Under the Strawberry Moon
A dinner party for summer love
Hey everyone! This is a special edition of Ruined Table in collaboration with Edible LA and Rose Wilde. Rose wrote a lil’ something about me for Edible LA’s Summer issue - click here for the digital version, (my piece starts on page 28 ), or click here to find a printed copy. Our interview was so fun that we decided to collaborate on a strawberry party to welcome the summer season. Read more about it below. 🍓
This summer’s first full moon fell on June 21st, one day after the summer solstice. Throughout time, indigenous tribes of North America have called the full moon in June the strawberry moon because it marks the beginning of strawberry season. In other cultures, where strawberries are less prolific, they call it the hot moon because it marks the beginning of hot girl summer. (Kidding - it’s because it marks the beginning of those dang summer heat waves.) Either name works, because nothing pairs better with sweet, vine-ripened strawberries than a good old-fashioned hot summer romance.
The ancient Romans associated strawberries with Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, and because they are red and heart-shaped, strawberries are synonymous with passion and sensuality world-wide. In fact, folklore has it that if two people share a strawberry, they will soon fall in love. Even those chaste Victorians believed that strawberries were a symbol of hidden desire, and for this reason, they rarely ate them. So this summer, don’t be a Victorian party pooper, get hot and sweaty and throw this Strawberry Moon dinner party instead, any time you want to bring some Venusian energy into your life. Whip up the entire menu, or pick a dish or two that intrigues you, and invite your friends and prospective lovers over. Be sure to eat outdoors, under the flattering light of a hot, flirty moon.
Menu
Here are links to the sweet corn polenta, strawberry lime fizz and pink radicchio salad recipes. I may be partial, but the polenta is fantastic - it’s made with grated fresh corn instead of cornmeal. Light, tasty and wildly easy to make; it’s summer in a bowl. As an extra special thanks to all of you for supporting me and subscribing to this newsletter, I’m sneaking you the recipe for the coconut shrimp toast below (it’s not in the article). I WILL be making this one again *chef’s kiss* Enjoy!
Coconut Shrimp Toasts with Sweet and Sour Strawberries
makes 16 toasts
This is a mashup of classic Cantonese-style shrimp toast and Polynesian-style fried coconut shrimp. We hand chop the shrimp instead of buzzing it in a food processor for a supreme, slightly chunky texture. We also shallow-fry these babies instead of giving them the traditional deep-fry. It’s lighter this way, which means you can eat more of them. And you’ll definitely want to eat more of them.
Ingredients
For the sweet and sour strawberries
⅓ cup crushed strawberries (see recipe below)
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar, plus extra to taste
1 teaspoon sambal or Calabrian chili paste (optional)
1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 teaspoon water
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the shrimp toasts
4 slices white bread, crusts removed
½ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 egg white
1 scallion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, grated
½ teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup canola, vegetable or grapeseed oil for frying
Instructions
Make the sweet and sour strawberry sauce. Add the strawberries, rice vinegar and soy sauce to blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add the strawberry mixture to a small pot, along with the light brown sugar, sambal (if using), dissolved cornstarch and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 seconds to activate the cornstarch. Taste and add more brown sugar or salt if desired. Transfer to a ramekin and store in the fridge until ready to use.
Make the coconut shrimp toasts. Cut each slice of bread into 4 triangles and set aside. Chop the shrimp by hand until finely minced. It’s okay if it’s still a little chunky. Mix the chopped shrimp with the egg white, scallion, garlic, sesame oil and salt in a medium bowl. Spread the shrimp mixture onto the toast points, about 2 teaspoons per piece. Add the coconut to a large plate or bowl and dip each toast, shrimp side down, into the coconut so it’s completely covered.
Heat the oil in large skillet over medium heat until it begins to shimmer. Working with 4-6 at a time, add the toasts to the pan, coconut side down, and pan-fry until the coconut is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 minute longer, until browned, adjusting the heat as necessary so it doesn’t burn. Serve with the strawberry dipping sauce on the side.
Make ahead: The sweet and sour strawberry sauce can be made up to four days in advance.
Scalability: This recipe can be doubled or even tripled, according to your needs.
Alts and subs: You can sub Calabrian chili paste for the sambal. I tried it and it was delicious.
Crushed Strawberries
makes about 2 cups
Make this recipe once, and use it for all of the Under the Strawberry Moon recipes. (Because we work smarter, not harder.) And if you happen to have leftovers, the strawberries can be spooned over yogurt, mixed into pancake batter, drizzled over ice cream, or used for any type of strawberry snacking your heart desires.
Ingredients
1 pound strawberries, husked
⅓ cup sugar
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon sherry vinegar
Instructions
Combine the strawberries, sugar, salt and vinegar in a large bowl. Cover and macerate for at least 1 hour, up to overnight, then mash with a potato masher until the strawberries are broken down, but still quite chunky.
Playlist
You know I love to make playlists. Here’s my Strawberry Moon one. Like and subscribe!
Up for Discussion
I always come up with a few theme-appropriate conversation starters to assist in properly “ruining the table” at the end of the night. Gather your friends, open another bottle of whatever you are drinking, and take turns answering the questions below. Remember to listen just as much as you talk, as most people just want to feel seen and heard. Once you give them that gift, they will give it right back to you. The trick is to speak from your heart and remain open. And of course, as always, to have fun.
Have you ever had a summer fling? If so, with who and what happened?
Who was the last person you fell in love with?
If you could share a strawberry with anyone, knowing that the two of you would fall in love afterwards, who would you share it with?
Have you ever ghosted anyone and why?
Do you think romance is the key to happiness? Why or why not?
Pretend you are living in Victorian times, and you are told you can’t eat strawberries because it will ignite your latent desires and turn you into a crazed sex-maniac. Would you sneak some strawberries anyway?
Decoration and Game Ideas
The most important thing for any dinner party is to create a convivial space for you and your friends. All you need for that is a willingness to cut loose and have a good time, so decorate only according to your means and how much time you have. Take these ideas, leave them, or use them as inspiration.
Grab a bunch of fresh strawberries from the farmer’s market, in as many varieties as possible. Fill bowls and cornucopias with them and place them on the table for guests to snack on. If applicable, include tasting notes. Any leftovers can be turned into strawberry jam the next day.
Hang a large, round lantern to represent the full moon.
Set up a strawberry crown-making station of strawberry vines and early summer wildflowers.
To up the romance quotient, and assuming everyone is on board, play a game of spin the bottle.
Have each guest create an intention for their summer (it can be romantic, or not). Tell them to write their intention on a slip of paper and keep it in mind throughout the dinner. At the end of the night, hold a toast to honor them all, and give everyone a chance to say their intention out loud, if they choose.
Thanks for being here everybody, and a special thanks to Edible LA, Lisa Alexander and Rose Wilde for including me in your summer issue! I have some exciting news to share in the next newsletter, so stay tuned, and as always, stay messy.
-McBroom 🍓🌕