Fourth of July Entertaining
Mixing prints and patterns makes setting a table easier.
American Flap Star Dinner Napkin from Pottery Barn
Pleated Outdoor Melamine Salad Plates
How fun are these props?! Pictures are the perfect way to capture your most fun memories.
Keep Scrolling for to get my favorite recipe's to use for the Fourth of July!!
4th of July Sangria
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
2 bottles Sauvignon Blanc
1 cup triple sec
1/2 cup berry-flavored vodka
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup simple syrup (see tips below)
1 cup blueberries
1 1/2 cups hulled and sliced strawberries
1 cup raspberries
1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks
Combine all ingredients in a large punch bowl or pitcher and stir well. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Serve well-chilled with a good scoop of fruit floating in each drink, or serve over ice.
*To make 1/2 cup simple syrup, boil 1/2 cup water and add 1/2 cup granulated white sugar. Turn heat to simmer and stir until dissolved. Turn off the heat and let cool. Now it's simple syrup!
*Use fresh fruit for this recipe. Frozen just won't be great.
*To make star-shaped pineapple pieces, cut long & wide pieces of pineapple off the
side of the fresh fruit. use a star cutter to cut shapes.
Red and White Striped Napkins from World Market
Grilled Chicken with Red, White & Blue Salsa
Yields: 6 servings
6 (6 oz) chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness
Brine (1 quart of water and ¼ cup kosher salt)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Natural charcoal
Bring brine to a boil then let cool. Soak chicken in the brine for 2 hours. Lightly brush olive oil on both sides of the chicken breast, then season both sides with salt and pepper. Use natural charcoal (I like Publix Greenwise Market® 100% Natural Wood Charcoal) to give chicken an extra flavor. Grill the chicken until fully cooked (medium-high fire, 375-450°F, for a few minutes on each side depending on the thickness). Slice chicken and put on platter or plates, then top with salsa.
Blueberry, Strawberry & Jicama Salsa
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup diced strawberries
2 cups diced jicama
½ cup red pepper
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
2 jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
1 tbs mint
Juice of 2 large limes
Salt, to taste
In a medium bowl, combine blueberries, strawberries, jicama, cilantro, red onion, jalapeño, red pepper, mint and lime juice. Stir until well combined. Season with salt, to taste. Serve over chicken breast.
Handheld United States Flag Set of 6
Grilled Havana Corn
Yields: 6 servings
6 ears of corn, husks and silk removed
1/2 cup sour cream
Pinch salt
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (about 4-5 ounces)
Paprika
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges, for serving
Grill ears of corn on medium-high heat, turning frequently, until brow
ned in spots, about 8 to 10 minutes. When corn is done on the grill, attach corn holders to each ear, and working quickly, smear each ear with the sour cream and then sprinkle
with grated cheese, paprika and cilantro to taste.
Serve immediately, with lime wedges alongside. Squeeze lime over the corn before eating.
Cherry Pie (from ad hoc at home by Thomas Keller)
Yields: 6-8 servings
Filling:
2 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs water
7 cups sweet cherries, such as Bing, pitted
¾ to 1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbs vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract
Basic Pie Crust (see recipe below)
1 large egg, beaten
Granulated sugar for sprinkling
Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve the
cornstarch.
Put 5 cups of cherries in a large bowl, then set aside. Put the remaining 2 cups
cherries in a blender and blend to a puree.
Combine the puree, sugar (3/4 cup if the cherries are sweet, up to 1 cup if they are
tart), and vanilla paste (not the extract) in a medium sauce pan, bring to a simmer
over medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring often to prevent bottom from burning,
until mixture has been reduced to 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups. Reduce the heat to medium-low
and stirring constantly, add the cornstarch mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring and cook until the mixture becomes translucent again. Remove from the heat, spoon a little of
the puree mixture onto a plate and let cool slightly, then rub it between your
fingertips to feel for any remaining grains of cornstarch. If necessary, cook slightly
longer to dissolve the cornstarch. Transfer the filling to a medium bowl and stir in the vanilla extract, if using. Let cool completely.
Remove both doughs from the refrigerator (see basic pie crust recipe). Position one
oven rack in the bottom of the oven and the other in the center and preheat the over
for 400 degrees F.
Stir the puree into the whole cherries and pour into the pie shell. At this point, if the top crust is too hard to shape, let it rest at room temperature for a few minutes.
Moisten the rim of the pie shell with some of the beaten egg. Use a star-shaped
cookie cutter to make stars (I made 4) and then cut strips for stripes (I made 6). Cover the filling with the top crust and press edges of the strips together with the
pie edges to seal.
Brush the top of the crust with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar if desired. Put on the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Lower the heat to 375 degrees F, move the pie to the center rack, and bake until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling, 20 to 30 minutes.
Transfer pie to a cooling rack to cool.
The pie is best served 2 to 3 hours after it is baked, but it can be kept at room temp the day it is baked or wrapped and refrigerated for up to 3 days. To reheat, warm in a 325 degree F oven for about 15 minutes.
Basic Pie Crust
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling
1 ¼ tsp kosher salt
2 ½ sticks (10 oz) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
About 5 tbs ice water
Combine flour and salt in a large bowl, then add the butter and toss to coat with flour. With your hands or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour, tossing and incorporating any pieces of butter that have settled at the bottom of the bow
l, until the butter pieces are no larger than a pea. Drizzle ¼ cup of the water over the top and using a fork, mix the dough until it just holds together when pinched; add the remaining tablespoon of water if the dough is very dry. Knead the dough until it is completely smooth and the butter is incorporated.
Divide the dough in half with one piece slightly larger than the other. Shape each half into a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
If the dough is too hard to roll, let it rest at room temp for a few minutes. Lightly flour the working surface and rolling pin. Lightly dust the top of the larger disk of dough with flour and roll it out to a 13 to 14 inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Roll outward from the center, rotating dough frequently and adding a little flour to the work surface or dough as needed to prevent sticking. Fold the dough in half and transfer to a 9 to 10 inch pie plate, gently easing the dough into the corners and up the sides.
Roll out the second piece of dough in the same manner, to a 12-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate both doughs for 15 minutes.
Williams Sonoma Fluted Pastry Cutter
Homemade Ice Cream
(Yields: 1 quart)
1 packet Williams-Sonoma Vanilla Ice Cream Starter
1 ½ cups (375ml) cold half-and-half
1 ½ cups (375ml) cold heavy cream
In a large bowl, whisk together the ice cream starter and half-and-half until the starter has dissolved. Stir in the cream.
Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker (I love using my KitchenAid Professional 600 with the ice cream maker attachment) and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Here are the instructions for the KitchenAid mixer:
Assemble and engage freeze bowl, dasher and drive assembly as directed in attachment instructions. Turn to STIR (Speed 1). Using a container with a spout, pour mixture into freeze bowl. Continue on STIR (Speed 1) for 15 to 20 minutes or until desired consistency. Immediately transfer ice cream into serving dishes, or free in airtight container.
Kate Spade New York Charlotte Street East 4-Piece Place Setting in Navy
