A Summer Feast

 What would make up the menu at a summer party? There could be fresh veggies maybe Grilled meat of some kind is a must A dessert featuring the fruit of the season is another must. Luckily there is amenu featuring all of these.

Regular contributors  Genvieve Ko , Melissa Clark, Yewande Komolafe and Eric Kim created such a feast in today;'s New York Times Wednesday Food section. This is the perfect pulled together dinner for an August birthday celebration at home or even after a fun pool party with friends. What's exciting is that it starts off with a tangy appetizer, a baked feta dish with spicey tomatoes and honey. The classic Greek cheese is baked with a mix of tomatoes, garlic onion, olives and capers wich have been tossed in olive oil ,and Aleppo peppers. along with sea salt. Honey is spooned around the feta . It's baked in a 425 degree Farenheit oven until the  tomatoes break down and the cheese has melted. Halfway through stire the veggies andat the end stir the veggies and feta together .The feta may look curdled. Add fresh mint or basil. serve with either sliced toasted baguette, pita or crackers. You could easily bake dessert too at this time if you want too. It;s a  buttery blueberry crisp that also has almonds in in for flavor and crunch.It's baked with fresh blueberries A half cup of melted and cooled butte is added to the crisp for a really rich flavor and the crisp is baked at 375 degrees Farenheit for forty minutes. Serve with either vanilla ice cream or better yet fresly whipped cream.

There are two different meat recipes. Make both if you're having a big crowd  or try either one  for a smaller crowd. There is coconut dill salmon with green beans and corn The fish and green beans are cooked in separate tin foil packets. The salmon is grilled in a dressing made of coconut cream, brown sugar mustard and vinegar. The beans are grilled and mixed into a salad with corn and tomatoes.The fish's dressing is also used on the veggies. Pile them on the fish fillets and serve with more dressing. Pork lovers will love the grilled pork chops with plum barbecue sauce. The sauce is made with fresh plums, in season right now.They're simmered in a mix of sauteed onion,applle cider or rice  vinegar brown sugar and chili sauce (although you could use Heinz ketchup for a milder flavor). The onion is sauteed first in oil and then the chili sauce, brown sugar and vinegar added. The sliced and pitted plums are then simmered in until the sauce has thickened. Served with  the grilled pork chops which have been seared on both sides for two to three minutes.

A summer feast is easily made. Try this one for a warn evening full of good food.It's a great way of  celebrating th season.