And of course, part of the excitement is the novelty. Honestly, even mowing the grass - twice so far in my life! - is a whole new kind of fun. (No, seriously, we argued over who got to do it the second time. A detente was reached when we decided to take turns.) So, yes, novelty - and perhaps one too many episodes of "Top Chef" and all the talk of plating and layering flavors. Which is not at all to say that I do that, or am good at it - but, you know, it's there, in the back of my mind as I set up the food.
So yes: last night's food. Here is some of it:
Prosciutto cups with balsamic nectarines and blueberries. A big hit, will definitely make again. (Put squares of prosciutto into muffin baking tray cups, bake at 375 for 13-15 minutes, immediate take out and drain on paper towels. Chop up peaches or nectarines, add raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries, and toss with balsamic vinegar. Right before serving, scoop fruit into prosciutto cups.)
Cucumber slices two ways: 1) with hummus, purslane leaves, and heirloom grape tomatoes; and 2) with goat cheese spread and spinach leaves. Always yummy. (The goat cheese spread is killer: three parts goat cheese, one part whipped cream cheese, 1-2 tablespoons of milk, give or take to make a spreadable consistency. Add pressed garlic and tons of dill.)
And to drink - a wine punch. I'd call it sangria, but apparently real sangria has cognac in it. But this was delicious: two bottles of white zinfandel, 5 tablespoons of sugar, and diced peaches, nectarines, plums, grapes, and blueberries. I'm betting any kind of fruit combo will work. The key is just to mix it and let it stand in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours.
We also had some waffle crackers with Nutella and peach sauce for dessert and some fried eggplant with pita chips and hummus. Yummy all around.
5 comments:
I want to join your book club! We usually have coffee. This week I brought a birthday cake and it was quite obvious how food can open people up to some good discussion. It's a great ice-breaker amongst a group of people who rarely know each other.
Everything looks de-li-cious. Glad you're enjoying your home. Your blog elevates our quality of life. Thank you.
So ... what book did you talk about?
Ha - good call, Spotgirl, I totally didn't even mention the book! We talked about "How I Became a Famous Novelist" by Steve Hely. It's a totally hilarious satire of what popular fiction writing today consists of, complete with excellent parodies of bestseller authors (Clancy, Brown, Criton, and whatever the name of the "A is for ___" murder mystery writer is). Highly recommended.
Those appetizers look so amazingly yummy. And who knew Sangria had cognac in it.
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