Shopping at the farmers market in the middle of summer is hard. Really hard.

It’s not that iI have too much summer fun planned. Or that it’s hot. Well okay, it is hot, but that’s not related to the difficulties I’m facing at the market each week. No, the source of the problem is simply this: there are too many choices!

Every week each farmer’s stand is overflowing with summer favorites like corn and tomatoes (the very inspiration for this post in fact) as well as variety upon variety of squash, melons, peaches, figs, and more. If I bought everything I wanted each week we’d have to eat five meals a day.

I realize of course this is a quality problem. It’s in fact right at the root (hah!) of the reason we shop at farmers markets: to take advantage of seasonal finds and learn to cook with what our seasons and talented farmers gift us with. This lovely summer salad combines summer flavors in their raw glory so you can enjoy, if not revel, in them. Jalapeno adds a little kick and lime some tartness to balance out the sweetness of the corn and tomato.

Sure, you could make this corn and tomato salad year round, but I promise you the one made in the heart of summer from farm fresh produce picked at the height of ripeness will wildly outshine the one you might make in December with under-ripe produce shipped from half-way across the world. So go on out to your local market, or look for seasonal vegetables grown in your region at your local grocery store, and toss them together in this no-cook salad that just screams “Summer!”

I love summer entertaining! Maybe it’s just me, but everything about summer parties is more relaxed and casual. Guests show up in t-shirts and sandals, we chat and nosh on the porch at our leisure, and thanks to the longer days, we can linger much later into the evening enjoying each other’s company. The easiest way I know of to harsh the mellow of a summer party is to spend the entire day leading up to it in a complete frenzy of preparation and cooking. Okay, I feel that way generally about any party but in summer it seems almost a crime to ruin a great party with a crazy day.

To help keep all our summer parties just a little (or a lot) on the laid-back side, I put together this dinner party menu that comes together largely the evening and morning before. You’ll do a bit here and there in preparation but you’ll have most of the day of the party to yourself to relax at will. You’ll be refreshed and relaxed when your guests arrive which will set just the right tone for this party.

The Menu

This menu serves four guests but every recipe on it can easily be doubled or tripled for a larger party.

Apple-Glazed Barbecued Baby Back Ribs

Grilled Summer Vegetable and Bulgur Salad

Grilled Corn with Chipotle Cilantro Compound Butter

Quick and Easy Strawberry Shortcake

To Drink

Peachy Canyon Incredible Red Zinfandel or Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé

The Plan

In total you’ll spend about four hours preparing for this dinner, including setting the table and cleaning up, but most of it happens the evening and morning before your guests arrive. You’ll have most of the day before your party to yourself to relax or, if completely necessary, run errands or get things done around the house. Personally I vote for relaxing so you can be well-rested when your guests arrive.

The detailed minute-by-minute, blow-by-blow for this menu is also available in PDF form with specific times for a 6:30 pm dinner.

The Week Before

Review all of the recipes carefully and make your grocery list. If you’re comfortable with what’s involved with each recipe preparation and cooking will be much easier.

The Night Before

You’ll need about an hour for these preparation activities. You can also do all of this prep work the morning of the party, just quick cool the bulgur and vegetables in the freezer for about 15 minutes before you chop and mix them.

• Cook the bulgur
• Grill the vegetables (but do not chop)
• Make the puff pastry stars

The Morning before Dinner

You’ll need about two hours for all of these activities, but then you are largely off the hook until about 90 minutes before the party. You’ll need to put the ribs in to cook mid-day but that’s a quick and easy bit of work.

• Set the butter out to soften
• Chop the grilled vegetables and mix them with the bulgur; remember to reserve 1 Tbsp. of dressing
• Pull the husks down but not completely off of the corn; remove the silk, and pull the husks back up; tie the top of the husks with some kitchen twine refrigerate the corn
• Make the compound butter
• Whip the cream and store it in the refrigerator
• Set the table and set out your serving dishes

4.5 Hours before Dinner

Take a quick break from your afternoon of relaxation to put the ribs into the oven. They’ll fill your house with a great smell as the slowly cook.

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees; prep the rib spice mix, rub the ribs and place them in the oven
• Make the cider, jelly, and rub mixture; set aside for later

90 Minutes before Dinner

This last hour and half is when you’ll be busy finishing the menu and getting everything served and plated. How early into this last 90 minutes your guests arrive is totally up to you. If they arrive earlier you can chat with them in the kitchen and even enlist their help. You may be more comfortable without an audience though and if that’s the case I’d suggest asking them to arrive 15-20 minutes before you plan to serve dinner. They’ll see you pull the ribs and corn from the grill which will only whet their appetite.

• Pour the cider mixture over ribs, cover with foil, and continue cooking as per the recipe instructions
• Make any last minute touches to your table and prepare drinks
• Slice the strawberries and mix them with the sugar and vanilla
• Preheat the grill
• Remove the ribs from the oven, brush them with the sauce, and transfer them to grill
• Place the corn on the grill
• Remove the ribs from grill and transfer to a serving platter and to rest; tent with foil
• Add the reserved 1 Tbsp of dressing to the bulgur salad and plate
• Remove the corn from the grill and plate; serve with the chipotle butter

After Dinner

Don’t assemble dessert until you’re ready to serve it or the puff pastry stars will be soggy. It comes together quickly though so you won’t be away from your guests for long.

When I was a youngin’ growing up, my family always had a garden. My grandmother was an amazing gardener, having been the daughter of a farmer and a child of the depression, and really had a great knack for growing just about anything she put her mind to. I’m sorry to say that I did not inherit/learn/grok her gardening skills. I would even go so far as to say I have a black thumb, which is why this blog’s tagline is “Party and Eat” as opposed to “Plant and Grow”. But even though I can’t grow them, I enjoy cooking with seasonal ingredients. Its summer time in Texas and that means squash in abundance, and some cases over abundance if I’m being honest. You can’t swing a cat at the farmers market or grocery store without hitting a big ol’ pile of squash, but from my perspective that’s a good thing. Squash is versatile, colorful, and inexpensive so it’s one of my favorite summer foods.

As long as I’m being honest, I’ll confess that as kid I didn’t much like squash. When it was in season, squash of every shape, size and color it made an appearance on our dinner table once or twice a week and every time I passed it by. In retrospect, I was clearly missing out. Not surprisingly my child does the same, but I hope that one day she too will enjoy squash in all of its glory. Until then, I’ll eat her serving.

Calabacitas?

I developed my stuffed squash recipe as a twist on one of my favorite dishes from Paula Lambert’s Cheese, Glorious Cheese cookbook, Squash Calabacitas. In her recipe, Paula sautés slices of green and yellow summer squash with some onions and then mixes the whole thing up with corn kernels, tomato, and Hatch green chiles. She tops the dish off with a healthy handful of Colby cheese for an ooey-gooey squashy paradise. Growing up, my family made a very similar dish with the squash and tomatoes from our garden, along with fresh green chiles we’d picked ourselves in Hatch. The flavors in this dish whisk me back home to my childhood kitchen faster than you can say “calabacitas”.

For my take on this recipe, I create a stuffing of the corn, tomatoes, and onions, with ground up corn tortillas thrown in as a binder. I add in a bit of dried ancho chile powder for a spicier flavor, and I use manchego cheese instead of Colby because I like the complexity it brings to the dish. The dish is great for serving at a dinner party because you can stuff the squash ahead of time and then put them in the oven to roast pretty much unattended until they are ready to serve. This squash is a great side for your favorite cut of steak grilled to perfection and topped with Chipotle Cilantro compound butter.

Recipe: Squash Stuffed with Corn, Tomatoes, Green Chiles

Details

• Difficulty: Easy
• Serves: 6 (½ stuffed squash per person)
• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Weight Watchers™ Points: 3

Ingredients

• 3 medium zucchini squash
• 2 thin corn tortillas
• 2 tsp. ancho chile powder
• 3 oz. manchego cheese, cubed plus 1 oz. shredded manchego cheese
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium shallot, diced
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 c. fresh corn kernels
• 2 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 4 oz. chopped green chiles
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Slice the top ½ inch from the squash. Split in half horizontally and scrape out the seeds.
3. Bring enough salted water to cover the squash halves to a boil. Drop the halves into the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Remove shells from boiling water; nestle close together in a glass baking pan, and season with a little more salt and pepper.
5. Tear the corn tortillas into large pieces. Add them to the bowl of a food processor along with the chile powder and the cubed manchego cheese. Pulse until the mixture resembles very coarse cornmeal.
6. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan.
7. Cook the shallot and red onion until soft and starting to become translucent, about 5 minutes.
8. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the corn, tomatoes, and green chiles. Let cool for about 5-10 minutes.
9. Combine the tortilla mixture with the sautéed vegetables. Check for seasoning; add salt and pepper to taste.
10. Mound some of the stuffing into each squash half.
11. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes
12. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the shredded manchego cheese, and return to the oven. Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Recipe for Success

• This recipe works well with any sturdy summer squash that has a bit of size to it. I haven’t tried it yet, but I expect it would work well with acorn squash as well in the fall. Bigger, thicker squash may need more time to bake.
• To make this a main dish, cook and drain hamburger meat or chorizo, or a combination of both, to add to the stuffing. Serve two halves as a main course with a green salad.
• You can use frozen corn for this recipe if fresh isn’t available. Thaw the corn and drain it well before using.
• You can make this dish 4-6 hours before you’re ready to bake it. Make the recipe from steps 2-10 and refrigerate the stuffed squash. Let the squash sit out for about 15 minutes before finishing with steps 11 and 12.

Learn more about summer squash

A few weeks back I made a Striped Bass with Corn and Jumbo Lump Crab Sauté that was just lovely and a great way to eat more fish. Interestingly enough, the best part of the dish was the corn and crab sauté that forms the base of for the fish. It’s a great combination of crisp, bright, and rich flavors that’s just right for a warm evening. After that meal I had this idea that the sauté would be a great base for other types of seafood like scallops and shrimp, and with a few more veggies thrown in it could be a veritable smorgasbord of seafood and veggie goodness. As I contemplated modifying the original recipe I was further inspired by another favorite recipe, Shrimp Boil Hobo Packs, which incorporates sausage into the fray with seafood and corn. The end result is this new dish that showcases fresh seafood and vegetables in a quick and healthy dinner just perfect for al-fresco dining.

Recipe: Spring Seafood Sauté

Details

• Difficulty: Medium
• Serves: 2 (double to serve four)
• Prep Time: 30 min
• Cook Time: 15 min
• Weight Watchers™ Points: 9

Ingredients

• 4 large (U/10) scallops (about 6 oz.)
• 2 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 2.5 oz. light smoked sausage, thinly sliced
• 2 ears fresh corn cut from the cob
• ½ c. diced red onion
• 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 small zucchini squash, diced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 2 Tbsp. diced poblano pepper
• ½ c. white wine
• 4 oz. jumbo lump crab, picked through
• 2 Tbsp. minced chives
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
• Zest of 1 lemon
• ¾ c. chicken stock
• 2 tsp. cold butter
• 12 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Season both sides of the scallops and the shrimp with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a sauté pan over high heat and add 1 Tbsp. of olive oil to the pan. The pan should be very hot. Heat the oil until it smokes.
3. Add the scallops to the pan, reduce the heat to medium-high, and cook without moving for 2-3 minutes until caramelized. Flip the scallops and cook for another 1-3 minutes until slightly firm to the touch. Move the scallops to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
4. Add the sausage to the pan and cook over medium-high heat until lightly brown. Move the sausage to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
5. Add the corn, onion, shallots, zucchini, and red and poblano peppers to the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté for 1 – 2 minutes until the onion begins to soften.
6. Deglaze the pan with white wine and boil for 1 minute, scrapping the bottom of the pan to loosen the brown bits.
7. Add the crab meat, chives, thyme, and zest to the pan, stirring just to blend.
8. Add the chicken stock to the pan and stir to combine. Whisk in the butter. Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.
9. Add the shrimp and reserved sausage to the pan and stir to combine.
10. Raise the heat back to high and boil until the broth reduces by half, the mixture is a sauce consistency, and the shrimp are cooked through, about 3-4 minutes. Check for seasoning one last time and adjust as necessary.
11. To plate, arrange the seafood and vegetable mixture in a shallow bowl. Top with the reserved scallops.

Recipe for Success

• Take some extra time to cut the onion, zucchini, and peppers into a nice, even dice. Not only will they cook more evenly, the final presentation will be prettier.
• I haven’t tried this recipe with frozen corn but it will probably do if you can’t get fresh. The sauté will be a little less crunchy and it may take a little longer for the final sauce to reduce because of the extra water from the frozen corn.
• Be sure your pan and oil are smoking hot when you put the scallops in for the first sear. If the pan isn’t hot enough they will stick to the pan.

This recipe is a riff on this Black Sea Bass with Corn and Jumbo Lump Crab Sauté from Food Network. The fish sits atop a bed of colorful, fresh vegetables that you cook just through so they keep their crispness. The crab gives the sauté a rich, decadent taste with absolutely no extra work on your part. All together, the combination of flavors is fun and in no way boring. Although the ingredient list is a little long (12 ingredients), the techniques involved are very straight forward. First you pan fry a fish and then you make a quick veggie and crab sauté to serve with it. None of these techniques is tricky even if you’ve been cooking for just a short while, so it’s a very safe recipe with beautiful results. It’s fast too. Chopping the veggies for the sauté is the most time-consuming part of the whole recipe.

My take on the recipe deviates from the original in four ways:

• I substituted striped bass for sea bass simply because striped bass is $10 per pound less expensive at my fishmonger right now. Until I’m really comfortable with any technique or ingredient I try not to splurge on the best I can buy. After making the dish I’m pretty sure you could substitute any fish you’d like and be happy with the results.
• I reworked the recipe proportions to be more practical for an at home meal for two. This recipe was created by restaurant chef at Doris and Ed’s Restaurant so it makes a huge single portion. I wanted something sized for a weeknight at home that would be filling but not overly so.
• I reduced the fat. One of the points of eating fish and vegetables is to be healthy and the original recipe had more fat than I really wanted. I used less of both olive oil and butter and the dish turned out just fine.
• I left out the potatoes. The original recipe recommends serving this dish with roasted fingerling potatoes. I did that and for whatever reason they just didn’t compliment the dish as much as I thought they would. Because the vegetable sauté includes corn and peppers it provides both veggies and carbs, so I’d stick to serving this as a meal by itself. Besides, when your main is this healthy, you can have dessert too.

I’m pleased with the outcome of the dish and my modifications to it. It was so great to look at when I first made it that I couldn’t wait to try it, and thus forgot to snap a picture. I’ll be sure to do it next time I make the recipe.

Learn morea bout striped bass

Recipe: Striped Bass with Corn and Jumbo Lump Crab

Details

• Difficulty: Medium
• Serves: 2 (double to serve four)
• Prep Time: 30 min
• Cook Time: 15 min
• Weight Watchers ™ Points: 11*

Ingredients

• 2 5oz. striped bass filets, skin on
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 2 ears fresh corn cut from the cob
• ½ c. diced red onion
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 1 Tbsp. diced poblano pepper
• 4 oz. jumbo lump crab, picked through
• 2 Tbsp. minced chives
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
• ¾ c. chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp. cold butter
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Make 2-3 small cuts in the skin of the filets with a sharp knife then turn the fish over and season the flesh with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a sauté pan over high heat and add 1 Tbsp. of olive oil to the pan. The pan should be very hot. Heat the oil until it smokes.
3. Place the fish skin-side down in the pan, reduce the heat to medium-high, and cook for 1 ½ – 2 minutes until the skin is crisp. Flip the fish and cook for another 3 to 3 ½ minutes. Move the fish to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
4. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil to the pan along with the corn, onion, and red and poblano peppers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute for 1 – 2 minutes until the onion begins to soften.
5. Add the crab meat, chives, and thyme, stirring just to blend. Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.
6. Add the chicken stock and stir to combine. Whisk in the butter.
7. Raise the heat back to high and boil until the broth reduces by half and the mixture is a sauce consistency, about 3-4 minutes. Check for seasoning one last time and adjust as necessary.
8. To plate, arrange the crab and vegetable mixture in a shallow bowl. Top with the warm fish filet.

Recipe for Success

• Use fresh fish if you can, not frozen. If you can’t get bass, or don’t like bass, pick any other white-fleshed fish; trout or snapper would work well.
• Take some extra time to cut the onion and peppers into a nice, even dice. Not only will they cook more evenly, the final presentation will be prettier.
• I haven’t tried this recipe with frozen corn but it will probably do if you can’t get fresh. The sauté will be a little less crunchy and it may take a little longer for the final sauce to reduce because of the extra water from the frozen corn.
• Be sure your pan and oil are smoking hot when you put the fish in for the first sear. If the pan isn’t hot enough the fish will stick to the pan.
• When you sauté the fish on the skin side, use a spatula to press the fish into the pan. This helps crisp the skin.

*Points Details

• Because this is a one-dish meal I’m okay with the double-digit points. However, if you want to reduce the points you can do a couple of things to get the points down to 7:
  • Reduce the olive oil to 1 Tbsp. total and cook the dish in a non-stick skillet. The skin on the fish won’t crisp up quite a much but it will still taste great. I wouldn’t eliminate the fat entirely because it is an important flavor carrier in the dish.
  • Cut the butter to 1 tsp. You’ll get some of the benefit of the butter finish but the sauce won’t be quite as luxurious.
  • Reduce the crab to 2 oz. You’ll still have a hint of crab. If you keep the crab at 4 oz. the dish is 8 points.

What to Drink
Any crisp white wine will go well with this dish. I would avoid a big California Chardonnay only because the butter in the wine will compete too much with the subtle richness of the crab in the sauté. I recently had a 2006 Willm Pinot Blanc from Alsace that would be a great match.