Golden Hour Bites, Sunsets and Wine

There's a certain hour in late summer - just before the sun kisses the horizon, when the air still holds the day's warmth, but the light softens into something golden and forgiving - that calls for something a little magical.

You don't need a tablecloth.  Or even chairs. Just a shaded corner of a terrace, a few good friends, a bottle sweating gently in a bowl of ice and bites made to be picked up with fingers.  The kind of food that suits laughter, music playing low from somewhere indoors, and the slow exhale of a long, warm day.

Here's what we're serving.

Figs with soft Goat's Cheese and Opus olive oil

There's something almost indecently luxurious about ripe summer figs - their delicate skins yielding to the touch, the flesh inside beaded and lush.  Slice them open and spoon on a small cloud of soft goat's cheese with a small pool in the middle to catch the drops of Opus extra virgin olive oil.

A drizzle of Opus olive oil pools gently into the cheese - adding that silkiness that melts on the tongue and brings out the fig's natural aroma.  There's a quiet alchemy in this pairing: creaminess, sweetness, saltiness and tang - all in a single bite, perhaps with your eyes closed...

White Peaches with fresh Basil and Labneh

A swipe of cool, creamy labneh on a bite sized piece of really good artisan bread.  Here we got one that's is filled with nuts and dried fruit.  A slice of a ripe, juicy, aromatic white flesh peach and a leaf of fresh basil on top.  A shimmer of Opus olive oil and a gloss of a few drops of balsamic vinegar, just enough to catch the light.  

It's not quite sweet, not quite savoury.  It's in-between, the interlude - just like the hour itself.

Just a scooped up morsel and the soft clink of glasses raised against the setting sun.  This is food meant to be passed around and shared.  Food that encourages closeness and conversation So light a candle, even if the sun hasn't quite set. Pour something chilled.  Watch the sky turn from gold to blush to deep indigo.  And let these small bites carry you gently into the night.  Because this is the season for living slowly, eating beautifully and loving every bite.