Food on TV

Actually, I think PBS was the first food network.  Years ago I thought it a real luxury to spend an hour or two on the weekends watching a few of the cooking programs they broadcast.  Of course, there was Julia, both her original show and her later ones with master chefs. Jacques Pepin, Natalie Dupree, Marianne Esposito, Jeff Smith/The Frugal Gourmet, Graham Kerr/The Galloping Gourmet are among some of the others I remember. A commonality these shows had was that they'd share a little more about the dish than just the ingredients that went into it.  They'd tell heart felt stories of the region the dish was from and the ingredients available in that area, or reminisce about making it with their mothers and grandmothers when they were very young. It seems these are a little of what makes a food show host successful as they were key points they drilled into participants of  The Next Food Network Star, share a little about yourself as well as the food. Congratulations to Aaron McCargo Jr. (I picked him early on as the winner). I toast to you with this cocktail from The Neelys, though I made one change. I used white rum instead of vodka, and think it has a really nice flavour.

Frozen Ginger Lemon Drops

adapted from The Neelys recipe

makes 4

• 1 cup ginger/mint simple syrup, recipe follows
• 1 cup white rum
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 4 cups ice
• Lemon wedges and/or mint sprigs for garnish

Add simple syrup to a blender. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and garnish with lemon and mint.

Ginger Simple Syrup:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 (4-inch) piece of ginger, sliced
• a big handful of mint

Bring water to a low simmer and stir until sugar dissolves.

Add ginger and mint and allow to steep for 20 minutes. Strain and chill.