Something fruity… Spring sip & snack

Sun’s out, and so are the refreshing drinks and fruit. So let’s sip and snack to that!

Sip

“Spring is a perfect time to appetise your palate with refreshing drinks and cocktails is perfect for the season of bubbles and fizz. Grab a glass and take a sip of spring”

Zenande (Czesh) Sani from Zenande (Czesh) Sani , a social dining restaurant on Second Avenue, defined a cocktail as a combination of a variety of drinks mixed in one glass with alcohol and if you do not enjoy alcohol, you can always turn it into a mocktail.

 A cocktail must have… A shot of gin, triple sec, lime cordial or a slice of lime to add a tangy zesty taste, and a drop of grenadine to add life to your vibe!

Aperol Margarita for him and her:

 Ingredients

• orange Juice
• lime Juice
• Aperol Liquer
• Tequila Blanco
• Triple Sec
• Garnish with an orange wedge Aperol Liquer

Method:

Pour a single shot of the Aperol Liquer, two shots of the tequila, 4 shots of orange juice, 1 shot of lemon juice, and lastly add a shot of the lime juice.

Snack

“Spring is a season of colour, where fruits start to appear in abundance, which makes the choices endless for an effortless and healthy fruit snack platter. With the focus moving away from hearty, heavy meals from winter to the freshness of fruits on platters are more appealing.”

The founder of The Food Emporium, Michelle Smith, says that your fruit platter needs to be as colourful as possible, which means that there is no limit to the kind of fruit you can have on your platter.

A fruit platter must have… citrus, berries, grapes and melons

Refreshing Fruit Platter

You will need- Any wooden or porcelain platter

Prepare the fruit:

1. Arrange 1-2 small bowls on your platter or cut the pineapple in half and hollow out to use as dipping bowls. You will fill them later.
2. To prepare Apples: Quarter the apples, remove the core and cut into slices. Granny smith won’t brown easily so this can be done in advance.
3. To prepare the grapes: snip the stems of the grapes into smaller bundles
4. To prepare the strawberries and blue berries: Rinse and leave the stems of half the strawberries on and cut away the stems of the other half
5. To prepare the Orange: cut the orange in half and then in segments
6. To prepare the papaya: cut the top and tail ends off the papaya, cut in half, scoop out the pips, use a sawing motion to cut off the skin and cut the fruit into spears
7. To prepare the kiwi’s: peel off the furry skin with a sharp knife and slice crosswise into rounds
8. To prepare the pine apple: remove the crown and cut the pineapple in half. Scoop out the middle of each halve. Cut the flash in cubes and keep the 2 halves as dipping bowls
9. To prepare the watermelon: cut a baby watermelon in half crosswise and reserve half for another use. Place the half watermelon cut side down and cut it into four quarters. Slice each quarter crosswise into triangular slices.

Arrange the fruit:

A platter like this will come together as you go, sometimes it is difficult to have a clear picture in your head from the start. Don’t be intimidated by arranging your fruit.

1. Start with your larger fruit. Place a fanned stack of watermelon slices on one side of the platter and another one somewhere across the platter. Do the same with the dragon Papaya slices. Begin filling in spaces on the platter with bunches of grapes, handfuls of berries, etc.
2. Work in layers, filling in gaps where you see them, and aiming for an abundant, almost overflowing look. Our aim is always generosity. Nobody enjoys a half empty plate of food.
3. Use your flower as garnish
4. Keep going until you run out of fruit or when the platter cannot hold any more.

Yoghurt dip

1. Mix yoghurt and honey together
2. Pour into dipping bowl

Nutella dip

1. Mix yoghurt and Nutella together
2. Pour into dipping bowl

Text and Photographs: GYPSEENIA LION