If you were looking for a summer dinner which incorporates wonderful seasonal fruits and perfectly paired flavors, this is the meal to try.
Start with a simple roasted chicken. I have a page of how-to information on roasting a chicken; there is nothing better or easier for a summer dinner because it is healthy, tasty, and the cold leftovers are wonderful for more meals, later.
Yes, Saffron rice takes a little more time to prepare, but the aromatic addition will add special flavor that takes this side dish to the next level.
What makes the entire meal stand out for June, or any point during the summer, is the inclusion of cherries. The salad has dried cherries, but you could substitute fresh sweet ones. The fruit flavors plus a kick of spice from smokey chipotle pepper makes the rest of the meal sing.
Finally, serve up a home made cherry dessert. Accompany with iced tea.
Sour Cherry Sauce for Poultry
A wine and chicken stock sauce with cherries and spices.
½cupsour cherries (can use dried)chopped if large1
½cup sour cream
kosher salt and pepper to taste
Method
Soak the cherries in hot water to soften, if using dried cherries
Sauté the sweet onion in 2 tablespoons butter until translucent.
Add the cinnamon and paprika and stir 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and reduce to 3/4 cup. Add the red wine and reduce to 1½ cups. Add cherries.
Turn off heat and stir in the sour cream (so it won’t curdle from the heat). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the finished sauce to plated meat.
Highlighted with Pie Cherries
This is an easy, yet spectacular summer season dinner. Fresh cherries are in season during late June, but you can use frozen or canned, just as well during other times of year. Put on your cute cherry apron and get started! The main dish for a perfect summer menu starts with a roasted chicken, to find out how to perfectly roast a chicken check out the Roasted Chicken recipe collection. Make a sour cherry sauce to serve with it.
It is the use of fresh cherries and the ease of preparation that makes this the ideal summer repast.
Summer Dinner Menu
Roasted Chicken
Sour Cherry Sauce
Saffron rice
Cherry Chipotle Spinach with Cashews Salad
Cherry Dessert...hmm which? Cobbler, Cherry Delight Cake, or Cherry Pie?
Saffron Rice
Try this recipe, from 'An Edible Mosaic', for the rice: .
Put rice in a mesh sieve and rinse under cold running water a couple minutes until water runs clear; set aside.
Add oil to a medium saucepan with a lid over high heat; once hot, add bay leaf, cloves, and cardamom pod and cook until fragrant (1-2 minutes).
Add rice and salt and cook (stirring occasionally) until fragrant (about 2 minutes).
Add 1 1/2 cup boiling water to rice and bring to a rolling boil. Give it a stir, cover the pot, turn heat down to low, and cook 10 minutes (don't open the pot while the rice cooks).
After the rice is cooked, let the pot sit with the lid on for 15 minutes, then fluff the rice with a fork. Transfer half the rice to a separate bowl.
In a small bowl, combine 1 pinch saffron threads (or turmeric, if you prefer) with 1 tablespoon boiling water; steep 1-2 minutes.
Stir the colored water into half the rice (the rice will turn yellow).
Serve with the chicken and cherry sauce.
Cherry Chipotle Spinach Salad with Cashews
When you want the salad to be something special, serve this.
This is a refreshing salad and the perfect foil for Chicken paprikash. Great summer cold plate dish. Essentially, it is a refrigerator pickle and tastes even better when it has been made the day ahead.
Hungarian Cucumber Salad, Uborkasalata
Super easy, refreshing salad for summers or with Hungarian entrees anytime.
2Good fresh cucumber - I like the long English cukes.
¼cupLight vinegar- white or white wine- white or white wine
2 tbspwater
saltto taste
pepperto taste
5scallionssliced
(opt)fresh dill sprigstorn into little pieces
Method
First, use a vegetable peeler to get the cucumber sliced as thinly as possible, yet keeping the round slice.
Then, mix vinegar and water to taste I like 1:2 ratio of vinegar to water. You may like it stronger... taste it to give the acidity you like.
Sea salt and Cracked fresh black pepper to taste.
Five or so scallions sliced thin
Mix and refrigerate, covered, for an hour or more.
That's it! If you have the dill sprinkle it on top for a nice variation.
Notes
Some recipes call for additions of sour cream or sugar. I like neither, but you can fix it that way if you want.Some add oil and I say "no,no, no"Alternative recipe:
Slice thinly into a bowl, 2 Cucumbers washed and peeled.
Sprinkle 2 teas. salt. and small onion. Mix and set aside 1 hour.
Tahitian Limeade is as simple as making a limeade and adding some coconut water. If you live on a Hawaiian island you can pick up cold, ready-made containers of it at health food stores, but if you are a Mainlander you can buy the coconut water (be sure it isn’t coconut milk), make your own limeade and add the touch of coconut. Chill. Close your eyes and pretend you are on a beach in Maui. Play some ocean sounds in the background….Follow this recipe from Coconut Girl (with lime juice subsituting instead of lemon)
I pick 2-3 of the biggest, most yellow lemons off the tree. Roll them on the wood cutting board or counter top so they’re easier to juice.
2. In saucepan, with approximately one cup of purified water, medium heat, add approximately two medium scoops (maybe 1/3 cup) of raw sugar. Heat only until sugar can dissolve while stirring – quickly remove from heat. Of course, while this is heating you’re going to:
3. Cut lemons in half. Using a citrus juicer (cheap electric ones work fine, though if you’re rich go use your fancy industrial strength citrus press), juice all 4-6 halves (if your lemons are small add one more and/or one small lime for flavor). Should take all of two minutes!
4. As for the sugar mixture, add a few ice cubes -preferably made from pure (or de-chlorinated) water- to cool it down. Pour it into a glass measuring cup, then squirt some agave into the mix (approx. 1 tablespoon but who’s measuring) and stir that in. Then mix in a healthy pinch of Real Salt, Himalayan Crystal Salt or pure sea salt (Hawai’ian Specialty Salt -based in Hilo- works as well). Once it’s blended add a handful more ice cubes to cool it to approximately room temp.
5. It’s important to not heat the lemon juice! So, pour the juice into an empty glass lemonade jar or use a pitcher if you’re going to serve it. Add some cold or room temp purified water, then add the sugar water / syrup you made. Then fill the rest of the jar with more water to taste. Chill.
Looking for Limeade made with coconut milk? Try this recipe instead:
Tahitian limeade
Tahitian lime-ade uses coconut milk for a creamy texture
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Tahitian Limeade is as simple as making a limeade and adding some coconut water. If you live on 
