....is a Platter of Figs, Menu One

After a lovely week in Memphis, with a whirlwind trip to Louisville & Nashville and a day playing hookie with CPB full of good food, beer & baseball I'm back at work today. And back to posting here, this menu is from a few weeks ago when the Cook's came to visit. Mrs. C (aka Pookie), was one of my college roomates, there were 5 of us original to the Harvard House and since then we've been spread across the country but we've still mananged to stay in touch.

The weekend the Cook's came to town was full of good company, including the adorable T-Rex, and meals planned entirely from the cookbook 'A Platter of Figs'. This book reads more like a letter from a friend than a cookbook, the recipes are organized by season and focus on simple preparation emphasizing the key ingredients with minor accents. The title recipe, a platter of figs, describes how much goes in to knowing how to chose the right fig. When you know what to look for, the fig needs little else to showcase it's sweetness and flavor. As the summer heats up I wanted to use the oven as little as possible (the berry crumble is an exception). I looked for recipes that required minimal heat or could be cooked on the grill.

(Click the link to see the dinner from Platter of Figs, Menu Two.)

Melon and Figs with Prosciutto & More

melons

figs

prosciutto

white cheddar

nectarines

salami

brie

Thinly slice all of the fruits, meats & cheeses serve on a board. 

(If the fruit isn't quite ripe drizzle with a little honey.)

Grilled Chicken

2-3 lbs chicken

olive oil

salt & pepper

2 rosemary sprigs

Drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper. Sprinkle with chopped rosemary. Cook for 4 minutes, until skin is golden, rotate and cook for 2-4 minutes more. Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving. 

(I couldn't find boneless, skin on  chicken breasts like the recipe called for, if you chose to cook chicken breasts instead of drumsticks make sure the chicken is cooked thru.)

Blueberry-Blackberry Crumble

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

4 Tbsp butter

1 cup blueberries

1 cup blackberries

2 Tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the topping combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon & butter until you have a crumbly mixture. In another bowl, toss berries with sugar. Place the berry mixture 4 ramekins and mound with topping. Bake for 30-45 minutes until topping is nicely browned and berries are bubbling. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

The cutest little sous chef.

Happy Cooking!