Cold Front!

Tips from Kate’s on keepin’ it cool this summer:

It’s cooled down in the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky area, but we all know that won’t last.  Bring on your family’s favorite cold dishes, from pudding to potato salad – Here at Kate’s Catering and Personal Chef Services we have some tips and tricks for best results in keeping it cool this summer!

For dishes that are cooked and then chilled, such as some of the cold soups from last week, keep in mind that flavors are more intense when food is hot, and muted at colder temperatures.  Season a bit more heavily when the food is hot, and then taste and adjust after it has mellowed in the fridge. Sauces, soups and other liquids are thinnest when hot and thicken as they cool.

For fast cooling, use an ice bath:  take a larger container, like a roasting pan, fill it with ice and water, and then place the pot with your food inside.  Ice and water together cool faster than ice alone. You can also seal the food inside a plastic bag and immerse it in the ice bath.

For pasta and potato salads – or any other starchy ingredient you might imagine – cook the main ingredient slightly al dente, so it still has some bite.  (Refresher: an Italian term that literally means “to the tooth.”) Whatever dressing you use will soak into the pasta as the salad sits, which could make it soggy.  And don’t rinse your pasta. You’ll wash off all the starchiness that the dressing sticks to. How to keep the pasta from sticking to every other piece in the bowl? Toss it with a bit of olive oil first.

Summer Fruit Salad

2/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups cubed fresh pineapple
2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
3 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
3 bananas, sliced
2 oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 cup seedless grapes
2 cups blueberries

Bring orange juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, orange zest, and lemon zest to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla extract. Set aside to cool.

Layer the fruit in a large, clear glass bowl in this order: pineapple, strawberries, kiwi fruit, bananas, oranges, grapes, and blueberries. Pour the cooled sauce over the fruit. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours before serving.