Dinner on the Deck

Fresh Citrus Spritzers

Be sure to keep the fruits at room temperature before preparing the spritzers, as they will yield more juice than if stored in the refrigerator. If you have young chefs in the house, they can squeeze the juice from the oranges, lemons and limes and then stir everything together.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup superfine sugar 
1/3 cup water 
Juice of 1 orange 
Juice of 1 lemon  
Juice of 2 limes 
Ice cubes as needed 
1 bottle (750 ml) sparkling water, chilled 
4 lemon peel strips 

Directions:

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove the sugar syrup from the heat and let cool.

In a pitcher, stir together the sugar syrup, orange juice, lemon juice and lime juice. Fill 4 tall glasses with ice. Divide the citrus mixture among the glasses and top with sparkling water. Garnish with the lemon peel strips and serve immediately.
Serves 4

Chicken Taco Salad

This recipe calls for queso fresco, a soft, tangy, lightly salted cow’s milk cheese that is made from fresh curds pressed into round molds. (Queso fresco means "fresh cheese" in Spanish.) Feta cheese is an acceptable substitute.

Ingredients:

For the chicken:
2 Tbs. canola oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. cooked chicken, shredded
1 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
Salt, to taste
1/3 cup chicken stock or water
Canola oil for frying
6 flour tortillas, each 8 inches in diameter
3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
2 cups cooked black beans or pinto beans
1 cup crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese
3/4 cup chopped tomatoes
6 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup Frontera fire-roasted tomato cilantro
salsa, plus more for serving

Directions:

To prepare the chicken, in a large fry pan over medium heat, warm the oil until almost smoking. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, tomatoes, cilantro and oregano and stir to combine. Season with salt. Stir in the stock and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the tomatoes are soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt. Set aside.

Line a baking sheet with paper towels. In a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat, pour in oil to a depth of 3 inches and heat to 360°F on a deep-frying thermometer. Using a tortilla basket according to the manufacturer?s instructions, fry the tortillas 1 at a time until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. 

Place each fried tortilla on an individual plate. Top with lettuce, beans, chicken, cheese, tomatoes, cilantro, avocado and salsa, dividing equally. Pass additional salsa alongside. 
Serves 6
 

Cranberry-Apple Crisp

Candied ginger and apple juice sweeten the filling in this juicy crisp. Its thin crust includes whole-wheat pastry flour, which lends a nutty flavor that complements the brown sugar. Be sure to use a sweet, firm apple that will hold its shape during baking, such as Fuji, Delicious or Crispin. A small scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt makes a nice accompaniment.

Ingredients:
4 sweet, firm apples, peeled, cored and cut into thin wedges 
3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries 
2 Tbs. chopped candied ginger 
1/3 cup thawed, frozen apple juice concentrate 
2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 
1/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour 
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar  
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 400°F. Coat a deep, 2-quart baking dish with canola-oil cooking spray.

Place the apples, cranberries, candied ginger and apple juice concentrate in the prepared baking dish and stir with a rubber spatula to distribute evenly.

In a bowl, using a fork, stir together the all-purpose and pastry flours and the brown sugar. Add the butter and work it into the dry ingredients with the fork until the mixture resembles moist sand. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the filling, leaving a 1/2-inch border uncovered around the edge. Using your fingers, pat the topping firmly to make a crust.

Bake the crisp for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375°F and continue to bake until the fruit is bubbly around the edges of the crust and the crust is nicely browned, 35 to 40 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool to lukewarm. Scoop the crisp from the dish onto dessert plates and serve.
Serves 8

Recipes by Williams Sonoma