Menu & Recipes: Midsummer’s Night Picnic

Start with fresh fruit and assorted cheese and decadent caramelized onions deviled eggs. Next, a fresh cucumber and bay shrimp salad and a roasted tomato and garlic soup. The main course is fish cakes and a new potato salad. Dessert is a light sponge cake with fresh whipped cream and strawberries. To drink a sparking peach wine spritzer and sun tea.

Menu & Recipes: Midsummer's Night Picnic
Menu

cheese and fruit plate
Caramelized Onion Deviled Eggs
Cucumber & Shrimp Salad and Roasted Tomato Soup
Fish Cakes with New Potato Salad
Sponge Cake served with sliced strawberries & whipped cream
Peach Wine Spritzers & Sun Tea
serves 4-6

Caramelized Onion Deviled Eggs

1 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced sweet onion
6 hard-boiled eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
dash of Worcestershire sauce
pinch of salt
chopped green onion, the green part, for garnish

Heat oil in in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and cook 15-20 minutes or until brown and caramelized. Peel eggs, then cut eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks; set white aside. Combine yolk with sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce and salt. Spoon or pipe (from a pastry bag) back into the egg whites. Garnish with green onion.

Cucumber & Shrimp Salad

1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon chopped chives
3/4 lb. cooked bay shrimp
3 small cucumbers, thinly sliced

Combine the sour cream, parsley, vinegar, sugar, and chives. Gently fold in shrimp and cucumbers. Cover and chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Roasted Tomato Soup

3 lbs. plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
3 unpeeled large garlic cloves
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups chicken broth, plus additional if needed
1/4 cup heavy cream
fresh lemon juice to taste

Preheat oven to 400F. Spread the tomatoes, skin side down, in one layer on a foil-lined baking pan. Add the garlic to the pan. Bake 20, or until tomatoes are very soft and their skin is dark brown. Garlic should be soft. Let tomatoes and the garlic cool in the pan on a wire rack. Remove skins from tomatoes and garlic. Set aside. In a heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallot, oregano, salt, and pepper until the shallot is soft. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and broth. Bring up to a simmer. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Transfer soup to a blender, in batches, and puree until smooth. Whisk in cream, lemon juice, and additional broth if necessary to reach desired consistency.

Fish Cakes

2 cups mashed potatoes
1 lb. cooked cod
1 egg
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or dill
1 tablespoon lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
panko breadcrumbs
oil for frying
dipping sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
garnish
dill
chopped green onion
lemon wedges

Place all the ingredients, except for the breadcrumbs, in a large bowl. Mix and mash until thoroughly combined. Form into equal-sized patties, the size is up to you. Roll in panko breadcrumbs. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until firm. Mix the dipping sauce ingredients. Refrigerate. Heat some oil in a non-stick pan. Fry patties on each side 3-4 minutes until lightly browned. Place on a platter and top with dill and green onion. Place on lemon wedges and serve with dipping sauce.

New Potato Salad

2 lbs. new (boiling) potatoes
2 pats of butter
5 to 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons capers, optional
1/2 cup sour cream or mayonnaise
1/4 cup snipped fresh dill
1/4 cup chopped chives
4 to 5 tablespoons cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons mustard
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Scrub the potatoes. Place, unpeeled, in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring up to a boil and boil barely tender when pierced with a knife. Let simmer another 1 minute and drain. Place back in pot and dot with the butter. Let it melt over the potatoes. Once cool, cut into bite-sized pieces. Add chopped eggs and capers to potatoes. Combine the remaining ingredients and gently mix into the potatoes. Refrigerate until serving time.

Sponge Cake

6 eggs, seperated
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup chocolate ice cream topping

Place rack on the lowest position in the oven. Preheat oven to 325F. Line an 8-inch (2 in tall) cake pan with aluminum foil. Lightly coat with non-stick spray. Let eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Beat egg yolks until slightly thickened. Gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating until thick and lemon-colored. Mix in water and vanilla. Mix in flour and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Fold about third of egg whites into the cake batter. Fold in remaining whites. Gently pour into a cake pan. Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets. Bake on the lowest oven rack 55-60 minutes or cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove it to a cooling rack and allow to sit undisturbed for 5-10 minutes. Then invert it onto a cooling rack and remove the foil. Allow to completely cool before using.

Peach Wine Spritzers

for each
ice cubes
3 slices fresh peach, peeled
2 rainier cherries, pitted and halved
1 oz. peach schnapps
white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc)
lemon-lime soda

Add some ice cubes into a wine glass. Add a few peach slices and cherries. Add peach schnapps. Add enough wine to fill, leaving room for soda. Add a good splash of soda. Stir.

Sun Tea

12 tea bags
3 quarts cold water

Place tea bags in a large clear glass container. Add water and cover. Let stand in sunlight (or at room temperature) 3 hours or until tea reaches the desired strength.* Remove tea bags. Serve tea over ice with sugar and lemon, if desired. Store in the refrigerator.

*Keep the container away from combustible materials; sunlight shining through glass and liquid may start a fire.

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⇴ image image from Pixabay

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