Savor Summer Evenings
04-Sep-2008
This is the perfect time of year to enjoy the summer evenings outside. It’s not too hot and we all know the opportunities to be outside in the evening are numbered. With the days getting shorter you want to pull something together quickly so you don’t lose a moment of the sun.
Think about mixing up a batch of gougère and just holding the batter in the refrigerator overnight or for up to three days. Then, when you get home from work the next night set up a baking sheet with a batch of gougère and while they bake set out some charcuterie, maybe a few cheeses, slice some tomatoes from your garden or the farmers’ market, maybe include some olives or pickled vegetables for a little contrast and pour yourself a glass of wine.
As you probably know I love Salumi salami but there are lots of other great options. The meat in the photo above is from a package that Costco sells made by Daniele. Since the package is sealed you can hold it in the refrigerator until the opportunity to enjoy it presents itself. I like the variety of meats in the package. It includes Hot Calabrese, Pepper Salame and Hot Capocollo.
When the gougère have baked you’re ready to sit on the deck or in the yard, sipping a favorite wine and nibbling on some savory little bites. And it was all done in less then 30 minutes leaving most of the evening for soaking up the final days of summer.
By the way, the wine in the photo above is Kestrel’s Sangiovese which lends itself perfectly to this sort of evening.
Culinary Fool 
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