outdoor entertaining

The ricotta and Greek yogurt combination makes this dish light and refreshing, while the pea pesto adds a touch of sweetness. Serve with crusty bread.

Herby Whipped Ricotta With Pea &amp;amp; Walnut Pesto 

whole milk ricotta

unsweetened Greek yogurt

lemon

dill and fresh parsley

Salt and pepper

peas,

spinach leaves

basil leaves

walnuts

Parmigiano Reggiano, shredded or grated

garlic, roughly chopped

extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Add all ricotta ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. 


Ricotta

In the same food processor, add all pesto ingredients and blend until smooth. 

Spoon the pesto spread on top of the ricotta. Garnish with additional olive oil, salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. Serve alongside crusty bread and fresh vegetables. 

Pea pesto

A sour cream &amp;amp; vanilla cake that is easy, adaptable &amp;amp; about as fast as you can get. Make butterscotch whipped cream &amp;amp; strawberry compote while the cake bakes!

Strawberry &amp;amp; Butterscotch Whipped Cream Cake From Jami Curl

(400 grams) all-purpose flour

(400 grams) granulated sugar

(20 grams) baking powder

(5 grams) kosher salt

eggs

(227 grams) sour cream

(105 grams) canola oil

(18 grams) pure vanilla extract

(75 grams) boiling water

strawberries

(30 grams) apple cider vinegar

(800 grams) granulated sugar

(480 grams) heavy cream

(72 grams) brown sugar

(12 grams) pure vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Use a sturdy spoon to stir them all together.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs and sour cream with a fork, mixing until smooth. Add the oil and vanilla and use the fork to mix until they’re incorporated. The mixture will be smooth and creamy.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and continue to stir until the dry ingredients are mostly incorporated. The batter will turn very thick.

Add the boiling water and stir until the batter is smooth and uniform with no traces of unmixed ingredients remaining.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula to smooth it evenly into the corners. Bake the cake for 35 to 40 minutes, until it’s golden, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely (editor’s note: or steal slices warm from the oven).

While the cake is cooling, make the Strawberry Compote and Butterscotch Whipped Cream. (See the steps below.)

When you’re ready to serve the cake, there are two ways you can serve it: 1) Spoon the Strawberry Compote over the cake. Top the compote with the Butterscotch Whipped Cream, using the back of a spoon to give it some pretty swirls. Or 2) Use the parchment paper to lift the cooled cake out of the pan. Cut the cake into 12 equal pieces. Spoon some Strawberry Compote over each piece. Top with a generous dollop of Butterscotch Whipped Cream. 

The Vanilla–Sour Cream Cake will keep, tightly covered at room temperature, for several days. Once assembled with the Strawberry Compote and Butterscotch Whipped Cream, plan to enjoy this cake the day you assemble it. That said, if you cover and refrigerate it, it will not disappoint the next day or the day after that. Especially for breakfast.

Vanilla–Sour Cream Cake

Make the Strawberry Compote: Combine the strawberries and vinegar in a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until the fruit is soft and has released some juice. Add the granulated sugar 1 cup (200 grams) at a time, stirring between additions until the sugar disappears. Increase the heat to medium and bring the fruit and sugar to a boil. Boil for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and let the compote cool before using. The compote can be spooned into a jar and refrigerated for up to 1 month.

Make the Butterscotch Whipped Cream: Chill a bowl and a whisk. Pour the cream into the bowl and add the brown sugar and vanilla. Whisk the cream until stiff-ish peaks form. Take care that you don’t turn it into butter by overwhipping. Use immediately. (Yes, you can use a mixer with the whisk attachment to whip the cream!)

Strawberry Compote & Butterscotch Whipped Cream

A classic chopped salad full of salami, provolone, pepperoncinis and all your favorite Italian sub ingredients from chef Nancy Silverton at Pizzeria Mozza.

Nancy&#39;s Chopped Salad

red wine vinegar

oregano

garlic,

kosher salt,

black pepper,

olive oil

red onion,

head (22 ounces) iceberg lettuce

head (11 ounces) radicchio

small, sweet cherry tomatoes,

Kosher salt

chickpeas,

provolone,

Genoa salami,

pepperoncini (stems discarded),

oregano Sicilian

Whisk together the vinegar, oregano, lemon juice, the smashed garlic and grated garlic and the salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes (to marinate the oregano). Add the oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly to form an emulsified vinaigrette. Taste for seasoning, and add salt or lemon juice as needed. The yield is a generous 1 1/2 cups; you'll use up to 1/2 cup for this salad, and the remainder can be refrigerated for another use (up to 3 days).

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE

Separate the layers of the onion and stack two or three layers on top of one another, then cut them lengthwise into 1/16-inch-wide strips. Repeat with the remaining onion layers. Place the onion in a small bowl of ice water to sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Drain the onion and pat dry with paper towels before adding to the salad.

Cut the iceberg lettuce in half through the core. Remove and discard the outer leaves, and discard the core. Separate the lettuce leaves, stack two or three leaves on top of one another, then cut them lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Repeat with the remaining leaves; thinly slice the radicchio in the same way. Cut the tomatoes in half, season them with salt to taste, and toss gently.

Combine the lettuce, radicchio, tomatoes, chickpeas, provolone, salami, peperoncini and onion in a large, wide bowl. Season with salt to taste, and toss to thoroughly combine. Drizzle 6 tablespoons of the vinaigrette over the salad, then sprinkle with the lemon juice; toss gently to coat the salad evenly. Taste, and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette, plus salt and/or lemon juice as needed.

Transfer the salad to a large platter or divide it among individual plates, piling it like a mountain. Sprinkle the dried oregano leaves on top and serve.


FOR THE SALAD

Nothing beats a chilli and seafood summer pasta. Images and text from Australian Food by Bill Granger (Murdoch Books, $49.99). Photography by Mikkel Vang.

Crab and chilli linguine recipe

linguine

unsalted butter

eschalots, finely chopped

garlic cloves, finely chopped

red chillies, finely chopped

spanner crab meat

loosely packed flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

tsp chilli flakes

https://resources.newscdn.com.au/cs/video/vjs/stable/build/index.html?id=5348771529001-5853635662001&=domain=del

5348771529001-5853635662001

“If you close your eyes and you’ve never had it and you take a bite,&quot; White says. &quot;You’d think it’s the greatest thing you’ve ever tasted.” Steaming means that the lobster cooks in its own salty-sweet juices, rather than letting boiling water in to dilute them. Steaming is also a slightly slower, gentler, and more forgiving method—if you leave the lobsters in the steamer an extra minute, they won’t overcook. Anything you add from there shouldn&#39;t overpower the lobster, just act as a subtle complement. If you make the tarragon mayonnaise, it shouldn’t taste like tarragon, White says. “It should just be a whisper.” Adapted slightly from Lobster at Home (Scribner, 1998).

Jasper White’s World-Famous Lobster Rolls

lobster lobsters

cucumber

Special Tarragon Mayonnaise (recipe follows);

scallions

salt

black pepper

unsalted butter, softened

pickles and potato chips,

Dijon mustard

tarragon leaves

salad oil,

juice of 1/2 large lemon

water

cayenne pepper sauce

If using live lobsters, prepare to steam them. Note: There are lots of opinions on the most humane way to cook a lobster—choose the method you're most comfortable with. If you'd like to quickly kill the lobsters before cooking, Fine Cooking has a very clear video: https://www.finecooking... Alternatively, you can numb them in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes (though you may need to add an extra minute of cook time) or stand the lobsters on their heads to calm them, like this: https://food52.com/blog...  

To steam the lobsters, fill a large, tall, lidded pot with 1 inch of salt water. If the lobsters do not fit comfortably in the pot and you cannot see the bottom of the pot, it’s overcrowded and you should use more than one pot. Set up a steaming rack inside the pot (or improvise one with an upside-down colander)—there should be enough room that the lobsters will be suspended far enough above the water that when they release liquid during steaming, they do not end up sitting in it. Turn the heat to high and cover the pot. The water will boil quickly and fill the pot with steam. When it does, place the lobsters in the pot and cover tightly. 1-pound lobsters should take 10 minutes to cook; add 2 minutes for every additional 1/4 pound. Halfway through steaming, using long tongs, carefully rearrange the lobsters. Work quickly and cover the pot again as soon as possible. When the lobsters have cooked for the recommended time, remove one and break it open where the carapace meets the tail. The tail meat should be creamy white with no translucency. If not, allow the lobsters to steam for a few minutes more. 

Let the lobsters cool at room temperature. Use a cleaver to crack and remove the meat from the claws, knuckles, and tails. Remove the cartilage from the claws and the intestine from the tails of the cooked meat and discard. Cut the meat into 1/2-inch dice. You may pick all the meat from the carcass or freeze the carcass for soup or broth.

Place the cucumber in a colander for at least 5 minutes to drain any excess liquid.

Combine the lobster, cucumber, and mayonnaise. If the salad is to be served within the hour, add the scallions. If not, add them 30 minutes before serving. Season with salt if needed and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving. 

When ready to serve, preheat a large heavy skillet (12 or 14 inches) over medium low heat. (A black cast-iron pan is perfect.)

Lightly butter both sides of each bun. Place in the pan and cook for about 2 minutes or until golden brown. Turn the buns over and toast the other side. Or toast them under the broiler instead.

When the buns are ready, stuff them with the chilled lobster salad. Place each roll on a small paper or china plate; garnish with pickles and potato chips. Serve at once, while the bun is still warm and salad cold.

Lobster Rolls

To make the mayonnaise by hand (alternatively, these steps can be done in a food processor): Place a stainless-steel mixing bowl on a damp cloth to keep the bowl from sliding around. Add the egg yolk, mustard, and tarragon to the bowl and whisk until blended.

Drizzle the oil into the bowl while whisking constantly. Be sure that the mixture is smooth and well blended at all times. Stop adding the oil periodically to allow yourself time to catch up; when there is no oil visible, continue adding and whisking. When half the oil is added, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Alternate between the remaining oil and lemon juice, whisking all the while, until both are incorporated. 

Whisk in the ice water. (The water stabilizes the mayonnaise, which prevents separating, a common flaw of homemade mayonnaise.) Season to taste with salt pepper and cayenne. Whisk. Store in a small container, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days. Makes 1 cup.

Special Tarragon Mayonnaise

For this Italian &quot;sausage&quot; sandwich recipe with pork and pancetta, blend sautéed fennel and onion with Dijon mustard and fennel seeds for a homemade mustard. 

Italian &quot;Sausage&quot; Sandwiches with Spicy Grilled Peppers and Fennel-Onion Mustard

olive oil, divided

fennel bulb, stalks and core removed, roughly chopped

onion,

garlic cloves,

cider vinegar

mustard seeds, ground

thyme

fennel pollen fennel seed

shallots

garlic

pancetta

rosemary,

sage,

red pepper

thyme,

salt, divided

pork

grapeseed oil

hamburger buns, preferably whole grain

peppers peppers

olive oil, more to taste

Heat a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil. When oil is warm, add fennel and onion to pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened and edges have just started to brown. Add minced garlic to pan. After a minute or so, when garlic starts to release its aroma, adjust heat to low and add vinegar to pan—the mixture will sizzle for a minute. Continue to cook until there is only a tablespoon or two of liquid left in the pan and vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and let vegetables cool for about 15 minutes.

Add vegetable mixture and any remaining liquid to a blender. Add ground mustard seeds, thyme, 2 tablespoons water, Dijon mustard, and fennel pollen to the blender. Begin blending the mixture. With motor running, drizzle in remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add additional water a tablespoon at a time if mixture is too thick and isn't puréeing easily. Depending on how powerful your blender motor is, you may want to purée mixture in batches. I found that it worked well for my blender to divide the mixture into two batches. Continue blending until the mixture resembles a smooth purée.

Taste the mustard, and add salt 1/2 teaspoon at a time until the flavor is balanced. If the mustard does not taste sufficiently mustardy, add additional cider vinegar a teaspoon at a time until the flavor tastes right. 

Remove the mustard from blender and put in serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate while you cook peppers and sandwiches. Mustard will keep in fridge for several weeks.

For the homemade mustard

Chop shallots, garlic, and pancetta as finely as you can. In a large mixing bowl, add the first eight ingredients (shallots through thyme) and mix well with a wooden spoon. Add 1 teaspoon salt and the pork to the bowl and gently separate the pork strands with your fingers. Gently mix everything together with your hands until the pork is coated with seasonings.

Test the pork mixture by pan-frying a miniature patty: Form one tablespoon-sized ball of meat with your fingers. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat and add grapeseed oil to pan. When oil is hot, flatten sausage ball slightly and add to pan. Cook for about 1 1/2 minutes per side, or until meat has developed a golden crust. Remove mini-patty from pan and let rest for a minute or two. Taste to judge if seasonings should be adjusted. Add a little more salt to the meat in the mixing bowl if needed. If the mini-patty doesn't taste spicy enough, add more crushed red pepper to bowl. If the herbal flavors aren't coming through very strongly, add more rosemary, sage, and thyme to the bowl.

Divide the rest of the meat into six portions. Form each portion into a large ball. Place on a cookie sheet or large plate and refrigerate.

If you have a charcoal grill, light the coals. If you have a gas grill, as I do, light the grill and turn up the heat to medium-high. If you have some mesquite wood chips, put some of them in your smoker box. While grill is heating, remove stems from peppers, slice them in half, and remove seeds. Brush outside of pepper halves with 1 tablespoon or so of olive oil.

When grill is hot (about 500° F), oil the grill's cooking rack. Add peppers to the rack and cover the grill. Grill peppers for about 3 to 4 minutes per side until the peppers have some nice charring. It is not necessary for the peppers to be totally blackened. Remove the peppers and put them in a bowl to continue steaming. Cover with a tea towel.

Remove the pork balls from the fridge. Slightly flatten each one with your hand or a spatula until it resembles a thick hamburger patty. Grill each patty for about 4 to 5 minutes per side until the outside of the patties are nice and golden and the insides are cooked to a light pink. I usually cut one patty and take a peek inside to see if it's done. Do not overcook—pork that's too well done gets tough very quickly! Remove patties from heat and let them rest for about five minutes.

While the meat is resting, brush the insides of each bun with the remaining tablespoon or so of olive oil. Grill buns on the warming rack until they are a lovely golden brown. Remove peppers from the bowl and put them on a platter. Remove the skin and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.

Put a bun on each diner's plate. Spread some fennel-onion mustard on the insides of the buns. Top with a meat patty and one or two slices of grilled pepper. Serve with an ice cold beer or a glass of lemonade. Enjoy, and dine al fresco if you can!

For the "sausage" and pepper sandwiches

This Kulfi recipe calls for a mix of evaporated milk and cream. It is then cooled down while the cardamom &amp;amp; rose water latch on with a spicy floral sweetness. 

Meera Sodha’s Cardamom &amp;amp; Rose Water Kulfi

cardamom pods

(12-ounce 354 milliliters) can evaporated milk

(295 grams) heavy cream

(100 grams) sugar

rose water

Fresh fruit, for serving (optional)

rose petals

Crush the cardamom pods lightly to free the seeds inside; then discard the outer green pods. Using a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle, grind the seeds as finely as you can.

Combine the evaporated milk, cream, sugar, rose water, and ground cardamom in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium-low heat, stirring often to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

When it starts to boil, remove from the heat and set the pot in a larger bowl of ice water to cool it down, stirring the mixture occasionally. When the mixture is cold, pour it through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large measuring cup or other container with a spout. Pour the strained mixture into kulfi molds, ice pop molds, or another freezable container. Cover tightly and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours.

To remove the kulfis from their molds, dip them into hot water for a second, turn them upside down over a plate and give them a sharp tap on the top.

Serve with fresh fruit or by themselves. Store any leftovers airtight in the freezer.

Genius Tip: For extra-fetching pops (and to give a sneak preview on the flavor), The Fearless Baker author Erin Jeanne McDowell sprinkles ingredients like dried rose petals or chopped pistachios on the exposed surface of her ice pops (or kulfis, as the case may be) once the base is firm enough that the topping won’t sink in, usually after about 1 hour of freezing.

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/Zcv2M4zJ.mp4

This Perfect Negroni recipe is a classic Italian cocktail worth knowing. The Negroni&#39;s ingredients are gin, Campari, and vermouth—but its flavor is complex.

The Perfect Negroni

Campari

sweet vermouth

orange peel (for garnish)

Stir gin, Campari, and vermouth in a shaker or mixing glass filled partway with ice. 

Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. 

Garnish with an orange twist and serve. 

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/5FODLgUd.mp4

A riff on Jim Lahey&#39;s popular method, this no knead sourdough bread uses a starter instead of commercial yeast. It’s deliciously crusty and chewy.

No-Knead Sourdough Bread

(480 grams) all-purpose flour,

kosher salt

sourdough starter

(303 grams) room-temperature water

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and salt. 

In a large bowl, whisk the sourdough starter and water until no bits of starter remain. 

Add the flour mixture to the starter mixture and stir (a wooden spoon is helpful here) until it just comes together. You don’t want to see major dry spots, but don’t worry about getting everything perfectly combined; it’s okay for it to look shaggy and not smooth.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a reusable bowl cover and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, uncover the bowl and fold the dough over onto itself a few times. The best way to do this is to grab the dough with your hand (or use a dough scraper), starting at the top of the bowl furthest from you, and pull it over onto itself toward the bottom of the bowl closest to you. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat, doing 4 folds in total.

Cover the bowl again and let it rest at room temperature overnight (aim for 8 to 10 hours). 

After this rise, scoop the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using your hand or a dough scraper, repeat the four-time folding motion, shaping the dough into a ball as you go, leaving it seam-side down. Cover the dough lightly with a flour-dusted tea towel and let it sit for 1½ hours, or until puffy and almost doubled in size. (It’s nice to let the shaped dough rise on a piece of parchment paper or another floured towel, as this will make it easier to move into the pot.) 

Just before the end of the rising time, heat the oven to 450°F. Once risen, carefully transfer the dough to a Dutch oven or other heavy pot; arrange seam side up. 

Using a very sharp knife or bread lame, slash the top of the loaf once, making a ½-inch cut down the center. (Feel free to get fancier if you like!)

Cover the pot with the lid and bake the bread for 20 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until the crust is a deep golden brown all over. If you have a digital thermometer, the internal temperature of the loaf should register 210°F. Remove from the oven and flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/TTQafC8H.mp4

A simple Tiki cocktail that is as easy to love as it is to make. Campari gives the drink a bitter backbone while pineapple, lime, and rum combine into a balance of classic flavors

Top 12 outdoor entertaining recipes from across the web

The most viewed outdoor entertaining recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Herby Whipped Ricotta With Pea &amp...

Strawberry &amp; Butterscotch W...

Nancy's Chopped Salad

Crab and chilli linguine recipe

Jasper White’s World-Famous Lobster...

Italian "Sausage" Sandwic...

Meera Sodha’s Cardamom &amp; Ro...

The Perfect Negroni

No-Knead Sourdough Bread

Jungle Bird

Pan de Elote (Mexican Cornbread)

Erin McDowell's Strawberry Not-...

Top 12 outdoor entertaining recipes from across the web

The most viewed outdoor entertaining recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Herby Whipped Ricotta With Pea &amp...

Strawberry &amp;amp; Butterscotch W...

Nancy&#39;s Chopped Salad

Crab and chilli linguine recipe

Jasper White’s World-Famous Lobster...

Italian &quot;Sausage&quot; Sandwic...

Meera Sodha’s Cardamom &amp;amp; Ro...

The Perfect Negroni

No-Knead Sourdough Bread

Jungle Bird

Pan de Elote (Mexican Cornbread)

Erin McDowell&#39;s Strawberry Not-...

The most viewed outdoor entertaining recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Strawberry & Butterscotch W...

Nancy's Chopped Salad

Italian "Sausage" Sandwic...

Meera Sodha’s Cardamom & Ro...

Erin McDowell's Strawberry Not-...