Memorial Day picnic...yes, I think I will. The family decided to get together at Pipestem State Park for the day. I was given dessert duty. There are so many things I wanted to make but I had to keep in mind that it was going to be hot, hot, hot and I didn't want to have to worry about things melting or going bad without a cooler. It seemed perfect to me to prepare my stepsons favorite desserts. Nick, the fellow foodie, loves blueberry cobbler. It is his birthday cake of choice every year. And Mike loves chocolate chip cookies. I think this must run in the family as his Dad and Grandma are avid fans also. And since neither needs a cooler, perfect!
The chocolate chip cookies are not any special recipe. I figure Nestle has that recipe pretty much figured out so I just go by the back of the bag. I did double the batch and mix the chips (one milk chocolate, one semi-sweet) but other than that just use good ingredients. Real butter makes a difference! Cookies were flying all over the park as people asked for another.
The cobbler is also quite easy. It consists of 5 ingredients.
1 stick of butter (real, please)
2 cups of self rising flour
2 cups sugar
2 cups milk
2 cups blueberries (or berries of your choice)
You need to make a compote to go on the top of this cobbler. It's very easy to do. Put one cup of water and one cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of your blueberries in a pot and bring it to a boil. Lower the temp to medium high and allow it to reduce by half. You want a thick syrupy consistency. Takes about 10 minutes.
Put the stick of butter in a 13x9 pan (I like disposable for picnic purposes) and place in the oven at 350 degrees. While the oven is coming up to temp and the butter is melting mix the flour, sugar and milk just until there are no lumps. Don't over mix.
When the preheat is done the butter should be sizzling. Take out your pan and pour in the batter mixture. Place the blueberries in the batter evenly and then spoon the compote on top. Bake this for one hour at 350. Really good with whipped cream!
Because both desserts were relatively simple I wanted to stretch and try something I had never done before. Since the main entree was sandwiches I thought I would try my hand at some aioli. I had heard that term bandied about on the Food Network and thought it would be hard to make. Turns out that aioli is simply garlic-ky mayo. I had three flavors that I wanted to make. Something hot. A chipotle perhaps because my darling husband/best friend loves HOT. Something savory...rosemary is one of our favorite flavors. And something with a citrus flair. Lemon and scallion...yum.
They are really simple to make. I used light mayonnaise. Maybe next time I will make my own. Baby steps.
Chipotle Aioli (VERY SPICY)
1 cup mayo
4 chipotle peppers in adobo
2 Tbsp of the adobo
4 cloves garlic
juice of 1 lime
Buzz it all up in the blender.
Rosemary Aioli
1/2 cup mayo
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp fresh rosemary
juice of 1 lime
Buzz it all up in the blender
Lemon Scallion Mayo
1/2 cup mayo
5 scallions (green part included)
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Buzz it all up in the blender
Told you they were simple. But oh so good!!! and when I say that the chipotle is hot, trust me. Spread it on thinly. Or mellow it out with more of the mayo. My darling husband/best friend wouldn't let me do that. Prefers to suffer I guess.
We had too much food for just 12 people but it's better to have to much than not enough. One of the sisters-in-law made some potato salad that was just too yummy. She said it was Alton Brown's Cold Fashioned Potato Salad recipe so google it and try it. You won't regret it! YUM!! She also made a pasta salad but said it was a throw together of whatever is on hand and not a specific recipe. It was also yummy. A mixture of squash, zucchini, capers, ham and lots of other stuff. Seemed to have an Italian style dressing on it. I had a hard time not pigging out. Didn't want to embarrass myself in front of the in-laws. The rest of the menu consisted of deli meats (ham, turkey and beef) and deli cheese (colby, gouda and american). Breads; whole wheat, white, rosemary potato and onion rolls. Tomato, pickle and assorted condiments. Chips of every kind and soda, water and tea to drink. Whew, we were full!
Too full to do this blog. That's why it's a day late. When I take a holiday, I take a holiday. And because we had so much food left over tonight's dinner was a sandwich and chips.
Onion roll with a slice of ham, roast beef, gouda, colby and a smear of the rosemary and chipotle aioli. A few kettle chips on the side and a chocolate chip cookie for dessert.
A perfect end to a perfect holiday weekend.
