"raspberry" news and stories

Because drinking shouldn't be confined to the weekends...

I had my first blueberry beer last year, from Sam Adams, and it was quite good. I thought the blueberry would be too sweet and overpowering, but it was actually a nice complement to the beer taste, and I'll have it again this summer. Having said that, I've never had blueberry mixed with vodka (I'm not a big vodka guy ever since an incident when I was a teen involving a pizza place and my pants, which I won't get into here), and blueberry syrup and vodka are the main ingredients in this drink, the Superhero.

Del Monte's brand new Fruit Chillers line is sure to be a hit with both kids (and adults) this summer, even though it is a little on the cold side right now in most parts of the country. The Chillers are individual sorbet cups, but there are a couple of things that set them apart from the average individually portioned kids dessert. The first, and most important, thing is that they are made with real fruit purees, rather than concentrated juices that have artificial colorings and flavors added to them. In fact, there are no artificial flavors in them at all and they contain 100% of the recommended daily value of vitamin C (150% in the mango flavor) and 3/4 serving of fruit, based on the nutrition pyramid. The other interesting thing about these is that they are not found in the frozen foods section of the grocery store. They are packed sealed and unfrozen, so you can simply pop them in the freezer before you are ready to eat them. The Chillers are fat free and contain about 190 calories per 4.5-ounce serving.

There is nothing better on a weekend morning than having breakfast in bed. If you end up having to be the one that prepares it, pour some coffee, grab the newspaper, and hop back into bed for an hour once your breakfast is made. It's the weekend, no one will care, and besides - you worked hard all week so treat yourself!

We love breakfast food around here, and are certainly no strangers to some French Toast variations. One of my favorite recipes for the morning is Raspberry Chocolate French Toast, a little twist on the original.

For the French Toast:
2 eggs
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 slices white (or enriched) bread
Whip the first three ingredients together and dip each slice of bread in the egg mixture. Pan fry in a pat of butter over medium heat, ensuring that the egg is fully cooked on all sides of the bread.

I enjoyed my review tasting of Chambord so much that I wanted to share a few cocktail recipes using this black raspberry liqueur. For even more you can go to this link.

Chambord Raspberry Mint Daiquiri (see photo)
5 Fresh mint leaves
1/2 oz. Chambord
2 oz. Appleton White Rum
1/2 oz. Fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 oz. sugar syrup
Muddle mint and other ingredients. Add ice, shake vigorously, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with mint leaf.

Chambord Liqueur is a raspberry based liqueur with 16.5%abv / 33 proof. It is made from an over 320 year old recipe dating back to 1685 when Louis XIV visited Château de Chambord in the Chambord region of France and supposedly was one of his favorites, among that of other nobility who had the good taste to enjoy it as well. From what I can gather during much research it contains framboise noires (small black raspberries), red raspberries, blackberries, currants, herbs and spices, (including cinnamon and cloves) steeped in cognac, and sweetened with Acacia honey.

Chambord comes in a perfectly round bottle with just enough of a flat base for it to stay upright, and has a golden belt around its waist saying "Chambord Liqueur Royale. Then it has and two golden epaulets rising from the belt to a golden collar around its neck, all decorated with filigree, and finally it is capped with a golden crown. The shape is based on the orb topped with a cross from medieval times called the Globus cruciger to show its royal nature and connections.