vanilla caffe fruit sundae

sunday night sundae. satisfy your sweet tooth with this simple dessert. with just a few minutes of prep time, you have the perfect dessert for a dinner party… or just for you. :)

inspired by (and adapted from) a recipe from my fave cooking show on the telly – cbc’s best recipes ever (thanks, kary osmond!).

prep ingredients:
- 2-3 ladyfinger cookies (broken in small 1-2cm pieces, reserve a few pieces for garnish)
- 1-1.5 cups frozen fruit medley (strawberries, peaches & blueberries — thawed)
- 1/2 shot (approx 1/2 oz) of kahlua coffee liqueur (optional)
- 1-1.5 scoops of vanilla frozen yogurt

the frozen yogurt:
- in a medium resealable container, slowly stir 1-1.5 scoops of vanilla frozen yogurt with a spoon until softened (but be careful not to allow the frozen yogurt to melt too much)
- drizzle 1 oz kahlua coffee liqueur over the frozen yogurt (optional)
- fold in ladyfinger cookies w/ frozen yogurt
- cover container and freeze for 20min until frozen yogurt mixture hardens

(tip: you can make ahead and freeze the frozen yogurt.)

- double ingredient quantities above for 2 servings

halo halo

halo halo = mix mix. this popular filipino frozen dessert is the perfect icy treat for an impromptu kitchen party. and that’s exactly what we did recently on a hot summer weekend with the family. i scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream? after this, you’ll all scream for halo halo. :)

my parents have this handy ice shaver that’s great for making halo halo, margaritas & other frozen cocktails. you can typically find one in an asian food market.

the goodies:
- plenty of shaved ice
- chickpeas (garbanzo)
- jackfruit (langka)
- coconut gel
- purple yam (ube)
- sweet beans
- 1 can evaporated milk

(tip: mix it up. there are many different combos of flavours that you can experiment with for halo halo. leche flan, plantains, tapioca, ice cream… be creative.)

mix it up:
- similar to a parfait, halo halo is all about the colourful layers. add a little bit of each sweet fruit ingredient to the bottom of each tall glass.
- add shaved ice, and then top with purple yam and some of your fave toppings
(tip: this is a great dessert for a dinner party or family bbq. let your guests make their own halo halo, so they can choose which ingredients they want to include in their glass.)

prosciutto & melon bites

you don’t even need to twist my rubber arm to eat prosciutto… i love, love, love prosciutto. which is surprising, since i’m not a huge fan of salty food. perhaps that’s why i love this simple summer appy so much. it strikes a good balance of sweet & salty with the fresh cantaloupe & the smoked prosciutto. delish.

the dish is easypeasy…

- 1/2 small cantaloupe (peeled, seeded, cut into bite-sized chunks)
- 3-4 strips of smoked prosciutto (torn into small pieces)
- wrap melon chunks w/ smoked prosciutto
- season w/ ground black peppercorns
- pairs well w/ freshly-squeezed orange juice and/or your fave bubbly… and, of course, a sunny patio!

this summer dish reminds me of vacationing in bella italia a few years ago and all the wonderful, fresh food there. grazie to fellow blogger greg at rufus’ food and spirits guide for the foodie inspiration from a truly fruitastic post.