PINK, KHAKI, GREEN, and BLUE
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Mississippi is welcoming us back with her extremely hot summer temperatures.
When we all have our Crocs on, you can be assured that we are headed straight out the door to our garden--a place we all have been a part of.
Today we were welcomed by the beautiful hue of bright red from our ripened tomatoes.
Honestly, I had to contain myself from not picking the red beauties. For I wanted my children to have the joy of having a part of the process from planting to watching grow to harvesting. Much to my delight, they were as excited as their mom.
One little gardener was so proud of the tomatoes that he insisted on toting them all the way from the garden into the house. What good helpers I've been blessed with.
And can you guess what we had for dinner tonight? That's right. BLT's from our first harvest of the summer. Freshly made from our 5 ripe tomatoes. They were absolutely divine and the true taste of summer along with fresh radish chips.
Here's to hoping we have many, many more tomatoes to harvest (and BLT's to eat) this summer in our new garden.
Clafouti has become one of my favorite desserts recently. I can play with the fruit and the background extract flavorings I use, and more importantly, it hasn't failed me yet.
In February I made a Cherry Clafouti using Barefoot Contessa's recipe, but made some variations. During the summer months in Georgia we have an abundance of local peaches. I love using fresh peaches in homemade ice cream, in my oatmeal, and in my smoothies, but my new favorite way to use them is in Peach Clafouti. The first time I made the recipe I claimed that it was the most delicious non-chocolate dessert ever prepared in my kitchen. I challenge you to try it and let me know your thoughts.
I used this Barefoot Contessa recipe, however I made some variations. Here is my devised recipe:
Peach Clafouti
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 large eggs
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 peeled, pitted, ripe peaches, sliced
Confectioners' sugar
Preheat the oven to 375°. Butter a 10 X 3 X 1 1/2-inch round baking dish (I use my quiche dish) and sprinkle the bottom and sides with 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar. Beat the eggs and the 1⁄3 cup of granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. On low speed, mix in the flour, cream, almond extract, and salt. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel, pit, and slice the peaches. Arrange the slices in a single layer, fanned out, in the baking dish. Pour the batter over the peaches and bake until the top is golden brown and the custard is firm, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.
The Tomato
Is it a fruit or vegetable?
I found on the TLC cooking website that:
"The world really has two different meanings for the word fruit. There is the use of the word when you go to the grocery store, and then there's the use of the word by a botanist.
In the grocery store, we generally understand a fruit to be a natural plant product that is sweet, and a vegetable to be a natural plant product that is not sweet. In this standard definition, apples, strawberries, grapes and bananas are all fruits, while green beans, tomatoes, squash and potatoes are all vegetables.
Technically, however, this layman's definition is a bit off. The Encyclopedia Britannica sums it up like this:
Fruit - in its strict botanical sense, the fleshy or dry ripened ovary of a plant, enclosing the seed or seeds. Thus, apricots, bananas, and grapes, as well as bean pods, corn grains, tomatoes, cucumbers, and (in their shells) acorns and almonds, are all technically fruits.
This definition of fruit is very broad, and encompasses almost everything that contains seeds.
Vegetables, then, are everything that's left. This includes:
In other words, things that do not contain seeds are vegetables, in the technical sense. Everything else is a fruit."
So with the summer tomato FRUIT we have enjoyed recipes like Tomato Bruschetta.
TOMATO AND BASIL BRUSCHETTA
2 cups tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup basil, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
Mix all ingredents in a bowl. Allow to stand at room temperature until ready to serve.
I serve on thinly sliced French bread toasts.
Have you ever had pear on your pizza before? I hadn't until I tried zpizza's Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza on their rustica pizza menu. It was so wonderful that I gave it a try myself at home. (This one's for you Megan.)
Here are the ingredients I use:
pizza dough, 2 Bosc pears, caramelized red onion, Gorgonzola crumbles, Fontal Italian (fontina) cheese, shredded mozzarella, and fresh thyme
I begin by precooking my pizza dough about 10 minutes (but not completely done), so it will be crisp in the center. While it is baking I slice 1/8 of a red onion and saute it until it becomes caramelized. Then I slice my pears. After pulling the pizza dough from the oven I begin arranging the pear slices around the dough in a circle. Then I scatter the onion over the pears. Next, I put the Gorgonzola crumbles on--be advised that Gorgonzola is VERY strong and can be VERY overpowering. A little goes a long way, I recommend not using more than 3-4 tablespoons. After the Gorgonzola cheese is on, I shred the Fontal Italian cheese generously all over the pizza. The fontina cheese is very creamy and helps make the gorgonzola milder. Before placing back in the oven I shred a small amount of mozzarella over the pizza. Then, I place the pizza in the oven until the fontina and mozzarella are melted and the sides of the crust are golden-brown. After pulling the pizza out of the oven and right before serving, I sprinkle generously with fresh thyme. Yummy!
Cantaloupe Popsicle = Pure Refreshment
I am a huge melon fan. Michael not so much, except for watermelon. Joshua is liking them all so far. Isaac loves watermelon only. And Olivia just doesn't like melons.
Because I love buying melons (primarily for myself) and often not being able to finish them before they ruin, I have started making them into popsicles. Like the Watermelon Popsicles I created last year, I concocted cantaloupe popsicles this year. I pretty much prepare them the same way.
Deseed the cantaloupe and place cubed cantaloupe chunks in the blender. Puree until smooth. After pureeing, strain through a coarse sieve set over a bowl to remove all the pulp (will need to stir to allow all juice to drain). Next add simple syrup (equal amounts of sugar and water) to sweeten. All cantaloupes have different levels of sweetness, so you’ll have to taste the mixture as you go. You could also use other sweeteners like stevia. After reaching the desired sweetness, pour the cantaloupe mixture into popsicle molds and freeze. After hardened, remove popsicle and eat to be refreshed on a hot summer day.
(A refreshed Joshua)
Friday we found ourselves at a local pick-your-own farm. Olivia, Isaac, Joshua, Allison, and I had our first experience of picking peaches directly off the tree. We truly had a "PEACHY" time.
Upon arriving at the farm and after gathering buckets, Olivia and Joshua piled into one red "Radio Flyer" wagon and Isaac into another. We headed straight for the peach trees. Many peaches of the "freestone yellow" variety were picked. I will have to say that Isaac was the most into the peach picking experience and was the most diligent of all at filling our buckets with juicy ripe peaches. :)
The farm we visited grew many other types of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, too. I addition to the peaches, we also picked apples, pluots, tomatoes, and zinnias. Our trunk overflowed with an abundance of freshly picked produce -- peaches, tomatoes, corn, zinnias, pluots, apples, Asian pears, and cucumbers. Because of all this amazing produce, our weekend meals have been absolutely delicious - peach cobbler, peach clafouti, tomato gazpacho, corn on the cob, tomato sandwiches, fried okra, and more all gathered round a beautiful zinnia centerpiece of red and yellow.
Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
I don't care if I never get back,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game.
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This is how we spent our 4th of July - enjoying "AMERICA'S favorite pastime."
How did you spend your 4th?
RED, WHITE, and BLUE
We enjoyed fun dessert tacos for Cinco de Mayo. They were delicious and well loved by each of us. These were perfect to wrap up our Mexican fiesta and I think they would make excellent summertime treats, too. Here's how I made them:
I began by making waffles (square shaped and then cut into a circle) and let them thoroughly cool.
Next, I used my melon baller to scoop mini vanilla and chocolate ice cream balls and placed them in the middle of the circle.
Then, I drizzled the taco with melted chocolate ganache (melted chocolate fudge or syrup would work also), sprinkled with some chopped pecans, and lastly, topped with a cherry.
I pulled up the sides to form a taco and served to anxiously awaiting mouths. J
It's still raining here today, but this type of summer lunch will make you feel like it is the most beautiful of sunny days. Summer salad lunches like the one above are always a sure way to make you feel healthy, as well as sastified. This salad uses spinach, spring greens, couscous, feta, red onion, cucumber, avocado, and pine nuts. Add some bread, olive oil and spices for dipping, and some iced tea and you will be transported to the most beautiful sunny day -- no matter what the weather is like outside your window.
May you have a beautiful "SUNNY" day! Even if you haven't seen the sun in over 10 days and are not predicted to see it for the rest of the week.
