Last night my cookbook club got together. We meet once a month, taking turns hosting at our homes. Our host chooses a theme and each member finds a recipe from a cookbook, usually a recipe they haven't yet tried. We show up for the gathering with a dish to share, a copy of the recipe for each member and the cookbook it came from. Thus, the name Cookbook Club.
Our theme last night was "Farm to Table." We started the evening with two appetizers. Watermelon Salsa was one of them. Pat didn't get the recipe from a cookbook, but from a friend in Arizona. She used a carved watermelon half to serve the salsa and garnished it with fresh flowers from her garden. Can you tell she's an artist? It looked beautiful and tasted wonderful. I've shared her recipe below.
The other appetizer was a delicious pizza made using a recipe from fine cooking magazine, Salade aux Lardons Pizza developed by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough.
Then onto the amuse bouche (at least that's what we decided this course would be called). A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to meet chef and cookbook author Michel Nischan. I admired his efforts to develop programs that support local farmers and help low-income families enjoy fresh, healthful foods. I purchased his book, Homegrown Pure and Simple: Great Healthy Food from the Garden to the Table.
It was this book that put me onto lemon verbena and sent me on a mission to find a lemon verbena plant for my garden. This is the first year I've had my own lemon verbena and I've been using it every chance I get. Chilled Garden Berry Soup with Lemon Verbena comes from Michel Nischan's book. It is cool, refreshing, not sweet but perfectly balanced with honey, lemon juice and jalapeno. It did tempt our tastebuds and left us excited for what was to come next.
We had a wonderful Asian Salmon Salad with Sesame, Citrus, and Ginger that Bobbie made with fresh greens from her square-foot gardens. It was topped with a delicious sesame dressing. The recipe comes from Chef Daniel Orr, author of Farmfood Cookbook. The recipe calls for seaweed. Bobbie omitted that ingredient.
I've never had a bad Ina Garten recipe and the Peach and Raspberry Almond Swirls that Lorie prepared did not disappoint. It would be wonderful for breakfast or brunch. It's a healthful dessert. Lorie drained plain yogurt overnight as the recipe directs, but we decided it would be much easier to use thick, creamy Greek yogurt which is already drained.
Short ribs right from a South Dakota cow had been cooked in a mixture of tomatoes, Bloody Mary mix and red wine. It would be suitable for a beef pot roast, as well, on a cool autumn evening with a big pile of mashed potatoes.
Tropical Fruits with Mint and Spices comes from the The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook. Served in small canning jars, they are easy to transport to a potluck or to take out for a picnic on the pontoon. The variety of fruit is colorful and healthful. The fruit soaks in a flavorful honey-lemon syrup spiced with cinnamon, ginger and coriander and a vanilla bean.
And, finally, the dessert. Rich and creamy homemade vanilla bean ice cream with two toppings – blueberry and balsamic strawberry. Now, that's a meal!
Pat's Watermelon Salsa
2 cups cubed seedless watermelon
1 sweet yellow pepper, chopped
2 green onions, sliced very thin
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (it will take about 2 large limes)
Dash of hot pepper sauce
In a mixing bowl, combine watermelon, pepper, green onions, cilantro and lime juice. Add hot pepper sauce to taste. Chill for an hour before serving with chips.
Sue Doeden is a popular cooking instructor, food writer and integrative nutrition health coach. She is the host of Good Food, Good Life 365 on Lakeland Public Television. Her own hives full of hardworking bees and her love of honey led to the creation of her recently published cookbook, Homemade with Honey.