Summer Dinners

For supper: Bow-ties and Broccoli

You will need:

1 pound farfalle (bow-tie) pasta (You can use penne, too.)
2 heads broccoli, trimmed to florets (about 4 cups)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons butter (REAL, unsalted butter)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
5 anchovy fillets, diced (Optional, if you don't like the fish -- which I don't.)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (REAL parmesan, not the "in a green can" shit.)

1 -- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally.

2 -- After 5 minutes, add the broccoli florets to the pasta and stir and cook for another 4 minutes.

3 -- Drain pasta and broccoli, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.

4 -- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat.

5 -- Add the garlic, anchovies, and red pepper flakes and cook for 5 minutes.

6 -- Add the broccoli, pasta, salt and pepper and toss.

7 -- Add some of the reserved pasta water, if necessary, to make a light sauce.

8 -- Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with Parmesan.

For dessert: Watermelon and Cantaloupe Salad with Mint Vinagrette

You will need:

1 bunch fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
1/4 cup simple syrup (recipe follows)
1/8 teaspoon amaretto (GOOD amaretto-- DiSarrono, you cheapskate)
2 cups watermelon balls (from about half a watermelon) (Who knew watermelons had BALLS?)
2 cups cantaloupe balls (from about 1 cantaloupe) (Poor, progeny-less cantaloupes!)

1 -- In a blender, combine mint, lemon juice, simple syrup, and amaretto. Blend until smooth.

2 -- In a large bowl, combine the watermelon and the cantaloupe. Add the vinaigrette and toss. 3 -- Transfer to a serving bowl, chill for half and hour or so, and serve.

Simple Syrup:
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar

In a saucepan, combine water and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved. Take pan off heat and cool the syrup. Any extra cooled syrup can be saved in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Dessert -- Poached Pears in Chocolate

(Maven's post about having pears to use inspired me...plus, who doesn't like cooking with wine! This recipe also makes your house smell DIVINE.)

Serves six, and can be served hot or cold, with or without the chocolate sauce.
(But really -- if the choice is chocolate or NO chocolate, what's the correct answer?)

You will need:

6 firm, ripe pears
1/2 cup superfine sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cloves
rind of one orange
1 bottle of white zin or other rose wine. (I like Clover Hill's catawba, but it might not be available in your area.)

For the chocolate sauce:
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
9 oz. mascarpone cheese
2 tbs Grand Marnier

To prepare the pears:

Carefully peel the pears, leaving the stems on.

Place the sugar, cinnamon sticks, orange rind, cloves and wine into a pan that will hold all six pears snugly. (Once you're sure you have enough wine to cover the pears, drink the rest. Glass optional.)

Heat the liquid gently until the sugar dissolves, then add the pears. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.

If you're serving the dessert cold, let the pears cool in the liquid, then chill in the 'fridge until right before serving.

If you're serving it hot (which I recommend), leave the pears in the liquid while you make the chocolate sauce.

To make the chocolate sauce:

Melt the chocolate in a small saucepan.

Beat the mascarpone cheese and the Grand Marnier to gether.

Slowly beat the cheese mixture into the melted chocolate.

To serve:

Pull the pear out of the liquid, and place it on a fancy-assed dessert plate. (You can chill the plate ahead of time, if you want.)

Add a spoonful of sauce on the side, and serve the rest in a nice dish.

If you're really ambitious and artistic (or trying to impress someone), you can use a pastry bag to pipe a rosette of sauce next to the pear.

You can also save the poaching liquid -- boil it down for about ten minutes to reduce it to a syrup. It goes will on a fruit salad, whipped with fresh cream, or spooned over ice cream.

Dump Cake Link-Back Lovin'

Thanks to PFirch for her post, and I surfed on over to check her/her blog out. I've bookmarked it, looks like an interesting blog with a variety of things I'm interested in.

As I've got a few Asian pears ripening at home, I saw her dump cake recipe, and fell in love. I might just make it this weekend:)

I bought some Laird's Applejack last night, because I was feeling homesick, and Laird's Distillery is in one of my favorite areas of NJ. Perhaps I might add a nip to the cake if I make it:)