A sophisticated homemade wine cooler

For those of you who equate “wine cooler” with “icky sugar water with booze,” I’ve got a recipe that turns that notion on its head.
   Mango-Cucumber Wine Cooler (click for the recipe) from Bon Appetit magazine is a sophisticated homemade version of the drink. It starts with wine, then cucumber, mango, and mint are added to nicely flavor it.
   The technique results in a refreshing, delicious drink that is like summer in a glass. The mango and cucumber flavors seem to bounce off each other in a complimentary way with every sip.
   The drink will please all adult palettes, and I’m betting it would even impress the wine connoisseur in your midst.
   The recipe says to chill the wine cooler at least three hours and up to six hours, without explaining why the time limit is in place.
   My theory is that after six hours, the flavors of mango and cucumber will become too overwhelming in the cooler.
   If you strain the cucumber, mango and mint out of the wine any time after three hours and certainly after six, you will prevent over-flavoring from happening and the cooler can continue to chilled. I saved the couple of glasses of cooler for the next day by doing this.
   The cooler was stunningly easy to make, and I made the process of the recipe even simpler by using canned, sliced mango rather than a fresh one.
   The recipe calls for the leaves of six springs of mint; I simply used about 14 medium-sized mint leaves.
   The moderately-priced sauvignon blanc I used in the drink worked very well.
   Sugar and hot water are stirred together in a large pitcher, and a 750-ml bottle of sauvignon blanc is poured in. Peeled cucumber rounds, a diced mango and mint leaves are stirred into the wine in the pitcher.
   The mixture is chilled between three and six hours (strain out the cucumber, mango and mint after six hours; the wine can continue to be chilled.)
   After chilling, ginger ale is stirred into the pitcher.
   The drink is served over ice in glasses (the recipe says to use wine glasses, but I used some regular summery glasses). Some of the solids may plop into the glasses, which is just fine, but a lot of them stay behind in the pitcher on their own. I skipped garnishing the drinks with mint springs.

Finding a summer party home for great recipes

Looking over the recipes I reviewed for the summer season this year and last, it occurred to me they were begging to be suggested dishes or drinks for summer parties.
   Some would be work for a large get-together; some for a homestyle, country barbecue, while others would surely impress foodie friends at a dinner party.
   Here are some of the recipes I think would work for these three types of summer parties.

The large get-together (ie., nieces, nephews, grandpas and grandmas in attendance). These recipes can easily be doubled or tripled; are family friendly (with the exception of the alcoholic rum punch); and the bulk of preparation can be done ahead of time:
- Grilled Lemon-Oregano Drumsticks
- Barbecued Pork Burgers with Slaw
- Antipasto Pasta Salad
- Black-Bottom Peanut Butter Mousse Pie
- Tunnel of Fudge Cake
- Rum Punch with Passion Fruit and Lime
- Raspberry Limeade
 
The "homestyle country barbecue." Think red-and-white checkered tablecloth on a picnic table, situated on the sprawling lawn behind a farmhouse.
- Barbecued Chicken Parts
- Tuscan Potato Salad
- Creamy Dill Cucumber Salad
- Warm Bread with Garlic Herb Butter
- Summer Berry Icebox Pie
- Icebox Key Lime Pie
- Mint-Glazed Butter Thins
- Watermelon Gin Punch
- Hibiscus and Ginger Iced Tea
 
For a backyard dinner party. Impress your foodie friends with these elegant yet easy recipes.
- Porterhouse Steak with Pan-Seared Cherry Tomatoes
- Grilled Scallops and Nectarines with Corn and Tomato Salad
- Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmesan and Pine Nuts
- Grilled Peaches with Pecorino and Proscuitto
- Brown Butter Raspberry Tart
- Red Wine-Raspberry Sorbet
- Fresh Cherry Margaritas
- Limoncello and Mint Sparklers

Summer Berry Icebox Pie: A truly sensational summer dessert

I know when my husband really likes something I baked.
   He eats its quickly, concentrating his eyes on it, barely coming up for air.
   That’s what he did when eating Summer Berry Icebox Pie (click for the recipe).*
   I enjoyed this truly sensational summer dessert just as much.
   In fact, most everyone will adore it. Serve it to someone who likes pie and they may act as if they have never truly eaten pie before that moment.
   The pie absolutely delicious, with a jam-like layer that is a perfect bed to sweet summer berries.
   Because of all the berries on top, it’s very pretty to look at, without much work -- very little work, in fact.
   I was amazed with the ease of this recipe, from the graham cracker crust to the jam layer. The fabulous results it gets almost makes you feel like you cheated somehow.
   *The recipe I linked to above is on a blog, but it is nearly exactly the same as the one I used from America’s Test Kitchen.
   Here are the three miniscule differences:
   - The recipe on the blog says to use five tablespoons of melted butter in the graham cracker crust; the recipe I used said to use four tablespoons.
   - The blog recipe said to bake the crust for 13 to 18 minutes; my recipe says 12 to 16 (and I baked it for 12.)
   - The recipe on the blog said to warm and melt the red currant or apple jelly in a saucepan; the recipe I used said to microwave it on high power for about 45 seconds.

   The crust is made by processing graham crackers, melted butter and sugar in a food processor, then pressing the crumbs into a nine-inch pie plate and baking it. Cool the crust completely before using.
   The filling is made by tossing raspberries, blackberries and blueberries together in a large bowl, and puréeing some of the berries in a food processor until very smooth. This is poured into a fine-mesh strainer into a saucepan.
   Sugar, cornstarch and salt are mixed together then whisked into the strained purée in the saucepan.
   The next step is key and crucial. The purée is brought to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until it is thick as pudding.
   Just as the recipe states, this process takes about seven minutes. It won’t be obvious to you that the purée is boiling, but sure enough, by about seven minutes after it was put on the stove (and you constantly stir it), it will reach the pudding-like texture. Be sure not to burn it!
   Off heat, fresh lemon juice is stirred into the purée, and the mixture is set aside. After it’s cooled slightly, the purée is poured into the pie crust.
   Red currant or apple jelly is melted on the stove or microwave, then poured over the remaining berries and gently rossed to coat.
   The berries are spread evenly over the purée and slightly pressed into it.
   The pie is chilled until set, as least three hours. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Fizzy summer refresher has lime and vodka, and 'how can you go wrong with that?'

“Why are your blueberries floating nicer than mine?” I asked my husband, jealous of how the berries in his glass of Ginger-Lime Fizz with Blueberries (click for the recipe) seemed perfectly suspended in different spots.
   The blueberries in my drink were clumped together near the middle of the glass.
   It was a silly complaint, really, just prompted by visual appeal of the scattered blueberries in my husband's glass.
   The drink itself is delicious and refreshing, and where the blueberries are in it have no bearing on the fine taste of the final product.
   My husband pointed out that the main appeal of this drink is that it has lime and vodka, and “how can you go wrong with that?”
   Indeed.
   Only one thing puzzled me about the recipe. It directs to make each serving in a tall, ice-filled glass.
   It doesn’t make sense, because one serving doesn’t even fill a 1/3 of the bottom of a tall glass with ice in it.
   There are two ways to combat that – either serve the drink in a small highball glass, or double the serving in a medium-tall glass.
   The amount of vodka in each drink may seem too strong as well, so make sure to sample the first one you make to see that it tastes right and adjust as needed.
   Note that the recipe makes 10 servings. I halved the ingredient amounts, and that resulted in four tall-ish ice-filled glasses of drinks.
   The recipe I linked to above is on a recipe-sharing site, but it’s exactly the same as the one I used from the July/August 2011 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine (save a couple of spelling mistakes).
   Fresh ginger is thinly sliced, and brought to a boil with sugar and water in a medium saucepan and then simmered for 10 minutes.
   The mixture is cooled, then poured through a strainer. The solid-free liquid that results is combined with fresh lime juice and blueberries.
   For each drink, blueberry syrup is poured into a glass, then vodka and club soda is added. Though the recipe doesn’t say to do this, I stirred each drink and put straws in them before serving.

A recipe on the top of our grilling list: Grilled Rosemary Chicken Thighs with Sweet & Sour Orange Dipping Sauce

At the time I write this, Grilled Rosemary Chicken Thighs with Sweet & Sour Orange Dipping Sauce (click for the recipe) received 21 rave reviews on the Fine Cooking magazine website.
   These folks are smart – this is a mighty delicious dish that you won’t want to miss.
   It’s a favorite in our house, and easily one of the top five best grilled dishes my husband and I have ever made.
   It’s so quick and easy to make, with blissfully simple ingredients.
   You could serve it on a weeknight, or impress friends at an outdoor dinner party.
   Because the recipe uses chicken thighs, which are naturally very moist, it’s quite hard to grill the chicken to the point that it’s too dry.
   The accompanying Sweet & Sour Orange Dipping Sauce is so terrific, you may just consider making it on its own for the dipping of egg rolls or spring rolls, for example.
   The recipe has an option for preparing the chicken as kebabs, but we’ve always made the less fussy version of simply grilling the chicken thighs.
   I flattened out each chicken thigh (they’re usually sold rolled up slightly) before oiling and seasoning them, and my husband put them in a fish grilling basket sprayed with cooking spray for grilling.
   One tablespoon of minced fresh rosemary is combined with dark brown sugar, kosher salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. I used ½ tsp of red pepper flakes instead of one teaspoon as directed in the recipe, just to cut down on potential heat.
   The recipe says to drizzle olive oil and sprinkle the chicken with the rosemary mixture in a shallow pan. I used a large glass baking dish.
   The chicken is grilled, then left to rest for a few minutes.
   The dipping sauce is made by warming marmalade, rice vinegar and one teaspoon of minced fresh rosemary.
   The chicken is served with the dipping sauce.

Cool off with some soup! (Cucumber-Yogurt-Mint will do the trick)

Soup can cool us down in summer as much as it warms us up in fall and winter.
   Serve a bowl of a cold summer soup before or alongside anything grilled, and it can be just as refreshing as an icy drink.
   Cucumber-Yogurt-Mint Soup (click for the recipe), a cold soup from Better Homes and Gardens magazine, caught my eye for two reasons.
   I’ve always had making a cold cucumber soup on the “make-it-one-day” checklist on the back of my mind, and this one had what seemed like a potentially interesting ingredient: Ground cumin.
   I was right about the cumin – it provided just a perfect little kick to this delicious soup. It’s a secret ingredient that will have people wondering just what you put in their bowl of creamy cucumber coolness to make it taste so good (besides the mint and cucumber, that is).
   Even though it provides a tiny kick, this soup is by no means hot or spicy. I can see young children giving this a try and maybe even liking it.
   The recipe makes “four side-dish servings” which translates into two regular servings. If you have more to feed, keep that in mind.
   Cucumber-Yogurt-Mint Soup is amazingly easy to make.
   A cucumber is peeled, deseeded and cut into slices.
   In a food processor or blender (I used a food processor), the cucumber, plain low-fat yogurt, lime juice, honey, cumin and salt are processed until smooth.
   At this point, the recipe says to add snipped fresh mint and stir it in. Rather than do that, I tore the fresh mint up a bit, added it to the blended mixture and ran the processor for a few seconds more until the mint was finely chopped.
   The soup is transferred to a container and covered and chilled two to 24 hours before serving.

Cucumber-Yogurt-Mint Soup can also be found in the cookbook Better Homes and Gardens Garden Fresh Meals.

Peaches and lettuce make this sandwich 'refreshing'

Refreshing isn’t often a word associated with sandwiches.
   But it’s the word I used to describe Peach, Pancetta, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwiches (click for the recipe).
   “Those sandwiches were refreshing,” I said to my husband after we finished eating them. “There’s some sweetness from the peaches and coolness from the lettuce.”
   He agreed with that observation.
   We both agreed, too, that the sandwich was a nice weeknight meal. It was quick to put together, and only requires turning on the oven for a few minutes, a blessing on a summer evening.
   The sandwiches are like an extra-summery twist on a BLT, with pancetta, a type of thin Italian bacon, standing in for standard bacon.
   My husband, who made the sandwiches, varied the amounts of the fillings called for in the recipe as he saw fit. He rightly observed the recipe seemed to call for an awful lot of pancetta, so he cut it back to about half.
   But he also felt another peach was needed, so he added another.
   The recipe is good that way – the filling amounts can be varied according to individual tastes.
   The recipe calls for a baguette. We bought one that seemed suitably wide enough for a sandwich. Wide crusty rolls would work for the recipe – even hot dog buns.
   Pre-sliced pancetta is placed under the broiler and cooked until crisp.
   A baguette is halved and broiled until golden.
   Mayonnaise is spread on the bottom half of the baguette, then tomato slices, peach slices, pancetta and lettuce leaves are layered on top.
   The top half of the baguette is placed on top, and the sandwich cut into pieces for serving.

Please both martini and mojito drinkers with Watermelon Gin Punch

Looking for a summer cocktail that serves several easily and will wow the crowd?
   Watermelon Gin Punch (click for the recipe) from Fine Cooking magazine is it.
   Of course, you can cut back the ingredients to make far fewer than the eight servings the recipe yields. That’s what my husband and I did as there were just the two of us when we tried it for the first time.
   But this drink would do very well at a backyard party. It can be put in a punch bowl or pitcher and even assembled outside if needed. Plus, you can make the simple syrup and puree the watermelon in advance.
   It’s an absolutely delicious cocktail with a dual personality: The gin will please the hard cocktail drinkers who gravitate to martinis, and the watermelon and mint will please the lighter cocktail drinkers who like mojitos or margaritas.
   It was very easy to make.
   The simple syrup is made by boiling sugar and water together, then cooling the mixture. It can be refrigerated far in advance of making the drinks.
   Chunks of peeled seedless watermelon are pureed in a blender or food processor, and the resulting puree pressed through a strainer. The juice is chilled until cold.
   Fresh lemon juice, simple syrup and mint are put in a pitcher or punch bowl, and the mint is mashed with a muddler back of a wooden spoon. Ice, gin, and the watermelon juice are added and the liquid stirred.
   The punch is served in glasses over ice.

Icebox Key Lime Pie -- absolutely scrumptious

When you eat a piece of Icebox Key Lime Pie (click for the recipe), it’s hard not to exclaim with joy or sit back, close your eyes and savour the taste.
   My husband and I did these actions alternately each time we ate a piece of this easy-to-make dessert.
   It was absolutely scrumptious, and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Make this for a summer family get-together, and people will be convinced you have magic powers. You will be asked for the recipe.
   The recipe is from Cook’s Country magazine, which explains that icebox key lime pie used to be made from eggs that weren’t cooked.
   The magazine’s editors were after a recipe that would have the same smooth, custardy texture as the original without using uncooked eggs.
   The solution the recipe developer devised is a combination of instant vanilla pudding mix, sweetened condensed milk and unflavored gelatin.
   The solution is a stroke of genius. This pie is smooth as silk and not at all runny.
   Plus, because of the vanilla pudding mix aspect, the pie is an absolute snap to make.
   The recipe I linked to above is on a recipe-sharing site. It is exactly the same as the one I used from Cook’s Country.
   The crust is made by pulsing eight whole graham crackers with sugar and melted butter in a food processor, and then pressing the mixture into a nine-inch pie plate and baking it in the oven. The crust needs to cool completely before the filling is poured in it.
   The filling is made by processing sugar, lime zest (grated lime peel), cream cheese, condensed milk and instant vanilla pudding mix in a food processor.
   Unflavored gelatin and lime juice is heated in the microwave for 15 seconds, then stirred until the gelatin is dissolved.
   The gelatin mixture, more lime juice and vanilla is poured through the feed tube of the food processor as the machine is running.
   The filling is poured into the cooled crust, and refrigerated for at least three hours or up to two days. (The two days suggestion is a good one – after that time, the pie starts to lose its delicious lime flavor).
   Let the pie sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

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Pounding chicken breasts into paillards - a way to beat stress, and create a lovely grilled dish

Quick, delicious grilled chicken that’s easy enough for a weeknight but simply elegant enough for a low-key dinner party – who can argue with that?
   That’s what you get with Herbed Grilled Chicken Breasts (click for the recipe) from Fine Cooking magazine.
   It was a flash to make, yet produced terrific results: Chicken that was juicy and flavorful, thanks to the simple combination of fresh herbs, lemon juice and olive oil.
   It would be lovely with a simple salad and grilled bread.
   This recipe involves making chicken paillards, flat pieces of chicken about ¼-inch thick. It’s an absolute cinch to do at home: You pound chicken breasts in between pieces of plastic wrap with a meat pounder or skillet. It’s a great task if you have some stress you’d like to release.
   It’s the fact the chicken is pounded thinly that allows it to cook more quickly on the grill, ensuring that supper is just around the corner.
   After the chicken breasts are pounded into paillards, they are seasoned on both sides with salt and pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes – skip these if you don’t like a lot of heat.
   Minced garlic and chopped fresh rosemary are sprinkled on both sides, then comes a drizzling of lemon juice and olive oil.
   My husband did the sprinkling and drizzling of the chicken in a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish. It made all sprinkling and drizzling tasks easier, then we just popped the paillards into the fridge for 20 minutes as directed before grilling.
   The paillards are cooked on the grill, about two minutes per side. They are served with lemon wedges, so diners can squeeze more lemon juice on their pallaird if they prefer. We skipped the part about drizzling the paillards with more oil before serving.

Purchased coleslaw saves the day again in Roast Beef Wraps

Purchased coleslaw mix from the grocery store can easily be dressed up and go on to much bigger and better things, I have learned recently.
   Earlier this year I made Five-Spice Steak Wraps, in which sesame oil and rice vinegar, mixed together as a dressing for purchased coleslaw, produced a terrific savoury salad.
   Last week, my husband made Roast Beef Wraps with Dill Slaw (click for the recipe on the Food Network website). In this recipe, fresh dill, white wine vinegar, sugar, mayo and sour cream create the perfect vinegary dressing for purchased coleslaw, which in turn makes the perfect crunchy complement to roast beef and Havarti cheese in a wrap.
   The wraps were a perfect I-don’t-want-to-turn-on-the-oven-or-start-up-the-grill quick supper for a hot summer night that will please the whole family. The wraps come together in mere minutes.
   We did microwave the assembled wraps for just 30 seconds, which melted the cheese just a little bit and warmed the wraps slightly. This direction isn’t in the recipe.
   My husband was unable to find dill-flavored Havarti cheese at the supermarket, so we used regular and it was terrific. We skipped the horseradish as we’re not big fans, and this is something you may want to do if you are serving the wraps to children.
   Purchased coleslaw mix, chopped fresh dill, white wine vinegar, sugar, mayonnaise, sour cream, salt and pepper are mixed together.
   Slices of Havarti cheese, roast beef and slaw are layered in the centre of the wrap, which is then rolled up tightly.

Pimm's No. 1 makes for a No. 1 refreshing cocktail

Trying a cocktail recipe with the liqueur Pimm’s No. 1 has been on my “must-make-someday” list for quite a while now, and I got around to trying it on a recent weekend.
   I’m glad I made the time, because Pimm's Cup with Ginger Ale (click for the recipe) from Martha Stewart Living magazine was an absolute delight.
   Refreshing is the ideal word for it. It’s perfect for sipping before an outdoor barbecue on the deck.
   Pimm’s No. 1 is a gin-based liqueur that originated in Britain, where it was first made in the early 19th century.
   Today the Brits drink Pimm’s cocktails at polo matches, regattas, horse races and Wimbledon.
   The Pimm’s cocktail I made is amazingly simple to make. Store-bought lemonade, ginger ale, Pimm’s No. 1 and gin are mixed in pitcher filled with ice cubes.
   You may want to mix up the pitcher ingredients a bit ahead of serving the drinks so the ice can melt slightly, which adds water and lessens the initial sting of the hard liquor.

Quick and cool Cucumber, Tomato and Feta Salad

I’m always on the lookout for simple, delicious salads that I can whip up in minutes in the heat of summer without losing my cool.
   Not that I ever really lose my patience when cooking, and we do have air conditioning.
   What I mean is that it’s nice to have some salad recipes on hand that come together quickly and with minimum fuss as a side for grilled meats, fish and poultry. Who wants to be slaving away in the kitchen when you can be enjoying the food and a summer evening?
   Cucumber, Tomato and Feta Salad (click for the recipe) from Bon Appetit magazine fits the bill of cool and quick – just a bit of slicing and dicing and presto-bango, you’ve got a refreshing salad.
   The flavor of the salad is quite subtle, even though there is one bunch of scallions (also called green or spring onions) and olives present. It lets the grilled entry on a plate take centre stage.
   The recipe calls for assorted pitted olives. Since we just had pitted Kalamata olives hanging out in the fridge, that’s what we used.
   To make the salad, coarsely chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, scallions (green onions), pitted olives, feta cheese and chopped fresh mint are combined.
   The dressing is made by whisking olive oil and fresh lemon juice. The dressing is poured over the salad and tossed to coat.
   More feta cheese is sprinkled on top, and the salad is ready to serve.

Grilled Porterhouse Steak -- a carnivore's dream

Recently I discovered the pleasure of a portly porterhouse steak, thanks to Porterhouse Steak with Pan-Seared Cherry Tomatoes (click for the recipe).*
   Maybe I was bewitched by eating outdoors on a gorgeous summer evening, or by the terrific cherry-tomato topping that it was served with, but the porterhouse steak was a dream.
   It had a slight saltiness to it that was just perfect. My husband did an excellent job of grilling it to its optimal medium-rare state.
   Then there were the seared cherry tomatoes that went on top – an absolutely perfect pairing with the steak. The tomatoes’ warm insides burst in the mouth with each bite. The sliced, golden garlic sprinkled on the cherry tomatoes was the ideal topping.
   Though the recipe I linked to doesn’t say this, the magazine in which I found the recipe says that any type of steak would work with this recipe, and I suspect that’s right.
   But there was something about the porterhouse that made a worthy base, one that elevated this simple recipe to something that could be served at a backyard dinner party.
   The cherry tomatoes not only work as a topping for a porterhouse steak, I would serve it as a side for other grilled meats, and even tossed with pasta.
   *The recipe I linked to has directions for how to prepare the steak indoors in the oven.
   We used the grilling instructions provided the magazine, which involved searing the steaks for a couple of minutes on each side over direct heat, then cooking off direct heat (ie., with no coals or a shut-off burner) for eight to 12 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the centre of the steaks registers 120 F for medium-rare.
   While the steaks rest for at least 15 minutes, the tomatoes are prepared. Thinly-sliced garlic cloves are sauted until golden, then transferred to a plate with a slotted spoon. Springs of thyme and cherry tomatoes are added to the hot oil, then stirred occasionally until the tomatoes begin to burst. The recipe said this should take about two minutes but I found it took about four.
   Meat juices that have been released while the steaks were resting are mixed in with the tomatoes.
   The tomatoes are spooned over the steaks, then basil and the golden garlic is sprinkled on top (the recipe I linked to does not say to sprinkle with the garlic, but do so – it’s delicious!)

Leave out the cayenne in the patties, and these pork burgers are ideal for a family barbecue

If you’re looking for a burger that will please the whole gang at a backyard barbecue, I’ve got the recipe for you – if you leave out one ingredient or cut it back drastically.
   Barbecued Pork Burgers with Slaw (click for the recipe) will be a hit with tastebuds of young and old if you put in just a pinch of cayenne pepper, or none at all, as opposed to the asked-for ¼ teaspoon.
   My husband and I hate overly-spicy things, and so just put in just a pinch of cayenne. We thought this was an especially good decision since we were using Bull’s-Eye Bold Original barbecue, which has some punch on its own.
   The burgers are juicy and mild-tasting. The coleslaw that goes on top of the patty provides a welcome crunch.
   If I were to host a barbecue party with a range of ages present, this is what I would serve.
   The burgers are very easy to make.
   For the coleslaw, mayo, milk, and white-wine vinegar are combined and tossed with a mixture of thinly-sliced cabbage, shredded carrot, chives, salt and pepper.
   Barbecue sauce, a pinch of cayenne or none at all, salt, and white-wine vinegar are combined. Two tablespoons of this mixture is combined with ground pork, salt and pepper, then burger patties are formed.
   The patties are grilled until nearly finished. During the last minute of cooking time, each patty is brushed with a tablespoon of the barbecue sauce mixture, turned over and grilled 30 seconds. The process is repeated with the other side of the patties.
   To assemble, a patty is put on the bottom half of a burger bun, then coleslaw is put on top of the patty. The top of the bun tops the coleslaw.