Basque -- Enjoying a Warm Summer Day.

It's taken me quite awhile to get these pictures up, but what a fantastic Basque it was. There's nothing like gathering with friends to cook together and enjoy a few moments of relaxation.

Here's some highlights:

Read more... (and see more pix)

No, it's not a chocolate cake -- it's beet rosti redux -- new and improved and speckled with goat cheese.

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The black rice salad was a crowd pleaser -- the fresh veggies added just the right counterbalance.

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The eggplant rollups merged grilled slices of eggplant with a ricotta-based stuffing and an unbelievably tangy sauce (which looks strangely radioactive in this picture).

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"A" loads up on sundry comestibles as "the hand" reaches in for some more spicy olives.

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Heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, and baby mozzarella -- what more could you ask for on a brilliant summer day???

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Picnic favorites: pasta salad & potato salad hold down center stage while "A" & "F" survey the spread.

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Three types of sausage (including brats and Andouille) and the husked grilled corn (basted with the Basque special sauce) -- yum!

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"J" brought kale salad -- for those who might not be fans of the kale -- this would win you over to the dark side.

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We had the jumbo sea scallops with the apple smoked bacon, here we see the bay scallops wrapped with the black forest bacon. This plate represents about 1/4th of the 20+ courses -- pacing was all important.

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If you're going in for desert, may as well go all in. I still can't fathom how we managed to finish off the blueberry cobbler.