The lyric to that great aria from Porgy and Bess, “Summertime, and the living is easy…” has been floating through our head for the past few days. Perhaps it is because the temperatures have definitely been in the “summertime” range, though we don’t remember a thing about thunderstorms in that classic song. Still, it is summertime and we decided to live easy indoors (air conditioning does make it easier) by having some friends over for cocktails.
It doesn’t take much to prepare for a little party like this. We get some great olives from the deli, add almonds, and make a couple of simple appetizers. The first requires little cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, and small balls of mozzarella (if you can’t find them, just cup up a larger ball into small pieces). Take a toothpick and thread a tomato, then a folded leaf of basil, and then the cheese. Easy, huh? For six of us we’ll make 24.
Next, we’ll bake savory scones. Our daughter-in-law suggested these when we were together over Memorial Day. Mix two cups of all purpose flour, three teaspoons of baking powder, and a teaspoon of salt together using a fork or whisk. Next, choose your favorite savory herbs (fresh if at all possible). We chopped rosemary, oregano, and thyme, about a tablespoon each, and added it to the flour mixture. Then we sliced a stick of cold butter into tablespoon portions and cut it into the flour mixture until it was the size of peas. Add one beaten egg and ¾ cup of milk and mix lightly, just until everything is combined. Turn onto a floured surface and pat into a ½ inch thick round. Cut out the scones with a floured, one inch biscuit cutter (or cut into small wedges…or actually any small shape you like). Brush with an egg wash, and bake at 425 degrees until golden. When cooled, gently slice and add some good Cheddar cheese.
This is the weather for a good rosé. For our little party we decided to gild the rosé (we know, bad pun) by choosing a sparkling wine. Reginato Celestina Sparkling Rosé (we’ve had both the 2007 and 2008) is a delight. We are enchanted by the name. “Reginato” is the family surname of José and son Pepé, and “Celestina” is the name of José’s wife, and it means “matchmaker.” The wine is pure Malbec, and the Reginatos do everything from nurturing the grapes, to harvest, crushing and initial fermentation and then bottle fermentation all themselves. A great many of the wines from the Mendoza region of Argentina are so commercialized that this personal attention is completely lost. Not here.
While the color, rich red, may suggest something heavy, it is actually light, crisp, dry and refreshing. Being big fans of rhubarb, we were delighted to find that flavor combined with strawberry. The tannins are just hinted at and the wine has a lovely elegance, just like the Gershwin lyric.
Summertime is meant to be enjoyed, so invite a few friends to join you for an early evening. Open this sparkling rosé and you will surely know that “the living is easy.”.
