HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - Chef Patrick Evans Hylton shows us how to mix up a sassy strawberry shake and a simple yet tasty guacamole.
SASSY STRAWBERRY SHAKE
Strawberries begin their season in April, with most coming to market in a few weeks. The Pungo Strawberry Festival celebrates the tiny, red fruit each year on Memorial Day Weekend. Get a head start on strawberrypalooza with our Sassy Strawberry Shake. Here’s how I make it:
In a cocktail shaker pour in 6-8 ounces of strawberry milk a generous dash each of ground cinnamon and a pinch of ground cayenne pepper. Fill the shaker with ice, shake until chilled and mixed, about one minute, and pour into an Old Fashioned Glass. Garnish with a sprinkling of spices, fresh mint and a fresh strawberry.
You can use store-bough strawberry milk, but if you’d like my recipe for making it homemade using local berries, email me at Patrick@VirginiaEatsAndDrinks.com with “strawberry milk recipe” as the subject.
Make this an adult treat by adding 2 ounces of vodka to the cocktail shaker before blending. We like to use the Mutiny Island Vodka from our friends at Chesapeake Bay Distillery (www.ChesapeakeBayDistillery.com) And stay tuned to Virginia Eats + Drinks on Coast Live; in a few weeks we’ll have strawberry news you can use including picking, storing, and using.
Sassy Strawberry Shake ingredients come from our partners at The Fresh Market: www.TheFreshMarket.com
GROOVIN’ ON GUAC AND CHIPS
Guacamole is quick and easy to make, and oh so delicious! I love the fresh, green colors which reflect those of early spring. Plus, it’s never to early to start practicing your Guac Game in preparation for Cinco de Mayo. Here’s how I make it:
In a medium bowl add three peeled and pitted avocados, the juice of one lime, a generous dash of salt, and a pinch of ground cayenne pepper and mash to the texture you like. Add 1/2 cup diced onion, 1/2 cup diced tomato, 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, and 1 teaspoon minced garlic and stir to mix. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and sliced, pickled jalapeno peppers. Serve with tortilla chips.
If you’d like my recipe for homemade tortilla chips email me at Patrick@VirginiaEatsAndDrinks.com with “tortilla chips recipe” as the subject.
CORK + FORK VIP GRAND TASTING
There’s a new way to celebrate Virginia eats + drinks this spring.
The Cork + Fork VIP Grand Tasting takes place Sunday, May 5 in conjunction with the Spring Town Point Virginia Wine Festival. The tasting includes exclusive food and wine tastings for a nominal upcharge and access to area sommeliers to up your wine game.
Cork + Fork restaurants are: Guy Fieri’s Smokehouse, Kahiau’s Bakery & Cafe, Shula’s 347 Grill, Steinhilber’s Restaurant. There will also be an oyster bar with raw and roasted oysters.
Cork + Fork sommeliers are: Lindsay Bennett of Press 626 and Press Wine Bar, Crystal Schaad of Crystal Palate, and Marc Sauter of Zoes Restaurant. I will also be on hand to chat about wine.
Check out our blog soon for more delicious details, including restaurant menus.
Tickets and more information from our friends at Norfolk Festevents : www.Festevents.org
COMING RIGHT UP: A HISTORIC SPICED RUM
From it’s beginning in the late 1600s, Norfolk - then known as Norfolk Towne - saw countless ships lined along the wharfs where Waterside Drive is now. Many of these ships came from the Caribbean, and their hulls were filled with all sorts of exotic cargo, including spices from the islands.
VAEATS is proud to work with the good folks at Chesapeake Bay Distillery to create a historic spiced rum flavored with the types of spices that Virginians would have seen unloaded on Norfolk’s shores centuries ago. The colony also has a rich history of trade in the Caribbean with sugar, molasses, and rum. In fact, rum was the favored spirit here for much of Virginia’s beginnings.
A first run of the boldly flavored rum is available for tasting at the distillery’s Meet The Mixologist event on April 18. Other quality quaffs will be sampled that night from bartender Ben Stone of Rockafeller’s Restaurant.
Tickets and more information at: www.ChesapeakeBayDistillery.com/events
