You can find all my favourite flavours of the season on this Brunch Board plus one simple and delicious bite for dessert, Plum Tarts!

And, other than having your best girlfriends around it isn’t brunch without something to cheers with SO grab a glass of XOXO Wines Rosé and let’s cheers to an easy, delicious brunch celebrating friendship and the summer season!

I partnered with XOXO Wines on this Brunch Board because I absolutely adore their Rosé and they are all about making every day an occasion! With flavours of strawberry and tea plus a hint of spice, XOXO Rosé is a very smooth sip that pairs beautifully with the seasonal ingredients in this Brunch Board.

You’ll find sweet and savoury ingredients on the Brunch Board including strawberries and cherries to tomatoes and goat cheese. I drew inspiration from the summer season and wanted to make this board as simple and straightforward as possible so that you can enjoy sipping on your XOXO Rosé and having fun with your friends!

One of my favourite memories with my best gals is gathering together over delicious food and fabulous wine. I’ve been doing this with friends since our early twenties and the inspiration for this Brunch Board comes from those fond memories.

So grab your girlfriends and let’s make an occasion out of brunch with XOXO Wines Rosé!

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Brunch Board

Inspired by the summer season, this Brunch Board has sweet and savoury ingredients to suit every taste. Plus, the Plum Tarts are the perfect dessert bite to top off a spectacular brunch!

Course Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine American

Keyword brunch

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Author Jess

Ingredients

Plum Tarts

• 1 sheet puff pastry
• 2-3 large plums, sliced thin mix of red and dark purple plums
• 3 tbsp sugar I like to use cane sugar
• 1-2 tbsp butter, melted

Brunch Board

• 1 recipe for Plum Tarts
• 200 g gruyere cheese, cut into slices
• 8-10 slices prosciutto
• 1-2 cups multigrain crackers
• 1-2 cups granola
• 2 cups strawberries
• 4-5 apricots, sliced
• 1 small pint mixed cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 1 small baguette, sliced
• 1-2 cups coconut yogurt
• 1/2 cup goat cheese, softened
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup honey or honeycomb
• 2-3 basil leaves for garnishing the goat cheese
• thyme sprigs, for garnish
• toasted and shredded coconut for garnishing the coconut yogurt

Instructions

Plum Tarts

• **Important: thaw puff pastry according to package directions**
• Pre-heat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cut puff pastry sheet into 16 squares and place onto baking sheet, spaced a part.
• Using a fork, make dots throughout the middle of each puff pastry square, leaving about a half-inch border around the square.
• Place 3 plum slices on the middle of each square, approximately covering the space that’s been dotted with the fork.
• Brush the borders of each puff pastry square with melted butter and then sprinkle each square generously with sugar.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden around the edges.
• Remove from the oven and let cool about 5 minutes on the pan. Then they are ready to be served!  Note: You can absolutely make these ahead of time and then sprinkle with a bit more sugar just before serving on your brunch board – they do not need to be served warm.

Assembling the Brunch Board

• Prepare the plum tarts and let cool.
• Find a serving board and 3-4 small serving bowls plus a couple of knives and spoons for serving.
• Slice and measure out all the remaining ingredients.
• Scoop the goat cheese into a small bowl, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with basil.
  
• Scoop the coconut yogurt into a small bowl and mixed cherry tomatoes in their own small bowl.
  
• To create the brunch board, start by placing the three main bowls (goat cheese, tomatoes and yogurt) on the board. Then start to fill in with crackers, baguette and plum tarts. Continue to fill in spaces with fresh fruit, prosciutto and garnish with thyme sprigs.
  
• Use the Brunch Board photos to help guide your design or go with your own creative presentation! Don’t worry about fitting everything on the board to start with; you can always refill when needed.
  

There are so many amazing combinations of flavours you and your girlfriends can enjoy from this Brunch Board. Some of my favourites are:
–       Slice of baguette with goat cheese and tomatoes
–       Crackers with goat cheese, apricot slice and honey
–       Dip fruits into coconut yogurt then granola
–       Fruit, yogurt and granola
–       Plum tarts!

The best thing about this Brunch Board is that you can mix and match ingredients to suit your tastes. Many of the seasonal ingredients you can find right now at the market will go beautifully with XOXO Rosé too!

Hosting your own brunch soon?  XOXO Wines is available in local liquor stores and here in Alberta you can find XOXO Rosé, Pinot Grigio-Chardonnay and their Sparkling Pinot Grigio-Chardonnay – literally something for everyone’s tastes!

Want to hear the BEST part!? I’m hosting a contest giving away FOUR BOTTLES of XOXO WINES ROSÉ! Come on over to enter to win! *CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED*

I’d love to see your Brunch Board creations so comment below or tag @cookinginmygenes on Instagram.

Need more brunch inspo? Check out my other summer brunch ideas!

Happy brunching friends!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

Disclaimer: Thank you to XOXO Wines for sponsoring this post.  Thank you for supporting the brands that I support. All opinions are my own.

The post Summer Brunch Board appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

Peaches and berries are juicy and sweet and perfect for a summer treat.

I hope you can enjoy this dessert with family and friends, perhaps on a summery afternoon and feel free to use whichever fruit is shining in your part of the world.

I have fond memories of picking strawberries at a local Ontario farm when we were kids. The strawberries were so perfectly sweet, almost addictive! And later on at home we’d use the freshly-picked berries as a topper to vanilla ice cream.

The inspiration for this Summer Fruit with Whipped Cream comes from those summer memories and I’ve added in my other favourite seasonal fruits too. With strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and peaches combined with lemon juice and a touch of sugar, then topped with a luscious whipped cream, you have a real summer winner on your hands!   

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Summer Fruit with Whipped Cream

A mix of seasonal summer fruit with peaches, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries topped with a dollop of vanilla whipped cream is the perfect summer dessert! 

Course Dessert

Cuisine Canadian

Keyword berries, berries and cream, summer fruit

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Author Jess

Ingredients

Summer Fruit

• 2 cups strawberries, cut in quarters
• 2 cups peaches, chopped (about 2-3 peaches)
• 2 cups blueberries
• 1 cup raspberries
• juice from half a large lemon
• 2 tbsp sugar

Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup mascarpone (you can usually find this in the cheese aisle at the grocery store)
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
• 2 tbsp icing sugar

Instructions

• Wash, cut and chop the strawberries and peaches. Wash the blueberries and raspberries.  Mix all of the fruit in a large bowl.
• Next, juice half of the lemon into a small bowl and add the 2 tbsp sugar.  Whisk to combine and then pour over the fruit.  Gently mix the fruit and set aside.
• Using an electric mixer add the heavy whipping cream into the mixing bowl.  Turn the mixer to medium for a few seconds to start, then turn up to high and let the mixer do its magic until stiff peaks have formed in the bowl, about 2-3 minutes.
• Next, add 1 cup of mascarpone and whip for 30 seconds to 1 minute until combined and peaks still form.  
• Add in the vanilla bean paste and icing sugar. Whip for another 30 seconds to 1 minute until combined. Taste and add in more icing sugar if you prefer a sweeter whipped cream – you can adjust to your liking.
• Then, serve the fruit in individual bowls or small plates, topped with a dollop of whipped cream!

Notes

Substitute for the vanilla bean paste; use 1 tbsp honey or 1 tsp vanilla extract.

Both the summer fruit and whipped cream will stay well in the fridge for a couple hours so if you’re having guests over later in the day just make everything ahead of time, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. You can even keep the whipped cream in the fridge for up to 2 days if needed!

I know I’ll be making this dessert all summer long, especially for barbecues and picnics!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post Summer Fruit with Whipped Cream appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

The natural tartness of the grapefruit is very refreshing, and when paired with a touch of lavender it’s a beautiful harmony of flavours.

This delicious cocktail recipe is inspired by my friend Erin! She gave me the most lovely lavender bitters as a birthday gift. I knew once I tried the lavender bitters, I HAD to use them to create a cocktail which featured the beautiful, floral flavour.

Why you’ll love this Spring cocktail

I like to keep my cocktails fairly simple and really easy to execute so whether you’re making this Grapefruit Lavender Spring Blossom Cocktail for just you or for a group of guests, you spend more time enjoying the cocktail than making it!

This would be the perfect Spring sip to enjoy on a warm, sunny day or even for brunch.

If you love my Lavender French 75 Cocktail, you’re sure to love this one too!

Do lavender and grapefruit go together?

The beautiful floral flavor of the lavender bitters pairs beautifully with the tart grapefruit juice. They share similar floral and citrus aromatics. The tart nature of the grapefruit balances the floral-forward lavender. Balance is key so start with 1-2 dashes of the lavender bitters as they can be overwhelming if you use too much.

What liquor pairs well with lavender?

A floral-forward gin pairs very well with lavender. A nice selection of gin’s to choose from for this drink are: Hendrick’s, The Botanist and Empress 1908 (which has a gorgeous lilac hue).

Ingredients needed for this Spring blossom cocktail

Lavender bitters: You will need 1-2 dashes lavender bitters (my personal favourite are Scrappy’s Bitters)

Grapefruit juice: I like to use fresh squeezed grapefruit juice for the most tart, fresh flavor; if desired, you can use store-bought fresh or bottled grapefruit juice (from about 1 grapefruit)

Gin: You will need 2 ounces of gin; I like to use a more floral gin like

Simple syrup: Make a batch of simple syrup before making this cocktail.

How to make simple syrup

To make simple syrup you will need equal parts water and granulated sugar. For this grapefruit lavender cocktail I like to make a batch of simple syrup with 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. The simple syrup can be stored in the fridge in an airtight glass jar (or container) for 2-3 weeks.

Combine the sugar and water in a small pot or saucepan. Stir and then bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes until the dissolved. Set aside and let the simple syrup cool.

How to make a grapefruit lavender cocktail

First make the simple syrup by combining the sugar and water in a small pot. Stir and then heat the mixture on medium-high until simmering. Turn to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside and let the simple syrup cool. You can also transfer the simple syrup to a glass container, uncovered, to help cool faster.

To make the cocktail, fill one cocktail glass about 2/3 full with ice.

Then, to a cocktail shaker add 1-2 dashes of lavender bitters (depending on how floral your taste is, use 1 dash for less floral notes), fresh grapefruit juice, gin and simple syrup. Shake and then pour into an ice-filled cocktail glass. Garnish with a grapefruit slice and if you so desire, dried lavender buds or a sprig of dried lavender.

Tips & Tricks

• Cool the simple syrup: You can transfer the hot simple syrup to a glass container, uncovered, to help cool faster.
• Make this cocktail for more people: You can easily make a big batch of this cocktail. Double, triple or quadrupole this recipe to make more cocktails for a larger group.
• Add club soda: If you want to make this cocktail a bit lighter, add a splash of club soda, tonic or sparkling water.
• Garnishes: The lavender garnish is optional.

FAQs

More Spring cocktail recipes to love from the blog

• The Best Rhubarb French 75 Cocktail Recipe
• Minty Cucumber Gin Spritz
• Strawberry Rosé Spritzer

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Grapefruit Lavender Spring Blossom Cocktail (with gin)

This Grapefruit Lavender Spring Blossom Cocktail is a beautiful sip for the Spring. With gin, fresh grapefruit juice & lavender bitters, it's a delight.

Course Drinks

Cuisine american-inspired

Keyword grapefruit, lavender

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cocktail

Author Jess

Ingredients

• 1-2 dashes lavender bitters
• 2 ounces gin
• 3 ounces fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup
• ice cubes
• slice of grapefruit for garnish
• optional: dried lavender for garnish

Instructions

• First make the simple syrup by combining the sugar and water in a small pot. Stir and then heat the mixture on medium-high until simmering. Turn to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside and let the simple syrup cool. You can also transfer the simple syrup to a glass container, uncovered, to help cool faster.
• To make the cocktail, fill one cocktail glass about 2/3 full with ice.
• Then, to a cocktail shaker add 1-2 dashes of lavender bitters (depending on how floral your taste is, use 1 dash for less floral notes), fresh grapefruit juice, gin and simple syrup. Shake and then pour into an ice-filled cocktail glass. Garnish with a grapefruit slice and if you so desire, dried lavender buds or a sprig of dried lavender.

The post Grapefruit Lavender Spring Blossom Cocktail (with gin) appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

We have a couple of summer weekends left and summer IS the time to entertain! When I need an easy appetizer or snack to accompany a lovely weekend afternoon, cheese & charcuterie is my go-to.

Using my favourite cheeses and some summer fruits, I’ve put together an easy summer cheese & charcuterie board that will wow your guests (and you!)

One of the ‘rules of thumb’ for cheeseboards is to start with one hard cheese, one soft and one smelly cheese. BUT given I’m not a fan of smelly cheese I like to opt for a different flavoured cheese to round out the flavours.  I also like to add a spicy meat to the board to round and some pickles for saltiness.

Here is a checklist to help you create your own summer cheese & charcuterie board:

Cheeses: 
– Saint Andre (soft)
– Dill Havarti (flavour/medium)
– Manchego (hard)

Fruit: fresh peaches and apricots

Meat: spicy chorizo

Crackers: rosemary & olive oil triscuits; plain crisps; rosemary-raisin-pecan raincoat crisps

Garish: fresh dill and wild blueberry spread

You can mix and match with some of your favourite cheeses and flavours using many of the fruits of the season too and I’m sure you’ll come up with some amazing flavour combinations.

Happy Entertaining!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

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