Passionfruit Mojitos

Ah the mojito. Visions of Cuba, Ernest Hemingway, and (unfortunately) Colin Farrell in Miami Vice. 

First for a little bit of history:

The Mojito took root in Cuba at a time when most rum was scarcely potable—fierce, funky and heavy with fusel oils and other noxiousness. How to fix this? Well, if you were a Cuban farmer with a bottle of cheap rum and a long night ahead, you would have used whatever diversions were at hand to make it more palatable—a squeeze of lime, some sugar-cane juice, a handful of mint. Then it would go down just fine.
Fast-forward to Prohibition and Havana’s rise as America’s favorite offshore cocktail lounge: The Mojito migrated from the farms to working-class beaches around the Cuban capital and then marched inland. Here it was dolled up a bit, with the addition of carbonated water, lots of ice and a tall glass. - Source: Liquor.com

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 1)

• 5-10 large mint leaves, extra for garnish
• 2 passion fruits
• 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons of juice)
• 2 ounce of rum
• 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
• Ice
• Club soda (to taste)

DIRECTIONS

1. Tear up the mint leaves (doing this instead of cutting with knife or scissors helps prevent browning and also better releases the oils) 
2. Add torn mint leaves, lime juice, sugar, and some scrapings of lime rind (put a cheese grater to your lime skin) to a tumbler glass and muddle (a slight twisting motion works best )
3. Add passion fruit (you can choose to put the pulp through a small mesh strainer to remove the seeds, but personally I like the crunch it adds to the drink!)
4. Add ice and pour rum over it
5. Stir gently and garnish 

The World Through Rose Cupcakes

Rose petal frosting on chocolate espresso cupcakes make lovely gifts on special occasions (or even just-because occasions!) Personally, I prefer my cupcakes dense instead of fluffy. Feel free to adjust the oil content according to your preference!

 

Recipes and instructions, and more photos after the jump!

Goat Cheese, Walnut & Lavender Honey

All hail my favourite snack - Easy, sophisticated, and absolutely delicious.

INGREDIENTS

• Goat Cheese (the soft, spreadable type)
• Melba Toasts or Water Crackers
• Walnuts
• Honey
• Dried Lavender (optional)
• Rosemary (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Just spread your toasts or crackers with goat cheese, top it with a walnut or two, drizzle some honey (I like to infuse mine with lavender or rosemary for that extra something- scroll to the bottom of this post for a how-to*) and voila. In fact, if it's a more casual affair, you can even lay the components out for guests to put together themselves! 

*HONEY INFUSIONS

There are 2 methods to infuse your honey with a little extra flavour- be it rosemary, lavender, or any other herbs that strike your fancy. Dried herbs are preferable to reduce the risk of spore/bacteria growth from the excess water. The general rule-of-thumb ratio is 1-2 tablespoons of herbs per 1 cup (8 ounces) of honey.

Method 1- Cold Infusion: Drop your herbs in the honey jar and let it steep for a week or two, turning the jar upside down and stirring occasionally.

Method 2- Hot Infusion: Best done by simmering the herbs and honey in a double-boiler for 15-20 minutes without bringing it to boil.

In both these cases, you can either encase your herbs in cheesecloth before placing it in the honey, or strain the final product before use.

Instagram Round-up : My Breakfasts

(from left to right) Passionfruit on yoghurt ... Pineapple bun and coffee ... French-pressed Kopi Luwak coffee ... Peanut butter and banana ... Special K cereal, banana, and coffee ... Sliced pear