Campari: Gateway Drug To The Good Life

I had my first Campari on a date at a racetrack in Florence, Italy. We stood along the rails watching the races with a group of distinguished (i.e. drunk) older gentlemen. We bonded tutti insieme over drinks and screamed at our dollar bets to cross the finish line. It was a very romantic first date for a young woman in a new country and my love of Campari is certainly cemented in part, by that nostalgia.

Campari's definitely an acquired taste. On its own it can be a little rough around the edges; at once bitter, viscous and medicinal. But mixed with fresh squeezed orange or grapefruit juice over ice, it transforms into a perfectly civilized and refreshing summer cocktail.

I made these for a recent summer dinner party and they were an instant hit. My friends who'd never had them before, loved them. Campari's also very high in alcohol; it's strength might sneak up on you. Depending on where it's sold it can be as high as 28%! I believe it's 18% here in the States. If you're looking for a new summer tipple, Campari might be just the thing.

Here's a few quick and easy recipes for Campari:

Campari & OJ: Place ice cubes in a highball or old-fashioned glass. Add 1/3 Campari to 2/3 fresh squeezed OJ.

Campari & Grapefruit: Same as above but with 1/4 Campari to 3/4 freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice.

Campari & Soda: Place ice cubes in a highball glass. Add 2/3 Campari and 1/3 club soda.

Negroni: pour equal parts gin, sweet red vermouth and Campari into a cocktail shaker with ice, shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with orange peel.

Reverse Negroni: Another great summer cocktail, this obscure drink was introduced to me at one of my all time favorite, (now defunct) Chicago restaurants, Sole Mio. RIP.

Pour equal parts vodka, dry vermouth and Campari in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with lemon rind.

Patricia Wells' Apricot Honey Tart

Those who know me would agree that I am a fan of the bold gesture. I would put this tart in that category. Like a good piece of statement jewelry. Like renting a villa in Italy and sending your closest friends first class tickets to join you. (Hasn't happened yet, but believe me, it's going to.)

First and foremost, this tart is a stunner. When you trot it out at the end of a meal or at brunch, people will inevitably ask if you really made it. It happened to me again last night. Not only does this tart look, smell and taste like summer, it's also good for the ol' self esteem. Quadroople bonus.

And believe it or not, it's truly easy - even if you've never made a crust before! You can substitute apricots with figs or plums - or any stone fruit. The only extra you'll need is a 12" round fluted tart pan.

This recipe is from the book, Patricia Wells at Home in Provence.

Ingredients:

The Crust
unsalted butter to grease tart pan
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. pure almond extract
1/8 tsp. pure vanilla extract
a pinch fine sea salt
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tbsp. unbleached all purpose flour
2 tbsp. finely ground raw almonds (I use my coffee grinder)

The Cream
1/2 cup heavy cream (buy organic!)
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp. raw honey
1 tbsp. superfine flour such as Wondra

about 1 1/2 pounds fresh apricots (hit your local farmers' market!), pitted and halved, do not peel (I slice mine into moons but for a heavier fruit-to-bite ratio, just halve them)


Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Butter bottom and sides of tart pan.
3. In large bowl, combine butter and sugar and, with a wooden spoon, stir to blend. Add the almond and vanilla extracts, salt, flour, and stir to form a soft, cookie-like dough. Do not let it form into a ball. (I find mine to be very crumbly and unable to hold into a ball even if it wanted to - it's still OK) Transfer dough into the center of buttered tart pan and using the tips of your fingers, evenly press the pastry onto the bottom and sides of the pan. The dough will be quite thin.
4. Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake until the dough is slightly puffy and set about 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle the almonds on the crust. This will prevent it from becoming soggy.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the cream. In a medium-size bowl, combine cream, egg, both extracts and honey and whisk to blend. Then whisk in superfine flour.
6. Starting just inside the edge of the pre-baked pastry pan, neatly overlap the halved or half-moon slices of apricots, cut side up at a slight angle. Make 2 or 3 concentric circles working towards the center. (I ran out of apricots and added a sprinkling of blueberries to fill in the gaps as you can clearly see.)
7. Pour the cream evenly over the fruit. Place in center of oven and bake until the filling is firm and the pasty is deep golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. The apricots will shrivel slightly. Allow to cool before slicing.
8. TASTES GREAT CHILLED THE NEXT DAY!