4 yummy recipes for Labor Day

We’re expecting a very hot weekend, so I’m prepping a few fun weekend meals now to enjoy later and save me from spending time in the kitchen when it gets really steamy out. 

This weekend it will be all about cool picnic type foods: a wedge salad, a couple of yummy finger sandwiches to nosh on and a little appetizer to add to a cheese and nut platter. 

The dressings will be made, the lettuces will be washed, the veggies will be chopped, the bacon will be fried and the tapenade will be made now, so I can relax later. 

All four of these recipes come from Marissa Hermer’s cookbook, An American Girl in London. Marissa and her husband Matt own the fabulous restaurant The Draycott in Pacific Palisades, and you may remember her from Ladies of London. 

Here are the recipes, in case you’d like to try them...  

Iceberg Wedge with a Twist 

Ingredients  

½  cup plain yogurt  

½ cup buttermilk 

Zest & juice from ½ lemon 

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives 

½ cup crumbled Roquefort cheese 

Ground black pepper, to taste 

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided 

6 slices of bacon 

1-2 slices of good sourdough bread, torn into bite-size pieces 

Salt, to taste 

2 heads iceberg lettuce, cut into wedges 

1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped  

Directions 

1) In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, buttermilk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and chives. Gently stir in the Roquefort cheese and season with pepper. Set aside. 

2) In a small nonstick frying pan over medium heat, heat ½ tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the bacon and fry for 6 minutes, turning once, or until golden brown and crisp. Remove and set aside on paper towels to drain excess oil.   

3) In the same pan, add the remaining ½ tablespoon of olive oil along with the torn bread pieces. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until golden brown and crispy. Season with salt.    

4) To assemble the salad, drizzle the yogurt dressing over the lettuce wedges. Sprinkle on the bacon and toasted walnuts and garnish with the croutons. Serve immediately. 

Coronation Chicken Sandwiches* 

Ingredients  

3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded  

4 dried apricots, finely chopped  

1 tablespoon curry powder  

1 teaspoon ground ginger  

1 tablespoon mango chutney  

¼ cup mayonnaise  

¼ cup plain yogurt  

1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro  

Salt & pepper to taste  

8 slices whole wheat or plain bread  

4 leaves baby romaine lettuce  

Directions 

1) In a large bowl, combine the chicken, apricots, curry, ginger, chutney, mayonnaise, yogurt, and cilantro and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. 

2) Divide the chicken mixture onto 4 slices of bread. Top with the lettuce & remaining bread slices. Trim the edges then cut each into 4 finger-sized slices. 

*According to History Extra, “Coronation chicken was created in 1953, when renowned florist Constance Spry and Cordon Bleu chef Rosemary Hume catered for a banquet to celebrate the coronation of Elizabeth II.” 

Tapenade 

Ingredients  

1 cup pitted kalamata olives 

½ cup pitted Nocellara olives (or other green variety) 

½ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, roughly chopped 

1 teaspoon sugar 

1 tablespoon roughly chopped Italian parsley 

Pinch of ground black pepper 

1/3 cup of good-quality extra virgin olive oil, plus additional if needed 

Directions 

1) In a food processor, combine the olives, and tomatoes. Pulse a couple of times to roughly chop. Add the sugar and parsley, pulsing again until the mixture is coarsely ground. 

2) Add the pepper, 1/3 cup olive oil. Pulse again until the mixture becomes smoother but still has a few chunky pieces. Add a bit more olive oil if necessary. 

3)  Serve with warm, crusty bread slices.

Cucumber Smoked Salmon Sandwiches with Herby Cream Cheese 

Ingredients  

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 

1 shallot, finely chopped 

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill 

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives 

Zest & juice from 1 lemon 

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste 

8 slices whole wheat or plain soft bread 

½ English cucumber, very thinly sliced 

4 ounces smoked salmon 

1 tablespoon butter 

  

Directions 

1) In a small bowl, whip together the cream cheese, shallot, dill, chives, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. 

2) Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly onto 4 slices of bread. Top with cucumber slices, slightly overlapping, and then a couple of pieces of smoked salmon. 

3) Lightly butter the other 4 slices of bread, then place on top of the ones with the salmon filling. Trim the crusts and discard. Cut each into 4 even finger-sized slices. 

Photos and recipes courtesy of "An American Girl in London"

You can find Marissa's cookbook HERE.

ciao! fabiana

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