This summer menu inspired by local Park City restaurants is the perfect solution for a Friday evening when turning on the oven — or even firing up the grill — is the last thing on your agenda. Start with a refreshing cocktail, follow with a lavish antipasto platter, and finish with a dessert that will have guests yodeling with delight.
The Cocktail
Mountain Deer
(Serves 4)
Ingredients
8 oz. Salt City vodka
24 oz. Fentimans
ginger beer
2 limes, juiced
Directions
Divide the lime juice among four glasses or mugs. Add 3 ice cubes per glass, then pour in vodka and top with ginger beer.
The Entree
Grappa Antipasto
(Serves 4)
Italians might fall into their pasta, but we believe an antipasto platter doesn’t have to “anti” anything, including a hot plate of noodles. Several savory ingredients supplemented with a variety of appetizing bites make a satisfying dinner all on their own; shop for your bounty the day before and there’s literally nothing to fuss over. Feel free to improvise, but this assemblage will please even the hungriest guest and fussiest palate.
ingredients
1 lb. sliced meats such as spicy pepperoni, prosciutto, and Spanish chorizo
1 ball burrata, left whole (or substitute sliced fresh or smoked mozzarella)
3 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, broken into chunks
3 ounces Provolone, cut in cubes
½ cups marinated artichoke hearts, stems trimmed and cut in half
½ cup marinated olives
½ cup fresh figs, quartered
Assorted nuts such as pistachios and toasted walnuts
1 loaf focaccia bread, sliced
directions
Arrange ingredients on a large platter, keeping individual components together while making a pleasing design. Put marinated items (and burrata, if using) in small bowls and place in the middle. Slice bread and serve in a basket on the side.
The Dessert
Mixed Berry Pie (Serves 6 – 8)
Baking a pie in the dog days of summer — not gonna happen. But when berries are in season, you can cheat the process by piling a blend of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries into a store-bought graham cracker piecrust.
Ingredients
4 cups mixed berries, washed and hulled, if necessary
2/3 cup granulated sugar plus extra, depending on berries
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons butter
1 prepared graham cracker piecrust
directions
Mash 1 ½ cups of the berries with a fork. In a saucepan on the countertop, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and water until smooth. Stir in the mashed fruit and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the mixture is thick. Stir in the lemon juice.
Taste to see if the mix requires more lemon or sugar. Stir in the butter and the remaining berries. Chill until partially thickened, then spoon into the pie crust and chill for at least three hours. Serve with ice cream.