August Celebrations

August is the only month of the year that has no official holiday or one that is widely celebrated. My mother’s birthday was in August and she always loved it—because there were no other big holidays and so her birthday became a bigger celebration.

Of course there are some special days in this month, albeit somewhat obscure. August 1, for instance, is Colorado Day, Lammas Day, the English festival of the Wheat Harvest; William Clark (Lewis and Clark expedition) was born, as was Herman Melville. It’s Swiss Independence Day and World War I officially began on this day in 1914. And on the 3rd, Columbus set sail from Spain in 1492—I could go on (I keep track of things like this).

It seems like the perfect month to create reasons to celebrate. Impromptu get-togethers at the lake or a nearby park or easy suppers on the porch seem in order. Of course August is famous for one other thing—heat. So any entertaining you might do should be simple and call for cool cooking foods.

Here are some menu ideas gleaned from the pages of the August 1999 Bon Appetit:

Lunch by the Water (for 6)

Deviled Eggs with Curry
The Best BLTS
Celery Stick, Carrot Sticks and Olives
Dark Chocolate Brownies with White Chocolate Chunks


Supper on the Porch (for 6)

Cold Avocado Soup
Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken Breast
Fresh Tomato Salad with Onions, Feta and Olives
Baked Baguette with Lemon-Garlic Butter
Peach-Amaretto Sundaes

Dinner in the Back Yard (for 8)

Cutting-Edge Clam Dip
Grilled Rib-Eye Steaks with Roasted Peppers
Grilled French Bread
French Potato Salad
Lemon Mousse with Fresh Berries






The Best BLTS

2 ½ cups (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves
1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup (½ stick) butter, room temperature
12 thick-sliced bacon strips (about 1 pound)
12 ½-inch-thick slices fresh country-style white bread
3 large tomatoes cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds
2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, slice
1 red onion, thinly sliced
6 lettuce leaves

Mix basil, mayonnaise and butter in processor until basil is finely chopped and mixture is well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook bacon in heavy skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels; drain. Spread half of mayonnaise mixture over 1 side of 6 bread slices. Top each with 2 tomato slices. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper. Top tomato slices with avocado, then with bacon strips, onion and lettuce. Spread remaining mayonnaise mixture over remaining 6 bread slices. Place bread slices atop lettuce. Cut sandwiches in half and serve.

Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken Breast

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless French bread
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. minced fresh thyme
1 tsp. salt ½ tsp. ground black pepper
½ cup Dijon mustard
2 large eggs
6 skinless chicken breast halves
4 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. olive oil
Lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix breadcrumbs, cornmeal, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper in large bowl to blend. Pound each chicken breast half between sheets of plastic wrap using rolling pin or mallet to ½ inch thickness. Dip chicken first into mustard mixture and coat well, then into breadcrumb mixture; shake off excess breadcrumbs. Melt butter with oil in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of chicken to skillet; cook until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to 9x13” glass baking dish (Pyrex-type). Repeat with remaining chicken. Bake chicken about 8-10 minutes. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve.

Lemon Mousse with Fresh Berries

1 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar
¾ cup fresh lemon juice
6 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1 ½ Tbsp. grated lemon peel
1 12-oz. basket strawberries, hulled, halved or quartered, if large
1 6-oz. basket fresh blueberries
1 6-oz. basket fresh raspberries
1 6-oz. basket fresh blackberries
2 cups chilled whipping cream
8 whole strawberries (for garnish
Fresh mint sprigs

Combine 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, egg yolks, whole eggs and grated lemon peel in large metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bowl to touch water). Whisk until mixture thickens and thermometer inserted into mixture registers 160 deg. Transfer lemon curd to another large bowl. Chill until cool, whisking occasionally.
Toss halved strawberries, and other berries with 1 Tbsp sugar in another large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat 1 ½ cups whipping cream in medium bowl until firm peaks form. Fold 1/3 of whipped cream into lemon curd to lighten, then fold in remaining whipped cream. Divide berry mixture among 8 dessert bowls or wineglasses. Spoon lemon mousse over berries. Beat remaining cream in bowl until stiff peaks form. Spoon whipped cream atop desserts. Garnish with whole strawberries and mint sprigs.