It's almost summer!

Well, color me inspired. This seems like a perfect spot to put my Lavender Lemon Fizz and whatever other fun drinks I come up with for summer sipping. Given the gorgeous weather we've had this week, it's no surprise that I'm already dreaming of warmer things to come.



And yes, it looks sort of like ketchup, but it's not. I can't wait to try their yummy sounding concoction.

ingredients (serves 4):

1 1/2 pints fresh raspberries & blackberries (about 4 cups)

1 to 2 tablespoons sugar

6 large springs of fresh mint (about 2 ounces)

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup vodka

1 bottle prosecco (750 ml)

Doin it:
Reserve some berries for garnish. mash remaining berries, sugar, and herbs in a large bowl. stir in vodka, juice of 1 lemon, and prosecco. pour mixture through a sieve into a pitcher, pressing through; discard solids. pour into 12 oz bottles, add garnish and cork. keep chilled on ice before serving.

Creme brulee

I finally did it! I made a delicious creme brulee and it was delicious and wonderful and awesome and delicious. Hot damn I love vanilla. I halved Alton's recipe since it was just Quinn and I (thanks for the lovely photo PHBF). I served it with fresh berries and my mouth fell in love.

Crème Brulee

* 1 quart heavy cream
* 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
* 1 cup vanilla sugar, divided
* 6 large egg yolks
* 2 quarts hot water

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving. Serve with fresh berries or experiment with adding different flavors to the custard.