With Labor Day right around the corner, I thought it’d be appropriate to provide a recipe for a delicious, refreshing, and of course, intoxicating cocktail, perfect for your holiday weekend sipping. This is one of my all-time favorites that I made up a few years ago at Palais Royale and a regular named it, “The Greatfruit“. You will need to get started today to have it ready by Sunday or Monday, depending on when your BBQ or beach trip is. First things first, buy quality vodka. I love Hangar One. Try it! Here’s what you need:

THE GREATFRUIT

• 1 bottle of quality vodka (Hangar One, Imperia, Three Olives are all good)
• 2 bunches of lemon verbena (look at your local markets, they may have it)
• Fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice (Simply Grapefruit is yummy if you can’t find fresh)
• yuzu juice
• light agave nectar
• soda water
• grapefruit zest (from skin of one fruit)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• lemon balm, mint, or lemon verbena for garnish
• jigger (usually double sided, 1 oz & 2 oz sides)
• drink shaker
• ice

Okay. First, pound the 2 bunches of lemon verbena with a mallet, wooden spoon, whatever. This will release the herb’s oils and flavor. Tear the leaves apart and put in the bottle of vodka to infuse. The longer you let it sit, the better. I like to leave it for a few days.

Before you start mixing your cocktail, let’s make the grapefruit sugar for the rims of the glasses you will be serving it in. Zest a grapefruit and spread it very thinly on a cookie sheet. Put your oven on 125 or 150 degrees, very very low. You are dehydrating the zest. Let bake for 30-45 minutes, checking on it every 15 minutes. You want it to be completely dry. Set to the side and let it cool. Once cool, mix the dry zest with the white sugar. Take a napkin and drizzle a small pool of grapefruit juice onto it. Lightly tap the rim of each glass on the wet napkin. This will be the glue to keep your grapefruit sugar looking beautiful. Don’t get it too wet or the sugar will sludge down the side of the glass.

Once your vodka is sufficiently infused, you’re ready to make your drink. Pour 2 2 oz jigger shots (4 oz total) of vodka into your shaker (glass) of ice. Next, pour a total of 8 oz. of grapefruit juice. Add 1 tablespoon of agave. Finally, 4 quick shakes of yuzu juice. Cover and shake. Pour into your grapefruit sugared glasses, careful not to spill on the rims. Finish each drink with a splash of soda water and garnish with a lemon verbena or lemon balm leaf.

This will make 2 7-8oz drinks. Get to mixing! Uh, and DRANKIN’. (Go to Lafayette in Nolita to get some Bloody Kim Jong-il Mix. Perfect for the morning after a bunch of Greatfruits.)

Note: Yuzu is the goddamn jam. It’s a Japanese citrus fruit that tastes like lime and grapefruit had a baby. It’s also very expensive. This is what I get. It runs about $8-9 per bottle. Find it at your asian market.

Take a look at this honkin’ bowl of beautiousness. This is last week’s marketfresh Skimchee, BeetRabi. I picked up some gorgeous Chioggia Beets and Purple & White Kohlrabi at Union Square et voila! My best concoction to date. As many of you already know, kimchee has been making news all over the U.S. recently. One could say, Korean food as a whole has been. Well, I’ve been eating this stuff since I could chew whole food so this is not news to me. At the pig roast the other weekend, my white aunt reminded everyone how we used to have two glasses at the table, one for milk and one for kimchee washing water. I make tons of Skimchee (my version, duh) every week and I always have veggie trash. You can save veggie trash for composting or stocks. One thing I like to do with my ginger scraps is make tea. I have my fav Iced Tea holder full of it all summer. I use coffee filters and rubberbands, that’s it. Take about 1/4 cup of scraps and place them in the unfolded coffee filter. Wrap the filter tightly and seal with two rubberbands. I put one “teabag” into a big pot of water, the size you use to make a whole box of pasta. Bring to a boil. Turn heat off. Let sit uncovered until it’s room temperature. Place in your iced tea container, water bottle, or whatever you’re going to use to refrigerate. I have ginger tea and agave in my Klean Kanteen water bottle all day. It’s a whole lot better for you than Hardee’s Sweet Tea. Check out all these glorious health benefits for ginger. I have IBS so it has calmed my stomach quite a bit. It’s great for migraines, tummy issues, circulation, colds, and even morning sickness. Some say it prevents cancer…

Note: Lafayette Espresso Bar & Marketplace in Nolita, NYC is now serving Skimkim Foods! Go check it out!

Wishing you Health and Prosperity!

Some ladies like their drinks straight up, while others prefer mixed cocktails.  I can’t handle the flavor or strength of liquor, either shots or on the rocks, which is why I frequently order the “girly” drinks.  I don’t have “a usual”, and when the bartender asks me what I want, it usually takes a few minutes until I thoroughly read over the cocktail menu and the ingredients of each drink.  I try to choose the drinks that taste like fruits, because if it tastes like alcohol, I’ll be babysitting my glass all night long!

More and more bars are creating specialty cocktail menus, and if you’re looking to drink on the healthier tip, I suggest you take a peek to see what they have to offer.  Try these tips when you’re out for a drink- you might just come out with a new favorite:

• Keep it soda-free.  It’s still a soda-free summer, so that includes no soda in your cocktails!  If your usual uses sweetened soda, try it with juice or even soda water instead.
• Make sure it’s 100%.  Ask the bartender if the cran is actually 100% cranberry juice and not cranberry cocktail.  Drinks that have a splash of juice will give you a splash of vitamins and antioxidants.
• Go fruity.  My favorite kinds of drinks are those that have fresh fruit inside.  I don’t care if it’s muddled or infused, just having the fruit floating in my glass makes it prettier, healthier, and more interesting.  In fact, a 2007 study by Thai and US researchers discovered that alcohol actually increases the antioxidant properties of fruit.  An added bonus is that the fruits soak up alcohol well, so if you eat the fruit in the end, you’ll not only get a good dose of fiber and vitamins, but also a tasty shot of alcohol.   Oh, and the little red cherry in most cocktails doesn’t count!
• Try local, seasonal, and organic.  These bartenders nowadays are basically chefs, because their creative concoctions can contain any number of fresh ingredients from a farmer’s market.  These fruits, and even vegetables, will proudly be highlighted on the cocktail menu, and if it’s local, seasonal, or organic, it will definitely say so.  I tend to go for the seasonal flavors because they just taste so much better!  One of the best drinks I had used fresh organic cucumbers and cilantro.  Mmmmm!  If you like to stick with the typical, sangria is always a great option because it usually contains any number of seasonal fruits.
• Don’t go overboard.  Just because you’re drinking a healthier cocktail doesn’t give you a pass to overindulge.  It’s still recommended that you consume no more than one alcoholic beverage a day, so if you’re going to drink anyways, it’s better if it’s healthier.
• Make your own.  I made my own sparkling alcohol using the Spike Your Juice kit, or you can infuse your own liquor with fresh fruits or vegetables.  Just soak your desired ingredient in an alcohol, like vodka, and you’ll love the flavor of it after about a week.  A friend of mine used snap peas, and the unusual ingredient made the alcohol surprisingly sweet!  If you’re in the mood for something quick, mix your liquor with an unexpected juice, like beet juice or carrot juice.  For something more fancy, dice up your own fruits and throw them in your glass.

The next time you raise a glass for a toast, make sure it’s a healthier choice.  This is to your health….Cheers!

I should have mentioned this last month but instead, I was so amped on my family Pig Roast, I forgot. Last month was National Ice Cream Month. And the third Sunday in July is National Ice Cream Day, as anointed by Ronald Reagan back in ‘84. (I’d like to have seen that bill…)

Anyways, it’s easy to make your own ice cream. You don’t need a $100 machine. Back when I was a kid, I remember making it in coffee cans. You can also do it in plastic bags. Or, you could blend a mixture and throw it in the freezer. See, none of this is expensive!!! I like the coffee can idea because you can roll it between you and your friends while sitting in a circle, sharing ghost stories or a blunt, whatever y’all do in circles.

Here’s the info:

Unfancypants Ice Cream

• 1 1-pound coffee can with lid
• 1 3-pound coffee can with lid
• 1 pint of half and half or milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 trays ice cubes
• 6 tbsp salt
• Duct Tape

Pour milk, sugar, vanilla into small coffee can. Cover with the lid and duct tape the top down like crazy. You don’t want this flying off and making a mess. Place a few ice cubes on the bottom of the large coffee can. Put small ice cream mix filled can in the large one. Fill with rest of ice, try to get it distributed evenly around, increasing surface area, adding salt the whole time. Cover large can with lid and duct tape. Again, like crazy. Now shake, roll, throw, whatever for 10-15 minutes. Unducttape. Eat. What???

A few things: you can use zip-lock bags but I don’t trust those things. Plus, you can make more in the coffee cans. Also, feel free to throw in a ripe mashed banana, cocoa powder, peanut butter chips, strawberries…experiment. If you’d like a more rich ice cream, put in one beaten egg to the basic mix. It has now become a custard based ice cream. Fancy. But still unfancy.

If you are in the market for a fun “kid’s toy”, check this out. I’ve never used these but they look hella fun. I’d buy one for myself! (I say this because I already got my goddaughter a bright blue ice cream machine. It doesn’t work for shit. We tried it.) Click on the pic for the Amazon.com page to buy.

I’ve been spending more time at home these days with the baby and I was starting to feel like I was in a cooking rut. I was making the same “go to” recipes all the time – partly out of exhaustion and partly out of feeling uninspired. On a shopping trip to Whole Foods my whole culinary world was turned on its head. I found Fine Cooking Magazine.

I brought home the issue and tried a few recipes – and they were all delicious. On my next trip to Whole Foods I picked up the special editions: Real Italian and Grilling. The Grilling issue was much needed as we had just bought our first outdoor grill and I wanted to take full advantage of it. Everything that I’ve tried from the magazine is amazing. All the recipes are simple, straight forward and TASTY.

I recently subscribed to Fine Cooking and I can’t wait for each new issue to come. I haven’t been this excited about anything for a while. If you love to cook, or know someone who does, a subscription to this would be the perfect gift.

HOLY GOD. This is a photo from a shoot I did with Brides.com (Thanks, Jesse!). I can’t. Oh, jesus, how good does this plate look? This was Slow-roasted Pork Shoulder w/ Bourbon Maple BBQ Sauce, Baby Zucchini & Jersey Corn Succotash, & Chive Hushpuppies. I’m giving you guys this BBQ sauce recipe.

It is my duty as a Southerner to define BBQ and it’s sauces. Every year, my family has a pig roast. When I was younger, we had at least two–one in VA, and one in Connecticut. It was an excuse for the “adults” to come together and get wasted & high while perched on picnic tables and occasionally pull some hog meat off a whole animal atop some burning embers. It’s similar now except the adults have passed the torch to me, my cousins and our friends. It keeps getting bigger every year. We now have a parking lot. We were sponsored by Abita last year. I bet we’ll have go-go dancers this year. Scratch that. We always have dancers–my aunt owns and operates the only Highland dancing studio in Richmond, VA, Thistle & Shamrock. and they always come, sans kilts. There’s usually a piper, too. I’m gonna slip him some sheet music to Lady Gaga.

North Carolina BBQ: Pork Shoulder, slow-roasted, chopped up and mixed w/ a vinegar-based BBQ, sauce-centric. This is how we do in VA. Sauer’s is our sauce, goddammit. My aunt has mailed it to me and my friends bring it with them when they visit. Goddammit. Pictured below.

South Carolina BBQ: Similar to the northerly state except the sauce has mustard in it, too. Sauce-centric.

Kansas BBQ: Beef & Pork, all cuts, grilled/roasted (not slow-roasted) sweet tangy tomato-based BBQ sauce. Meat-centric.

Texas BBQ: Beef, slow-roasted, sweet tangy tomato-based BBQ sauce. Meat-centric.

A lot of BBQ enthusiasts emphasize the smoking stage of the meat. This is very important. It doesn’t have to happen in a separate apparatus, rather if the meat is “slow-roasted”, the low heat and prolonged time, evolve into a smoking process. A good, flavorful rub is also of paramount import. Most avid BBQ aficionados will never give this recipe away. Thus, why I’m giving you my sauce recipe. It’s not really how I prefer my sauce, but the way I like it will burn the hairs off your titties. I want to keep my readers. This is a great tomato-based sauce.

Skim’s Bourbon Maple BBQ Sauce

• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 2 TBSP corn oil
• 2 TBSP chili powder
• 2 TBSP worcestershire sauce
• 2 TBSP yellow mustard
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 shots Bourbon

Cook onion and garlic in oil until tender, add rest of the ingredients and bring to a medium boil, reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered 30 minutes. Use a blender or hand blender if you don’t want the chunks.

Note: Except for the NC Style BBQ, I wanted to just write: WHO CARES? And sorry to my korean brothers & sisters, I don’t consider bulgogi a type of BBQ.

I Scream! You Scream!

Did you know that yesterday was Ice Cream Day?  Don’t think I was holding out on you, because if I really was anti-ice cream, I wouldn’t be devoting a whole post to it now, would I?  And, I wouldn’t be telling you that July is National Ice Cream MONTH.  Yes, a whole month is dedicated to one of life’s pleasures, and you have a little over a week left to indulge.  But whatever you do, don’t overindulge and try to enjoy your ice cream the healthier way.

Everyone loves ice cream.  Some of us love it too much.  You might hear the familiar sounds of jingling bells, or “Pop Goes the Weasel”, approaching your house and immediately jump and run to your door to chase down the ice cream truck.  You might even have a personal gallon, one that you turn to in times of need to feed your soul when you’re feeling down.  Ice cream cools us down on  a hot day, picks us up when we need it, and rewards us for a job well done.  I know I’ve told myself plenty of times, “I deserve this ice cream cone today!”

Ice cream should be more of a special treat and less of a daily eat.  But even if you’re treating yourself with ice cream, make sure to treat your body good by trying these healthy tips the next time you go for the ice cream scoop.

• Get the scoop.  Notice how I didn’t say scoops.  One scoop should be plenty, and anything more than that is simply too much.  If you want more than one flavor, ask your friends if you can get a taste.
• Sharing is caring.  I recently went to Fenton’s, and I was almost sickened by how huge the specialty ice cream creations were.  Some people attacked a whole order to themselves, which was melting faster than they could even eat it.  Share an order with someone instead, so you won’t be pigging out by yourself.  Just make sure you both agree on a flavor.
• Choose a good flavor.  French Vanilla.  Butter Pecan.  Chocolate Deluxe.  There are so many flavors out there, it could be hard to make a choice.  Ask to get a sample of a few different flavors so you’ll get the one you really want.  Pick one flavor, not two, because remember, one scoop is plenty.
• Order the junior.  Go kid-size if you want your own sundae.  Don’t trick yourself into thinking that you need a lot to be satisfied, because a little bit of sweetness goes a long way.
• Go natural.  If you’re out shopping for ice cream, buy the gallon that use natural ingredients.  Breyer’s has great flavor and I can read every ingredient on the label!  Other ice cream brands include other ingredients that I can’t even pronounce.   If it has high fructose corn syrup in it, don’t get it!
• Make your own.  I remember making my own ice cream in elementary school with rock salt and ice.  After lots of shaking, I had ice cream!  I knew every ingredient that went into my ice cream, which made eating it so much more enjoyable.  You can skip the elementary method, and go for something more fancy by investing in your own ice cream maker.  Then you’ll be able to experiment with different, healthy, seasonal flavors.
• Flavor with fruits.  If you want variety, buy vanilla ice cream and flavor it with fresh fruits.  You’ll get a serving of fruits for the day, while enjoying a special treat.
• Go nuts!  Add some nuts for some crunch and a punch of protein.
• Sorbet is so good!  Skip the cream and try the sorbet.  It has less fat and will be just as satisfying as any other flavor.

What’s your flavor?

I make a ton of soups at the restaurant I work at (@spoonfednyc). Tons. I think if someone was gonna do a “How Many Soups Do You Make A Year” Contest, I’d win. Big time. (I wouldn’t climb up on stage and get arrested if I wasn’t allowed to compete or anything…) I exhaust myself when I picture all the soups I concoct. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really good at it. However, let’s face it, IT’S HOT OUT. Who wants to eat hot, steamy soup now??? I gave you a soup last time to celebrate the Season O’ Corn, i.e. Summer. But, really, I was saving this one for you. It’s COLD. Brrr. Break out the Cuisinart (or blender). Time for a workout, Handy Kitchen Appliances!

REFRESHMENT IN A BOWL

aka. Zucchini, Cucumber, & Avocado Cold Sopa

• 2 zucchini, large dice
• 2 cucumber, large dice
• 2 jalapeño, diced, no seeds (unless you want it to be spicy)
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 1/4 c each of cilantro, basil, mint, parsley
• 1/4 c of rice wine vinegar (use white wine if you don’t have this)
• juice & zest of 2 limes
• 2 avocado, scooped out with a spoon
• 2 cans of coconut
• s&p
• water

Put all top 6 ingredients in your Cuisinart or food processor. You will probably need to do 2 batches. Purée. Place in a large mixing bowl. Purée lime juice, zest & avocado separately. Pour into the large mixing bowl mixture. Add coconut milk. Mix thoroughly w/ a whisk. Slowly add water and mix. Season with salt & pepper. Depending on if you want your soup thin or thick…add more or less water. Chill for an hour or more. The longer you chill, the more the flavors will come together. Garnish w/ EVOO, crushed tortilla strips, or chives. (This is yogurt in the pic. It’s amazing vegan, though!)

I have brought cold soups to the beach in a thermos. The hours of sun and sand really wear on your cohorts. This makes them love you even more.

p.s. I had a farmer last week tell me that the Watermelon Gazpacho I made was the “Best Gazpacho He’s Ever Had In His Life”. This guy is not especially vociferous. Or social. He’s a farmer. I feel so special! Follow us at @skimkim!

Don’t try to play me out!

When it comes to fro-yo, don’t mess with mine.  I have my own method to choosing my toppings and flavors, and it’s pretty much the same method as how I choose my fits.  I like a mixture of color, texture, and an element of mis-match.  The combinations I come up with may not sound right, but be assured it tastes right.  It’s got to look good and make you feel good too!  Which is why, of course, you’ll see me passing up the candy and sprinkles to pile on the nuts and the fruits.  Just knowing that you can get some vitamins and protein in with a frozen dessert makes going out for frozen yogurt that much more rewarding.

I’m with LiaDelFresco in craving this craze.  When it gets so hot, it’s only right that you cool down with a cup of some frozen delight.  We all know that ice cream is not so cool right now, and frozen yogurt is a healthier option…that’s unfortunately easy to make it bad for you.  The whole beauty of going to a frozen yogurt spot is having the satisfaction of being in control of what you consume.  But sometimes, I’ve seen people enter a yogurt joint with wide, bulging eyes and lose control with every spoonful of something.  Don’t be that person.  Instead, try these tips when topping your fro-yo:

• Don’t fill up your cup.  I don’t know if you noticed, but the cups at frozen yogurt spots are HUGE.  Since you pay by the ounce, of course the company wants you to get as much weight as you can.  But more weight in your cup could lead to more weight in your body, so don’t be tricked into thinking you can finish a full cup.  Really, who can finish all of that?  I usually just get a small swirl of yogurt, or if I’m mixing flavors, a large plop of each flavor.  For toppings, I never put more than one spoonful of what I want.  It all weighs up, and if you’re paying over $5 for your fro-yo, then you might have packed too much.
• Go for some crunch.  No, no, no, I’m not referring to the Captain, because I would never steer you in the sugary cereal direction.  I love me some crunch factor when I take a bite, so I’ll usually get a spoon of almonds, peanuts, and even pistachios.  Nuts and seeds provide protein for your muscles, hair, and nails, so pass on the crunchy cereals and opt for those instead.
• Flavor with fruits.  I love how frozen yogurt spots have fresh fruits all chopped up and ready to scoop.  Remember, fruits are packed with vitamins and nutrients, and even antioxidants, so why squirt sugary strawberry sauce on your fro-yo when you can have fresh strawberries?  If you’re lucky, kiwi and blueberries will be on the bar too, so make sure to scoop those up, too!
• Enough is enough.  My mama used to say, “Make sure your eyes are not bigger than your stomach,” and it’s pretty apparent that sometimes, you’ll get more than you can handle.  This might be the hardest tip because when you’ve got a shop full of options, and a cup full of flavor, you won’t want to toss any of it out.  But if you’re feeling full, don’t force yourself to stuff your fro-yo in your face.  When you’re going out for frozen yogurt, you’ve got the control, so you’ll have to control your overindulging and overeating impulses as well.  You’ve got the power!