Sweet Summer Celebrations

My sister and I are July babies. Between two birthdays, a July show and fresh produce that begs for get-togethers, there are a lot of celebrations. I do a lot of grocery shopping down the road at a place called Kowalski's. Aside from the fact that they have an excellent cheese selection, they celebrate local. Much of their meats, produce, salsas, baked goods and yes, cheeses - are locally owned. And then there's the view. Every time I walk out of the grocer - White Bear Lake is welcoming me. I never tire of the view.
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We had a busy kitchen. Paul was making Steven Raichlen's Grilled Corn Chowder Soup.
When the summer corn comes in, this soup is on our agenda. While shopping, I received the sweetest summer surprise. The lovely cheesemonger at Kowalski's presented me with this:

Burrata! Just flown in from Italy today! A gift! "Because you'd know what to do with it." A gift and a compliment. So while Paul was chopping up twenty grilled vegetables, I was roasting tomatoes and re-imagining a Caprese platter. Burrata means "buttered" in Italian. And indeed it is smooth and creamy as a fresh butter.

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Do you see the milk-cream oozing from the mozzarella lining. Delicate, soft, winding it's milk-way to the tomatoes and bread. (And crackers - my mother is always on a diet and wants crackers instead of bread.)

The pesto stood in for the basil.

While I was roasting tomatoes (and zucchini and eggplant but we'll get to that later) and Paul was preparing his soup, Kirsten was doing her Fool.

A Berry Fool. As a writer, there are so many places I could go with the name of that luscious dessert. But I shall endeavor to remain on track. We don't cook enough with berries in this house. No matter how many pints of berries I bring home, they disappear before I can get a baking pan out. While this is English in origin and not Italian, I think you will forgive me. In truth, I am a fool for Fools.

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Berry Fool - adapted from Williams Sonoma's Dessert

(Kirsten changed sugar amounts and berries; all photos from Kirsten)

8 strawberries halved

1/4 cup sugar

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1 cup raspberries and blueberries

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

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Pinch of salt

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3/4 cup well-chilled heavy cream

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mint leaves and small berries for garnish

Stem and hull the strawberries and slice them in quarters. Toss with 1/4 cup of sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes. The sugar will draw out the juices. Using a fork, mash them until they ressemble a jam. Add the raspberries and blueberries and crush them with the fork. Stir in lemon juice and salt. Place in freezer and chill, stirring frequently. 10-15 minutes.

In a chilled bowl, whip your cream until soft peaks form when beaters are lifted. (Can you see my sister's birthday card and Paul's chowder recipe under the bowl - my ktichen table was Cooking Central.)

Fold the chilled berries into the cream.

Can do ahead: Cover and refrigerate over night. When ready to serve, scoop into clear glasses and serve. Garnish with a small berry and a mint leaf.

This could be a filling for a berry tiramisu. Or an accompaniment to pound cake.

Or layered with sponge cake into a small verrine. A tease. A fool. (from the French word "fouler" - to crush). In-between the burrata and Fool, we had herbed ricotta, roasted ratatouille, grilled corn chowder soup, t-bones and a roasted Panzella salad. I forgot to set out the Valrhona chocolates. Nobody complained. A sweet celebration indeed.