There is a new chill in the evening air this week that makes me nostalgic. It brings me back to the first day of school and the beginning of the fall soccer season growing up. I always find this shift between summer and fall both cozy and a bit bittersweet. To help me ease into this transition, I made an inaugural batch of pumpkin muffins last week. Alongside the warm pumpkin muffin, I sliced up and salted a perfectly ripe Early Girl Tomato from the market to eat with it for breakfast. It was the last week of summer on a plate!
So far, September has been a big party month for Maria and me, and I wanted to tell you about the vibes, the bevvies, and importantly, the menu planning!
Having gone all summer without grilling and eating a single hot dog, Maria decided it was time to start a new family tradition: an annual Hot Dog and Watermelon Harvest party. She rang in the end of summer with the most epic backyard BBQ, planning the menu around her family’s new grill.
Maria is a natural hostess … I mean, she wrote the book! It was so fun to see her work the BBQ, slinging hot dogs, bratwursts, and spicy Italian and chicken apple sausages. She harvested zucchini from her bountiful garden, and grilled them alongside spring onions, King Trumpet mushrooms, and Jimmy Nardello peppers to create a grilled garden veggie platter. Throughout the backyard were bowls of ridged potato chips, platters of crackly snickerdoodles and decadent brownie cookies, and buckets of beer, wine, and juice boxes. The kids were playing with bubbles and chalk, laughing and chattering while the adults hung out and soaked in every second of this epic end-of-summer celebration. The grand finale?! The harvest of Maria’s homegrown watermelon! We like to think that there will be a garden watermelon ready to pick each September, to symbolize time passed and memories shared as we move into the next season.
I made sure to take lots of notes on Maria’s party because this past Saturday, my family generously hosted a backyard engagement party for Cullen and me. My parents spent the past few weeks turning their darling backyard into the most perfect, intimate garden-party venue, and after two months of scheming about the flow of the party and planning the menu, the evening truly swept us away. My mom’s zinnias and dahlias were in full bloom, the patio was transformed into a dreamy dining space for 40 people, and as a bonus we had a built-in theme song (s/o Earth, Wind, and Fire!).
It was so fun collaborating with my parents, sisters, and Cullen on the menu and vision for this wonderful soirée. Both my parents are professional bakers (lucky me!), and like Maria, incredibly talented cooks and the most generous, gracious hosts. While planning the menu, we began by brainstorming recipes we love that are simple, delicious, and honor the ingredients available during this precious bridge between seasons. The first thing we knew we had to share with our guests was my family’s summer fixation: Peach, Tomato, and Burrata Salad. We have made iterations of this countless times over the past few months and it never disappoints. I love alternating between bites of floral, sweet peach and plump, juicy tomato, of course making sure a bit of burrata makes it into every mouthful.
Alongside this glorious salad, we served chicken thighs marinated with dates, olives, capers, garlic, and pomegranate molasses, a recipe my parents adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi. This worked for such a big crowd because my parents were able to prepare it the day before, and cook it all off earlier in the day and reheat it right before we sat down. It was so cute seeing our friends leave the party with tin foil wrapped chicken parcels in hand … it was that delicious! My dad also made Roasted Baby Potatoes with Sumac … genius!
Cullen washed 10 (!!!) heads of butter lettuce for a butter lettuce salad with spicy candied pepitas to add a bit of green to the table, and my sisters made limey Campari and amaro spritzes. This was our take on a drink served at Pizzaiolo in Oakland, and we garnished them with lemon verbena and mint from Maria’s garden.
And finally dessert! My mom is an incredible baker and I knew from the moment we started planning this party that I would ask her to make her version of tiramisù. Between layers of delicate sponge cake soaked in espresso syrup was a layer of decadent chocolate mousse and zabaglione (think boozy custard lightened with whipped cream … drool!). She topped this delicious-ness with mascarpone whipped cream and a generous dusting of cocoa powder. Something about the soft, sweet layers of this treat felt so romantic, and it was the perfect way to end the celebration.
It was an honor and privilege for Cullen and me to share such an intentional evening with our families and dear friends in the home that I grew up in. It filled our hearts to the very brim to see the people we love so deeply gathered beneath the twinkle lights, laughing over drinks and sharing stories over a home-cooked meal. Similarly, it was beautiful to see Maria’s community of neighbors, friends, and family gathered in her backyard. Strangers became friends while the kids happily ate cookies for dinner. With so much love in the air during the turn of the season, we celebrated everything that was summer and welcomed all that is to come this fall.
Bringing people together to share a meal is one of life's greatest joys. I think this is something my family, Cullen, Maria, and I all believe to our very core. As Maria likes to say, “generosity leads to abundance.” In that spirit, as we head into a new season, cheers to bringing people together, breaking bread with loved ones, and celebrating all of the engagements, watermelons, and everything in between.
Marry Me Salad
Everyone needs to make and eat this salad as much as possible until tomato season is over. The herby, slightly sweet dressing cuts through the fatty, creamy burrata, accentuating the flavors of the peaches and tomatoes. If you can’t find ripe peaches in the market, feel free to use nectarines, figs, pluots, plums, melon, or a combination of them all.
Serves 6
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
½ shallot, very finely chopped
1 clove garlic, grated
1 ½ teaspoons honey
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup (20 g) fresh basil leaves
2 sprigs tarragon, stemmed, leaves finely chopped
3 medium heirloom tomatoes, or 6 dry-farmed Early Girl Tomatoes, sliced into ½-inch (12 mm) wedges
2 medium peaches, sliced into ¼-inch (6 mm) wedges
1 (8-ounce / 225 g) package of burrata
Flaky salt, to garnish
Make the dressing: In a medium jar, place the red wine vinegar, shallot, garlic, honey, red pepper flakes, and salt. Using a fork or a small whisk, stir well, making sure to dissolve the salt and honey into the vinegar. Add the olive oil to the jar, screw the lid on tightly, and shake vigorously to combine. Chop half of the basil and add it to the dressing along with the chopped tarragon. Stir it with the fork to incorporate. Taste the dressing to make sure it's seasoned to your liking, and set aside. Feel free to add more salt or more vinegar if necessary. This dressing is flexible!
Assemble the salad: On a serving platter, arrange the tomato wedges in an even layer. Add the peach slices, scattering them whimsically, tucking a few peach slices in the pockets among tomato wedges. Tear the remaining basil leaves and sprinkle them over the top.
Holding the burrata over the platter, tear the cheese into 2-bite pieces, nestling the mounds of cheese on top of and among the peaches and tomatoes. Using a spoon, drizzle the dressing over the salad. Finish by sprinkling a pinch of flaky salt over the top of the dish. Serve with anything and everything while tomatoes are in season!
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