Saturday, July 17, 2010

White Sangria Spritzer

INGREDIENTS
2 bottles Riesling (or other sweet white wine)
2 fresh apricots, pitted, halved, and sliced into 1/2" sections
1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed
1 cup quartered fresh strawberries
1 lime, sliced
Ginger ale

INSTRUCTIONS
~1-2 days before serving, combine wine and apricots, blueberries, and strawberries in a large pitcher. Refrigerate.
~On the day of serving, add the lime slices to the wine mixture, stirring very gently.
~Serve over ice, adding some of the fruit to each glass.  Top with a splash of ginger ale.
~Enjoy! 

Quinoa Summer Salad

INGREDIENTS
1 cup uncooked quinoa, simmered with 2 cups water until al dente and cooled to room temperature
1 tbsp olive oil
1 fresh, ripe, tomato, diced in 1/2" cubes
1 cucumber, peeled and diced in 1/2" cubes
1/3 cup finely minced parsley
8-10 oz soft goat cheese, crumbled
Juice of 1.5 limes
Garlic salt
Onion salt
Sea salt
Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
~In a medium bowl, add cooked quinoa and olive oil.  Stir to coat.
~Add the tomato, cucumber, parsley, and lime juice.  Stir to combine.
~Add spices to taste, stirring again to combine well.
~Gently stir in goat cheese.  If desired, reserve some crumbles for garnish on top of the salad.
~Chill well and enjoy.

Julia Child's Chilled Asparagus Soup

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup sliced onions
2 tbsp butter
1 pound fresh asparagus, washed and trimmed
1 quart lightly salted boiling water
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp flour (use gluten free flour if desired)
1/4 cup heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS
~Cook the butter and onions slowly in a saucepan until tender and translucent. 
~Meanwhile, cut 2.5-3" of tender green from the tip ends of the asparagus; drop them into the boiling water and boil three minutes, or until barely tender. Dip out with a skimmer and refresh the asparagus tips briefly in a bowl of ice water to set the color; drain and reserve.
~Chop the remaining stalks into 1/2" lengths and add to the onions with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes. 
~Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for three minutes more.  Remove from heat, and when the bubbling stops, blend in the hot asparagus water.
~Simmer uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until tender enough to puree.
~Cut just the tips off of the blanched asparagus tops; reserve the tips for final decoration.
~Add the lower parts of the tips to the soup and puree the soup in a blender or food processor.  If stringy, strain through a fine mesh sieve.
~Correct seasoning, chill uncovered, and stir in chilled cream.  Decorate with reserved asparagus tips.


Yield:  1 quart


Note:  This recipe was presented by Barbara Pool Fenzl, a personal friend of Julia Child's, at Ladies Night Out at Chaparral Pines Golf Club on July 15, 2010.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Apricot Preserves

INGREDIENTS
8 cups chopped apricots (approximately 1/2" cubes)
6 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 TBSP butter

INSTRUCTIONS
~Prepare canning jars (wash and sterilize, heat lids in simmering water)
~Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
~Boil vigorously for 30 minutes, stirring constantly.
~Pack into prepared jars, leaving 1/2" headspace.
~Process for 20 minutes in a water bath (adjust accordingly for altitude -- I'm at 5,000 feet in elevation).
~Let stand for 12 hours, then clean jars and lids, label and store. 

Yield:  7 cups

Adapted from recipezaar.com.