Care to take a guess before reading further?
It was our supper one July night of 2022 that I never posted. July is past again but I'm posting it now as July of 2024 is too far away to risk waiting again.
We had this odd meal with french bread and smoked salmon leftover from the salmon RH usually smokes for Independence Day.
That's a tiny oil painting I did almost 50 years ago inspired by Childe Hassam's flag paintings. It comes out every July and goes back in the cupboard in September.
But what is in my glass soup bowl?
The soup is cucumber and the two red circles in it are Watermelon Gelée, both recipes by Greg Atkinson, chef and proprietor of Restaurant Marché on Bainbridge Island, Washington.
I couldn't find a recipe link for the typed copy I've had in my files for years and can't remember where I first found it. The Watermelon Gelée was delicious but the next time I make the cucumber soup I'll use Vincent Price's recipe as it really needs Vincent's cream, chicken broth, and a leek to enhance its flavor.
The gelée--pronounced huh-ley--has 3 cups of watermelon chunks, 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice pureed, strained, 1/2 cup of the liquid put in a saucepan and 1 envelop of gelatin sprinkled over it. Soften 5 minutes then put saucepan on high heat and stir until gelatin is dissolved and juice begins to boil. [I stirred in some Trader Joe's Chili Lime seasoning.]
Put a pinch of black sesame seeds in each of 4 paper cups [or foil cupcake liners] then stir the hot gelatin mixture into the remaining juice and distribute evenly between the four cups, over the sesame seeds. Chill till firmly set then tear the foil away from the gelée and put on top of the cold cucumber soup.
This was a fun and pretty meal so I hope you'll understand why I didn't want to waste my year old pictures. My room in the picture above has had some small changes this summer when I began taking some things away from it. I moved all the Blue Delft and Royal Copenhagen out of the room and put it all into the 10 x 12 room outside our bedrooms that I call the antechamber where I have more blue and white china.
Two more pictures to show. You can't have a light meal such as this without having a good dessert.
This delicious thing was a Lemon Cornmeal Cake with Lemon Glaze and Crushed-Blueberry Sauce from Bon Appetit that I did find a link for. Here!
Be sure and notice the pretty vintage silver spoons I used. They're monogramed but I've never been able to figure out what the initial is.
Are you ever tempted to cook an odd recipe? I do it all the time even though sometimes they don't turn out well and RH says: "Why don't you just cook your old recipes that we know we like?"
I ask you, "Where's the fun in that?"
The lemon cake with blueberry sauce looks scrumptious, Dewena. I like your vintage spoons, they look antiquish (if that's a word). ; ) I would have never guessed what the meal was. It sounds like you cooked a lot this Summer. Your table setting with the blues is so pretty. I just love blue in the home, and I have included this color with my Fall decor. Yes, already thinking of Fall here, as we've had cooler days, and it's starting to feel like it's arriving soon. I like how you use the taper candles at times. You don't see them around anymore. Glad to see a post from you again.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have wonderful September days, Dewena.
~Sheri
Thank you, Sheri! I love blue for Fall too and pretty much every season. I'm sure you'll get cooler temperatures before we do but I am just going to pretend that Autumn is at the door and start celebrating it. Beautiful September days to you also, Sheri!
DeleteI never would have guessed the recipe, but I do admire how you are so adventurous in your cooking. There IS fun in that!
ReplyDeleteMy mother had a blue and white kitchen with a shelf full of delft pieces. The large plate hanging over your tv set reminds me of a couple that she had. My brothers and I shared pieces from the collection after she passed. I love seeing them in our kitchens now.
Happy September, Dewena.
Karen, at one time I had years worth of blue Delft Christmas tiles but left them for an estate sale when we moved to Florida. Now back in TN I very much wish I'd kept them. My sister-in-law started my collection of Royal Copenhagen and I do love how the two work together with old Blue Willow. I'm so glad you and your brothers kept your mother's pieces!
DeleteThat gelee is pretty fancy! Well, the whole meal is admirable and mouth watering. Recently I was trying to figure out what to do with excess watermelon that wasn't terribly sweet. I think I will save this recipe idea for the next time that happens. It's so pretty...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Gretchen! I admit coming from the generations who put gelatin in almost everything, especially in summer. If it would gel, we gelled it.
DeleteYou are such a creative and adventurous cook! As much as I cook, I've never even heard of gelee. It sounds refreshing and delicous. And that cake looks absolutely wonderful. I'll be taking a look at the recipe.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Melanie! After looking at my year-old pictures above I realized the cake must have been at another summer meal last summer, not this one. When I paper clipped them together I must have wanted to post on both but the story behind the cake is lost to memory. All I remember is that it was delicious!
DeleteI couldn't guess! Looks very exotic and interesting, I like trying new things. I'm so so behind on my blog reading, dear Dewena, I hope you had a lovely summer (ours is still going on strong) and a great Labor Day weekend.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Oh, how I do understand getting behind on blog reading, Amalia. Life is so daily and stuffed full! I'm glad I found your Instagram account where I get to see more of your darling creations that tell such a story. You enjoy the rest of your summer!
DeleteHi, I never would have guessed. I would like to try it. I just love your home sweet home.
ReplyDeleteCarla
Thank you, dear Carla!
DeleteI love everything about your special, July evening dinner, Dewena, from the dishes - both kinds: the food and the ware - to the atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteI would never have guessed that the filling in those foil cups was watermelon gelee! I've never heard of that. I was thinking maybe a fig puree of some sort. You are such an adventurous cook! I admire your curiosity and the passion with which you execute each new dish!
The dessert looks absolutely delish! I love the coupling of blueberry and lemon in cakes, pies, and muffins.
There is such a beautiful ambiance in these pics. One of my favourite colour combinations is red, white and blue, so I really enjoyed seeing how you've used these hues in the materials, patterns and textures of your surroundings.
Poppy xx
Thank you, Poppy dear! I think we both agreed years ago that lemons were almost our favorite ingredient. I was pleased to read the cooking advice of a chef in a magazine recently whose top cooking advice was to use more lemons in your cooking. I think we also learned early on that our hearts sing with red, white, and blue. I think green is becoming a must for me also. I think I'm just not a pastel person.
DeleteYou know, it does look like the foil cupcake liner is still on the gelee but actually I peeled them off. I think it's the clear layer of the gelee at the top portion holding the shape of the pleated cup that makes it appear the foil cup is in the bowl of soup. As always, I'm nuts about anything with gelatin in it, being of the Aspics generation of cooks. I like anything that's from the old women's tea room type cooking having grown up in that time of women's luncheon food that included gelatin in half the recipes.
A big hug to you!