Fruits 'du jour' offer cooling refreshment

Hot! Hot! Hot! What a summer! Fans going constantly, clothing at a minimum, cold showers morning and evening – even too hot to barbecue! And then came the smoke. A little heat seemed less hard to bear if a choice were offered. Often, a little refreshment can help attitudes. Hence, today’s column:

Fruit fills the bill for cooling fare that belies the thermometer and following are some ideas for main dishes, salads, and desserts. Enjoy!

Our illustration can’t capture the rich and mellow delight of this cold soup; you’ve got to try it yourself!

Summer Strawberry Soup

1 quart fresh totally ripe strawberries, rinsed, hulled

2 cups water

1/2 cup buttermilk*

1/2 cup fresh-squeezed strained orange juice

Juice of 2 lemons

1 Tb. fresh chopped mint

1/4 cup brown sugar (optional)

4-6 Tbs. plain yogurt

Mint sprigs for garnish

In a stainless steel or enamel saucepan, combine everything through the brown sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Cool slightly, then puree in a blender or food processor, and chill thoroughly. Before serving, swirl 1 Tb. yogurt through each portion and garnish with mint sprigs.

* You may use heavy whipping cream (unwhipped) instead of buttermilk; if you do this, do NOT add to the mixture until after cooking is completed and slight cooling has taken place. Add prior to pureeing and chilling. Another option is to make the soup as directed and substitute heavy cream for the yogurt for swirling.

Strawberries shine in salads, tossed with chilled partners such as cantaloupe or honeydew melon, but especially as a partner to spinach as in this savory example.

Strawberry-Spinach Salad

In a large bowl, combine:

1 pound spinach leaves, stemmed, well-washed, cut (or not) to your preference

3 green onions with tops, chopped

2 cups (1 pint) perfect strawberries, halved or quartered depending on size

1 orange, peeled, sectioned, cut into bite-size pieces

1/3 cup chopped walnuts OR 1/4 cup chopped cashews

Cover and chill in the refrigerator or serve immediately upon tossing with dressing*.

* Consider a vinaigrette of 1/2 cup of olive oil to 2 Tbs. vinegar (think balsamic, red- or white-wine or Champagne vinegar) with your choice of a dash of sugar or honey, salt and pepper to taste – or any of Litehouse’s offerings – for the perfect summer salad.

You’ll have to stand at the stove – but only briefly, for this delectable dessert. If you didn’t score huckleberries this year, use blueberries.

Huckleberry Fritters

1 cup sifted flour

¼ cup granulated sugar

1½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 egg yolk

1½ tsp. vanilla

1 Tbs. melted shortening or salad oil

2 egg whites

2 cups fresh huckleberries

Melted shortening or cooking oil for frying to 3-inch depth in chicken fryer or kettle

Powdered sugar (optional)

Sift dry ingredients together into medium bowl, Combine egg yolk, milk and shortening in small bowl; pour into flour mixture, blend well. Beat egg whites till stiff but not dry and fold gently into batter. Heat shortening to 350-375f., fry fritters using heaping tablespoons for each fritter. Fry three or four at a time, turning once during cooking, 3-4 minutes or till light golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper; sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Allow to cool just a bit, then serve in a shallow bowl alongside a great dollop of vanilla ice cream. (In cold weather, you’ll serve them hot - plain, or with huckleberry sauce or maple syrup as desired).

Valle Novak writes the Country Chef and Weekend Gardener columns for the Daily Bee. She can be reached at bcdailybee@bonnercountydailybee.com or by phone at 208-265-4688.