18 Free Activities to Try This Summer
11. Trick Out Your Wine
For a twist on classic sangria, award-winning chef José Andrés, owner of Jaleo (famous for its version of the Spanish drink), suggests cooking up an intensely rich syrup of fruit juices and spices that you can use with red or sparkling white wine. By extracting the flavors of the aromatic ingredients—spicy cinnamon and cloves—at a high temp, the drink will taste more complex and layered than if you soaked fruit in wine. Added perk: The syrup will keep for up to three months in your fridge. For the recipe go to oprah.com/sangria.
12. Be Happy as a Clam
Reinvent a beachfront clambake with this hot-and-sour, sweet-and-spicy one-pot dinner by Michael Chernow, owner of Seamore's in New York City.
13. Get Crabby
Illustration: Kate Francis, Brown Bird Design
Before you roll up your sleeves and make a mess of a barrel of crabs, we want to let you in on a little secret: It's not ideal to just whack them with a mallet (even if your favorite crab shack gives you one). Better to show a little care, says chef David Lentz, owner of the Los Angeles–based seafood mecca the Hungry Cat: "Mallets pulverize the meat, and you'll probably end up with a big hunk of shell mixed in with the good stuff. The only thing you really need is a table knife. To clean a crab properly, flip it over, peel back the 'apron,' and dislodge the top shell. Remove the innards and lungs. Crack the crab in half. Then you can either quarter the crab and go to work, or remove the legs first. Use the knife handle to crack open the legs and the sharp end to scrape out every last bit of juicy meat."
For a twist on classic sangria, award-winning chef José Andrés, owner of Jaleo (famous for its version of the Spanish drink), suggests cooking up an intensely rich syrup of fruit juices and spices that you can use with red or sparkling white wine. By extracting the flavors of the aromatic ingredients—spicy cinnamon and cloves—at a high temp, the drink will taste more complex and layered than if you soaked fruit in wine. Added perk: The syrup will keep for up to three months in your fridge. For the recipe go to oprah.com/sangria.
12. Be Happy as a Clam
Reinvent a beachfront clambake with this hot-and-sour, sweet-and-spicy one-pot dinner by Michael Chernow, owner of Seamore's in New York City.
13. Get Crabby
Illustration: Kate Francis, Brown Bird Design
Before you roll up your sleeves and make a mess of a barrel of crabs, we want to let you in on a little secret: It's not ideal to just whack them with a mallet (even if your favorite crab shack gives you one). Better to show a little care, says chef David Lentz, owner of the Los Angeles–based seafood mecca the Hungry Cat: "Mallets pulverize the meat, and you'll probably end up with a big hunk of shell mixed in with the good stuff. The only thing you really need is a table knife. To clean a crab properly, flip it over, peel back the 'apron,' and dislodge the top shell. Remove the innards and lungs. Crack the crab in half. Then you can either quarter the crab and go to work, or remove the legs first. Use the knife handle to crack open the legs and the sharp end to scrape out every last bit of juicy meat."
