June's menu is a retro summer makeover! Post WWII, all things Pacific and Hawaiian were popular, including backyard barbecues with various types of kabobs. Our menu is an updated version, and a slightly more healthy one too, of the 1950's cookout! The dessert was one of the most popular items of it's time. Hoping that everyone enjoys!
June Menu
Salad * Stacked Tomato Salad with Black Olive Tapenade & Sweet Basil Dressing
Main Dish * Cilantro-Lime Shrimp & Plum Kabobs
Side Dish * Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Dessert * Baked Alaska
Ingredients
3 pounds ripe tomatoes, (beefsteak, yellow, and/or heirloom), sliced into 1/2-inch
thick rounds
Tapenade, recipe follows
1 pound mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
Fresh basil leaves and sprigs, for layering and for garnish
Sweet Basil Dressing, recipe follows
Instructions
Place a tomato slice on a plate and spread with some of the tapenade. Then place a slice of the mozzarella on top, add a few basil leaves, and finish with another tomato slice. You can add another layer to make Napoleon as high as you desire. Top with another small spoonful of the tapenade and then drizzle the Sweet Basil Dressing over the tomato and around the plate. Garnish with a sprig of fresh basil and repeat to make 4 to 6 plates.
Tapenade
2 cups
kalamata or nicoise olives, pitted
3 cloves garlic, peeled, coarsely chopped
5 anchovy fillets
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Combine olives, garlic, anchovies and pine nuts in a food processor and process until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Sweet Basil Dressing
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 cup pure olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
Whisk together vinegar, Dijon mustard, and honey in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and then stir in the basil.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons canola oil or toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 raw shrimp (8-12 per pound), peeled and deveined
3 jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded and quartered lengthwise
2 plums, pitted and cut into sixths
DirectionsWhisk oil, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice and salt in a large bowl. Set aside 3 tablespoons of the mixture in a small bowl to use as dressing. Add shrimp, jalapenos and plums to the remaining marinade; toss to coat. Preheat grill to medium-high.
Make 4 kebabs, alternating shrimp, jalapenos and plums evenly among the skewers. (Discard the marinade.) Grill the kebabs, turning once, until the shrimp are cooked through, about 8n minutes Total. Drizzle with the reserved dressing.
Side Dish * Honey Roasted Sweet PotatoesCourtesy of: Eating Healthy in 2009. Copyright 2005 Ellie Krieger, All rights reserved.Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 0 min
Serves: 6 (serving size 3/4 cup)
Link:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/honey-roasted-sweet-potatoes-recipe/index.html Ingredients
2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 1-inch pieces and put in a 9 by 13 baking dish. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, honey and lemon juice. Pour mixture over potatoes and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the salt, and bake, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, until potatoes are tender.
Ingredients
For the Ice Cream Cake:
Vegetable oil, for brushing
1 pint raspberry, passion fruit or other sorbet, softened
1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened
1 quart chocolate ice cream, softened
1 cup chocolate wafer crumbs (about 17 crushed wafers)
1 loaf pound cake, optional recipe follows
For the Meringue:
1 cup egg whites (about 6 large), at room temperature
Pinch of cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
Directions Make the ice cream cake: Brush a 3-quart metal bowl with vegetable oil; line with plastic wrap. Fill the bowl with scoops of the sorbet, vanilla ice cream and half of the chocolate ice cream, alternating small and large scoops to create a mosaic of colors and shapes. Place a piece of plastic
wrap on top of the ice cream; press down to close the gaps between scoops and even out the surface. Remove the plastic wrap, sprinkle the ice cream with the wafer crumbs and re-cover with the plastic wrap, pressing gently. Freeze until set, about 30 minutes.
Remove the wrap and spread the remaining chocolate ice cream in an even layer on top of the crumbs. Cut the pound cake into 1/2-inch-thick slices; completely cover the ice cream with the slices, trimming as needed (you'll use about two-thirds of the cake). Cover with fresh plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
Make the meringue: Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until foamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar on high speed until the whites are glossy and hold stiff peaks.
Remove the top layer of plastic wrap, then invert the cake onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. (If necessary, let the cake stand overturned until it slips out.) Remove the rest of the plastic wrap and cover the ice cream completely with the meringue, making the dome-shaped top slightly thicker than the sides. Form swirly peaks in the meringue using the back of a spoon. Freeze for at least 3 more hours.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Bake the cake until the meringue peaks are golden, about 4 minutes, or brown the meringue with a blowtorch. Let the cake soften at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Freeze any leftovers.
Pound CakeCourtesy of: Alton Brown, 2009, Copyright 2010 Television Food Network G.P., All Rights Reserved
Prep Time: 30 min
Inactive Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 0 min
Serves: 10 to 12 servings
Link:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pound-cake-recipe/index.html Ingredients
16 ounces unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened, plus 1
tablespoon
16 ounces cake flour, plus 2 tablespoons
16 ounces sugar
9 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350 degrees F. Coat a 10-inch aluminum tube pan or 2 (9 by 5-inch) loaf pans with 1 tablespoon of butter and dust with 2 tablespoons of the flour. Cream together the remaining 16 ounces of butter and the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer for 5 minutes on medium speed, using the paddle attachment. Stop once to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
With the mixer running at the lowest speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Again, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl. This will take approximately 3 minutes and the mixture may look curdled. Add the vanilla and salt and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds.
With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the flour in 3 installments, making sure each portion is fully incorporated before adding the next. After the final addition, scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat for 30 seconds on medium speed until almost smooth.
Scoop the batter into the prepared pan(s), dividing evenly if using 2 pans. Bake for 1 hour or until the internal temperature reaches 210 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. The crust will be golden brown and will spring back when pressed, but the crack around the center will appear moist.
Remove the cake from the oven to a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan(s) and cool on the rack. Store the cake on the rack covered with a tea towel for up to 3 days.
Next: making the tapanade for the tomato salad
This was the sweet basil dresing for our tomato salad
Our honey and lemon glazed sweet potatoes
Sweet basil dressing for the tomato salads again
Prepping the plums for the kabobs
Assembling the kabobs
Dinner is served!
Dessert = Baked Alaska = Heaven
