Mango Hibiscus Daiquiris To Celebrate National Daiquiri Day!

Happy National Daiquiri Day, friends! Funny how I just happen to have a batch of my new fave twist on a daiquiri all ready to go...thanks to the Jimmy Buffet concert last night. Yes, it surprises me, too, that there are leftovers. Who knew?!

One of the good things about making cocktails by the batch (one thing among MANY), is that nobody has to wait while one custom cocktail at a time is crafted. One big lime juicing session, some rum and (in this case) hibiscus simple syrup and it's party time! This would be wonderful served either in a pitcher or a punch bowl so the bartender can relax and enjoy the festivities.

Not gonna make you wait any longer to get started...here's the recipe for Mango Hibiscus Daiquiris for one AND by the batch. Cheers....oh, and fins up!

Mango Hibiscus Daiquiris - for 1

• 3 fluid ounces Parrot Bay Mango rum - ONLY use Parrot Bay...it isn't too sweet. Trust me on this one, the others DO NOT work at all (or you can do your own mango/rum infusion which is very good and fresh, but when you want it NOW, Parrot Bay is faster!)
• 1 1/2 fluid ounces fresh-squeezed lime juice - do NOT use that bottled crap
• 1/2 ounce hibiscus simple syrup, homemade (see recipe below)
• 1/4 ounce Canton Ginger Liqueur

Put everything into a cocktail shaker.  Cap and shake vigorously until the shaker frosts up.
 
Pour over ice into a double old fashioned glass, garnish with a lime wheel and serve! You could even do a cute little umbrella...have fun with it!

Mango Hibiscus Daiquiris - by the pitcher

• 3 cups Parrot Bay Mango rum - ONLY use Parrot Bay...it isn't too sweet. Trust me on this one, the others DO NOT work at all (or you can do your own mango/rum infusion which is very good and fresh, but when you want it NOW, Parrot Bay is faster!)
• 1 1/2 cups fresh-squeezed lime juice - do NOT use that bottled crap
• 1/2 cup hibiscus simple syrup, homemade (see recipe below)
• 1/4 cup Canton Ginger Liqueur

Put everything into a large pitcher, stir. 
 
Pour into a double old fashioned glass with lots of ice, garnish with a lime wheel and serve! You could even do a cute little umbrella...have fun with it!

Hibiscus Simple Syrup: Bring 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a small pot. Once it comes to a boil, add a BIG handful of dried hibiscus flowers (I get them at Reyna's in the Strip District in the back in a bulk bin) and remove from the heat. Let the solution cool completely and strain into a small glass or plastic bottle. Store in the fridge. Keeps for several weeks. Try using it in other beverages like lemonade or iced tea. YUM! 

Grilled Pineapple, Mango and Ham Salads with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

What gorgeous weather! Finally! Mark and I have been spending every possible moment in the yard trying to weed, plant, mulch and water while conditions are just right. 

The window of yardwork opportunity always seems to be so narrow. Soon May thunderstorms begin to put a damper on outside chores, quickly followed by the scorching heat of summer. Once the temps and humidity rise, I'd rather be chilling by the pond than sweltering with a shovel.

One recent Sunday while we were busy outside, I baked a ham for for the evening's meal. Nobody had to fuss that night and there were plenty of leftovers for quick meals during the week. We gardened while dinner cooked. 

Later in the week, leftover ham made a light (yet somehow substantial) salad for dinner. We grilled up a few mango halves, pineapple spears and slices of ham and plated those on top of Romaine leaves. Fresh blackberries, smoked bleu cheese crumbles and an easy Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette put the finishing touch on our quick weeknight dinner. 

The time we saved on dinner? Yeah, we got back out into the yard for some weeknight weeding. Before the rain comes.

Grilled Pineapple, Mango and Ham Salads 

with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

Serves 2

• 1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, cut into thick slices
• 1 mango, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, pit removed
• 2 thick slices ham
• 1/2 pint fresh blackberries
• 1/2 cup smoked bleu cheese (or regular bleu cheese)
• Romaine leaves

Vinaigrette:

•  2 T. Meyer lemon juice (or 1 T. lemon juice and 1 T. orange juice)
• 1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 t. sugar
• 1/2 t. Dijon mustard
• 1 t. Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• pinch cayenne pepper

Grill ham, pineapple and mango until they develop some nice grill marks. Remove to plate.

On two plates, arrange Romaine and top with the fruits, sprinkle with bleu cheese. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve.

Vinaigrette: While everything is on the grill, whip together the vinaigrette ingredients!

      

Sweet Corn and Mango Salsa

Whew, it's been busy around here!  Way back before the big trip to Annapolis and the excitement behind the bar at Emilia Romagna, I promised you one more mango recipe from Kimber's and my foray through West Side Market in Cleveland.   Hope you weren't holding your breath waiting for this one...you can exhale now.  Feel better?


This is a simple salsa...pretty traditional really, and versatile.  Scoop it up with tortilla chips or pile it onto tacos or grilled chicken or pork chops.  No matter how you use it, this fresh combo of sugary summer corn and tart lime, lush mango and perky peppers, and the classic contrast of sweet and heat, it is the star of your show.  

The tacos pictured above were a sort of Caribbean/Mexican fusion using jerk chicken breast, corn and mango salsa, crema and cilantro - a little sprinkle of cotija topped them off. Experiment with your own favorite way to use it!

Sweet Corn and Mango Salsa

• 1 mango, small yellow, champagne type
• 2 leftover cooked ears of corn, kernels cut off cob
• 1/2 small red onion, diced small
• 2 tablespoons red bell pepper, diced small
• 1 jalapeno, ribs & seeds removed, minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin

Combine all ingredients.  Serve!
 
Great as a dip with tortilla chips, on grilled meats or on fish or chicken tacos! 

Mango Tango Turkey Burgers

 

Piles of gorgeous, ripe Champagne mangoes (those small golden ones shaped like cashews) beckoned from the fruit stalls at West Side Market the other weekend, so Kimber and I did what any sane (?) shopper would do...we bought a full case!  At the bargain price of 75 cents each, how could we resist?!   

A mango tequila infusion was my plan and Kimber's idea was a curried sliced chicken and mango salad …we knew we’d figure out what to do with the rest.  And we did. 

So far, the intended tequila infusion (very nice so far with about a week to go before it’s fully ready) has come to fruition (pun!), a mango and corn salsa went to work with me (the gang was happy with that!), and, of course, the burgers.  That’s my favorite of all...so far anyway.   

How can you not like a burger with all the good stuff of mango salsa crammed INTO it?  Mark really liked this one – and let me repeat, it’s a TURKEY burger! There's so much going on flavor-wise - sweet mango, spicy siracha, smoky cumin, bright cilantro, peppers, onion....fantastic!  With all those gorgeous colors, the burger has the look of party confetti!

The mango madness isn’t over yet in the kitchen, folks.  Chicken salad with cashews, celery, Thai green curry, a little mayo, lime and mango is the dinner plan tonight.  And that last mango?  I’m craving the corn and mango salsa again…and there’s leftover corn from tonight’s dinner.  Another plan!

One more thing before the burger recipe, did you know that mangoes, cashews and pistachios are botanically related?  People with tree nut allergies need to be careful not to eat mangoes to avoid the same allergic reaction.  Don't make these burgers for anyone with a nut allergy!  Okay, that was my public service announcement of the day.  Now on to the recipe!

Mango Tango Turkey Burgers

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 tablespoons red bell pepper, diced fine
• 2 tablespoons green bell pepper, diced fine
• 2 tablespoons purple onion, diced fine
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon siracha
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 mango, chopped fine, use a Champagne mango - those small yellow ones that are cashew shaped

Before grilling...look at the mango!

Mix all together lightly and make into 4 patties.

Grill in a grill basket...they're soft so this way there won't be any accidental bits falling through the grates.  You can pan fry them, too.  (The "before" picture doesn't look like the patties are in a basket, but they are.  I took the pic before closing it up.)
 

Serve with or without buns.  It's nice to grill some of that onion in slabs and grill some mango, too...delicious on top of the burger!  Avocado would be a good addition, too.