Party Time (Fried goat cheese, charcuterie)

Just because the "Holiday season" is winding down doesn't mean we need to hold fewer parties. I spent the past week planning two for work and more with friends and family, but I don't want to stop. It's all a matter of pacing yourself, and sometimes moderating one's ambitions. Some dishes may be impressive in the demonstrable effort required, but you can still take the easy way out and, with a little attention to detail, still come off with something that looks stunning. Fried goat cheese is insanely delicious and may seem like it takes a lot of work, but it's really quite easy and, gussied up with a few other ingredients, becomes a wondrous display of variety.

Wondrous charcuterie

On the Go (Blackberry Hazelnut Spinach Salad, Prosciutto Crisps)

As I write this article, Aaron is packing moving boxes around me; the Gourmet Gents are moving to Cambridge, Massachusetts! I'm excited to move to the city, but I'll miss some things about our old home, especially its square-foot gardens of salsa and salad vegetables and kitchen garden brimming with herbs and berries of all kinds. We love using fresh, local ingredients and the late summer offerings are especially rich, as most fruits, vegetables, and nuts are just coming in season. A blackberry, hazelnut, and spinach salad let me make use of one last harvest from the garden beds and smooth chèvre cheese, salty-sweet prosciutto crisps, and balsamic vinaigrette fortified with blackberry preserves and hazelnut oil help you schmaltz things up.

Schmaltzy

Pastiche of Exoticized "Other" (Moroccan lamb burgers)

The hamburger, despite owing its name to the city of Hamburg, Germany, is considered a quintessentially American food. So as the mercury spikes and grills flare across the land, I wanted in on the action. A food with such cultural iconography (and such simple ingredients) naturally lends itself to extemporization and I opted to enhance my Americana with a trip to the spice market: Moroccan lamb burgers with gingered carrots, lemon-mint goat cheese, and microgreens. The carrot component is an easy make-ahead, but the rest is ready in minutes, leaving you more time to chill in the shade with a tall glass of iced peppermint tea.

Prepare to chill

Salad Days (Fennel, Fig, and Orange Salad)

Today took another turn for the unseasonably warm and as I spent the late morning cooking up something for a later post, it felt as though the kitchen was a sauna. I'm neither the appropriate age nor do I have the appropriate equipment to be expecting hot flashes, so I was taken unawares. Luckily, I already had some ingredients on hand to help cool things down.

Good to go