Pimm’s No. 1 Punch Cup {Recipe}

June 23, 2012 at 7:56 am (Beverages, Recipes, Techniques)
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Around this time last summer, I discovered Pimm’s No. 1, a gin-based liquor made in England from dry gin, liqueur, fruit juices, herbs, and spices. The formula is a well-kept secret. It is reported that only six people in the world know how it’s made. The taste is hard to describe. It’s light, fruity, a little spicy, with a hint of cucumber (yes, cucumber). You definitely don’t have to be a gin drinker to enjoy Pimm’s.

The classic Pimm’s drink, the Pimm’s No. 1 Cup, is commonly associated with Wimbledon. As with most classic (i.e., old) cocktail recipes, there are dozens of ways to make a Pimm’s cup. The “official” recipe, from the Pimm’s website, is 1 part Pimm’s No. 1 and 3 parts chilled lemonade, stirred together over ice, and garnished with one or more of mint, cucumber, orange, and strawberry. However, because British lemonade is carbonated and lemonade in the States tends to be still, many recipes call for a 1:2:1 ratio of Pimm’s, lemonade, and lemon-lime soda or seltzer.

I used the classic Pimm’s No. 1 Cup recipe as the basis for a party punch I made to take to a dinner party recently.  Here’s how I made it:

Pimm’s No. 1 Punch Cup

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 6-8 basil leaves
  • 5 strawberries
  • 3 limes
  • 1 small cucumber
  • 4 cups still lemonade
  • 1 bottle Pimm’s No. 1
  • 6 cups carbonated lemonade -or- 3 cups still lemonade and 3 cups lemon-lime soda

Directions

  • Muddle sugar and 4 basil leaves and place in large pitcher or container.

  • Chiffonade remaining basil leaves and add to pitcher with muddled basil.
  • Hull, wash, and slice strawberries. Add to pitcher.
  • Zest and juice 1 lime; slice remaining 2 limes. Add zest, juice, and slices to pitcher.
  • Slice cucumbers and add to pitcher.
  • Pour 4 cups still lemonade into pitcher and mix well, smashing fruit a bit to release juices. Add Pimm’s and stir to mix well.

  • Cover container and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  • Add carbonated lemonade (or remaining still lemonade and lemon-lime soda) and stir gently to mix.
  • Serve over ice, garnished with one or more of strawberries, lime wedges, cucumber slices, or sprigs of mint or basil.

Variation: Substitute mint sprigs for basil.

This is the last in a series of six posts featuring (or at least including) strawberries. The strawberries were great this year, and I was having so much fun making recipes with them that I decided to host Strawberry Week on my blog. Check out the other posts from this week, including Real Strawberry Shortcakes.

Leave a Comment

Tart Lime Wafers {ModBak}

April 14, 2012 at 2:13 pm (Cookies, Modern Baker Challenge, Nick Malgieri, The Modern Baker)
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This week’s recipe for the Modern Baker Challenge is a great make-ahead cookie. The dough is formed into rolls, which can be refrigerated or frozen until you are ready to slice and bake them. Kind of like the cookie dough you see in tubes in the dairy case, but without all the nasty preservatives.

The dough is mixed up in the food processor, and I could tell by reading the ingredient list that it was going to be a lot. I’m pretty sure Nick Malgieri must have a 14-cup food processor, because several of his recipes have filled by 11-cupper to the brim. I thought about cutting the recipe in half, but I really wanted that extra roll of dough to freeze, so I went with the full recipe.

I started by mixing flour, sugar, salt, and lots of lime zest in the food pro, then adding 3 sticks(!) of butter.

Next I added eggs, then mixed until the dough formed into a ball.

I had to stop and scrape the dough down into the bowl a few times, but eventually it came together.

I scraped the dough out onto a floured pastry mat, divided it in half, then shaped each piece into an 8-inch cylinder.

The next step is to roll the cylinders in lime sugar, which I made using lime zest and King Arthur Flour sparkling white sugar.

I spread the lime sugar out on the pasty mat and rolled each log until it was well coated.

I had a lot of lime sugar left over, so I packed it up and stashed it in the freezer. I’m not sure what I’ll use it for, but coating the rim of a mojito glass comes to mind.

Nick gives great instructions for tightening up the dough cylinders using parchment paper and a dough scraper. Mine went from the loose logs you see above to this:

I wrapped the cylinders in plastic wrap and stuck one in the fridge to bake the next day and the other in the freezer for later use.

To bake the cookies, I sliced the dough into thin disks and placed them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. I baked the cookies at 350°F for about 15 minutes, until they were slightly puffed and just starting to brown around the edges.

These cookies were a huge hit around my house. Sweet, tart, buttery, crispy — they reminded me a lot of a shortbread cookie. And they were perfect for dunking in tea or coffee.

This is definitely a recipe to repeat. And it makes a generous amount of dough, so you can bake one roll and freeze the other for later. Re-roll the dough in the leftover sugar, slice, and bake, and you can have these fresh, delicious cookies anytime.

3 Comments

Pimm’s No. 1 Ice Cream Cup — Sundae Sunday {Recipe}

July 24, 2011 at 7:14 am (Dessert, Ice cream, Mise en place, Recipes, Techniques)
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When Di announced that she was going to host a virtual ice cream social, I knew I would contribute this post. The only trouble was, I hadn’t written it yet. And I was planning to write four posts leading up to this one, none of which I had written, either. Nothing like a little motivation to get things done!

So here’s my Sundae Sunday contribution. Thanks to Di for hosting!

A few weeks ago, I decided to try coming up with a few curd recipes — first lemon, then lime. I wanted the citrus curds to use in ice cream — again developing my own recipes for lemon and lime ice creams. 

And all of this was done with one ultimate goal in mind: to make a Pimm’s ice cream recipe. I recently discovered Pimm’s No. 1, thanks in large part to Steve Buscemi and Boardwalk Empire. What can I say? I’m a sucker for the classics.

Pimm’s No. 1 is a gin-based liquor made in England from dry gin, liqueur, fruit juices, and spices. The formula is a well-kept secret. It is reported that only six people in the world know how it’s made. The taste is hard to describe. It’s light, fruity, a little spicy, with a hint of cucumber (yes, cucumber). You definitely don’t have to be a gin drinker to enjoy Pimm’s.

The classic Pimm’s drink, the Pimm’s No. 1 Cup, is commonly associated with Wimbledon. As with most classic (i.e., old) cocktail recipes, there are dozens of ways to make a Pimm’s cup. The “official” recipe, from the Pimm’s website, is 1 part Pimm’s No. 1 and 3 parts chilled lemonade, stirred together over ice, and garnished with one or more of mint, cucumber, orange, and strawberry. However, because British lemonade is carbonated and lemonade in the States is not, many recipes call for a 1:2:1 ratio of Pimm’s, lemonade, and lemon-lime soda or seltzer.

As I was enjoying the occasional Pimm’s cup during the recent heatwave,  I realized that the classic Pimm’s  No. 1 Cup would be the perfect platform on which to build a lemon-lime ice cream recipe.

I gathered the ingredients, including homemade lemon curd, lime curd, and Pimm’s syrup, and I was ready to go.

I brought milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Meanwhile, I whisked egg yolks and sugar for about 1 minute, until the went from this…

…to this…

I tempered the eggs with the milk, then cooked the custard until it thickened to the consistency of pudding.

I stirred in the remaining ingredients, chilled the custard base overnight, then froze it in my Kitchen Aid freezer bowl.

I served the ice cream with a little drizzle of Pimm’s syrup. It was exactly as I had envisioned it. The lemon and lime flavors predominated, with the Pimm’s adding a subtle spiciness. It was sweet, but not overly so, and perfectly satisfying as a summery dessert. Even my mom, who never touches alcohol, really enjoyed it.

Pimm’s No. 1 Ice Cream Cup

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup lemon curd
  • 1/4 cup lime curd
  • zest of 1 lemon and 1 lime, combined
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime, combined
  • 1/2 cup Pimm’s syrup (recipe below)

Directions

  1. Bring the milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until thick and light lemon colored, about 1 minute.
  2. Pour the milk into the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly, to temper the egg yolks.
  3. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, 5-7 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in lemon curd, lime curd, lemon and lime zest, cream, lemon and lime juice, and Pimm’s syrup, in order, mixing well between each addition.
  5. For best results, refrigerate overnight before churning in ice cream freezer according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Pimm’s Syrup

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup Pimm’s No. 1

Directions

  1. Place sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar.
  2. Add Pimm’s No. 1, stir, and return to boil.
  3. Boil, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup in volume.
  4. Refrigerate until ready to use.

The syrup is great on ice cream. It will keep for several weeks in the fridge, and a little goes a long way.

15 Comments

Lime Curd Ice Cream {Recipe}

July 23, 2011 at 8:00 am (Dessert, Ice cream, Recipes, Techniques)
Tags: , , , , , , ,

I adapted this recipe from my lemon curd ice cream recipe. The bright flavor of the lime and green flecks of zest make this delicious, refreshing ice cream a simple, yet company-worthy treat.

Lime Curd Ice Cream

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup lime curd
  • zest of 2 limes
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • juice of 2 limes

Directions

  1. Bring the milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until thick and light lemon colored, about 1 minute.
  2. Pour the milk into the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly, to temper the egg yolks.
  3. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, 5-7 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in lime curd, lime zest, cream, and lime juice, in order, mixing well between each addition.
  5. For best results, refrigerate overnight before churning in ice cream freezer according to manufacturer’s instructions.

4 Comments

Lime Curd {Recipe}

July 20, 2011 at 7:36 am (Dessert, Ice cream, Recipes)
Tags: , , , , , , ,

This recipe is the second in a 5-day lemon-lime recipe extravaganza, which began with lemon curd and will culminate on Sundae Sunday with my recipe for Pimm’s No. 1 Ice Cream Cup. Having made a delicious and simple lemon curd, I decided to convert the recipe into one for lime curd. Just as easy, and just as delicious.

Lime Curd

(based on lemon curd recipe by Alton Brown)

Ingredients

  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 6 limes, zested and juiced
  • 1 stick cold butter

Directions

  1. Put water in a medium saucepan to a depth of about 1 inch. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Lower heat.
  2. Combine eggs and sugar in a metal bowl large enough to fit over saucepan without the bottom of the bowl touching water in the pan. Whisk until light, about 1 minute.
  3. Add lime juice and zest to the egg mixture, place bowl over simmering water, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat.
  4. Cut butter into 10 pieces and whisk it into lime curd, one piece at a time, stirring until melted before adding the next piece.
  5. Scrape curd into a container, cover the surface with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until well chilled.

Makes 2 cups.

As with the lemon curd, this curd is great in ice cream, pie, and tarts, or on toast, scones, or a spoon. The lime curd will keep in the frigde for at least 3 weeks, but don’t stir it, or it will break down and become liquidy.

6 Comments