Cocktail Hour: Iced Peach Bellini

Yes, friends, cocktail season continues in the MCP household, and I am having a lot of fun creating some new drinks to add to our entertaining repertoire.

This particular cocktail was inspired by the beautiful peaches I came across during a recent trip to the market. I have been eating stone fruit by the bucket-load lately, and figured why not make them the star ingredient of a drink to share with friends.

The peaches were peeled and pureed, then frozen in ice cube trays overnight. The frozen fruit was then laced with raspberry vodka and prosecco, blended to icy perfection, and topped up with a little extra prosecco for good measure.

I actually had grand plans of serving this cocktail on what I expected would be a warm and summery day. But Canberra had other plans, instead presenting us with a cold, grey and rainy day.

And although we may have somewhat unusually indulged in these icy cocktails with the heater on this particular occasion, they were certainly refreshing, and I have no doubt they will make more appearances in the (hopefully) warmer months to come!

Print Recipe
 Iced Peach Bellini
Course Cocktail
Cuisine Drinks
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Cocktail
Cuisine Drinks
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Puree the peaches in a food processor until smooth. Pour into an icecube tray, and freeze.
  2. Blend the peach ice cubes with the vodka and prosecco. Divide among 4 serving glasses and top with extra prosecco and a slice of peach.
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Peach and Lemon cake

Do you have something that you like the idea of, more than you actually like?

For me, one such thing is  cake. Sure I love creating and baking cakes, but the eating part – yeah not so much. I tend to find them a bit rich and sweet, and after few bites, I’m generally done.

It’s not that I hate cake, it’s just not what I tend to choose when considering the dessert menu.

And it seems that Miss C also shares my ambivalence towards cake. At parties she will politely take a slice of birthday cake when offered, if anything not to miss out on the ritual of the celebration, but moments later she will inevitably ask me quietly if she actually has to eat it.

A lolly bag on the other hand? Well she can empty that in a matter of seconds.

This little cake, however, I thoroughly enjoyed.  It was rustic, light and lemony, and not overly sweet. The little pops of fresh peach throughout were also a nice flavour surprise.

In fact, I enjoyed this cake so much that I ate the whole slice. Who knows, I might even have another slice today…

Print Recipe
 Peach and Lemon Cake
Course Baking
Cuisine Cake
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Baking
Cuisine Cake
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 160C, and grease / line a round cake tin with baking paper.
  2. Cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest for 5 minutes, or until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  3. Add the flour, baking powder and yoghurt, and mix until just combined. Spoon into the prepared cake tin, and top with sliced peaches.
  4. Bake for 1 hour, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
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Cocktail Hour: Santorini Sunrise

 In a previous life, many moons ago now, I worked almost every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night as a bartender. This basically meant that I operated on little weekend sleep for the 4 years I was at university, pulled my fair share of beers and made countless bourbon and cokes (which seemed to be the popular drink of choice amongst the younger clientele at the time).

A highlight of these years was being rostered on in the cocktail bar from time to time, as opposed to the nightclub, where I could have  fun creating cocktails.

And while these days my weekends are far more laid back (with sleep deprivation coming in the form of a newborn rather than an 8-hour bartending shift), I still do love creating cocktails when the opportunity arises.

Take this Santorini Sunrise, for instance – which we served at our recent Father’s Day lunch. It was a simple cocktail, and far from the ‘unique’ cocktails popping up on drink menus today, but it was fresh and fruity – and just the sort of cocktail I was wanting to serve.

A tasty little addition to the MCP cocktail list come Summer time!

What about you? What is you favourite cocktail?

Print Recipe
 Cocktail Hour: Santorini Sunrise
Course Cocktail
Cuisine Drinks
Servings
cocktail
Ingredients
Course Cocktail
Cuisine Drinks
Servings
cocktail
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Combine vodka, peach schnapps and juices in a shaker, and shake with ice. Pour into a glass (also with ice).
  2. Drizzle grenadine down the side of the glass to create a sunrise effect. Garnish with pineapple slices.
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Peach and balsamic honey pork salad

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Winter continues, as does our preference for hearty meals at dinnertime to warm us from the inside out. But I came across photos of this salad we made a while back, presumably when the temperatures were a little kinder, and I couldn’t resist sharing it.

A peach and balsamic honey pork salad.

And while I’m conscious that stone fruit is not readily available at the moment, I figure that by adding it to my recipe page it will serve as a good reminder to make the salad  again when peaches and nectarines come into season.

I must say, I’m quite the fan of using fruit in salads. The sweetness of the peaches worked beautifully on this particular occasion – with the slight tartness of the balsamic dressing. It turned out to be a lovely dinner, and would also make a delicious lunch if you had the time.

Peach and balsamic honey pork salad (serves 2)

  • 2 slices sourdough, torn
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 200g pork fillet
  • 1 tbs honey
  • 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
  • mixed lettuce leaves (I used baby spinach and rocket)
  • 100g mixed cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 peach, cut into wedges
  1. Preheat oven to 180C. Place sourdough on lined baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden. Set aside.
  2. Combine honey and vinegar, and set aside.
  3. Season pork and spray with a little oil. Pan-fry for 6 minutes or so, turning, until browned. Transfer to an oven-proof dish, and roast for 8 minutes then pour over the honey and balsamic vinegar and cook for a further few minutes. Remove from oven, and rest in foil for 5 minutes. Slice.
  4. Arrange the salad leaves, tomatoes and peach on two serving plates. Add the sliced pork and toasted sourdough, and drizzle with the pan juices.

The little peach cake that wasn’t

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I had high hopes for this little cake. Baked for a work morning tea – and using one of my favourite fruits of the season – peaches. IMG_8511 A cake that would be baked upside down… IMG_8512 With gloriously juicy peaches and brown sugar on the bottom… IMG_8513 And a light luscious vanilla cake on the top. IMG_8514 It came out of the oven – seemingly cooked to perfection. And when turned out onto a serving dish was quite a lovely cake to see. IMG_8515 But sadly that was about it. Perhaps I had been too cocky when changing up a few of the ingredients, or perhaps I was in a rush to get it on the table….. IMG_8518 All I know is that when I went to slice it – it collapsed. Into a soggy peach mess. IMG_8520 Thankfully I had also made a batch of rocky road – or my co-workers would have gone hungry with my little peach cake that wasn’t. Next time peach cake….next time…. What about you? Had any kitchen flops recently?

Feelin’ Frenchy

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Happy Saturday lovely people! After a few crazy hectic days, things are starting to slow down in the BBB household – a welcomed relief indeed. My Mum arrived from Melbourne last night, and was a wonderful help in getting our house ready for 20 of my nearest and dearest to arrive this afternoon for my baby shower. And, while I am shortly being kicked out of the house so they can finish setting up (in secret?!), I made sure that we started the day off right. aka. French toast. IMG_4636 Oat sourdough, soaked in egg, and then cooked to perfection by Mr BBB – the French toast king! IMG_4637 Then topped with whatever caught my eye when I opened the pantry. IMG_4638 Peaches, coconut… IMG_4639 And a drizzle of maple syrup. A delicious start to what is going to be a fun day indeed! What about you? What is your favourite French toast topping?