Serves 4-6

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 pound red cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded
1 pound beets, peeled and spiralized or shredded. Use multiple colors if you can.
¼ of a red onion sliced thinly or 1/2 cup chopped scallions
1 small red pepper, thinly sliced
¼ cup capers, drained and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped tarragon or basil
2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup pistachios, lightly toasted (or pecan, walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds)
Garnish: edible flower petals (pansy, petunia, calendula, bachelor button, roses, marigold. Edible Flowers List)
 

1. Combine the raisins and balsamic vinegar in a bowl and let sit while preparing the salad-at least 15 minutes.
2. Combine all of the remaining ingredients except the salt and pepper and the pistachios in a large bowl. Add the soaked raisins and olive oil and toss everything well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the pistachios on top of the salad and garnish with edible flowers if in season.

Variations:

• add shaved raw butternut squash
• add raw chopped broccoli

This recipe is from Food52 with a few adaptations from me. I highly recommend their site for recipes and cooking products. 

1/2 cup chopped garlic scapes
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 large garlic clove
8 cups loosely packed arugula
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons almonds, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds
1 pinch red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
 

1. To make the pesto, put the garlic scapes in the bowl of a food processor. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, arugula, parmesan, nuts or seeds, red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste. Pulse everything until it's finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
2. With the food processor running, add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream and process until everything is blended into a paste. Taste and add more salt, black pepper, or lemon juice, if needed.
3. Transfer the pesto to a container and refrigerate for up to 10 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

 
Variations and uses:

• Instead of arugula, use spinach or a combination of spinach and basil.
• Use as a spread for toast-add a few fried eggs on top!
• Whisk with eggs and scramble.
• Use with pasta.
• Spread on chicken, pork, or steak.
• Toss with summer roasted or grilled vegetables.

Serves 4-6
 
4 cups seedless watermelon, cut into chunks
1/4 large seedless cucumber, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons red onion, diced
juice of one lime or lemon
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries 
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed and chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Garnish options:
1/4 red, orange, or yellow pepper, diced 
1/2 cup cucumber, diced
Thinly sliced cherry tomatoes
Float on top of each bowl-Edible flower petals-calendula, bachelor button, borage, marigold, mallow (edible flowers in Liz's gardens)
 

1. Place the watermelon, cucumber, lime juice, 3/4 cup raspberries (reserve 1/4 cup for garnish), and cilantro into a food processor or blender and process to the texture you prefer.
   
2. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Finish by adding 1/4 cup whole raspberries, diced pepper and/or cucumber.  Chill and serve with edible flowers on top.

 
If a thinner soup is desired, add a fruit juice or light bodied wine to thin out.

This recipe is from Kate McDermott's amazing cookbook Pie Camp. I highly recommend her book and her website for the best pie recipes and pie making techniques.
Use this topping on cream pies, poured over plain cake, and laddled over pancakes or french toast. 
I use this topping to finish off Bill Smith's Atlantic Beach Pie from Food52

1/2 cup water
2 cups blueberries (or other berry-strawberries, blackberries, cherries, raspberries, or combination)
a small pinch of salt
1/2 tsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

1. Combine the  water, salt, lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly.
2. Add 1 cup of blueberries and bring to a boil, while continuing to stir.
3. Add the remaining cup of blueberries and cook for another minute, while stirring.
4. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

​

By: Food52 with adaptations
Bluberry Glace topping
​
​For the crust:
1 1/2 sleeves of saltine crackers (about 6 ounces or 60 crackers)
3/4 cup softened unsalted butter
3 tablespoons sugar

​For the filling:
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks
Zest of one lemon or lime or both!
1/2 cup lemon or lime juice or a mix of the two
Fresh whipped cream, sweetened with sugar for garnish
Coarse sea salt, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Crush the crackers finely, but not to dust. You can use a food processor or your hands. Add the sugar, then knead in the butter until the crumbs hold together like dough. Press into an 8-inch pie pan. Chill for 15 minutes, then bake for 18 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
3. While the crust is cooling (it doesn't need to be cold), beat the egg yolks into the sweetened condensed milk, then beat in the citrus juice. It is important to completely combine these ingredients. Pour into the shell and bake for 16 minutes until the filling has set. The pie needs to be completely cold to be sliced. Serve with fresh whipped cream and a sprinkling of sea salt.

Variations:

• Blueberry jam topping: Buy a good quality blueberry jam. Stir it up a bit in the jar and gently spread onto the top of the chilled pie. Serve.
• Cran-Raspberry sauce-use my favorite Thanksgiving cranberry sauce! Spoon it right onto the top of your pie. 
• Make some flowered salt and sprinkle that on top. Assorted dried flowers chopped fine. Mix with some kosher or flaked salt. 

Serves 4

4 lobster tails (uncooked), about 7 ounce each or 4 whole lobsters (uncooked), about 1 ¼ pound each
              Note: Hard-shelled lobsters have more meat per pound, soft-shelled lobster meat is sweeter.
½ cup dry rose wine (or dry white wine)
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 small shallots, finely minced
2 tablespoons heavy cream
4 oz butter, very cold
salt and ground pepper to taste
4 basil leaves, sliced thinly (tarragon, thyme, and lovage are equally delicious)
2 sprigs parsley, chopped

1. To steam the lobsters, fill a large stock pot with 2 inches of water. Add 2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Cover and bring the water to a boil.
2. Put the lobster tails or whole lobsters into the pot and cover. Steam the tails for 10 minutes and the whole lobsters for 20 minutes. Prepare the sauce while the lobster is steaming.
3. To prepare the sauce, place the wine, vinegar, shallots, and the cream into a small saucepan. Bring the ingredients to a boil and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 3-5 minutes.


4. Remove the saucepan from the heat.  Whisk in the very cold butter one tablespoon at a time until the sauce is thick and creamy. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Add in the chopped basil and parsley. Set the sauce aside and leave at room temperature until the lobsters are ready. Cover if necessary, to keep warm.
5. When the lobster has steamed, remove them immediately from the pot and let cool until you can handle them. Break open the tails and remove the meat in one piece. Remove the rest of the lobster meat and add the meat to your meal or reserve for another use. Slice the tail meat into slices.
6. Serve the lobster meat on top of salad greens, cooked rice, cooked pasta, steamed corn, or steamed spinach. Stir up the butter sauce and drizzle over the lobster. Serve with lemon wedges. If you need to reheat the butter sauce, just barely warm it so it does not separate.

To warm butter sauce after it has solidified:
Do not warm in a microwave. There is very little control over the heat and you can break the sauce easily.
Place the solid butter sauce in a small sauce pan. Place over hot water and stir until it just begins to melt, stirring the whole time it is slowly warming. This might only take 20-30 seconds or less. Do not melt the butter. You are only warming it enough so you can pour it over your meal.

Cocktail:
1 oz basil wine syrup (see recipe below)
4 thin slices cucumber
pinch of salt
2 oz. Gin (or Vodka)
1 oz lime juice
1 egg white

1. Combine the cucumber slices with the basil wine syrup and a pinch of salt in the bottom of a cocktail mixer and muddle until well broken up. Add gin, lime juice, and egg white.
2. Dry shake (without ice) for 30 seconds to froth the egg white.
3. Add ice and shake well until the outside of the shaker is frosted.
4. Double strain the cocktail into a coupe glass or wine glass. Serve with a thin cucumber slice and/or thin lime wheel.

Basil Wine Syrup:
½ cup dry rose' wine (or dry white wine-rose' will give the cocktail a pink color)
½ cup sugar
10 basil leaves, sliced thinly

1. Combine sugar and wine in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. When the sugar is completely dissolved, remove the saucepan from the heat.
2. Add the basil leaves to the hot syrup to steep. Cool to room temperature.
3. Strain out the basil leaves. Store in a non-reactive container and place into the refrigerator until needed. Syrup will keep in the refrigerator for 3 weeks. It can also be frozen.

Mocktail Option:
1 oz basil wine syrup (see recipe below)
4 thin slices cucumber
pinch of salt
1 oz lime juice
1 egg white
2 oz tonic water, or soda water. Another option is a non-alcoholic distilled spirits (Seedlip)

1. Combine the cucumber slices with the basil wine syrup and a pinch of salt in the bottom of a cocktail mixer and muddle until well broken up. Add lime juice and egg white ( and non-alcoholic distilled spirits of using).
2. Dry shake (without ice) for 30 seconds to froth the egg white.
3. Add ice and shake well until the outside of the shaker is frosted.
4. Double strain the cocktail into a coupe glass or wine glass. Top with 2 oz of tonic or soda water (or non-alcoholic spirits if using). Serve with a thin cucumber slice and/or thin lime wheel.