STRAWBERRY BASIL MOJITOS

If you couldn’t tell, I’ve been on a strawberry kick lately and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. From the frozen strawberry margaritas recipe from April to my last post containing the most beautiful (and delicious) strawberry buttermilk sheet cake, I have yet to grow tired of the popular berry. Although my last cocktail recipe also highlighted strawberries, I just had to do another strawberry cocktail purely for the reason that I tried today’s recipe while I was in Vermont last weekend. The cocktail is a strawberry basil mojito and it’s by far my favorite way to enjoy a summery drink at the moment.

If you’re wondering why I was in Vermont last weekend, it’s because I went to visit my aunt, Katia. Katia very recently moved to the state to stay with one of her oldest friends, and once we realized that she was only a short drive away (about three hours), we planned a weekend getaway as soon as we could. Vermont isn’t Katia’s permanent home since her ultimate plan is to get to our family in the Czech Republic, but because European borders are closed to Americans indefinitely due to Covid-19, she’ll be calling Vermont home for the foreseeable future. The town she’s staying in is North Pomfret, near Woodstock, and it is honestly one of the most beautiful places that I’ve visited in the US, and I feel like this statement has some clout considering I just road tripped across the entire country. The gorgeous house she is staying in is a converted farmhouse complete with a towering silo and cow feeding stalls located in the basement. The house sits on acres of farmland surrounded by rolling hills and dense woods, and is just as picturesque as it can get. Needless to say, the trip was very memorable and we had the best time hanging out with my aunt and her friend. The picture below is of her garden, just to give you a taste of the beauty of her property.

One of the days we were visiting, Alex and I took a trip into Woodstock and decided to get cocktails while sitting in the patio at the very cool restaurant, Dr. Coburn’s Tonic. While Alex settled for a Mai Tai, the Strawberry Basil Mojito caught my eye because I had never thought to use basil in place of mint in a mojito before. Obviously, the drink was perfect and refreshing enough to make me forget about the heat and humidity we were experiencing that day. After finishing my drink in record time, I told Alex that I needed to share the recipe for it on my blog. Fortunately for me, I was able to produce a recipe that tasted exactly what I had at Coburn’s.

Unlike my previous mojito recipe (a watermelon version that is also extremely delicious!) where I used granulated sugar in the drink, I decided to make a simple syrup but kick it up a notch by infusing it with fresh basil. The simple syrup takes no skill whatsoever (hence the name) and the addition of basil really accentuates the bright, herby flavor. To further the basil flavor, you’ll also muddle some basil leaves along with chopped strawberries - so there’s definitely no shortage of fresh and vibrant flavors. After the muddling, it’s just a matter of measuring out the rum and lime juice, adding some ice and topping off the cocktail with a good pour of soda water. I personally think it’s easier to make one mojito at a time, especially since the traditional method calls for you to make the drink in the actual glass in which you’ll be drinking from; but if needed, you can of course do a bigger batch. In this case, I would recommend doing the muddling in a large mason jar and then evenly divide between the glasses, and then add the rum, lime juice and soda water. But do whatever you think is best!

Strawberry Basil Mojitos

Yields 1 cocktail

Ingredients

• 3 fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered

• 4-5 basil leaves

• 1 oz. basil simple syrup, recipe below

• 2 oz. silver rum

• 1 oz. fresh lime juice

• 2-3 oz. soda water (depends on the size of your glass)

Directions

1. In the bottom of your desired drinking glass, preferably a highball, muddle the strawberries, basil leaves and simple syrup together. You don’t need to completely muddle every strawberry - a couple can be left more chunky.

2. Pour in the rum and lime juice, then add ice and top off the drink with soda water. Depending on how watered down you want your cocktail and/or the size of your glass, the amount of soda water will vary.

3. Garnish with a strawberry and drink immediately. Enjoy!

Basil Simple Syrup

Yields 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup basil leaves

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 cup water

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once it hits a boil, turn the heat down and allow the mixture to simmer for a couple of minutes.

2. Remove the pan from the stove and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, so the basil flavor can properly steep into the syrup.

3. Pour the syrup through a strainer and discard the basil. Transfer to an airtight container like a mason jar or a bottle with a swing top and store in the fridge for up to a week.

STRAWBERRY BUTTERMILK SHEET CAKE

Alex and I have been living in Maine for over a month now and it’s pretty easy to see why people stick around regardless of the harsh winters. Although the humidity is something we’re not accustomed to, Maine has so much to offer during the summer months and we’ve been taking full advantage of any free time we have. There are tons of hiking trails to conquer, rivers to swim in and other various activities that I assume would normally be swarmed with tourists but are relatively empty due to Maine’s quarantine rules - anyone who visits Maine from out of state has to self-quarantine for two weeks… aka it’s pointless for people to visit at this time. Although this is bad news for friends and family who wish to visit us, it’s great in terms of allowing us to explore the state without the crowds.

Another activity that is available to us at this time is berry picking and it is why I’m giving you this beautiful strawberry cake recipe today. I discovered Maxwell’s Farm, a strawberry farm located in Cape Elizabeth (a very short drive from Portland) via Instagram and the moment I saw that they were open for self-picking, I knew Alex and I had to go. Before visiting Maxwell’s Farm, I had never gone fruit picking before but always had every intention to; it was just something that was always put off. Back in California, apple picking was pretty popular during autumn months but I always felt discouraged because either the drive was too long, the crowds were insane since everyone in Southern California had the same idea, or there were barely any apples to pick because of a drought. Although it’s crazy that it took 30 years for me to finally pick some fruit, I just think the odds of it actually happening in CA were against me.

We ended up picking 7.5 pounds of strawberries at Maxwell’s Farm, which was nothing compared to those around us, with most people filling their trays so high that they looked like strawberry mountains. The experience was everything I wanted and more and I couldn’t wait to make something for the blog with the fruit that I picked with my own two hands. Although most of the berries were cleaned, hulled and stored in the freezer for future frozen strawberry margaritas and strawberry jam, I set aside 1.5 pounds for today’s recipe: a buttermilk sheet cake that has the berries on full display. I’ve made something similar to this cake before, my Simple Summer Plum Cake, but not only is today’s cake much larger, the batter is made with buttermilk and vegetable oil instead. Those two ingredients always mean that your finished product will be very moist and light.

As for the strawberries, they’re not folded into the batter but actually placed on top very close to one another, so that you get a bit of strawberry with every single bite. And with the berries sitting on top of the batter, they cook much more than if they were mixed in, so the end result will smell and taste like fresh strawberry jam. I can’t think of anything more delicious than that.

With the Fourth of July right around the corner, I definitely think this cake is perfect for the holiday whether you plan on being with only a few family members or friends, or if you’re heading to a bigger party or BBQ (but please don’t do the latter, since we’re still in the middle of a pandemic, ok?). Making a sheet cake for 5 people is still acceptable because the leftovers for this cake are still just as good as the day you pull it out of the oven. And you can trust me on this one… Alex and I are still working on eating it and it’s been 4 days.

When serving the cake, I definitely think fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream is the way to go, but if you’re bringing the cake with you to a picnic or outdoor area, confectioners’ sugar will suffice and make it a bit more presentable. At the end of the day, the strawberries are the most important aspect of the cake, so as long as your berries are fresh and perfectly sweet, nothing else needs to be added.

Strawberry Buttermilk Sheet Cake

Yields (1) 9”x13” cake

Recipe adapted from Jessie Sheehan Bakes

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tbsp. baking powder

• 1 tsp. kosher salt

• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

• 2 tbsp. lemon zest

• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

• 2 large eggs

• 2 large egg yolks

• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

• 1 1/3 cups buttermilk

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

• 3 tbsp. turbinado sugar

• Whipped cream, confectioners’ sugar or ice cream, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9”x13” cake pan with either cooking spray or butter. Optional: if you wish to pull the entire cake out of the pan, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper with enough overhang.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, using your hands or a whisk, massage/mix the sugar and lemon zest together until fragrant (this helps release the oils in the zest). Add the vegetable oil and whisk well to combine (about 30 seconds). Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, making sure each one is fully incorporated before adding the next. Whisk in the vanilla extract and then finally the buttermilk.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three portions, carefully folding in with a spatula after each addition. Stop mixing when no more streaks of flour remains. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Add the strawberries to the top of the batter in a similar fashion as you see in my picture above. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar all over the top.

5. Bake in then oven for about 55-70 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Depending on what kind of pan you use (glass vs. metal) the bake time will vary. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with only a few crumbs (try not to stick the toothpick through a strawberry),

6. Allow the cake to cool a bit before slicing in, or allow it to cool completely if you wish to remove the cake from the pan. Serve with fresh whipped cream, confectioners’ sugar or vanilla ice cream.

FROZEN STRAWBERRY MARGARITAS

This past weekend, Southern California saw its first signs of summer with temperatures reaching 90°F and higher. Although I was looking forward to working on a new bundt cake recipe (I’m thinking lemon-raspberry), I could not make myself or my family suffer by turning the oven on, and decided to forgo baking altogether. Since it’s been quite some time that I’ve shared a new cocktail recipe - it’s been a YEAR since I posted my Tangerine Margaritas recipe - I figured there was no better time than the present to share another margarita recipe that is very near and dear to my heart: frozen strawberry margaritas.

I have a long history with frozen strawberry margaritas in that my love for them comes from my mom’s side of the family. Growing up, when my mom, her three sisters and my grandma would all be together, which was usually once a year during Christmas/New Year’s Eve time, they would celebrate by making tons of food, dancing like crazy, and most importantly, making batches of blended strawberry margaritas. Those memories, of when my whole family was together and having such a great time, are some of my most cherished from my childhood. So when I was of legal age and finally able to try my very first frozen strawberry margarita, I was brought back to those happy memories where I was playing with my cousins, dancing with my aunts and watching my grandma (who sadly passed away when I was 11) cook and bake up a storm. I guess it’s funny to associate a cocktail with my childhood because obviously I didn’t drink them then, but to me it symbolizes a time when life was easy and fun, and I had no worries in the world. And I don’t know about you, but I think we could all use a reminder of that right now.

And so that’s why I’ve taken it upon myself to continue the tradition of making frozen strawberry margaritas whenever I have a big group of friends around. Over the years, I have lugged my blender with me (yes, I always bring my own blender with me on mini-trips… never trust that an Airbnb has a good one!) to birthday celebrations in Big Bear, bachelorette parities in Palm Springs and our countless Fourth of July vacations in Scottsdale, Arizona. I am that person who will immediately get into the kitchen upon arrival and get straight away to blending up a big batch to pass out to everyone. And when I notice people are running low, I’ll make another batch (and another). It isn’t about getting drunk (well, maybe that’s what it’s about for some people); it’s about creating memories with the ones you care about and the margaritas just so happen to be there when it all goes down.

But if I’m being perfectly honest, I had always made my frozen strawberry margaritas using Costco margarita mix, which is equal parts cheap, convenient and delicious. I have no shame in using margarita mix, but if I were to share a recipe with you that said “go to Costco and buy a mix”, I would consider myself a huge phony. So, I figured out the right ingredients and measurements to make your own mix and I gotta admit, it’s much more delicious and fresher than the store bought version (like that should come as a surprise to no one). The only thing that is kind of a hassle is the squeezing of limes, since fresh lime juice is vital to a good margarita. To fix that problem, I suggest investing in a citrus squeezer, which I actually included in my Gift Guide for Christmas last year.

Frozen Strawberry Margaritas

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 8 oz. tequila (your choice on what kind, but I prefer blanco)

• 6 oz. fresh lime juice

• 4 oz. Cointreau or triple sec

• 2 oz. agave nectar

• 8 oz. frozen whole strawberries

• 3-4 cups of ice

Directions

1. Salt the rims of your desired glasses and set aside (this is optional but recommended to counter the sweetness of the margarita).

2. Add all ingredients to a large blender and blend until smooth. Pour into prepared glasses and enjoy immediately.

3. If you have extra margarita, store it in the freezer. If it becomes too frozen over time, simply re-blend to break it up.