Monday, July 2, 2012

4th of July Birthday!



Like everyone else come Wednesday we’ll be celebrating the Fourth of July but around our home we’re also celebrating Mister Man’s birthday. Talk about double the pleasure but I always make sure it’s all about him like he doesn't already think it is all about him.


I skip the regular barbeque fair since mister man likes having all his favorites served up. Since it’s going to be warm in New England all of the dishes I’ll be serving can be made ahead and served at room temperature.


I’ll serve several dishes all at once and let everyone pick. One of the dishes will be “Espresso Crusted Filet Mignon on Gorgonzola Crostinirecipe. Be sure to use a hearty flavorful bread for the Crostini I like to use a nice fresh made Toscano bread made locally. Looks great and so easy to make and the best part is you cook the steak in the oven to any degree of doneness you prefer.


Another summer favorite now that fresh grown tomatoes are showing up in the farmers markets is a Tomato and Mozzarella tart made with homemade pastry crust. Trust me it’s the easiest thing in the world to make a great light and flaky pastry shell following this recipe from Martha Stewart.

Ingredients

·         2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
·         1 teaspoon salt
·         1 teaspoon sugar
·         16 tablespoons cold (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
·         1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Directions

1.         In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar; pulse to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with just a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.
2.         Sprinkle with 1/4 cup ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed with fingers (if necessary, add up to 1/4 cup more water, 1 tablespoon at a time). To help ensure a flaky crust, do not overprocess.
3.         Transfer half of dough (still crumbly) onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form dough into a disk 3/4 inch thick; wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (and up to 3 days). Repeat with remaining dough. (Disks can be frozen, tightly wrapped, up to 3 months. Thaw before using.) Makes 2 disks.

Important: Do not over process your flour mixture as this makes the crust thick and heavy. Never process it for more then 30 seconds. I like to count one thousand one method and it works perfectly.


I’ll also make a nice Greek salad to round things off!


Mister man prefers a fruit tart rather then a regular cake for his birthday. You can use the same recipe above for these tarts as well. I like to stick a sparkler in the middle to give his birthday tart a nice festive Fourth flair. Of course there can be whining at this stage since he has to wait for the sparkler to burn down before he can eat his tart….;)


One thing that mister man can’t seem to get enough of lately is cabernet gelato. So I’ll be making plenty of this to go with our fruit tarts. The color looks beautiful too with the color in the tarts.


So that’s what we’ll be doing on our Fourth of July, lots of celebrating for our country and Mister Man’s birthday. What kind of fun do you have planned for your Fourth?

I wish each and every one of you a Happy and Joyous Day!

Be well and be safe!
XXX
~Debra~


31 comments:

Luciane at HomeBunch.com said...

Good morning, my sweet Debra!

It was so great hearing from you today! That kitchen faucet is amazing. I was drooling over that. :-)

Happy Birthday to your husband. Lots of health!!!

Wishing you a really blessed week, sweetie!


xo

Luciane at HomeBunch.com

designchic said...

Hope you have the most wonderful week and a happy birthday to your husband!! I can hardly wait to try the tomato and mozzarella tart ~

Veronica said...

Dearest Debra...first of all I have to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your regular visits to my blog and lovely comments. I am slowly getting back to normal blogging and visiting blogs. Have missed it so much! Then, Happy 4 th July and birthday to Mr Man!

Now your menu is just sublime and my tastebuds are doing a march...from that crostina to the gelato...yum yum and yum!

Enjoy the celebrations and recipes have been pinned!

Sending hugs

Veronica
xx

pve design said...

.....cabernet gelato? I need the recipe for that!
Looks like lots of good things are cookin at your home.
Happy 4th too.
pve

Woodside Park said...

Lucky Mister! Sounds really yummy, Debra. I can tell you are a really good cook. I hope the Birthday Boy, you and Dylan all have a wonderful 4th!
xo,
Loi

I Dream Of said...

Debra, wishing you a wonderful Fourth! How fun to have so much to celebrate. That tomato tart looks amazing - I may have to bring that to our celebrations. Have a lovely, week and happy birthday to Mr. Man! XO

The enchanted home said...

Yum yum!!!!!!!!! This menu looks outrageous....I am bookmarking this, I literally would happily make each and every thing here, the crostini has my name all over it, the salad the berry tarts,and that tart...I could gobble that up in one fell swoop! Happy bday and Happy 4th to you and your husband.

Bethany [at] Powell Brower Home said...

oh id so love any one of those things on the grill. happy 4th to you!!

LaPouyette said...

My plan for the 4th of July:

Sending birthday greetings to Mister man, the "man of many faces..."

XOXOk

Great posts, Debra!!!! Sorry for not commenting for such a long time, had a bit of a 'out-time' from blogging..... :-)

Elizabeth@ Pine Cones and Acorns said...

Debra, this looks fabulous! I cannot wait to try this crust on my next tart!

I hope you have a fabulous holiday, with your mister and you pup! The menu is perfect.

Stay cool!

Elizabeth

Pura Vida said...

This menu looks delicious! Happy 4th!

michele said...

i like what your mister likes, and i demand you come here on my bday and serve all those incredible courses! cabernet gelato? holy cow you must love this guy.

i will be spending the day with my foxy guy and will hopefully be near a body of water.

smiles to you and best wishes on your double fete.

michele

Sharon Lee Johnson said...

Wishing you a very happy 4th and best wishes to Mister Man. Your meal sounds so delicious, I wish I was joining you. X Sharon

LB said...

Yum! Wishing you a wonderful celebration! xo~L

Segreto Secrets said...

I definitely changed my mind on what I will serve on the 4th--Your recipes look amazing!! Have a wonderful Birthday celebration!

Thoughts on Design said...

I just finished breakfast and now I'm hungry all over again... :-) It all looks and reads soooo Yummy!!!

Hope thunder storms don't spoil the day...

Cheers,
John

PS: Cabernet gelato?? Can you share the recipe? Or is it classified information :-)

Heather Robinson said...

This is all fantastic, Debra!! You should post about food more often!!!!

And also thanks for your support on my last post--your comment didn't pop up for some reason but I really appreciated it.

Happy 4th and Gros Bisous,
H

Splendid Sass said...

Deborah-
Happy Birthday to your husband, and I must say is is a very lucky man. These dishes are amazing. I am trying the tomato tart today, and the gelato will be a sure thing too.
Have great 4th!
Teresa
xoxo

Taylor Greenwalt said...

It all looks yummy! Happy birthday to your hubby..

zanetastyle said...

WOW, what a birthday your Mister has! Can not ever be a low key style, the whole counry is going crazy festive and fireworks everywhere....I was lucky to be in US once on that day, well, it is special((: Have lots of fun and I must try your delicious recipes in Calgary, Stampede is just as good a time for some fantastic food and red, blue and white colours!
Enjoy, happy b-day! Hugs Z

Fashion-isha said...

Every single food here looks delicious! Happy Fourth of July to you!!
xo
Sharon

LaPouyette said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MISTER MAN !!!

And many, many happy returns!

Best wishes for the celebration (all looks delicious) and warmest greetings,
karin

Anonymous said...

Happy bday to the hubster!! All of these recipes look amazing especially the tomato and mozzarella tart. yum yum. Happy 4th!! xo

Karena said...

Happy 4th Holiday and Happy Birthday to your husband. I can see how special you make the celebration!

xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena

Blooming Rose Musings said...

Wow, this all looks so delicious! You are going to have a fabulous fourth. Happy Birthday to your hubby. I work with playwright Neil Simon and his birthday is also July 4th...they are both in good company!
I just caught up on your last post and that sweet Dylan is a riot. I can almost feel his pleasure.
I have lots of guests and also been away a bit so I have taken a bit of a blog break. Hope to post next week.
Have a fantastic 4th!

mikky said...

What a great post! Happy birthday to your hubby and many happy returns. The photo of those sizzling burgers had my mouth watering. And the last photo is just breathtaking.

Hope you have a fun 4th and bday celebration.

:)
mikky
www.todaloos.com

Anonymous said...

Yum! Those fruit tarts look amazing, have to try myself sometime.

Barbara@HausDesign said...

You have a very lucky husband! I wish I could celebrate my birthday at your house. :) Hope it all was fun and delicious Debra!

Stacey said...

Happy Belated Birthday to Mister Man!:-). Wow, a July 4th birthday! I'm sure you all had an amazing time! XX

decor de provence said...

This looks like the BEST fourth of July EVER!!! How fun to have two special days fall into one!! Mister Man is one lucky guy to have such a talented brilliant wife, and I'm sure you're lucky to have him as well!! I'm glad to hear you had a wonderful day!

Much love to you Debra!!
Des

Elizabeth@ Pine Cones and Acorns said...

Hello Debra,

How was the birthday celebration! I am sure with this menu it was fabulous.

Are you roasting! Today, 100 here, who knows with the heat index. Stay cool!

Have a great weekend! Elizabeth

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