To do list
CHEERS!
...to us drinking together
Join us on July 23rd at 5:30pm PT for a virtual wine pairing event (er, happy hour?)! With our friends at The Wine Party Co., we'll be pairing wines with a summer recipe that seems intimidating but that I promise is in your wheelhouse:
a pot of steamed clams.
Sign up at the link and I'll see you there!
We're trying to make this summer work. It won't compare to years past and hopefully won't compare to the summers ahead of us. In the states, we're still very much in lockdown. We're still watching Covid-19 cases rise. We're facing the strange reality that face masks have become somehow...controversial and political? And so we're also facing the at-times uphill challenge of turning this summer's proverbial lemons into lemonade.
To that end, sometimes the hardest part is finding that initial inspiration, so I did some of the leg work for you:
1. Summer in Italy (no, not really and ok, maybe not the Italy of 2020): It's an all-Italian menu and we'll make a Sunday afternoon of it. Procure the best cherry tomatoes and basil and burrata and pasta and white fish that you can for this orecchiette and for this tomato-poached fish. Start with Aperol spritzes (or Campari & soda) by 5pm at the latest. Cook with a cocktail in hand and music playing and shoes off. Incorporate "basta" or "allora" into your vernacular.
Two summertime desserts I've had in Italy remain forever lodged in my memory. Both are simple and replicable: small, fresh wild strawberries with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of sugar (é basta). Or an affogato, which is a scoop of semifreddo (or gelato or ice cream) topped with a shot of espresso. Buon appetito.
What you'll need: A proper stock pot, the best pan for sauteing the tomatoes, Aperol and prosecco (obviously), and a smooth, sensual playlist.
2. Get flour everywhere (I mean, don't bake in the nude but otherwise...everywhere): Pick two or three recipes to try and, if you need, pick the recipients of some of your baked goodness ahead of time. Tie an apron on, play Bob Marley radio, and start measuring. If you've never made pie crust, now's the time. The keys are cold butter and cold water. Making pavlova is simpler than it looks and the flavor is glorious. Biscotti are a fantastic project and are open to many iterations. Play with the flavors of these cupcakes and deliver them to friends or neighbors as a surprise (mask on).
What you'll need: Good quality almond flour or cassava flour, dark chocolate chips (they're French), a proper wooden spoon, and a new baking cookbook for further inspiration.
3. Stay in school (wine school, ya nerds): Taught by The Wine Party Co, enroll in a wine connoisseur course, taught virtually, and then pair to your heart's content. That red wine she mentioned that's best served chilled? Get a bottle and serve it with grilled pork chops or ribs. The tangent she went on about orange wine? Pairs with this bold-flavored grilled tilapia or cauliflower fried rice or a spicy gazpacho. Her tips for picking an easy-drinking white wine? Take 'em, go shopping, and then make some baked chicken and ricotta meatballs or mushroom tartines. The student has become the teacher.
What you'll need: To enroll, of course. Some better olive oil and better grilling tools, plus the best quality ribs and scallops, and a Vacu-Vin wine saver for whatever you don't finish.
Please, take this list and make it your own. Add "explore mixology" or "knife skills 101" or "master the soft-boiled egg." Start wherever you need to start. But don't you dare call this a summer bucket list...
With love and flour literally everywhere,
