Late Spring / Early Summer Dinner

Does that picture make you hungry? Here's a preview of what I'll have on my blog this week. These are the dishes I served at a recent dinner (with Chris's mother as our special guest). It's a great medley featuring fresh, seasonal ingredients. For the non-meat-eating sect, the meal is also vegetarian. The dishes are:

• Caramelized Celery Crostini: a delicious slightly sweet and very savory appetizer inspired by a dish from D.C. Italian restaurant Osteria Elisir.
• "Green" Salad: a simple mixture of ingredients that all have one thing in common - their color.
• Beet Gnocchi with Walnut-Sage Butter: an interesting twist on gnocchi.
• Strawberry Shortcake with Lemon-Pepper Syrup: a sweet and slightly tart recipe recently featured by The New York Times.

I'll also offer a cocktail (Boozy Mint Lemonade) that we didn't have that night, but I that I think would go great with the meal.