Summer Fruit Desserts

Summer Fruits are at their peak just in time for the July 4th BBQ and summer family picnics.

Here are some of my favorite summer fruit desserts. These desserts will be the hit of the party.

I’ve thrown in a couple of non-fruit desserts just for fun. You can serve a lot of these desserts with Whipped Creme Fraiche, Whipped Cream, White Chocolate Whipped Cream,  Creme Fraiche Semi-Freddo, or buy a good quality Vanilla Ice Cream. Just don’t use any fake whipped cream products.

Peach and Blueberry Clafouti

Cherry Clafouti

 

Strawberry Semi-Freddo

Summer Fruit Crostata

Crostada Just Out Of The Oven

Summer Fruit Cobbler Topped with Cornmeal Biscuits

S’Mores Tartlets

Key Lime Tart Topped with Italian Meringue

Happy Summer!

camille@camillecooksforyou.com

Posted in Accompaniments, Ahh Haa Moments, Blueberries, Chocolate, Chocolate Desserts, Clafouti, Cobbler, Cornmeal, Cream, Creme Fraiche, Crostata, Custard, Dessert, Dessert/Pastry, Desserts, Food For Thought, Fresh Fruit, Fruit, Fruit Desserts, Graham Cracker Crust, Italian Meringue, Lemon, Macadamia Nuts, Mixed Berries, Nectarines, Pate Sucre, Peach and Blueberry Clafouti, Peaches, Pie, Semi-Freddo, Strawberries, Sugar, Tarts, White Chocolate, White Chocolate Whipped Cream | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Summer Fruit Desserts

Memorial Day Menu

Memorial Day is just around the corner.  This is the weekend when Swimming Pools open and Barbecues are fired up for the first time after many months of inclement weather. This menu is a crowd pleaser. There are a lot of different flavors that go well together and choices that will make everyone happy. Besides what’s better than Surf and Turf cooked on the grill?

Marinated and Grilled Flank Steak

Marinated and Grilled Flank Steak

Marinated and Grilled Flank Steak

Cedar Plank Grilled Shrimp

Grilled Moroccan Potato and Olive Salad With Roasted Lemon Vinaigrette

Roasted Moroccan Potato and Olive Salad

Roasted Moroccan Potato and Olive Salad

Asian Slaw

 

Strawberry Shortcake

camille@camillecooksforyou.com

Have a great holiday!!!

Posted in Accompaniments, Ahh Haa Moments, Blueberries, Dessert, Dessert/Pastry, Desserts, Flank Steak, Food For Thought, Grilling, Potato Salad, Shrimp, Slaw, Squash Bloxxoms | Comments Off on Memorial Day Menu

Hip Hip Hooray!

I am pleased to tell you that all of the problems I have had with my site through Just Host have been resolved. My site is up and running.

camille@camillecooksforyou.com

 

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Easter Menu 2022

Easter is just around the corner and I have a delicious menu for you. This menu feeds a crowd and I know most of you will be celebrating with family and friends so a menu this size is just perfect.

Usually the entree for Easter is Lamb or Ham. This year I am doing a Whole FRESH Ham. By fresh I mean a leg of pork that has not been cured and smoked. I haven’t done a Fresh Ham for a while and I am looking forward to preparing this for the crowd I will be serving.

I suggest you order your Whole Fresh Ham from your butcher asap. Not many people prepare Fresh Ham and It may take your butcher a while to get one.

It has always been tradition in my very Italian family to start the festivities early on Easter. Easter Mass at 9am, Frittata and all that goes with it starts at around 11am. Dinner is at 2pm.

Here is my Menu for Easter 2022. Click an item for the recipe.

Brunch

Easter Frittata
Grandma Lucia’s Easter Satoni (aka Easter Pizza or Calzone)
Charcuterie and Cheese Platter
Hot Cross Buns
Fresh Fruit

Dinner

Roasted Beets, Orange and Fennel Salad with Humbolt Fog Goat Cheese
Roasted Herbed Fresh Ham
Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel Topping
Potatoes AuGratin
Asparagus Mimosa

Dessert

Coconut Cake with Coconut Custard Filling
Apple Tart Frangipane with Caramel Sauce and Crème Fraiche Semi-Freddo

Yes it is a big menu with a lot of choices but when you are feeding a big crowd you must have choices. If you are having a small group and you make only a couple of items on this menu for your Easter Brunch or Dinner at least I have given you some new ideas of what to server.

Buona Pasqua

camille@camillecooksforyou.com

Posted in 7 Minute Frosting, Accompaniments, Ahh Haa Moments, Apples, Asparagus, Beets, Brunch, Cake, Caramel Sauce, Cheese, Cheese Sauce, Coconut, Coconut Milk, Custard, Dessert, Dessert/Pastry, Desserts, Dinner, Easter, Easter Pie, Easter Pizza, Egg Dishes, Eggs, Entree, Food For Thought, Fresh Ham, Fruit, Fruit Desserts, Goat Cheese, Ham, Hints and Tips, Icing, Italian Dishes, Italian Food, Italian Sausage, Italian Specialties, Oranges, Pastry Crust, Pate Sucre, Pork, Potatoes Au Gratin, Recipes To Share, Ricotta Cheese, Roasted Beet Salad, Semi-Freddo, Side Dishes, Sides, Sweet Potato, White Sauce | Tagged , | Comments Off on Easter Menu 2022

Spring Is In The Air

What could be better than a simple light dinner now that the weather is starting to get warmer? We will soon be using our verandas to relax and enjoy the beautiful weather and to partake in our evening meal. Much of the preparation for this menu can be done in advance: The Roasted Beets and Cherry Tomato Compote can be made days in advance and the vinaigrette the day before.  The Cheesecake is always best made a day or two in advance as is the Blueberry Sauce. The only last minute cooking will be the Mussels with Chorizo Sausage and Cherry Tomato Compote.

Springtime Dinner Menu

Blood Orange Salad with Roasted Baby Yellow Beets, Fresh Fennel and Watercress Drizzled with Orange Infused Vinaigrette

Mussels with Chorizo Sausage and Cherry Tomato Compote

Ricotta Cheesecake with Blueberry Sauce

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Blood Orange Salad with Roasted Baby Yellow Beets, Fresh Fennel and Watercress Drizzled with Orange Infused Vinaigrette

Blood Orange Salad with Yellow Beets and Fennel

Mussels with Chorizo Sausage and Cherry Tomato Compote

Mussels

Ricotta Cheesecake with Blueberry Sauce

Ricotta Cheese Cake with Blueberry Sauce

Enjoy the change in the weather and enjoy this menu.

camille@camillecooksforyou.com

 

Posted in Accompaniments, Ahh Haa Moments, Beets, Berries, Blueberries, Cheesecake, Chorizo Sausage, Compote, Cream Cheese, Dessert, Dessert/Pastry, Desserts, Dinner, Food For Thought, Hints and Tips, Menus, Mussels, Oranges, Pastry, Recipes To Share, Ricotta Cheese, Roasted Beet Salad, Salad, Salad Dressing, Sauces, Seafood, Tomato, Vinaigrette, Vinaigrettes and Dressings, Vinegar, White Balsamic Vinegar, Wine, XVOO | Comments Off on Spring Is In The Air

Thanksgiving Feast 2021

It’s been a long time since most of us have been able to spend Thanksgiving with Family and Friends. Two years to be exact. This Thanksgiving has been heavily antisipated and will be special for most of us. I want to take a moment and think about all of the people who are not with us this Thanksgiving and pray that the next years will be better for all.

I was especially lucky to have an early Thanksgiving Dinner with my cousins Robert and Monique and my brother Vincent and his friend Beth. We celebrated over the past weekend with a complete Thanksgiving Dinner. Here is the menu I enjoyed preparing for my family. 

To get the recipe for each click the item and it will bring you to the page.

Appetizers

Austrian Vegetable Soup with Homemade Croutons

Savory Cheese Torte with Buttery Crackers

 Dinner

Roasted and Smoked Weber Grill Turkey
Smokey Turkey Gravy
Cranberry-Orange Compote

Cornbread-Chestnut Stuffing with Andouille Sausage

Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes and Turnips with Fresh Sage 

Brussels Sprouts with Pearl Onions and Pancetta

Southwest Roasted Corn Pudding

Dessert

Pumpkin Cheese Cake with Whipped Creme Fraiche

Apple-Pear Pie with Cranberries and Crumb Topping
Vanilla Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone. We have so much to be thankful for. Please remember all those we lost these past years. Especially all that departed in the past 2 years.

camille@camillecooksforyou.com

 

Posted in Accompaniments, Ahh Haa Moments, Andouille Sausage, Appetizers, Apple Pie, Apples, Austrian Vegetable Soup, Bacon, BBQ, Brine, Brussels Sprouts, Caramel Sauce, Charcoal Grill, Chestnuts, Chicken Stock, Chutney, Chutney Cream Cheese, Condiment, Condiments, Corn, Corn Bread, Corn Pudding, Cranberries, Cranberry Citrus Compote, Cream Cheese, Creme Fraiche, Dessert, Dessert/Pastry, Desserts, Dinner, Dried Cranberries, Dried Fruit, Entree, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Food For Thought, Graham Cracker Crust, Gravy, Grilling, Hints and Tips, Holiday Specialties, Mango, Mango Chutney, Menus, Pancetta, Pastry, Pastry Crust, Pate Sucre, Pears, Pecans, Potato, Pumpkin, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Recipes To Share, Sausage, Sides, Smashed Potatoes, Smoked Chicken Stock, Stuffing, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Pies, Turkey | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Thanksgiving Feast 2021

Smoked Corn and Chicken Chowder

I finally got a charcoal grill. After suffering through a gas grill I decided it was time to get down to business and get a WEBER GRILL. I had always used a Weber Grill when I lived in Florida but since moving to SC and living in an apartment for a few years I gave up the idea of grilling. When we moved into our new home I thought a gas grill would be great. It was not. I tried it for almost 8 months but I could never achieve the desired flavor that comes from a charcoal burning grill. No smokey flavor EVER. I was persistent and did everything I could to get wood chips to work on the gas grill. I reached out to many of my chef and grill master sources to get the gas grill to meet my flavor standards and nothing worked.

I got the Weber Grill less than a week ago and I have grilled every night since. The first thing I grilled and lightly smoked was Beer Can Chicken. Oh so good with that smokiness that I love. I decided to make chicken stock with the left over smoked chicken and then make Smoked Corn and Chicken Chowder with the smokey stock. I also grilled and smoked some extra chicken breasts on the bone to add to the chowder. I even grilled the corn I used in the chowder recipe. WOW! It turned out so perfectly perfect. 

Here are my recipes for Beer Can Chicken and Corn and Chicken Chowder. To make the smoked chicken stock use the basic Chicken Stock recipe but use the skin, bones and thigh meat of the Beer Can Chicken. Use this smokey stock to make the Chowder. YUM YUM YUM!!!

Happy Grilling!

Enjoy!

camille@camillecooksforyou.com

Posted in Accompaniments, Ahh Haa Moments, BBQ, Chicken, Chicken Stock, Chowder, Corn, Cream, Food For Thought, Grilling, Poultry, Smoked Chicken Stock | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Memorial Day BBQ

Memorial Day is the beginning of summer and this year is especially important since it will be the first of the summer holidays we can spend with family and friends. No large gatherings but  a small group is good. It will be great to start entertaining once again. I’m having a BBQ with a small group of people and I will be preparing some of my summer favorites from the grill. I am so looking forward to entertaining once again. It has been a very long time. Here is my menu for the Memorial Day Holiday.

Appetizers

Gazpacho

Cedar Plank Grilled Shrimp
With Mango-Pineapple Salsa

Tortilla Chips (To Scoop Up The Mango Salsa)

Dinner

St. Louis Style BBQ Pork Loin Ribs With House Made BBQ Sauce

Grilled Moroccan Potato Salad With Mediterranean Olives And Roasted Lemon Vinaigrette

Swamp Cabbage Slaw

Assorted Pickled Veggies

Dessert

S’mores Tart

Crispy Lemon Bars

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gazpacho

Cedar Plank Shrimp with Mango Salsa

St. Louis Style BBQ Pork Ribs

Grilled Moroccan Potato Salad

Swamp Cabbage Slaw

Pickled Veggies

S’Mores Tart

Crispy Lemon Bars

There you have it. A great BBQ menu to start the summer.

Enjoy the holiday and stay safe.

camille@camillecooksforyou.com

Posted in Accompaniments, Ahh Haa Moments, Appetizers, BBQ, BBQ Ribs, BBQ Sauce, Brine, Cedar Plank Grilling, Chilled Soup, Dessert, Dinner, Entree, Food For Thought, Grilling, Pickled Vegetables, Pickled Veggies, Pickling, Pork, Pork Ribs, Potato, Ribs, Salad, Shrimp, Side Dishes, Slaw | Comments Off on Memorial Day BBQ

Braised Artichokes

Tis the season for Thistle – Artichokes that is. Delicious in oh so many ways. If you have never eaten or made an artichokes this is a good recipe to try.

Click on the picture to go directly to the recipe.

Artichoke Before Braising

Cooked Artichoke

Enjoy!

camille@camillecooksforyou.com

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Easter Specialties

Adding to my menu for Easter Sunday I decided to make Hot Cross Buns for Brunch, Potatoes Dauphinoise to accompany a Baked Ham for Dinner and Carrot Cake for Dinner Dessert. Here are my recipes for all three.

Click onto the recipe title or the photo to bring you to the recipe page.

Hot Cross Buns

Potatoes Dauphinoise

Carrot Cake

Enjoy!  Happy Easter 

camille@camillecooksforyou.com

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