Plum Coolers Food

PLUM COOLERS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring sugar, 2 plums, and 1 cup water to a boil and cook 3 minutes. Let cool completely. Strain syrup through a fine-mesh sieve. (To store, refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 2 weeks.)
• Fill eight glasses with ice. To each, add 3 tablespoons syrup, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and 1 1/2 ounces vodka. Divide remaining uncooked plum among glasses, top with seltzer, and serve.

SLOW-COOKER PLUM COBBLER

Steps:

• For the filling: Whisk together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup water in the insert of a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the plums, granulated sugar and salt, and stir to combine.
• For the topping: Whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub the mixture together with your fingers to form a coarse meal with some pea-size lumps. Add the half-and-half, and stir with a wooden spoon to form a wet dough.
• Drop small spoonfuls of the dough over the plum mixture. Cover the slow cooker with a lid, and cook on high heat until the cobbler is bubbly and the biscuits are cooked through, 3 to 4 hours.
• Rest the cobbler for 20 minutes. Spoon the cobbler into serving bowls, and then sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to serve.

WATERMELON-CUCUMBER COOLER

Steps:

• Set a large fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl or pitcher. In a food processor or blender, puree watermelon. Pour watermelon puree through sieve, pressing on solids with a rubber spatula (you should have about 2 cups juice). Puree English cucumber and pour through sieve into watermelon juice.
• In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together lime juice and honey. Add to watermelon and cucumber juices, along with vodka. Adjust sweetness with more honey if desired. To serve, fill four glasses with ice and top each with cocktail. Garnish with cucumber slices.