what to do. I have freelance jobs where I need to pull myself together, but for the most part, I'm just trying new things... except when I'm eating the same thing for the millionth time.

The Food52 Genius Recipes book came out a couple months back and it is precisely the book you need if you want someone to tell you what to do. The recipes highlight a technique so there are little secrets and tricks that not only help you with the shared recipe, but make you a better cook in general. I am not a detailed or perfect cook myself, so when I find a book that is dedicated to finding the best - the genius recipes - I am all ears. It is everything I am not and I am loving it. In an effort to try to feed all three of us the same thing, I started with my bookmark on Julia Childs' Gratin of Zucchini, Rice and Onions with Cheese. It sort of reminds me of a risotto without the stirring. The only swap I made was brown rice for the white and I don't think it made any compromise of the dish, just needed a smidge more cooking time which is reflected in the recipe below. I know I've been talking a lot of books around here lately, but this would make for an excellent gift for you or the other cooks in your life.

Wishing you a warm weekend!

* House Business. I will be up at The Madewell store at The Grove in Los Angeles next Thursday 6/18 from 6-8pm for a denim happy hour with cookbooks. There is a 20% discount on any purchase over $125 and snacks and drinks so I would love to see you there. Please come be my friend!

Gratin of Zucchini, Rice and Onions with Cheese // Serves 6 as a side

Recipe barely changed from Food 52's Genius Recipes

When the recipe says "zucchini juices and milk" it isn't an exact amount of either. I just squeezed the zucchinis of their liquid into a measuring cup after they sat in the salt and then made up the difference in milk to get to the called for 2 cups which was about another cup. Mine took longer in the oven than the recipe led me to believe but that may have been because of the brown rice. The recipe suggests the oven at 425' but I went with 400' since it needed to be in there a good 35 minutes and I didn't want it to burn. The extra moisture in my finished shot is because my zucchini yield was short, yours should look drier.

2 to 2 1/2 lbs. zucchini or other summer squash
1/2 cup short grain brown rice (or white rice, as published, if you prefer)
1 cup minced onion
5 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. unbleached all purpose flour
about 2 1/2 cups warm zucchini juices and milk
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (save a few Tbsp. for the top)
salt and pepper to taste

Shred the zucchini, toss them with a heaping teaspoon of salt and drain in a colander. Reserving the juices. Meanwhile drop the rice into boiling salted water, bring rapidly back to a boil for 8 minutes; drain and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400'.

In a large frying pan, cook the onions slowly in 3 to 4 Tbsp. olive oil for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender and translucent. Raise the heat slightly and stir for several minutes until just browned. Stir in the grated and dried zucchini and garlic. Toss for 5 minutes until the zucchini is almost tender. Sprinkle in the flour, stir over moderate heat for a minute and remove from the heat.

Gradually stir in the 2 1/2 cups warm liquid (zucchini juices plus milk heated gently in a pan). Make sure the flour is well blended and smooth. Put the pan over moderately high heat and bring to a simmer, stirring. Remove from the heat again, stir in the blanched rice and 1/2 cup of the grated parmesan. Taste carefully for seasoning and add your salt and pepper.

Butter a 6-8 cup baking and serving dish that is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep. Turn the warm zucchini mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese on top. Dribble the remaining olive oil over the cheese.

Bring the gratin to a simmer on stove top as long as your dish is flame proof. Bake in the upper third of the oven until the gratin is bubbling, top is browned and appears most of the liquid has absorbed. Mine took about 30-35 minutes. Serve warm.

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Dessert, Gluten Free, Spring

PISTACHIO PAVLOVA WITH STRAWBERRY + RHUBARB CREAM

Sara Forte · May 20, 2015

Curran turns one next week and it brings with it a New Year’s sort of feeling - reflecting back on all that’s happened and what has changed; how I have changed. This time last year, I was waiting for this big thing to happen to me - to have a baby - which sounds so common place from the outside, lots of people have babies, but unbelievably remarkable and life changing in the scope of one’s own life. I felt prepared in the way two dozen washed and folded swaddles, a few different diaper rash creams, and reading multiple perspectives on the birth process can make you feel, but looking back, I truly had no idea what was coming. In learning to become a parent this past year, I’ve been blindsided by some aspects, and in others, beautifully surprised in a way that only happens when you don't know what's coming. I’ve been depleted beyond what I used to think the word depleted could mean and in turn, sometimes the very next moment, my heart has swelled beyond the known side of that end of the spectrum, as well. In one moment, a screaming baby waking from another all too short nap (despite all the will and desire to help him find a schedule) just when I thought I might actually be able to get a few things done, followed by cracking open the door to see his cries turn to his squinty-eyed, gap-toothed grin. No one has ever been so happy to see me. It's enough to make me teary. Hugh and I have so much less intentional time together that I miss him some days even when we're in the same house, but seeing how he loves our boy has made me fall deeper in love with the kind and fun man he is. I feel a bit less like myself and yet somehow more confident in what I am capable of. I am learning to say no sometimes, paring down to focus on what I want my work to look like, and trying to be ok with just sitting and reading Hop on Pop a dozen times over while my other responsibilities wait.

Curran is an active little person, but every now and then, he'll lay his head on me for split second, just to remind me that he sees me even though he has no desire to sit, and I can't imagine a life any different.

May is the month of birthdays in our family. Both sides. There are at least two per week and thus there is a lot of celebrating. In honor of all the birthdays, and to mark our first year of having Curran around, I made pavlova. Crisp meringue with crunchy pistachios, a light whipped cream with ribbons of tart and sweet rhubarb and strawberries. A classic combination for very good reason. It is so delicate in texture while still being plenty sweet and rich with cream to qualify as a celebratory dessert. I will be honest that I only seem to get the meringue right half of the time, but when I do, this may be in my top five desserts.

So cheers, to the boy that changed our life. Happy birthday, my baby.

PISTACHIO PAVLOVA WITH STRAWBERRY + RHUBARB CREAM

Adapated from Food + Wine Magazine June 2015 from Gesine Bullock-Prado

Since the natural cane sugar is off white, the pavlova will be a creamy white color instead of the bright white you see in magazines. This makes no difference to the flavor, just the aesthetics. I tried to make this with less sugar and it does not work - it just doesn't crisp up well and tastes like egg, so make this if you're feeling like a treat and have people to share it with. The science doesn't work if you change the ratio. Sarah shares her Swiss meringue method here which sounds delightful. Also, if you need something dairy-free, swap out the whipping cream for a coconut cream.

Serves 6

4 egg whites, room temperature
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup natural cane sugar
1/2 tsp. distilled white vinegar
3/4 cup pistachios
1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 cup chopped rhubarb, one-inch pieces
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups hulled and quartered strawberries
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
1 cup (8 fl. ounces) light whipping cream, chilled
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
toasted pistachios, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350' and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and salt on high until foamy, about two minutes. Beat in the vinegar, then beat in the sugar one tablespoon at a time and continue beating until the whites are glossy and stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes.

In a small bowl, toss the pistachios in the cornstarch and then gently fold them into the egg white mixture. Use a large spoon and dollop the meringue into the center of the pachment and spread it into a 10-inch round with a slight indentation in the center. Turn the oven down to 225' and bake for 1 1/2 hours until crisp. It should be crisp but still chewy on the inside. Turn off the oven and allow it to cool completely in the oven.

Meanwhile, make the strawberry rhubarb cream. In a small saucepan, simmer the rhubarb, lemon juice, sugar over moderate heat until the rhubarb breaks down a bit, about 6-8 minutes. Mash the rhubarb a bit with the back of a wooden spoon. Turn off the heat and stir in the strawberries and vanilla. Let it cool completely.

Into a mixer, beat the cold whippng cream and mascarpone until light and fluffy. Stir 1/4 cup of the cream into the rhubarb mixture, then fold in the rest of the whipping cream (only a few folds, you want it streaky). Spoon the cream into the center of the meringue and garnish with chopped pistachios.

The meringue can be made a day or two in advance and the cream prepared when you are ready to serve the pavlova. It is best served the day it is made.

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