White Peach and Raspberry Cobbler

Peaches and raspberries are some of my favorite reasons to have summer (notwithstanding the big ticket items like beach, warm, and happiness).  This is a relatively simple dessert with unadorned flavors, but the freshness of the fruit and a big old dollop of [real] whipped cream really delivers a tasty, seasonal punch.

Makes 4 individual cobblers.  Double the recipe and use a casserole dish if you want to make a larger batch to serve family style.  You'll probably need to up the cooking time by a bit, also.  Watch it very carefully, because to burn it would be a tragic loss.

White Peach and Raspberry Cobbler
for the cobbler

• 2 large white peaches
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

for the crust

• 1 heaping cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 ounces (1/2 stick) butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 375.

Slice the peaches into comfortably bite-sized pieces, and place in a bowl with as much of the peach juice as possible.  Add the berries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice.  Gently stir to coat the fruit evenly.

In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients for the topping.  Slowly pour in the melted butter while stirring, and work into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Grease 4 ramekins.  Evenly distribute the fruit among the 4, and top the ramekins with a layer of the flour mixture.  Place them on a foil-lined baking sheet or pan (to catch the drips) and bake for 25 - 30 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the topping golden brown.  Serve with freshly whipped cream.

Summer Farmers Market Salad

In the height of the summer when vegetables are fresh (as in, were alive on the plant that day or the day before), you don't really have to do fancy things to make them taste better, because they just taste good the way they are.  You don't have to cover up boring tastes or anything.  This is a great example of how to make a delicious, unadorned salad out of summer produce at its freshest.  I'm sure you could do something similar with just about any vegetable from the market this time of year.

Summer Farmers Market Salad

• baby arugula
• sliced heirloom tomatoes
• sliced lemon cucumber
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

Layer the tomato slices and cucumber on top of a bed of arugula (peel the cucumber with a vegetable peeler, if necessary).  Drizzle with a little olive oil, and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Grilled Chicken and Peaches Salad

So I kind of stole from was inspired by my cousin's yoga/health/beautiful blog for this recipe, which looked so simple that I thought there had to be a catch to it.  I made it and was really pleased with the bright, fresh mix of flavors.  There's sweetness from the peaches, a little bite from the onion, some tang from the blue cheese, and some pepperiness (is that a word?  my spell check doesn't think so) from the arugula.  Put it all together and you've got yourself on seriously good, filling, summer salad.

You can cut up the chicken breast into cubes and serve it in the salad, or leave the breasts whole and serve the salad as an accompaniment.  I used baby arugula, but if you're using fully grown, remove the hard stems.

Grilled Chicken and Peaches Salad


ingredients for one serving (multiply as necessary)

• 1/2 fresh peach, sliced
• 2 slices of red onion, rings separated
• 1 chicken breast, pounded flat and even throughout
• extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper
• 1 handful arugula 
• blue cheese crumbles, to garnish

Place the peach and onion slices in a bowl.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and a little salt and pepper, and stir to coat evenly.  Place on a hot grill and cook, about 2 minutes a side or until soft with obvious grill marks.  Remove them and place them back in the bowl, allowing the juices to collect at the bottom.  Add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, and gently stir to combine with the juices and coat the peaches and onions.  Add a little more olive oil if desired.

Coat the chicken breast with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Cook on the grill, about 4-5 minutes a side, or until done in the middle.  Take the chicken off the grill and coat evenly with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.  Add back to the grill for about a minute on both sides.

Top the arugula with the peaches, onions, and a little blue cheese.  Serve with the chicken breast.

Tomato, Mozzarella Bruschetta

Okay, people, I know.  You don't have to tell me.  The last recipe which I posted 2 measly days ago was a tomato, mozzarella, basil recipe, and here I am, giving you another one.  I will remind you that I warned you I would do this.  And in my mind, I had planned on saving this recipe for later, putting a little buffer of other zucchini or squash recipes (as my garden is mass-producing them at the moment), but I couldn't wait.  This stuff is good.

You also don't have to tell me that it doesn't look that pretty, because I know that it doesn't.  I also didn't really get a chance to take a great photo of it all fancy on little toasts (that look like this), so you're not getting the full effect.  However, trust me.  I may have led you astray a time or two before, but stay with me.  This was made with tomatoes from the vine, and basil that had been attached to a plant 2 minutes before it was served.  Tomatoes are in season, so go buy (or better yet, pick) a million and eat them up.

Tomato, mozzarella bruschetta

ingredients

• 2 French baguettes
• extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling on the bread, plus about 1/4 cup for the tomatoes
• About 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1 pound fresh, firm tomatoes (you can certainly use more and adjust the proportions, as you like)
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1 can great northern beans, drained
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 handful fresh basil leaves

Slice the baguettes on an angle about 1/2 inch thick.  Place on a cookie sheet, and drizzle with olive oil.  Broil in the oven for a few minutes, until golden (my broiler on low took about 4 minutes, so watch carefully to not burn them).

Put the pine nuts in a dry frying pan on the stove on medium heat.  Shake the pan every so often until the pine nuts are golden.  Don't let them burn.  Remove from the heat, and let cool.

Dice the tomatoes and cheese to about 1/4 or 1/3 inch cubes.  Drain some of the water from the tomatoes, if necessary (you don't want too much liquid in the mix).  Place them in a large bowl with the beans.  Add up to 1/4 cup olive oil (enough to coat everything without puddling at the bottom), and salt and pepper to taste.  Let  come to room temperature.

Tightly roll the basil, and slice it very thinly.  When ready to serve, add the basil and pine nuts, and stir to incorporate.  Serve on the baguette slices.      

Caprese pasta salad

I love summer, and it's not just for the pool and no school and the beach and contagious happiness and all that jazz.  I love being able to walk to my not-so-little tomato plant, pluck off a big ole' tomato, and then eat it within the hour.    

I had long considered how I would eat my first tomato from the vine, and I decided on this old favorite.  I wanted something simple that wouldn't distract from the tomato's own flavor, and this combination of tomato, basil, and mozzarella never gets old (I will warn you, I'm not done with it this summer, either, so get excited for a few variations).  It was even a better plus that I could grab some fresh basil from the garden. too.

Caprese Pasta Salad


ingredients

• 1 pound dry pasta (I used mini Farfalle)
• 1 pound ripe tomato (I used an heirloom tomato, because that's what I was growing)
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1 handfull fresh basil leaves
• about 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper, to taste
• Parmesan cheese, to garnish

Boil the noodles in salted water until al dente (don't let it get soggy).  Rinse in cool water, drain, and set aside to cool.

Chop the tomatoes and mozzarella in an approximately 1/3 inch dice.  Roll the basil leaves tightly like a cigarette and slice thinly, making long strips.  Combine the tomato, mozzarella, and basil in a large bowl with the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Stir to combine and coat.  Let sit for a few minutes, while the pasta continues to cool.

When the pasta reaches room temperature, shake to ensure it's dry, and then combine it with the tomato mixtures.  Stir to coat.  Add more olive oil if necessary to coat everything.  Taste for seasoning, and adjust if necessary.  Top with the Parmesan cheese, and serve at room temperature.

Breaded, Pan-fried Zucchini

So, this garden of mine has started producing, and it hasn't stopped.  Sometimes I'll go out to water and there will be a full grown zucchini when I am quite sure there wasn't one there yesterday.

Needless to say, I have been trying to find different ways to prepare them (and people to give them to).  This particular way gives some nice texture and flavor.   Just for reference, the ones in the picture are cut just a little too thick--the insides didn't quite cooked through when the outsides were finished.

Breaded, Pan-friend Zucchini


Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini, cut about 1/3 inch thick.
• about 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• about 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 egg, beaten
• about 1 cup Italian style dry bread crumbs 
• pepper, to taste
• Parmesan cheese, to garnish

Toss the zucchini slices with the salt.  Place the slices between several layers of paper towels for 10-20 minutes.  This draws out the moisture, letting them cook more evenly and firmly.  Dry off each slice with a paper towel, removing any excess salt.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Dip the zucchini slices in the egg mixture, then coat with the bread crumbs (I add some pepper to the bread crumbs, but you decide to taste).  Place the slices in the pan (don't crowd them), and cook about 4-5 minutes a side, until golden brown.  If they're browning too quickly, turn down the heat because you want them to cook through.  

Serve warm topped with some Parmesan cheese. 

Peaches and Cream with Raspberries

This is a simple, clean, easy dessert that really showcases some of summer's best.  I love myself some fresh peaches, and my fridge will often have several during the summertime (there is nothing as refreshing as coming home on a hotter-than-Hades day and sinking your teeth into a cold, juicy peach and having the juice run down your chin and it's amazing; trust me).

Now, you can whip the cream if you want (you'll want to use whipping cream, in that case, rather than light cream), but I prefer just a bowl-full of peaches in liquid, so that's what I give here.  You go do whatever you want.

Peaches and Cream with Raspberries


Ingredients

• 1 peach per person
• brown sugar
• cinnamon
• light cream (you can use heavier if you want), about 1/2 pint for every 4 peaches
• white sugar
• vanilla
• fresh raspberries

for the peaches

Preheat the oven to 400.  Butter a casserole baking dish.  Cut the peaches in quarters, and toss with a generous helping of brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon, to coat.  Bake until soft, about 15 minutes (although this can vary widely based on how firm your peaches are to start).

for the cream

For every 1/2 pint of cream, whisk in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon sugar, until incorporated.

Dish out the peaches into bowls, giving them as much of the pan juices as you can.  Evenly distribute the cream among the bowls.  Top with the raspberries.