Welcome Summer

With early May temperatures already topping the hottest of summer days in Atlanta, my tasetbuds have catapulted into the cool, sweet and refreshing tastes of summer here in Houston.

The comforting crab bisques of cool spring evenings, I have replaced with chilled gazpachos and zucchini vichyssoises. My beloved breakfasts of blueberry scones, warm and crisped from the oven, have been replaced by simple bowls of honeynut Cheerios and ice-cold milk.
My palate embraces all things cool to counteract the thick blanket of warm air that is Houston spring disguised as summer.

A favorite summer meal of my hubby-to-be is a cool salad made with salty feta cheese and large, juicy pieces of sweet watermelon. Grilled snapper with lemon and thyme works well alongside the salad.

And, if we decide to have guests, we often throw together an additional accompaniment of crisp green beans and boiled red potatoes with rosemary, olive oil, cracked pepper and sea salt.
Everything we serve chilled or room-temperature, except for the fish, whose mere existence reminds us of summer and refreshing dips in the sea.

Such summer meals, full of citrus, fresh herbs and seafood, make us feel as if we are relaxing on the Mediterranean, or on moonlit porches along the Amalfi coast. Nevermind our Texas palms or plastic lawn chairs, our tongues for the moment, have transported us to far away places.

For dessert, we travel west, over a Peruvian dulce de leche torte served with a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. (A great recipe can be found on www.gourmet.com)

*For the feta cheese & watermelon salad, add as much or as little of the ingredients to suit your taste. We usually chunk one whole watermelon and in a large bowl, combine with 8-oz. of chunked feta cheese, one red onion, sliced thin, & fresh mint. We then toss the salad with a viniagrette made of 1/4 c. olive oil, two Tbl. of dijon mustard, two Tbl. of red wine vinegar, one Tbl. of honey, salt & pepper. Voila!

For cool summer evenings, a favorite zucchini vichyssoise:

2 Tbl. olive oil
5 chopped leeks, white & green parts
8 small white boiling potatoes, chopped
2 chopped zucchinis
1 1/2 c. chicken stock
2 Tbl. cream
Julienned zucchini & chopped green green onion for garnish
salt & pepper

Heat 2 Tbl. of oil in a large stockpot. Add leeks, and saute over med-low for five minutes. Add potatoes, zucchini, stock, salt & pepper; bring to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat for thirty minutes. Let cool. In batches, process in blender or food processor until smooth. Return to pot, add cream, salt and pepper. Serve cold with julienned zucchini and green onion. Enjoy!



Happy Summer!