Recipes Archives

6 Easy Recipes for a Labor-free Labor Day

It’s Labor Day, which means you should not spend hours prepping in the kitchen to create an amazing spread for friends and family. The last (“unofficial”) hurrah of the summer deserves celebration and, better yet, to be enjoyed fully with minimal effort in the cooking department and these easy dinner ideas will do just that.

The best way to approach this end-of-the-season get-together is to prepare some quick appetizers, a side dish or two, an easy entrée (the grill is your best friend), and a simple make-ahead or no-bake dessert, all served family style. You do minimal work a day or two ahead of time with these easy dinner ideas and then assemble quickly and serve, leaving more time to mingle with your guests.

Labor-free appetizers

For appetizers, Smoked Salmon Cucumber Bites and Whipped Ricotta and Cherry Crostini are perfect, as they both use in-season ingredients. You can make the cream cheese mixture for the cucumber bites as well as toast the crostini ahead of time — leave the latter at room temperature until you whip the ricotta. Then, quickly assemble them close to the start of the party, and they are on the table for when your guests arrive.

Smoked Salmon Cucumber Bites

Slice an English cucumber into rounds. Combine 4 ounces softened cream cheese, 4 tablespoons Greek yogurt, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, salt to taste, and chopped fresh dill. Spoon a small amount onto each cucumber round and top with smoked salmon. Garnish with fresh dill.

easy dinner ideas salmon cucumber sandwich .jpg

Whipped Ricotta and Cherry Crostini

Toast slices of a baguette. Whip 16 ounces whole milk ricotta, 1 tablespoon of honey, a pinch of salt, and zest of one lemon in a food processor. Spread the whipped ricotta over toasted bread and top with cherry preserves, a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar, and torn fresh mint leaves. Chop some sweet cherries and put those on top, too. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Labor-free side dish

For side dishes, I went with a very seasonal Tomato and Peach Burrata Salad with Basil Vinaigrette, and Sautéed Corn with Jalapeño, Lime, and Basil. Go ahead and make the vinaigrette up to three days in advance. The corn is amazing cold or at room temperature, so make this the day before and add the basil just before serving to ensure it stays vibrant and fresh.

Tomato Peach Burrata Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

For the vinaigrette, add 2 ½ cups loosely packed basil leaves, 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, ½ cup olive oil, one clove garlic, a pinch of crushed red pepper, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and a drizzle of honey to a food processor. Blend until smooth. This can be made up to three days in advance and refrigerated.

Slice grape tomatoes in half and slice peaches into wedges. Arrange on a platter and season with salt; then add burrata, basil vinaigrette, and fresh basil leaves.

Corn with Lime, Jalapeño, and Basil

Cut the kernels off eight ears of corn. Add olive oil to a sauté pan and add corn. Sauté 3 minutes, then add kosher salt, 1 tablespoon jalapeño jelly, zest and juice of one lime, and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Sauté another 2 minutes. Stir in finely chopped basil if serving immediately, or reserve and add right before eating if making ahead. Can be served hot or cold.

Labor-free main course

I served these sides with peppercorn-rubbed ribeye steaks grilled to perfection and then sliced so guests can grab them easily, buffet style.

To prepare the meat, season liberally with a peppercorn steak spice on both sides and let it come to room temperature (30 minutes to 1 hour).

Grill on high (450-500° F) for 3 minutes on each side. Then, lower the heat to medium-low and continue cooking to medium rare (until the internal temperature reads 135° F). Feel free cook to your desired doneness. Medium-rare is about 8 minutes of total cooking time, so allow for slightly longer if you prefer a more well-done steak.

Allow the steaks to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Labor-free dessert

Finish your labor-free Labor Day feast with make-ahead and no-bake Blueberry Lemon Trifles. Serve them in little jars to see all those pretty layers of lemon pound cake, mascarpone cream, lemon curd, blueberry preserves, and, of course, fresh juicy summer blueberries.

Blueberry Lemon Trifles

Slice lemon pound cake into ½-inch squares. In a small bowl, stir together 8 ounces softened mascarpone cream and ½ cup heavy cream until smooth. Layer the jars or small cups with squares of cake, cream, lemon curd, fresh blueberries, more cake, blueberry preserves, and more cream, and finish with fresh blueberries on top.

Round out these easy dinner ideas with some ice cold drinks, a festive playlist, and great company. Here’s to a very happy — and labor-free — Labor Day!

Flower-Flavored Dessert: Homemade Rose Water Ice Cream

Rose water may sound like something you might find in your grandma’s perfume collection, but this fragrant liquid has been used for thousands of years for its medicinal purposes. Today it is found in beauty products and used for cooking, adding a burst of flavor to everything to which it’s added, including ice cream — and we owe it all to the Persian Empire.

History distilled

Rose water, a clean and delicate floral distillate of roses, has its roots in antiquity. From as far back as the 6th century, rose water was traded throughout the Middle East, Asia, and Europe along the Silk Road. This network of trade routes, which originated in China and wended across 4,000 miles, connected goods, culture, and religious and political ideas from the Far East to the Roman Empire in the West. Historians credit Avicenna, a 10th-century Persian scientist and pilosopher, with elevating the rose water distillation process from a crude soaking-and-boiling method to one that involves steaming to capture the potent essence of roses — a process that is still used today.

a photo of rose water ice cream with rose water in a glass

Rosewater in cooking

We owe the use of rose water in Middle Eastern and European cooking to the Persian Empire. Before the Arab conquest of Persia in the 7th century, the Persians had been adding rose water to desserts. Ancient recipes for faloodeh (a frozen dessert with rice noodles, rose water, and lime juice) and saffron- and rosewater-scented halvah (a soft, sweet paste of flour, butter, and sugar) are still a part of modern-day Persian cuisine. The use of rose water in confections spread throughout Europe, the Middle East, and, later, America. Recipes for puddings, cakes, and custards from the late 18th and early 19th century call for the use of rose water.

However, rose water fell out of favor with home cooks in the early 20th century when advances in the cultivation and distillation of vanilla beans allowed for the mass production of vanilla extract. But today, thanks to the rising popularity of Middle Eastern and Persian cuisines, rose water, along with other Middle Eastern staples such as pomegranate molasses and orange blossom water, has once again become a pantry favorite. You’ll find rose water used in savory Persian dishes as a floral counterpoint to more pungent spices like citrusy saffron and earthy turmeric, but it is most widely known as an integral ingredient in Middle Eastern and Persian sweets — particularly rose water ice cream.

Persian rose water ice cream

In traditional Persian ice cream, called bastani, rosewater, saffron, and pistachio are added to a rich custard base with a chewy, deeply satisfying texture. The addition of salep, a cornstarch-like powder derived from the tubers of orchids, accounts for Persian rose water ice cream’s stretchy, satisfying mouthfeel.

Although salep is not as readily accessible in the United States, you can find rosewater virtually anywhere Middle Eastern groceries are sold, as well as in specialty stores and online. This summer, you can capture the intoxicating essence of Persian rose water ice cream at home in this version of the delicius, ultra-creamy dessert. Along with rose water, the addition of pistachi os offers this ice cream a slightly crunchy and salty counterpoint to the sweet cream and floral notes.

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Rose Water Ice Cream

Ingredients:

3 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
½–¾ cup sugar
3 egg yolks
2-3 saffron threads, ground into a powder with a mortar and pestle (optional)
2-3 tablespoons rose water
½ cup salted pistachios, chopped

Instructions:

Combine the cream, milk, and sugar in a medium saucepan and place it over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot. (Do not boil.)
Remove from the heat. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl and slowly stir in a cup of the hot cream mixture to temper it (this keeps the eggs from curdling). Stir the egg-cream mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the cream and return the pan to the heat.
Stir constantly over medium heat until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. (It will not be as thick as a pudding; it's more like a crème anglaise — a French custard sauce.) Remove from the heat (if using the saffron threads, dissolve them in the rose water before adding), and stir in the rose water and taste. Add a little at a time until it has the desired flavor.
Freezing modifies the flavor of ice cream — once it's frozen, it will not taste as sweet — so if you like a sweeter ice cream, use the greater amount of sugar; if you prefer the flavor of rose water, add a little more of that ingredient.
Strain the custard into a bowl to get a nice smooth consistency. Chill the custard (if you are in a hurry, place the bowl of custard over an ice bath and stir it until it's cold; if you have more time, just put the bowl in the refrigerator). Once the custard is cold, process it according to the instructions on your ice cream maker.
Garnish with sprinkles of pistachio before serving.

Sparkling Strawberry Rosé Cocktail

This sparkling strawberry rosé cocktail created by Lauren Grier from The Curious Plate comprises just a few simple ingredients for the perfect warm-weather beverage.

With the weather finally warming up, this rosé lemon spritzer is a delightful addition to any brunch, lunch, or dinner spread. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate spring occasions than with a pretty pink cocktail in hand.

a photo of Rosé Cocktail with a bottle of pinot noir rosé wine and pink and white roses

a photo of Rosé Cocktail with a bottle of wine and pink and white roses

This rosé cocktail is made with fresh lemon, strawberries, mint, and simple syrup, but what makes it stand out is the addition of Harry & David Rosé. This rosé wine is light, with subtle hints of watermelon, making it the perfect refreshing drink to sip on a warm day.

Kick off your shoes, relax in the sunshine, and serve up a glass of rosé lemon spritzer.

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Sparkling Lemon and Rosé Cocktail Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

Total Time 10

Servings 2 drinks

Ingredients:

4 strawberries (halved)
2 lemon wheels
6 ounces Harry & David Rosé
1 ounce simple syrup
Ice
Club soda
Fresh mint (for garnish)

Instructions:

Place two strawberry halves and one lemon wheel on the bottom of each cocktail glass.
Muddle the strawberry and lemon wheel together so the juices release.
Add 1/2 ounce of simple syrup and 3 ounces rosé wine to each glass.
Fill the glasses with ice and a splash of club soda.
Stir to combine. Garnish with fresh mint.

Course: Drinks