The Novel Bakers ~ Gathering in the Garden, Finale

Once again I'm pulling something from the archives in order to participate
in the Novel Bakers party, celebrating
"Gathering in the Garden"
 by Shelley Snow and Elizabeth Husband.

This was a romantic dinner for two from a couple of years ago . . .

The two dishes I  chose to make from the book
are not really suitable for a romantic occasion,
as you'll see . . .

~ but they seemed appealing to me. 

 

Please browse through the garden/table pictures if 
you'd like and I'll meet you down at the

bottom of the post with the FOOD!  :D

"City of London" roses, easy to grow with lots of small blooms.

Thanks for taking the tour!


Alrighty then ~

I drew from 3 different chapters
in the book for the finale.

The first dish is from Chapter Two entitled "The Indoor-Outdoor Picnic"~ (All of the food in this particular chapter can be made ahead.)

I made the Foggy San Francisco Roll-Ups, but varied the ingredients just a bit.

I used extra large spinach wraps,
spread with herbed creamed cheese, thinly sliced
deli-turkey, roasted red peppers, chopped fresh
spinach and finely grated cheese, rolled the tortilla up,
wrapped in cling film and refrigerated until firm,
then sliced and sprinkled with chopped chives.


Easy peasy.

~*~*~*~*~



This next one is especially not romantic ~ I don't
believe there is any way to eat corn on the cob in
a demure manner. 

But ~

since corn is in season right now I chose

the recipe from Chapter Five ~

(Covered Dish Country Supper) 

  "Roasted Corn on the Cob with
Cayenne Lime Butter".

The corn is roasted in it's own husk ~
the husk is peeled back, silk removed and then
the cobs are soaked in water to cover for at least
an hour.  Remove the corn cobs from water and brush the kernels
with melted butter seasoned with lime juice and zest , cayenne
pepper and salt.

Smooth the husks back up over the cob to envelop the
corn kernels.  Tie with twine and grill, turning often
for about 20 minutes.





When done remove twine and husks.

I slightly overcooked these ~ gah!






I pulled the husks back, trimmed and tied them
and voila ~ a handy holder, (at least at one end of
the cob.)






Serve with additional seasoned butter if desired.
I made butter curls and simply sprinkled with a little 
cayenne pepper and grated lime zest.


I recommend the cayenne-lime butter even
if you steam the corn ~ it's an interesting
change from the usual.

And for a dessert that probably would go nicely
with the romantic setting ~ I chose from 
Chapter Twelve; "Top of the Hill Birthday". 

The suggestion is to take it easy and buy a
cake and decorate it with flowers ~ I like that idea!

 

Except I didn't see a suitable cake at the bakery, but
a couple of other items caught my attention ~







The bakery calls them 'Victorian Cups'

A two-flavor chocolate shell filled with a
very light chocolate mousse and decorated
with glazed fresh fruit and a rolled chocolate straw.

*sigh*



And then this little cutie caught my eye ~





A dark chocolate teacup filled with
mocha mousse, garnished with whipped
cream and three expresso beans.

All fun ~ but very, very rich!

~ A sweet, and easy ending to a cute book.


~*~*~*~*~

And this week, the Hydrangeas are just about finished 
blooming and I wanted to share.








Please check out the other Novel Bakers,
I'm sure you'll love what they have in store
for you!


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I'm also joining Foodie Friday at

Rattlebridge Farm ~ click the link to

see what's cooking.

Thank you for coming by today!



~*~*~*~*~


Tabletop Sources:

Blue Bistro Table and Chairs : Stonewall Kitchen

Vintage Quilt: My MIL *heart*

Chargers: Neiman Marcus/Horchow

Flatware: Comptoir de Famille, France

Dinner & Salad Plates: American Atelier; Baroque
Napkins: April Cornell

Soup Bowls, Blue Vase, Candle holder ~ all vintage