FRUITS AT WORK…A FRUITY DESSERT & A WIERD MEME!
“There is greater relish for the earliest fruit of the season.”
Marcus Valerius Martialis, Roman poet
Fruits at work…Strawberry, Kiwi, Orange & Basil
The minute winter begins to go away, the mind defrosts & begins to work overtime again. There is so much colour in the fruits & veggies appearing on the shelves, that I find it impossible to sit back & relax!! This is the result of one such instance…one fruity dessert that I tried for the first time last year & we loved it. It’s very simple as there’s no cooking involved; full of fruit, full of flavour, & colourful as ever. Very tropical & summery feel to it…the addition of fresh basil leaves makes it even more interesting.
Colourful all the way…
I find this dessert just right to bid adieu to winter & to welcome spring. The zest is optional; I thought it added a slight but nice bitter taste, & thought I would run it past the kids. Amazingly they loved it, with just a drizzle of cream on it. The daughter, I was sure would love it, & she did. The son was the surprise element…he enjoyed it too, though he did ask for more cream, which he didn’t get! He also commented that the juice was like a mixed fruit juice…hmmmm, that was the liquid due to maceration of the fruit! Maceration means ‘to make soft by soaking or steeping in a liquid’. I chopped the fruit small because of the kids; adults would be fine with it diced a bit bigger too. The seeds from the strawberries & kiwi lent a nice gentle crunch! Refreshing indeed!!
Ingredients:Strawberries – 300 gms (chopped)
Kiwifruit – 2 (chopped)
Oranges – 4-5 (peeled; chop segments)
Zest of 1 orange
Basil leaves – 10-15
Powdered sugar – 3-4 tbsp
Method:
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Dice the fruit to the desired size, reserving some bits/slices for garnishing.
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Put them together in a serving bowl, add the sugar, zest & chopped basil leaves, & stir through. Taste & adjust sugar if required.
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Leave to macerate in the fridge for at least an hour. Chill well.
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That’s just about all you gotta do!
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Put into dessert bowls, garnish with slices of kiwi & strawberries, put in a sprig of basil & you’re set!! Serve with a whipped cream if you like (or without for a healthier option).
I’ve been tagged for a wierd meme by Rachel at Tangerine’s Kitchen Hangout, & for a 5 meme by both Ivy at Kopiaste & Amanda at I’m Worthy of Being Loved. I’m ashamed to admit that I’m hopelessly lagging behind. I’ve decided to club the 2 together because these meme’s are giving me very sleepless nights…& wierdly enough, if I don’t sleep, how will I dream up my next concoction!!And that, in other words, is about me & also my first wierd fact…
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If I’ve been thinking of something all day long, which is quite often, I dream up a ‘solution or plan’ while sleeping, & will drive myself mad until I execute it the next morning. Did it with the Star Anise Swiss Roll, the Chocolate Strawberry Cake & many more. I always complete what I set out to achieve, come hell or high water, I’ll do it!
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I’m known to have a black tongue. It’s very wierd but I have started zipping my mouth of late, coz I’m not always popular when I spell the prophecy. My family & friends stand testimony to my sooth-saying…it’s uncanny & surprises me at times! No luck with the lottery though!!
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I love to bake, but believe it or not, I’m not fond of munching sweet somethings, & am a very uneggy person!! I rarely eat what I bake. I go by reviews of the eaters!! I’m a through & through coffee, bitterchocolate, savoury & fruit ‘n’ nut kinda person!
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Me & DH (& now the kids too) can watch the Die Hard series with Bruce Willis a 100 times again & again, & crack our sides laughing. We can also watch the Bourne series any number of times…& the same for Gone With The Wind (Mammy & all).
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I am not a TV person at all. TV for me is just to catch the news (even that’s limited thanks to the net) & maybe cricket or soccer matches. I have so much more to do, that sitting makes me feel that I’m missing out on something…
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I have a photographic memory; ask me for something that we stowed away 6 years ago, & I’ll just walk in some silly direction & find it.
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This is getting wierder…I am cookbook obsessed. I have a pile of baking books by my bedside, & can go through them time & time again, but only after I’m done with the days’ newspapers!
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And finally, I’m not superstitious at all, & will only get convinced if something is logical or scientifically proven. Very exasperating for some, but true!!
Enough said about me & my meme. And now to pass the baton onto some unsuspecting souls that I’m tagging for wierd meme’s…this is fun!
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Ivy @ Kopiaste (a wierd one in return Ivy)
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Miri @ Peppermill
- Arfi @ HomemadeS
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Arundati @ Escapades
“Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit.”
Aristotle
Deeba @ PAB
About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.
25 Comments
Manggy
Deeba, that’s just so gloriously coloful! I love it!!
I’m the opposite when it comes to television– I get antsy when I miss my favorite shows. I guess that means I have an unhealthy addiction!
vimmi
What a beautiful Coloerd fruit dish.
You are so different from me. I can watch tv for a long time, am lazy i guess. Now with a toddler, I don’t watch it any more. But I am also said to have a black tongue, and like u, I try not to tell people anything now.
My hubby is the same like u.. He won’t sit till he finishes what he started.
Asha
Beautiful dessert Deeba! Basil is new,usually mint leaves go well with fruits, got to try with Basil!:)
I am like you too, obsessive sometimes until I finish something. My son loves Bruce Willis, watches his new movie again and again too.But old uncensored Die hard movies have too much expletives, so I won’t let him watch it on DVD but when they show them on TV, they bleep all those words, so I am okay with it!:)
Good MeMe to read!
Kalai
I’ve heard so much about basil and fruit. Looks beautiful! 🙂
arundati
i love the colours…and with summer just around the inevitable corner…this is just what we need….basil adds a nice twist….am sending you mail on this one…and thanks for tagging me…and the award!! muaaahh you too!!
Passionate baker...& beyond
Manggy, hey lazy bones…of course you have an unhealthy addiction! Nah, just kiddin’; you are an exception Manggy…remember, I’m darned wierd!
Hi Vimmi, toddlers turn the world upside down, not a free moment!Glad yr hubby’s like me…
Thanks Asha…the kids are kinda bigger now, but everytime the expletive it uttered, they look at my face in horror! That’s a positive…& yes the ones shown on the cable are great but for the advts!
It’s amazing how beautifully they compliment each other Kalai.
Arundati, I loved the IC…simple recipe too. Am waiting for summer. Already have the condensed milk ready!! Now let the wierdness flow!! Lol
Passionate baker...& beyond
Manggy, hey lazy bones…of course you have an unhealthy addiction! Nah, just kiddin’; you are an exception Manggy…remember, I’m darned wierd!
Hi Vimmi, toddlers turn the world upside down, not a free moment!Glad yr hubby’s like me…
Thanks Asha…the kids are kinda bigger now, but everytime the expletive it uttered, they look at my face in horror! That’s a positive…& yes the ones shown on the cable are great but for the advts!
It’s amazing how beautifully they compliment each other Kalai.
Arundati, I loved the IC…simple recipe too. Am waiting for summer. Already have the condensed milk ready!! Now let the wierdness flow!! Lol
Mansi Desai
that was a fun meme to read Deeba:) I’m lagging behind on ine too!:D
the fruits look colorful indeed, and I’m so happy winter’s finally gone!
Rachel
Lovely colours in that bowl of fruits….
You call that a wierd meme????? 😀
Passionate baker...& beyond
Thanks Mansi,better done as soo as possible!
Hi Rachel…guess that means you’re as wierd or as normal as me?
Passionate baker...& beyond
Thanks Mansi,better done as soo as possible!
Hi Rachel…guess that means you’re as wierd or as normal as me?
Purnima
Deeba, great colors combined there with fruits, an artwork, lovely snaps n great MeMe! njoyd reading!
Sia
i’ll say its a funny meme than weird meme 😉 it was really gr8 to know little more abt u deeba and thanks for tagging me:)
Passionate baker...& beyond
Hi Purnima…glad you enjoyed it.
Waiting to read yr wierd meme Sia…guess the Scorpion in me can’t spill any wierder beans!
Passionate baker...& beyond
Hi Purnima…glad you enjoyed it.
Waiting to read yr wierd meme Sia…guess the Scorpion in me can’t spill any wierder beans!
Ben
Oh what a beautiful colorful tasteful bowl of fruit. Here spring still looks so far away that even though I love snow, I am starting to long for warmer climates.
Good to read more weird things about yourself. I feel better now knowing that I am not the only weird person on this planet :-p
Bellini Valli
I can just taste the juice from the macerated fruits 😀
Passionate baker...& beyond
Phew Ben…was just beginning to think I was quite normal, & you come along!! HA HA!!
Hi there Vall…tasted like nectar! Though I used a local variety of hybrid oranges which weren’t as firm as they should be…hence more juice! Delicious nevertheless!!
Passionate baker...& beyond
Phew Ben…was just beginning to think I was quite normal, & you come along!! HA HA!!
Hi there Vall…tasted like nectar! Though I used a local variety of hybrid oranges which weren’t as firm as they should be…hence more juice! Delicious nevertheless!!
Miri
Well…and all that is weird?! I guess I better suppress my weirder habits 😉
Now if only I put aside my weird habit of not getting to doing things faaast and complete this meme soon!
Arfi Binsted
basil and fruits, that’s what i do for salad: nectarines, blueberries, blue cheese, and basil. just drizzle with aged balsamic vinegar, that’s absolutely fantastic!
btw, i’m not really good at doing meme. thanks anyway. i may do it while posting something else.
cheers,
ab
Passionate baker...& beyond
Miri…shout it from the rooftops! This is as wierd as I could pen!!
Hi AB…your list is pure exotica compared to mine, but this is just about what we get here. I LOVE the ingredients you use…if wishes were horses…Even I’m very bad at meme’s, that’s why I procrastinated for so long; but when I got tagged the 3rd time, I thought I might as well get down to it. Do it only if you feel like it…no pressure at all!
Passionate baker...& beyond
Miri…shout it from the rooftops! This is as wierd as I could pen!!
Hi AB…your list is pure exotica compared to mine, but this is just about what we get here. I LOVE the ingredients you use…if wishes were horses…Even I’m very bad at meme’s, that’s why I procrastinated for so long; but when I got tagged the 3rd time, I thought I might as well get down to it. Do it only if you feel like it…no pressure at all!
meeso
That is a beautiful fruit salad! And great to learn more about you in the meme 🙂
Maya
The most tempting fruit dessert that I’ve ever seen..beautiful presentation Deeba.. loved reading the meme too :)..