I haven’t used this as a digestif, either. Served on the rocks or with a bit of seltzer, it makes a great before-dinner drink. Play around with the recipe as you wish; I might make it with Meyer lemons the next time around.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
4 cups vodka
20 kumquats, cut in half lengthwise
7 small branches fresh thyme

1. In a medium saucepan, heat sugar with 3/4 cup water, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.

2. Stir in vodka. Pour mixture into a decanter and add kumquats (halves first) and thyme. Chill at least 3 weeks. Serve ice-cold, in shot glasses, or in a tumbler over ice.

Ingredients:

1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk, stirred
3 T fresh lime juice
1 T sugar
1 1/2 cups crushed ice

1. In a blender, combine the pineapple chunks with the coconut milk, lime juice and sugar and puree until smooth. Add the crushed ice and blend until frosty. Serve at once.

melody’s bounty.

how could you not buy british bistro bear?

on to the cooking:

penne with tomatoes, rosemary and wild mushrooms

mango-mint agua fresca

here’s the recipe for the agua fresca:

1 1/2 lbs mangoes
2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup lightly packed mint leaves
1/4 cup lemon juice
ice cubes
mint sprigs for garnish

1. cut and discard pits and peel from mangoes. cut fruit into chunks.

2. in a blender, whirl the mangoes, orange juice, mint leaves, and 2 1/2 cups water until smoothly pureed; pour into a pitcher. stir in lemon juice.

3. pour agua fresca into ice-filled glasses. garnish with mint sprigs.