Gazpacho is a refreshing soup for a hot summer day. I usually make gazpacho one day in advance to allow the flavors in the soup to blend. The herbed sour cream enhances the soup with additional body and the Caribbean dry spice mix gives the soup a little zing. Maine summers are quite short, limiting the tomato growing season, so I focus on small varieties like sungold, red and yellow pears and small, red cherry tomatoes. These small tomatoes are perfect for garnishing the soup.
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The best way to serve burgers is to put all the toppings on the table and let diners assemble their own just as they like it.
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The first peas of summer have arrived, firm, sweet, and adorably plump. I couldn't resist popping a few pods open and snacking on raw peas all the way home from the farmers' market.
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To prevent wooden skewers from burning on the grill, soak skewers in water for 30-40 minutes before use. This recipe for steak kabobs contains a terrific blend of flavors! (Contributed by Amy Sunahara—Highlands Ranch, Colorado)
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Quality mahi mahi is easy to recognize. Fresh mahi mahi never smells fishy, and when you press it with a finger, its flesh will give slightly and then spring back into shape. This recipe for Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi is a grilled dish with an Asian flair.
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Clafouti is a cake and custard all in one. It’s easy to make a delicious both warm and at room temperature, making it perfect for a picnic. We like to use a mixture of cherries and types of mint, but this is also good with just one variety of each.
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Fennel cooked on the grill loses some of its aniseed power and ends up tasting something like globe artichokes – finger-licking delicious!
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Stir-Fried Egg Noodles with Beef and Broccoli
Noodles Every Day, Corinne Trang
Egg noodles with beef and broccoli is a Chinatown restaurant classic, made with either Chinese or Western broccoli, depending on the cook’s preference. Fresh round egg noodles about the size of spaghetti are used here. Although they are called fresh, the thick egg noodles known as dan mian (literally “egg noodle”) are precooked and do not need to be boiled for this recipe. Seasoned with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine), this is a hearty dish. If you cannot find fresh dan mian, feel free to use the dried version of this noodle or thinner fresh or dried ramen. If you use ramen, you might want to cut the beef into strips to balance the textures.
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Tidal Falls Lobster Kettle in Hancock has numerous claims to fame, including superb lobsters and a truly knockout view, but their amazingly delicious homemade lemonade might in and of itself be enough to get me there. Biggish chunks of lemon rind make all the difference.
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Here's a great recipe for swordfish–this one with a neat spiced cucumber topping. Swordfish happens to be my personal all-time favorite seafood, but then I have been spoiled by years of thick swordfish steaks cut seconds after the fish have landed on deck. In general, the quality of fish to the consumer has improved drastically in the past twenty years. Commercial boats are often equipped with saltwater ice-making capability and much fish is sold at auction where the middleman sees, smells, and feels the product. Also, there is a great incentive to deliver pristine fish, because the best-quality fish commands the highest price.
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Pasta dishes play a key role in the diets of many people, yet few of us actually prepare pasta from scratch. Dry pasta is very convenient and fresh pastas are now readily available at major supermarkets. Fresh pasta, however, is simple to make, and there is something utterly satisfying about eating pasta made by your own hands. In my Pasta Pasta Pasta cooking class, we begin by creating various flavored pasta doughs. Participants learn how to roll out the dough to create a wide variety of shapes from farfalle to fettuccine, and learn how to create filled pastas like ravioli and tortellini. I demonstrate the best way to cook fresh pasta and we finish the pasta dishes with various sauces and meats.
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If you make lots of this recipe, cut the excess corn off the cob, place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. The smoked corn can be added to dips, soups, and stews.
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A highlight of my trip to the West Coast was last night's potluck with friends, the perfect prelude to a weekend of Independence Day festivities. Instead of grilling outside where a relentless heat wave was keeping evening temperatures stuck in the 80s, we gathered around the dining room table in the air conditioning.
Continue reading “July 4th: Salmon Comes Indoors This Year” »
At Arrows, we make everything from scratch, including this rich, fruity ice cream that tastes like the essence of summer. To make raspberry or vanilla ice cream, see the note that follows this recipe.
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Salmon, peas, and mint are all available (theoretically) at about the same time in early summer in New England, so they were often served in combination at traditional Independence Day dinners. In fact, on the dairy farm in Winslow where I grew up, we ate broiled salmon and fresh peas in cream sauce every Fourth of July. This recipe is an elegant way to put these same ingredients together. You can get most of the work done ahead of time and finish it shortly before serving.
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Shortcake is one of America's most estimable contributions to the roster of the world's great desserts. Simplicity itself, shortcake, which requires little in the way of culinary expertise except for a light hand with the dough, is the epitome of good Yankee country cooking, and strawberry shortcake, made with dead-ripe, fragrant native berries, is probably the queen of all shortcakes. Whether gathered on hands and knees at a pick-your-own-farm or bought from a roadside stand or farmers' market, in-season strawberries are surely one of nature's most priceless seasonal offerings. The "short" (meaning very buttery) egg biscuit is made into one large cake for an impressive presentation to a large group. Although shortcake is best served warm, I do give instructions for preparing all the elements before guests arrive.
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