Cast Iron & Cocktails

In this issue…

Drink of the Week
Accompaniments
Because You Asked…

Not sure about your part of the world but here in Texas the kids went back to school this week. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have any kids going back to school, but I have been there done that!!! This one is for all you moms who dropped your kids off at school, went to work and now need to serve a tasty, easy meal.  Here’s a cast iron skillet dinner the whole family will love. Everything in one pan and while it is baking in the oven you can make sure the kids have everything they need for tomorrow at school. Not only that but you will have enough pasta left over to pack lunch for tomorrow.

I know it’s a weekday but we don’t have to forget the cocktail. I decided to keep it simple and stop off at Spec’s (so lucky to have this store) to pick up a bottle of sparkling rosé. My expert at Spec’s agreed that the Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’ Alsace Brut Rosé would be a great accompaniment with my pasta dish…and quite possibly a glass before dinner.

The pasta dish turned out great and the sparkling rosé was just right—not too sweet , a good compliment to the rich pasta. Moms of any age need a break so make sure the kids are taken care of and make sure you take care of yourself. A one dish pasta recipe and a bottle of sparkling wine makes for a special weekday dinner, whether you have kids or not!  ~~Kay

Drink of the Week

A nice refreshing sparkling rosé. This one is Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’ Alsace Brut Rosé.

Accompaniments

PENNE PASTA CAST IRON SKILLET

recipe courtesy of www.bettycrocker.com

Prep                                       Total                               Servings

15 min.                                   50 min.                               5

10 – 12 inch cast iron skillet

1 package (1 lb) penne pasta

1 jar (24 oz) Marinara Sauce

1 jar (15 oz) Alfredo Sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz) divided

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray bottom of 10-12 inch cast iron skillet with cooking spray.
• In a stock pot or dutch oven,cook pasta to al dente as directed on package.
• Drain pasta and return to stock pot. Add in both sauces and 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese, stir gently to combine. Pour into prepared cast iron skillet.
• Bake 25 minutes. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese over top and bake 5 to 7 minutes longer until cheese is bubbly.Serve immediately.

Because You Asked…

A reader recently requested a cocktail made with elderflower liqueur.

I’m in love with St Germaine Elderflower liquor. Got any great recipes? I had one called Paris in Spring once in Seattle and it was delicious. I think champagne was involved.

I’d never tried elderflower liqueur and, while St. Germaine is probably the most well known brand, and the most expensive, I found Fiorente Italian Elderflower Liqueur  at my local Spec’s and was assured it would be comparable to St. Germaine.

Everything I read while researching elderflower said that it pairs very well with fruit. I like strawberry, so this Elderflower & Strawberry cocktail recipe I found in an article by Carey Jones and John D. McCarthy (Food & Wine May 23, 2017) sounded appealing. It is described as “a lively spring cocktail with strawberry, lemon, and gin.” It is topped off with club soda to make it more refreshing. It was refreshing and light. The elderflower liqueur was very mild, not over powering at all. I expected it to be very floral, but it complimented the strawberry and lemon very nicely. Hope you enjoy this one, dear reader. We’ll be experimenting with others in future issues.

STRAWBERRY & ELDERFLOWER

Glass: Tall highball or collins

1 1/2 ounces gin (use a good London Dry gin like Beefeaters)

3/4 ounce elderflower liqueur

3/4 ounce of fresh lemon juice

1/4 ounce simple syrup

2 or 3 large strawberries (sliced)

Put 1/2 of strawberry slices in the bottom of a cocktail shaker and muddle (this just means smash-up). If you don’t have a muddler, you can use a spoon. Add ice, gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice and simple syrup. Shake all that up until well chilled, then double strain (through the shaker’s strainer and a fine mesh strainer) into a tall glass with fresh ice. Top off with club soda. Garnish with a remaining strawberry slices.

The cocktail this reader mentioned is called Springtime in Paris according to the Sea Salt and Sailor Stripes blog. And, it does involve champagne, in fact, sparkling rosé.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 ounce Elderflower liqueur
• 1/2 ounce lemon juice
• sparkling rosé
• lemon twists for garnish

See the complete recipe here.

Once again, thanks for reading. If you have a question, leave us a comment or email us at spiritedtexas@gmail.com. We love to answer your questions and we love it even more when you share with your friends.