Another fun and interactive "Lunch and Learn" this past Wednesday with the employees at Sesame Workshop!
We discussed easy and refreshing ideas for summer entertaining and I made a few of my favorite summertime foods for the group.
Here are a few pictures from our lunch. See below for all of the recipes!
A Duo of Rustic Bruschetta
Spanish Gazpacho
Mason Jar Shortcakes
This is such a fun presentation for dessert.
I found these small 4 oz mason jars at the hardware store and they are the perfect size for a dainty, easy to eat dessert. See below for the shortcake recipe. Instead of cutting out the dough, spoon it into mini muffin tins (see pic below.) After baking, slice the mini shortcakes in half. The bottom half goes into the mason jar followed by berries and whip cream. The top half of the shortcake goes on top and the whole jar gets dusted with powdered sugar.
Bruschetta:
Rustic Hearty Bread, thinly sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt and Pepper
-Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lay slices of bread on a baking sheet and brush top side with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 10-15 minutes until just brown.
Organic Tomato Basil Bruschetta:
Organic Tomatoes, diced
Fresh Basil Leaves, torn
Green Onions, thinly sliced
Balsamic Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt and Pepper
-Dice ripe organic tomatoes and drain in a strainer for a few minutes to remove extra liquid. Transfer to a bowl and mix with green onions and basil leaves. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Fresh Corn and Ricotta Bruschetta:
Shallots, thinly sliced
Fresh Corn, taken off the cob
Whole Milk Ricotta
Lemon, juiced
Kosher Salt and Pepper
Fresh Thyme
-Saute shallots in olive oil until soft and starting to brown. Add corn and sauté a few more minutes. Taste and season with salt, pepper and fresh thyme.
Mix together ricotta with lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Spanish Gazpacho:
Puree in a blender or food processor:
6 Ripe Organic Tomatoes (slice off tops and squeeze out seeds)
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Cucumber (peel, slice in half and use a spoon to scoop out seeds)
1/2 Red Onion
1 Clove Garlic
3/4 C Orange Juice
2 T Rice Wine Vinegar
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt and Pepper
Blend, taste and season well. Chill in refrigerator for at least 3 hours before serving. Garnish with chopped cucumber, green onions, bell pepper, fresh cilantro, toasted pepitas, sour cream....
Mason Jar Shortcakes
Mini Shortcakes:
2 C Cake Flour
1 t Salt
4 t Baking Powder
4 T Sugar
5 T Ice Cold Butter, cut into very small pieces
3 Eggs
3/4 C Heavy Cream
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter, fork or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In another bowl, mix eggs and cream together and pour over dry ingredients. Using a spatula, bring everything together. Don't over mix. Spoon shortcake dough into greased mini muffin tins. Brush with a bit more cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 8-10 minutes until shortcakes are lightly brown. Remove from tin, let cool and slice in half.
Berries:
Wash and slice organic strawberries. If desired, mix with fresh blueberries. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Stir together.
Vanilla Whip Cream:
1 Pint Cold Heavy Cream
1/4-1/2 C Powdered Sugar
1t Pure Vanilla
Whip together cream, sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form.
