Ahu Eats

So if you’re like me and like sipping your cocktails instead of gulping (chugging?) them down, you often encounter Watery-Cocktail-Syndrome as your ice cubes melt and dilute your drink. And for us mere mortals who don’t have the equipment to make glass-shaped ice cubes (a la Weather Up), use this handy trick to keep your drinks cool, prevent dilution and create some visual interest! I promise, your guests will be impressed.

I’ve seen a lot of articles online about freezing a berry or fruit slice INTO an ice cube or freezing fruit juice into your ice cube tray, but honestly this is way, way easier and in my opinion, cuter looking. Side note, after MANY attempts, I realized how difficult it is to capture an object floating in a drink… so use your imagination peeps!

Pink Lemons, sliced up and ready to freeze for cocktail ‘ice cubes’

Frozen Fruit/Berry Cocktail-Ice-Cube-Garnish-Thingies (anybody who can think of a clever name gets a prize!)

Fruit (whatever strikes your fancy… preferably something in a bright color that accents your drink)
Ziploc bags

1. If you aren’t using berries, slice the fruit up – you can even vary the shapes to create more interest – slice, wedge, etc.
2. Put the fruit into Ziploc bags and freeze for a few hours, and as you’re pouring the cocktails just drop the fruit in each glass. Alternately, if you are using a glass pitcher, you can also add some of the fruit in the pitcher as well for visual continuity. Bonus, you’ll have some booze-soaked fruit at the end!

Some suggestions for fruit-drink combos:
– raspberries with mimosas or any bubbly
– kumquats with aperol spritz (a fabulous lighter twist on a negroni – try it!)
– blood orange with negronis
– pink lemon with gin + tonic
…the possibilities abound! Find the prettiest and most interesting looking fruit and freeze it up for your next cocktail!

I couldn’t resist, another picture of the beautiful Pink Lemon

Welcome to the final installation of the 3-Part post-Sandy foodapalooza series. Read Part 1 and Part 2 for a glimpse inside life in the days following one of the biggest storms to ever hit the northeastern US. It’s now 10 days post-storm and I am still without hot water and while extremely frustrating, my heart goes out to those still without heat or power, or worse have lost their homes. Find out how you can help those affected by Hurricane Sandy, visit NYC Service.
————————————————————————————————————
9/10

Some meals are so fabulous that you have to really stretch to find something wrong or to improve upon. My recent meal at Daniel was one of those meals. Memorable not only because it my first chance after the storm to do my hair and makeup (although I say that I’ve done it since) and feel like myself again, but because the entire experience from the food to the service to the atmosphere was flawless.

Daniel is not exactly affordable, but it’s really one of those places that should be experienced once in your life. I mean, how many places in NYC will serve you San Francisco-quality sourdough – it’s almost worth it just for that! Apologies in advance for the darkness of the photos, Daniel is just a dimly lit place!

Daniel’s sourdough and baguette – you betcha I had a few of them.

It’s a beautiful space – soft lighting, warm decor, and amazing acoustics – even though the place was packed it wasn’t noisy at all.

Upper East Siders dining in deliciously hushed tones.

I won’t bore you with every last detail, but I do want to show the real artistry of this meal.

Daniel: entree of baked sweet potato cubes, shallot confit, radicchio and Tellicherry peppers

Poor focus but the sweet potato had these beautiful swirly and crunchy garnish on them.

My dessert was unreal but again the photo does it no justice – the greens were neon and jumped out of the plate at me. Caramelized honeycrisp apple with mascarpone and Granny Smith-Ginger sorbet – almost an elevated mini-apple pie – so unique and delicious.

My dessert: so tart and refreshing.

Food artistry – our second dessert: chocolate dacquoise  with toffee tuile

And just when I thought I couldn’t eat anymore… these piping hot little madeleine babies came out, swaddled in a napkin to keep them warm. They have a touch of lemon in them which is the perfect end to the meal.

Daniel’s mini madeleines

Daniel’s mini madeleines – perfect size to pop in your mouth. No chewing means no calories, right?