BB: Mango Banana Daiquiris

Ahhh, summer. There's something about fruity drinks any time of the year that adds a bit of celebration to a day, but they are especially fitting during the summer. The first recipe of Barefoot Bloggers for August were these MANGO BANANA DAIQUIRIS. Thank you to Veronica of Supermarket Serenades for selecting this recipe!

Some ripe mangos, some banana, a dash (...or a bit more) of rum... where can you go wrong? Well, in my case, I went wrong with the lime juice. The secret hidden ingredient in the recipe. Don't get me wrong, this was still a very tasty beverage. But I think I may have been a bit heavy handed with the lime juice as that the lime flavor overtook much of the mango/banana flavoring. No worries though, we still enjoyed the drinks quite a bit. And next time, I'll just be a little less zealous with my citrus additions.

Enjoy! (By the way, these were so simple to make, perfect for having a party and just blending up a batch)

RECIPE: MANGO BANANA DAIQUIRIS

serves 4

2 cups chopped ripe mango (1 to 2 mangos, peeled and seeded)
1 ripe banana, chopped
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (4 limes)
1/4 cup sugar syrup*
1 1/4 cups dark rum, such as Mount Gay
Mango slices, for serving

Place the mango, banana, lime juice, sugar syrup, and rum in a blender and process until smooth. Add 2 cups of ice and process again until smooth and thick. Serve ice-cold in highball glasses with the mango slices.

*To make simple syrup, heat 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Chill.

BB: Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

Oh so behind, again, in posting for Barefoot Bloggers! The end of July meant for very tasty peaches and blueberries... perfect for this Peach and Blueberry Cobbler selected by Aggie of Aggie's Kitchen for the second July Barefoot Bloggers recipe!

I love both peaches and blueberries. Love love love. So the idea of warming them up, making them oh so gooey, and bringing out their best flavors sounded divine to me. After just a few minutes after popping this cobbler into the oven, our house smelled SO GOOD. Cinnamon-y, peach-y... everything warm and comforting with a touch of summer.

Now, I decided to make my cobbler in one large ceramic container instead of the individual ramekins. This worked out just fine -- all the fruits cooked up very nicely. But this resulted in lots of excess crumbles... I ended up dumping part of the crumbles because it just seemed like too much for the top of my cobbler. But I was wrong. I think if you were to do this, you should probably use all of the crumbles. Because when I would reheat up bits and bites of the cobbler a few days later, the crumbles would just get lost in all the fruit -- more crumbles I think would have solved this problem ... at least in part.

I quite liked this cobbler. Loved all the flavors involved. I would try it again -- and probably try mixing up the fruits a bit depending on the season.

The Recipe: Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

For the fruit

• 2 lbs firm, ripe peaches (6-8 peaches)
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (1/2 pint)

For the Crumble

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 lb (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
  

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until their skins peel off easily. Place them immediately in cold water. Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour. Toss well. Gently mix in the blueberries. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into ramekins or custard cups.

3. For the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it’s in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and back for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature. If you want to make these early, store the unbaked crumbles int he refrigerator and bake before dinner. Serves 5 to 6.