Grilled Fig Cocktail with Rosemary & Cider

Someday, I dream of having a fig tree in the back yard. If you've never had a fresh fig, go now, quick! They are almost out of the markets, and they are delicious. I usually eat them raw, sliced in half with any kind of cheese and a glass of wine at cocktail hour. I put a recipe in my first book of them drizzled with honey, red pepper flakes, goat cheese and mint. I've mixed dried figs into a quinoa dish and caramelized them with shallots for a salad. I have even BBQed them before, but have never attempted adding them to a cocktail, and let me tell you- this was a winner. I muddled grilled rosemary figs with apple cider and Hangar 1 Straight Vodka for a Fall cocktail that is not too sweet and has a subtle smoky flavor which is deliciously unique.

 I love the weather in early fall when you can feel the seasons shifting, but it's still warm enough to grill. You can thread these figs onto sprigs of rosemary in advance and thrown them on the grill as it's heating up. The figs just need to get warmed and a bit charred, so that the juices start to flow and they pick up a little of that smoky flavor. Picking rosemary rather that buying it is preferable if you have access to a bush because the stems are much sturdier for skewering the figs. If you are using store-bought sprigs, you may consider making a hole in each fig first with a skewer before pushing the sprigs through.

Grilled Fig Cocktail

makes 1 drink

2/3 c apple cider

3T (or 1 shot) of Hangar 1 Straight Vodka

2 fresh figs

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Angostura bitters

Thread one fresh fig onto a sprig of fresh rosemary. You may want to pierce the fig with a kebab stick and remove a few of the needles to thread the fig on more easily. Put the fig and rosemary on a hot BBQ for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the fig is warm and juicy and slightly charred (but not burned). Remove the fig (discard the rosemary) and put it in a mixing class with the apple cider and vodka. Muddle (or mash with a wooden spoon) the grilled fig, Hangar 1 Straight Vodka, and apple cider. Strain, then stir in bitters and ice. Garnish with half of a fresh fig on a short kebab stick and a rosemary sprig. 

I am expecting #2, so I had some expert taste-testers at a recent gathering on the deck. Even my husband Jonathan, who usually prefers drinking Hangar 1 Vodka on the rocks, was a fan of this one!

Cheers!

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This post was done in partnership with Hangar 1 Vodka, a local brand we use and love.

Clementine Cocktails & Book Launch Parties!

The past 2 weeks we have been celebrating with book launch parties on both coasts for The Forest Feast Gatherings! A week before the book came out, I hosted a preview party at the cabin for a small group. Then Jonathan, Ezra and I went to NYC last week for launch events at Paper Source in Manhattan and PowerHouse Arena in Brooklyn. Just this past weekend, the gift shop Emily Joubert Home & Garden (above) in Woodside, CA (where I live) hosted a big party for which I made appetizers for 100 (!), cocktails were provided by Women & Whiskies, and we sold out of books completely! Thank you so much to the friends, family and readers that came out on both coasts to support me, I am so grateful!

Jonathan interviewed me at the event at Powerhouse Arena in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Ezra "helped" me sign books.

At Paper Source in Manhattan we did a watercolor crafting DIY from the book and I made lots of treats (like Strawberry Caprese Bites from the book) to nosh on at the signing.

A few more pics from the event in Woodside at Emily Joubert, the prettiest home and garden shop near where I live. If you're in the area, is so worth a visit!

Women & Whiskies was kind enough to provide whiskey for the cocktails, like this Clementine Cocktail from the book. To serve such a big crowd, I turned it into a punch, and we made pitchers of it. People loved it!

Stay tuned for more book events around the SF Bay Area throughout the fall (there will be several! I'll post them on the cookbook tab above). 

Cheers to many more gatherings!

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Photos of the Woodside event above are by Brian Silverstein and Martha Bixby.

Foggy Plum Martini

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The wild plum trees in the woods are full of fruit right now. They are mini plums, just bigger than cherries, with a sweet and tangy finish. Every time I walk by one of the trees, I fill my pockets and pop them into my mouth, or save them to make salsa or put in cocktails!

Even though it’s summer, we have been getting a lot of coastal fog. Pescadero beach is just over the mountain, about 20 minutes away, and before the trees grew so tall, they say you could see the ocean from here. The fog is one of the things that drew me to this place- the soft, overcast light makes it an ideal place to shoot food outdoors. Fog is such a defining element of the Northern California landscape so it’s fitting that our local vodka distillery, Hangar 1 Vodka, is now using it to make a very unique spirit. They actually gather water from the fog to make their Fog Point Vodka (see a video of them doing it here, kind of amazing!) We have been in such a drought in California so it’s nice to see companies implementing creative ideas for water conservation.

This Fog Point Vodka is very special so I didn’t want to add too much to it to take away from the natural flavor. I simply shook it with ice, poured it into a stemless martini glass and garnished with whole fresh plums. (If you can’t find small plums, you can just use cherries or grapes.) We served these Foggy Plum Martinis alongside some Plum Pico de Gallo and it’s a fantastic combo for an outdoor gathering. Cheers to summer!

Foggy Plum Martini

(serves 1)

ice

3 oz Hangar 1 Fog Point Vodka

mini plums or cherries for garnish

Combine Fog Point Vodka and ice in a martini shaker and shake well. Pour the vodka into a stemless martini glass and garnish with whole mini plums or cherries. Enjoy immediately!

Plum Pico de Gallo

(serves 4)

3 black plums

2 large heirloom tomatoes

¼ of a red onion

2 T chopped fresh cilantro

juice from 2 limes

a splash of olive oil

a pinch of salt

Dice the plums, tomatoes and red onion and toss with all other ingredients. Serve alongside tortilla chips and a martini.

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This post was done in partnership with Hangar 1 Vodka, a local brand we love. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Forest Feast possible.

Mother's Day Brunch Menu

Are you hosting a Mother’s Day brunch and looking for recipe ideas?! Here is a little menu from the archives. It’s easy, seasonal, colorful and pretty. Start with this Peach-Basil Sangria, then serve a Strawberry-Cucumber Salad and an Asparagus Pesto Tart. 

And I have the perfect Mother’s Day gift for you: A Mother is a Story. The author, Samantha Hahn, is one of my oldest friends and is a crazy talented fashion illustrator (just check out her website! The painted quotes above are by her). This new book is full of her paintings and hand lettered watercolor quotes about motherhood and it’s a stunning gift.  We had a book signing together in Brooklyn last weekend, here are a few pics. 

Happy Mother’s Day!

My Go-To Fall Cocktail

The Bourbon Clementine

1. Fill a tumbler glass with ice and add your favorite bourbon (about 3 oz)

2. add a few drops of Angostura bitters. Stir.

3. Slice a wheel of fresh clementine and add it to the glass.

4. Squeeze the juice from the leftover clementine into the glass. Stir again.

Cheers!

Happy Fall! This is my favorite time of year in the woods. Warm days, changing colors, ripe blackberries and less fog, which means glorious sunsets. The evenings are a bit brisk, but still so nice to sit outside for a drink after the baby goes to bed. Do you find that you drink different cocktails in the summer than in the winter?

Cheers!