TUESDAY
Bacon, Arugula & Heirloom Tomato Sandwiches with Burrata Cheese | Chilled Corn Soup
OK…things have been getting a little crazy around here. School may be out for the summer but our schedule hasn’t slowed down a bit! Max’s freshman football team has workouts everyday which he only misses to play with his LL All-Star Baseball Team {update: they won their final game of “pool play” on Monday to get seeded as the #1 team now heading into the division playoffs!!!}. With each game in the playoffs being a potential for elimination, planning our schedule {dinners and everything else} ahead is almost impossible but it is so exciting following the journey of these incredible boys…GO TIBURON!
The girls have also been hard at work getting ready to compete at The Event at Rebecca Farm in Montana in a couple of weeks…
Their regular training schedules have been supplemented with conditioning regimens for both the horses as well as for the girls {Maddie & Mallory have been getting up early and swimming laps before going to the barn to ride} as well as chiropractic and acupuncture therapy sessions for horses and riders. The trip itself takes two full days {driving over 10 hours each day} through some intense mountain passes in Oregon, Idaho & into Montana so I am keeping myself busy getting both the truck and horse trailer brought in for tune-ups and safety checks as well as packing for 5 people, 2 horses and a dog! It is an incredible amount of work but, at the same time, it is a trip we look forward to every year. Last year, Mallory {at age 11} took 2nd place in her division…
We will arrive in Montana well before the show begins, giving time for the horses {and humans} to adjust to the change in altitude and Max, Michael & I will enjoy a few days of boating on Flathead Lake as well as taking a day to hike in Glacier National Park.
Forgive the ramble, but my head is spinning with everything I need to do for this trip. Now back to dinner…
July has arrived and with it we have seen temperatures reach 100+. This evening’s dinner was simple, satisfying and {by cooking the bacon as well as making the soup earlier in the day} involved no oven, stovetop or grill at dinnertime.
The Sandwich, a twist on the classic BLT, features thickly-sliced pancetta in place of standard bacon while butter lettuce is replaced with peppery baby arugula. The addition of creamy Burrata cheese is a tasty change from mayonnaise . We first had this version of the classic summer sandwich a couple of weeks ago and it instantly became a favorite. For tonight’s sandwich, I used a loaf of rustic ciabatta and made one large sandwich which I then cut into single serving sandwich sections, rather than making individual sandwiches with sliced bread. This method is great for picnic or party sandwiches. Click the photo collage below to see the original recipe…
The chilled corn soup was so creamy, a wonderful side to the sandwich and, since it is served cold, can be made well ahead of time…also making it a great menu item for picnics and when entertaining guests this summer.
Chilled Corn Soup {adapted from Canal House Cooks Everyday}
- 10 ears sweet corn, shucked
- 1 large russet potato, peeled and diced
- 2 bunches of scallions, trimmed and chopped
- 7 cups whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- Sour cream
- 1 small bunch of chives, minced
- Cut the corn kernels off the cobs into a large stockpot. Break each cob in half and add to the pot along with the scallions, potato and milk. Season with the red pepper flakes and salt & pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes.
- Remove and discard the cob pieces. After allowing the soup to cool a bit, pour into a blender and purée until very smooth. Then, strain the soup through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Once again season with salt & pepper.
- Cover and refrigerate the soup until it is cold. Serve in chilled soup bowls & garnish with a dollop of sour cream and some chives. Serves 6-8.
The final dinner plate…
