 A friend of mine had a milestone birthday yesterday so his wife threw him a big pot luck bbq party in our sweet ‘right out of Mayberry’ park here in Murphys. Since it’s the middle of summer and it has been blazing hot, I figured everyone would be bringing tomato and cucumber salads so in an attempt to be different I decided to bring deviled eggs. Everyone LOVES deviled eggs, right? I wanted to be a bit more original though so I decided to cut mine through the center instead of end to end and then add a bit of the devil, in the form of curry powder. Thanks to my friends from next door Paul and Bill and their beautiful hens, Claire and her sisters, I had plenty of fresh eggs!  Curried Deviled Eggs (makes 36) 18 eggs, hard boiled and peeled 3/4 cup Best Foods mayo, more if needed 1/4 of a red onion, chopped finely (sub green onion if you like) 1 stalk of celery with leaves, chopped finely 1 small jalapeño, cut in a tiny dice (optional) 1/4 cup parsley, chopped (you can also use cilantro) 1 T plus 2t good curry powder sea salt and pepper, to taste For Topping mango chutney (I like the Major Grey’s variety) chives, chopped roughly, for garnish Cut the eggs around the ‘equator’ and squeeze out the yolks into a fine sieve. Press through the sieve with the back of a soup spoon into a medium bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend. Stuff back into the whites ( you may have to cut a bit of white off the bottom so they sit flat). Garnish with the chutney and chives and chill until ready to serve. *see my instructions for hard boiling eggs under Wren’s egg salad post in the June 2016 archives   Last week I had a special request to pack a picnic for a houseboat full of people to take out on a nearby lake. They wanted typical summer fare, bbq chicken, potato salad, cole slaw, watermelon and fresh corn. I shucked all the corn, packed it in an ice chest and told them to grill over direct or indirect heat depending on how they like their corn. Indirect would be more like boiled or steamed corn but direct would be more like the corn you see on the street in Mexico, charred and chewy, the sugars caramelizing to a nice sweetness. Brush on this butter after grilling for a taste of Mexico right here at home!  Fresh Lime-Chile-Garlic Butter
1 lb unsalted butter, softened juice and zest of one lime 4 med cloves of garlic, chopped finely 1 t chile powder 1 t dried oregano 1 t kosher salt 1/2 t fresh ground pepper 1/8 t cayenne pepper 1/4 t dried chile flakes Blend all together with paddle attachment in a stand mixer. You can also do by hand if your butter is soft enough. Slather on grilled or boiled corn. Also would be great on grilled steaks, fish or chicken.  It's always a good idea to have several versions of potato salads in your recipe box. This one is a crowd pleaser. Fashioned after everyone's favorite toppings for a baked potato, it's just a little bit different and really colorful too. I made this one on the 4th of July and it was a huge hit. It's great with bar-b-que, holds up well in an ice chest and can be made a day ahead. You can substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream if you must, I don't! Bacon, Cheddar, Chive & Sour Cream Potato Salad 6 c small red potatoes 1/4 c red wine vinegar 1/2 c olive oil 2 T sugar 1/2 lb bacon, cooked until crisp and chopped into a 1/2" pieces 1/2 lb sharp cheddar, grated 1/2 c chives, chopped medium 1 small red onion, cut into a 1/4" dice 2 c sour cream salt & pepper, as needed Cut potatoes in to 1" pieces, cover with water, add 1 T salt and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and put in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the vinegar, sugar, 1/2 t salt and 1/4 t pepper and then the oil. Pour over warm potatoes, blend and let cool. Mix into the potatoes the bacon, cheese, chives and red onion (save some of these ingredients to sprinkle on the top if you want) then add the sour cream and mix well until blended. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6-8.  My good friend Annie left a basket of summer produce from her garden on my front step the other day. It's fun to use these gestures as inspiration for my blog but I wondered what I could come up with that would be interesting and different enough that involves summer squash and tomatoes? Hasn't it all been done before? The answer came last night when I went to have dinner with my friend Carol. She was making a warm kale salad (she is always trying some new recipe!) and invited me to join her. I brought my garden offerings and at her suggestion, came up with this fabulous rendition of the classic Caprese! How refreshing to create such a simple salad with these 'all too often' over abundant summer garden ingredients! I hope you agree.  Summer Squash & Tomato Caprese 1 large, red garden tomato, sliced 10 small, gold cherry tomatoes, cut in half 1 raw zucchini or trumpet squash, sliced on a mandoline 1 raw yellow crook neck squash, sliced on a mandoline fresh mozzarella balls fresh basil, torn into pieces sea salt & freshly cracked pepper good olive oil to drizzle Arrange the tomato slices on a platter. Tuck the thinly sliced squash in between. .Place the golden tomatoes around the outside of the platter with the mozzarella balls, however many you feel is enough and still looks balanced. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with the torn basil, sea salt and pepper. Serves 4.  |
Cheers!As a caterer for over 30 years, I have established a reputation for consistently creating original menus inspired by the occasion and the season, presenting them with an ease and elegance uniquely my own. Fresh, locally-sourced ingredients are the basis of my creative “from scratch” menus, which range from the classically elegant to rustic and whimsical. Categories
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"Love your recipes! Pat made your avocado toast a few weeks ago, delish! I'm taking them to a party in a few weeks, although the mushroom crostata looks pretty darn good!"
—Thanks, Melody Archives
September 2020
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