Celebrate with a Mojito. Photo by Paul
Johnson | IST.

Did you say rum and coke, a.k.a. a Cuba Libre? If so, we’d like to recommend our favorite way to enjoy rum: in a Mojito!

The mojito, another Cuban cocktail, dates to 300 years before the advent of carbonated cola drinks (which happened in May, 1886).

According to Bacardi Rum, the drink can be traced to 1586, when Sir Francis Drake and his pirates unsuccessfully attempted to sack Havana for its gold. His associate, Richard Drake, was said to have invented a mojito-like cocktail known as El Draque that was made with aguardiente, a crude forerunner of rum, sugar, lime and mint. Around the mid-1800s, when the Bacardi Company was established, rum was substituted and the cocktail became known as a Mojito. The name comes from the African voodoo term mojo, to cast a small spell.

Celebrate August 16, National Rum Day, with a Mojito. Here’s the recipe.

• Find more drink recipes in our Cocktails & Spirits Section.

If you haven’t been enjoying the seasonal bounty, grab ‘em before they’re gone.

Our favorite summer joy is peach ice cream. It’s dropped off the radar of most commercial manufacturers, but well worth the trouble to make from scratch.

• Try these recipes for peach ice cream and peach cobbler.
• Learn all about peaches, which are native to China. 

Fragrant, juicy, delicious peaches. Photo
by Alaina Cherup | SXC.

Shopping note: Don’t buy more than you can use: Peaches ripen very quickly.

America’s famous sandwich cookie is re-
formulated in a gluten-free version. Photo
by Katharine Pollak | THE NIBBLE.

Gluten refers to certain proteins found in wheat, rye, barley, spelt, oats and some other grains. The allergy can range from mild inflammation of the small intestine that causes stomach ache, to severe celiac disease. The cause of the sensitivity is unknown; the solution is to avoid all products that contain gluten.

With the growth of gluten sensitivity in our population, as well as the choice among others to avoid gluten for general health reasons (improved digestion, weight loss and other benefits that have not yet been proven scientifically), specialty manufacturers have been busy formulating everything from pizza crusts to iconic cookies into gluten-free versions.

For example, gluten avoiders can have an Oreos experience thanks to sandwich cookies from Kinnikinnick Foods and Mi-Del.

• Kinnikinnick Foods makes KinniToos chocolate sandwich creme cookies with both vanilla and chocolate filling.
• Mi-Del makes gluten-free Royal Vanilla and Chocolate sandwich cookies.

We liked the entire Mi-Del line, which includes arrowroot cookies, ginger snaps and other choices. The varieties of Kinnikinnick’s children’s cookies (animal crackers, graham-style crackers) that we tried didn’t have the same palate-pleasing qualities as the sandwich cookies.

Find more of our favorite gluten-free gourmet foods.

Gluten-free flour for baking uses a mixture of other ingredients to approximate the quality of wheat flour. Corn flour, potato flour, potato starch, corn starch, rice flour, tapioca starch and soya flour are gluten-free options that can be mixed in different blends for different types of baked goods.

It’s easy to make your own pita chips to go with dips, salads and soups. And need we say, they taste much better than packaged pita chips?

1. Simply slice pita rounds into quarters or eighths.

2. Brush tops with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and your favorite herbs: oregano, parsley and/or thyme, for example. (You also can purchase fresh pita pre-seasoned with garlic or onion—or opt for the healthier choice and buy whole wheat pita.)

3. Broil until crisp and golden. Serve warm.

Make lots: They’re guaranteed to be very popular.

• Try this recipe for white bean dip—delicious with pita chips.

Fresh-made pita chips are delish. Photo
courtesy WisDairy.com.

[1] This cold (chilled) fresh pea soup recipe can be made with zucchini instead (photo © Gabriel Kreuther).

[2] For an elegant presentation, serve the bowl of chilled soup nestled into a bed of crushed ice. The chef scattered microgreens across the ice, but you can use snipped fresh herbs (photo © Meli Melo Restaurant [permanently closed]).

Chef Bernard Ros of Meli Melo Restaurant in New York City shares his recipe for Chilled Pea Soup With Goat Cheese Crumbles.

You can serve any of your favorite summer soups, from chilled cucumber soup, fresh tomato soup and gazpacho to vichyssoise, on a bed of crushed ice.

The crushed ice, on a small tray, large plate, or charger into which the soup bowl is set, creates an easy at-home presentation of chilled soup that looks like it was served at the finest restaurant.

Since fresh peas are seasonal and by early summer they may be gone, you can make this recipe from frozen peas.

Or skip the freezer and use fresh zucchini or yellow squash.
 
 
RECIPE: COLD PEA SOUP RECIPE or ZUCCHINI SOUP

Ingredients For 8 Servings

 
Preparation

1. Bring chicken broth to boil. Add peas and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender (do not overcook).

2. Purée in a food processor or blender. Add diced potatoes a scoop at a time and purée soup to desired consistency.

3. Refrigerate for three hours or overnight. Check prior to serving and adjust salt as needed.

4. Serve cold. To plate, place small bowls into large bowls or on dinner plates or chargers. Surround with crushed ice. Pour soup and add goat cheese and croutons. Garnish with herbs or pea shoots; sprinkle more garnish onto ice. Serve immediately.