Recipe: Rosemary Lemon Drop Cocktail

What's more refreshing than lemonade on a hot summer day?  Only perhaps this cocktail, the Rosemary Lemon Drop!  Made from freshly squeezed juice, fresh herbs, and a touch of Liber & Co. Gum Syrup, this twist on the classic lemon drop will put your cocktail shaker to good use.  A glass rimmed with Quai Sud Lemon Sugar ensures that your sweet tooth is satisfied.

Rosemary Lemon Drop Cocktail

• 2 oz. vodka
• 1.5 oz. rosemary simple syrup  (we add a few springs of rosemary to our Liber Gum Syrup and let it steep for approximately 4 hours)
• 1 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Quai Sud Pure Cane Lemon Sugar to rim the glass 
• fresh rosemary for garnish

1. Rim a cocktail glass with sugar.
2. Combine all liquid ingredients ingredients in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice.
3. Shake vigorously.  Strain into rimmed cocktail glass.
4. Garnish with a twist of lemon and a small sprig of rosemary.

Food in the News: Week of July 23, 2014

Florida looks to expand it's olive oil production by pinpointing the most robust varieties for Southern subtropical climate.  Growers hope to develop olive trees that flourish in Florida via The Gainesville Sun >

 "I ate the best meat I've ever eaten through a straw." Why Bone Soup, A 'Perfect Food,' Tastes So Meaty via NPR >

Florence Fabrican't recipe for Savory Melon Tartare.  What to Eat With Italian Soave via NYTimes >

Climate Change Deniers Had Better Stop Drinking Wine via Vice >  “When you grow a grape in too hot a climate, it tends to be much bigger and bolder, which also tends to be high-alcohol,” Jones told VICE News. “High-alcohol wines tend not to go well with food, and that’s what we do — drink wine with food.”

Roundup: The Best of Summer Picnics

With abundant warm weather on the horizon, we're getting into the spirit with picnic inspirations.  Stay tuned this week for picnic packing tips as well as recipes to make your spread memorable and delicious.  Most all of the items in our pantry are "open and eat" so they are perfect for packing in your basket with no worries.

Recipe: Raw Honey Roasted Figs

I've never cooked figs before, but I sure do love warm fruit over ice cream...and since my fig tree is bursting with fruit, I figured I'd give it a whirl!  This is a very simple recipe, but served in vintage cocktail glasses makes an impressive dessert.  The best part is that the roasting process creates a sauce perfect for drizzling and serving.  I didn't make the ice cream from scratch...just bought a nice quality "homemade" vanilla at the store, adding to the simplicity of the preparation.

• 12-16 fresh figs, halved
• 3 tbsp raw honey, such as Bee Raw Maine Blueberry Honey
• 1/4 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla
• Juice of 1/2 small lemon
• 2-3 Sprigs of fresh rosemary

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Arrange sliced figs (flesh side up) in a baking dish, just large enough so that there isn't much room between them.
3. Drizzle with the honey.
4. Combine lemon juice and vanilla in a small bowl.  Drizzle over the figs.
5. Top with the sprigs of rosemary, bake for 15 minutes until the juices start to run.
6. Remove from the oven, and let stand for 5 minutes.  Serve over scoops of vanilla ice cream.

From the Maker's Mouth: Waxing Kara

As the week comes to a close and we venture out to forage for raw honey and figs, we wanted to share an interview with Kara Brook, the creator of Waxing Kara Honey and honey based body products.  Waxing Kara is one of our newest lines in The Savory Pantry and we are so honored to get a peek behind the scenes of a brand that we so admire.  Turns out, Kara is as lovely as her products and packaging!

Who is Kara?  I am an artist and I paint with beeswax. More specifically, I paint with encaustic an ancient painting technique that combines beeswax, tree resin and pigment. The idea of a sustainable art play appealed to me, so I started beekeeping for the wax.

How did you get into working with honey and developing honey based products?  I got more honey than wax from my beekeeping endeavors, and began bottling and sharing with friends and family. When I started commissioning exceptional artisans across the country to make small batch body products with my honey, wax and lavender from our farm, I knew that things were about to get very interesting, and they did. I call our premium line of food and body products “Bee Inspired Goods”.

What is it about what you do that you love the most?  I enjoy designing and developing beautiful products that I love to use and share with others.  It’s exciting when I share products with friends, family and customers and they hold it in their hands, take a deep breath and acknowledge the beauty and utility all at once. 

How are your products different than other scrubs, lotions and soaps?  Everything that we sell is small batch, handmade and as organic as we can afford to make it. We don’t use any harsh chemicals, false fragrance or sodium laurel/eth sulfate, all paraben free.

What is your most memorable meal? I was very close with an executive chef from Rehobeth Beach Delaware, then later he moved Washington DC. and lived only about 30 minutes from my home. One evening he told me to invite a few friends over and offered up “lobster three ways” for dinner. He actually prepared this for us right before our eyes, so it was sort of a cooking class in my home. It was very casual and extremely elegant all at the same time. He did this a few more times, once with salmon and another time with steak. Each time I learned more about food in a direction that I had never seen it go in my kitchen! Sadly, he passed away a few years back. I miss him very much.

What is your favorite food or food trend? I am currently eating very healthfully. I just got back from a week away to Deer Lake Lodge where I did an 8 day fast. In getting back to my day-to-day life I am doing all I can to be prepared with whole fresh foods in our home, staying away from gluten, processed foods and sugar. Farm-to-Table and RAW food currently interest me the most. I go out of my way to find and support restaurants that support farmers, and make healthy food. I do it for the health benefits of eating local food and I do it to support local artisans, regardless of where I am visiting.

What's next for Waxing Kara?  I am going to keep on coming up with good ideas to support the bees and at-risk youth.