there may be a hurricane brewing over texas, but here in socal, we are headed into a heat wave. costa mesa is heading into our hottest time of the year and with no air conditioning and cake orders that require the OVEN, i'm looking for anything cooling these days. 

my friyay cocktail is no exception. cucumber makes this floral gin + st. germain combination very soothing for a sweltering summer day. bonus points if you serve it in a chilled glass. 

lemon + cucumber gin fizzle
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 3 minutes
total time: 5 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz gin. 1 oz fresh lemon juice. 10 thin slices of cucumber. .5 oz st. germain. 3-5 oz club soda. edible flowers for garnish (i used borage). shaker. muddler. strainer. 2 cups ice. 

in the bottom of your shaker, combine 8 of the cucumber slices, lemon juice and st. germain. 

muddle together until the cucumber is completely crushed. about 2 minutes. 

pour in half the ice and the gin and shake well till combined. about 30 seconds. 

fill your serving glass with the rest of the ice and the remaining cucumber slices. strain your cocktail over the ice. 

top off the drink with club soda to taste. 

garnish with edible flowers. 

enjoy! 

xo, a

lemon + cucumber gin fizzle
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 3 minutes
total time: 5 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz gin. 1 oz fresh lemon juice. 10 thin slices of cucumber. .5 oz st. germain. 3-5 oz club soda. edible flowers for garnish (i used borage). shaker. muddler. strainer. 2 cups ice.
in the bottom of your shaker, combine 8 of the cucumber slices, lemon juice and st. germain.
muddle together until the cucumber is completely crushed. about 2 minutes.
pour in half the ice and the gin and shake well till combined. about 30 seconds.
fill your serving glass with the rest of the ice and the remaining cucumber slices. strain your cocktail over the ice.
top off the drink with club soda to taste.
garnish with edible flowers.
enjoy!

it's not that often anymore, but every once in a while, a client orders a dessert other than a cake. we recently catered for a party that had a gluten free hostess, so i was really challenged to create some desserts that were just as delicious and even more beautiful than their gluten full friends. 

tweaking the classic shortbread crust on this tart was surprisingly easy. and in my opinion, the addition of almond flavor really stepped things up a notch. not only is the tart delicious, because your not baking the filling, you can really set the berries in any style you like. you can throw them in at random or build a really beautiful pattern. the world is your oyster. 

blueberry lemon tart + gluten free almond crust
serves: 8-10
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 20 minutes
bake time: 20 minutes
total time: 45 minutes
ingredients: 2 cups almond flour. .25 cup sugar. .25 tsp kosher salt. 4 tbs butter, cubed, plus 1 tsp to butter the tart pan. .5 tsp vanilla extract. 1 egg. 2 cups greek yogurt. 1 cup lemon curd. 1 cup blueberries. baby mint leaves as desired. rectangular or 8-9 inch round tart pan. 

start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees f. in a food processor or in a mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, sugar, salt, butter, vanilla extract and the egg. 

pulse (or mix) until the mixture forms a rough ball. 

lightly butter the base and edges of your tart pan and dump your dough into the tart pan. 

using your fingers, gently press the dough to cover the bottom of the pan and up the edges. 

prick the base of your dough with a fork a generously and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the edges begin to lightly brown. remove the shell from the oven and allow it to cool slightly.

while the shell is cooling, combine the lemon curd and greek yogurt. 

stir till it is completely combined. 

pour the lemon yogurt filling into the tart shell. 

add in your blueberries and any mint you like in your desired pattern. 

serve immediately or chill in the fridge until ready to serve. can be made a day or two in advance. 

xo, a

blueberry lemon tart + gluten free almond crust
serves: 8-10
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 20 minutes
bake time: 20 minutes
total time: 45 minutes
ingredients: 2 cups almond flour. .25 cup sugar. .25 tsp kosher salt. 4 tbs butter, cubed, plus 1 tsp to butter the tart pan. .5 tsp vanilla extract. 1 egg. 2 cups greek yogurt. 1 cup lemon curd. 1 cup blueberries. baby mint leaves as desired. rectangular or 8-9 inch round tart pan.
start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees f. in a food processor or in a mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, sugar, salt, butter, vanilla extract and the egg. pulse (or mix) until the mixture forms a rough ball. lightly butter the base and edges of your tart pan and dump your dough into the tart pan. using your fingers, gently press the dough to cover the bottom of the pan and up the edges. prick the base of your dough with a fork a generously and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the edges begin to lightly brown. remove the shell from the oven and allow it to cool slightly. while the shell is cooling, combine the lemon curd and greek yogurt. stir till it is completely combined. pour the lemon yogurt filling into the tart shell. add in your blueberries and any mint you like in your desired pattern. serve immediately or chill in the fridge until ready to serve. can be made a day or two in advance.