We recently reconnected with friends who we had not seen for quite a long time and invited them for dinner, along with another couple. We have all known each other for a very long time and have been at each other’s homes for many dinner parties and this event was long overdue.
About celebrating summer…
The obvious dinner menu for many would have been a barbecue, but I wanted to do something a little different and at the same time, still celebrate summer. There is such a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables available now that I built my menu around all this bounty.
I also wanted to keep the dinner light as it has been quite warm recently and warm weather tends to create cravings for light and fresh and even chilled.
To start our party, we gathered on our patio on another lovely warm evening and had our first course, my traditional Small Bites, al fresco. I created a sweet and savory tapas board for this course, featuring green grapes, sweet Bing cherries, beautiful ripe peaches and a new surprise element, Ramps Escabeche.
I made the ramps earlier this summer when ramps were readily available at my greengrocer. I was looking forward to an opportunity to serve them at a get together with friends and this dinner party was the perfect occasion as the tapas board I created had both sweet and savory elements.
In fact, the ramps stole the show!
My Appetizer course was a fresh fruit and vegetable gazpacho. I love the look of this dish and I love the flavors of the dish. It is pretty, light and it is served cold, with a little bit of drama as the soup is poured at the table and only surrounds the garnish in the middle.
My main course also incorporated fruit, this time sautéed Granny Smith apples and seared scallops. Improbable as it sounds, it is outstanding! Fresh, light, just the right amount of citrus, sour apple and butter.
I served the scallops with mini corn bread muffins, one of my Side Dishes. The sweetness of the muffins complimented the savory and citrus of the seared scallops.
We finished with more fruit. This time Bing cherries, both drunk and sober, over a parfait made with loads of whipped cream, custard and more cherries for Dessert.
We all had a good time, lots of catching up on all fronts. It has been far too long since we last met and what better setting than gathering around good food with good friends and good conversation. I’m sure that l can conjure up another menu with equally interesting and delicious courses for the next get together.
