First thing is first, happy birthday baby brother, I hope your 23rd year is a happy one! Every now and again the dreary and cold weather here in Sydney is replaced by a brilliant blue sky and sunshine galore. When this happens the last place I want to be is cooped up in my kitchen and so this beautiful orange and grapefruit dessert was the perfect way to end a warm and sunny afternoon. Cutting the citrus segments was the most time consuming part but when assembled in alternating orange and pink stripes the added effort is well worth it.

Henri Matisse, A Vase with Oranges, 1916
Oil on canvas, Private Collection

