Saturday Summer Supper

Well, part of tonight's dinner - the main course - you already know about. The salmon, potato salad, and corn all appeared in previous blogs (July 14 for the salmon and the potato salad, and July 18 for the corn). Tonight's first course was a no-cook soup made extra-easy with the assistance of the food processor, and goes like this:

Cucumber-Yogourt Soup with Avocado (serves 4)
(from Fine Cooking magazine, Issue #59, page 56)
1 large sweet white onion, peeled and quartered
1 pound of cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into big chunks
1 medium-size ripe avocado
1-1/2 cups plain yogurt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1-1/2 to 2 cups cold water
Freshly ground black pepper

Put the onion chunks in the food processor; pulse to chop finely. Scoop into a sieve, rinse under cold water; and set aside to drain. Put the cucumber chunks into the food processor; pulse to chop finely. Add the drained onion and pulse to combine. Set aside 3/4 cup of the cucumber-onion mix to stir into the soup at the end. Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Scoop out the pulp and drop it into the food processor with the remaining cucumber-onion mixture. Add the yogourt, olive oil, garlic, cumin, and salt. Puree until fairly smooth. Using a sharp knife, slice the basil and mint leaves into shreds and then stir them into the soup along with the lemon juice, 1 cup of cold water, and the reserved cucumber-onion mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. Before serving, check for consistency, gradually adding another 1/2 to 1 cup of cold water to thin the soup, if necessary. Add more lemon juice and salt if needed and serve.

And for dessert.....

I realized I hadn't yet made any ice cream while writing this blog. And here we are in the middle of summer (how did that happen?). So here it is, from my foodie hero, Ina Garten, a rich and beautiful chocolate treat:

Deeply Chocolate Gelato

(2008, Ina Garten, with some modifications)

2-1/4 cups whole milk

1/3 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (recommended: Pernigotti*)

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (recommended: Bernard Callebaut)

4 extra-large egg yolks

2 tablespoons Kahlua (or other coffee liquer)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Large pinch kosher salt

*I can only find Pernigotti cocoa powder at the Williams-Sonoma store (at 15th & Granville) although I'm sure you must be able to find it down Commerical Drive although I've never looked for it there. The price tag isn't for the faint of heart. At $16 a tin it ain't cheap, but worth every penny. I promise you'll never go back to your grocery store cocoa powder.

Heat the milk, cream and 1/2 cup of sugar in a 2-quart saucepan, until the sugar dissolves and the milk starts to simmer. Add the cocoa powder (no need to sift) and the chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Pout into a heat-proof measuring cup (to make it easy to pour later).

Place the egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and very thick (if you don't have an electric mixer, I would suggest beating vigoursly with a wooden spoon. You don't want to use an electric mixer as you would then beat air into the mixture which would have disastrous results in the freezer). With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the hot chocolate mixture into the egg mixture (and I mean slow -- you don't want to end up with chocolate scrambled eggs!). Pour the egg and chocolate mixture back into the 2-quart saucepan and cook over medium-heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. A candy thermometer will register about 180 degrees Farenheit (don't allow the mixture to boil!).

Pour the mixture through a sieve into a bowl and stir in the Kahlua, vanilla extract, and salt. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the custard and put in the fridge to chill completely. (Or if you're short on time, place the bowl in an ice bath and stir to chill completely or at least to kick-start the chilling process and then put it in the fridge to completely chill).

Pour the chilled custard into the bowl of an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. Freeze in a covered container. Allow the gelato to thaw slightly before serving.

As a garnish, add a vanilla pizzelle wafer to make it feel molto Italiano (very Italian!).