evile

Jun. 9, 2004

Summer Solstice 2004 Menu

Sangria
Midsummer Ale Bread
with French butter, flower honey & assorted jams/jellies
(rose, cherry, etc)
Bejeweled Green Beans
Elderflower Chicken
Fresh Fruit salad
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Jen's Sangria recipe:

Dissolve a couple tablespoons of fine granulated sugar in a mix of
fresh lemon & lime juice (one or two of each depending on size).
toss into the container of your choice;

Add 2 bottles of plonk, the crappier the better* - I do it with a
watery viogner and a merlot that tastes like green olives, both are
improved immensely;

Pour in some pulpless OJ of middling to good quality (Tropicana Pure
Premium does it just fine), just until the wane changes color/looks
opaque. The color should be something approximating really lurid
berry-flavored bubblegum.

Slosh in some Grand Marnier or Cointreau - not tons, but enough to
give it a kick.

Ditto for some vodka that is good enough to drink straight but not so
good that you'd 'waste' it in Sangria.

Serve with thin slices of orange, lemons, limes.
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Midsummer Ale Bread

For 3 loaves:

3 Cups self rising flour
2 tablespoons sugar
12 oz ale
1/2 cup butter, melted.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour & sugar. Stir with a wooden
spoon.
In increments, blend in Ale. Transfer batter into 3 6 x 3 inch loaf
pans
and drizzle butter over the top. Bake for 50 minutes.
--------

Bejeweled Green Beans

1 c fresh haricots verts/fresh green beans
1/2 c olive oil
1/3 c white vinegar
1/3 c dry white wine
1 bay leaf, crumbled
2 cloves garlic, minced
dash of hot pepper sauce
1/2 tsp minced fresh dill
1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme
salt & pepper
chopped parsley, for garnish

Rinse beans, snap off ends.
in large saucepan, heat oil. Add beans, vinegar, wine, bay leaf,
garlic, hot pepper sauce, dill & thyme. Season w/ salt & pepper.
Add just enough water to cover. Bring to boil very slowly.
Decrease heat & simmer covered until beans are crisp-tender,
about 12-14 min. (increase cooking time by 5 min for regular
green beans) Remove from heat. Taste the liquid for seasoning
and adjust. To serve, strain the beans & sprinkle with chopped
parsley. Leave the beans in liquid if you need to refrigerate.
===

Elder Flower Chicken

2 lb boneless chicken breast

sauce:
3/4 c. fresh elder flower heads
salt
4 egg yolks
1/8 tsp ground ginger
Almond milk

place chicken in a pot, with salted water to cover. poach chicken,
simmering until cooked, approx. 35 min. strain broth & reserve 2 c.
to make the almond milk. Set chicken aside

To make sauce, strip flower heads from the stems, grind elder flowers
and salt to season. Combine flowers and almond milk in saucepan. Beat
egg yolks and mix them into the almond milk mixture. Stir sauce over
fairly low heat until it thickens (avoid boiling) add ginger.

Skin chicken pieces, cover with sauce to serve.

Almond Milk:
1 1/3 c. ground almonds
2 c water or broth

bring water to mild boil. turn off heat. add almonds, let steep for
10 minutes. cover a widemouthed pitcher with cheesecloth. Carefully
pour half the almond mixture over cloth, straining milk & catching
the almonds.