When It's Just Too Hot for Anything Else

We had friends over for dinner Sunday, and I was a bit stymied on Saturday to make a menu. When it gets really hot (and in Maine it is hot and muggy enough right now, considering we don't have central AC), I just don't feel like doing anything but laying around, drinking water, and eating fruit. (One balmy day last week I ate most of an entire pineapple and not much else until sundown.) Then I had the inspiration: sangria. Chris wanted grilled flank steak with chimichurri sauce, so I figured we could have sangria and a whole Spanish/South American theme.

I mixed up the sangria right after getting home from church on Sunday, and let me just tell you that it took every ounce of willpower not to drink the whole pitcher before dinnertime. When we did, it was cold, sweet, fruity bliss. I'm planning on making a pitcher every weekend for the remainder of the summer. I could honestly drink half a pitcher every day, but I'm going to exercise a bit of self control here. Just a bit.

This recipe is from Emeril Lagasse, whom I can't watch (I'm QUITE PUT OUT by people who shout at me), but I've got several winning recipes by him.

Red Sangria

1/2 c sugar
1/4 c water
1 lemon
1 orange
1 apple, cored and thinly sliced (I used a Pink Lady.)
1 (750 ml) bottle dry red wine (Spanish Rioja is recommended.)
1/2 c orange liqueur (I used Gran Gala, which I find MUCH tastier than Grand Marnier. I added slightly more than 1/2 cup.)

Heat sugar and water on the stove, stirring until sugar dissolves. Thinly slice half of lemon and half of orange. Juice the other halves of lemon and orange. In a large pitcher, mix together sugar syrup, lemon and orange slices and juice, apple slices, wine, and liqueur. Chill for several hours. Drink as slowly as possible (this is very difficult).