"Grapefruit" news and stories

We had five wild turkeys and one wild hen, already, but how could we say no to a beautiful old cock whose male offspring exerted dominance in the farmyard. If you are not familiar with chicken politics, you cannot, under any circumstances, keep two roosters in close proximity without a fight over who's boss. Even this old guy our neighbor sold us for $2.50 couldn't hold back his pride as he entered our poultry pen. He immediately stuck out his chest and declared war on our turkeys ... and the cock is blind.

After separating the rooster into a different area and discussing his fate, Demián and I thought his valiance worthy of a toast. We searched through various old cocktail books and found nary a drink with the word "rooster" in it. An internet search turned up a few rooster notion potions such as vodka, orange juice and cranberry, but we figure the Madras already has that combination. No bold Fighting Cock bourbon from Heaven Hill Distillery is available around La Paz, so don't even mention a "cock-a-rita"or some other take on a classic made with this whiskey.

We decided on a more complex mix that I put together first at Montgomery Place, a wonderful little bar in London's Notting Hill neighborhood. Montgomery Place allowed me the honor of guest bartending a couple of times. The cocktail contains some of my homemade rock and rye and grapefruit bitters. I named the drink "Kohout," which is Czech for "rooster," in honor of the Montgomery Place bar manager, who grew up in the Czech Republic.

The very essence of citrus is captured in its peel. There's something so elegant about its simplicity, about the volume of flavor hidden a part of the fruit that's typically discarded.

Once you carefully remove the bitter white pith, you're left with pure rind, and the culinary options unfold: julienne it for marmalade or candied zest, finely grate it for salads or pastas, or cut wide swaths of it to infuse cocktails or stews.

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The major "eating" holidays are coming to a fast close after Valentine's day, but that doesn't mean that I'm entertaining at home any less. I still want to serve festive looking desserts to my friends without weighing down their digestion or tempting them to break their New Year's resolutions.

When I make a lighter dessert, of course, I think about calories, but what about flavor, enjoyment, and taste. Aren't these the things we are all looking for in food? Eating locally and in season is another great way to get more enjoyment out of cooking the dishes and desserts you love so. That's why I picked grapefruit for this week's dessert recipe, because it is prime growing season.

I'm a sucker for a graham cracker crust and most store-bought versions are good, but it's so simple to make one yourself. In this recipe, the cinnamon in this crust plays off the tartness without clashing. Kefir is easy to find in your local health food store and has ten probiotic cultures that aren't damaged through freezing.

Get the recipe after the jump.

With chatter of Angostura's shortage of bitters floating around, I chuckled as I unpacked several 16 ounce bottles I lugged in my move to Mexico. I was more pleased with myself, however, to find an old recipe for homemade grapefruit bitters in some papers while unpacking. Several years ago I made a batch that I really liked, but for the life of me, couldn't find my scribbles of what I had done.

Homemade bitters are nothing new to the cocktail scene. Even Jerry Thomas has his own bitters recipes in his 1862 Bar-Tenders Guide.

With the hang of making bitters yourself, you can relax when reports of shortages get the rest of the world all flustered.

It's easy to make healthy eats taste great when you cook with seasonal ingredients. Grapefruit is a wonderful example, and you're in luck because it's in season right now. Perhaps you have tart memories of squeezing yourself in the eye while experimenting dieting on plain grapefruit halves, but there are so many other creative ways to serve this tart fruit. It doesn't have to be restricted to breakfast; consider these recipes for turning this figure-friendly fruit into appetizers and party drinks.