Frozen Pineapple Daiquiris inspired by About A Girl

I know I've mentioned this before, but in case this is your first time here or just weren't paying attention until now, I prefer reading fiction. When I sit down to read, I'm looking for a bit of escape. I want to be pulled in to another world, another time, another place for several hour blocks at a time. (Although I should note that a good memoir, especially one centered around a life in food, music, or celebrity can have the same effect.) About A Girl is exactly the type of book I'm talking about.

First of all, I laughed out loud many, many times while reading the story of Tess Brookes, a girl with a plan—a life plan—that goes belly up. It rivals the best chick flicks and rom-coms out there, but with a book, you get to hold on a bit longer. There's tons of pop culture references throughout the book, from Bridget Jones and Sex and the City to Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling. I don't want to overlook "accidental" identity theft (aka identity crisis), Hawaii, a couple of sexy men (because what would a chick flick be without choices), plenty of cocktails and good food, best girl friends and catty bitches, a fabulous gay friend, and a new outlook on life. Oh, and back to the laughs—plenty of Brit humor. It's escape at its finest.

As far as food goes, it's not necessarily a foodie novel, but it's not lacking for inspiration. First of all, there's fun British food references like Hovis, Dairy Milk, Dairylea Triangles, and Hobnobs (fun for me, being an inquisitive American food-lover and all), and some other food and beverage items like Pop Tarts, Cava, McChicken sandwich, strawberry milkshake, Mars bars, chocolate oranges, spaghetti rings, salad, carrots, moules frites, fried egg butty, sugary pastries, bread, fish, Cheetos, and White Lightning.

But I found the best food and drink inspiration was during Tess's time in Hawaii. Go figure; lush tropical islands inspiring good vittles. I was tempted to make everything from Kalua Pork to skewers of barbecued chicken, fresh fish to Mai Tais, something involving chocolate covered macadamia nuts to rum punch, fried banana pies to sea salt caramel ice cream. So, obviously my dilemma was not in finding inspiration, but in focusing it.

What I really wanted to do was hop the next plane to any Hawaiian island, but since that was not the most practical option, I decided to go with the food most talked about (and probably eaten) in the book—pineapple. Tess can't get enough. It's used as "representative" of Hawaii in a disastrous photo shoot, it makes an appearance in the "delicious" cocktail that Tess can't remember the name of when she and Kekipi are out at a karaoke bar one night. One sip from rapey Owen confirms that she's been enjoying a pineapple daiquiri...frozen is my assumption, since she "pokes at the icy bits left in the bottom" of her glass with a straw.

I added a little something extra to my frozen pineapple daiquiri with a sultry coconut simple syrup. It lends that certain nuance, the kind that makes you want yet another. The only thing that would have made it better is if I were sipping it outside of my beachfront cottage in Hawaii. You know, next to the pool while I looked at the ocean. Under a palm tree.

Pick up a copy of About A Girl and start planning your escape! Oh yes, and it's worth noting that while this book was just released in the US this month, the second book in the series is already out in the UK. If you enjoyed the book as much as I did (cursing and loving its cliffhanger ending equally), you'll be on the edge of your seat waiting for the US release of What A Girl Wants (September 2015).

Frozen Pineapple Daiquiris

Sweet fresh pineapple and pineapple rum are the base of this thick frozen daiquiri recipe.

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 5 mins active + 3 hours unattended

Keywords: blender beverage dairy-free soy-free vegan alcohol rum pineapple coconut cocktail frozen summer

Ingredients (2 cocktails)

for the daiquiris:

• 8 ounces fresh pineapple chunks + 2 pineapple wedges to garnish
• 1 cup crushed ice
• 3 ounces Pineapple Rum, such as Captain Morgan® Pineapple Rum
• 1.5 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1.5 ounces coconut simple syrup (see below)

for the coconut simple syrup:

• 4 ounces coconut water
• 4 ounces sugar
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract

Instructions

Scatter the pineapple chunks out onto a baking sheet and place in the freezer until solid, 3-4 hours.

Once the pineapple is frozen, combine all of the ingredients for the daiquiris in the jar of a blender and puree until thick and smooth. Pour into 2 cold glasses and garnish each with a pineapple wedge. Enjoy immediately.

to make the coconut simple syrup:

Combine the coconut water and sugar in a small pan and bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut extract; allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator indefinitely.

notes:

You could use regular simple syrup in place of the coconut simple syrup, if you choose, but the little coconut infusion really pushes these over the edge. You could also use white rum in place of the pineapple rum.

For an extra boozy boost, float a shot of black rum on top of the daiquiri just before serving. This option is recommended if you're staying in a beautiful Hawaiian cottage, in which you are never required to drive any where. Drink responsibly!

About A Girl

author: Lindsey Kelk
series: yes, book 1
publisher: Harper (April 14, 2015)
source: TLC book tours
soft cover: 416 pages

"foodie" read: Not strictly, but food and cocktails play an important supporting role.

random excerpt: You're fun, you're smart, and when you actually make an effort, you're very cute. Add in a feisty kick to the nuts and you've got one hell of a woman. You could be the Grace to my Will. Hell, if we got you some new shoes, you could be the Carrie to my Stanford. (p 262 in Uncorrected Proof)

synopsis (from tlc page): Tess Brookes has always been a Girl with a Plan. But when the Plan goes belly up, she’s forced to reconsider.
After accidently answering her roommate Vanessa’s phone, she decides that since being Tess isn’t going so well, she might try being Vanessa. With nothing left to lose, she accepts Vanessa’s photography assignment to Hawaii – she used to be an amateur snapper, how hard can it be? Right?

But Tess is soon in big trouble. And the gorgeous journalist on the shoot with her, who is making it very clear he’d like to get into her pants, is an egotistical monster. Far from home and in someone else’s shoes, Tess must decide whether to fight on through, or ‘fess up and run…

about the author: Lindsey Kelk is a writer and children's book editor. When she isn't writing, reading, listening to music, or watching more TV than is healthy, Lindsey likes to wear shoes, shop for shoes, and judge the shoes of others. Born in England, Lindsey loves living in New York but misses Sherbet Fountains, London, and drinking gin and elderflower cocktails with her friends. Not necessarily in that order.

further info: website | facebook | twitter | instagram | pinterest

recipe inspired by the book: Frozen Pineapple Daiquiris

Looking for more opinions on this book? Check out the rest of the About A Girl Book Tour Schedule:

• 4/14: Unshelfish
• 4/15: The Book Bag
• 4/16: BookNAround
• 4/17: Stephany Writes
• 4/20: Patricia’s Wisdom
• 4/21: Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
• 4/23: A Chick Who Reads
• 4/27: All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
• 4/28: Bibliotica
• 4/29: Books and Binding
• 4/30: fangirl confessions
• 5/4:   Kahakai Kitchen

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I also (separately and unrelated) received a complimentary bottle of Captain Morgan Pineapple Rum for testing purposes.