This salad will make a great lunch fare or even better, a full meal deal, served with a warm roll and chilled glass of your favourite……
This is a good meal for 4 people.
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 4 chicken breasts, skinless
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 (170g) container of Feta cheese
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 large English Cucumber, diced small
- 3/4 lb. baby new potatoes, cooked and halved
- 1/2 small watermelon, cut in 4 wedges
- 4 dried apricots, thinly sliced
In a small bowl, whisk together the oregano, lime zest and one half of the juice, garlic clove and oil. Set aside.
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place in a shallow dish. Pour the vinaigrette over the chicken and turn to coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes. Preheat barbecue.
Grill on high heat for 5 minutes per side until cooked through. Slice in 1/4 inch strips and set aside.
In a blender make the dressing by pureeing the Feta cheese, water, remaining lime juice, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. If needed, add more water.
In a bowl, combine the cucumber, potatoes and half of the dressing and toss gently. Place this in a bowl, add the chicken slices on top, sprinkle with the apricot and drizzle with the remaining dressing. On the side of the plate, add the watermelon wedge. Serve immediately.
Apricots Poached In Honey
This is a fresh and light dessert to serve your family and guests. With the guests, be sure to serve with Icewine. Yummy!
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 9 apricots, halved and stones removed
- chopped, toasted pistchios for garnish
- plain yogurt
In a pot over medium heat, stir together the water, honey and vanilla bean. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the apricot halves and simmer until tender (about 3-5 minutes). With a slotted spoon, remove the apricots and transfer to a bowl.
Increase the heat to medium high and boil the syrup until reduced by half, remove the vanilla bean and let cool to room temperature. Make sure it is at room temperature before serving.
To assemble, top each apricot half with a generous dollop of yogurt and a sprinkling of chopped, roasted pistachios.
Serve 2 per plate and pair with a glass of chilled icewine.
Yummmmmmy!
Frozen Apricot Yogurt
All you really need for this frozen delight is an ice cream maker. If you use California apricots you attain a more intense flavour and colour that seems to be missing when using any other type.
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 3/4 cups cold water
- 2 cups soft dried apricots
- 3 1/2 cups whole milk plain yogurt
- 2 1/2 tsp. unflavoured gelatin
Bring sugar and water to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Keep stirring until the sugar dissolves and then add in the apricots. Turn down the heat and simmer, covered until they become soft and plump. This should take about 25 minutes or so.
Strain the apricots over a bowl and return the syrup to the pot. Cook this for about 4-5 minutes until it becomes a dark caramel colour. This will be bubbling, so remove from the heat to check the colour properly.
Very carefully, add 1/2 cup of water, returning the pot to medium heat and keep stirring until the caramel dissolves.
Put the apricots into a blender and puree until smooth and then cool to room temperataure.
Whisk the apricots and yogurt together until well combined and cover with plastic. Chill in the fridge for about 5 hours.
Sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining 1/4 cup of water in a small saucepan and let sit for about 1 – 1 1/2 minutes to soften. Heat this up, stirring until dissolves then immediately whisk into the apricot mixture.
Freeze this in an ice cream maker and transfer to an airtight container and freeze.
It’s getting to be that time!
The invites are starting to come fast and furious and you don’t know what to do. First, don’t panic. Grab a coffee and write a few things down. Who, What, When, Wear (no mistake) and we all know the Why.
Set the ambience for the evening and get the signature drinks ready to be made, and serve this, as a great starter.
Pear Toasties
Slice a baguette in horizontal slices and lightly toast one side. Place a thin slice of ham, top with sliced pears and add a wedge of brie, a light sprinkle of pepper and heat in the oven for about 5 minutes. Oven should be 475 degrees.
If you wish, change it by using sliced fresh apricots and camembert cheese.
Taste Rating: 8.9