Summer Time

The "bombs were bursting in air" here in Fallbrook last night. We could see the celebration in Temecula flaring up behind the hills outside of our decks. It was a perfect summer day, warm but not hot, clear and gorgeous. A warm evening for people to sit out in shirt sleeves.

We ate alone eschewing the traffic we'd encounter participating in a celebration. Gazpacho seemed perfect for the warm weather and I always think of it as party food. We made it with chunks of cucumber and avocado floating on top. It was chilly and delicious. Second course was a scallop salad. Bay scallops were sauteed with limoncello (home made) and then tossed with arugula, watercress and baby lettuces. An olive oil and white balsamic vinegar dressed the salad. We drank a Rock Rabbit Sauvignon Blanc 2005 which recently won best of show at the Orange County Fair. The faint peachy and lemon flavor paired well with our entree and dessert: white peaches drizzled with creme fraiche. A perfect, cool dinner for July 4th.
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GAZPACHO - actually anything goes
Photo above from the Pagan Chef

tomatoes
V-8 juice
cucumbers
onions
peppers
garlic
lemon juice
olive oil
pepper
salt


Pour a quart of cold V-8 juice into your favorite mixing bowl and add a diced cucumber, 1 cup of
diced fresh tomatoes, a small minced onion, a diced red or yellow bell pepper, a clove or 2 of
minced garlic, the juice of a lemon, a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper
to taste. Combine and relegate to the fridge for a few hours of chilling. Remove from fridge, pour a helping into a deserving bowl, and garnish with slices of avocado, maybe a dollop of sour cream.
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Tonight we'll have a pasta variation on the classic Lime Tequila made with grilled shrimp. The buttermilk in the fridge is calling to me (I can drink it straight out of the carton - a pint at a time) so there will likely be a dessert of plums on puff pastry with more creme fraiche.

What else can we do with bushels of plums???