Celebration Food

Written by Pixie Stardust

The end of the year and the start of summer always brings more chances to celebrate. Whether you are finishing uni forever or just for the holidays, it is always important to celebrate your achievements.

Take your celebration to the next level by making some special occasion foods, those recipes that take are more time consuming or have fancier ingredients than you would use everyday. Here are two delightful drinks that can be enjoyed with or without alcohol and a beautiful dessert.

Fresh lemonade with berries

1 cup lemon or lime juice (freshly squeezed please)

1 cup caster sugar

1 litre soda water

225g berries – strawberries, blackberries, raspberries or mulberries are all good

Combine juice, sugar and soda water in a large jug and mix well until sugar dissolves. To serve, drop in berries and pour into tall glasses.

Great with Gin or Vodka.

Pineapple, passionfruit and coconut slushies

1 cup caster sugar

1 cup water

1 cup passionfruit pulp

270ml coconut milk

1 pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped

lime slices to serve

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and stir over low heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and boil for 2 minutes. Cool.

Puree pineapple pieces in a food processor or blender until smooth. Place in a sieve over a bowl. Use the back of a spoon to press on the pulp and get as much juice out as possible. Save the pulp to use in a fruit salad.

Combine cooled syrup, pineapple juice, passionfruit pulp and coconut milk. Pour into a large shallow plastic container. Cover tightly and freeze overnight.

To serve, use a fork to scrape the mixture into glasses. Garnish with lime

Great with Malibu.

Lemon- cashew stuffed crepes with berry sauce

Crepes

1 ½ cups milk (dairy, soy or almond)

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave nectar

¾ cup flour

¼ cup chickpea flour

1 tablespoon tapioca flour or arrowroot

½ teaspoon salt

Blend or process all ingredients until smooth. Chill batter in fridge for at least an hour.

Preheat a large frying pan. Lightly spray with oil. Ladle ½ cup of batter into the centre of the pan (use less if your pan is not very big). Rotate the pan in a circular fashion to spread the batter in a thin layer across the pan.

Cook until the top is dry, the centre bubbles and the edges are lightly browned and lifting from the edges of the pan. Loosen the edges with a spatula, then carefully flip and cook on the other side. Slide onto a plate. Repeat with remaining batter. Don’t worry if you mess up your first one, you will get the hang of it.

Lemon Cashew Filling

2 cups cashews, soaked in 2 cups water overnight in the fridge

2 tablespoons agave nectar or maple syrup

¼ cup milk (dairy, soy or almond)

pinch salt

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 lemon

Drain cashews and blend or process with agave, milk, salt and vanilla until smooth.

Grate lemon zest into the filling, then mix in juice of half the lemon. Taste, and add the rest of the lemons juice if you need. Chill.

Berry sauce

4 cups berries, fresh or frozen

1/3 to ½ cup sugar

1 tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Mix to dissolve arrowroot. Turn heat to medium and cook, stirring for 15 minutes until the berries habe broken up a bi and the sauce is think. Cool for 10 minutes.

Assembly

You can roll or fold these. Basically put filling on crepe. Pour berry sauce on top. Roll up or fold. Repeat with remaining crepes. Sprinkle with icing sugar to serve. Amazing!

If you are culinary-inept or simply cannot be bothered there are plenty of great restaurants in Adelaide worthy of your celebration.

Spoon is a small, sophisticated restaurant near the start of the Gouger street. With a menu changing seasonally, unbelievably attentive waiting staff and the support of Aramis vineyards this tiny restaurant is guaranteed to impress. The coffee, from Melbourne is sensational and the molecular gastronomic style meals are sure to delight the eyes and the tastebuds.

Red Ochre has one of the best restaurant locations in Adelaide, balancing over the middle of the Torrens the sunset views are stunning. This fabulous restaurant showcases the best of Australian cuisine utilising native ingredients such as macadamia, lemon myrtle and wattleseed in ways you never imagined.

Another restaurant experimenting with molecular gastronomy and unique techniques is Celsius. A large space with couples tables along the sides surrounded by heavy romantic curtains ensures all size groups are satisfied. Unique blend of ingredients and flavours satisfies the most jaded gourmet tastes.