I continue the countdown to the first day of summer, whose arrival i suggest you celebrate with a taste of Fete de la Musique or Make Music, with a caffeinated treat from  Sweet Cream & Sugar Cones '90 Recipes for Making Your Own Ice Cream and Frozen Treats from Bi-Rite Creamery' by Kris Hoogerhyde, Anne Walker, and Dabney Gough (Ten Speed Press, 2012).

Espresso Granita

Makes about 1¹/₂ quarts

3¹/₂ cups freshly brewed espresso or very 
strong coffee

³/₄ cup sugar

Make the base

1.  Combine the espresso and sugar in a medium bowl and stir until all the sugar has dissolved.

Freeze the granita

2.  Pour into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish or 
similar shallow pan. Freeze uncovered for 1¹⁄₂ hours, or until ice crystals start to form.

3.  Stir the mixture with a fork to break up the crystals. Return the baking dish to the freezer and stir every 30 minutes or so to break up the ice crystals as the granita freezes. When the granita is completely frozen (about 4 hours total), it should have a light, feathery texture.

Serve right away or transfer the granita to a container and store in the freezer. Break up the mixture with a fork just before serving. 

(* Reprinted with permission from Sweet Cream & Sugar Cones by Kris Hoogerhyde, Anne Walker, and Dabney Gough, copyright © 2012. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.” Photo credit: Paige Green © 2012)

The recipe might not have been prescribed by a doctor yet in many European countries the Euro Cup currently under way rovides a welcome relief from the debt crisis.

Since 2007, a parallel event dreamed up by Daniel Burns, who was then pastry chef at Noma, pits 20 teams composed of chefs and cooking staff from Copenhagen restaurants against each other.

The aptly named FoodBall combines a live game on Sunday, June 24th at 1 p.m in Frem Parken  paired with a do good component which for second year in a row raises funds for Action Against Hunger...

As organizers point out:

"You don’t have to live in Denmark to take part in the fun or support Action Against Hunger. Foodies the world over can participate by buying raffle tickets (see link below) for a chance to win dinner for two at one of sixteen top restaurants. Tickets go for $10 US apiece, or $50 for 6, and 100% of the raffle proceeds go to Action Against Hunger. There will be 20 teams from participating restaurants, and the restaurants will also fundraise for Action Against Hunger. Some of the restaurants include: NoMA, Denmark: 2 Michelin Stars, Voted #1 of The 2012 World’s 50 Best Restaurants Chez Dominique, Finland: 2 Michelin Stars Geranium, Denmark: Rising Michelin Star Padaste Manor, Estonia Bloom in the Park, Sweden."

Don't put your foot in your mouth, join the fun and donate.

What do you do when you discover on a Friday evening that trips you want to book for train travel in Italy before departure on Monday are not available as E-Tickets via Rail Europe and that paper tickets (such a thing still exists) would not be sent until Monday?

You try Trenitalia site in English.

Unfortunately, their online reservation system seems down and keeps giving you a 'not available, try again later' message.

I have to say I did not have that problem when i booked my Paris-Toulouse train trip via SNCF.com last summer from Copenhagen.

On a positive note the Mini fares offered by Trenitalia start at 9 Euros and for travel midday from Rome to Venice on June 15, they have tickets available for 29 Euros, great price.

What's left to do?

Keep trying until a working solution pops up.

Those menu or time challenged have been treated in the past year to a few cookbooks that give a 360 degree view of the world's cuisines in one tome.

One of the entriesin that category is Flavor Exposed '100 Global Recipes from Sweet to Salty, Earthy to Spicy' (Kyle Books, April 2012) by Angelo Sosa with foreword by Alain Ducasse.

Besides sweet and savory dishes, Summer garden parties deserve creative drinks, here's one.

Thai Basil and Cumin Lemonade

Serves: 4 Time: About 15 minutes Flavors: Sour/Sweet/Herbaceous

If my son ever decides to have a lemonade stand, I’d like to think I’d have some influence over his product. If so, this would be my suggestion for our collaborative effort: a refreshing, fragrant beverage suitable for all ages. Seriously, I’m pretty sure this is a get-rich-quick idea for a small business, so if you want to steal it and start a Thai Basil and Cumin Lemonade stand, by all means, go for it.

 2 cups fresh lemon juice

1½ cups water

1½ cups sugar

2 fresh sprigs Thai basil, plus leaves

2 tablespoons sliced ginger

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

ice

1 In a large pitcher, combine the lemon juice, water, sugar, Thai basil, and ginger.

2 Put the cumin seeds in a small dry sauté pan over low heat and toast until just

aromatic, about 2 minutes. Immediately add the warm cumin seeds to infuse the

lemonade with the cumin flavor and stir to dissolve the sugar. Refrigerate until

fully chilled, about 30 minutes.

3 To serve, mix again and pour over ice. Garnish with Thai basil leaves.

(* Recipe from Flavor Exposed '100 Global Recipes from Sweet to Salty, Earthy to Spicy' (Kyle Books, April 2012) by Angelo Sosa with foreword by Alain Ducasse, Photos by William Brinson, reproduced with permission of the publisher, all rights reserved)

Many amateur and professional chefs rave (drool) over Japanese knives for the precise cuts they deliver.

One lucky person has a shot at winning a Tsukiji Masamoto Paring Knife by filling New York Mutual Trading Knife Survey in the runup to the opening of their e-commerce site 'MTC Kitchen'.

As their name suggests Masamoto knives come from a shop located in Tsukiji fish market and Jon Van Dalen documents this century old producer in Masamoto Tsukiji Knives (Victory or Death in the Kitchen, April 15, 2012).

Detailed directions on how to reach the shop (located under blue sign in image above) are included in the piece.

Ode to knives for Tokyo Thursdays # 236

Previously: Zarusoba, Cold Noodles for Breakfast to Beat the Heat

(* Image from Masamoto Tsukiji knives shop from Victory or Death in the Kitchen piece)

The official start of Summer is only 2 week away and it is time for me to ramp up the fruit pops, ice cream and other frozen delights, preferably made with naturally fresh ingredients.

Thanks to today's offering from Sweet Cream & Sugar Cones '90 Recipes for Making Your Own Ice Cream and Frozen Treats from Bi-Rite Creamery' by Kris Hoogerhyde, Anne Walker, and Dabney Gough (Ten Speed Press, 2012), I discovered the existence of tapioca syrup.

Pink Grapefruit Sorbet Recipe

Makes about 1 quart | Pictured on page 116 

This is a very refreshing, tart sorbet. We call for Meyer lemon juice here simply because its extra sweetness helps balance out the tartness of the grapefruit juice. Feel free to use regular Eureka lemon juice, but you may need to use a little extra simple syrup.

¹/₄ cup 2:1 Simple Syrup (page 18), cooled

3 cups fresh pink grapefruit juice (from about 
6 large grapefruits)

¹/₄ cup tapioca syrup or corn syrup

2 tablespoons strained fresh Meyer lemon juice

¹/₄ teaspoon kosher salt

Make the base

1.  In a medium nonreactive bowl, combine 
2 tablespoons of the simple syrup, the grapefruit juice, tapioca syrup, lemon juice, and salt. Stir until well combined and the salt is completely dissolved.

2.  Taste the base. It should taste just a bit too sweet (once the sorbet is frozen, it will lose some of its sweetness). Add the remaining simple syrup if you need it.

Freeze the sorbet

3.  Freeze in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. While the sorbet is churning, put the container you’ll use to store the sorbet into the freezer. Enjoy right away or, for a firmer sorbet, transfer to the chilled container and freeze for about 4 hours.

(* Reprinted with permission from Sweet Cream & Sugar Cones by Kris Hoogerhyde, Anne Walker, and Dabney Gough, copyright © 2012. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.” Photo credit: Paige Green © 2012)

The least I can do on World Environment Day 2012 (June 5th) is to drink organic.

Thanks God, I picked a bottle of La Grand Ribe 'Cotes du Rhone Villages 09 Centenaire', certified organic (Agriculture Biologique) on my way home.

You should be able to find this mostly Grenache wine which I have not tasted yet for around $11 to $12.

I would have missed World Environment Day 2012 if I had not seen it mentioned by Greener Gadgets who notes that this year's theme is Green Economy: Does it include you?

"The 2012 theme for World Environment Day is Green Economy: Does it include you? Evidently, there are two parts to this theme and the first tackles the subject of the Green Economy. This is where some people shut off their minds because they find the concept of the Green Economy a little too complex to understand.

On the contrary, the Green Economy is really something that is applicable all around you and it is easy to imagine how you fit in it. Visit the ‘What is the Green Economy?’ page to read a layman’s narrative of this concept."

A toast to Green Economy for Green Day # 227

Previously:

Summer Visit to Natural Winemakers Chateau Plaisance in Fronton and Domaine Plageoles in Gaillac in the Cards

(* Image of Mont Ventoux as seen from Domaine La Grand Ribe borrowed from their site, site is in French only)

Want to soak in the Queen's celebrations and toast her without getting a buzz?

Good people at Firefly Tonics are here to help with their 'Rule Britannia' special edition.

Not sure what's in the mix.

(* image courtesy of Firefly Tonics)

After sharing first Irish Butter Poached Scallops then Huevos Motulenos recipes from Cindy's Supper Club 'Meals from around the world to share with family and friends' (Ten Speed Press, May 2012), i wanted to show Cindy Pawlcyn sweet side.

Raspberry-Currant 
Linzer Torte 

Makes 1 (8-to 9-inch) torte; serves 6 to 8

Crust

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

11/2 tablespoons natural unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, or 2 teaspoons peeled and grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup almonds or hazelnuts, flaked, finely
 shredded, or pulsed in a food processor

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup unsalted butter

3 egg yolks

Grated zest of 1 lemon

To make the crust, in a medium bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt, cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and almonds until well mixed. In a large bowl combine the granulated sugar and butter and beat with a handheld mixer on medium-high speed or with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and lemon zest and stir until incorporated. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until thoroughly combined and a soft dough forms.

Divide the dough into 2 portions, one twice as large as the other. Press out each portion like a thick hamburger patty, wrap separately in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until chilled, or up to 24 hours.

Raspberry-Currant Jam

1 pound fresh raspberries and red currants, preferably in equal parts

1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Grated zest of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 egg white whisked with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash

Chopped hazelnuts or sliced almonds, for garnish

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

To make the jam, remove any stems from the 
currants. In a nonreactive pot, combine the 
currants and raspberries, granulated sugar, and lemon zest and juice and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to a simmer and cook, 
stirring often, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thick and jammy and a candy thermometer registers 228°F. 
Be sure to cook the jam long enough (being careful not to scorch) for it to thicken. Remove from 
the heat and let cool. You should have 1 to 11/2 cups.

To bake the torte, preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove only the larger dough portion from 
the refrigerator and press it onto the bottom and sides of an 8- or 9-inch round tart pan with a 
removable bottom. Pour in the cooled jam and then refrigerate while you make the lattice for the top.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the second dough portion to match the diameter of your pan. With a table knife or a pastry or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 1/2- to 3/4-inch-wide strips. For the fanciest lattice top, lay half of the strips parallel to one another across the tart, spacing them about 
1/2 inch apart. Lay the remaining strips perpendicular 
to the first strips, spacing them about 1/2 inch apart and gently weaving them over and under the first strips. If a strip breaks, just press the broken edges back together. Alternatively, for a simple lattice, place half of the strips parallel to one another across the tart, spacing them about 1/2 inch apart. Then 
lay the remaining strips on top of and perpendicular to the first strips, spacing them about 1/2 inch 
apart. Press the ends of each strip onto the edge of the bottom crust.

Brush the lattice strips with the egg wash, then sprinkle the hazelnuts evenly around the outside edge. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. (Start checking after 30 minutes and decrease the heat to 350°F if the crust seems to be browning too fast.) Let cool completely on a wire rack, then remove the pan sides. Using a wide metal spatula, carefully slide the torte onto a serving plate. Liberally dust the top of the torte with confectioners’ 
sugar and cut into wedges to serve. 

(*Reprinted with permission from Cindy’s Supper Club: Meals from Around the World to Share with Family and Friends by Cindy Pawlcyn, copyright © 2012. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. Photo credit: Alex Farnum.)