Easy Summer Recipes for Your Cottage Guests

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Easy Summer Recipes for Your Cottage Guests 1

Easy Summer Recipes for Your Cottage Guests

As the weather gets warmer, Ontario fruits and veggies start to be perfectly ripe. Here are some easy summer recipes using seasonal produce to impress your cottage guests (without breaking too much of a sweat!)

What’s in season in June: Strawberries, rhubarb, peas, lettuce, cherries, asparagus.

Easy Stovetop Cherry Grunt (Stovetop Cobbler) from Serious Eats

A simple but stunning dessert, this is fresh cherries served warm with a biscuit-like dumpling topping. Serve with vanilla bean ice cream for a delectable dessert or for a truly memorable dockside brunch.

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Ingredients

For the Dumplings:1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes 1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon milk 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

For the Cherries:1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon pinch salt 6 cups (about 32 ounces) cherries Whipped cream or ice cream to serve

Directions

1. For the Dumplings: Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Rub the butter cubes into the flour mixture with fingertips until no visible pieces of butter remain but flour mixture is still fluffy and dry. Stir in milk and vanilla until mixture is just moistened. Do not overmix. Set aside. 2. For the Cherries: Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt in bowl. Place cherries and sugar mixture in 10-inch saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to medium high and heat until cherries have just come to a boil. Adjust sweetness level to taste then reduce to a low boil.
3. Spoon heaping tablespoon sized pieces of dumpling dough onto cherries, spacing evenly (you should get about 6 dumplings). Immediately cover, reduce heat to low, and cook, adjusting heat to keep mixture at a steady simmer. Avoid peeking until dumplings are mostly set, about 25 minutes.
4. To serve, spoon warm dumplings and fruit into bowls and eat plain or top with whipped cream or ice cream.

Asparagus and Pea Salad with Feta and Lemon Vinaigrette from Kara Lydon

Using two seasonal veggies and just 4 ingredients total, this fresh citrus salad couldn’t be simpler. A perfect BBQ accompaniment for your favourite grilled meats!

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Ingredients

1 bunch asparagus, tough ends removed, sliced in half

2 cups shelled English peas (or can sub frozen green peas) 1/2 cup feta cheese 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped 1/2 tsp lemon zest 2 tsp lemon balm vinegar 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring salted water to boil in a large saucepan. Blanch peas for 1 minute and using a slotted spoon, transfer to an ice bath. Remove peas from ice bath and set aside.

2. Boil asparagus for a few minutes until tender and transfer to the ice bath. Remove asparagus and set aside. In a bowl, combine asparagus, peas, mint, lemon zest, olive oil, lemon balm vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Strawberry Jam from Ina Garten

Jam is a perfect activity for a rainy day at the cottage, and lets you enjoy the freshest strawberries all year round!

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Ingredients

2 cups sugar1 large lemon, zested and juiced 1 1/2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

Directions

1. Combine the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over very low heat for 10 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved.

2. Add the strawberries and continue to cook over very low heat for 20 minutes, until the strawberries release some of their juices and the mixture boils slowly.

3. Cook until a small amount of the juice gels on a very cold plate. (I keep one in the freezer.) Pour carefully into 2 pint canning jars and either seal or keep refrigerated. Use immediately, or follow proper canning guidelines below.

Sterilizing Tips:

Jars should be made from glass and free of any chips or cracks. Preserving or canning jars are topped with a glass, plastic, or metal lid, which has a rubber seal. Two piece lids are best for canning, as they vacuum seal when processed.

Rhubarb Spritz from The Food Network

Made with homemade rhubarb syrup, this pretty pink cocktail is a perfect happy hour treat! To make it non-alcoholic, simply skip the St Germain and opt for bubbly water or elderflower soda in place of the prosecco.

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons Rhubarb Syrup, recipe follows

2 tablespoons elderflower liqueur, such as St-Germain

Chilled prosecco or club soda, for topping

Rhubarb Syrup

2 large stalks rhubarb, cut into 4-inch pieces

1/2 cup sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

Directions

1. For the rhubarb syrup: In a medium saucepot, add the rhubarb, sugar and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat and cook until the rhubarb is tender and the liquid turns bright pink, 15 to 20 minutes. Strain the syrup and let cool completely.

2. Add a few ice cubes to a glass. Then add the Rhubarb Syrup and elderflower liqueur. Top off with prosecco, stir and serve.

Check out more cottage-ready recipes!

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