Sunday, June 3, 2007

cranberry lust

thought this up as i was clearing up after the margaritas. there was half a can of bitter lemon left and i was gonna store it in the fridge when lo and behold, a big packet of dried cranberries staring back at me... ::lightbulb above my head lighted up::

1/2 tsp dried cranberries
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp grenadine syrup
1 tbsp brandy
bitter lemon, to top up

place the cranberries in the bottom of a martini glass. place 3 to 4 ice cubes above the cranberries. add the lemon juice and then the grenadine syrup, which should mix together to form the first layer. then slowly pour in the brandy and gently top up with the bitter lemon. this should give it a gradual blend of colors from blood red, golden to clear liquid at the top. garnish with a paper umbrella or skewer a few cranberries (fresh or dry would do, or strawberry) together on a toothpick.

it tasted real good, and the color is a luscious red. this is a great party drink, especially if it's a hawaian or red themed party. this layering style of serving is only suitable when you're serving a small group of friends. if you're catering to a large bunch of people, throw 1/2 measure of lemon juice and grenadine syrup, and 1 measure of brandy into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. shake well and strain into martini glasses prefilled with 1/2 tsp of cranberries each and top up with chilled bitter lemon.

if you can get your hands on some fresh cranberry juice, all the better. use it to replace the bitter lemon.

* it's almost impossible to find dried cranberries in malaysia, so try and get frozen ones. as far as i know, it's available at section 14 pj's cold storage. you can try looking for it at the bangsar village grocer or other supermarkets around bangsar.

* garnish using something with a toothpick so that your guests can eat the dried cranberries at the bottom

* sprite & 7-up (or any other brands of lemonade) can usually replace bitter lemon but the drink will be slightly sweeter.

* it's a good way to get rid of the tonnes of VSOPs and XOs we've accumulated over so many CNY

* for something fancier, tint your ice cubes red. in a jug of water, add in a few drops of red food coloring, stir and pour it into the ice tray. for added effect, add a a small piece of frozen cranberry into each cube before refrigerating.

for food enthusiasts...

hihi, hope you'll enjoy this blog. it's abt food, and drinks, and everything in between.

i have an abundance of recipe books at home, but i tend not to follow recipes because it's usually very hard to find the ingredients i want and need (the books are there just for reference sake, and as a good source of inspiration). also, i'm an impulsive chef, so i usually just raid my fridge and cupboards to see what i can find and make something out of it. in time, this became a hobby of experimental cooking, and so far, 99% of the stuff i've tried turned out great. but since most of the stuff i cook is impromptu, the recipes ended up being a one time thing only.

after getting very happy on margaritas a few hours ago, i decided to finally record down some of the recent successful recipes i've tried, starting with a new cocktail drink i just made. coming right up. but, back to the topic...

another reason why i decided to start this blog is for my guy friends who have to suddenly acquire culinary skills to impress their new love interest, and most recently, their mommy dearest... awww... so sweet, how could i refuse? then again, there are those (you know who you are, dont act all innocent) who would prefer to con their way through ala mastercard-ad style, by getting gourmet takeaways... not that i support it but here's somewhere to start looking: (for malaysians) http://www.dinemalaysia.com/guide_catererslisting.php dont say i didnt help...

the recipes i'll be posting will vary in difficulty. so if there's a recipe you'd like to try but seriously couldnt get past words like mince, finely chop, boil, simmer or differentiate between pan-fried, stir-fried and deep-fried, just ask. i'll try my best to guide you through the treacherous world of cuisine as i know it. but, most of it should be pretty simple...

let's get started!