Dear Friends,

I wanted to let you know that in September I will be doing an event at my favorite winery in Paso Robles, Halter Ranch. It will be a fun day of marketing, cooking and of course drinking seriously delicious wine. Here is the link to find out more: http://www.halterranch.com/events/events_at_halter/a-day-with-diane-wort.... I hope you can make it.

On a recent visit to the big island of Hawaii, I discovered an amazing mango gazpacho. Gazpacho never tasted so exotic and refreshing as The Beach Tree's rendition of Spain meeting Hawaii. Chef Nick Mastrascusa of the Beach Tree Restaurant at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai created this colorful, tasty update on classic tomato gazpacho. Beautiful to look at and with no cooking required, this could be your go-to summer soup on hot, humid days. It has become mine. It’s great for both lunch or dinner.

Chef Nick suggests selecting ripe Hawaiian mangoes, although any good mango will be delicious. Yellow tomatoes, with their low-acidity, are used instead of the traditional red tomato. Make sure the mangoes and tomatoes are at their peak of ripeness for a big, rich flavor. Mangoes have a flat pit that runs through the middle of the fruit-- -after the mango is peeled, cut along sideways of the pit to harvest as much fruit as possible. Make sure to slowly blend in the olive oil so that the soup will have a velvety, smooth texture.

One of the fun parts of serving this soup is deciding what container you want to present it in. I have served this stunning refresher in small glass bowls, espresso cups, glass mugs, small shot glasses and martini glasses. Make sure that the glasses are chilled for a pretty presentation. You may be thinking of the warm Kona breezes and gentle ocean waves as you take that first bite. Enjoy.

I have been busy back in my kitchen testing recipes for my latest book Seriously Simple Parties with some outstanding results. I know you will appreciate the menus and dishes I am creating.

And finally, I just wrapped up writing a wonderful piece for Bon Appetit Magazine---- look for it in the November 2010 issue--- great holiday potato dishes.

Enjoy some of the new recipes you will find on the site. Most importantly, have fun in the kitchen.

Happy Cooking,

Diane