rum | Kiwi + Peach

I’m pretty sure hell just froze over.

Pigs are flying.

I, eternal hater of the dreadful, ever-so-sneaky carrot, willingly bought, and cooked with…carrots.

They say that when you’re hosting a party, you should stick to your tried and true recipes and, as a rule, I tend to adhere to that. Except, every now and then, I get the occasional hare-brained, you’re-out-of-your-mind ideas. And then I dwell, and dwell, and dwell on them until I actually have to make them or I’ll go crazy.

You too?

No, just me? Oh well.

That happened last week with the party and those carrot cakes. I had seen a recipe for a whisky carrot cake on TheKitchn ages ago and couldn’t stop thinking about it. So what if I’d never bought a carrot in my life? So what if I had zero, zilch, nada experience making carrot cake? It was going to happen for this party.

So it did, and thank God, it was a smash hit.

Success.

I want to like carrots. I really do. They are so good for you! I try them every so often just to see if maybe my gag reflex when the after-taste hits has chilled out, but it never seems to work. This carrot cake though…it worked. Unfortunately pretty much all of the good nutritional aspects of the carrot were being wiped out by the fact that it was indeed still cake.

Hence the muffin was created. Less sugar, whole wheat, more nuts, more carrot, and a whole lot of yumminess! I wouldn’t go so far as to say healthy, but definitely healthier. I know what we will be having on Thanksgiving morning.

Are you trying anything brand new for Thanksgiving?

Here’s to willingness to take a risk and being open to new things.

Carrot and Pecan Spiced Rum Muffins from Kiwi and Peach

Carrot and Pecan Spiced Rum Muffins

{make 12 muffins}

Adapted from Sara Kate’s recipe for TheKitchn. Besides reducing the recipe, I substituted whole wheat for the all purpose flour and reduced the sugar to make it more of a muffin and less of a cake. I also upped the carrot and pecan amounts. I’m dying to try an all natural sugar version of this. I think it would be great with demerara sugar.

The Egg
3 eggs

The Dry
1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 heaping tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
dash of allspice

The Fold
1 large carrot, peeled then shredded {around 2 cups, maybe slightly less}
2/3 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup shredded coconut
3 Tbsp spiced rum

The Wet
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup olive oil

Crack your eggs into a small bowl, beat them, and set them to the side. {Wow, that sounds like a lot of egg violence.} Do this first so they have some time to get to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.

Grab three mixing bowls.

In the first, add your grated carrot, chopped pecans, coconut and rum. Give it all a stir and set it to the side for later.

In the second, sift together your dry ingredients.

In the third, the biggest of the three, combine the brown sugar with the olive oil well. As Sara Kate says in the original recipe, it should look like wet sand. Alternatively, add the flour and the egg and mix until they are just incorporated each time. Then fold in the carrot mix.

Set the batter to the side for a minute so the batter can rest while you line the muffin pan with cupcake liners. Spoon the batter in to the pan filling each cup 3/4 of the way full.

Pop it in the oven for about 20-25 minutes. Test the middles with a toothpick; if it comes out clean, you’re ready to go!

Enjoy.

As a rule, the Kiwi and I are not big house drinkers. I’m not saying we never have the occasional beer or glass of wine at home, but we are more likely to imbibe if we’re out at a restaurant or on vacation. {Which kind of goes hand in hand with eating out…but I digress.}

The exception to this is when we have company. Much like a starter or a dessert, I think that the beverage selection you offer can really make an impact on the meal. Don’t worry, water and sweet tea are almost always on tap too, but what I really love is trying out new cocktails on our unsuspecting guests. I’m sure our friends think we’re lushes. Last week, I whipped up this sucker when we were having a friend over for dinner before a concert. The weather has been beautiful and our herb garden {especially the rosemary} was getting unruly, so I thought I’d throw some in. It was perfect with our black bean burgers and fruit salad dessert with coconut whipped cream.

Kiwi+Peach: Summer Berry Spritz with Rosemary Simple Syrup photo by the Kiwi

Summer Berry Spritz with Rosemary Simple Syrup

The Syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
5 sprigs of rosemary

The Fruit
1/2 of a lemon
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup strawberries

The Booze
1/2 a bottle of a dry white wine {I used a dry Riesling because I’m in Germany.}
1/2 cup of clear rum {I used Bacardi}
2 cans of San Pelligrino Limonata {Really any lemon lime soda is fine. I’m just being pretentious. }

Boil your jug and start heating a medium size pot on medium heat. Measure your sugar and add it to the pot along with the water and the rosemary. Whisk until the sugar dissolves. Bring it to a boil, then take it off the heat and remove the rosemary.

Next, get to prepping the fruit. Thinly slice your lemon. Wash and core your strawberries, slicing them in half {or quarters depending on some} when finished. Wash your blueberries. Add all the fruit to a pitcher, and then add the simple syrup.

Now you’re ready for the good stuff, the booze. Pour half the bottle of wine in your pitcher and add the rum. Give it all a stir and then put it in the fridge for a couple of hours or until it’s nice and cold. Just before you’re ready to serve, add the Limonata and stir well.

I find the easiest way to pour it up is to spoon some fruit in the glass first and then to pour in the liquid, but it’s completely up to you. Garnish with some rosemary, a wedge or lemon, maybe a strawberry. The possibilities are endless.