The Vampiro. A Halloween Champagne Cocktail

So yes, are you over my over sharing of our fun crafting afternoon?  That is why I saved the best for last.

If you know or follow me at all.  I love sparkling beverages, mainly my Soda Stream and Champagne.  So whenever I am left to cocktail duty it will most definitely involve one of these two.

For this one I had a bunch of Italian plums that my dad had brought me from his tree.  This is what Jenn and I came up with.

I love the color of this cocktail.  I love the bubbles.  It's slightly sweet but the Aperol gives it the perfect Je Ne Sais Quoi balance.  And the foam at the end with a flower on top.  Yep.

I'm not a food blogger so maybe have a glass of bubbles while you make these cocktails and relax, don't worry about the recipe details.


The Vampiro

Ingredients
Chilled Prosecco or Champagne
Italian Plums, or regular will do or even berries.
Sugar
Aperol
Edible flowers for garnish like Pansies.

So I prefer to macerate my fruit rather than make a simple syrup, I think the flavor stays truer rather than having to cook it out into that fake candy flavor.  Plus why add water to a cocktail unless it's extra ice.  IMO.  But it you are making this quickly just make a 1 cup water: 2 cup sugar simple syrup and add plum puree.  Google it if you need directions.

To Macerate:  Chop up plums, add sugar.  Mix, let sit on your counter for a couple hours then transfer to fridge until ready to use.  Depending on the sweetness of fruit will determine sugar amount.  I did 1 teaspoon sugar per Plum.   Puree.  You can strain but I like the little chunks.  Personal preference.

Also this is why I could never be a food blogger.  None of this is exact it's all personal preference.

To assemble.

Pour Champagne into glass 2/3full.  Do this first - key to the champagne not overflowing.
Add a good splash of aperol
two spoonfuls of plum puree.
Stir - this gives you a lovely foam on top
Garnish with Flower.  Because even Spooky can be Sweet.

Cheers.

Cocktailing Crafters. Part 2, The Food

 

 

 

If you missed yesterday I introduced our crafting afternoon.

We take our food spread very seriously.  But really it's all very simple.

First.  We always include a fabulous cheese plate.  This one was inspired by the figs that are in season right now.  I love love love their color on the tray.  And paired with bleu cheese and a crusted bread, it's a fave breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I can't be the only one?  I love the addition of the salty green pistachios and sweet apricot cheese, both for complimentary flavor and for color.  Then take all of it and toss it onto a pretty platter.  The mix of organic and formal is what brings it all together so well. 

Second.  Roasted beet hummus with seeded salt garnish balanced out our table.  The veggies and veggie chips are both visually pleasing and the perfect dippers.

Finally.  Finish with something sweet.  Festive Halloween treats from The Sweet Side were the perfect finishing touch. 

The Vampiro cocktail is coming later this week. 

Roasted Beet Hummus recipe courtesy of Sally

For roasted beets:

3 medium beets (I used golden this time)

Generous drizzle olive oil 

Salt and pepper

For Hummus:

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup olive oil

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tsp. sesame oil OR 1-2T tahini

1/2-1 tsp. salt

Garnish:

Not Without Salt Seedy Salt

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Peel and dice beets into approx 3/4" cubes.  Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper in a baking dish and roast until very tender, about 25 minutes.  Allow beets to cool, then combine with remaining ingredients in food processor or bowl (if using immersion blender).  Process ingredients until smooth, then season to taste with additional salt or sesame oil.

Photos by Kristen Honeycutt.

Thank you to The Sweet Side for providing our sweet treats!

Stay tuned tomorrow for all the decor details from Yay Parties.  

Best,

Kirsty

Our Week of Peaches

Well they didn't actually last a week.  But it sounds better than 4 days of Peaches.

Of the many adventures and experiences to be had during summer, one of my favorites of course is food, and specifically fruit - experiencing fruit at the peak of it's flavor.  Because I love food, I want to share with my boys what food tastes like at it's best.  We are so lucky here in Seattle to have so much amazing fruit among us during the summer and I'm grateful for farmers markets and local grocery stores that provide us with the cream of the crop straight from the growers.

In honor of today being National Eat a Peach Day I'm sharing what we did with a flat of peaches from one of our favorite local grocers Met Market.  Mostly we just eat them, because when a peach is at it's very best, not much compares, but we did get a bit creative in the best way.  And I love the idea that tasting a close to perfect peach, will always take you back to the heart of summer.

I want my boys to have these memories.

To me, splashing a bit of cream on fresh cut peaches, always takes me back.  That sweet smell and taste transport me to moments filled with my mom, dad and brother and summer evenings that stretched bedtime until that last of the setting sun.  I never tire of these memories.

Here are some of the things we did with our peaches.

We simply ate them.

Then we cut them up, counted them into jars, and topped with fresh whipped cream.

Then we made bruschetta.  And I sort of can't even take how good it was.  Here's what you do:  Take good bread and brush with olive oil and grill.  Then top with fresh mozzarella (I'm obsessed with the Met Market fresh hand-stretched mozzarella), fresh basil, peaches and sprinkle with Maldon salt.  Disclaimer:  I'm not a food blogger.  Just a foodie.

We also made peach milkshakes.

And peach salsa .

And then we ate them some more, and didn't want it to end.

This post was done in partnership with the Met Market.  For 21 years, the Met Market has sourced the very best peaches in the land for their Peach-O-Rama.  If you live near, I definitely recommend partaking, if even just one.  This will be a tradition we continue for years to come.

PS -I'm gonna start keeping track of our food adventures in this, I love this idea.

thank you for reading.  What is your favorite summer fruit memory?

best,
kirsty

My favorite cocktail dressed up for the holidays: Blood Orange Grapefruit French 75s.

Bookmark this one for next weekend.  Or tomorrow.  No judging.  Let's get festive.

French 75's are my favorite cocktail.  The bubbles, the slight tart, slight sweet.  The gin.  I like it because it's refreshing and not overly sweet, but still pleases the masses.  And it's classic.

The addition of a rosey hued citrus makes this drink as beautiful to look at as it is delicious to drink, with the popularity of grapefruit right and the rich color of blood oranges, which are about to be in season, we couldn't resist the mixture.

Adding the zest, as well as the bitters, gives this drink a wonderful depth, a sophistication beyond our beloved Mimosa.  Plus the zest is where the wonderful oils are hidden.  a.k.a. good for you.

Blood Orange Grapefruit French 75 Recipe

1 blood orange
1 ruby red grapefruit
3/4 cup gin
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 tsp angostura bitters
1 bottle chilled champagne or prosecco... any favorite sparkling wine.

Zest the blood orange, careful not to zest the white pith.  Cut and peel the remaining white pith from the orange, so you just have the fruit.  Chop.  Add chunks and juice to a bowl.  Repeat with 1/2 of the grapefruit, reserving the other half of the fruit for garnish, slicing into wedges.  You could also use the blood orange for the garnish.  Just do your thing.

Add sugar, gin and bitters to the bowl of fruit/zest/juice.  Depending on the tartness of the citrus and your sweet tooth, add more or less of the sugar, between 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon is a good guide.

Let sit for a couple of hours, stir occasionally.  Sugar should be dissolved.  Strain and chill.

Fill 6 six glasses with champagne, add just about 2 tablespoons gin mixture to each.  Just eyeball it.  Garnish with grapefruit slice.

Variations.  (Because this is just what my mind does, a blessing and a curse)
*Use all orange or grapefruit for this cocktail.  I love the color that these citrus fruit create.
*Make a citrus sugar to line the rim of the glasses...maybe even send your guests home with a small jar as a party favor.
*Use a sparkling Rose for even better color.
*Non-Alcoholic version - I think Rhubarb Dry Soda would be perfection, or of course sparkling cider or sparkling water, and omit the gin.

Make it your own...a signature holiday cocktail.

Some of the other details:

glassware - Anthropologie

cakestand - Williams-Sonoma.  similar

polka dot plates - Rosanna.  no longer avail.

garnish dish - Anthropologie

candle - Voluspa Citrus Cuttings, Queen Anne Dispatch or Nordstrom

my pjs - PJ Salvage, Queen Anne Dispatch or Nordstrom

Jenn's pjs - PJ Salvage, Queen Anne Dispatch

my ring - Gorjana

Jenn's ring - Baublebar

Cheers!

Kirsty

like what you see, follow along on my instagram, thekirstyfiles.  Say hello!  connect with me.

Because I subscribe to more cooking magazines than fashion: my cookbook gift guide

this night.

this night.

shirt - Vintage Havana, Isla Boutique

crop tank - Free People, Queen Anne Dispatch {similar}

jeans - Hudson, Nordstrom Rack {old}

jacket - H&M

shoes - Frye {old, see below for similar}

bag - Marc by Marc Jacobs, shopbop {on sale!}

lips - Nars Cruella

earrings - Lucia K. Jewelry Blake

started with a walk through the most charming neighborhood...the kind where you ooh and awe and wonder "who in the world?" or "is that really just one house?" 

with my man.

to meet old friends who have just become neighbors, yippee!!  {not pictured}.  

the type you can pick up right where you left off, talk all night with, and reminisce, and who will share charcuterie with you and brown butter roasted cauliflower, and toast, with french 75s of course.

{instagram - follow along!}

it was a beyond good kind of night.

TGIF.

and since I have worn my Frye shoes all week {if only my funds were endless...}, 6pm.com is an awesome place to find Frye items for major discounts {40-65% off!}, and they have videos for many of their items, which I love because I want to see the shoes on before I purchase {helps with the guesswork} and its free shipping.  Here are a few similar to above, and a couple I have on my list...

best,

kirsty