Best Late Summer Soup

Pretty, isn't it?  And, oh Mama!  Is it Good!!!  This is based on a recipe I found in Coastal Living this summer.  We've had regular gazpacho all summer, but, now that the corn and tomatoes are at their peak, I decided to try this.  Seriously....give it a try.  It's also very low fat, and aside from the carbs in the corn, it's good for you.  

Corn Gazpacho with Crab

(serves 4 generously)

8 ears of fresh yellow corn

1 pint of yellow grape tomatoes

3/4 c. mild white onions or leeks

1  1/2 c. chicken stock

1 T. olive oil

2 t. fresh lemon juice

1  1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. white pepper

1 yellow pepper, chopped

1/4 c. skim milk

1 c. lump crab meat, drained

1/4 c. thinly sliced green onion tops

Boil corn in a large pot of water for about 5-8 minutes.  Drain and cool.  Cut the kernels off of the cob.  You should have about 4 cups.  Finely chop a small amount of the yellow pepper and save for garnish.

Set aside a few tomatoes for garnish, and add the rest of the tomatoes to the corn in a blender.  Add the next 7 ingredients, and process until smooth.  Add the milk and process again.  Chill at least 2 hours.  

Divide among 4 bowls and top with crab.  Sprinkle the halved tomatoes, chopped pepper, and sliced green onion tops. 

Best made early the day of serving.

I served this last night at this dinner.  We all loved it!

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Late Summer Table

We've entertained every day this Labor Day weekend, and this is the last dinner.  We played golf and had our partners over for a quick, easy meal.  For some reason, I didn't want to do red, white and blue, so I decided to do a tribute to the icons of late summer: the sunflower and the tomato.

This color combination is so French, and I have these linens that I love but I rarely use that tie these colors together perfectly.  The tablecloth and the napkins are yardage from Pierre Deux.  Remember that great store?  

On this wicker charger from World Market, I stacked a red Ballard Design dinner plate and a sunflower salad plate by Maxcera that I got at Homegoods.  The colors are a little off in this picture, but you get the idea.

These small bowls with tomatoes on them are by 222 Fifth, and also came from Homegoods.  Here's a red variety of tomato......

and here's a yellow variety.  All four bowls are different. 

This flatware is so old that I can't remember where it came from, but those red bread and butter plates are from Walmart.

The glassware picks up these two dominant colors well.  The yellow tumbler is from Pottery Barn, and the red stem is vintage. 

A couple of years ago, I spied this gold cachepot at a wonderful store in Indianapolis, called Surroundings, and I scooped it up immediately.  I still love the way the fruit and handles are so three dimensional.  The inside is glazed with turquoise, but it needn't show here.  I filled it with the freshest sunflowers that I bought at the Alpharetta farmers market yesterday.  Those cherry tomatoes are from there, too.  I also bought some small yellow pear tomatoes that I thought I would add to the table, but I used them all in the soup I served, a Corn Gazpacho with Crab.  I'll post that recipe tomorrow, because it is soooo yummy. 

This seemed the perfect way to close the door on the weekend.  Some would say to end summer, but not me!  I'll be celebrating summer for a while yet. 

Not red, white and blue for Labor Day, but it seemed perfectly appropriate. 

A year or so ago, I did a table very similar to this with tomatoes and dahlias.  You can see it here.

I love these watercolored cocktail napkins by Cynthia Dunn.  They even added a "Bonjour" to our French/Labor Day/salute to sunflowers and tomatoes.

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Dahlias and Tomatoes

Last week, on my way home from Cashiers, N. C. (post to come on that), I passed a darling couple who were selling dahlia plants and arrangements.  If you've ever driven that area, you know how I risked my life when I turned around at my first opportunity and went back to buy some.  That mountain is steep and the curves are wicked.  Here's what I chose: mixed dahlias in a commercial sized empty tomato tin can.  Here they are sitting on the railing of our deck when I got home.

Well, I originally intended to put the flowers into another container, but as I looked at them, I decided to celebrate the humble tomato with a yellow and red tablescape. 

I haven't used these dishes or these linens in ages.

These French linens from Souleiado fit the bill.  Actually, the French do red and yellow together pretty often, and these small prints were just about perfect to go with this can label. 

I used these wicker chargers from World Market and added a dinner plate made in Portugal by Vista Alegre called "Bahia".

Then, to make a break from the busy tablecloth and dinner plate, I added a salad plate by Over and Back, Inc., made in Italy.  The bowls were some I picked up at Homegoods last year, made by 222 Fifth and fittingly called "Heirloom Tomato".  Each one of the four is different and the variety is depicted on the outside, as well as the inside.  This one is all red......

 

This one all yellow.......

Another red one......

 

And a red and yellow stripe.  I served gazpacho in them, of course!

I think this red and yellow flatware came from Target many moons ago. 

This red goblet is pretty old.  I can't even remember where I got it.  The clear stemless wine glass beside it is Reidel.

Even though there were just four of us, I put out place cards, mainly because I wanted to use these small, red zebra tomatoes with them.  Aren't they cute?  And, man, oh man, do they taste good!  All of the tomatoes come from a wonderful road side fruit stand called Osage Farms in Rabun Gap that I passed on the way up to Cashiers and couldn't wait to stop at on my way home.  Incredible stuff!

 

It made a pretty table.  Kind of different, and certainly a tribute to the end of summer.

Overhead view.

Just before our company came, I was in the refrigerator getting cheese, and I spied this quart of heirloom cherry tomatoes in all of these great colors, so I sprinkled them around the base of the tin and shot one more photo.  Brilliant, huh????  I love the way they look.

Ahhhh!  Daliahs.  That north Georgia/ North Carolina area grows some mighty fine beauties. I had heard that all of the rain this year spoiled them, but the sweet lady I bought these from said that God shone on her fields and she had plenty!  I love that!

 

 

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