Summer Party Idea

I love having outdoor parties in the summer. A few weeks ago, we had a birthday party for my friend Bettina in the backyard in Southampton. With a few simple touches, it was super festive. We got 18" white balloons at a party store, ordered wine labels from Pinhole Press, put out tiki torches, and got a fire pit at a yard sale (and Kara brought some adorable hats, the cute white banner, and some sparklers). It was a great success, mostly because of the beautiful night, and all of the rose didn't hurt. I tied these tassels to the balloons to add a little flare. I highly recommend the big, white balloons - so festive!

Strawberry Balsamic Pie

I love pie season. Some people think it's in the fall or winter, but for me, summer pies are the best. I love a good lattice-topped berry pie (strawberry rhubarb is my reigning favorite). I've been wanting to try this recipe from Four and Twenty Blackbirds but kept forgetting about it during the short strawberry season. Not this year! I finally remembered, bought a bunch of strawberries from the market, and made this delicious pie. It's so good! Even the drippings that come off the pie onto the cookie sheet taste like wonderful, sophisticated fruit roll ups. Strawberries and balsamic go so well together, and the little tiny bit of pepper is not obvious but gives the mix a tiny kick. I used my new favorite cornmeal crust, but you can use regular crust, too (or store-bought if you want - I recommend Trader Joe's). 

Hashbrown Fondue

I have been looking for an excuse to make this recipe for years, ever since I saw it on Alex's Day Off 5+ years ago. Last weekend, a whole big group of us went to my friend's house in the Poconos, I finally had a group big enough, and I was assigned breakfast duty - perfect! They were so, so good. So decadent and perfect for a group. This is not light in the least, but with enough people you're not eating too much of it. The wine adds a really nice flavor, but if you don't have any around, you can swap in chicken broth with a little vinegar in it. I used a mix of potatoes, including purple, just because they had them at the market, but any regular potato with do. 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp butter

2-3 large potatoes, cut into 1 1/2" cubes

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 bunch scallions, halved and thinly sliced

1/2 cup white wine

1 small wheel of Camembert or Brie with the rind cut off the bottom

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Once it starts to lightly smoke, add the butter and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until they become tender and crispy. Add the scallions and the wine. 

Season again with salt and pepper and increase the heat. Cook for 5-8 more minutes so the potatoes are browning, adding more butter if needed. 

Put the cheese on top of everything in the middle of the skillet, open side down.

Pop the whole thing in the oven until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes. 

The potatoes should be tender when pierced with a knife. 

We had a nice al fresco breakfast with some delicious strawberries and blueberries. 

And, of course, some bacon and eggs. Also, our friends got ENGAGED later that day. Congratulations Lane and Burgee!!

June 12 - Vegetable Garden Week 11

This is belated, but last weekend we had snap peas and lots of lettuce!

A salad with super freshly picked lettuce is just so much better and tastier and crunchier. It's the best. The adorable container up there with the snap peas is ceramic and from my friend Kara and will get so much use this summer for snap peas, grape tomatoes, and other little garden items. Thanks, Kara!

Rhubarb Galette

I had a little pie crust left over from making strawberry rhubarb pie last weekend, so I made a little galette. Galettes are great when you either don't have a pie tin/plate, you only have a little pie dough, or you want something a little more rustic You also get a little extra crust, which is always tasty. This one was great. It's a little sweet, tart, and the dough with the cornmeal makes such a flaky crust. I served it with some fresh strawberry ice cream and is was an amazing, summery dessert. 

May 31 - Vegetable Garden Week 9

The garden is great. The snap peas are about 2 feet high, the tomatoes are growing well, and we actually have some strawberries growing. The mulch is keeping the weeds down and it looks nicer. We're still getting radishes, but I'm looking forward to snap peas and all the other good veggies. 

Grilled Lobster

This is such a great way to do lobster. The cutting them down the middle while they're alive is a little awful/creepy/terrifying. I had Jamie do it, but I think you can ask a fishmonger to do it for you, too. The combination of the herb butter and the smoke of the grill gives the meat an excellent flavor and seems to concentrate the flavor, too. Definitely want to make this again!