Fermented Agua de Jamaica

This summer has been all about the fizz.  Anything sparkly, spicy, or fermented has been floating my bubble.

After successfully creating my ginger bug (which is still active and stubborn and just won't go to sleep), I've been regularly making ginger ale along with other fermented sodas.  I only have 3 glass flip top bottles, so it's not a major production, but it's nice since the quantities are 75cL to 1L at a time, there is a constant rotation of things happening in and around my kitchen.

Only once has the test been horribly awful.  Watermelon soda was really bad.  Really really bad.  Maybe I don't put enough sugar in, but it tasted like rotten tomato juice.  

I'm shuddering just thinking about it.
The sugar thing is psychological.  I know it will be eaten by the lactobacillus and won't actually make the drink sugary.. but it's a real struggle to do it.

Lemonade works really well, though.  Lets focus on the delicious.

Agua Fresca de Jamaica also turns out to be fabulous!  I've often thought that refreshing spiced hibiscus iced tea would be excellent as a bubbly drink...and so it was!
yield 75 cL (25 floz)

Ingredients

1/4 cup ginger bug

1/4 cup lime juice

2 Tbsp dried hibiscus flower
1/2 inch piece cinnamon stick
3 - 4 cups water
1/4 cup sugar (or more if you like it sweet)
Directions
1.  Place 3 cups of water with the sugar, hibiscus, and cinnamon in a pot.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 2-3 minutes until sugar dissolves.
2.    Let cool to lukewarm.  This is important.  You don't want to kill your ferment.  Then remove the solids (hibiscus and cinnamon)
3.  Using a funnel over your flip top bottle,  pour in the ginger bug and lime juice followed by the steeped jamaica.  Top off with extra water if needed.  Make sure not to overfill.
4.  Do not close the bottle yet.  Cover to make sure nobody falls in.  I used a piece of coffee filter and a rubber band.  Let sit at room temperature for 2 days.
5.  Now you can close the flip top bottle.  Let sit for 1-2 days, but not more than that.  My room temperature is around 25°C 77°F right now.  If it's colder where you are, you may let it sit longer, but at your own risk.
6.  Refrigerate until ready to drink.

As always, open with caution.  Do this outside or as shown in the sink.  That is not my hand, by the way.

Hold the flip top cap down and let the air out slooowwwly to avoid the geyser effect.  This method functions well.

Enjoy very cold while discussing fermentation techniques with people who had no idea this could be done!

Home-Fermented Ginger Ale

Good things come to those who wait...

Naturally occuring bubbles have always intrigued me, starting with Perrier.  I just can't get my brain around the fact that water flows from the ground already bubbly.  That is just insane!  To be fair, Perrier does reinforce the natural carbonation before bottling.. but if you did go to the source, it would be eyelashflutteringly bubbly.

Then there are the fermented drinks.  Then there are drinks like beer and champagne that start out flat and become bubbly.  That is equally insane, because in all my past experiences, I have only observed the reverse process.  The drink starts out bubbly and ends up flat.

Then one day, many many years ago in a far away family vacation home on the Normandy coast, my aunt opened a bottle of homemade "Limonade" she had stashed there from the previous year.  It was not too sweet, nice and lemony, and most importantly, BUBBLY!  She explained that she made it herself and the carbonation just naturally happened (but she was giving it to us kids, so it couldn't be like beer or champagne).

I was humored and a bit skeptical about the process, but was too young to actually pursue the curiosity.

Then, some 15 years later, I was gifted a bottle of olive oil with a flip cap.  That bottle made me flashback to that summer in Cabourg.  I decided I would try to make something that naturally carbonates.

As I looked through the different processes, it turns out that consuming fermented foods and beverages brings gifts to your body.  The probiotics in cultured food are a major cruise line all you can eat buffet for your flora.  Come to mama Lactobacillus!

Awesome.

I still would have done it even if there were no bonus points.  I wanted to do it because it's my little experiment at the moment.

For my very first try, I wanted to make ginger ale.  Because ginger is delicious.

You can't say the word "rhizome" in front of me without me yelling out GINGER!

Yes, it has accidentally happened before.

In order to make home-fermented soda, you need a culture.

Ok, everyone belongs to one culture or another, but I mean a pet living thing that you need to feed.  There are different types, but I feel the easiest to make (for me at least) is the Ginger bug.

The Ginger Bug is a mixture of grated ginger, sugar, and water left out at very warm room temperature until it ferments, then can be used as a base for a number of home-made sodas.

Mine spontaneously fermented in 48 hours.  So cool!

Follow Ginger Bug instructions from WellnessMama.

I'm also working a different type of ferment with "Limonade" which calls for rice, sugar, lemon juice, and water, but I'll get to that in a different post.  It's not quite ready yet.

I've made the ginger ale a coupe of times using the same ginger bug I've been keeping alive since the first bottle, so I'm confident in this recipe that has tested out quite well.

Yield 1 L or quart of Ginger Ale

Ingredients

1 inch piece ginger, grated

1/4 cup rapadura or cane sugar

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup Ginger Bug

3-4 cups non chlorinated water (not direct tap water)

Directions

1.  Place 1 1/2 cups water with the rapadura, salt, and grated ginger to heat on the stove.  Simmer for 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves.  Let cool!  You don't want to kill your magnificent ginger bug now do you?

2.  Using a funnel, pour the ginger bug, lime juice, and stovetop mixture into your flip top glass bottle.  Top off with the non chlorinated water.  Make sure you don't fill it too high.  Do not close the flip top right away.  Cover with a cheesecloth or coffee filter along with a rubber band.

3.  Leave out at room temperature for 2 days before closing the flip top.  Then leave out for 3 days maximum after bottling.  During this time, it will naturally carbonate.  Check it everyday to see any bubbles.  Once you start seeing them, you can refrigerate, which stops the carbonation process.  If you leave it out too long, you will have a geyser when you open it.
4.  Serve chilled.

The taste is incredible.  It's not sweet at all although there seems to be a lot of sugar going in, very gingery, almost spicy, ultra bubbly, and a bit yeasty.  Everything I love and more...
My experimentation is going to branch out into a few different directions.. I'm so excited!

Note:
If this is the first time you are making a home-fermented soda, make sure you open it very carefully over the sink or even outdoors.  The first time, 3/4 of the bottle did an Old Faithful on me all over my kitchen.  I was left with only 1 little glass to taste and the rest to lick off the floor.  I had left it out 5 days instead of 3.. during a "heat wave".
The 2nd time I left it out only 3 days, but filled it just a bit too high.  I opened it outside and held the flip cap down to let some of the air out before totally opening it.  This time, it geysered out but I was able to catch some of it with my glass, and I was left with over half of the bottle + 1 glassful.  Not bad.
The 3rd time, I left it out only 3 days and didn't fill it too high.  The carbonation was strong, but I didn't make a mess.
Different room temperatures may yield different waiting times.

Be Patient...

Hibiscus Spice Popsicles

I finally got my hands on some popsicle moulds!  Now all I want to do is use my bullet and freeze everything all the time!

I've been playing around with the hibiscus popsicle idea for a few years now.  I don't know why it took me so long.. maybe I was expecting to be making them somewhere other than my home, but either way, the only way to be sure to go through with an idea is to tackle it yourself.
As you may know, hibiscus has a natural hydrating and has a cooling effect as well, which makes it perfect for a hot day when you double the cooling effect with the freezing.  It is also used in diuretics but I don't really care about that part.

My hunt for these moulds was quite an event as well.  I went to 3 or 4 stores before finding something decent where the stick was long enough to hold what was going to be frozen on it.

This recipe is similar to a regular Agua de Jamaica, but a bit more intense on the hibiscus and spices infused.  A frozen treat needs to be more potent because the cold numbs the taste just a bit.  The usual remedy to this is to add more sugar.. but I'd rather just add some spice...

Mmm that deep red color makes me want to rub it all over my face!

Yield 20 popsicles + leftover iced tea

Ingredients

1/2 cup hibiscus flowers

2 star anis

4 cloves

2 Tbsp sugar

1 stick cinnamon

1/2 inch piece ginger

1vanilla stalk

1 1/ 2L water

Directions

1.  Place everything but the water in a large enough mixing bowl.

2.  Boil water and pour over the hibiscus and company.  Steep for 15 minutes, then strain through a very fine mesh.

3.  Pour into popsicle moulds and freeze for at least 12 hours.

Enjoy your refreshingly intriguing treats!

I love the deep red color of these popsicles.  The addition of vanilla was interesting.  It made it almost Caribbean in my mouth.  I felt it more in the iced tea than the popsicle, however.
Next time I would add more ginger and cinnamon.. and maybe a little chile for extra punch.. but then I'd have to think twice about sharing with my dog...
If you're not into frozen treats, this works perfectly as iced tea or hot tea as well.

Thai Iced Tea

I often write about memories on this blog which eventually lead to recipes.  There are things from our past that just stick with you all your life.  Many of those things happen during the very young or adolescent years.  The happy events during that part of your life is your therapy source for the following part of your life.  Just listen to a song you liked when you were 10-15 years of age now, and pay attention to your emotions.

This tea is just like the song "Waterfall" by TCL.

Any Thai restaurant I went to with the family was Thai iced tea and green curry.  Each and every time was a moment worth reliving.

Yield 1 L

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups water

5 thai black teabags or 80g loose thai tea

2 star anise

3 cloves

1/4 cup sugar (I used only 2 Tbsp)

splash of milk or half and half per glass

lots of ice

Directions

1.  Boil the water and pour over the tea, sugar, star anis, and cloves.

2.  Steep for 15-20 minutes, then remove teabags or loose tea, star anis, and cloves.

3.  Let cool, then chill.

4.  To serve, fill each glass with ice, pour the chilled tea, then add a generous splash of whole milk or half and half.

Enjoy the silky texture flow over your tongue and explore your mouth before cooling your throat and trickling down into your stomach....

I'm very satisfied with the outcome of this Thai iced tea.  It not as sweet as the "real" Thai iced tea you can find in restaurants, which is easy to remedy if that's what you're going for.

I usually don't drink anything but water or Perrier because of the sweet factor.  I don't feel comfortable with sugary drinks and I rarely go for them unless they're equally bitter or sour.  This drink is neither bitter nor sour, but is absolutely perfect!

Ginger Watermelon Smoothie

Watermelon is the perfect summer fruit.  It is mostly made of water so it has a rehydrating effect, but it also has a cooling or refrshing effect (as do cucumber, mango, and hibiscus).  Blending it into an ice cold smoothie while everyonr else is drinking beer only just makes sense, right?  To obtain the equivalent euphoric effect.. Just add ginger.  

Actually, this applies to just about anything.

I thought about adding a peach, which I'll probably end up doing later, but here I just wanted the full on spiked watermelon experience.

So, here is how it goes....

Ingredients

1/2 inch piece ginger, peeled

2 or more cups chopped watermelon

Juice from 1/2 lime

Directions

1.  Put the ginger into a magic bullet or blender and topit off with chopped watermelon.

2.  Blend it.  It should be about half full.  Top it off with more chopped watermelon and a squeeze of lime.

3.  Blend it again.

There you have it.

A perfect summer cocktail overflowing with excitement!

This served 2 glasses, but lucky for me.. I still have 3/4 a watermelon to use, so later I'll be adding cilantro and peach to this smoothie for a nice little twist.

I can't wait to get a hold of some popsicle moulds to turn this into sexy iced dessert!

Agua Fresca de Jamaica

I have many things, but here are a few things you can't find in my home.

A vase.  Seriously... I like flowers, but I like them outside in plant form.  I hate being offered flowers for the simple reason that I have no idea what to do with them except for putting them in a vase.. which I don't have, and I don't want, because I don't really care for being offered flowers.

Plus, it takes up all the space on the table and just gets in the way and all you're really waiting for is for them to get ugly enough to throw out.  Oh.. and changing the flower water makes me gag.  I don't mind cleaning lizard poop, but flower water.. bleh!!

People who know me well know that the only flowers or plants I love being offered are the edible ones.  

Bouquet of basil?  oh you just made me blush...

Chiles in any form?  oh yes yes yes!

Ok ok, if you absolutely must, offer me flowers.. but make sure they're chive flower, zucchini flowers, or in the dried form.. hibiscus flowers!  Besides, the only purpose for which I would ever use a vase would be as a pitcher (which I don't have either, but for no apparent reason).

Yes, this is my guest etiquette and it's kind of an understanding.. never anything I actually impose.

I've been making hot hibiscus tea for some time now.. just the flowers steeped with no additions, but the weather has been getting sweaty hot, and although it is recommended to drink warm or hot when hot, I just can't bring myself to do it.  I want and crave ice cold water and iced tea!  The upside is that hibiscus has a cooling effect on the body (so does cucumber), so even if you drink it cold, it eventually ends up cooling you.

I grew up drinking agua de jamaica any time I had the opportunity.  I was never one for soda and mostly would just drink water, but whenever this iced tea was available, I would dive head first into it.

On top of being refreshing and deliciously tart, hibiscus has many health benefits.  It is loaded with antioxidants, can lower blood pressure, and reduce chronic inflammation.  Why wait?

Yield 2 Liters/Quarts

Ingredients

1 heaping handful dried hibiscus flowers

1 inch piece fresh ginger

1 cinnamon stick

2 Liters water

1/4 cup sugar or to taste (I completely omitted)

Directions

1.  Place the hibiscus, ginger, cinnamon, and sugar in a large enough bowl.

2.  Boil the water and pour over the arrangement in the bowl.

3.  Steep for 10 minutes, then strain.

4.  Let cool, then refrigerate.

Enjoy chilled, any time of the day.  This is a great "anytime" beverage.

I enjoyed it with happy hour to accompany my Nocellara del Belice amazing olives, slices of cold juicy melon, and some homemade hummus and dipping paraphernalia.

I love the tartness of this drink. Although the restaurants serve it with lots of sugar, I like it better the way I make it at home, sugar free.  Many people find it too sour, but I prefer it this way.

Indian Basil Seed (Sabja) Iced Tea

Yesterday morning I went to one of my favorite amusement parks, the Asian supermarket.  It's kind of like going on a treasure hunt.  I had a list of things I know I want.  I had the Chinese phonetic pronunciation and the english description of the product, but once there, you have to really read the ingredients to be sure you have the correct item.. plus it helps to avoid buying products with msg and genetically modified soy.  Anyway, while perusing the spice isle, I saw something I'd never seen before in real life (or maybe something I'd never searched for) Thai basil seeds.  I immediately knew what to do with them since I'd seen many Indian summer drinks with these little seeds.  I also knew they have a wild variety of health benefits, so I placed them in my cart and felt motivated to continue my search for odd Sichuan pastes.  I hosted a dinner party last night and I thought I could make this into a refreshing happy hour beverage that would be new and fun.  My guest always know whether they like to or not, they'll be tasting something "strange" when coming here.
While researching, I found that these little basil seeds DO have a plethora of health benefits.
I may be onto a wild discovery...
-  reduces indigestion
- cures colds
-respiratory disorders
-anti-stress
-helps with skin infections
-weight loss
-anti inflammatory
-reduces heartburn
-improves memory
-treats diabetes
How did I not come across these before?
Plus, all you need to do is soak just 1-2 Tbsp in 2 cups of water for 30 minutes and then you can add them to up to 2 L of whatever drink you want.. lemonade, plain water, juice, falooda...

They are fun too.  The texture is slippery and they look like lump eggs when they are soaked.  The inner part stays hard, but the whole concept made me think of Boba (bubble tea) that is so hard to find here in France.  Plus I'm sure these are much much healthier!
I made some Indian Iced "Tea" with honey, cardamom, and pepper.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp basil seeds (sabja) soaked in 2 cups water for 30 minutes

2 L warm water

6 Tbsp honey

1/2 tsp cardamom

1 tsp finely ground pepper

Directions

1.  Dissolve the honey in the water, then add the cardamom and pepper.

2.  Mix well, then refrigerate until well chilled.

3.  Serve 2 tsp (or more) soaked seeds in each glass.

They will float to the top at first, then sink if you're a slow drinker.

It is such a refreshing change from the "traditional" happy hour drinks...

Sugar Cane (Ganna) Juice

Don't drink it.

It will taste great, but you will regret it.
It goes without saying that you should not drink the water in India, but when you're with family who wants you to discover all the wonderful natural and pure things you can get on the street in in India, and they insist and insist and won't take no for an answer... You end up with 5 minutes of pleasure, and several days of pain.  I'm talking about excrutiating, braveheart gut ripping pain.  I'm on my 2nd day of this and hoping it will end soon so I can actually enjoy this vacation.
It is a crazy life here...

It must be the juice extractor (pictured above) that taints the pureness of the juice.
After 3 days it gets better, but always keep emergency restroom items on hand for any unexpected spontaneous action.

Hibiscus and Zucchini Flowers

I was very concentrated on making them appear, and they suddenly appeared in my kitchen! 
The sweet smell is already tickling my senses.
Zucchini Flowers? 

These traveled to my mouth all the way from Strasbourg, thanks to my cousin.  It's surprising when you know what they are, but it is an excellent snack.

Chateau Guerin

I had to share this...
We found Guerin wine!! And it's St Emilion, too!! Needless to say, we bought 2 cases and to top it off, it is VERY VERY good.
I wonder if I could find a Chateau Patel... hmm

Orange Avo Smoothie

A friend posted this on thier facebook page- and i Love it. I make it all the time!! I have a Magic Bullet- so, i just throw all the ingredients in and whip it up for b-fast.

ORANGE AVO SMOOTHIE
1/2 avocado
half frozen banana
2 dates (sometimes i omit the dates bc i don't have any)
1/2 c fresh squeezed oj
1 orange
2 T lemon juice

blend. yum.

Mint Cucumber Cocktail

This is more of a Summer Cocktail. But you can still pull it off with 90* Palm Springs Fall weather. :)

2 cucumbers
Small ice cubes
1 cup fresh mint leaves
2 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 to 3 limes)
4 ounces (1/2 cup) vodka
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) Cointreau

1.Cut 4 thin spears from 1 cucumber, and reserve for garnish. Peel remaining cucumbers, and quarter them lengthwise. Scrape out seeds with a spoon, and discard. Coarsely chop cucumbers, then puree in a food processor until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible.

2.Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add mint, sugar, and lime juice, and shake. Add 3/4 cup cucumber juice, the vodka, and Cointreau, and shake. Strain into 4 glasses filled with ice. Garnish each cocktail with a cucumber spear.