Good Morning.
When my daughter's children were ten years younger than they are now and I was baby sitting over the lunch or dinner hour, I was told that they had to have a serving of fruit. There were mandarin oranges in the cupboard and other stuff in the fridge, their mother said. Just make sure they get some kind of fruit; they need their fruit. It occurred to me to make up a banana split but I behaved myself.
The daughter was being a nutrition-conscious mother person, but fruit is scrumptious and fresh fruit in season is the best. Today I offer a menu loaded with fruit and I'd be terribly remiss if I didn't begin with a beverage. This one is a Watermelon Pina Colada. Watermelon is my least favorite fruit but I'll have it in this format.
For one cocktail:
2 oz. light rum
3 oz. pineapple juice
1 oz. coconut milk
4 or 5 one-inch watermelon cubes
1 cup crushed ice
Put all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Add more watermelon if desired. Stay off the bike.
Serve the drinks with an Apricot and Tomato Bruschetta.
4 slices of sour dough bread
Olive oil
4 apricots, cut in half and pitted
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon
1 cup ricotta
Brush the bread slices with olive oil and grill on the barby until toasted. Brush the apricot halves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill cut side down until charred on the bottom. Watch carefully. Let cool and cut into wedges.
In a bowl, toss the grilled apricots with the tomatoes, vinegar, tarragon, and a tablespoon of olive oil. Season with a bit of salt and pepper. Spread the ricotta on the grilled bread slices and spoon the apricots and tomatoes on top.
This is an interesting combination and absolutely delicious. The recipe will give four people one slice each but is easily multiplied.
While everyone is sipping away on the patio, the entree, Cornish Hen with Roasted Peaches, is cooking in the oven.
2 cups wild rice mix
1/2 cup water
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup dry sherry
Juice of two limes
1 tbsp. ground ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 medium peaches, unpeeled, halved vertically, and pitted
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
3 Cornish hens, cut in half vertically
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted in a skillet
1 cup fresh parsley, rough chopped
2 tbsp. chicken broth
1/4 cup unsalted butter
Fresh chives
Lots of ingredients and worth it. In a saucepan, stir together the water, soy sauce, sherry, lime juice, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil. Simmer, uncovered, until reduced, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. In a skillet, heat the vegetable oil until hot. Coat the cut sides of the peaches with sugar and put them in the skillet. Cook until the sugar just begins to caramelize, about two minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Season the hens with salt and pepper and roast them in a baking pan in a 325 degree oven for an hour and fifteen minutes. During the last fifteen minutes, baste with the soy sauce mixture. While the birds are cooking, prepare the rice according to package directions. When finished, heat the butter in a skillet, add the cooked rice, toasted walnuts, chopped parsley, and chicken broth. Toss to mix and keep warm. Place the skillet with the peaches in the oven and roast for maybe ten minutes until the skin pulls away from the flesh but leave the skin on. When ready to serve, place one-half hen on each plate, sprinkle with snipped fresh chives, and surround with the rice and fruit. Serves six.
Not for the beginning cook but not as difficult as it sounds. Do the nuts ahead and the rice after the hens are in the oven.
Get a trusted guest to do the stuff on the grill and another one to make the drinks.
Serve the hens with the following Blueberry Pecan Salad. It can be made ahead, kept in the fridge, and dressed at the last minute.
1 10 oz. package mixed salad greens
1 pint fresh blueberries
1/4 cup pecans
1/2 cup champagne vinaigrette dressing - Girard's is a good one
1/4 cup crumbled Feta
In a salad bowl, toss the greens with the blueberries, pecans, and vinaigrette. Top with Feta and serve.
And for dessert, we have strawberries. This is sort of like a cheesecake but I call it a Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie.
1 3 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 9 inch baked pie shell - make your own or buy
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup grenadine
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 cups strawberries, hulled
Mix together the softened cream cheese and confectioners' sugar with an electric mixer until creamy. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. In another bowl, whip the cream until you have nice peaks. Carefully fold into the cream cheese mixture and spread over the bottom of the baked pie shell. Put in the fridge. In a saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and cornstarch. Add the water and stir until smooth. Now add the lemon juice and grenadine. Bring to a boil over medium heat and stir until thickened. Remove from heat and cool, then place in the fridge. To serve, put the hulled strawberries into the chilled cornstarch mixture and stir until they're nicely coated. Spread over the cream cheese mixture.
If you have any left over, I'd suggest having a piece for breakfast the next morning with a nice cup of coffee. Or a smoothie made with every berry in the produce section. Not a mandarin orange in sight.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
Comments