We’ve been testing the picnic recipes in Sweets and Bitters Quarterly, a new pocket-sized cookbook by Brooklyn-based baker Hannah Kirshner, and we’re happy to report that the cold brew coffee and the herb scones and the deviled eggs–and oh yes, the whisky-soaked chocolate cake–taste as good as they look in the photos:
Photographs by Kristen Blush.
Above: The first issue of Sweets and Bitters Quarterly, funded by a Kickstarter campaign, offers menus, photo essays, and recipes for three quick and easy picnics.
Above: For a Sunday breakfast picnic, take along cold brew coffee. In a large jar or pitcher, stir five or six cups of cold water into one-half pound of coarsely ground coffee beans. Stir again in a few minutes. Cover loosely with a clean dish towel and let it sit for at least eight hours. Then strain the coffee into a carafe. Refrigerate (it will stay fresh for a week or two). To serve, pour over ice and dilute with water or milk to taste.
Above: Sweets and Bitters Quarterly offers seasonal recipes based on simple, locally available ingredients, along with practical tips and suggestions. Among the “7 Tips for a Great Picnic” are a recipe for making homemade bug spray and a suggestion to get fancy: “Whether cloth napkins, fine silver, or crystal cocktail glasses, pick something nice to elevate your picnic. Just pack it carefully!”
Above: Sweets and Bitters Quarterly, with 100 pages of recipes and photos, is $16 per issue or $60 for a year’s subscription. Use the code of GARDENISTA for a 10 percent discount at Sweets and Bitters Quarterly through October 16.
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