Exit 105 Roadside Assistance

Celebrating the release of Peter Cincotti's EP- Exit 105- by sharing recipes inspired by the songs (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-80010104-1', 'auto'); ga('send', 'pageview');

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Buon Compleanno, Peter!

Palermo Palermo

I don’t have a prayer

When my heart shoots a flare in the sky

And as the flames in the air blow I’m leavin’ I swear

Though I can’t kiss Palermo

I can’t kiss Palermo goodbye

To finish the Roadside Assistance project and wish Peter Cincotti a very happy birthday, we present a Sicilian Cassata cake. Of course, this pairs with “Palermo”. We needed to make some changes to the traditional method to account for our limited skill set and available ingredients, but this came out amazing. 

For the sponge cake, we followed this Martha Stewart recipe . It makes enough for a sheet pan plus a 9in round cake pan. We ended up just using the cake made in the sheet pan and eating the cake round plain while we decorated. If having extra cake bothers you, look for another sponge cake recipe. 

The cake and filling can be made ahead of time. 

For the filling:

2 lb ricotta cheese

1 lb powdered sugar

1 cup chocolate chips

If your ricotta is watery, use cheese cloth to squeeze out and separate the liquid. Whisk in the powdered sugar and chocolate chips 

Assembly

After your sponge cake has cooled, Spread the filling out evenly. Gently roll it from the short end. Tightly wrap it in plastic wrap and allow to sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour. 

To decorate, use candied fruit and marzipan to create a pleasing pattern. You may wish to cover it entirely in marzipan or use a glaze for part. We used a simple glaze everything and help the candied fruit stick. 

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tbsp milk

Whisk the milk into the powdered sugar a little at a time until desired consistency is reached.

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I know she’s a problem, but she’s sexy

Problematic food is high calorie and expensive, but sooooo good.

I, and the two other people I asked, agree that mushrooms are sexy. Not sure why, but it may have something to do with umami. So for “Sexy”, I made a mushroom cream sauce for pasta and used dried porcini, fresh morels, and minced truffles (I’m crazy, but not crazy enough to track down whole fresh black truffle). The result was an intense plate of pasta that will make you come back for more no matter what.

Serves 4

1 lb bucatini pasta

1 shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

1 oz dried porcinis

8 oz fresh morels

50 g minced truffles in olive oil

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

chopped parsley to garnish

Soak the dried porcinis in hot water for about 15 minutes. Reserve the water and chop the mushrooms.

Boil a pot of salted water and cook the bucatini to al dente, about 9 minutes.

In a large pan, heat the olive oil. Saute the shallots and garlic. Add the porcinis, morels, and about 1/3 of the minced truffles. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the wine and deglaze the pan. Add the cream and bring to simmer. Stir constantly until sauce is reduced to the consistency you like. Taste and season with salt and pepper. If it gets too dry, add some of the reserved water from the porcinis.

When your sauce is the consistency you want and your pasta is al dente, add the pasta to the pan with the sauce and toss. Add the grated Parmesan, parsley, and another 1/3 of the minced truffles, and continue to toss.

To plate, garnish each serving with a little more parsley and a dollop of the minced truffle.  

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I love the idea of “Roman Skies”: The idea that being some place ancient, but new to you gives you license to become something different. With that in mind, I made an agrodolce sauce- Sweet and sour flavors come together to make something different.

Under Roman skies I’m free

Under Roman skies I shed all my skin

Under Roman skies I’m me

The person who I could’ve been

This recipe was originally supposed to have rabbit instead of quail. When I went to pick up the rabbit, I discovered it was sold whole... And that’s the story of how I found the first item I was too squeamish to cook. I wanted the meat in this dish to have an air of the wild so I think quail does a good job of filling that role. It turns out quail is a pain to actually eat. Next time, I will serve agrodolce over fish.

Quails are tiny, but the sauce is plentiful and filling. If you’re doing a full meal with an antipasto, primi, and secondi, one quail per person is fine. Otherwise, plan on two per person.

Serves 3-6

6 quail

1 large onion, chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

10 castelvetrano olives, pitted

15 g pine nuts

30 g blanched almonds

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped

1 tbsp capers in salt, rinsed

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

3/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp sugar

salt

In a dutch oven, heat the olive oil and brown the quail on all sides. Remove to a plate. Sweat the onions and celery with some salt until the onions are translucent. Add the olives, pine nuts, raisins, cherries, capers, vinegar, wine, suagr, and half of the almonds. Stir. Return the quail to dutch oven, once the liquid is at a low simmer, cover. Allow to cook for 25 minutes.

To plate, scoop some of the sauce on to a plate and garnish with some of the remaining almond slivers. Top with a quail.

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Palermo Palermo

She’s keeping me there

As my heart shoots a flare in the sky

And as the flames in the air blow I’m leavin’ I swear

Though I can’t kiss Palermo goodbye

For “Palermo”, I wanted a dish you could linger over. ‘Ncasciata is a layered baked pasta dish wrapped in eggplant. It’s not difficult to assemble, but definitely takes time (As you can see in the photo, I lost the light when this took longer than I expected). After it’s out of the oven, you need to let it rest before you take it out of its mold. It’s kind of heavy, so you’ll probably want an digestif after you’re done and to take a stroll. This recipe makes an enormous amount of food so you’ll be eating it for lunch too. You may say you’re finished, but you can’t kiss this ‘ncasciata goodbye. 

Makes about 6 servings

For the sauce:

1 lb ground pork

1 onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand

1 handful basil leaves

1/2 cup red wine

Salt and Pepper to taste

For the Eggplant

5 Japanese eggplants

Olive oil

salt

1 lb penne or any short tubular pasta

2 hard boiled eggs, sliced

1/4 lb mortadella

8 oz shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese

2 oz grated pecorino 

breadcrumbs

Spray oil or butter for your cooking vessel

To make your sauce:

Brown the pork in a stock pot. Once the fat rendered, remove the meat with a slotted spoon. Saute the onions and garlic in the rendered pork fat until translucent. Add the canned tomatoes, red wine, and basil. Add back in the pork and bring the whole thing to simmer. Taste and add salt and pepper. 

For the eggplant

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three baking trays with parchment paper.

Using a mandolin, slice the eggplant lengthwise into pieces 1/4 inch thick. lay them out on your trays in a single layer. Drizzle both sides of the eggplant pieces with olive oil and salt. Bake for seven minutes, flip the pieces, bake for another 7 minutes. Set aside. 

For the Pasta

Boil a large pot of salted water. Cook your pasta for 3 minutes less than the recommended cooking time. Drain. 

To assemble

Mix your cooked pasta with your sauce. 

Using a deep casserole dish or stainless steel mixing bowl, spray with your oil or butter well. Add your breadcrumbs and shake them around until the inside of your cooking vessel is coated. Shake out any remaining crumbs. Line the inside of the vessel with slices of eggplant, overlapping slightly. 

Scoop about a third of your pasta and sauce into the dish. In this order, top with one of the hard boiled eggs, some of the remaining eggplant slices, a layer of mortadella, and half of the mozzarella. Repeat the layer. For your last layer, add the last of your pasta, any remaining eggplant, and the pecorino. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. 

Once out of the oven, allow to rest for 15 minutes. 

Carefully flip your cooking vessel onto a large plate or platter. Admire its beauty and slice. 

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Let me see what's hiding inside you 

Let me see what you've never show 

'Cause I know just the way to remind you 

We're a long way from home 

 Again, I tried something new to me for a "Long Way From Home" inspired pasta. I had read about spaghetti ai ricci di mare (spaghetti with sea urchin roe), but since I've never had the guts to order uni at the sushi bar, I had no idea how it would taste like. Spoiler alert- it's delicious.

I hit up a nearby Asian market and found several different kinds of fish eggs. Sea urchin is freaking expensive so I bought one tray of that and one tray of flying fish roe. I was worried it wouldn't be enough to make the sauce taste fishy so I also got some huge tiger shrimp. I discovered that this stuff is actually quite forgiving. Buy what you can and go nuts. 

Makes two generous servings

 1 tray of sea urchin roe (about 12 pieces or 0.5 oz) 

2 oz flying fish roe 

1 tbsp anchovy paste 

12 oz shrimp with shells on- 9 oz if shelled 

1/2 lb spaghetti 

 1 lemon- juiced and zested 

 1/4 cup olive oil 

4 cloves garlic 

1 shallot 

1 tsp red pepper flakes 

1/4 cup white wine 

Chopped parsley and olive oil to finish 

 Get a pot of salted water boiling for your pasta. Cook until al dente and strain, reserving about a cup of pasta water.

In a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil and satire the shallots and garlic. Add the red pepper flakes and anchovy paste. The paste should dissolve as you move it around the pan. Add the lemon juice and wine to deglaze. Scrap anything sticking to the bottom of your pan and add your shrimp. Flip to make sure both sides get cooked. Once done, take the shrimp out and put them in a covered bowl to stay warm. When you pasta is just about ready, throw your sea urchin and flying fish roe into the sauce pan. Stir until the sea urchin starts to form a paste. Add some of your reserved pasta water to make a sauce. Add your spaghetti, lemon zest, and parsley to the pan and toss to coat the noodles. 

 Plate your pasta, placing the cooked shrimp on top. Garnish with a little more parsley and a drizzle of really good extra virgin olive oil.

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At first listen, "What's Sara Doing" sounds like a fun bouncy song about a guy infatuated with Sara. Listen a little closer (and have a warped mind) and you start to hear the story of a man whose professional and personal life is being destroyed by an obsession. He's screwing up at work, he's not there when his friends need him, and he literally cannot think about anything other than Sara. Likewise, this drink, the Caipirinha, looks like a nice easy rum and lime drink. But, cachaça has a slight... Shall we say, kerosene flavor. You don't need to strain this cocktail or even pour over fresh ice. Some could call it easy, others could call it desperate. But is it tasty. I could see the guy in the song mixing a bunch of these over the course of a night trying to obliterate the thought of Sara so he could get some relief. Spoilers- drinking only helps temporarily and when he wakes up (late again) the broken record spinning in his mind will start up again and the radio blasting that doesn't stop asking "What's Sara Doing"?

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Missing Sara Sammie with Another Female Pint

Someone’s calling out my name But all I see are lips moving I’m at a Yankee game and I don’t care that they’re loosing I’m at the office and I’m trying just to focus on e-mails But then I think I just gotta meet some more females So...I’m shooting whiskey with a southern belle Then I’m hanging out with Michelle And, yeah, Vanessa is a lovely sight But even then I’m like... ...What’s Sara doing? Is she in the sun? What’s Sara doing?  Is she having fun? What’s Sara doing? Is she on the phone? What’s Sara doing? Is she all alone? What’s Sara doing? Is she drinking wine? What’s Sara doing? Is she killing time? What’s Sara doing? Is she making tea? What’s Sara doing? Is she missing me?

Missing Sara Sammie What's Sara doing? Sinking her teeth into this West Coast-inspired sandwich! Tasty and healthy, this meal is definitely unforgettable. Serves 1 2 slices bread 1 cooked sweet potato, mashed 2 tablespoons plain hummus 2 oz guacamole or sliced avocado 1 cup chopped kale Toast bread (optional). Mash sweet potato and spread half of it over one side of the bread. Spread hummus and guacamole on the other and top with lettuce. Fold together and enjoy! Eat remaining sweet potato on the side. Another Female Pint Sweet potato loves a nutty flavor, and it's here in abundance in this pint.  We used Mission 22 Brown Ale and Frangelico liquor, and you can add a dash of Sprite for a bit more bubbly. 16oz brown ale or porter 1oz hazelnut liquor dash of lemon-lime soda  (optional) Pour hazelnut shot.  Add beer.  Top with soda if desired.

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Island Spell Pizza with the Heart Flare Cocktail

Palermo, Palermo I’m caught in her stare And my heart shoots a flare in the sky And as the flames in the air Though I’m leaving I swear Though I can’t kiss Palermo goodbye...

Island Spell Pizza The percussion of 'Palermo' has a steel drum-like sound, so the Caribbean Islands meet the Island of Sicily in this tangy jerk pizza that you won't want to kiss goodbye. Serves 4-8 1 12-inch pizza crust 8 ounces cubed tofu 6 tablespoons Jamaican jerk sauce  1 chopped bell pepper 1/2 chopped sweet onion 1 small can pineapple chunks, drained 1-1/2 oz grated cheddar cheese 4 oz shredded cabbage 1/4 cup mayonaise 1 tablespoon granuated sugar 1-1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 2 teaspoons jerk seasoning In a large bag, place 4 tablespoons of Jamaican jerk sauce and add the cubed tofu to it.  Seal the bag, shake it, and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, although longer is better, to marinate. Make the Jamaican Jerk Coleslaw Place shredded cabbage in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, and Jerk seasoning. Pour over cabbage mixture and toss well. Set aside. Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large pan, add the marinated tofu and sauce and saute until it is warmed through.  Add the chopped bell pepper and onion, cooking for an additional 3-4 minutes. Spread the remaining 2 tablespoons of sauce over the pizza crust.  You may need to add a little more to cover the crust. Spread the tofu, pepper, onion mix over the crust.  Add the pineapple chunks and then scatter the cheese over the crust. Bake for 10-15 minutes until everything is heated through and the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and top with the Jerk Coleslaw. Slice and serve. Heart Flare Another clash of island classics, this cocktail pairs spiced rum with bubbly prosecco that'll shoot you into the sky.  Take the warm spice up a notch with a small dash of cinnamon. Serves 1 6 oz prosecco or spumante (sparkling wine) 1.5 oz dark or spiced rum pour cold prosecco add rum gently swirl in glass

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Sexy on the Beach Ice Cream with the Bad Habit Summerade

It doesn’t matter what the woman tells you I can promise you it ain’t the truth But she knows what to say to get you thinkin’ That she’s sweeter than a Baby Ruth She’ll look you in you in eye Then she’ll right through her teeth Play your heart like a drum I know she’s a problem ...But she’s sexy...

Sexy on the Beach Ice Cream Sex on the beach in an ice cream?  Doesn't get much sexier than that.  Fruit puree, vodka and coconut cream...sweeter than a Baby Ruth! Serves 12 2 cans coconut cream or coconut milk (not light) 1-3/4 cups sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 10 ounces frozen pineapple, pureed  4 ounces frozen raspberries, pureed 1/2 tablespoon Chambord 1 tablespoon vodka

Freeze the bowl of your ice cream maker 24 hours prior to making your ice cream. One bowl is completely frozen... In a blender or food processor, blend frozen pineapple and set aside. In the blender or food processor, blend the frozen raspberry and set aside. Empty the contents of the cans into your blender. Add the sugar and vanilla. Add the Chambord and vodka. Blend until smooth. Give it a quick taste.  If you want to add extra sugar or more vanila, now is the time to do it. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturers instructions. When done layer each freezer safe container with a layer of the ice cream base, then pureed pineapple, more base, then raspberry, pineapple, then the base.  Do this until there is no base or fruit left.  Using a knife, swirl together the layers in the containers. Smooth top with a spatula and place a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the ice cream.  Place it in the freezer to freeze overnight or until solid. Scoop and enjoy! Bad Habit Summerade There are a lot of kinds of sexy, and there are a lot of kinds of this refreshing cocktail.  We used mint limeade, but let your imagination run wild.  Mango lemonade, strawberry basil lemonade, even gingerade will all tango with this ice cream.  Then toss in whatever's handy and tasty...local fresh picked blueberries here.  Get it near your lips and enjoy! Serves 1 6oz 'ade' 1 or 2 oz vodka fruit of your choice

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Exit 105 - Rice-A-Roni with the Roadside Martini Exit 105...the start of a journey that will take us a long way from home... Exit 105 - Rice-A-Roni Exit 105 is the exit off the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco, so what is more appropriate than a jazzed-up version of the San Francisco Treat? Serves 4 1 cup brown or white long-grain rice 1/2 up orzo 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons butter 1 small yellow onion, chopped 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts 3 cups low sodium vegetable broth 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped + more for garnish 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary salt and pepper to taste Heat the oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the rice, orzo and nuts.  Saute, stirring frequently, until half of the rice and orzo is browned. Add the onion and cook for another two minutes. Add the chicken stock, salt and herbs and stir to combine. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook as you would normally cook rice, about 15-20 minutes or until the rice is done. Fluff with a fork and serve immediately.

Roadside Martini Stir it, shake it, balance out the vermouth and gin evenly if you want a bit of sweet, but this old-school martini gets a mellow nutty flavor from the walnuts and an earthy, grounded hit from the fresh rosemary that wraps around the taste of this kicky rice. Serves 1 2oz gin of your choice 1oz vermouth of your choice 2 to 4 good size whole walnuts 1 sprig fresh rosemary Combine (stir or shake) gin and vermouth Pour into ice cold glass Drop in walnuts Garnish with rosemary sprig

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 Unexpected Beat Tagliatelle with a Foreign Rhythm Cocktail

Lights...on the corner Shine on foreign streets The night...has a rhythm Of unfamiliar beats

...We’re a long way from home...

Unexpected Beat Tagliatelle Peter's song 'Long Way From Home' has an unexpected beat, all right, and so does this creamy tagliatelle pasta with shredded roasted beets and fresh goat cheese. serves 4 3 medium beets, roasted, shredded 4 oz soft goat cheese 1/4 cup parsley, minced (plus more for garnish) 9 oz tagliatelle pasta 1/4 cup pine nuts 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 tbsp butter 2 tbsp flour 2 cups skim milk Wrap beets in foil and roast for an hour at 400 degrees or until a paring knife can be inserted without resistance.  Sip off skins and cool before grating coarsely.  Set aside. In a dry pan, add pine nuts and bread crumbs.  Over medium heat, toast until lightly browned and fragrant.  Set aside. Cook tagliatelle pasta according to instructions.  Drain.

Make béchamel: Melt butter and stir in flour, cooking for 3-4 minutes before slowly whisking in milk.  Bring to a simmer and stir in the Parmesan cheese, a small pinch of salt and white pepper, to taste. Add pasta to béchamel sauce, stirring to coat.  Plate pasta in 4 bowls, top with shredded beats.  Crumble goat cheese over each dish, then top with pine nuts and breadcrumbs.  Garnish with chopped parsley.  Serve. Foreign Rhythm A spin off of the Moscow Mule, this has a milder flavor to go along with the creamy goat cheese and sweet beet of the pasta.  If you want to give it some more kick, use a stronger ginger ale or even a flavored vodka (and up the dosage to 2oz!) of your choice! Serves 1 4oz regular ginger ale soda 1.5oz vodka 1oz lime juice pour over ice, stir garnish with lime

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Roamin’ Skies Pasta with the Angel Eye Wine Cocktail

The wind is blowing through the Cyprus trees like a whispered prayer I love the way ancient breeze messes up your hair I forget everything that I did wrong Every word that I didn’t say Every feeling that I put a lid on Every time you walked away Under Roman skies we’re free But since Roman skies can’t change what has been Keep your angel eyes on me And show me how a saint can sin

Roamin’ Skies Pasta A 5 ingredient classic, this lovely creamy pasta has a pecorino bite that could make a saint sin.

Serves 2

6 ounces spaghetti pasta 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed, divided 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan 1/3 cup finely grated Pecorino

Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a 5 quart pot. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup pasta cooking water.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add pepper and cook, swirling pan, until toasted, about 1 minute.

Add 1/2 cup reserved pasta water to skillet and bring to a simmer. Add pasta and remaining butter. Reduce heat to low and add Parmesan, stirring and tossing with tongs until melted. Remove pan from heat; add Pecorino, stirring and tossing until cheese melts, sauce coats the pasta, and pasta is al dente. (Add more pasta water if sauce seems dry.) Transfer pasta to warm bowls and serve. Angel Eye Soft and angelic, this wine cocktail pairs wonderfully with the strong Pecorino pasta.  Start off with a red wine...it can be any sweet red wine, even berry flavored if you'd like.  We used a cranberry red from a local winery.  Cherry, strawberry, or even a strong rose would also be nice.  The ratio is simple; 2 parts wine to 1 part citrus soda (Sprite Zero worked well for its mild flavor).  Garnish with any fruit you like and even tip it into your glass for a treat at the end.  A cotton candy grape is shown here. Serves 1 3/4 cup red wine  (sweet red blend) 1/4 cup lemon-lime soda pour red wine, then top with soda garnish with fruit if desired

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Bit of backstory, I’m kinda obsessed with Andrea Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano book series which takes place in Sicily. I’ve read 14 of the books so far and every time a different kind of food is mentioned (food is a big part of the books), I track down a recipe for it before I continue on. While Salvo Montalbano is adventurous with food, he pretty much only drinks coffee, wine, or whiskey. 

When I was thinking about cocktails for “Palermo”, I got stuck. Then I found this recipe that combines bourbon and limoncello! It’s essentially a Manhattan with Limoncello instead of vermouth- very appropriate for a Peter Cincotti song!

Our guy "can’t kiss Palermo goodbye” and in that vein, this is a cocktail to be sipped and savored. 

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With how bright and pink this drink is, you’d think it’s “sweeter than a Baby Ruth”. It isn’t as bitter as a regular Campari cocktail because of the amaretto, but the grapefruit juice makes sure it finishes tart. 

This recipe is based on a South Beach found in Dale DeGroff’s book The Craft of the Cocktail (an incredible authoritative book). I just used grapefruit juice instead of orange to bump up the color and left out the flamed orange peel because I couldn’t figure it out. 

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I really wanted “Roman Skies” to get a cocktail with Fernet Branca, but that stuff is… unique. I needed guidance and found it from this recipe . Gin and Fernet Branca recreate the wind “blowing through the cypress trees like a whispered prayer”. Since this is a reviver cocktail, it will help you “shed all your skin”.

To make the ginger syrup, I combined a bit of ginger puree I had in my fridge (the kind that comes in a tube because you’re too lazy to grate fresh ginger) with some simple syrup.

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Everything you normally wouldn’t

Everything you feel in your bones

Let it out and do what you shouldn’t

We’re a long way from home

“Long Way From Home” is all about stepping out of your comfort zone. The ingredients in the salad are pretty tame, but it’s a combination I would never do on my own. Orange and fennel are classic, but not something I usually enjoy. In fact, I tend to forget I like fennel. Until a couple of months ago, I didn’t eat olives. Tried a couple of nice varieties that didn’t come out of a can and changed my mind about them. That said, this antipasto was really tasty. My husband loved it to and remarked that the flavor profile was so different from my norm that it didn’t taste like I made it (that’s a compliment, I swear). 

Serves 2

1 orange, cut into supremes

1/2 fennel bulb, sliced as thin as possible

1/4 red onion, sliced as thin as possible

10 oil cured black olives, pitted. If they don’t fall apart when you pit them, cut them in half or give them a rough chop.

1- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (the good stuff)

Toss all ingredients and serve. 

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"Sexy” is interesting in that it never talks about what makes the woman sexy. You find out what makes her a terrible person- she lies and she’s disloyal- but we don’t know what makes her irresistible. “She’s just sexy”. 

I decided to make “Sexy” into a granita because the woman in the song is kind of abrasive. When you look at granita, it looks like it’s going to have a sandy texture, but it melts instantly in your mouth for a pleasing mouthfeel. It has two cups of espresso and some Frangelico so it can “play your heart like a drum”. The whipped cream is flavored only with a bit orgeat. You can taste the almond, but it doesn’t add much sweetness. There isn’t much to this dessert so depending on how heavy handed you are with the whipped cream, it can be nice and light. It’s easy to put together, but you need to tend to it pretty much all day. Plan to be around for about 9 hour, start to finish

Granita

Makes 10 servings

2 cups espresso, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1/3 cup Frangelico

In a small sauce pan, heat the sugar and water until the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow to cool to room temperature, at least 30 minutes. 

Stir the espresso and Frangelico into the sugar syrup and pour into a wide baking dish that looks deeper than necessary (A lot of air is going to get mixed in so it will about double in volume). Cover and place in the freezer for two hours. Using a fork, scrape the slush, recover, and put back in the freezer. Every 45 minutes, take it out and scrape again. For a while, it’s going to feel like stirring rather than scraping. Keep in mind that you’re trying to break up chunks to get the finest texture possible. Keep checking it every 45 minutes until it’s all the texture of sand (about 6 hours). 

Almond Whipped Cream

Makes 3 generous servings

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tbsp orgeat syrup (I used Torani almond syrup)

Combine in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.