My friend Andrea and I cooked up a feast for 34 people yesterday. We served the dinner out in the garden. This first dinner was Southern French themed, and we tried to use all seasonal, local ingredients. We volunteered on a few farms for vegetables, picked local peaches, and so on. Here is the menu:

*Bread with roasted garlic, pate, pesto

*Heirloom tomato salad with basil and ricotta salata

*Ratatouille with eggplant, yellow squash, tomatoes, golden and red beets, red bell peppers, chives, onions. 

*Risotto with panchetta, parmesan, and sundried tomatoes

*Mussels (from Prince Edward Island) with a white wine, shallot, and butter sauce, served with fresh parsley

*Lemon curd tart with fresh peaches and blueberries in an almond, coconut, oat, butter crust