Oh, this view. Shall we all meet on these lovely deck chairs somewhere in Italy? I’m an obedient sunscreen user but I do love the devotion to sunbathing you see on the Mediterranean.
Anyway, here’s what’s on my mind as we head into one of the last August weekends, from the infuriating (the untimely firing of Lisa LaFlamme) to the sublime (boozy dessert). Happy Friday!
Well, Lisa LaFlamme was let go from her post as CTV national news anchor and the women of Canada roared back. You can read Leanne Delap’s analysis here in The Kit (yours truly contributed a thought as well.) Who would have thought that letting your grey hair grow out would cause such consternation in the C suite?
If you have plans to hang out and watch a movie this weekend, I strongly recommend I’m Your Man, a German romcom from last year. Not only does it have a female lead in her late 40s (!!), but because it’s not a formulaic American studio comedy, you can’t predict where the plot is going, which is just so refreshing.
This film would be a great bet to watch in deep, dark winter when we all need a lift, but I’m nervous that Crave.ca will boot it from their lineup by then, so I urge you to watch it now. It’s about a scientist who takes part in an experiment living with a robot who has been programmed to be her perfect partner. British actor Dan Stephens (whose German is excellent) plays the robot and after having seen him as the waxed-chested, flamboyant Russian pop idol in Eurovision, I am completely invested in seeing him become a huge star.
My favourite cocktail drink right now is like an amped up Paloma, but with grapefruit sorbet instead of juice to go along with the tequila. You just put a scoop of sorbet in a tallish glass and pour a shot of tequila over. Enjoy with a spoon. So what do we call this, a ‘Paloma’ slushy? Or maybe a ‘Tequila Affogato’ after the classic Italian dessert of espresso poured over vanilla ice cream? Name aside, this works as both a festive early evening cocktail or a simple (but possibly lethal) dessert.
Making your own grapefruit sorbet is easy — just some mixing, heating and stirring. Plus, you can make this even if you don’t have an ice cream machine as the added vodka (alcohol doesn’t freeze) prevents the mixture it from freezing into an unwieldy solid.
Pink Grapefruit Sorbet
Ingredients
3 cups freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice (I buy freshly squeezed juice at the gourmet store having rationalized that it costs the same as buying all those grapefruits. Much easier.)
2 tablespoons light (clear) corn syrup
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 or 4 tablespoons of vodka
Instructions
Prepare the mixture the day before you want it and let it cool overnight in the fridge before churning or get your mixture assembled and chilling early early in the morning (like, before your coffee) so you can freeze it that afternoon for a late dinner.
In a small saucepan, heat one cup of the grapefruit juice with the granulated sugar and the corn syrup over low heat until the sugars dissolve. Add this mixture to the remaining grapefruit juice, add the vodka and put the whole thing into the freezer to cool for a couple of hours or into the fridge overnight.
The next day, when it is thoroughly chilled, churn it in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions. If you don’t have an ice cream maker you can pour it into a loaf pan or shallow dish, stick it into the freezer and run a fork through it every 30-45 minutes or so while it’s firming up to break up the ice crystals.
If you are one of the silver or blonde tribe, there is nothing like Kérastase Blonde Absolu masque Ultra Violet, $74, Sephora, to bring your hair back from the edge, and light it up so it’s visible from space (I exaggerate, but only slightly.) This mask will keep your hair bright and beautifully moisturized and de-frizzed. (FYI, so many purple shampoos dry your hair out like crazy so don’t overly rely on them but do use a mask and a conditioner a lot if you are silver-haired.)
Silver hair maintenance, step two: L’Oréal’s Color Radiance Purple Reviving Oil, $9,49, Shoppers Drug Mart, is a hair smoothing, yellow-banishing serum-slash-leave-in-treatment you can use between shampoos. Use it sparingly (you can always add more, but you can’t add less) and for heaven’s sake, wash your hands afterwards because it is purple (did I mention that it’s purple?) It is very effective at turning faintly yellowing drying out hair into a silvery, light-reflecting, wonder.