Tag Archives: Simple Recipes

Blueberry and Red Wine Ruby Mousse

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Here is a seasonal dessert for adults with a wicked liking for wine!

Blueberry and Red Wine Ruby Mousse!

INGREDIENTS: For 4 cups (to share?)

-Blueberry Mousse:
Powdered gelatin or agar agar: 5 g
Water: 2 large tablespoons
Plain yoghurt: 200 ml/1 cup
Honey: 40 g
Frozen blueberries (or fresh in season): 7
Lemon juice: a little
Fresh cream: 50 ml

-Red wine jelly:
Red Wine: 100 ml
Sugar: 15 g
Lemon juice: a little
powdered gelatin or agar agar: 2.5 g
Water: 2 large tablespoons

-For decoaration:
Blueberries: to taste
Mint leaves

RECIPE:

-Blueberry Mousse:
Pour water into a bowl, add gelatin and mix in (in that order, please otherwise you will fail!)
Drop yoghurt, honey (liquid) and blueberries in a mixer/food processor. Mix until smooth.
Beat up fresh cream until it “horns” stand. Add to mousse mixture. Season with lemon juice.
Dissolve gelatin in water by gently heating it. Add to Mousse mixtureand mix. Pour the the blueberry mousse into 4 recipients of your choice and leave inside fridge for 30 minutes or until properly solidified.

-Wine jelly:
As for the bleberry mousse, add gelatin to water.
In a small pan heat red wine and sugar together to dissolve. Stop fire as soon as you think that the alcohol has evaporated. Season with lemon juice.
Let cool completely.
Dissolve gelatin in water by gently heating it. add to red wine jelly mixture and let cool completely.
Pour jelly over Blueberry Mousse and put v\back into refrigerator to solidify.
Only when the whole mousse and jelly are firm enough decorate with blueberries and fresh mint leaves.

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Make a point to scoop both parts for top enjoyment!

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Avocado, scallops & Passion Fruit Carpaccio

AVOCADO-SCALLOPS

Here is another idea as a summer salad I have just fished out one of my recipe notes.
Although Carpaccio should only apply for beef, indulge the old geezer as far as names are concerned! LOL.

Avocado, Scallops & Passion Fruit Carpaccio:

INGREDIENTS: For 6 persons

-Scallops: 12 large without any roe or strings
-Avocado: 3 ripe, but still firm
-Passion fruit: 3 large maracujas type or 5 small
-Green lemons/limes: 3
-Olive oil (EV): 2 large tablespoons
-Sweet basil: 3 lage leaves
-Salt (to taste)
-Freshly ground black pepper

RECIPE:
-Press the juice out of the green lemons in a bowl. Cut passion fruit in two and strain over the lemon juice to take pips out (discard. You may keep a few for decoration, though).Mix.

-Cut scallops into thin slices and place on a large dish with space betwen them.

-Peel the avocadoes. Cut them in two halves. Dicard nut. Cut avocado into thin slices and place between scallops slices.

-Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and the lemon/passion fruit juice. Sprinkle with olive oil. Cover with cellophane paper and leave iside refrigerator for 2 hours.

-Before serving, thinly cut sweet basil and decorate dish with it.

Best savoured with a dry white wine!

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Mint & Orange Peels Chicken

MINT-CHICKEN

I love chicken! I probably eat some three times a week.
Not only is it to cook, but recipes are illimited.
Just found the following recipe in an old cookbook of mine:

Mint & Orange Peels Chicken!

INGREDIENTS: For 4=5 people
-Chicken: 1 whole
-Butter: 100 g
-Onions: 2 large/finely chopped
-Chicken stock: 400 ml
-Chiselled (thinly cut) mint leaves: a quarter of a cup/50 ml
-Chopped coriander: a quarter of a cup/50 ml
-Chopped parsley and ciboulette (very thin leeks): 2 large tablespoons
-Orange juice: 2 oranges freshly pressed
-Grated orange skin (peel): 2 above
-Crushed walnuts: 50 g
-Salt & pepper: to taste

RECIPE:
-In a large thick pan (le Creuset style), drop 50 g of butter and cook onions on a strong fire until they become translucent. Lower fir to medium. Add chicken stock. Add salt and pepper. Put the chicken inside the pan. Cover with lid. Simmer for an hour.

-In a frypan, on a low fire, drop the other 50 g of butter and cook gently all herbs and half of the chiselled mint.

-Pour onto the chicken with the orange juice, grated orange skin and crushed walnuts. Let simmer again for 30 minutes.

-Cut the chicken and serve hot decoarated with the other half of chiselled mint.
Best savoured with plain steamed rice or butter rice!

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Baked Matcha (Green Tea) Cheese Cake

MATCHA-CHEESECAKE

Shizuoka Prefecture, where I live, produces no less than 50% of the national crop of green tea. You can imagine the quality of green tea consumed in homes in our Prefecture!
Matcha, high quality green tea powder has increasingly become popular in cooking not only in Japan, but abroad.
It does make for a beautiful combination with cheese cakes!

Baked Match Cheese Cake!

INGREDIENTS:
-Cream Cheese (Philadelphia style): 250 g
-Sugar: 90 g
-Eggs: 2
-Fresh cream: 100 ml
-Cornstarch: 1 large tablespoon
-Matcha: 1 nad a half large tablespoons

RECIPE:
-Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
Place a sheet of cooking paper inside the cake mold
Bring the cream cheese to room temperature

-Mix softened cream cheese with sugar and mix with a hand mixer. Next add eggs, one at a tim e and mix well.

-Add fresh cream and mix well.
Mix cornstarch and matcha, then sprinkle the mixture in a “rain” over the cheese cake mixture and mix.
Pour the mixture into baking mold.

-Cook at 180 degrees Celsius for 40~50 minutes.
Atfer having cooled the cake completely leave in refrigerator to chill probably before serving.

Easy, isn’t it?

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Grapefruit Chiffon Cake

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As promised, here is another version of the American Chiffon Cake:
Grapefruit Chiffon Cake!

INGREDIENTS: For a 20 cm wide mold
-Eggs (L Size):
Whites: 5
Yolks: 4

-Grapefruit
Ruby: 1
White sugar: 2 large tablespoons

Powder ingredients:
Flour: 100 g
Baking powder: 4 g
White sugar: 60 g
Salad oil: 70 ml
Salt: half a small teaspoon
Dry coconuts flakes: 2 large tablespoons

Oven temperature:
160 degrees Celsius for 45~50 minutes

RECIPE:
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-Take out the flesh of the grapefruit. In a bowl add the sugar and heat inside a microwave oven for 3 minutes. The sugar will take the acidity off the grapefruit.

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-Let cool down to room temperature. Accelerate the process by putting the recipient into a larger one half filled with ice water.

-The egg yolks (4) and egg whites (5) should be inside two different bowls. Put the bowl containing the egg whites inside the freezer for enough time to chill them

-Mix flour and baking powder in two steps. Add coconut flakes.

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-The egg whites should be chilled enough after 5 minutes inside the freezer. They are bst when ice appears around the rim.

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-Beat up the egg whites.
Halfway through add two thirds of sugar and continue beating.

-The meringue should show “horns”. Keep in mind that if the meringue becomes too hard, it will difficult to milk with something else!

-Put back the meringue into the freezer. Otherwise it will become sticky and runny.
Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.

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-Add salt and one third of the sugar to the egg yolks.
Beat slowly.

-The salt will help “whiten” the eggs after a few minutes and hold back the sweetness of the sugar.

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-Baeting slowly all the time, add salad oil. Mix well. Add grapefruit. Mix well.

-Last add flour, baking powder and coconut flakes mixture. Fold in gently with saptula.

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-Add half of the meringue and mix well.

-Once well mixed, add second half of mringue and mix. This way will prevent any mistakes!

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-Pour in the cake mixture into the mold.

-Insert a long stick inside the mixture and turn around 10 times to ensure than no bubbles will break the surface of the cake while baking!

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-Bake in oven at 160 degrees Celsius for 45~50 minutes. Insert a stick in the cake if you are not sure it is completely cooked. If the stick comes out clean, the cake is ready!

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Rare Blueberry Cheese Cake

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I posted a baked blueberry Cheese Cake yesterday. Here is the “rare” version as the Japanese describe their bain-marie cooked Cheese Cake as opposed to the fully baked variety!
Rare Blueberry Cheese Cake!

INGREDIENTS: For an 18 cm diameter mold
Cheese cake
-Cream Cheese (Philadelpia type): 250 g
-Sugar: 80 g
-Eggs: 2 medium-sized
-Fresh Cream: 200 ml
-Lemon Juice: 1 large Tablespoon
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-Flour: 3 large Tablespoons
-Blueberries (frozen): 130 g
-Biscuits: 100 g
-Butter: 50 g

Sauce:
-Blueberries (Frozen): 130 g
-Sugar: 50 g
-Lemon Juice: 2 small teaspoons

RECIPE:
-Drop biscuits in a food processor and process until you obtain fine crumbs. Add melted butter and process.

-Place baking paper inside mold. Pour biscuits mix in and spread evenly. Leave inside fridge until further use.

-Clean the food processor. Drop in the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, fresh cream, lemon juice and flour. Process one at a time until mixture is smooth before dropping in the next ingredient.

-Transfer the mixture into a separate bowl. Add three fourths of the frozen blueberries. Mix them in carefully so as not to break them.

-Pour the cheese cake mixture directly onto the biscuit base. Place remaining blueberries on top. Cook in bain-marie at 170 degrees Celsius for 60 minutes.

-Leave cake inside the refrigerator after having completely cooled down.

-Blue berry sauce:
Drop blueberries, sugar and lemon juice in a cooking recipient.
Cover with cellophane paper and cook inside a microwave oven at 500~600 W fro 3~4 minutes. Take out and stir for a while. Let cool completely and leave inside refrigerator.

-Serve the cheese cake chilled with a good dose of chilled sauce.

NOTE:
When you add blueberries to cheese cake mixture, do not overmix, otherwise the whole thing will turned blue!
Best served when chilled.
Think about about extra decoration for better efffect (mint leaves, etc…)

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Blueberry Chicken

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Blueberries and other red fruit (cassis, redcurrants, raspberries, etc.) can be married to certain meats, especially chicken and game.
I’ve always found the sweet and salty combination intriguing.

Here is a very simple suggestion that can be easily developped into a superlative creation:
Blueberry Chicken!

INGREDIENTS: For 2~3 persons
-Chicken, preferably thigh: 300 g
-Blueberries: 100 g
-Garlic: 1 clove
-Laurel: 2 leaves
-Salt: 1 small teaspoon
-Black pepper: to taste
-Sugar: 1 large tablespoon
-Flour: 1 large tablespoon
-Grapeseed oil: 1 large tablespoon
-White wine: half a cup
-Water: 300 ml
-Vegetable accompaniment: to taste and avaibility

RECIPE:

-Sprinkle chicken with the salt, pepper and flour.

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-In a frypan over a medium high fire pour grapeseed oil and heat. Fry the chicken skin down utntil golden brown. Turn over and repeat.

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-When both sides of the chiken have attained a rich golden-brown colour, pour out oil (do not wipe the frypan. Leave the chicken inside.) Pour water as to reach half of the height of the chicken. Add fresh blueberries.

-Fr0m this moment prepare the vegetables you wish to accompany the chicken with. You will be able to time their cooking with the chicken and serve all at the same time.

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-Add crushed and minced garlic, laurel leaves (whole). Cook untill “stock” has been reduced to half. Turn over chiken halfway.

-When the stock has reduced to half, take chicken out and place on a dish or plate.

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-Add the sugar to the sauce and heat until the sauce becomes syrupy. Discard laurel. Pour over the chicken. Serve with vegetables (boiled or sauteed)

NOTE:
There is naturally plenty of scope as far as spices are concerned. I personally like to add a little nutmeg and thyme.

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Blueberry Yoghurt Chiffon Cake

BLEBERRY-CHIFFON

I certainly felt better when Suzy reminded me they just had a news report in the States that said blue berries are the most healthy food item in the world! I still have quite a few up my sleeve! LOL
For once I would like to introduce a version (there is another one coming soon!) of that famous American Cake:
Blueberry Yoghurt Chiffon Cake!

INGREDIENTS: For a 17 cm wide aluminium mold
-Egg yolks: 4
-Blueberry Jam: 30 g
-Yoghurt (no need to reduce the amount of water): 150 g
-Salad oil: 2 large tablespoons
-Egg whites: 4
-Flour: 90 g
-Sugar: 40 g

RECIPE:
-In a large bowl mix egg yolks, yoghurt and blueberry jam.
Add oil and mix well.
Sprinkle flour on top in “rain” and mix well.

-Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
In a separate bowl beat the egg whites with sugar in two steps with half of the sugar each.
Check that the meringue is solid and “stands up”.

-Once the meringue is ready, pour one third into the bowl containing the batter and mix well with a whisker.

-Add remainder of meringue and mix the lot with a spatula.

-Pour the batter into the mold delicately and bake for 35 minutes.
Cover with a piece of foil paper midway if you don’t want the cake top to overcook.

-Once cooked, turn mold over onto a plate.
Wait until the cake has completely cooled before taking it out of its mold.

-Before eating it is best to chill the cake in the fridge after having taken it out of its mold.

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Baked Blueberry Cheese Cake

BAKED-BLUEBERRY-CHEESE-CAKE

With blueberries in full season, I seem to have entered a “blueberry mode”! I do have a few recipes on my “desk” right now, and you can expect at least three more coming in the near future!

her is another version of Japanese cheese cakes:
Baked Blueberry Cheese cake!

INGREDIENTS: For a 15 cm wide mold
-Cream Cheese (Philadelphia style): 200 g
-Sugar: 4~5 large tablespoons
-Eggs: 2
-All-purpose flour: 3 large tablespoons
-Fresh cream: 100 ml
-Lemon juice: 1 large tablespoon
-Blueberries (frozen): 120 g

RECIPE:
-Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Place baking paper inside mold.

-In a larg bowl drop cream cheese. Add sugar, eggs, flour, fresh cream in that order and mix well one by one. Last add lemon juice and mix well.

-Drop bluberries in and quickly mix. Pour cheese cake mixture into mold and bake for 40~50 minutes.

NOTES:
-You could use an 18 cm wide mold, but it will take less time to bake.
You may use a square mold to allow you to cut the cake into “sticks” for a different presentation.
Above picture shows a cake to which 60 g of crushed Graham Crackers mixed with 15 g of butter to provide a more solid base!

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Quick Summer Dessert: Blueberries Tofu

BLUEBERRY-TOFU

Tofu for dessert?
And why not?
Easy, healthy and great for the whole family!
Bluberries Tofu!

INGREDIENTS: For one dessert
-tofu: 100 ml (half a cup)
-Frozen bluberries: half a cup
-vanilla ice cream: a small scoop
-Fresh bluberries: 2~3

RECIPE:
-Drop all ingredients in a mixer/blender and blend until blueberries are reduced to pulp.
-Pour inside recipient/cup/glass of your choice. Decorate with fresh blueberries.

Note: don’t overblend, otherwise ice cream will turn liquid!

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’09/48)

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When the very hot days of summer come, the Japanese consume a lot of eel for the stamina they are losing through the enormous amount of sweat.
The Missus thought it was about time to take care of my stamina!

BENTO-09-07-13b

The accompaniment cosisted of boiled egg later marinated in soy sauce and sprinkled with black sesame seeds, home-made pickled mini-melons and local tomatoes (the yellow ones from Shizuoka City, and the red ones from Kakegawa City)

BENTO-09-07-13c

The Missus had bought the broiled eels the day before. The technique is to “soften” them with tea, before putting on top of steamed rice with chopped shiso/perilla leaves, home-made cucumber pickles and white sesame seeds.

BENTO-09-07-13d

The salad was marinated vegetables. The Missus first grilled the aubergines/egg plants, sof red pimento and okra and the marinated them (secret…) in the fridge overnight.
As I know that she has made a big batch them, I’ looking forward to eat more tonight with some cold sake!

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Fruits & Chocolate Cream Mousse

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I’ve always loved chocolate mousse and cream as far as I can remember and am always on the lookout for a simple recipe!
Here is one that even chidren could make:
Fruits & Chocolate Cream Mousse!

INGREDIENTS: For 5 people
-Chocolat Cream Mousse:
Milk Chocolate (use you favorite brand!): 65 g
Fresh cream: 200 cc (1 cup)

Fruit marinade:
Seasonal fruit (I cho0se mango this time as they are available most of the year): 1
Liqueur (Your favourite!): I chose rum this time: 2 large tablespoons

RECIPE:
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Any fruit is fine. Think of volume and cuts: pears, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, …

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Marinate your fruit with your favourite liqueur.

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Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie at about 50 degrees celsius.

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Whisk the fresh cream up to your own liking.

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Add one third of the whisked fresh cream and mix gently.

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Add rest of fresh cream and mix gently. If you whisk it too hard, ingredients will separate.

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Place marinated fruit into recipients.

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Pour chocolate cream on top and leave in refrigeartor for 2 hours.

Before serving decorate each cup using your imagination!

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Easy Vegetable and Fruit Yoghurt Mousse

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Is your whole family vegetarian?
Here is a dessert for all, adults and chidren alike:
Vegetables and Fruit Yoghurt Mousse!

INGREDIENTS: for 8 people
-Mousse:
Vegetable Juice: 200 cc (1 cup)
Fresh cream: 200 cc (1 cup)
Yoghurt: 250 cc (1 and a quarter cups)
Sugar: 100 g
lemon juice (to taste)
Gelatin or agar agar powder: 10 g

-Jelly:
Vegetable juice: 350 cc (1 and three quarters cups)
Sugar: 200 cc (1 cup)
Sugar: 30 g
Gelatin or agar agar powder: 10 g

-Topping:
Blueberry jam (to taste)/You may use other fruit jams naturally!

-Others:
Lukewarm water to dissolve gelatin: 6 large tablespoons each

RECIPE:
-Preparing jelly:
Add water to vegetable juice and warm up inside microwave oven for 30 seconds. Take out, add sugar and mix.

Add gelatin dissolved in lukearm water and stir well.
Pour in individual recipients. Let cool.
Leave inside refrigerator for 40~60 minutes until it has properly solidified.

-Preparing mousse:
Mix fresh cream with sugar in blender or whisk until half solid (should still see bubbles)

In a separate bowl pour vegetable juice, yoghurt and lemon juice. Add gelatin dissolved in lukewarm water and mix well.

-Let cool and pour over jely in individual recipients. Leave in refrigerator until properly solidified.

-Once the mousse ad solidified, top with jam thinned with a little water. If the dessert is for adults only, thinning the jam with liqueur is a good idea!

Open to imagination and variations!

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Cherries Red Wine Compote

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While cherries are still to found aplenty and at cheap prices, it is always a good idea to make preserves.
I remember my father back home preserving dark cherries in kirsch (cherry brandy), putting the jars away inside a small pantry, locking it and keeping the key with him as they would quickly disappear as I, my two brothers and one sister got drunk on them as kids!

Here is a simple recipe making use of light coloured cherries and red wine:
Cherries Red Wine Compote:

INGREDIENTS:
-Cherries: 150 g
-Sugar: 3 large tablespoons
-Red wine: 2 larg tablespoons

RECIPE:
Wash cherries in clear cold water. Stab 5 of them with thin needle.
In a small bowl, drop in sugar with a little water. Warm up in a microwave oven until sugar has dissolved. Add a little more water and let cool down completely.

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Place cherries inside the pan with their stems taking care that the cherries don’t overlap.

Pour in red wine. Add sugared water. Add water to just reach the top of the cherries. Cook on a small fire for 10~15 minutes.

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Pour the lot inside a preserve glass jar and close. Let cool completely and leave inside the refrigerator for a whole week.

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Here they are!
Savour them with a coffee, dark tea or a dram of kirsch!
Note that they should be cooked over a low fire, otherwise the skins would break.
These cherries can be used on ckaes in clafoutis!

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Easy Summer Salad: Zucchini, Grapefruit & Dill Salad

ZUCCHINI-GRAPEFRUIT-DILL-SALAD

As I said before, Summer comes with all kinds of fruit and vegetables that can be combined into simple and refreshing salads. They are welcome at home and summer parties.
To be enjoyed with all kinds of ades (for the kids?) or white wines (including the bubbly ones). In Japan, sake of course!

Easy Zucchini, Grapefruit & Dill Salad

Ingredients: For 2 people
-Zucchini: 1 preferably green, but yellow would be intereesting (or even a combination of the two!)
-Grapefruit: hal a fruit
-Dill: 5=6 sprigs
-Olive oil (EV): half a large tablespoon
-Fresh cream: 1 nad hal large tablespoons
-Salt and white pepper (to taste). One may add (up to a point) other spices including chili pepper! One may use ground black pepper instead of white pepper for better effect!

Recipe:
-Cut extremities of zucchini and discard. Cut into very thin slices. Warap inside cellophane paper and leave in microwave oven for 2 minutes. Cool and then chill. Discard water.

-Extract flesh out of grafruit and cut wedges into small bits.
Separate “leaves” from dill sprigs as finely as possible.

-In a bowl, pour oil, salt, fresh cream and mix. Add dill and mix. Add zucchini and grapefruit.
Arrange into individual dishes as delicately (lovingly?) as possible. The visual effect is most important!

I leave to you as to which variation you might tempted to try!

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