Pomegranate martini is a perfect starter for a sweetheart deal

FUENTE:Gazette Reporter

“From the SCCC Kitchen” offers Daily Gazette readers tastes from Schenectady County Community College’s nationally accredited American Culinary Federation culinary arts program. Recipes selected by SCCC instructors can easily be prepared at home. Valentine’s Day will mean dinner and drinks for sweethearts. Today, technical specialist (and certified executive chef) Christopher Tanner mixes a deep red, fruit-friendly cocktail for Feb. 14 — the Valentine’s Day Pomegranate Martini. Tanner offers more cooking tips at his blog, “Gastronomic Inspirations” at cheftanner.com.

Shades of red represent passion and power.

For Chris Tanner, the deep color is a great mix for romance. His crimson cocktail — the Valentine’s Day pomegranate martini — is a perfect starter for a sweetheart deal.

“Libations are good at any time, particularly around Valentine’s Day,” Tanner said. “The pomegranate has a really interesting flavor to it, it’s got a little bit of sweetness with a touch of bitterness as well, so it makes it more of an adult cocktail other than the apple-tinis we all too often see.”

Tanner uses “Pom Wonderful” pomegranate juice — available in supermarket produce sections — and pomegranate liqueur for the required scarlet. Fresh pomegranate is also part of the recipe; Tanner likes to put seeds from the fruit in ice cube trays filled with pomegranate juice. The ice will slowly melt in the drink and release the seeds, which Tanner believes gives the martini a unique textural contrast.

“It’s a wonderful martini, and hopefully you’ll enjoy it for Valentine’s Day,” Tanner said.

VALENTINE’S DAY POMEGRANATE MARTINI

1 cup vodka

3⁄4 cup pomegranate juice

1⁄2 cup Pama pomegranate liqueur

1⁄2 cup fresh lime juice

1 lime, sliced and twisted for garnish

For ice cubes:

1⁄2 cup pomegranate seeds (from 1 fresh pomegranate)

2 cups pomegranate juice

Make ice cubes first. Split the fresh pomegranate and place in a bowl of water, breaking open the pomegranate under water to free the seed sacs. The seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the seeds in a separate bowl. Measure out 1⁄2 cup of the seeds and set aside.

Fill two ice cube trays with juice almost to the top, and place in freezer for about an hour. When cubes are semi-frozen, remove the trays from the freezer. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds into cubes in tray. Place trays back in the freezer until cubes are frozen solid.

For the martini, combine vodka, pomegranate juice, Pama liqueur and lime juice into a container. In small batches, shake mixture with ice in a cocktail shaker, then strain into chilled cocktail glasses. Garnish with lime twist and a couple pomegranate ice cubes.