For many people, June is happy month!  School is ending, the days are longer, the sun is warmer, many workplaces have summer hours and people are generally in a happier place!  When people are happier, they are more likely to share that happiness with friends and family by hosting parties; be it in the backyard, around the pool or at the cottage. As a caterer, that makes me happy!  It’s going to be a busy cooking season with weddings, bon voyage parties, cocktail parties and birthday celebrations booked.  Summer menus are bursting with bright colours, simple cooking methods and a focus on fresh flavours.  For some hosts, hiring a caterer is the best option for them; no mess, no work and no stress.  Others like the thrill of planning a menu, sourcing the best ingredients and making their tables a picture of summer beauty.  Regardless of what category you fall into, I have something to make your summer entertaining a breeze.  Pour yourself a glass of cool lemonade and browse through my summer catering menu (http://nhughes.homestead.com/hireachef.html) or sip away and start planning your next menu with two of my easy no fuss summer entertaining recipes.  Either way, have a wonderful and delicious start to your summer!

Ricotta Fritters with Fresh Ontario Tomato & Mint Salad
 
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 500g fresh ricotta
• ¼ cup (20g) finely grated parmesan
• 2 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra, for dusting
• ¼ cup chopped chives
• 1 egg
• sea salt and cracked black pepper
• 1 eggwhite
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large tomato, diced
• ¼ cup minced red onion or sweet Vidalia onion
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped mint
• Salt and pepper to serve

1. Place the ricotta, parmesan, flour, chives, egg, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well to combine.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggwhite until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped egg through the ricotta mixture.
3. Using moistened hands, shape ¼-cupfuls of the mixture into fritters and dust each side with the extra flour.  DO AHEAD:  the fritters can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them.
4. For the salad, combine the tomato, onion and mint in a small bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.
5. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook the fritters, in batches, for 2–3 minutes on each side or until browned.
6. Serve with a tomato, mint and onion salad.

Fresh Strawberry Bellini

Serves 8

Ingredients:
• 1 bottle Prosecco or sparkling wine
• 2 cups pureed and strained fresh strawberries
• Fresh mint for garnish
 
Place 8 Champagne flutes in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Open the prosecco and let it stand in an ice bucket for 5 minutes.

Into a pitcher, pour the 2 cups pureed strawberries.

Gently pour in the bottle of prosecco and stir gently to combine.

Divide among Champagne flutes and serve garnished with a mint sprig.

Nadine Hughes is the creator and owner of, The Cook’s Companion and The Menu Companion, through which she offers kitchen consultations, menu planning services as well as private cooking classes for adults and teens throughout Southern Ontario. She is also an award winning author.  Pick up a copy of her latest cookbook “The Groove Mamma Goes Gourmet – Easy Ways To Put The Fun Back Into Entertaining� (awarded Best Canadian Entertaining Cookbook at the 2009 Gourmand Cookbook Awards) for $7.98 at www.groovemamma.com

©Nadine Hughes 2011

Tags: caterer, catering, flavours, Fresh Strawberry Bellini, nadine hughes, ontario, recipe, Ricotta Fritters with Fresh Ontario Tomato and Mint Sal, summer menus