Strawberry Rhubarb Hard Lemonade

Strawberry Rhubarb Hard Lemonade
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This recipe is part of a larger dinner party menu you can find on my Substack. The category is Big Kid Birthday Party, and it features nostalgic bites designed for grown-up tastes. You can find the recipe booklet and a handy party prep schedule here.

Summertime vibes are in full effect. My neighbourhood smells like one big BBQ these days, and I absolutely adore it. This is my favorite time of the year, and I intend to enjoy it thoroughly. And for me, that means filling the calendar with backyard hangs with my nearest and dearest. And when I have pals over, I always like to have a welcome cocktail or mocktail on hand, like today’s Strawberry Rhubarb Hard Lemonade. This blushing beverage features a zingy lemonade sweetened with a rose water-kissed strawberry rhubarb syrup and an optional splash of vodka.  

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Potato Chip Tower with Prosciutto and Endive

Potato Chip Tower with Prosciutto and Endive
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Today, I have less of a recipe and more of a snack concept. I’ve been seeing dressed potato chips all over the Internet lately. They’ve been called potato chip towers, charcuterie chips, and potato chip nachos. But I prefer the name potato chip sundae. No one else is calling it this, and it isn’t particularly descriptive, but for some reason, that is where my mind landed, and now I can’t resist calling it that. You’ll notice I didn’t choose that term for the title. Sometimes it’s better to keep one’s strangeness to oneself. I guess I wasn’t successful at doing that since I just told you, but at least the SEO gods are happy. But whatever you call it, today’s Potato Chip Tower with Prosciutto and Endive is simple to put together and devastatingly snackable. So let’s make it!

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Blistered Shishito Peppers with Calabrese Aioli

Blistered Shishito Peppers with Calabrese Aioli
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Patio season has finally arrived in Toronto, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. It’s been a long, cold, and wet spring in this province, and we’ve been camped out in a rain cloud for much longer than usual. I was starting to have my doubts, but the switch has finally flipped, and summer has arrived. We never ease into summer; it just sort of shows up one day. Throughout those chilly spring months, I couldn’t stop fantasizing about summer cocktails and patio-friendly snacks like these Blistered Shishito Peppers with Calabrese Aioli. With its minimal prep, local produce, and bold flavours, this dish has everything I look for in a summer cookout starter. Unfussy but elegant in its way, just the aesthetic I’m going for this summer. So let’s make it!

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Asparagus Tempura with Ginger Mayo and Matcha Salt

Asparagus Tempura with Ginger Mayo and Matcha Salt
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We’re in peak asparagus season here in Ontario, and I’m trying my best to get my fill. Unfortunately, I am a bottomless pit when it comes to this green, so it’s an inevitability – I will never have enough. But I’m still down to try, and today’s Asparagus Tempura with Ginger Mayo and Matcha Salt is vital to that effort. I know what you’re thinking: If you love a vegetable so much, why deep fry it? Well, there is a method to my madness, which I will get to. But I promise you won’t lose the asparagus in this recipe. Asparagus is such a short and special season; it would be a shame not to showcase its star in all its glory. 

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