Community Kitchen: Easy Summer Cooking

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veriterc
veriterc Online Community Member Posts: 255 Empowering
in Coffee lounge
The moment the sun comes out for more than a day, I turn in to a lazy sloth.

I was about to make that fantastic Jubilee pudding as a special treat for a gathering of friends. But the sun came out and, instead, I decided to change this complicated recipe to an easy-to-prepare Lemon Posset.

This set me thinking. Preparing a meal for friends shouldn't take all my energy, so  here is my Summer Lunch Party menu.

Drinks - Virgin Mary

Lots of friends are now tee-total, so I'll make a big jug of Virgin Mary, which can become a Bloody Mary for those who want something stronger. This always seem to go down well for a mid-day drink and looks very healthy!
  • Tomato juice - allow about 5 ozs per drink
(If you have  a glut of tomatoes you can make your own by cutting tomatoes in half, cramming into a blender and whizzing up. If you don't like seeds, scoop them out of halved tomatoes with a teaspoon before blending)

Then add whatever you like from the following:
  • celery salt
  • parsley by the handfull
  • watercress or spinach leaves by another handful
  • spring onions - about two per pint
  • green pepper and/or chilli (if anyone is on cancer or other medicinal drugs leave these out)
  • salt, pepper, sugar and lemon juice to taste
Blend all these ingredients together, tasting as you go along. Keep it in the fridge until time to serve. If liked you can put a stick of celery in each glass

Main Course - Sliced Meat and Salad Spread

Get out your largest flat serving dish or plastic tray.

Spread out slices of ham/chicken/cold roast beef or any other substitute meat, cheese, feta, hard boiled eggs, tinned tuna or alternative you like, and surround with lettuce hearts, tinned artichoke hearts, tomatoes, cucumber and other salad.

It looks pretty if you scatter radish roses (made by cutting into radishes and leaving to open up in a bowl of iced water).

Serve with potato salad or cold new potatoes scattered with mint leaves.

colourful salad bowl

Dessert - Lemon Posset

Cookbooks say this simple but delicious dessert was around in the 13th century, and and often contained Sack - a fortified sherry.

It was so popular that people often had their own posset bowls, and you can still find silver ones in antique shops.

You'll need:
  • 600ml double cream
  • 200g golden caster sugar
  • zest of 3 lemons, plus 75ml juice (freshly squeezed, NOT out of a bottle)
Put the cream in a big saucepan with the sugar and gently heat, stirring until the sugar has melted.

Bring to a simmer and bubble for 1 min. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon zest and juice.

Divide between pretty pots or bowls, or into glasses or coffee cups - anything that looks pretty.

Cool to room temperature, then place in fridge for at least 3 hrs, or up to 24 hrs.

Serve with little biscuits or fruit salad on the side.

cut lemons on a white background

Enjoy - and get others to help set the table in the garden!

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