The Cookbook Challenge Week 10 - Cool - Cocktail - 1 - $$

As I was hosting a Mexican themed dinner party over the weekend I thought the perfect recipe for the 'Cool' Cookbook Challenge would be Pineapple, Mango & Tequila cocktails, courtesy of Curtis Stone.

As I was hosting a Mexican themed dinner party over the weekend and we were drinking Pineapple, Mango & Tequila cocktails, I forgot to photograph the finished product.

This recipe serves 4 and comes from the September 2009 issue of delicious magazine.

Ingredients
1 cup roughly chopped fresh pineapple
1 ripe mango, chopped
250ml orange juice
125ml tequila
Ice cubes, mint leaves and lime wedges to serve

Whizz the pineapple, mango, orange juice and tequila in a blender until smooth. Curtis says to strain the liquid through a fine sieve and serve these drinks over ice. I couldn't bear to turf all the lovely fruit so my cunning friend Kym suggested we put the ice in with the ingredients and blend together.
What we ended up with was a very fluffy drink, similar to a daiquiri, that we garnished with mint.
Our version ended up like a boozy meal in a glass, so perhaps Curtis was onto something with the straining.

If you're going to have a crack at making this drink, try and do it before the end of January, then you can have a crack at FebFast and abstain during the shortest month of the year as well as raise some money and awareness.

Enjoy!

BBQ Rum Pineapple - 1 - $ - V - !

It's official! I am obsessed with cooking with fruit. It started with the Grilled Strawberries and has progressed to BBQ-ing pineapple.

I spent Friday night tootling around Melbourne visiting several bottle shops; cursing Mojito drinkers and willing to trade my kingdom for some white rum.
My dinner guests and I were too full to eat dessert last night, but after Operation Bacardi I was not about to let my marinated pineapple go to waste. Yes I cooked these on the BBQ in my pajamas, but that's just how I roll.

Before you get too excited, this dessert needs to marinate overnight, so you need to get organised before you get grilling.

Ingredients

1 pineapple, peeled and chopped lengthwise
100ml white rum, don't for one second think dark rum will work (been there, wrecked that)
100gm caster sugar
200ml water
2-3 pieces stem ginger
1 small red chili, halved and seeds removed

Place all the ingredients, except the pineapple, in a pot and stir it well to make sure the sugar dissolves. Slowly bring to the boil and then remove from the heat. Let the syrup cool slightly.
Put the pineapple sticks in a container that has a lid and then pour the cooled syrup over the top. Make sure all the pineapple is coated, cover and place in the fridge overnight.

Fire up the BBQ and make sure the grill is super clean - you can also cook the fruit in a grill pan. Place the pineapple on the hot grill and turn after about 30 seconds. Cook each side until the pineapple starts to colour and char slightly.
Serve immediately with some ice-cream or cream.

Enjoy!