my shoot for Rue Magazine with delicious summer cocktail & appetizer recipes

I love shooting for Rue Magazine (remember this shoot at the Elvis Honeymoon home?) – and I also have another shoot for them coming up in their next issue that we did for my Bay Area workshop in April.
But this time I was paired up with the wonderful husband & wife event planning and design duo Aleah + Nick Valley | Valley & Co who styled the shoot and created the tastiest appetizer & cocktail recipes featuring Rhuby, a delicious Rhubarb spirit from Art In The Age – you can buy it here.
We did the shoot at my house & I tried out all the recipes & can’t wait to make them again this summer to enjoy by the pool!
You can see the feature in Rue Magazine here on pgs 53-54.
I wanted to share these scrumptious drinks & snacks here & I couldn’t help putting together a little design of my images to go along with it… now I’m fully starving… and thirsty.

{Recipes at the end of this post.}

ALL RECIPES COURTESY OF ALEAH + NICK VALLEY | VALLEY & CO

Rhuby Garden Sparkler
1.5 oz. Rhuby | ginger ale | 2 tsp. basil simple syrup {sugar, water + a bundle of basil leaves} | lemon | orange | green apple | strawberries {Triple the recipe to make in a carafe in advance} | ice
Make the simple syrup by bringing 2 parts water to a gentle boil. Add the basil bundle and reduce to medium heat. Slowly add 1 part sugar, stirring and keeping at a simmer. Stir until the mixture becomes thicker. Remove from heat and strain out the basil. Cut the lemons and oranges into thin slices and cube the green apple and strawberries. Add ice and 2 tsp. simple syrup to a tall bistro glass. Add several slices of lemon and orange and strawberry cubes. Add a handful of apple cubes and 1.5 oz. Rhuby. Top with ginger ale and stir. Garnish with a lemon wedge or strawberry.

Roasted Baby Potatoes with Honey-Brushed Prosciutto
Ingredients: baby potatoes | goat cheese {herbed or plain} | honey | prosciutto | olive oil | micro greens
Pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees. Slightly scoop out the top of each potato with a melon baller and cut the base of the potato so that it will sit flat and upright on a baking sheet. Coat the potatoes in olive oil and place on a baking sheet upright and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the baking sheet and let cool a bit so you can handle them. When cooled slightly take the prosciutto and wrap tightly around the potato. Secure with a skewer through the side of the potato. Brush with honey and cook the prosciutto-wrapped potato on medium-low heat on the stove top, just until the prosciutto is crisped. Fill a plastic bag with goat cheese and trim the end {to make a piping bag}. Fill the hole on the top of the potato with goat cheese and top with micro greens. Serve while warm.

Minted Crush
Ingredients: 1.5 oz. Rhuby | | 2 oz. strawberry nectar | 3 oz. Limonata or sparkling lemonade | mint | ice | pinch of sugar
Place 3 mint leaves and sugar in the bottom of a highball glass. Muddle and add ice and 1.5 oz. Rhuby. Add 2 oz. strawberry nectar. Top with sparkling lemonade and stir. Garnish with a strawberry and mint leaves. *Strawberry nectar can be purchased at the grocery store or at home by blending a dozen strawberries with 1/4 cup of water.

Strawberry Goat Cheese Crisps
Ingredients: baby purple and fingerling potatoes | strawberries | goat cheese | basil | 1 tsp. olive oil | sea salt | pepper
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Using a mandoline, shave the potatoes into paper-thin slices and drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and cook for about 20 minutes, or until crisp {turning over only if necessary}. Remove and place on a paper towel to drain oil. Pat dry. Once cooled, lay a thin slice of strawberry atop the crisp. Pipe goat cheese onto the top of each strawberry berry using a plastic bag with the corner snipped off. Finish with a sprig of basil. {Optional: you can add a drizzle of balsamic glaze if they will be served immediately}

Balsamic-Dipped Watermelon Bites
Ingredients: watermelon | 1 container of small mozzarella pearls | basil | good balsamic vinegar | sea salt
Cut the watermelon into bite-sized cubes. Cut the basil into threads by rolling into a cigar-shape and slicing thinly. Skewer the mozzarella pearls on top of the watermelon cubes. Take the cube and dip it into 1/4″ of balsamic vinegar, leaving for 30 seconds, or until it’s soaked in. Top with basil and a crack of sea salt. Serve immediately or place in the refrigerator, covered, for up to a few hours.