Hibiscus cooler recipe

[eruthros]

This is a sparking hibiscus cooler "recipe" that I like to make to use up refrigerated remnants of hibiscus tea, though of course you can make the tea with the end goal of hibiscus cooler instead. The basic flavor is like unto the old Saturn Cafe hibiscus cooler (before they stopped doing agave sweetening, the bums).

1/2 cup dried hibiscus
4 cups water (approx. 1 L)
1 L sparking water
2 TB raw agave nectar (I get mine at my co-op; you can make it with honey if you can't find agave)
1-2 lemons (optional)

1. Bring the water to a boil. Put the dried hibiscus in an open container that will let the water move (like a pitcher or a teapot). Pour boiling water over the hibiscus and steep at least five minutes.

1a (optional). Strain and drink some tea hot, with honey; it's excellent for sore throats.

2. Strain remaining hibiscus tea. Chill.

3. Prepare hibiscus cooler: 1 part tea to 1 part sparkling water. If you didn't drink any, that's about 1 L of sparkling water to the 4 cups of tea. Add raw agave, a half tablespoon at a time, stirring continuously and tasting for sweetness. If you like your hibiscus cooler even tarter than that, squeeze in the juice of a lemon and decorate with lemon slices.

You may like your drinks sweeter than I do; if so, keep adding agave until you're happy with the balance.

Other things you can try: use sliced limes or oranges in addition to or instead of lemons, serve over crushed ice or blended with ice to make a hibiscus granitaish thing, or put sliced or pureed ginger in with the dry hibiscus when you're making the tea (it'll strain out with the hibiscus).

Hibiscus is tart, bright bright red, high in vitamin c, and excellent hot or cold for sore throats.

Comments

[eruthros]

Ooooh, that sounds lovely! Do you have a good recipe for apple spice cake? Most of the recipes I've used have been under-appled and under-spiced.

I wanted to make apple crisp this week, but the folks I buy my apples from weren't at the farmer's market today! I don't know what to do.

[redbyrd-sgfic.livejournal.com]

Hmm- you might consider my recipe under-appled, as it calls for applesauce. Of course I usually eat it with more warm applesauce over the top, so I don't notice any lack of apple! It's not underspiced though- it comes out very dark and sweet with lots of cinnamon, allspice and cloves. I'm very fond of it- it was my grandmother's recipe and one I ate a lot as a child. You could try adding an additional couple of cups of diced apple to the batter if you wanted more apple.

Applesauce Cake
1/2 c. shortening
2 c. sugar
-beat until fluffy

Add and beat:
1 egg
1 1/2 c. applesauce

Add dry ingredients alternately with 1/2 c. water and beat:
2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. allspice

Stir in 1 cup raisins
Bake in tube or oblong 9 x 13 pan 30-40 min at 350 degrees F.
Serve with warm applesauce.

[eruthros]

No, applesauce is good! I don't require chunks of apples, but a lot of apple spice cakes I've had taste basically like coffee cake. Neither apple-y nor spicey. (Some of them, the only difference from a coffee cake recipe? Is that you make them with apple cider instead of milk or water or whatever. Psht. That's not an apple cake.)

Anyway, that looks like a fabulous recipe, and I wish I'd had a lift to the farmer's market today and had purchased enough apples to make applesauce! Perhaps Tuesday. Mmmm.