Great Picnic Recipes

deviled eggs 

 4-Pepper Deviled Eggs 

6 hard boiled eggs, cooled and peeled
1 teaspoon whole pink peppercorns, divided
1/2 teaspoon whole white peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole green peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon caper liquid
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch sugar
 

Slice the eggs in half from top to bottom. Scoop the yolks into a medium mixing bowl and lay the whites aside. Place all of the peppercorns, except 1/2 teaspoon of the pink peppercorns, into a spice grinder and process until ground well. Add the ground peppers, caper liquid, mayonnaise, mustard, salt and sugar to the egg yolks and using a fork, stir to thoroughly combine. Place the mixture into a zip-top plastic bag and cut a small hole at one of the corners. Pipe the mixture into each of the white halves. Coarsely grind the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of pink peppercorns and use to garnish the top of each egg.

Chill for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator before serving.

Veronica's Potato Salad 

3 medium russet potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds total)
1/4 cup olive oil, plus additional olive oil, if necessary
1 pound good-quality hot dogs, pierced
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
 

Boil the potatoes whole until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and cool to room temperature. Peel and cut potatoes into bite-size pieces, discarding potato skins.

Put the hot dogs into a hot grill pan and cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool the hot dogs to room temperature, then cut them crosswise into bite-size pieces.

Toss the potatoes, parsley, basil, and olive oil in a large bowl. Season the potato salad with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the hot dogs to the salad and toss. Season to taste, adding additional olive oil if the salad seems too dry. Serve the salad at room temperature.

potatoe salad 
watermelon salad 

 Watermelon and Cantaloupe Salad with Mint Vinaigrette 

1 bunch fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice, from about 1 lemon
1/4 cup simple syrup, recipe follows
1/8 teaspoon amaretto
2 cups watermelon balls, from about half a watermelon
2 cups cantaloupe balls, from about 1 cantaloupe
 

In a blender, combine mint, lemon juice, simple syrup, and amaretto. Blend until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine the watermelon and the cantaloupe. Add the vinaigrette and toss. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Simple Syrup: 

1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar 

In a saucepan, combine water and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved. Take pan off heat and cool the syrup. Any extra cooled syrup can be saved in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

 
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