A green-colored spirit made from the flowers and leaves of the wormwood herb (Artemisia absinthium), absinthe was a favorite of Parisian writers and artists of the 19th century, who called it the “green fairy” and credited it with powers of creativity.

However, consumption of absinthe was accused of leading to hallucinations and madness. The troublemaker was believed to be a chemical component of wormwood, thujone. Today, we know that while thujone can be dangerous in large quantities, there is far too little of it in absinthe to have any negative effect. There is no modern proof that absinthe is any more dangerous than any other spirit.

General alcoholism, possibly in combination with other medical maladies, were the most likely causes of the hallucinations and madness of absinthe drinkers. In 2008, it became legal to import absinthe into the U.S., and domestic distillation began as well.
Pernod Absinthe, the original absinthe brand, has whipped up some cocktails to get everyone in the “green fairy” mood.

Serve a Green Beast for National Absinthe Day or St. Pat’s. Pernod was the most popular brand of absinthe throughout the 19th century, until the sale of absinthe was banned in 1915. Photo courtesy Pernod.

Ingredients Per Drink

1. MUDDLE 2 slices of cucumber in a cocktail shaker.

El hada verde is Spanish for la fée verte, or green fairy. The green fairy becomes el hada verde when tequila is mixed with absinthe.

ABSINTHE COCKTAIL RECIPE: HADA VERDE

Ingredients Per Drink

Preparation

1. MUDDLE a rosemary sprig in a mixing glass. ADD tequila, absinthe, lime juice and simple syrup and shake with ice.

2. RIM a rocks glass with salt, if desired.

3. STRAIN cocktail into a glass. Garnish and serve.

This recipe for Matcha Green Tea Marshmallows has a provenance: We got it from The Republic of Tea, which seems to have picked it up from YumSugar.com, which adapted it from an Alton Brown recipe. In terms of Alton’s inspiration: No doubt it was a confectioner or pastry chef.

Whether you’re a marshmallow fan, a matcha tea fan or simply want to whip up something green for St. Patrick’s Day, you’ll have fun with this recipe.

You can use the rest of the tin to make a green tea latte, matcha cookies, matcha ice cream, macarons, madeleines, pound cake, and of course, hot or iced matcha tea.

MATCHA GREEN TEA MARSHMALLOWS

Ingredients

Matcha marshmallows are color-appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day and an elegant snack any day of the year. Photo courtesy YumSugar.com.

1. SIFT confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and one teaspoon matcha powder together in a small bowl. Lightly spray a metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add a little of the green confectioners’ sugar mixture to the pan and lightly tap to coat the bottom and sides. Return any remaining mixture to the bowl for later. Also lightly coat the offset spatula with nonstick spray and set aside for later.

2. WHISK together the gelatin and 1/2 cup water into a small bowl and let sit for five minutes until the gelatin is dissolved. In a small heavy-bottom saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Cover and cook over medium high heat for three to four minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan, and continue to cook until mixture reaches 240ºF, approximately seven to eight minutes. Immediately remove from the heat.

3. TURN the mixer on low-speed and slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Increase the speed to medium high and allow the mixture to whip for six minutes. Meanwhile, create a slurry with one tablespoon of matcha powder and one tablespoon of water. Mix until no dry parts remain. If the mixture is too dry, add another teaspoon of water.

4. TURN speed up to high and whip another six to eight minutes, or until mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm. Add matcha slurry during the last minute of whipping. Quickly pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using the lightly oiled spatula to spread the mixture evenly in the pan. Generously dust the top of the marshmallow with the sugar and cornstarch mixture. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for four to eight hours.
5. TURN the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and use a pizza wheel to vertically and horizontally cut marshmallows into one-inch-square pieces. Dust the newly cut marshmallows with the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture. Store in an airtight container for up to three weeks. If marshmallows become too moist over time, redust them with any leftover sugar and cornstarch mixture to “refresh” them. Makes about 50 square marshmallows.
 
NOTES

DISCOVER ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEA IN OUR TEA GLOSSARY.

Lemons are an affordable way to add fresh flavor to every meal of the day. Here are more uses from Shubhra Krishan, author of Essential Ayurveda: What It Is And What It Can Do For You and other books on health and wellness:

When life gives you lemons, squeeze that juice! Photo by J. Eltovski | Morguefile.

Don’t throw away the juiced lemon just yet: Here are excellent uses for lemon zest.

We know that lemons are chock-full of the powerful antioxidant vitamin C. Here are more health benefits of lemons.

But how about some 21st-century Passover recipes—if not for a seder, then for the other five days? There are more than 60 modern, creative Passover recipes in a new cookbook, Passover Made Easy. Some of the recipes that are calling out to us:

There’s plenty of time to pick up a copy and plan for Passover. Photo courtesy Passover Made Easy.

Pick up a copy for yourself or as a gift: it’s just $10.87 on Amazon.com. There are fascinating culinary tidbits, useful preparation tips, full-color photos for each dish, step-by-step plating and food styling secrets, and a wine pairings and Seder wine guide.

As a bonus, all but four of the 60 recipes in the book are gluten-free. And of course, the recipes can be enjoyed all year long. Here’s one recipes from Passover Made Easy to start you off; next week, we’ll publish Matzaroni, the mac-and-cheese alternative:

Eggplant-wrapped chicken, one of the
modern recipe alternatives. Photo courtesy
Passover Made Easy.

RECIPE: EGGPLANT WRAPPED CHICKEN

Ingredients

Eggplant

 
Meat Mixture

 
Chiken

1. PREHEAT oven to broil. Grease a baking sheet. Cut eggplant lengthwise, 1/4-inch thick, to get 6 or 7 slices. Reserve remaining eggplant scraps. Place eggplant slices on prepared baking sheet. Brush slices with oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil 5 minutes per side, until second side is beginning to brown. The slices should appear as if they were fried. Remove and set aside.

2. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Peel and finely dice remaining eggplant to obtain ½ cup diced eggplant. Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and diced eggplant and sauté until soft, about 5-7 minutes.

3. COMBINE onion mixture with ground meat in a small bowl. Season with salt and garlic powder.

4. SEASON chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Place a tablespoon of the meat mixture into each thigh and roll up to close. Roll an eggplant slice around each stuffed chicken thigh. Place, seam side down and close together, in a baking pan. Cover and bake for 2½ hours.

Serve with mashed potatoes or your favorite Passover-approved grain,* and your favorite green vegetable, steamed or sauteed lightly with garlic.

*Grains forbidden during passover include barley and all types of wheat. Grains such as quinoa and rice were not known during biblical times so are not forbidden. Extremely religious people will avoid any grain.

It’s every entrepreneur’s dream: A mega-star stumbles upon your product and likes it so much, she invests in the company and creates an ad.

Katy Perry discovered Popchips* while on tour last summer. Hungry after a show, she found a bag of Popchips in her hotel room’s minibar and liked them so much she tweeted about them. In July she became an investor; then she created her own flavor, inspired by her favorite childhood snack.

Katy’s Kettle Corn is available in .8-ounce single serve portions and 3.5-ounce shareable bags.

The flavor has been an exclusive at Target since January, with distribution to other retailers beginning in May. We like the single-serve bags as a healthier treat in Easter baskets. If you can’t find them locally, we found the large bags on Amazon.com.

THE NIBBLE discovered Popchips years ago: It has been a Top Pick Of The Week twice, first in 2007. Read our review.

Kettle corn is sweet-and-salty popcorn flavor. A Colonial invention, the corn was popped in iron kettles and then sweetened with sugar, honey, and sometimes molasses before adding salt. It is less sweet than caramel corn and appeals to those who like a sweet-and-salty flavor profile. We’ve got your number, Katy Perry!

Popchips are crunchy snacks with half the fat of fried chips and nothing artificial. They are neither fried (unhealthy) nor baked (undelicious) but popped. Wholesome (corn is a whole grain) corn kernels are placed under pressure, which “pops” the chip.

The snack has 130 calories per one-ounce serving (about 16 chips) and is certified gluten free and kosher (KOF-K).

Katy’s Kettle Corn is less sweet than conventional kettle corn—no doubt a deliberate choice to keep the the calories down. If you want more sweetness, stir your favorite non-caloric sweetener nonfat Greek yogurt and dip away!

CHECK OUT THE HISTORY OF POPCORN & WHAT MAKES POPCORN “POP.”

*The company spells the product’s name with a small “p”, but THE NIBBLE’s style sheet—every publication’s individual rules used for consistent editing—requires that we capitalize it. Our style sheet focuses on preventing the deconstruction of the English language for reasons of style.