April 24 – Strawberry Mint Smash & Spinach and Pesto Tart

TGIF, again. For weeks that are all kinda the same, they still seem to go by pretty quickly. A Strawberry Mint Smash is a lovely shade of pink and a refreshing way to end the week. It’s also a great drink to make in a pitcher, so I’ve included both measurements.

Strawberry Mint Smash

For a pitcher

• 3 T sugar

• 2 limes, cut into quarters

• 12 strawberries, sliced

• 20 mint leaves

• 1 1⁄2 c gin

• 1 1⁄2 c sparkling water or club soda

• 2 c sparkling rosé (or Prosecco)

• Mint sprigs and strawberries for garnish

Muddle the sugar, lime quarters, strawberries and mint in a pitcher that holds 8 cups. Add ice and gin, sparkling water, and rosé. Stir. Garnish with mint sprigs and sliced strawberries

For 1 cocktail

• 2 t sugar

• 1⁄4 lime

• 2 strawberries, sliced

• 5 mint leaves

• 2 oz gin

• 2 oz sparkling water

• 3 oz sparkling rosé (or Prosecco)

• Mint sprig and 1 strawberry for garnish

Squeeze the lime and muddle the lime juice, sugar, and mint leaves in a tall glass. Add the sliced strawberries and muddle some more. Fill the glass with ice, add gin, sparkling water, and top off with sparkling rosé. Stir. Garnish with a sprig of mint and a slice of strawberry.

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Spinach and Pesto Tart

Serves 4

• 1 sheet from a 17oz package of frozen puff pastry, defrosted according to package directions

• 1 10 oz package of frozen spinach, thawed

• 1⁄2 c prepared pesto

• 2⁄3 c crumbled feta

• 1 T lemon juice

• Salt and pepper

• 1 egg beaten with 1 T water for egg wash

Squeeze excess water out of spinach by wrapping it in a clean kitchen towel and squeezing over the sink. Place spinach in a bowl with pesto, feta, and lemon juice. Stir to combine and break up clumps. Season with salt and pepper.

Dust the sheet of puff pastry with flour on both sides, and roll out to a large rectangle, about 1⁄8” thick. Cut the rectangle in half so you have 2 equal size smaller rectangles. On one rectangle, pile the spinach filling and spread it out, leaving a 1⁄2” border around the edge. Paint egg wash around the border of the filled rectangle, then place the other rectangle on top, sealing the border all the way around.

Indent a small 2” diameter circle, use a shot glass, in the center of your rectangle. Cut pastry into 4 quadrants, stopping as you reach the edge of the center circle. Cut each quadrant into 4 pieces, so you’ll end up with 16 spokes poking out of the center circle. Carefully pull gently and twist each spoke 3-4 rotations to expose the spinach filling. Chill pastry, in the freezer 10 minutes, or in the refrigerator 20 minutes while oven preheats to 400 degrees.

Brush pastry all over with remaining egg wash. Season with salt and pepper. Bake 30-35 minutes, until browned and puffed.