Muse: Cooking with a good friend

Tomato harvest for caprese salad

You know the kind of day. The kind of lazy day in summer when the heat has been unbearable and you've been working really hard and suddenly you get a day off when even with the heat there is a breeze worth napping to on your back porch. Yesterday I had the chance to spend some way overdue quality time with my friend Laurie. She lives in a beautifully restored home on several acres with an amazing pool among other delights. You know the kind of friend where even if it's been 6 months you can pick up like you never left off. A real keeper. Anyway we planned an afternoon to cook, swim and chat at her homey, homey home ! The early evening was perfect, warm with a gentle breeze, the pool amazing, just the right temp. and of course the company the best. Such a wonderful friend, her family so easy to be with on a gorgeous sunny afternoon. Her garden gloriously overgrown with ripe fruits bursting from all the vines. Tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, melons, sunflowers and the most precious of all FIGS ! Fresh picked we set to work on dinner succulent veal saltimbocca, roasted green veggies, caprese salad and for dessert feather light homemade meringues with fresh figs and a balsamic glaze. YUMMMMMMMM. Alas I forget the camera I usually have at the ready but Lauire's cel phone captured some amazing shots. Please enjoy. And do yourself a favor, call a friend and cook together ! Thanks Laurie, Kevin, Emma, Caroline and Brendan for a wonderful evening !

gorgeous basil from the garden

Caprese salad - tomato, mozzarella, fresh basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper

Veal saltimbocca - tender pounded veal with proscuitto and fresh sage leaves lightly dipped in flour and sauteed in butter served with a sauce of pan drippings, reduced white wine, butter and fresh lemon juice.