Frosé – Summer’s Trendy Frozen Cocktail

Jul 24, 2017

Frosé (frozen Rosé) is the ultimate summer slushie for adults. Made with a blend of rosé wine, fresh fruit, sweeteners, and a dash of lemon juice, frozé is a refreshing cocktail that’s trending as one of summer’s hottest drinks.

Ideally Rosé wine is poured into a container, or ice cube trays, and frozen overnight before blending, but the following recipe uses ice to whip them up on the spot for guests.:

Get creative! If strawberries aren’t your cup of tea, use other fruit like watermelon or mango but try to match with a dry Rosé with notes of those flavours.

Note: If you don’t have simple syrup on hand, just substitute with 3 tablespoons of finely granulated sugar or honey.

Makes: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

1 750ml bottle of dry Rosé, chilled
2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped (plus more for garnish)
2-3 tablespoons simple syrup, (or grenadine) more or less, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
ice

Directions

1. In a blender, purée strawberries. Pour the mix into a fine-sieved strainer set over a bowl. Using a spatula, gently swirl the purée against the strainer. Scrape off any purée caught on the underside of the strainer. Wash and dry blender for next step.
2. In a blender, combine the Rosé, strawberry puree, simple syrup, and lemon juice. Add about 2 cups of ice and blend until slushy. If the mixture is too watery, add more ice and blend until desired consistency is reached.
3. Serve immediately and garnish with fresh strawberries.

Frosé will keep up to a week in the freezer.

Cajun Style Shrimp Boil

Jul 10, 2017

Grab a pot and add water. Throw in some seriously good seasonings, potatoes, corn on the cob, spicy sausage, and shrimp. Cook, drain, and serve with a variety of dipping sauces for an easy, laid-back meal with family and friends. Dry rosé wines and beer pair nicely with the seafood and spicy flavours.

Makes: 6 servings  •  Prep: 15 mins   •  Cook Time: 30-40 mins

Ingredients

1 gallon water
1 large onion, quartered
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
1 can beer
1/2 cup Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 tablespoon salt
3 lemons, sliced in half
2 pkgs (12-ounce each) andouille or Cajun Style sausage, cut into 2-inch pieces
15 small red potatoes
5 ears fresh corn on the cob, shucked and halved
2 1/2 lbs. raw shrimp (26/30 count), shell & tail on (heads removed)

Directions

1. In a large pot, add water, beer, Old Bay seasoning, cayenne pepper, bay leaves, salt, lemons, and garlic. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add potatoes, cover and cook 10 minutes. Add sausage and corn and cook for a further 10 minutes. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp just turns pink and is no longer translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Drain liquid and discard lemons and bay leaves. Pour into large serving bowl, platter, or on top of parchment paper right on the table.
3. Serve with hot sauce, tartar sauce, spicy butter, or cocktail sauce.

Spicy Butter

½ lb. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, to taste

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Remove the pan from the heat and add the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt and hot sauce. Pour into small serving dishes.

Pan-Seared Tilapia with Arugula & Grapefruit Salad

Jul 3, 2017

A tangy salad with a touch of heat that’s ready to serve in 25 minutes! Tilapia, salad greens, grapefruit and jalapeno combine with a flavourful vinaigrette for a light, delicious meal.

Makes: 4 servings

Tilapia fillets are low in fat, low calorie, low carbohydrate and are high in protein.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if needed
1 green jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
4 (6-ounce) Tilapia fillets
Salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
6 cups arugula, thick stems removed
2 pink grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
2 endives, sliced

Instructions:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat in a non-stick pan. Sauté onions and jalapeno; until slightly browned and caramelised. Remove from pan.
2. Season the Tilapia with salt and pepper. Cook fillets for 2–3 minutes on each side. Add oil if needed.
3. In a bowl, whisk together lime juice, honey and Dijon mustard. Add dressing to arugula, grapefruit and endive. Toss well to coat.
4. To plate: Fill four plates with salad. Add one Tilapia fillet to each plate. Spoon jalapeno and onions over top of fish and serve.

Watermelon & Ricotta Appetizer

Jul 3, 2017

These delicious appetizers are not only elegant but a welcome refresher for summer parties. With the help of a few kitchen gadgets they’re also easy to make. You’ll need a 1 1/2-inch round fluted biscuit cutter, a melon baller, and a piping bag fitted with an open star tip. Makes: 30 appetizers

Ingredients

3 pound seedless watermelon
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons honey
1 seedless cucumber
Fresh Basil leaves

Instructions

1. Slice and set one-third of watermelon aside. Slice remaining watermelon into 1/2-inch thick slices. Remove rind, then cut watermelon into rounds using a 1 1/2-inch round fluted biscuit cutter – you should get about 30 pieces. Set slices aside. Use a melon baller to form 40 balls from the one-third piece of watermelon. Set balls aside.
2. Wash and dry cucumber. Cut into slices; about 1/8-inch thick. Cut each slice in half.
3. In a bowl, add the ricotta cheese and honey. Whisk until smooth & creamy.
4. Fill a piping bag (fitted with an open-star tip) with ricotta cheese mixture. Pipe mixture onto each watermelon round.
5. Add one melon ball to each appetizer (in the center of the ricotta cheese) and tuck in a piece of cucumber alongside each ball. Garnish with a small sprig of fresh basil. Serve immediately or refrigerate.