The easiest red, white and blue desserts with which to celebrate the July 4th weekend are these two, from prominent New York City restaurants.
 
 
RECIPE #1: RED, WHITE & BLUE ICE CREAM

The first recipe from Il Buco, is as easy as it gets:

Ingredients

 
It’s effortless: You don’t have to cut fruit (e.g. for a red, white and blue fruit salad) or bake anything.

If you want to make it fancier:

 
 
RECIPE #2: RED, WHITE & BLUE SORBET

This recipe from Per Se pays homage to stone stacking, an ancient ritual used as a marker of different types. In archaeology, they are called cairns.

This sorbet cairn requires only that you scoop and stack the sorbet.

Fine pastry chefs have moved away from round scoops to oval ones, thanks to gadgets like this oval scoop (note: It comes in several sizes).

Per Se used a garnish of edible gold foil and a blueberry. You can hold the foil.

You can also scatter fresh fruit—blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, quartered strawberries—at the base of the cairn. Banana slices add the “white” to red, white and blue.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. SCOOP the ovals in advance and freeze individually in plastic wrap, or on a cookie tray.

2. ASSEMBLE. We think the order should be the reverse of the photo: first strawberry, then lemon, then blueberry on the bottom. Garnish with a blueberry.
 

[1] Easy, peasy July 4th ice cream dessert (photo © Il Buco | NYC).

[2] Scoop and stack ovals of ice cream for this sorbet dessert (photo © Per Se | New York).

[3] Red and blue berries with banana stars (photo © Wisconsin Cheese).

[1] Whether on the rocks or in cocktails, enjoy non-alcoholic Three Spirit elixirs as you would conventional spirits (photos #1, #2 and #3 © Three Spirit).

[2] The recipe for this non-alcoholic Espresso Martini is below.

[3] Currently there are three varieties of Three Spirit, with very different flavor profiles.

[4] The Social Swizzle from British mixologist Dan Whiteside. Here’s the recipe (photo © Dan Whiteside).

What if you want a cocktail, but can’t (or shouldn’t) drink? A group of plant scientists and bartenders have developed Three Spirit elixirs just for you. It’s our Top Pick Of The Week.

Sober evenings are more fun with this new line. It’s imported from the U.K., where it is now served at such esteemed watering holes as The Connaught Bar.

Mixologists are thrilled to have such great bases on which to build non-alcoholic cocktails. From on the rocks to smoked cocktails to fruity drinks, Three Spirit provides the base to build the cocktails you crave.

Recipes on the website include Three Spirit’s versions of the classics—Daiquiri, Cosmopolitan, Highball, Hot Toddy, Mulled Cider, Old Fashioned, Spritz—to new creations.

Three Spirit appeared at the Grammys, the Oscars, and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, where it won a double gold medal.

The line actually sold out in its U.S. debut.

Now, the three varieties are back in stock. Each has a complex flavor profile, but in brief:
 
 
THREE SPIRITS VARIETIES

 
The drinks stimulate the palate, and actually make you feel happy.

Do they really have any impact on the limbic system (the body’s system that controls feelings)?

Ingredients like lion’s mane fungus have nootropic qualities, which can help to boost mental performance and lift moods by creating new neurons in the brain. (Unlike the wonderful Mayim Bialik, we are not neuroscientists.)

Three Spirit elixirs are:

 
Note that unlike distilled spirits, Three Spirit elixirs are not clear. They are plant blends that are opaque like juice, reflecting the fruits and other plants they’re made from.

> Discover more and shop at ThreeSpiritDrinks.com.
 
 
RECIPE: NON-ALCOHOLIC ESPRESSO MARTINI

It’s the cocktail in photo #2.

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the ingredients in a cocktail shaker full of ice.

2. SHAKE hard until the shaker is ice cold, and strain into a Martini glass.

2. GARNISH and serve.

June 27th is National Pineapple Day, and June is National Iced Tea Month. So combine the two with this pineapple iced tea recipe from Melissa’s Produce.

You can use whatever type of tea you prefer: black, green, herbal, or white.

More pineapple recipes are below.
 
 
BABY PINEAPPLES

Melissa’s used Baby South African baby pineapples for this recipe. Also called Baby Queen Victorian pineapples, among other names, baby pineapples are also grown in Brazil, Hawaii, and Thailand.

Resembling a regular pineapple, the baby pineapple is about half the size of a standard pineapple: 5 inches tall and 4 inches in diameter.

It has a conventional pineapple taste but tends to be sweeter than full-grown varieties. Because it is less fibrous, the core is edible—no need to remove it.

This small fruit is considered a super fruit because of its high nutrient content. A super fruit is nutrient-rich and high in antioxidants,

Of course, you can substitute a conventional pineapple.
 
 
RECIPE: PINEAPPLE ICED TEA
 
Ingredients For 6-8 Servings

 
Optional Garnishes

 
Preparation

1. BRING 8 cups of water to a boil and remove from the heat. Steep the tea bags in the water for 10 minutes.

2. REMOVE the tea bags, squeezing out the excess liquid, and discard.

3. PLACE the pineapple slices in a 4-quart pitcher and pour the tea over the top. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate to chill.

4. SERVE over ice and garnish with the pineapple and swizzle stix.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF PINEAPPLES

 
50 MORE PINEAPPLE RECIPES

Savory Dishes

Pineapple Honey Adobo Glaze For Ham

 
Sweet Dishes

Pineapple Juice

 
Drinks

 
Products

 
Tip

[1] Pineapple iced tea for National Pineapple Day(photos #1 and #2 © Melissa’s Produce).

[2] South African baby pineapple. The core is edible.

[3] By comparison, a standard pineapple (photo © Whole Foods Markets).

MORE PINEAPPLE RECIPES
See Links A Left For The Recipes

[4] Salmon skewers in a pineapple base (photo © Ray’s Boathouse | Seattle).

[5] Pineapple pound cake à la mode (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

[6] Pineapple Mojito (photo © Cocina 214).

[7] Bunless guacamole veggieburger on pineapple (photo © Greensbury Market).

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

[1] The Armenian cucumber is an heirloom variety that is a delight. Read more about it in the footnote* below. They’re hard to find, but you can grow your own with seeds from Kitchen Garden Seeds (photo © Kitchen Garden Seeds).

[2] Butter lettuce. Check out the different types of lettuce (photo © Good Eggs).

[3] Chanterelles, the “golden” mushroom (photo © Regalis Foods).

[4] Chinese long beans can be eaten raw or cooked. They can be sliced to the size of green beans. But we think the fun is to grill, sauté or steam them and serve them whole. Here’s a stir-fry recipe from Simply Recipes (photo © Elise Bauer, founder of Simply Recipes).

[5] Winged beans originated in Southeast Asia. You can see from the cross-section shows how they acquired their English name. In the U.S., you’re likely to find them only in Asian grocers. Here’s more about it (photo © Kasma Loha-unchit | Thai Food & Travel).

Two days ago we published a list of summer fruits in season. Today, vegetables get the attention.

While we can get much of our favorite produce year-round, fruits and vegetables in season:

 
Some of the items are harvested for only a few weeks; others are around for months.

So peruse the list, note what you don’t want to miss, and add it to your shopping list.

This list was created by the Produce For Better Health Foundation.

Take a look at their website, FruitsAndVeggies.org, for tips on better meal planning with fresh produce.

The photos highlight some specialty vegetables that you might want to seek out.
 
 
32 SUMMER VEGETABLES TO PUT ON YOUR PLATE

 
Enjoy the feast!
 
 
________________

*The Armenian cucumber, Cucumis melo var. flexuosus, is a long, slender fruit which tastes like a cucumber and looks somewhat like a cucumber inside. It is actually a variety of muskmelon, an heirloom species closely related to the cucumber. However, cucumbers and melons are botanical first cousins.

Both are from the binomial order Cucurbitales, family Cucurbitaceae and genus Cucumis, differing only at the species level.

June 23rd is National Hydration Day, a holiday that serves as a reminder for all of us of how important it is to drink water and keep hydrated.

While some people carry a water bottle everywhere and are religious about drinking eight glasses a day, others among us don’t pay attention to hydrating—and in fact, drink dehydrating beverages such as alcohol, coffee and soda.

Plain water is the best way to hydrate, be it still, sparkling, mineral, or fruit infused.

But if you just don’t like water or simply don’t want another glass (tip: try drinking it ice cold), here are other good drinks to hydrate.
 
 
THE BEST BEVERAGES TO HYDRATE

 
 
ANTI-HYDRATING DRINKS TO AVOID

Avoid these: They’ll only make you thirstier.

 
> CARBONATED WATER: CLUB SODA, SELTZER: THE DIFFERENCE
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF WATER

[1] Coconut water is very hydrating. Just check the label for added sugars (photo © Deasy Setiawati Widjaja | Dreamstime).

[2] Whole cow’s milk is 87% water, but skim milk tops it at 91% (photo © MilkLife).

[3] Herbal iced tea is as hydrating as water, and is available in quite a few flavors, like this raspberry herbal iced tea (photo © National Honey Board).

[4] A nibble instead of a sip: cucumber and celery are 95% water (photo © Sun Basket).