Prosciutto and Tomato Crostini ~

Yummy Food | Inspiration

 

 I think this looks, well...yummy. 

It looks perfect for late summer al fresco dining. 

Here in the Pacific Northwest, it seems our summer has finally started. 

Just in time to end...boo.

Prosciutto and Tomato Crostini

1 baguette
2-3 tablespoons olive oil

8 thin slices prosciutto
½ cup chopped red cherry tomatoes
½ cup chopped yellow cherry tomatoes
¼ cup minced onion
2 tablespoons basil
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Slice baguette into 3/8" pieces, drizzle with olive oil and bake in 350° oven for 4 minutes. Turn, then bake another 4 minutes. Bake prosciutto in 300° oven until crisp (about 10 minutes), let cool and crumble. Mix tomatoes, onion, basil, salt and pepper. Top crostini with 1 tablespoon tomato mixture, then sprinkle crumbled prosciutto and garnish with parsley.

Recipe compliments of Veranda Magazine. 

Strawberry Galette ~

Yummy Food | Inspiration

I decided to re-post this after I made it this weekend for friends, and it was just as yummy as I had remembered it. This time, we simply served it with vanilla ice cream...simple, easy and delicious! 

I recently made this yummy Summer dessert for the first time - it was one of those recipes I kept meaning to make but never did. It is from Martha Stewart Living May 2008 (I know, it took over 2 years to make it!)

 Here are the ingredients (Martha's recipe requires making the crust, I went the loser way out and used a refrigerated pie crust):

FOR THE BASIL CREAM (This was not a huge hit)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup mascarpone cheese

FOR THE DOUGH
I used a ready to go pie crust

FOR THE GALETTE 1 pound strawberries, hulled
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Make the basil cream: Combine cream, basil, and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water, and stir until sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 hours for a more pronounced basil flavor). Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Add mascarpone, and whisk until medium peaks form. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 hours.

I simply unrolled my pie crust onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Then I cut the strawberries lengthwise into slices.

 Then toss slices with 1/4 cup sugar and the cornstarch, and immediately arrange them in concentric circles on dough. Start 1 inch from edge, overlapping slices slightly (as you can see, I started the outside edge into a circle and then just piled the rest in the center - I know loser way).

 Fold edge of dough over berries. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

 Whisk together yolk and water. Brush dough with the egg wash, and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Dot berries with butter. Bake until crust is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.

 We served it room temperature and it was great. It pretty much tasted like strawberry jam in a pie crust - I mean how could you really go wrong with strawberries, sugar and crust! The basil infused cream was not a huge hit, next time I will simply combine the cream, sugar and mascarpone.

Linked to:
Weekend Wrap Up Party at Tatertots and Jello

Late Summer Display ~

My Mom graciously gave my kiddos these beautiful hydrangeas out of her garden...

I just love hydrangeas - we have been admiring them for days on our kitchen counter!

I just love the vibrant colors...

I thew in some books, a tall white vase, a heavy finial, a couple birds and tea lights to twinkle it up a bit...

I am so amazed that these all came from the same bush...

I am sure you noticed I have been playing around with my blog design and layout...let me know what you think?

 

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Strawberry Galette ~

I recently made this yummy Summer dessert for the first time - it was one of those recipes I kept meaning to make but never did. It is from Martha Stewart Living May 2008 (I know, it took over 2 years to make it!)

 Here are the ingredients (Martha's recipe requires making the crust, I went the loser way out and used a refrigerated pie crust):

FOR THE BASIL CREAM (This was not a huge hit)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup mascarpone cheese

FOR THE DOUGH
I used a ready to go pie crust

FOR THE GALETTE 1 pound strawberries, hulled
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Make the basil cream: Combine cream, basil, and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water, and stir until sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 hours for a more pronounced basil flavor). Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Add mascarpone, and whisk until medium peaks form. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 hours.

I simply unrolled my pie crust onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Then I cut the strawberries lengthwise into slices.

 Then toss slices with 1/4 cup sugar and the cornstarch, and immediately arrange them in concentric circles on dough. Start 1 inch from edge, overlapping slices slightly (as you can see, I started the outside edge into a circle and then just piled the rest in the center - I know loser way).

 Fold edge of dough over berries. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

 Whisk together yolk and water. Brush dough with the egg wash, and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Dot berries with butter. Bake until crust is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.

 We served it room temperature and it was great. It pretty much tasted like strawberry jam in a pie crust - I mean how could you really go wrong with strawberries, sugar and crust! The basil infused cream was not a huge hit, next time I will simply combine the cream, sugar and mascarpone.

I linked this post to:
Lucky Linky Tuesday at Lucky Star Lane

Less is More ~

Here are a few simple ideas on how to display all of your lovely flowers from your Summer garden...

Better Homes & Gardens

 Real Simple

Country Living

Woman's Day

So I recently realized that I missed my blog anniversary - which I couldn't believe! To celebrate, I have a few giveaways planned for next week!

More Lemonade...it is Hot ~

Okay, so Summer is in full swing here - for us Seattle-ites, 90+ degrees and we are almost on the verge of melting! Thanks to my sister-in-laws pool (thank you, thank you Nicole) and some good ole' lemonade, we are good to go. Stay cool!

"This perennial favorite requires just 3 ingredients: lemon juice, sugar, and water. This means it won't take much time away from a leisurely summer afternoon to mix a batch. To make 2 quarts, pour 3 cups of fresh lemon juice (from about 20 lemons) through a fine sieve into a pitcher. Add 2 cups of superfine sugar, and stir until it has dissolved. Stir in 4 cups of water and some ice, and then garnish with lemon slices". - www.marthastewart.com