A gorgeous vegetable tart. Photo courtesy
Stasty.com.

The masterpiece was created by a U.K. blogger, Vicky (no surname provided) of Stasty.com.

“Carrying on from my Rose Apple Tarts [see below],” says Vicki, “I decided to make a similar savoury version using bright coloured vegetables—courgettes [zucchini], carrots and aubergines [eggplant]. It turned out to be very pretty, but it did take a lot of work and patience! It’s a good one to make if you have a glut of vegetables in the summer, and a bit of time on your hands :).

“For this tart,” Vicky continues, “you could equally experiment with different fillings (e.g. an egg/quiche filling) and a variety of other vegetables (butternut squash, beetroot, etc.)

“There are so many exciting colour, flavour and texture combinations you can play around with for this tart….I think miniature [tartlets] with beetroot and goat cheese would be great as a starter. Some of the tougher vegetables like beetroot, you may need to blanch/par cook.”

Ready to create your own “art tart?” Here’s how Vicky did it: the recipe.

The vegetable tart was inspired by Vicky’s Rosey Apple, Custard & Jam Tarts, miniature tartlets which she adapted from a recipe in The Great British Bake Off.

So let’s take a closer look at the lovely rose tarts—actually, apple, custard and jam tartlets (a tart is a multi-portion dish; a tartlet is an individual portion).

“In truth, they were a little tricky to make and there was a lot of apple slicing involved!” says Vicki. I did harbor some doubts as I surveyed the enormous mound of apple slices in front of me.

“However it all worked out in the end and my work paid off. These tarts are definitely worth the effort if you fancy something a little bit special.”

You can tell from this photo exactly how special they are. Here’s the rose tart recipe.

LOVE PASTRY?

Check out the different types of pies, tarts and pastries in our delicious glossary.
  

[1] Cool off with coffee liqueur and ice cream. Here’s a recipe that also includes vodka, from Onion Rings And Things (photo © Onion Rings And Things).

[2] You can make this float with coffee or vanilla ice cream…or a scoop of each. Here’s the recipe for this homemade coffee ice cream (photo © Baked By An Introvert).

[3] The third ingredient: coffee soda (photo © Brian Wong | Reddit).

Are you ready to scoop?

Visit for more information.
 

The recipe folllows, but first:

> National Kahlúa Day is February 27th.

> National Coffee Day is September 29th.
 
Below:

> The history of Kahlúa.

> The Kahlúa ice cream float recipe.

> A Kahlúa ice cream sundae recipe.
 
 
Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> Famous Kahlúa cocktails: Black Russian, White Russian, Russian Iced Coffee.

> More Kahlúa cocktails.

> More Kahlúa cocktail recipes.

> All the ice cream holidays.

> The year’s 8 ice cream drink holidays.

> The year’s 7 liqueur holidays.

> The year’s 25+ coffee holidays.
 
 
RECIPE: KAHLÚA ICE CREAM FLOAT

Ingredients

 
If it isn’t strong enough for you, add some vodka.

Optional: a glass of Kahúla on the side.
 
Preparation

1. ADD Kahlúa to the bottom of a tall glass. Add two scoops of ice cream.

2. TOP with soda, pouring slowly. Serve with a straw and a spoon.
 
 
PARTY TIME

How about a shot of tequila, rum, vodka, or liqueur in your float or ice cream soda? It gives new meaning to the concept of an ice cream social.

Turn it into a party: Pick a date, choose your “menu” from these recipes and invite the guests!

Those who don’t consume alcohol can enjoy their ice cream soda “virgin.”

In the 17th century, a family recipe for a coffee liqueur was created. Rum-based, it was spiced with vanilla.

It wasn’t until the 1950s that the family decided to commercialized the recipe, and the Tia Maria brand was born [source].

But before Tia Maria was launched to the public, Kahlúa was launched in Veracruz, Mexico, when the Alvarez brothers, local coffee roasters, and a local businessman, Señor Blanco, decided to combine efforts.

The Alvarez brothers suggested adding coffee flavor to a liquor Blanco was in the process of developing. The spirit developed by Blanco in 1930, was changed by a chemist, Montalvo Lara, and has been manufactured since 1936.

The Black Russian cocktail was invented in Belgium in 1948 or 1949. The White Russian Cocktail wass invented in Oakland, California in 1955 [source].

How is Kahlúa made?

 
What does “Kahlúa” mean?

Kahlúa means “House of the Acolhua people” in the Veracruz Nahuatl language, although we have seen sources that claim the name derives from the word “kahwa,” which is Arabic slang for coffee.

We vote for Nahuatl, the language of the ancient Aztecs•.

The brand, which is now owned by Pernod Ricard, sold 160 million cases worldwide in 2018 [source]. It is #1 coffee liqueur.
 
 

[4] How about a Kahlúa ice cream sundae? The easy recipe is in the †footnote (photo © The Kahlua Company).
 
________________
 
*For the language-curious, Nahuatl is still spoken today by approximately 1.5 to 1.7 million people, primarily in central Mexico, making it the most widely spoken indigenous language in Mexico. While it has evolved from the Classical Nahuatl of the 16th-century Aztec Empire, modern dialects are directly descended from it.

†Kahlúa sundae ingredients: Make the ice cream using 1 ounce/30 ml Kahlúa coffee liqueur, 17 ounces/500 ml whipping cream, 17 ounces/500 ml condensed milk, 1 teaspoon espresso powder. For garnish: chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and other garnishes as desired, e.g. candy coffee beans. Preparation: Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Whip the condensed milk into the cream. Add the espresso powder and Kahlúa, and stir until thoroughly mixed. Freeze overnight in a covered, freezer-friendly container. Scoop and prepare the sundae, or use the ice cream a la mode on another dessert.

If you’d rather top your ice cream with Kahlúa caramel sauce, here’s the recipe.
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

August 20th is National Lemonade Day. When life gives you a lemonade holiday, make frozen lemonade!

We were inspired by the photo from Earl of Sandwich to make our own frozen lemonade.

The ingredients are simple, but you need an ice cream machine to make a frozen slurry, as if you were making lemon sorbet. So pull out the ice cream maker, or borrow one from your neighbor.

RECIPE: FROZEN LEMONADE

Ingredients

1. COMBINE the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Warm water will help the sugar to dissolve. Or, pulse regular sugar in the food processor to create easy-dissolving superfine sugar.

2. ADD the lemon juice and refrigerate for 1 hour.

3. FREEZE the mixture in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s directions, until it reaches a slushy consistency.

4. POUR into a glass; stir in a tablespoon to a shot of optional spirit.

5. GARNISH and serve with a straw and a spoon.
 
MORE LEMONADE

 
Lemonade Cocktails

Whatever you use, consensus is that shandy is a refreshing summertime drink.

The shandy tradition dates back to the 17th century. Today, English publicans blend an English ale or beer with various lemon and lime beverages.

With a new twist on the tradition, Traveler Beer Company of Burlington, Vermont, makes three craft shandies (4.4% ABV):

DIY SHANDY: CREATE A SHANDY BAR

It you’re looking for a Labor Day activity, how about a make-your-own shandy bar? Just assemble the ingredients, print out brief “instructions*” and put them in a frame next to the beer.

Shandy Bar Ingredients

Shandy Garnishes

 
Plus

If you don’t want a shandy bar, gather whatever shandy brands you can find and have a tasting.

Samuel Adams makes Porch Rocker, if you can still find it (the distribution period is through July). Anheuser-Busch’s Shock Top Lemon Shandy is available through August. Also look for Harp Lemon Shandy, Labatt Shandy and Saranac Shandy Lager and Lemonade.

Fentiman’s brews two soft drink shandy styles, non-alcoholic shandy and a low alcoholic version brewed to .5 ABV ABV (1 proof), which allows it to be sold as a soft drink.

We like to use shot glasses or juice glasses for this type of tasting. It lets everyone try a small amount of each brand, and return to their favorite with a larger glass.

More about shandy.

 
*Instructions can include: (1) Shandy is half beer, half soft drink. (2) Create your own signature shandy with the soft drink of your choice. (3) Be neat, and clean up your spills!
  

Moroccan potato kabobs. Photo courtesy
PotatoGoodness.com.

Since today is National Potato Day, we’ve got potato kabobs for you, a side dish flavored with Moroccan spices.

The recipe is seasoned with a flavorful charmoula, a pesto-like sauce; the potatoes are grilled and sprinkled with a Moroccan spice blend. Add some beef, chicken, lamb or other protein for a complete all-kabob dinner.

RECIPE: MOROCCAN POTATO KABOBS

Ingredients For 6 Servings

1. SIMMER potatoes until tender but still firm, drain and toss with charmoula. Cool.

2. THREAD one cube of each kind of potato onto each of 6 skewers, alternating with 1 bay leaf, 1 piece lemon rind and 1 olive.

3. GRILL skewers on a gas or charcoal grill, turning to form grill marks on each side. Sprinkle with Moroccan spice blend and serve.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. urée ingredients in a blender.

2. STORE in a tightly-sealed glass jar. Yields 3/4 cup.

Ras el hanout is a complex, aromatic spice blend, and as fundamental to Moroccan cooking as curry is to Indian cuisine.

The name means “head of the shop” or top of the shop: the freshest and best spices the merchant has to offer. Most recipes include anise, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, mace, nutmeg and turmeric, but a shopkeeper might blend 30 or more ingredients. Allspice, coriander, chili flakes, cumin, clove, hibiscus, lavender, mustard and star anise are popular ingredients.

The whole spices, dried roots and leaves are dry-fried to release their full flavor, then finely ground together. The finished product looks something like curry powder.

The spice is used to coat baked or roasted meat, seafood and vegetables; in tagines and stews; and in couscous. You can buy a jar at an Indian market or online; or use this recipe to make your own.
 
RAS EL HANOUT SPICE BLEND

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BLEND spices in a bowl.

2. STORE tightly capped in a glass jar, in a dry, dark place. It will maintain its strength for several months.