I want to share with you this refreshing fruit salad recipe I mentioned in my previous article. It's too simple to prepare but it makes the most gorgeous summer fruit mix you can imagine. Watermelon - the name says it all - is essential for summer because of its water quantity; it's hot these days (electric storms aside) and so it's very important to stay well hydrated throughout the day. Besides, it can be prepared in advance... sliced and stored in a pot, covered with a plastic film, it can wait in the fridge for up to 2 days. So, why not to give it a try? :)
You will need:
watermelon melon red grapefruit
Note: sometimes I would add a peach or nectarine to these fruits, too.
Preparation:
Slice the fruit, assemble in a bowl and eat chilled. - Dificult, huh? -
Store it -as mentioned above- covered in the fridge.
I don't really feel like eating complicated desserts in summer: I prefer to indulge in refreshing fruit salads (recipe coming up soon) or milk shakes instead. However, recently I made this yogurt-based dessert, very invigorating for these hot summer days, with a touch of coconut and apricots, which are now in season. I didn't know they fit so much together! Here's the recipe.
1. Wash the apricots and slice them. 2. Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for about 5 minutes, then squeeze the excess water and heat them in a pot with 100ml water. Stir until dissolved (do not boil). 3. Whip the cream together with sugar. 4. In a bowl, whisk together the yogurt, whipped cream, dissolved gelatin, grated coconut and finally, the apricot slices. 5. Now pour the yogurt cream into 2 big (or 4 smaller) dessert glasses. Sprinkle with some more grated coconut on top and transfer to the fridge. Allow to cool for a couple of hours at least (or during the night). 6. Serve cold.
Having heard about sangria, a kind of Spanish national summer drink, I haven't actually seen people drinking sangria in Spanish bars. Those who do, are usually tourists who are ready to pay quite a big price for a glass of relatively bad wine mix with a pair of fruit slices inside. I only tried sangria once in a bar and I've been making it myself ever since. It makes a perfect summer cocktail, the fruit ingredients can vary according to your liking and it doesn't take much time to prepare either. And here is my latest version of sangria:
Note: The proportion wine/Fanta may vary due to the alcohol rate of the wine you're using. If you prefer it stronger, mix it with less Fanta, or the opposite for if you like it more on the fruity side.
1l of Fanta or similar orange-flavoured soda 350ml sweet red wine
100g blond cane sugar 1 cinnamon stick 150ml water 2 organically grown lemons 1 apple 1 peach a cup of red currant ice cubes
1. Boil water with the cinnamon stick and sugar for a few minutes, then let cool. 2. Wash the fruit well and pat dry. Slice the lemons, apple and peach and place them into a big bowl. Add the red currant. 3. Combine the fruit with wine, add the cinnamon water and finally, Fanta. 4. Stir and store the bowl in the fridge for the sangria to cool well. 5. Before serving, pour the sangria into a jar (jarra in Spanish) and serve with some ice cubes.
I even made a white wine sangria, I could call it sangria blanca. Although I'm more a fan of red wine, I was pleasantly surprised by the taste; the fruits I used were melon, apricot, lemon and I also added a bit of gresh ginger.
