The Big Book of Backyard Cooking (28 page)

1
14-ounce can coconut milk (not reduced fat)

2
cups (4 small) peeled and diced bananas

1
cup vanilla ice cream

¼
cup sugar

4
teaspoons fresh lime juice

2
teaspoons vanilla extract

12
ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour into 4 tall glasses. Serve immediately, with straws, while icy cold.

CAIPIRINHAS

Caipirinha,
a celebrated Brazilian drink, is made with lime juice, sugar, and a strong sugarcane
brandy known as
cachaça.
The popularity of this South American libation has spread far beyond
the country’s borders so that today its primary ingredient,
cachaça,
is widely available. The
following recipe serves four and takes only minutes to assemble.

SERVES 4

2
cups ice cubes

½
to
¾
cup
cachaça

¼
cup fresh lime juice

¼
cup sugar

Coarsely crush ice cubes in a food processor or blender. Divide evenly among 4 wine glasses.

In a medium bowl, stir together ½ cup
cachaça,
lime juice, and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Divide evenly and pour over ice in each glass. Taste and, if desired, add 1 tablespoon more of
cachaça
to each glass. Serve cold.

GRAPEFRUIT RED WINE SPRITZERS

These spritzers call for just four ingredients. Grapefruit juice and sugar are heated until the latter
has dissolved, then red wine and sparkling water are added. These refreshing drinks, which can be
made several hours in advance, are attractive served in ice-filled wine glasses garnished with
twists of grapefruit peel.

SERVES 6

1⅓
cups fresh or bottled pink grapefruit juice (not from concentrate)

⅓
cup sugar

1
cup sparkling water (such as Perrier)

½
cup dry red wine

Ice cubes

6
strips grapefruit peel (about 3 inches by ½ inch) for garnish (optional) Combine grapefruit juice and sugar in a medium nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, and stir until sugar has dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sparkling water and wine.

Cover and refrigerate to chill. (Spritzers can be prepared 5 hours ahead; keep refrigerated until needed.)

Fill 6 medium wine glasses with ice and add some of the grapefruit spritzer mixture to each. If desired, garnish each serving with a twist of grapefruit peel.

The late 19th century was when many soda pops first appeared—Dr. Pepper was
invented in 1885 in Waco, Texas; Coca-Cola in 1886 in Atlanta, Georgia; and Pepsi in
1898 in New Bern, North Carolina.

CAPE COD COOLERS

Cranberries and oranges, a refreshing twosome, are combined with white wine to make these
tempting coolers. They take only minutes to assemble and are an attractive beverage to offer as a
mid-afternoon thirst quencher or as a cooling drink to accompany an outdoor meal.

SERVES 6 TO 8; MAKES ABOUT 1½ QUART

3½
cups cranberry juice cocktail

1½
cups fresh or bottled orange juice (not from concentrate)

1
cup dry white wine

Ice cubes

1
navel orange, cut into very thin round slices

Combine cranberry juice cocktail, orange juice, and white wine in a nonreactive pitcher, and stir to blend. Refrigerate an hour or longer until well chilled.

To serve, fill tall glasses with ice and pour cranberry cooler mixture into each. Make a slit with a sharp knife halfway through each orange slice and place on the rim of each glass.

MOJITOS

The mojito, a popular drink in Cuba, has found its way from this nearby island to our shores. This
version, prepared with lime juice, sugar, mint, white rum, and club soda, is close to the original.

However, in Cuba a milder form of mint called
yerba buena
is used.

SERVES 4

½
cup fresh lime juice (6 limes)

2
tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar

2
teaspoons chopped fresh mint leaves

½
to
1
cup white rum

½
cup club soda

Ice cubes

4
thin round lime slices for garnish

Combine lime juice, sugar, and mint in a medium bowl. Stir the mixture well, then stir in ½ cup rum and club soda. Taste, and if desired, add up to ½ cup additional rum. Fill four 8-ounce wine glasses with ice cubes, then pour the rum mixture over them. Garnish with a lime slice slit halfway so it fits over the rim of the glass. Serve immediately.

BACKYARD SANGRIA

Sangria is one of those quintessentials. Like the little black dress, Cole Porter, or a VW Beetle, it
never seems to go out of style, and we never tire of sipping it. The following is a classic version
made with wine, brandy, oranges, and lemons, plus soda water. For an extra touch, try adding
sliced fresh peaches, when in season, as part of the garnish.

SERVES 6 TO 8; MAKES ABOUT 1¾ QUARTS

1
750-milliliter bottle dry red wine, preferably a Spanish wine such as rioja
1½
cups fresh or bottled orange juice (not from concentrate)

¼
cup fresh lemon juice

3
tablespoons sugar

3
tablespoons brandy

1½
tablespoons orange liqueur such as Cointreau, curaçao, or Grand Marnier
1½
cups soda water

1
orange, sliced into thin rounds

1
lemon, sliced into thin rounds

1
peach, peeled and sliced (optional)

Combine wine, orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, brandy, and liqueur in a large nonreactive bowl. Stir well so that sugar is completely dissolved. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

When ready to serve, transfer mixture to a large, glass pitcher, and add soda water, sliced orange and lemon, and sliced peach, if desired. Serve in wine glasses.

The red-wine-and-fruit-based drink sangria is named for its dark red color—it is
derived from the word
sangre,
which means “blood” in Spanish.

HEAT OF SUMMER PIÑA COLADAS

A traditional piña colada (Spanish for strained pineapple) is made with three ingredients:
pineapple juice, coconut cream, and rum. The addition of vanilla ice cream makes this version
luxuriously smooth and rich. The pineapple juice, coconut cream, and ice cream can be mixed a
day ahead and kept chilled in the refrigerator. At serving time, all that is necessary is to combine
the pineapple base with crushed ice and rum and to transfer it to a pitcher. Fresh pineapple slices
make an attractive and edible garnish for each serving.

SERVES 8

3
cups pineapple juice

1
pint vanilla ice cream

6
tablespoons cream of coconut (not coconut milk)

3
cups ice cubes

1
cup plus 2 tablespoons light or dark rum, plus a little extra if desired (see note)
8
thin wedges fresh pineapple (optional)

In a blender or food processor, combine pineapple juice, ice cream, and cream of coconut.

Process until mixture is smooth. (This pineapple base can be prepared 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate.)

When ready to finish piña coladas, combine half the ice, half the pineapple base, and half the rum in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Transfer to a pitcher. Repeat with remaining ingredients and add to the pitcher. Taste the mixture and stir in additional rum if desired.

Fill 8 large wine or tall glasses with the piña colada mixture. If desired, slit pineapple wedges halfway through and slip onto the rims of the glasses.

NOTE:
Although rum is a traditional ingredient in piña coladas, you can omit it from this version if you like, and still have a delicious drink.

My father had an endearing habit of eating his dessert with his main course. He would taste his steak, his chicken, or his meatloaf, then take a bite of whatever confection my mother had prepared. His philosophy was simple–he didn’t want

to fill up on his entrée and miss dessert. Although I have never engaged in this ritual, I have been tempted because dessert is my favorite course, too.

When I culled my files in search of ideas for this book, I discovered that I had created two distinctive folders for sweets: One was chock-full of recipes for pies, cakes, and fruit desserts, and the other included cookies, brownies, bars, and ice creams. I followed the same model in this book. This chapter gives due to luscious pies and cakes. More informal treats are the focus of the next chapter.

Glorious berries, cherries, plums, peaches, and nectarines arrive just in time for the backyard cook to use them imaginatively. They can be turned into fillings for perfectly gorgeous pies or baked in delectable crumbles, crisps, buckles, or kuchens. They’re also spectacular folded into creamy parfaits or served plain, dusted with spiced sugar. There’s no shortage of choices on the following pages. If you are in a pie-making mood, try the Cherry Almond Tart or the Upside-Down Lemon Meringue Pie with Raspberries. Desserts like Blueberry and Peach Crisp or Nectarine Almond Crumble are even simpler.

Cakes of all kinds–pound cakes, loaf cakes, cheesecakes, and layer cakes–are perfect endings to an open-air meal. Best made in advance, they don’t require any last-minute fuss. The ones featured here are varied in their flavorings. For chocolate lovers, there’s Chocolate Pound Cake as well as a dense Chocolate Toffee Brownie Cake. The refreshing taste of citrus shines through in Lemon Pecan Cake and in Daiquiri Cheesecake. Bananas and carrots get star billing in two all-time favorites, a dense banana nut loaf and a tall, rich carrot cake.

STRAWBERRY ICE-BOX PIE

I’ve always been a fan of ice-box pies made with graham cracker crusts like this one. Baked until
crunchy and golden, this cookie-crust shell is filled with a crimson-hued mixture of strawberries.

Chilled until set, the pie is garnished with whipped cream at serving time.

SERVES 6 TO 8

CRUST

6
tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing pie plate
1
cup slivered blanched almonds, toasted
(see page 15)

½
cup graham cracker crumbs

¼
cup sugar

FILLING

About 1½ quarts (6 cups) fresh strawberries

¼
cup cornstarch (see note)

1
cup sugar

2
tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2
teaspoons grated orange zest

1½
cups heavy cream

Arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch glass pie plate and set aside.

TO MAKE THE CRUST:
Process almonds in a food processor, pulsing, until coarsely chopped.

Add graham cracker crumbs and sugar and process until mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Pour in melted butter and process 20 to 30 seconds or until mixture is moistened. Using the back of a tablespoon, press crumbs evenly onto the bottom of the pie plate and up to the edge of the rim. Bake crust until lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool completely.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Hull and halve enough strawberries lengthwise (quarter any extra-large berries) to yield 5 cups. Save extra berries for another use. Place 2 cups of the berries in a large, heavy saucepan and mash with a potato masher until chunky.

Sift cornstarch and add it along with sugar and lemon juice to the saucepan. Stir well until sugar and cornstarch are completely dissolved. Place pan over medium-high heat, and whisk constantly until mixture begins to bubble. Cook about 1 minute more, until mixture thickens. (Be careful not to cook the mixture more than 1 to 2 minutes once it starts to bubble, or the cornstarch will lose its ability to thicken.)

Remove pan from heat and transfer mixture to a large nonreactive bowl. Cool to room temperature. Fold in the remaining 3 cups of berries and orange zest. Mound filling in the crust.

Refrigerate until chilled and firm, 3 to 4 hours. For the best texture, serve the pie the day it is made.

Using an electric mixer, whip cream on high speed until stiff peaks form and place cream in a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip. Pipe a lattice pattern over the top of the pie. Or, spread cream over berries and make a swirl pattern with a spatula.

NOTE:
Strawberries, especially those that are not perfectly ripe, tend to be acidic. Berries that are high in acidity cause cornstarch to break down. Normally 4 tablespoons of cornstarch will work in this recipe, but if your berries are well on the underripe side, you could add another ½ tablespoon.

BLUEBERRY CREAM CHEESE PIE