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Happy Friday, lovebugs!

Here’s what I served for an intimate dinner party last night:

Crostini with goat cheese, white peach and prosciutto

Crostini with fresh mozzarella and slow-roasted tomatoes

Mixed olives

Homemade lemon basil sodas

Arugula, strawberry and fennel salad with creamy basil vinaigrette

Spaghetti with pesto

Affogato- homemade Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream chocolate ice cream, cinnamon whipped cream, candied walnuts and hot espresso poured over the top.

The best part – aside from the company- was all the delicious summer fruit and bright green basil.

Have you tried Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream?  The recipe calls for a base of evaporated milk and corn syrup instead of an egg custard.  The result was a little sweeter and less creamy than a classic (for me, a David Lebovitz) ice cream.  In terms of texture and sweetness, it reminded me of frozen nutella.  Plain, I think it would be too much.  With the bitter espresso, however, it worked.

Anyone know if it tastes like that from the store? Might be just the excuse for a mail-order pint.

Have a wonderful weekend!

xx