Using liquid nitrogen to create the ultimate cool down cocktail

Making a frosty gimlet with liquid nitrogen

Whenever my husband participates in a culinary event, I know it means our fridge will be full of delicious leftovers. Last weekend he was part of Plate & Pitchfork, an event that connects chefs with farmers to help benefit different charities. The chefs use produce from a specific farm and prepare a 5-course meal for around 80 diners. The entire event is held in the middle of the chosen farm, so it usually involves butane burners, a massive grill and some serious dedication.

Because my husband is a big fan of making an impression, every event he does he goes a little crazy. This time, crazy meant grilling up Iberico solomillo, the tenderloin from the exclusive acorn-fed Spanish hogs, and using liquid nitrogen to create a sweet corn ice cream on the fly.

Some awesome pictures of the event can be found here. But, to help entice you, here’s a picture that my friend DB took of the ice cream being made:

Hey there little lassi, come say hello to me…

What you should be drinking right now!

It was an absolutely gorgeous weekend in Portland. I spent about three hours on Saturday sweltering in my sunny backyard, working up the motivation to run some errands. While I waited for my lost ambition to find me, I made this delicious concoction: a coconut-milk twist in the Indian treat, the lassi.

I’ve never actually had a lassi before (and upon writing this discovered it’s pronounced luh-see which makes the title of this post little weird) but I can say this version was pretty magical. I got the recipe from my beloved magazine Bon Appetit, where a whole mouth-watering section of the newest issue is dedicated to strawberries.

I literally couldn’t wait to blend one up and the ingredients list is so short, I happened to have everything on hand to make it. Well almost everything, but happily buttermilk can be faked with milk and a squeeze of lemon juice!

What can go wrong with strawberries and coconut milk?