It was the weekend before the start of school, those last lovely August days shen we were still staying up too late and sleeping in a bit. The mint, peaches, corn and green beans were at their finest. So when Erica suggested we do a three-family (six adults, six kids) late-summer fest, I was thrilled.
We chose to tackle an entire menu from the story “American Idyll” in the most recent Gourmet magazine. Erica’s family prepared mint juleps, eggplant spread, and corn salad. We were in charge of the sticky ribs and green beans. Suzanne’s family made two incredible pies–peach and berry–with homemade sour cream ice cream, and a potato salad. We gathered at our house to finish the cooking, while we sipped the mint juleps and the kids played. Every recipe was beautiful. Thank you Ruth Reichl, for creating such great menus for those of us who cook with friends!