White peach, strawberry and mint bowle

When the temperatures outside are high and a lot of people are expected, it's very convenient to be able to make a large quantity of drinks in a very small amount of time. Preferably the concoction should taste nice as well.

This is something I threw together for a BBQ evening with friends. I liked the results so much, it was repeated the following evening.



ingredients:
3 white peaches, peeled and chopped
one small punnet of strawberries, hulled and chopped
three sprigs of mint, leaves picked and slightly crushed
3/4 cup of vanilla vodka
3/4 cup of white rum
3 table spoons of brown sugar
half a bottle of white wine
1 liter of mineral water

Mix the chopped fruit with the mint, sugar and the spirits in a large bowl. Let it stand for about an hour so the sugar can dissolve and the fruit release some of there juices.
Add the wine and the mineral water. Serve ladling into drinking glasses like punch.



Since I don't take careful notes when experimenting the measures here are approximate. Feel free to adjust to your taste. I used a homemade vanilla vodka (three split vanilla pods go into a bottle, then wait for three weeks and shake it once in a while), since I thought it would go nicely with the strawberries. You could substitute both spirits with dark rum.

Here comes the sun...

Switzerland has been having a major doozie of a May, where weather is concerned. It has been cold, wet and gray.
SO when last weekend beckoned with warmth and lots of sunshine, the Swiss people surged into the open like marmots after the winter. It was just as gorgeous as promised and I read of sunburns on facebook statuses without end.
Thank god I managed to forgo that experience myself.

I decided it was time to try out something new. The lamb rack I bought on impulse on my way home would meet it's fate on the barbecue outside. Even though it was just me.
I know. I'm weird like that.

The marinade I threw together was improvised but I was very pleased with the results. The measures listed here are approximate;

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons mustard
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon fresh marjoram
1 clove of garlic
a squeeze of lemon juice

Chop the herbs and the garlic finely and mix with the other ingredients to a paste. Liberally coat the lamb rack with it and let it stand at room temperature. Let it marinate for at least 20 minutes.

We have a big charcoal barbecue. If you purchase smaller charcoal baskets, you have the possibility of having the hot coals in only a part of the grill. This allows indirect grilling which is great for bigger cuts of meat. My father does a to-die-for roast chicken this way.

I filled only one if the two baskets with coal and lit them. They were allowed to get really hot before I got out the lamb rack and seared on both sides for one or two minutes. Then the rack was placed to the side, out of the way of the direct heat, the lid was put on and left to finish for about seven minutes.

The finished product was tender, juicy and absolutely delicious.
I can't wait to make it again.