Summer Monday Food Blogging

Yes, we've done this before, almost a year ago to this very day as a matter of fact. Good things are worth repeating, don't you agree? It's summertime, kids. The days are long, and the humidity here in the East is as thick as a wet wool sweater. Let's amuse ourselves with pretty pictures and ideas for delicious seasonal eating.

Par exemple, here's what Moose whipped up for brunch on Saturday morning:

The name is not especially sexy -- Open-Faced Sandwich with Ricotta, Arugula, and Fried Egg -- but the taste was delish. The recipe is from Moose's favorite source of food porn for the conscientious, Cooking Light. That perfectly fried egg is sitting on a piece of grilled bread covered by a spread of part-skim ricotta, parmesan, and fresh thyme and a bed of arugula lightly dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. The lemon adds a nice little zing that tricks the mind into thinking it's getting a rich, decadent Hollandaise sauce. It was a yummy, summery, and satisfying way to start the day.

Last evening, the moms headed up to Rodgers Forge for five courses of food porn for the sybaritic produced by the beloved Candy Man, his sidekick the Cock-Eyed Optimist, and the world's most sophisticated 10-year-old. The feast started off with an answer to the question on the minds of every Gleek in America: What Would Sue Drink? The answer, of course, is The Sylvester:

Here is Candy Man's recipe for this refreshing, complex, and slightly dangerous beverage:

The first step is to make a berry syrup, which the Candy Man adopted from a recipe in The French Laundry Cookbook:

1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
6 peppercorns (I used green), lightly crushed
1 pint raspberries
1 pint small strawberries
1 small sprig mint

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook 45 minutes, then strain out the solids. There will be 1 to 1.5 cups syrup; can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to a month.

For the Sylvester:

1 T of the above berry syrup
2 T lime juice
mint leaves, mottled in syrup
2 shots rum
1 shot ginger liquor
A little bit of seltzer

Serve with adorable dumplings filled with a single blackberry and a touch of goat cheese (see lower right corner of above photo), and your guests' bouches will be so amused that their cheeks will ache.

These drinks are so good that we bet Sue Sylvester would slip into her zoot suit to enjoy one. After two, she'd probably be able to embrace Will Schuester without feeling an urge to vomit down his back. After three, well, we can't even write what we might imagine on this family-friendly blog, but we can tell you it would involve a bullhorn and, you know, a bowl full of Cheerios.

(Photo Credit: Fox, via)

Peace out, darlings, and let us know what summer delights you are enjoying!

(With love and thanks to all the boys in Rodgers Forge.)