xo amys

What a glories summer evening it was… I had an intimate gathering with my ladies to celebrate another year. I’m so thankful for all the friendships I have created along the years and with women like these around, we can get through anything. The day was sunny, we drank rosé on the balcony, laughed and shared stories until a few us went out dancing till the early hours of the morning. I can say, I felt a little rough the following day but it was all worth it as it was so much fun!

Since it was my birthday over the weekend, I want to share some of the recipes and maybe it will be of use to your upcoming summer parties. These tiny bites are great for garden parties or for long summer evenings out with friends. I wanted to keep the servings chic and simple, a lot of which I could make in advance, using lots of fresh flavours and a grand cake to solidify the evening. A little rosé, mint strawberry bellini and champagne served with an assortment of sweet and salty to keep the evening flowing without having to serve anything while my friends arrived. I made some smoked salmon and beetroot hummus canapés, summer salad bowls, smoked salmon pate, chocolate mousse, sliced melon with jamon Serrano and a rhubarb butter cream semi naked cake.

My hubby and I went to Hanko the day before the party and I gathered as much wildflowers as I could on our drive back home. We also did a little cake tasting and drank rose bub tea before the actual ladies party.

smoked salmon cream cheese canape with a dry glass of provence rosé is always a summer hit in our circle of friends!

New Potatoe, endive salad asparagus Summer bowl

• New potatoes
• Asparagus
• Endive leaves
• Sprouts

Marinade the cooked new potatoes and chopped asparagus with grated garlic, olive oil, chopped thyme and cayenne pepper. In a frying pan cook the vegetables for about 10minutes. Leave to the side to cool. Mix the potatoes and asparagus with the chopped endives and sprouts. Add to little bowls and garnish with basil, parsley, black pepper and a pinch of salt.

Smoked salmon Canapés

• Cream cheese
• Smoked salmon
• Dill
• Black pepper/cappers

Slice the baguette and fry on a hot pan with a bit of oil until edges become golden. Add a bit of salt. Remove from heat and let it cool and harden.

Add cream cheese on the bread, a slice of smoked salmon, dill and black pepper. Sprinkle with capers in the end.

Beetroot hummus canapé

• Beetroot hummus
• Basil leaves
• Blueberry
• Black pepper

On the bread, add some beetroot hummus, a basil leaf and a blueberry. You can buy readymade beet hummus from the store or make it yourself from this recipe.

Chocolate mousse

• 1 bar Dark chocolate
• 200dl cream (whipped)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
• Handful of strawberries
• 2 tablespoons of heavy milk

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pot of boiling water. Once almost melted, add a splash of heavy milk to the chocolate. Meanwhile whip the cream with sugar until solid. Add the melted chocolate to the whipped cream. Divide into little glasses and add slices of strawberries into it. Place into the fridge for 3 hours until it becomes more solid.

Strawberry mint Bellini

Puree a handful of fresh strawberries and mint leaves in a blender. Add juice of 1 lemon and perhaps a bit of water to help the blender blitz. Stain the liquid through a sieve and into a jar to refrigerate. Serve with dry prosecco and garnish with blooming thyme twigs & ice.

Find the cake recipe from here.

Smoked Salmon paté

• Salmon Mousse
• 150g smoked salmon
• 200g cream cheese
• 1 tbsp crème fraiche
• ½ lemon juice
• Chopped dill

In a large bowl, crumble the smoked salmon with your fingers. In a food processor add the cream cheese and crème fraiche, lemon juice and black pepper and blitz according to your liking. (This can be done by hand as well) Add in the smoked salmon and pulse a few times. Stir in the dill and add into little bowls for serving.