Grapemary - Grapefruit & Rosemary Spritzer!

Cheers! Isn't that music to ears? Often when we all party, probably the teetotalers are the ones sulking around. Here's a recipe to cheer all of those up! A simple, delicious and stylish drink - Grapemary.
I love Grapefruit for it's versatile citrusy and mild-bitter flavour. What compliments it best is the subtle hints of Rosemary and together they sum up into an unbelievable potion. Let's get started!

Grapemary

Ingredients (for 2 portions):

• 1/2 Grapefruit - look out for something on ripe side
• 3-5 sprigs of fresh Rosemary (you can use dried if fresh is not available)
• 1/2 cup of Sugar
• Sparkling Water - Definitely, Perrier. If not, then settle for Soda.
• Ice

Easy, Versatile and Stylish - A Drink To Make and Serve!

Recipe:

• Start by making a Rosemary-infused simple syrup. Bring to boil 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar and add 2 sprigs of Rosemary and gently simmer it for 5-7 minutes. Turn the heat off, let the syrup cool down. Strain the syrup and discard the wilted Rosemary sprigs. Set it aside, and let it completely cool down. Do not refrigerate the syrup, ever.
• Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a Grapefruit (we're looking at about 90ml per serving, so adjust appropriately). Set the juice aside.
• Add 90ml Grapefruit juice, 30ml of Rosemary-infused syrup over some ice to a handy-dandy shaker and shake it off for a good 15 seconds.
• For assembly, take a nice Glass (isn't that what makes everything come alive?!). Add ice and pour the drink carefully.
• Top off with a nice splash of Sparkling water and stir / garnish with a fresh beautiful sprig for Rosemary for a stylish end!
• Smile. Wink. Sip. Cheers!

Tip: If you're the boozy types, 30ml 45ml of Vodka is all you need to perfectly unwind :)

Note: Measurements are not for bartenders. Go ahead and adjust to your taste.

Strawberry Triple Trifle - Quick, Delicious Dessert!

It's great to be back, to kitchen, to blogging and to great food. I've got to admit, my pregnancy was one joy of a journey, involving lot of great food and grateful moments. The inspiration for this recipe stems from 2 things, first being a memorable dinner at Suzette and second being a spontaneous urge to buy locally made Mascarpone Cheese (without having a clue of what to do with it!).

A similar version of this dessert was served at Suzette and unfortunately, it wasn't Eggless. Of course I gave it a miss (so should you!) but with a hankering urge to just do it on my own some day. A little bit of research, and some inputs of my own -- and here's what we've got.

3 Delicious Layers of Contrasting Colours & Flavours. They all come together seamlessly into 1 divine treat!

Ingredients (for 2 servings):

• 12-14 Sliced Fresh Strawberries
• 4 heaped spoonfuls of Mascarpone Cheese
• 1 Tea Spoon of Lemon Zest
• Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
• 2 Spoonfuls of Honey
• A little Sea Salt
• 8-9 Biscuits (I used old, trusted, Marie Biscuits)
• A few toasted, crushed Pistachios & Mint Leaves to Garnish

Slicing, Wisking, Zesting, Juicing - Ahhh, how I love these moments of joy.

Recipe:

• Slice strawberries, Crush your biscuits coarsely, Zest your Lemon fresh (if there's one piece of equipment you should invest in, it's a Zester) and Keep your Glasses ready.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together Mascarpone (bought to room temperature), Lemon Juice, Honey, Lemon Zest and Sea Salt (1/2 a pinch) till you get a smooth, luscious, creamy consistency - This is the heart of your recipe, so taste it till you end up feeling like licking the bowl clean!
• Assemble Biscuits, Mascarpone mix, Sliced Strawberries one by one into stacked layers of two. The visual appeal of this dessert lies in its colours and symmetry of ingredients so pay attention and tweak your spoon as your eyes like.
• Top off this Trifle with freshly roasted crushed pistachios and some mint. And yes, a drizzle of honey never hurt anyone!
• Chill in the Fridge (not the freezer) and serve!

Tip: Experiment with digestive / chocolate biscuits for an added visual treat. For an added kick, add a few drops of edible lemon oil into cheese.

PS: Special thanks to Mahika for recommending the title for this recipe! Thanks!

Party Food Ideas - Olive / Cheese Platters!

Throwing a home-party can be both tiring and time-consuming. A secret to a kick-ass house party lies in planning the detail, but in the end, it's the food which matters.

Trust me, you can never go wrong with a simple, flavourful Olive platter!

Back in January, we had a house party and I was really short on time. My brain was coming up with ideas at the rate of a million a minute and I was clueless about what to do. A simple line from CK just made it so easy - "keep is smart and simple" (you see, at times business know-how really helps!).

A simple yet incredible Olive Platter. Notice my sexy Canoe! I just love it!!

So I came up with a simple, gorgeous and flavourful Olive Platter. It's as simple as things could get. I just took a handful of Kalamata and Green olives, Rinsed them arranged them on my Platter (the sexy canoe!). Then I made a nice dressing of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and finely chopped Basil and drizzled it generously on my olives. Thats it! They looked GORGEOUS and became the talk of my party!

Cheese Platter - Simple. Cheese, Nuts, Figs, Crackers. Glass of wine recommended!

 To add some more substance, I whipped up a quick and easy Cheese platter! Again, super-simple, super-easy and yum. Cubes of Cheddar Cheese (or any cheeses you like, really), Bite sized cut Fresh Figs, Almonds and Herb Crackers (any crackers can do, but i like these ones) and thats pretty much it! Arrange them in whatever way you like - but do give in some thought to make it look pretty! That's your quickie cheese platter - ready to go down!

Quick and Beautiful. Not only will people love this, they'll want more!!

Quick and fun bite-sized foods always add life to your party and people just love to nibble them all the time. Give in some thought as to what your friends really like and you can just come up with great party foods. Do share if you have something really special going in for you!

Tip: Always have some fresh flowers nicely cut and arranged for a party! It just brightens up the whole mood and makes your guests feel really special!