Corny But Tea-rrific

Summertime in the south means brutal heat, a profusion of sweet corn at every market, and endless streams of iced tea. Combine all three into one glass and you get Sweet Corn Milk Tea.

What Is Corn Milk?

Corn milk is nothing new, of course. A longtime staple in Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Guatemala, Brazil, and beyond, the uniquely sweet properties of fresh summer corn have frequently been leveraged in both refreshing and warming drinks, depending on the region. The original experience is a bit like cereal milk, predating processed cornflakes.

  • Guatemalan corn milk, known as atole de elote, is infused with a whole cinnamon stick and served hot.
  • Cachaça, a distilled spirit made from fermented sugarcane juice, plus sweetened condensed milk enter the picture for making the Brazilian version called batida de milho verde. Consider it a more tropical version of English milk punch.
  • Susu jagung, literally “corn and milk,” is a more recent trend emerging in Indonesia, often served more as a thick dessert soup.

What Is Milk Tea?

Boba tea shops have popularized the concept with the addition of tender tapioca pearls soaked in honey syrup, but in truth, any brewed tea with a splash of milk qualifies.

  • One of the bestselling drinks in Japan, Royal Milk Tea is made with a blend of Assam and Darjeeling tea leaves and milk.
  • Robust Ceylon or Pu-Erh is the base of Hong Kong milk tea, which is lightened with canned evaporated milk.
  • Brilliantly orange-colored Thai tea is intensely sweet and aromatic, flavored with various spices and enriched with a heavy pour of sweetened condensed milk.
  • Chai isn’t just a highly spiced brew, but the generic word for tea in India. It’s simply made by steeping black tea in milk and water, then sweetening with sugar, although it’s highly encouraged to avail oneself of the wide array of aromatic spices.

We could be here all day talking about various milk teas, so suffice to say, these are a few of the many different styles.

What Is Sweet Tea?

Finally, we have classic southern sweet tea. Brewed hot in large batches to ensure that every grain of sugar has fully dissolved, it must then be chilled and served ice-cold (by law, I believe) in comically oversized glasses. Pure black tea is classic, but lemon, raspberry, and peach are common, equally beloved variants.

Put That Together And You Get: Sweet Corn Milk Tea!

Somewhere along the way to heat stroke and an afternoon nap, sweet corn began to blur the lines into sweet tea, corn milk into milk tea, and before I could stop myself, the connection had been made.

Juicy golden kernels of fresh summer corn blend into a silky-smooth pourable cream. A touch of sugar (or your favorite sugar-free alternative), salt, and vanilla heightens the naturally rich, floral, and subtly savory flavors within. This would be a brilliant topper for oatmeal, poured over pound cake, or even blended with frozen bananas to make a sunny yellow smoothie.

I’d implore you to trust the process and go forward to the full tea experience. While you can use any leaves you prefer, I’d suggest a robust black variety, such as smoky Lapsang Souchong or astringent Pekoe for a bold, bracing, and invigorating contrast. Milk tea should be soothing, while ice tea is refreshing,balancing both elements in one tall glass.

Let’s make this the summer of corn milk, shall we? If oats can hit it big, why can’t corn, the third leading grain crop in the world, do the same?

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Hannah (BitterSweet)8 Comments

Talk Of Tomatoes: 10 Best Fresh Tomato Recipes For Summer

Nothing in the world compares to a ripe summer tomato. Taut skin gleaming in the dappled midday sunshine, it beckons with a ruby red blush. Firm, meaty, and substantial, it needs only a pinch of salt to erupt with savory flavor, naturally sweet, acidic, and subtly peppery. If you’re really lucky, it will still be warm, straight from the garden, the green aroma of its twisted vines still lingering like fading perfume.

For a fruit that’s been around for over 80,000 years, you’d think the novelty would have worn off by now, but humans and animals like simply can’t get enough. At least, I know that’s true for me, especially if we’re talking about heirloom varieties. The more gnarled, colorful, and bulbous, the better. Those beauties never see the heat of the kitchen, too perfect to bear cooking. For the rest, however, I have more than a few winning recipes to make the most of the season.

Maximize your own fresh tomato intake with a few of my favorite recipes:

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Hannah (BitterSweet)7 Comments

Avocado Toast Millionaire

Given the choice between avocado toast and home ownership, you can probably guess which one is more closely aligned to my goals. While it would certainly be nice to set down roots, or at least stop throwing money away on monthly rent, there’s nothing that could convince me to give up this brunch staple. What can I say? I’ve got expensive tastes.

Luckily, avocados often go on sale here for absurdly low prices. When they hit 29 cents apiece, you’d better believe I’m stocking up. Don’t try to tell me that there’s a limit to “stocking” avocados, those highly perishable fruits that go from ripe to rotten in a minute. Powerless in the face of a bargain, I’ll inevitably end up lining my kitchen counters with the surplus, calculating how many lavish toasts I can fit in before they all rot in place.

What To Do with Too Many Avocados

Even if you’re not dealing with such excess, this idea is still a great trick to keep in your back pocket for those avocados that simply get overripe, aren’t the most beautiful, or are otherwise unfit for slicing. Transforming it into cool, refreshing Avocado Toast Soup makes it a respectable entree for any meal. The base is an adaptation of my garlic bread soup from Real Food, Really Fast, enriched with gorgeous green avocados for a perfectly hipster twist. Crunchy croutons lavish the top to give it a satisfying crunch, just like the classic open-faced sandwich.

Topping Ideas and Serving Suggestions

Simplicity is beautiful, but there’s always room for more flavorful garnishes. Think of your favorite avocado toast toppings and incorporate those to taste. A few front runners include:

As a standalone dish, it’s already a nicely balanced and well-rounded brunch or light lunch. For a more substantial meal, a plate of roast vegetables or a hearty kale salad would be a welcome addition.

More Avocado Recipes to Indulge In

If you’re with me on team avocado, here are more avocado-rich recipes you’ll love:

I’d like to believe that one can have their avocado toast and financial security, too. If there was ever a way to do it, this easy, breezy, creamy soup must be part of the solution.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)12 Comments

Spirited Discussion: Vegan Cocktails

No matter how many times the spirits are distilled, the world of cocktails remains as murky as ever. Labeling laws are lax compared to any other edible product available for purchase, allowing producers to omit all potential allergens, origins, methods, and co-packers. Broad assumptions can safely be made about the basics, but as soon as any flavors are invited to the party, all bets are off. It’s tough being vegan and enjoying a truly happy hour.

Even well-meaning bartenders often forget the little details, like fish-based Worcestershire sauce in bloody Mary mix, or honey syrup sweetening a gold rush. There are some common sense guidelines to follow for keeping spirits high, but the best advice I can give? Trying your best means making mistakes sometimes, especially if you’re already one or two drinks in. I know I’ve gotten it wrong, only to find out days or even weeks later. It sucks, but it doesn’t make you any less vegan, and if it’s not a matter of allergies, it won’t hurt you either. Live, learn, and raise a glass to all the straight-up imperfections along the way.

Alcohol Processing Pitfalls

Based on some of the bizarre ingredients chosen to filter various spirits, you’d think that producers were already drunk by the time they clocked into work. These antiquated, animal-based components include:

  • Gelatin – Best known for creating chewy gummy bears and bouncy marshmallows, it’s also used to filter some types of alcohol and remove sediment. Sadly, it comes from a much less whimsical place. We’re talking about the skin, tendons, and bones, primarily from cows and pigs. Kosher gelatin is no better, as it’s typically sourced from fish.
  • Casein – This cow’s milk protein can affect the brain like hard drugs, which explains why people can get legitimately hooked on cheese. This versatile ingredient also sneaks into adhesives, paints, and various industrial products. In booze, it’s another clarifying component that won’t show up on the final label.
  • Isinglass – Imagine, if you will, the dried bladders of various fish, including cod and sturgeon, in every glass. Yes, fish bladders are just what your cocktail needs for that extra special touch. For better or for worse, you won’t be able to taste or see it.

Common Cocktail Flavorings and Fillers

Creative mixology knows no bounds, which can sometimes become problematic for those with dietary or ethical concerns. When in doubt, always ask for specifics.

  • Cream and milk – When you’re craving a real treat, thick and luscious liqueurs can make you feel like you’re drinking melted ice cream. Not all bottles with “crème” on their labels are guilty of deriving their richness from dairy fats, but unless I can confirm otherwise, I personally would stay away. Even in the case of coconut cream, this plant-based milk is sometimes padded with unlisted, unnecessary dairy derivatives.
  • Eggs – There’s more than on way to crack an egg, and that’s part of the problem when ordering a vegan mixed drink. The classic example that comes to mind is the beloved eggnog. Egg whites are popular for creating foams and many types of “fizz” cocktails, adding a velvety texture instead of more harsh bubbles from seltzer or sparkling wine. Whether they use the whole egg or just the yolk, these cocktails should be off the menu for plant-based people.
  • Honey – Often billed as a more natural sweetener, honey comes at a steep environmental price. This is an easy fix, though: Just ask the bartender to either omit it to embrace a more sour/bitter/bracing taste, or swap it for simple syrup, made from sugar instead.

Best Bets For Safer Spirits

Next time you want to stock your home bar, stick to the essentials to ensure higher quality and cleaner flavor across the board. Look hard enough and you’ll find exceptions to every rule, but generally speaking and especially for top shelf options, these are always vegan-friendly spirits because they’re distilled, rather than filtered:

  • Vodka – Made from starches such as sorghum, corn, rice, rye or wheat, or potatoes
  • Bourbon and Whiskey – made from a mixture of corn and grains
  • Rum – Made from sugarcane
  • Gin and Schnapps – Made from grains, such as wheat or barley with added juniper and/or herbs for flavoring
  • Tequila – Made from agave cactus

Smart Choices Go Beyond Veganism

No matter what you raise a glass of, please remember to drink responsibly and know your limits. If you can appreciate the vegan virtues that go into crafting your favorite cocktails while savoring the moment with friends, so much the better.

Hannah (BitterSweet)5 Comments