Summer Round-Up: Part I

It's nearly mid-September, and with the sudden drop in temperate and cool breeze, I'm finally beginning to acknowledge that summer has officially ended.  Well, almost.  While I'm eager to leave behind my sweaty walks to work, stifling subway rides and air conditioning wars with Gus, I'm not quite ready to bid farewell to the long hot days and freedom that summer brings.  So, to help bring some closure, I'm doing a round-up of my summer favorites: from recipes to restaurants and everything in between.

Recipes

Salad: Chicken Salad with New Potatoes and Haricot Verts, inspired by Sarabeth's restaurant

The KNK Farm Free-Range Chicken Salad at Sarabeth's West restaurant is insanely good. Gus's brother's girlfriend, Megan, is a manager at Sarabeth's upper west side location; and being the wonderful person she is, she has comped many delicious meals for us.  The menu is full of great dishes; but for me, the chicken salad takes the cake.  It combines fresh, tender pieces of chicken with green beans, red potatoes, peppers, button mushrooms, and greens in a shallot vinaigrette, artfully served in a red cabbage "bowl."

Sarabeth's chicken salad

I created a simplified version of this salad at home; and while it certainly doesn't touch the original, it makes for a great main course on a hot summer night: light yet substantial enough for a main course.

Serves: 2 very hungry people or 4 normal appetites 

- Ingredients -

Dressing/marinade (adapted from this Emeril recipe):
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup sherry or red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 shallot, minced

6 chicken tenders
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch new potatoes, scrubbed clean
1 package haricot verts
1 bag of mixed greens

- Method -

Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.  Reserve half of the dressing for the salad and use the remainder to marinate the chicken overnight (ideally), or for a few hours minimum. When you're ready to cook, place the potatoes into a medium size sauce pan, adding enough water to cover them completely. Place the pan on high heat and boil the for 20 minutes, then drain. (Nifty tip: An easy way to know when the new potatoes are done is to poke a fork in the center of the largest potato, gently twist the fork. If the new potato breaks apart easily, they are fully cooked.) Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large plan and add the chicken, sauteing until just cooked through.  Steam the haricot verts in the microwave for 5 minutes.  Cut the chicken into small chunks and combine with the potatoes, haricot verts, salad greens, and dressing.

Emily's far inferior chicken salad

Side dish: Mexican corn salad from Food&Wine.com

Some friends started a pot-luck dinner tradition on Wednesday nights this summer, which was not only fun but a great opportunity to devote time to one aspect of a meal that maybe you wouldn't have the time to otherwise.  Side dishes, for me, usually consist of nothing more than sauteed vegetables; but on pot-luck night, I ventured beyond.  One of my favorite recipes was a Mexican corn salad, inspired by this recipe, which pairs it with grilled scallops (I unfortunately didn't get around to making those!)

There are many recipes for corn salad, but this one is great because it's incredibly easy and very tasty: The combination of mayo, chile powder, Tabasco, and lime juice creates a creamy consistency to bind the ingredients and a spicy tang, making it the perfect accompaniment to tacos and a cold beer.  I followed the recipe fairly closely, except, sans grill, I boiled the corn, skipped the cheese and scallops, and tossed it with some pepper and white rice.

Serves: 4-6

- Ingredients -

Dressing:
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup mayo (can also use plain greek yogurt)
1 teaspoon chile powder
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Tabasco sauce, to taste
salt and pepper

2 medium ears of corn, husked
2 tablespoons red onion, diced
1 small bell pepper, diced (red or orange adds some nice color variety)
1 cup cooked white rice

-Method -

Whisk together the dressing, set aside.  Boil the corn to your liking (I find that 6-8 minutes is good if you like yours with just a bit of crunch).  Cut the kernels off the cob, and combine with remaining ingredients.  Stir dressing in.

Main course: Fresh Fettuccine With Chicken, Artichokes And Green Olives from Cookthink.com

Cookthink.com is one of my favorite recipe sites for many reasons.  It has an uncluttered, simple interface.  Helpful little sidebars suggesting accompaniments and explaining techniques and ingredients that I've never been clear on (like what exactly are Jerusalem artichokes?).  But the best part about it is the search tool, which allows you to search for recipes by typing in any combination of ingredients, plus the type of dish and/or cuisine you're looking for, and even the "mood" you're feeling.  And it usually yields fairly spot-on results.

This time I typed in "chicken, dinner, healthy" and came upon this recipe, a "light, elegant pasta dish, delicious in early spring when the day's are still a little chilly" - or late summer as it turns to fall.  I followed this recipe to a T, so no need to copy and paste - click here for the complete recipe; and spend some time on the site to explore while you're at it.

Dessert: Lemon bars from JoyofBaking.com

I've been wanting to try these lemon bars from JoyofBaking.com for a long time now, so I whipped them up one night for a potluck dinner and they tasted as amazing as I had imagined: a creamy lemony filling, both sweet and lip-smackingly tart, atop a thin crumbly shortbread crust that perfectly balances out the strong flavors. These treats can really be enjoyed year-round, but with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it's a wonderfully refreshing summer dessert. Again, I followed this recipe exactly and the results were stunning, so click here for the recipe.  I unfortunately didn't get to take any pictures because they were literally gone before I knew it, but I have to leave you with one to properly tempt you.

Drink: Magic Hat Wacko

There are so many fantastic summer cocktails and sangrias I didn't make this summer (alas, the Porch Swing will have to wait until next year); but Magic Hat's summer brew filled the void.  Though not well-received by beer aficionados (they're just as bad as wine snobs), I found it to be the perfect summer brew: light and refreshing and just a touch sweet, with a bit of a bite from the carbonation.  It pairs well with spicy dishes and salty snacks or simply on its own. And while I love drinking out of a chilled bottle, this is a beer that begs to be served in a glass to show its wonderful hue from the beet juice. (Oh, and please check out Magic Hat's site because it's amazing, if a tad bit confusing.)

Image from this random site

That about sums it up for my summer recipes.  Stay tuned for Part II: summer round-up of places to go and things to eat in the Big Apple.