Supper Club

Each month, for the past three, my friends Samantha and Jerry host a Supper Club dinner party at their pretty pink brick house just down the street. Over drinks and themed dishes, strangers find common ground; the myriad guest list always makes for an entertaining evening. Last night's theme was 'summer grill'. I ended up taking full advantage of the excuse to cook and brought three dishes: Mango Salsa with Blue & Yellow Chips, Lamar's Cesar Salad and a Straw- & Blue- berry Cobbler with Natural Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. My chilled rose made me forget to photograph the finished products, but I did sneak in a few shots of the salsa, pre-party.

This Mango Salsa is the epitome of summer sunshine and cuts through the grey of the recent daily downpours:

The quantities indicated below make a mess of salsa (I'll be eating left-overs on top of salmon filets or patties and grilled shrimp for days) - adjust according to total number of servings desired and personal taste.

6 Ripe, but not mushy med/large mangos
1 Red bell pepper
2 bunches Green onions
2 Jalapeno peppers
Handful of Cilantro leaves
1 Lime
S&P

Dice the Mangos into cubes, being careful not to cut off your fingers. I found it easiest to slice the mangos as you would a peach or avacado, by slicing it into sections and either (1) peeling back the skin while the flesh is still on the pit, cutting the exposed fruite into cubes and then releasing the cubes by cutting them from the pit or (2) 'popping' off section by section (I sliced mine into eighths) from the pit, using your knife and thumb to maneuver. This is the most time consuming and messy part of the process. Place diced mango into bowl.

Finely dice the Red Rell Pepper, Green Onion, Jalapeno (I remove the seeds, which are the spiciest part) and Cilantro and add to bowl.

Add the juice of the Lime and season with a pepper and a scant amount of salt.

Stir to incorporate all of the goodness and evenly distribute the ingredients. Serve with tortilla chips and take a dip into summer. (Blue corn chips provide a lovely color contrast to the vibrant hues of the salsa, but I think the salsa is best paired with saltier yellow corn chips.)

Here are some photos from last month's Supper Club:
Chocolate Stout Cupcakes: The Batter Years

















Chocolate Stout Cupcakes: The Baked Years













Samantha: Hostess in Flight