September 15 Bouquet

We had a late freeze in the spring, so our peach crop was much smaller than last year's, at least in number.

We had four of these big beauties, with about 10 smaller peaches. And the smaller fruits have teeny pits, not much bigger than a dime.

Zucchini Relish, Peaches, and Applesauce

We have been busy this week.

54 quarts of peaches

16 1/2 quarts of applesauce

8 half-pints of zucchini relish

Pasta with Tomato and Almond Pesto (Pesto Alla Trapanese)

This recipe is a fabulous use of home grown cherry tomatoes, although it's still quite good with cherry and grape tomatoes from the grocery store year round. I find that these little varieties are the best option for off-season tomatoes.The original recipe called for a stemmed, seeded, and minced  small pepperoncini instead of the red wine vinegar, but the red pepper flakes are spicy enough for me.

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Pasta with Tomato and Almond Pesto (Pesto Alla Trapanese)

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

1/4 c slivered almonds
12 oz cherry or grape tomatoes (about 2 1/2 c)
1/2 c packed fresh basil leaves
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1/2 teas red wine vinegar
salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/3 c olive oil
1 lb pasta, preferably linguine or spaghetti
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 c), plus extra for serving

Toast almonds in a small skilled over medium heat, stirring frequently, until pale golden and fragrant, 2-4 minutes. Cool almonds to room temperature.

Process cooled almonds, tomatoes, basil, garlic, vinegar, 1 teas salt, and red pepper flakes in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, slowly drizzle in oil, about 30 seconds.

Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 T salt and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 c cooking water, drain pasta, and transfer back to cooking pot.

Add pesto and 1/2 c Parmesan to cooked pasta, adjusting consistency with reserved pasta cooking water so that pesto coats pasta. Serve immediately, passing Parmesan separately. 

Zucchini Cornbread

The first time I made this, I left out the sugar, and the lack was obvious. Include the sugar, and oh my: a crispy crust and moist bread inside. It's a new favorite! Note that the zucchini slices on top are a beautiful garnish, but if they are thick they do result in a soggy half inch or so underneath. I'm going to try for paper-thin slices next time, or just skip them altogether.

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Zucchini Cornbread

Slightly adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
Yields one loaf

1 medium zucchini (about 10 oz or 2 c shredded)
3/4 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c whole wheat flour (or 1 1/2 c total flour)
3/4 c cornmeal
1/2 c sugar
1 teas baking powder
1/2 teas baking soda
3/4 teas salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1/2 c buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a loaf pan (original recipe called for 9x5; I used 8x4 and it worked well).

If you'd like the garnish, thinly slice 3-5 rounds from one end of the zucchini. Shred the remaining zucchini, toss with 1 T sugar, and place in a colander. Allow to drain for 30 minutes, then squeeze in paper towels to dry.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, and buttermilk. Gently stir the zucchini into the butter mixture. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to gently fold together until no traces of flour remain. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and top with the reserved zucchini slices.

Bake until the bread is golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55-65 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Silver Lining Salad

I've been wanting to post this "recipe" all summer but have been hung up on naming it. I figure I'd better get it done before summer is over.

Years ago, when the kids were 3, 7, and 9, I traveled from Bahrain to the United States and was caught in space-available hell. Anyone who is military and has tried to travel on space-A may understand what I mean. It was easy to get out of Bahrain but impossible to get back (something I didn't know when I embarked on the trip). After several weeks of waiting to get a flight back to Bahrain, I reluctantly bought tickets for the four of us to return home (extremely expensive, let me tell you). The flight was to leave Philadelphia late one afternoon in August. When I ventured out of my hotel room that day, I  predicted that thunderstorms were going to be a problem and they certainly were. The kids and I spent nearly 12 hours in the airport (how bored do you think they were?) and finally at nearly midnight the flight was cancelled and rescheduled for the following day. In those days airlines would provide lodging and give you vouchers for meals if flights were interrupted, even by weather, so we were bused to close-by New Jersey, put up in a nice hotel, and given vouchers for breakfast the next day. This salad is what I ordered and it hit the spot. I wonder if one of the reasons it appeals to me is because a part of me remembers the relief it was to be out of the airport. In spite of its simplicity, I love the combination, although one key is finding excellent cottage cheese.

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Silver Lining Salad

assorted fruits according to season: melons, berries, stone fruits, bananas, etc., cut into bite size pieces
cottage cheese, I think full fat is best, but low-fat works, too

Arrange the fruit on your plate in a pattern that pleases your eye (or mix in a bowl and plate up). Place a generous serving spoonful of cottage cheese in the center. Dig in.

Note:

I am sure this could successfully be amended with some chopped mint, or a drizzle of flavored simple syrup, but in this case I have never been tempted to gild the lily.

Strawberry Rhubarb Sorbet

Sometimes sorbets, though they taste refreshing and bright, can lack that smooth mouth feel that makes ice cream so attractive. The stewed rhubarb in this recipe gives substance to the sorbet that feels almost creamy. In addition, this is a classic flavor combination in a summertime form.

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Strawberry Rhubarb Sorbet

Source:  The Perfect Scoop  by David Lebovitz 
Yield: about a quart

12 ounces rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (2 1/4 c)
2/3 c water
3/4 c sugar
10 ounces fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and sliced (2 1/4c)
1/2 teas freshly squeezed lemon juice

Place the rhubarb, water, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the rhubarb is tender and cooked through. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Puree strawberries, cooled rhubarb, and lemon juice in the food processor (I think you can skip slicing the strawberries if you have a good processor).

Chill mixture thoroughly (at least 6 hours) and freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Notes:

I've never done it, but I see no reason you couldn't use frozen rhubarb.

For the prettiest sorbet use pink rhubarb although it makes little difference in flavor. Strawberries will keep the sorbet pink, though, if you can find only green rhubarb.

Ginger Mascarpone Icebox Cake with Peaches

Here is another ginger and peach combo. The recipe comes from the final cookbook in a series that was published for seven years or so; they were titled The Best American Recipes of..... (whatever year) . Annually test cooks gathered what they thought were the best recipes from all the cookbooks published that year. In 2006 they published the book The 150 Best American Recipes which the editors considered the best of the best. The following recipe made the cut, although I added the peaches. I'm sure the cake could be served with any fruit that tastes good with ginger such as mangos or poached pears.

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Ginger Mascarpone Icebox Cake with Peaches

Serves 12

Make a day ahead.

2 c gingersnap crumbs from about 36 Nabisco gingersnaps, most easily done in a food processor
5 T unsalted butter, melted
1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 c plain low-fat yogurt (I used full-fat yogurt because that is what I had on hand)
2/3 c sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 c minced crystallized ginger
1 pound mascarpone (found in the deli cheese case in most grocery stores)
1/3 c heavy cream

Peaches
ginger simple syrup (below)

Spray a 9-inch spring form pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter it lightly. Dust the pan with a little sugar and shake out any excess.

In a medium bowl, combine the gingersnap crumbs and butter, rubbing them together with your fingertips to combine thoroughly. If you run the gingersnaps through the food processor, just pour the butter in and pulse a few times. Sprinkle half of the crumbs over the bottom of the pan and pat down evenly; reserve the rest.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, whip together the cream cheese, yogurt, sugar, vanilla, and ginger until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the mascarpone and cream and whip until the mixture is thoroughly combined and just holds peaks. Don't over whip, or the mixture may separate. Carefully spoon  the mixture over the crust, spreading it evenly to the edge of the pan, smoothing the top as best you can. Let the cake sit covered in the refrigerator overnight. About an hour before serving, top with the remaining crumbs, pressing gently down on them to make them somewhat cohesive. Serve cold with gingered sauced peaches (optional).

Ginger Sauced Peaches

This is my own addition, and I've never served this to 12 diners at one sitting. I make the simple syrup, let it infuse the fresh ginger, and cut enough peaches for the number of guests I'm serving, about 1/2 large peach each.

For the sauce:

1 c sugar
1/2 c water

Bring to a boil and stir to make sure the sugar is dissolved, then remove from heat. Peel and slice an inch piece of fresh ginger and place in the hot liquid. Leave the lid on and let it infuse for 30 minutes. Remove ginger slices. When completely cool, peel and slice peaches and drizzle 2 T syrup per peach over the fruit in a bowl and allow to macerate for at least 30 minutes.

Slice the cake and place on a serving plate and add a large spoonful of peach slices on the side, spooning a little of the sauce over the fruit.

Note:

Mascarpone is fairly expensive and may be hard to find. I haven't tested it, but I think you could substitute cream cheese (using a total of three 8 oz. packages), but you might need to add an addition 1 or 2 T sugar since cream cheese is more tangy. I don't think it would change the texture much.