'Corn chowder' salad. Photo: Brent Ridge, Beekman 1802.

Continue reading Beekman 1802 -- 'Corn Chowder' Salad

Heirloom tomato salad. Photo: Eric Diesel

If you're lucky enough to live near a farmers market, don't forget to thank your local farmer and gardener for that sparkling-fresh produce, especially those who grow heirloom vegetables and fruits. In addition to growing delicious produce, they're cultivating history, right on the vine.

Though there are some differences of opinion about its exact definition, an heirloom variety of fruit or vegetable is generally agreed to be one that has been cultivated for at least 50 years. Beans are an heirloom veggie ever-growing in popularity, but the food that truly sings of summer is the tomato.

Heirloom tomatoes are beginning to appear in gardens, at roadside stands and lining produce aisles. In honor of the unique flavors and colors of these beauties, beyond the jump is an original recipe for a summer tomato salad: history you can eat. But remember to save some seeds -- preserving them is the least we can do for these species that give so much to us.

Continue reading Heirloom Tomato Salad

One of the advantages of helping out on Is My Blog Burning (a notice board of all the foodie blog events and happenings) is the advance notice of such events.

One such event, posted today, is the Garden Party as organized by Dispensing Happiness.  This should be great. Basically, Blog Party is a virtual cocktail party. As Dispensing Happiness says, "It's a chance to make those little bites and fantastic drinks we all love, but never make. Blog Party is about taking time for us: setting aside some time to cook (which, clearly, we all love), to prepare appetizers we want to eat but never get around to. And best of all, it's about getting together, albeit via the Web, with like-minded friends."

You don't have much time to join in -- if you have a blog -- as entries have to be in by the 18th. I am thinking refreshing elderflower cordial; perhaps some Pimms, and some crisp little savoury nibbles. Of course, you can always take a peek at our own Slashfood Garden Party for insipiration.

[Image from Dispensing Happines]

For garden party desserts, we've had petit fours and a few cupcakes, and here's one more before we're off to watch the sunset: a lime cheesecake mini-tart.

There's nothing special about the cheesecake. It's a basic cheesecake recipe with lime juice and zest added for the lime flavor. Please, even though it's lime, it won't be green, and resist any and all urges to add green food coloring. There's nothing wrong with food coloring - just save them for dyeing your Easter eggs. The cheesecake is pretty enough as it is in its pale pale green splendor. Though most cheesecakes have a graham cracker crust, using a regular flaky crust is ideal for a mini-tart that has to be picked up with hands. Graham cracker crusts might fall apart.

Called the Grapefruit Cooler, this drink has a festive pink color that makes it perfect for the holidays. The recipe comes from Epicurious.com: Pour 1/2 cup of grapefruit juice (fresh juice is far preferable) into a glass with ice, add two tablespoons of Grand Marnier, a pinch of salt, and then add 1/3 cup of sparkling water. Top with lime or orange wedge. I'd serve with something salty like cheese and crackers or some kind of flatbread.

Fritattas could very well be the most popular brunch food there is. Not only are they relatively easy to prepare, but they are very versatile. You can put almost any combination of meats, cheeses or vegetables into the egg base and turn out a fantastic dish. Fritattas can also be served hot, cold and at room temperature, so they fit easily into party preparation and, when it comes time to serve them, they can be cut into bite sized pieces or meal-worthy wedges. The problem is that many recipes call for both stove-top and oven cooking or specialty cookware. This is not the case with this recipe.

This particular fritatta recipe is one of my favorites. Not only is it simple, but it eliminates any confusion over what sort of pan is best for cooking. The whole thing is poured into a 9x13 Pyrex baking dish and cooked in the oven. The large, finished fritatta can be sliced easily to fit any occasion. And the flavor? With a spinach and feta filling, it tastes just like spanikopita: delicious.

Continue reading Cooking Live with Slashfood: Spinach and Feta Fritatta

Brenda Hyde posts lovely recipes for tea sandwiches at Seeds of Knowledge. Tea sandwiches are one of my long-standing obsessions. When I was in elementary school, I used to make tea sandwich filling recipes out of the Joy of Cooking until I had worked my way through them all.

I began making nasturtium sandwiches when we moved to a flat in San Francisco with a nasturtium-covered back fence. When they were in bloom, nasturtium leaves and flowers made their way into my green and fruit salads, sandwiches, and, of course, garnished my platters.

For a twist-on-the-usual sandwich, why not try this simple recipe at your next garden party?

Continue reading Garden Party: Elegant nasturtium and cucumber tea sandwiches

To be honest it is far too cold in the UK for any type of garden party. Spring might be here in the form of daffodils and other spring flowers but the weather is not yet conducive for sitting outside. Not today anyway. Still the one thing, drink-wise, that sums up warmer days is Pimms. Quintessentially English - days of tennis, cricket, river regattas and lazy days sitting in fields or parks.

Created by James Pimm in his 1820`s Oyster Bar. Pimm began to market it ready-mixed in 1859, such was its popularity. It was taken as a digestive tonic, due to the high level of quinine and the mash of herbs involved in its production. Fashionable society began to drink Pimm`s as a cocktail during the later part of the 19th century, partially for the alcoholic lift and partially because it was weak enough to be drunk all afternoon.

There are innumerable cocktail recipes using Pimms; some place great play on shoving as much fruit in the cup as possible others are more understated. This is my classic version

Pimms Original

Mix and drink.

Caviar is synonymous with class and elegance, even though it is such a small thing. While it sounds exotic, I have recently noticed that it is becoming more and more common. I'm not referring to banned beluga or other imported caviars, but to domestic ones. I recently saw caviar offered for sale in the refrigerator case at my local Trader Joe's and the caviar in the photo above is a domestic from the Seattle Caviar Company, which deals with both imported options and with domestics. Luxist offers us a wealth of caviar options at a variety of prices, including a vegetarian option. To impress with caviar without breaking the bank, try looking at the domestics. A high quality domestic will be less expensive and just a delicious as an imported caviar.

Perhaps not surprisingly, caviar tastes fishy, so  it's best to serve it to guests who like fish. One of the great benefits of serving it is that there is no cooking required - except for the use of a toaster. I like to make toast soldiers, which are strips of toasted whole wheat bread, and dab the end with sour cream, creme fraiche or mascarpone cheese. Top the cheese with a bit of caviar, or let the guests do it themselves. Be sure to leave one end of the toast uncovered, so they're easy to handle.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]

Recipes for home cooks tend to be formulated for a specific numbers of diners, usually 2, 4 or 6, which are all fairly common family numbers. Most recipes are easy to double, so you can turn a chicken dinner for four into a meal for eight quite easily. Recipes for entertaining and parties, however, are different. You generally want small or bite-sized portions and need a single recipe that will feed a house or yard full of people. Fortunately, there are several cookbooks on the market that can help you out here by providing you with lots of recipes that a specifically geared towards pleasing crowds. These are some of my favorites. Some are more traditional and some are more current, but all are great additions to home libraries.

• Party Food by Barbara Kafka
• Entertaining by Donna Hay
• Williams-Sonoma Entertaining
• Joy of Cooking: Party Foods and Drinks
• Just a Bite by Gale Gand

This isn't a complete list, by the way. What are your favorite entertaining cookbooks?

[Photo by Nicole Weston]

Continue reading Asparagus, basil and tomato frittata

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