Watermelon Magic

As my first large catering gig, I'm doing some side dishes for an upcoming wedding. Of course my new best friend is the bride (who also named this dish): she seems to be my sister from another mother and father. Anywho, I first had this dish when my cousin made it for a family potluck last summer. Some might think it's a bit of an unusual combination of ingredients (which may or may not be true), but new BFF didn't let that scare her off. Smart lady that she is, she saw it for the perfect summer salad that it is.



It's a rather simple salad, but needs the freshest ingredients possible. The feta need to come straight from the brine and the olives can't be out of the jar; it's also worth pitting them yourself if you have the time. I have my own little mint plant, which isn't essential, but just adds to that fresh taste. The dressing is created by the watermelon juice and the lime. Nothing fancy!

Watermelon, Feta & Olive Salad
Saveur (Issue # 113)
Serves 4

3 cups loosely packed arugula
1 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 cup loosely packed torn mint leaves
1 2-lb. piece seedless watermelon,
rind removed, cut into 1" cubes
20 kalamata olives, smashed, pitted, and halved
1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, and julienned
1⁄4 small red onion, thinly sliced and
soaked in ice water for 30 minutes
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled (about 1⁄4 cup)
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 limes, halved
Coarse sea salt and freshly
ground black pepper, to taste

1. In a large bowl, toss together the arugula, parsley, and mint. Divide greens between 4 serving bowls or plates.

2. In a medium bowl, toss together watermelon, olives, jalapeño, and onion. Spoon the watermelon mixture, with its juice, evenly over the greens. Sprinkle each salad with some of the feta and drizzle with olive oil. Squeeze 1 lime half over the top of each salad and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

I Think it was the Fourth of July

And what better way to celebrate than with some (patriotic) cupcakes! I adapted this recipe from Ina's flag cake: instead of doing a sheet cake, I made 2 dozen rather large cupcakes, topped with the white frosting and some fruit. I had a fruit trauma, so I ended up using strawberries instead of raspberries, but they were still divine and kept within my red, white & blue color scheme.

I find it's best to use an ice cream scoop to fill the muffin tin with the batter. As this was originally a sheet cake, it doesn't rise too terribly much so you really do want the muffin cups to be rather full. Also, if you make the whole recipe and don't fill the muffin cups, you'll spend all day making cupcakes there will be so many! Anywho, I opted not to (because I didn't have any) add lemon zest, but you very well could. In fact, the other sheet cake recipe I use is identical to this one, but it adds lemon zest.

I will share with you the original recipe, which is really only altered by whether or not you use a sheet pan or muffin tin. I baked mine for 30 minutes at 350.

Flag Cake

Barefoot Contessa Family Stlye (Ina Garten)

Serves 20-24

For the Cake

18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 cup sour cream at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

For the Frosting
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour an 18 by 13 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.

Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan.

Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.

For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixing just until smooth.

The Art of Giving

One of my favorite hobbies is giving gifts. Therefore, food + gifts = me so happy. The first gift basket I made was for my grandpa's birthday. I made all of his favorites and presented it to him at his birthday party.

I just got a basket at the craft store, one that can stay open on it's own for presentation. I got some blue ribbon (grandpa's favorite color) to decorate the basket and to tie the treat bags. The next step is to get some sort of filling, also found in your craft store. Some sort of straw is nice: nothing heavy, but sturdy enough that food won't sink too far down. If it's a little messy (as mine was), I recommend a piece of wax paper at the bottom of the basket to keep it from falling through the wicker.

Onto the food. Some sort of pound cake or bread (banana bread, say) is nice to "ground" the basket. Just wrap in plastic wrap and pop into the center of the basket. I like symmetry, so I put flowers on each side along with peanut butter cookies in two treat bags. Next came the truffles, in a decorative bag, a jar of peanut butter, and finally, homemade strawberry jam in the center.


A basket can be made for any occasion and as simple or elaborate as you (or the recipient) desire. Craft stores have all sorts of packaging options for a fair price and can really spruce up a basket, if you will. Not to mention their lovely assortment of faux flowers, if you don't have fresh available. Next time you get stuck for a gift idea: try your hand at a basket. Or give me a ring and I'll whip one up for you!

Cranniversary

One of my oldest friends was kind enough to support my business and buy a cranberry walnut bread for her parents' anniversary. Of course, as a friend, she got the friends and family discount. I did this even though she requested cranberries (!) in the off off season. Lucky for her, I saved almost a whole bag in my freezer at Christmastime. I didn't taste it but they finished it off within a couple days. Goodness!

I think there are some changes I would make to this recipe, but I'll give to you as is, straight from the Ocean Spray Test Kitchen. I think a spot of vanilla and cinnamon would have been a nice touch, and this one didn't have either, but I stuck to my rule of making the recipe as written the first time. It calls for 3/4 cup of orange juice and I used fresh squeezed, not OJ from the carton. The recipe does not specify what type of nuts, but I used walnuts as requested. They add a nice flavor and a little crunch. Another nice thing about this recipe is that you really don't need to get out the mixer. It's simple enough that you can just mix it in a large bowl by hand if you want. A word of advice? It's much easier to chop the cranberries if they're frozen.

Cranberry Walnut Bread
Ocean Spray
Serves 8

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons shortening
2 eggs
3/4 cups orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 1/2 cups cranberries, chopped
1/2 cup nuts

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in orange juice, orange peel, shortening and egg. Mix until well blended. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Spread evenly in loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely. Wrap and store overnight.