Cocktails & Croquet to Welcome Spring
Welcome, friends! Join me in bidding goodbye and good riddance to ice melts and snow shovels. Try as I did to join in snow-day celebrations, my contribution was less than half-hearted. One delicate blanket of snow is all I need to feign an appreciation of our four seasons, and it’s time now for the winds to lay down and the biting chill to relax. It’s time the bare trees begin to bloom and breathe some life into this island. The sweet fragrance of flowering trees, hints of yellow forsythia and beautiful budding magnolias make me as happy as the chirping birds that sing them good morning.
So, let’s celebrate this return of blossoms with a garden party. With spring most definitely in the island air, gather the girls together for lunch, garden-inspired cocktails and some lawn games – let’s call it Cocktails & Croquet for an afternoon of springtime fun.
The best part of a garden party is that nature provides most of the decor. We just need to enhance what’s already there. Perhaps your garden has not yet bloomed as much as you’d like. No worries, a few potted plants and flowers along with some cut flowers will fill the void. Music and a pretty, colorful table setting will assist nature in setting the mood, too. Let the garden colors inspire you. Don’t hesitate to bring an indoor table outside to the garden if your outdoor one won’t do, and don’t match everything on the table. The effect is surprisingly pretty if you take your cue from nature. Mix colors – yellows, pinks and oranges and varying shades of blue and purple. If you use a tablecloth, go with a neutral or pastel to allow for glasses and napkins and dishes from different sets to create an interesting tablescape. Use pieces you love in unconventional ways. Naturally, there must be flowers on the table, so look around for interesting containers; a pretty teapot or even teacups can display a few colorful blooms beautifully. For a special touch, purchase packets of flower seeds and tie a packet to each napkin with a pretty ribbon. Everyone loves a party favor!
The right menu will also help create the garden party vibe. We’ve promised cocktails, so these must be spring-inspired and special. We accomplish that with herbs. If you’ve kept a good crop growng in indoor pots this winter, now you reap the benefits, but if not, store-bought will do. Let’s offer a mocktail along with a cocktail: Orange Mint Water and Rosemary-Grapefruit Gin Cocktail. The secret to making these stand out is to make a batch each of mint-infused simple syrup and rosemary-infused simple syrup. These can be made the day before and kept in sealed jars in the refrigerator. Prepare orange slices and sprigs of mint and rosemary an hour before the party begins. The Orange-Mint Water can be prepared in a pitcher for guests to self-serve, but cocktails are made individually in a shaker. Make sure to prepare enough for those thirsty croquet players!
Now let’s do lunch. Light, spring-inspired fare is best for a garden party, so with a nod to Easter, we will serve deviled eggs but elevate them by topping them with a twist of smoked salmon. The eggs can be hard-boiled the day before and easily peeled and prepared the morning of your party. These are as pretty as they are delicious. Now let’s pair them with a spring-inspired Avocado-Asparagus-Crab Salad, dressed with a light lemon vinaigrette. Roast the asparagus, then store in a sealable plastic bag or air-tight glass container, and mix the vinaigrette ahead. Assembling the salad in the morning is easy.
Finally, we can amaze our guests with a refreshing pear sorbet dessert. This sounds difficult, but it is so easy. You can prepare it ahead in about 15 minutes, but you need about four hours of freezing time. Served in a pretty glass or teacup and topped with fresh ripe pears and a sprig of mint or rosemary, expect some major compliments.
As our celebration winds down and guests depart with their packets of future flowers, we realize it’s nearing evening and the sun is still warm on our shoulders, reminding us of the promise of outdoor fun with friends and family in the months ahead. I don’t like you, winter; we’ll never be friends. Now go away while we raise a cocktail glass to springtime!
Rosemary-Grapefruit Gin Cocktail
Ingredients for Simple Syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup organic cane sugar
Sprigs of rosemary
Ingredients for Cocktail:
3 ounces Ruby Red grapefruit juice
2 ounces gin
1 ounce rosemary simple syrup
Rosemary for garnish
Instructions for Simple Syrup:
Simple syrup is nothing more than equal parts sugar and water simmered until the sugar is dissolved. Add two sprigs of fresh rosemary to the simmering syrup to give the syrup an herbal flavor. After a minute or two, the sugar should be completely dissolved. Remove the syrup from the heat and allow it to cool completely. Leave the rosemary sprigs in the pan while the syrup cools to give it more time to absorb the flavor of the herbs.
Once the syrup has cooled, remove the rosemary sprigs and throw them away. The syrup can be made ahead of time. Simply transfer it to an airtight container with a lid and refrigerate. The simple syrup should keep for a month.
Instructions for Cocktail:
Fill a shaker with ice. Add 2 ounces of gin, 3 ounces of Ruby Red grapefruit juice, and 1 ounce of cooled rosemary simple syrup in a shaker with ice. Garnish with rosemary sprig.
Orange Mint Simple Syrup
Ingredients:
1 cup organic cane sugar
1 cup water
Rind of 1 orange
1/8 cup packed fresh mint leaves, removed from their stems
Instructions:
Bring sugar and water to a boil and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and drop in orange rind and mint leaves. Let steep for four-to-six hours (until desired potency is achieved). Discard the mint and rind.
Orange Mint Water
Ingredients:
4 oranges
Handful of mint leaves and more for garnish
2 quarts of water
Instructions:
Quarter one of the oranges; set aside. Cut two oranges into half-inch-thick slices. In a 2-quart pitcher, combine the orange slices, mint leaves, and water. Squeeze orange quarters into the pitcher. (Add squeezed orange quarters to pitcher, if desired.) Cover and refrigerate for at least six hours or overnight.
Strain water into another pitcher with ice, discarding solids. Cut remaining orange in half and then slices; add to pitcher. Sweeten to taste. Garnish with additional mint, if desired.
Smoked Salmon Topped Deviled Eggs
Ingredients:
6 large eggs
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely chopped dill
Salt and pepper to taste
2 ounces smoked salmon
Extra dill for garnish
Instructions:
Bring a pot of water to a boil, then reduce the heat to low to ensure the water is no longer boiling. Place the eggs in the water. Then increase the heat back to high and set a timer for 14 minutes.
While the eggs are boiling, prepare an ice-water bath and set aside. After 14 minutes, remove the eggs from the water and place in the ice-water bath to chill. Once the eggs have cooled completely, peel them and slice in half lengthwise.
Scoop the yolks into a small bowl and place the egg whites on a serving plate.
To make the filling, add the yolks, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, shallot, dill, salt and pepper to a bowl. Stir everything together until it's completely smooth.
Use a spoon to add a portion of the deviled egg mixture back into the hole of each egg white. Then place a small piece of smoked salmon to top on each egg along with a sprinkle fresh dill.
Roasted Asparagus, Crab and Avocado Salad with Lemon Parmesan Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
FOR THE SALAD:
½ bunch asparagus, chopped
½ tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 cups mixed greens
1 large avocado, sliced
1 container of lump crabmeat
Lemon vinaigrette, above
Additional Parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions:
TO MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE:
Place all of the ingredients in a mason jar with a tight lid. Shake vigorously for a few seconds until combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
TO ASSEMBLE SALAD:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss the chopped asparagus, olive oil, salt and pepper, and spread in a single layer on a sheet pan. Roast until fork tender, about 10-15 minutes. Cool slightly.
Toss the roasted asparagus, chopped avocado, crabmeat and mixed greens with some lemon-vinaigrette. Serve immediately.
Pear Sorbet
Ingredients:
5 small pears peeled and sliced
¾ cup white grape juice, apple juice or pear nectar
1/3 cup sugar
4 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes and then cool slightly.
Pour mixture into a blender and blend for one-to-two minutes until smooth. Pour into a freezable container, cover with a lid and freeze for about four hours or until firm.
You can serve straight out of the freezer, or you can put the frozen sorbet back into the blender for about 20-30 seconds right before serving if you prefer a smoother consistency.
