a nice summer meal

I am not Julia Child, but I do like to get fancy in the kitchen every now and then. Here is a simple summer meal you can prepare for someone special. I'm not much for sticking to a recipe so these are just guidelines.

caprese salad on a stick

• assemble on a toothpick: mozzarella cheese, basil, some sort of tiny tomatoes
  


• dip in balsamic

gazpacho

• cover about 2 cups crustless day old bread in cold water and soak for 15 minutes



• boil 3 cloves of garlic in a small sauce pan for about 3 minutes. drain.



• in blender: 3 cloves garlic. bread (squeeze extra liquid). 2 tsp salt, 2lb beefsteak tomatoes, 1 four inch cucumber (peeled), a few dashers of white wine vinegar and a few dashes of sherry vinegar. You can also add a sliced green pepper, but I don't like those so I used some Creole seasoning I got from the Spice House.



• puree until smooth



• with machine running pour in 1/2 cup EVOO ( actually added a little blood orange olive oil to the mix) in a slow, steady stream and blend until emulsified.



• blend in 1 cup of cold water and season with salt and pepper.



• refrigerate until chilled (at least 3 hours or up to 1 day)
  

sauteed shitake mushrooms and spinach

• saute 6 cloves garlic and one shallot in some olive oil



• add sliced shitake mushrooms and saute for about 10 min



• add spinach and saute for another 5 min

truffle mashed potatoes

• boil potatoes in chicken broth until tender (about 10 min)



• drain, but reserve some of the liquid



• mash in chicken broth, half and half, butter, truffle oil and pepper to your liking

seared scallops

• head a skillet on high and add 1tsp butter and 1tsp veg oil



• when skillet is hot add scallops - DO NOT touch/move/or otherwise disturb them



• after 2 minutes check to see if the bottom of the scallop has a nice carmel crusted color



• once you have the sear then flip them and cook for about 1 more minute. sides should still be translucent and soft

fruit with balsamic

• cut up peaches, berries, strawberries...whatever you have



• drizzle with balsamic (I'm going to use a pomegranate balsamic)
  

pair with...

• prosecco



• a nice rose (yes, it's okay to drink these)



• saison (a French country ale)



• blood orange Italian soda