"Dining al Fresco"

June 18, 2009 - Vol 1, Issue 9

In This Issue

Wine of the Month

Beer of the Month

Upcoming Downtown Events

Active Summer Cooking

Smart Summer Dining Tips

Quick Links

Cucina Fresca's Website

Cucina Fresca's Blog

Shop Online

Downtown Business Association

This week's cooking spot on KENV TV

Join us for Facebook Fridays!

LeCreuset's
100 in 100 Contest:

Visit LeCreuset's website and enter to win FREE LeCreuset Cookware pieces

E-Newsletter Drawing

If you receive our newsletter, you will be entered into a drawing each month for a great prize for your kitchen. Check here each month to see if you have won, if so, come in to collect your prize!

May's winner:

Megan Gates....

Megan won a Trivet. Congrats Megan, come by anytime to pick up your prize!

Dining vs. Eating

It's the same thing at one level, food enters the body. But at another level, dining and eating are two very different experiences. It's the attitude that one applies to the situation that makes all the difference. Eating is a functional necessity, while dining feeds the soul as well as the body. Dining possesses a deliberateness - the extra steps that create a rejuvenating ambience, the invitation of others to share this slice of life. Summertime brings forth the best of dining opportunities, those chances to eat in the outdoors soaking up all that's best about a summer's evening - dining al fresco! In this issue we celebrate summer with some ideas for creating that perfect summer evening of dining, strategies for staying cool, and enjoying some active cooking with your guests. We close with a trio of recipes from the Simple Soirées cookbook that, together, form a perfectly coordinated summer eve's menu.

June Wine of the Month

This month we're featuring:

Block 50 Shiraz
'Orange, Australia' 2005

June Price: $10.00
Regular Price: $11.50

June Beer of the Month

Who said the French can't make beer...

This month we're featuring:
Kronenbourg 1664
product of France - $1.50/bottle

Learn more about it:

http://www.k1664.co.uk/kronenbourg.html

In-store Beer Tasting Saturday, June 20th

Elko Downtown Upcoming Events!

Elko Downtown Business Association Upcoming Events:

3rd Thursdays Girls' Night Out Shopping Event
Thursday, June 18th
Participating Stores Open until 7pm
Game-themed Shopping Savings at 11 Downtown Stores

3rd Annual Elko DBA Wine Walk Dates
Saturday, July 11th
Saturday, August 8th
Saturday, September 12th

Cucina Fresca's Upcoming Events!

Father's Day Beef & BBQ Basket Drawing:

Be sure to come in and register your father, grandfather, or great-grandfather in our annual:

Beef & BBQ Basket Drawing!

This annual giveaway is co-sponsored by the Elko County Cattlewomen. The winner will be announced in the July issues of our e-newsletter.

Cucina Fresca's In the News:

Cucina Fresca was recently featured in a gourmet industry publication, Gourmet 365. This publication that has national reach, focuses on the business of gourmet kitchenware and housewares. Cucina Fresca was the featured in the prized spot of "Retail Spotlight." We were pleased to be highlighted and found ourselves blushing just a bit! Read the article!

Setting the Scene

Some of our best memories involve leisurely summer evenings shared with friends around the table. Dining al fresco, literally translates to "dining in the outdoors," or "dining in the fresh air." It takes on a varied character - it might be at a sidewalk café, a balcony overlooking water, or on your own patio. Creating special summer moments that stay with us can be made simple with a little forethought. We offer a few suggestions for setting the scene for some lovely outdoor dining.

The Setting - Dining al fresco is at least half ambience, the other half is food. The setting you create can turn an ordinary deck or patio into an enchanted space as the sun begins to set. Consider the following scene changers:

Flowers -- Celebrate the abundance of flowers and the dazzling colors in nature with bouquets, baskets or pots appropriately placed on your table and around the dining space. An herb pot or two will offer wonderful fragrance and stimulate the appetite.
Color -- Create an inviting table setting. Break out your most extroverted tablecloth and cloth napkins. An outdoor table can handle huge splashes of color from a variety of linens that an indoor dining room just can't manage. Mix and match odd pieces into an energetic collage. Accessorize each napkin with a napkin ring - the equivalent of table jewelry.
Light -- Candles and fire are a necessity for summer evening suppers. The quality of light and its movement add to the mood. Try luminaries at different levels - ground or deck level, and table height. Place luminaries at distant points from the table, such as in the corners of the yard, near walkways, etc.
Movement -- Bedeck the deck with yards of gauzy fabric to transform the space into something special. Twist the fabric between posts or railings forming swags that drape gracefully. With a summer breeze and evening thermals, the impromptu fashion will create gentle movement that allows the wind to be seen as well as felt.

Check the Elements - To pull off that magical evening, it will take some cooperation from Mother Nature! We like the tools available at Weather Underground, www.wunderground.com, for getting up-to-date weather assessments. This site, like many others, allows you to track weather on the radar and perform some armchair meteorology. Weather and other conditions being unpredictable, a few mitigation tactics and ready alternatives are in order:

Rain Plan - Depending on your setting, a forecast of rain may move the entire event indoors. However, if the forecast is for intermittent or light rain, you may be able to continue your outdoor plan with the help of a tent, awning, or even an open garage door.
Temperature Modifications - Oppressive heat is no fun. If those are the conditions you're likely to confront, plan your event for later in the evening, as the sun is setting. Equip your space with moving air; a breeze, natural or artificial, will have a cooling effect. A few frozen beverages will help too -- more on that below!
Watch for Wind - This overlooked element can make or break the moment. A gentle breeze is delightful, but gusts can take the table and its contents on the road, or introduce dust into the dining equation. Set up in a sheltered location, secure the tablecloth with clamps, and monitor the conditions.

Make it Ahead - Plan your menu so that all of the cooking may be done ahead of time. This accomplishes several good things - the kitchen stays cool and the hard work is done early leaving you fresh and available to have a good time along with your guests.

Keeping it Cool

Thirst-quenching is the name of the game these days! Whether by the sip to wet the lips, or a swig to slide shockingly down the throat, it's about heat relief from the inside out! Keeping it cool involves ice - and plenty of it!

Ice Cubes

Ice, please! - It's only in the last hundred years that ice has become a ready commodity. Today, we like our ice in unique shapes, cracked into shards, crushed to a slush, or shaved like snow - just so long as it packs a chill!

How to Freeze Water -- A good ice cube displays a clear character. Cloudiness or opacity in the center of an ice cube results from impurities in the water, and/or air bubbles trapped during freezing. Commercial icemakers know that a clear cube comes from pure water, and from freezing the water in thin layers at just below its freezing point of 32˚F/0˚C. The thin layers and the "warm" freezing temperature allow the air bubbles to escape. At home, clearer cubes are produced from mineral-free, distilled, and boiled water which removes any air bubbles.

Crushed Ice Drinks - Slushies, smoothies or other frozen, crushed ice drinks are particularly refreshing in the summertime. You can make your own version of a frozen favorite at home for pennies on the dollar! Blender with Strawberries

With a Blender - Great frozen drinks are ready in 60 seconds with a sturdy blender. Fill the carafe no more than two-thirds full with ice. Add at least one cup of liquid to provide a medium for moving the ice. For fruit smoothies, puree the fruit first in the blender, then add the ice cubes. (Do not use a food processor to crush ice; it will damage the machine's blade and scratch the workbowl).

With a Frozen Drink Maker - a machine like the Key West Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker, will dispense all manner of frozen drinks with ease all day long - and not just frozen margaritas! The unit shaves ice and blends up to 36 ounces of beverage in one batch. Automatic settings adjust ingredient proportions to just the right amounts. View this video to see how it works.

Keeping Cold Food Cold - This is the time of year where food-safety can be of concern. Cooked foods may not cool quickly enough, or cold foods may not stay cold long enough.

To Cool Quickly - Many summer dishes requiring cooking and quick cooling like potato salads, pasta, or grain salads. Allow such foods to cool to room temperature, then store the lukewarm foods in shallow pans or in zippered plastic bags. Place these shallow packages in the refrigerator in a single layer allowing the refrigerator's cool air to reach the center of the food as quickly as possible. Do not stack the shallow packets until they are thoroughly cooled.

To Keep Food Cold - There are a number of clever dishes that are insulated or designed to keep food cold. Two-walled cups or serving dishes will keep foods cooler longer. Consider "nesting" serving bowls within a larger bowl containing ice.

Active Summer Cooking

There's an ease to summertime entertaining that allows the host and hostess to relax a bit and put guests to work. Participatory food preparation will become part of the occasion's fun!