POMEGRANATE SOUR - HOLIDAY COCKTAILS WITH NEW SINGLETON OF DUFFTOWN TAILFIRE SCOTCH WHISKY #SPONSORED

image3.jpeg

Although it has been a while since I was in university, there is always something about this time of year that fills me with excitement. Like the thought of seeing old friends and faces and celebrating around the tree with family. Although we may no longer be coming home from school after being away all year, the holidays are one of my favourite excuses to gather with my family or reunite and celebrate with old friends!

Whether you’re hosting a party or going to one, I love using festive occasions as an opportunity to share something new with those close to me. This year, I’ve discovered something new I want to share with friends and family and with you! Singleton of Dufftown Tailfire. This new whisky, with its signature rich, fruity taste, makes the perfect addition to any holiday celebration or better yet, a great host or hostess gift!

As the weather gets colder and your cheeks get rosier, there’s no better way to warm up your belly then with this delicious winter cocktail. Singleton of Dufftown Tailfire’s vibrant and enticing character comes from its maturation in ex-sherry casks, it elicits notes resembling a juicy, red-berry freshness and sweet vanilla aromas, making it a perfect pairing with another seasonal favourite - pomegranate. So… drumroll please!

Pomegranate Sour

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 oz. Singleton of Dufftown Tailfire
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
0.5 oz. egg white
0.5 oz. simple syrup
2 oz. of fresh pomegranate juice
Mint for Garnish

DIRECTIONS:

- Dry shake all ingredients.

- Add ice. Shake again.

- Strain (use a fine strain) (looks great in a seamless wine glass or old fashioned glass)

- Garnish with mint

If sweet cocktails aren’t your thing, Singleton of Dufftown Tailfire is also great served over ice due to its easy-drinking fruity notes.

So next time you’re wondering what you can treat your guests to, take note of Singleton of Dufftown Tailfire. A simple sip of this festive, inspired cocktail, paired with the joy of seeing friends and family and you’re holiday-ready! Remember to please celebrate the holidays responsibly.

Happy Holidays!

A GOOD CUP OF COFFEE - MY INSPIRATION FOR A TIRAMISU RECIPE #SPONSORED

Having recently witnessed my first Japanese tea ceremony I learned that the beauty behind the  ceremony is not only drinking tea and sharing the tea with others, but the consciousness of every action, movement in preparation, presentation, and enjoyment. The ceremony in fact is much more about reflection, meditation, and living in the moment than just drinking tea.

Although I am not much of a tea drinker I too am a creature of routine and morning meditation. Much like the Japanese tea ceremony, I have a series of actions, movements, and preparations I do to get ready for my day. One such action that must always occur is my morning coffee. When all is still dark and silent I sneak downstairs quietly to my kitchen, turn my stove on until I hear the familiar clicks of my gas stove and wait for the kettle to boil. During this time of patiently waiting for the water to boil I meditate and reflect on how I am feeling, how I slept, and let both my body and mind consciously connect while taking deep breaths and listening to the background sounds of slowly bubbling water.

With the whistles of my kettle I am brought back to the moment and like a dance I have performed hundreds of thousands of times previously, a series of moments I can practically do with my eyes closed, I gather all the instruments and ingredients I need to make my first cup of coffee. With each deliberate movement I am now focused and have only one goal - to achieve the perfect cup of coffee.

With the help of my Melitta ‘Pour Over Coffee Brewing Cone’, I am in control of how much coffee I want to make and how strong I want to make it. Usually for my morning coffee I use 4 tablespoons of coffee and make two cups - one I like to drink when it’s fresh and hot and the second I let cool for an ice coffee later. No matter what your coffee preference, weather you like your coffee flavoured, bold, dark roast, organic or even on the go - you can make coffee your way every morning with Melitta Pour Over Coffee.  

Once ready and when the rich aroma of my perfect cup of coffee hits my nose I like to move to the couch, cuddle up to my little Frenchie who is often still snoozing and take a moment to enjoy what I have created. With each sip my mind turns on and I am able to reflect and focus on what I want to accomplish in my day ahead. Believe it or not sometimes great inspiration is born in these still moments of reflection. Today as I was sipping my morning coffee I reflected on a cooking class I did on my recent trip to Italy. Inspired by both the memory and my morning cup of coffee I decided to turn that second cup of coffee into a delicious Tiramisu dessert I learned. And with that memory and inspiration I here leave you with a recipe for creating your own delicious Tiramisu and encourage you to find the joy and inspiration hiding in your own perfect cup of coffee. Enjoy.

Tiramisu Recipe

Good for 4 people

INGREDIENTS:

4 Egg Yolks
4 TBSP of granulated sugar
400g or 1 3/4 Cups of Mascarpone cheese
1 Box of Ladyfingers Biscuits
Coco Powder
1 Cup of Melitta Pour Over Coffee - room temperature
*Optional - Add some almond extract or rum (just a few drops) to the cream to add another layer of aroma

DIRECTIONS:

Making the Cream

Mix the egg yolks with the sugar using a whisk until a soft cream starts to form.

Add the Mascapone cheese in bit by bit being careful not to dissolve the texture.

Once a nice cream base is formed if you want, you can now add in a couple drops of your almond extract or rum for additional aroma.

Making the Tiramisu

Fill the bottom of an individual sized mason jar, teacup or if you only want to make one large one for a group, cake pan with a layer of cream.

Next dip the lady finger (you may need to break it in half depending on what you are using to hold your tiramisu) into the coffee quickly so it gets submerged but doesn’t crumble from holding to much liquid. Place a lady finger layer on top of cream layer.

Repeat alternating these two processes of cream and ladyfinger until individual mason jar, teacup or cake pan is full. Add final layer of cream to the top if you did not end with cream and sprinkle sifted coco powder over top. Store in fridge until ready to serve.

If you like this recipe or have any comments/questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!

Although this post has been generously sponsored by Melitta Canada, the opinions and language are my own, and do not reflect Melitta Canada.

 

Find out more about Melitta at Melitta.ca

BLACK FIG & OLIVE TAPENADE

Is it just me or does the combination of sweet back fig and savoury black olives sound like the perfect pairing! I love this recipe for that exact taste profile and spread across a crisp or accompanied with Parmesan cheese it is a perfect appetizer. If you're looking for something to serve at your next dinner party that's both quick to whip up and as easy as throwing everything into a food process - this tapenade is perfect! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

Yields 1.5 Cups of Tapenade

1 Cup of Black Fig - Rinsed and Cut Up
1/2 Cup of Pitted Black Olives
1 Clove of Garlic Clove - peeled and chopped
2 Tsp of Capers - drained and rinsed
1 Tsp of Fresh Rosemary
Squeeze of lemon
1/4 Cup of Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Place figs, pitted olives, garlic, capers, and rosemary in the food processor and blend until pureed.

Add a good squeeze of lemon juice and continue to mix.

While the motor is running add the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper as per your taste (I usually add a little salt no pepper but to each their own).

Black Fig and Olive Tapenade

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Bon Appetite!!!

PIN THIS POST

#FOODIEFRIDAYS EPISODE 3 - CHEF HAROLD'S SMOKED DUCK

For episode 3 of #FoodieFridays I teamed up with Summerhill Market and Chef Harold to show you how to make delicious smoked chicken duck sandwiches using his smoked product available at Summerhill Market.

For all of you who are not familiar with Chef Harold he makes fabulous smoked products that he sells directly to restaurants and high end grocery stores here in Toronto and Montreal. To check out his full range of products click -> HERE

Again I also would like to reiterate that creating this YouTube series has long been a dream of mine and I am a true believer in giving thanks where it's due so,... Thanks again to everyone who helped make it possible. Also thank you everyone who showed me love and support over my first year blogging! You guys rock!

WALNUT & DATE ENERGY BITES!

Okay lets face it, sometimes throughout the day you crave a snack and what you end up choosing can really make or break your diet. One way to avoid making such an easy mistake is to be prepared! These energy bites are both vegan and paleo and taste AMAZING! When hunger strikes or you need a boost of energy grab one of these babies and feel guilt-free! They last for about 7 days when stored in the fridge and are so easy to make that you have no excuse lol ;) Happy eating my friends!

VIDEO POSTED BELOW

INGREDIENT:

1 Cup of Walnuts
1/2 a Cup of Unsweetened Coconut
16-18 Pitted Dates
1 TSP of Cinnamon
1/3 Cup of Almond Butter
1 TSP of Vanilla Extract
3 TBSP of Hemp Hearts
2/3 Cup of Oats

DIRECTIONS:

Place walnuts and unsweetened coconut in a food processor and pulse until the walnuts have been broken down into small chunks.

Add in dates, cinnamon, almond butter and vanilla extract and continue to pulse until the dates have been broken down into small chunks.

Transfer contents to a bowl, add in your hemp hearts and oats, and mix all ingredients together with your hands.

Once nicely mixed start to roll the ingredients into balls and place on a lined baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Allow balls to sit for 30 minutes to dry and harden.

*You can store them up to a week in the fridge in a sealed container!

ENJOY!!!!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Bon Appetite!!!