Happy Birthday To Me!

 

Another birthday. How sweet it is!

61. A nice number. Other than a few aches and pains, I'm feeling pretty good. And today, I've been eating good!

Victor decided to cook for me - something that is always appreciated. What was even more appreciated is he made a dish he'd never make for himself - even though he does like it. Stuffed Cabbage.

But first - birthday cake.

This is a knock-off of a Flourless Chocolate Cake from Tyler Florence. Victor's been making it for years, now and I really - really - like it.

Nonna took one look at the cake and said "Is that the cake? What happened to it?" We laughed and told he that's what it was supposed to look like. She was unconvinced.

Victor’s Flourless Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
  • 1 stick butter
  • 9 large eggs, separated
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 pt raspberries, mashed with a fork
  • 1/4 cup strong espresso coffee

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Melt chocolate and butter together.

Beat egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl until light yellow in color. Stir in a little of the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs then mix in the rest of the chocolate mixture.  Stir in coffee and raspberries and mix well.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Fold into the chocolate mixture.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is set, the top starts to crack and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it, 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, then remove sides of pan.

Mound some raspberries on top and voila! Dessert is served!

It's rich, it's fudgy, it's mouthwateringly delicious.

And then we have the stuffed cabbage. We did eat this before cake. Really.

This is an Ina Garten recipe. We can usually count on the Barefoot Contessa to have a decent recipe.We both like her style. Victor made this a couple of years ago for the first time and really enjoyed it. Cabbage is not anywhere on his top 100 list of foods, so I was actually surprised the first time he made it. And pleased. I love cabbage and just never cook it.

stuffed cabbage at Tim and Victor's Totally Joyous Recipes

Stuffed Cabbage

Ina Garten

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons good olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
  • 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes and their juice
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large head Savoy or green cabbage, including outer leaves

For the filling:

  • 2 1/2 pounds ground chuck
  • 3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onions
  • 1/2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onions, and cook over medium-low heat for 8 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, brown sugar, raisins, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Remove the entire core of the cabbage with a paring knife. Immerse the head of cabbage in the boiling water for a few minutes, peeling off each leaf with tongs as soon as it s flexible. Set the leaves aside. Depending on the size of each leaf, you will need at least 14 leaves.

For the filling, in a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, eggs, onion, breadcrumbs, rice, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add 1 cup of the sauce to the meat mixture and mix lightly with a fork.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

To assemble, place 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a large Dutch oven. Remove the hard triangular rib from the base of each cabbage leaf with a small paring knife. Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup of filling in an oval shape near the rib edge of each leaf and roll up toward the outer edge, tucking the sides in as you roll. Place half the cabbage rolls, seam sides down, over the sauce. Add more sauce and more cabbage rolls alternately until you ve placed all the cabbage rolls in the pot. Pour the remaining sauce over the cabbage rolls. Cover the dish tightly with the lid and bake for 1 hour or until the meat is cooked and the rice is tender. Serve hot.

Everything about it was good. Nonna almost licked her plate. After wiping mine with bread, it was clean enough to go back in the cupboard.

stuffed-cabbage at Tim and Victor's Totally Joyous Recipes

I liked it. A lot.

It was a successful meal and a successful day!

I'm thinkin' 61 is gonna be a good year.....


Pesto alla Genovese

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Victor and I both have made pesto for years. It's one of those things you just make. It's always good, but sometimes it can be a bit grainy, a bit bitter... I usually just blame the basil.  It never stops me from eating it, but sometimes it's just not perfect.

Today, Victor found the solution - and it was perfect. Blanching the basil leaves!

We received the latest copy of La Cucina Italiana and there was a cover story about making the silkiest pesto ever. Being the cynic that I am, I rarely believe such claims, but our basil plants overfloweth... Victor decided to make a batch today.

Like most things, you get out what you put into something. The article went into detail about the proper basil leaves (Genovese basil, rarely found in the US), how to prep the leaves (triple washing in cold water and then soaking for 15 minutes or blanching and then plunging into ice water.) The soaking/blanching removes bitterness and the unwanted licorice notes. It also helps set the vibrant green color.

The La Cucina article detailed freezing the glass - not plastic - blender jar, using a microplane to grate the garlic and cheese, and shaking but not completely draining the basil. The little bit of extra water helps in emulsifying the sauce.

The extra steps really made for a perfect dish. I'm hooked.

Pesto alla Genovese

6 cups loosely packed basil leaves
1/3 cup pine nuts, preferably Italian
1/3 small garlic clove
1/2 cup fruity extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
2/3 cup pecorino romano cheese

Place blender jar in freezer to chill. Soak basil in a large bowl of cold water; let stand 5 minutes. Lift leaves from water. Repeat two more times using a rinsed bowl and fresh water each time. Rinse bowl again and fill with cold water. Soak the cleaned leaves in the water, 15 minutes or quickly blanch and immediately plunge into ice water.

Combine nuts and garlic in chilled blender jar and add the olive oil. Purée until nuts are very finely chopped and mixture is creamy. Add salt.

Lift a handful of basil from water, shaking off excess water from leaves and add to blender. In four additions, Use 3 or 4 short pulses and purée just to combine (do not overblend). Add cheese, then, using 2 or 3 very short pulses, purée just to combine.

Place in bowl and cover with a thin film of oil.

I mixed a bit with rigatoni and froze the rest.

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I browned bone-in chicken breasts in a bit of olive oil, added about a half-cup of red wine, plum tomatoes and basil from the garden, a bit of garlic powder, salt and pepper. I covered the pan nd let it simmer on the stove for about 40 minutes. I took out the chicken and reduced the sauce a bit and served it over the top.

It was all over the top! The tomatoes were really sweet and the pesto was perfection.

I need to come up with a few more ideas for using this!


Stuffed Chicken and Lentils

I picked up a yellow and a green zucchini the other day just because they looked really good.  Unfortunately, zucchini is not Victor's favorite vegetable.  It's not that he dislikes it, it's more that he just thinks there are better options out there. So I decided to turn them into something a bit more fun than zucchini coins.

I've made a lentil dish with fennel a few times so I thought I'd do something along those lines - sauteed diced vegetables mixed into cooked lentils. It came out pretty good - if I do say so, m'self! And bein' that both Victor and Nonna ate everything up, I'd say they agreed!

Lentils and Squash

  • 1 cup dried lentils
  • 1 green zucchini, diced
  • 1 yellow zucchini, diced
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 cup plum tomatoes, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 3 cups broth
  • fresh herbs
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Cook lentils in broth until done - about 20 minutes, or so. Set aside.

Dice vegetables in a fairly uniform size. Starting with onions and carrots, saute in a bit of olive oil until they begin to soften. Add garlic and then zucchinis and tomatoes. Cook until zucchini softens and tomatoes begin to break down.

Mince fresh herbs - basil, oregano, parsley, thyme - whatever you have on hand - and stir into pot. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, to taste.

This is one of those dishes that can take any number of variations. Any vegetables will work.

Sitting atop the lentils tonight was a stuffed chicken breast.

I had about a cup of chicken left from the beer can chicken the other night so I minced it with a bit of gorgonzola, a bit of havarti, one long hot pepper, and a bit of S&P.

I pounded some thin-sliced chicken breasts and placed them in a muffin tin. I added the stuffing, folded over the tops, and placed them in a 350° oven for 30 minutes. I topped them with a bit of mango and chipotle sauce I picked up at Cost Plus when we were in Oregon.

I really miss Cost Plus. We used to shop there regularly when we lived in San Francisco - the original store at the wharf was way cool back in the day - and a lot of our furniture came from there. They closed the store closest to us in Wilmington, DE and I'll be damned if I'm driving 150 miles to Maryland just to spend money. I'll get my fix when I'm on the west coast.

In the meantime, I have a few jars of the sauce in the cupboard - along with a few other goodies that found their way into the suitcase...

More meals to come.


Beer Can Chicken

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I did it! I finally made a Beer Can Chicken!

And I'm glad I did!

I'm not sure why it took me so long to make one of these. Might be the fact that we never have cans of beer in the house. Ever. In fact, I had to drink a can of seltzer and then fill the can from a bottle of beer. Bottles we generally have.

I used a bottle of Downtown Brown from Lost Coast Brewery in Eureka, CA. We were just up the road from them last week... I always keep a few beers on hand for beer bread or other cooking - or the occasional beer-drinking guest.

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I rubbed it thoroughly with some of the Kansas City rub we're still working our way through. I love having all of this stuff right on hand. I preheated the gas grill, placed the chicken on the can, turned off the middle burners, turned down the end burners, and let it go for about 2 hours. Crispy, crispy skin and succulent meat. I had a vertical roaster for the longest time and used to prop a chicken up on it now and again, but I haven't seen it for 25 or so years...  The concept is kinda the same. Almost. The vertical roaster doesn't get that slightly-beery taste.

It really did come out good. Even Nonna cleaned her plate. I'll be doing this, again.

And speaking of again, I made Mac and Cheese to go with it.

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I made a lot. It's one of those things I just can't make a small batch of, no matter how hard I try.  It's okay, though, because it makes good leftovers...

This was a three-cheese batch with jack, cheddar, and havarti. No peas. No ham. But I topped it with crushed potato chips instead of bread crumbs.

It is simplicity itself to make. Make a medium white sauce (flour, butter, milk) and then add a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco cause, and a splash of soy sauce. Stir in garlic powder, salt & pepper. Add some grated cheese - your choice -  and you're on your way. Add cooked elbow macaroni, top with buttered crumbs, and place in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350°.

Really simple.

 


Family, Friends, Food, and Fun

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Back to reality after a most-fantastic 10 day trek out west.

The impetus for the trip was my nephew, Bill's, wedding. Christine, his new wife, is an absolutely fabulous young woman and a great addition to the family. She's the perfect yin to his yang - something almost a bit unusual, nowadays. I see a long and loving life with these two. Sometimes you can just tell. They just seem totally right for one another.

And I do have to admit I shed a few tears. Okay, I shed a lot of tears. I saw hin walking down the aisle with his mom and that was it - they just came a-wooshing down. Without saying a word or turning his head, Victor handed me a handkerchief. Hell, I was there when the little bugger was born - and shed more than my share of tears, that night. Glad I'm not the emotional type.

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They were married in Arcata - in the redwoods. The weather could not have been more perfect. The most glorious blue skies, high 70s... Arcata is tricky. It could have been 58° and foggy. But the weather-gods got together and gave them a great day.

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The minister was also the best man - a dear friend who got his mail-order license, the bridesmaids and groomsmen were all family and friends, the venue was set up and decorated by family and friends...

Victor, my sister Phoebe, and I cooked the rehearsal dinner - in a beautiful building overlooking the Pacific ocean. With no cooking equipment. Of course, we didn't know there was nothing to cook with until we got in and started to cook. We pulled it off using pots and pans from Bill and Christine's house. Dinner for 40 on a dinky 4-burner stove. I think I may have said a few bad words when we started off, but we were laughing and joking soon enough! All in a days work.

They did some fun things at the reception - like set up a kids table to keep them occupied.

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Tons of activities to keep the little blighters happy. Big family. Lots of little ones. It was genius.

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No cake-in-the-face or any of that stuff. Just fun and good times. The family rented several houses - much better than hotel rooms - and we congregated at one after the reception to continue the party. It was the wee hours before my head saw my pillow.

The following morning saw us at The Golden Harvest Cafe in Arcata for an intimate breakfast for 30. Our waitress, Jeanette, was perfect! She took control, had fun, and served up some fantastic food.

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I had a buckwheat crepe with sausage and eggs that was eye-watering-spicy. I loved it! It was so good to be back where people know how to use and are not afraid to use spices! I really do miss west coast food. Everything on the menu was unique.

And speaking of unique... How about a Dungeness crab melt?!?

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Folks east rave about soft shell crab, and others rave about king crab legs, but the true crab is Dungeness. There really is nothing finer. It's another thing I miss from home. And this was just so simple - Dungeness crab, swiss cheese, tomato, and avocado. The beauty of knowing how to use spices shares the plate with the beauty of knowing restraint - letting the food speak for itself. This rocked the Casbah!

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We headed up to Seattle for a couple of days to see our friends Bonnie and Nancy. While Nancy worked, Bonnie took us on a locks cruise through Lake Union and Puget Sound. What a fun time! More glorious weather.

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We started off down at the Seattle waterfront, eating hot dogs. Seafood, everywhere. We wanted hot dogs. And then we started the cruise.

It goes through Lake Union and all of the houseboat communities, maritime activity...

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Somewhere in there may be the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat. I wouldn't mind living on a houseboat, but I'd rather it not be right up against another.

The weather was just great but I did have to wear a hat to keep my already-burnt-bald-head from getting any crisper.

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The locks themselves are pretty cool. All done with gravity - they fill or drain to bring the boat to the proper height or depth.

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It's just like the Panama canal - only smaller.

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Puget Sound is simply gorgeous and the Seattle skyline is pretty spectacular. I'd like to see this view at night.

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I've been to the top of the Space Needle a couple of times so we passed this trip. I remember when it was built.

Then there was more fabulous food and Bonnie and Nancy's!

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Their next door neighbors came over for a BBQ and we started off with salads and then to grilled salmon.

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It was spectacular. We also had a tri-tip...

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And beans, potato salad, luscious libations, and lots of good ol' west coat liberal conversation. The finishing touch was grilled peaches with homemade vanilla bean ice cream!

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Total decadence.

The food didn't stop in Seattle. We had several totally fabulous meals in Portland! Phoebe came up with Dungeness Crab Cakes on Carrot Puree that was stupendous.

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Totally spectacular. Crazy good. We ate well.

And then we decided we needed to cook for Phoebe and Nancy since they were taking such good care of us.

We started off with a big salad - because folks out west always eat big salads.

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And then we did a shrimp risotto.

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Ahhh... To live where one can eat shrimp risotto outside in July. Have I mentioned just how perfect the weather was every waking - and sleeping - moment?!? Perfect.

Dessert was a simple grilled peach with homemade ricotta, maple syrup, and pistachios.

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Victor has the ricotta-making down to a science. It really is delicious. It's not cheap to make and a container from the grocery store is pretty inexpensive by comparison, even for the good stuff, but what a difference it makes in something like this. Over-the-top good.

The flights, themselves, were pretty uneventful. We started off late from Philadelphia because of weather issues and didn't get into Portland until almost midnight. The car rental couldn't find our reservation and wanted to charge us almost double what the original cost was. I found the confirmation code, the woman made me an Executive Club member and we drove off in a 2013 Camry for the super-economy price. Comfy.

And now we're home wishing we were Jake and living a dogs life...

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One more flight west in October for my niece Julia's wedding, and then we're looking at Sicily in May 2014.

Can't wait!

 


The Last Supper

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Oh, our bags are packed, we're ready yo go...

The plane leaves in a few hours... non-stop to Portland! It's time for some quality family-and-friend time! We haven't been west in 2 years. It is definitely time.

The main impetus for the trip is my nephew Bill's wedding on Saturday. He's marrying a most wonderful young lady in the redwoods of northern California. The setting couldn't be more perfect.

And we finally get to meet two new great-nephews, Mason and Dylan!  And we get to see the original 13 nieces and nephews and meet some fiances, boyfriends, and/or significant others.  Plus seeing the siblings will be great. We tend to get loud when we're all together. Good times are going to be had by all.

After the wedding, we're back to Portland and then up to Seattle to see two of our most favorite people in the world! Back to Portland for a bit more family time and then home on the 20th...

Nonna will be taken care of by Victor's brother and sister. She's already dreading our leaving - she just knows no one can get her medication together like we do. And who's going to fluff her pillow at night if I'm not there?!?  Cybil's only concern is making sure she gets fed and gets plenty of treats. Dogs are so easy.

We'll be taking lots of pictures, of course! My sister Phoebe and I are cooking the rehearsal dinner on Friday for about 45 people, and the wedding food is going to be a real treat - no spoilers! Plus we know that we're going to be spoiled in Seattle!

See ya in a couple of weeks with a fun recap of the trip!


Steaks and Fresh Mozzarella

07-08-13-steaks

 

Victor made homemade mozzarella on Saturday. O.M.G. It's too wonderful to even begin to describe!

And while it takes a bit of finesse, it's not as difficult as it seems. Which is good, because I already want more!

He's been doing really good with his cheese-making - goat cheese and ricotta in the past couple of weeks - but this one was the trickiest, to date. And he nailed it!

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The two biggest no-nos are that you can't use ultra-pasteurized milk and you can't use Junket rennet. You're making cheese - go for the quality. We bought organic whole milk and used organic goat milk for the chevre.  You're taking the time to do it - so do it right.

You need a good thermometer and rubber gloves. Clean rubber gloves - not the ones you use for scrubbing floors and stuff.

There are a lot of recipes for making mozzarella on the web,  and most of them are pretty similar. This is an adaption of a few of them.

Okay... start!

Fresh Mozzarella

  • 1 1/4 cups water, divided
  • 1 1/2 tsp citric acid
  • 1/4 rennet tablet or 1/4 tsp liquid rennet (NOT Junket rennet)
  • 1 gallon whole milk, NOT ultra-pasteurized
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

Prepare the Citric Acid and Rennet:

Measure out 1 cup of water and stir in the citric acid until dissolved. In a separate cup, measure out 1/4 cup of water and stir in the rennet until dissolved.

Warm the Milk:

Pour the milk into the pot. Stir in the citric acid solution. Set the pot over medium-high heat and warm to 90°, stirring gently.

Add the Rennet:

Remove the pot from heat and gently stir in the rennet solution. Count to 30. Stop stirring, cover the pot, and let it sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.

Cut the Curds:

After five minutes, the milk should have set, and it should look and feel like soft silken tofu. If it is still liquidy, re-cover the pot and let it sit for another five minutes. Once the milk has set, cut it into uniform curds: make several parallel cuts vertically through the curds and then several parallel cuts horizontally, creating a grid-like pattern. Make sure your knife reaches all the way to the bottom of the pan.

Cook the Curds:

Place the pot back on the stove over medium heat and warm the curds to 105°F. Stir slowly as the curds warm, but try not to break them up too much. The curds will eventually clump together and separate more completely from the yellow whey.

Remove the Curds from Heat and Stir:

Remove the pan from the heat and continue stirring gently for another 5 minutes.

Separate the Curds from the Whey:

Ladle the curds into a strainer set over a bowl to catch the whey.

Heat the curds:

Warm a large pot of water to just below boiling (about 190°).  Set the strainer into the pot so the curds are submerged in the hot water. Let the curds sit for about five minutes. Wearing rubber gloves, fold the curds under the water and check their internal temperature. If it has not reached 135°F, let the curds sit for another few minutes until it does. The curds need to reach this temperature in order to stretch properly.

Stretch and Shape the Mozzarella:

Sprinkle the salt over the cheese and squish it with your fingers to incorporate. Using both hands, stretch and fold the curds repeatedly. It will start to tighten, become firm, and take on a glossy sheen. When this happens, you are ready to shape the mozzarella. You can make one large or several smaller balls. Just don't over-work it.

Store the finished cheese:

Place the mozzarella balls in slightly salted water or whey. Keep refrigerated and use within a week.

This is such a treat. When we get back from vacation and the tomatoes are in full production, I think we'll be seeing a lot more of this!

Yumlicious!

The steaks were covered in the Peach BBQ Sauce I made yesterday. Fresh corn on the cob...

We're doing well...

 


Peach Strudel

Peach Strudel

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Peaches. Did I mention we had a lot of them? We still do - but they've been re-purposed!

I came upon this concept from Saveur. They made it with plum jam and ground walnuts. I made a fresh peach filling and used chopped walnuts. It really was quick and easy, although the dough does need to sit in the fridge for a good hour.

Peach Strudel

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 6 peaches
  • 1/3 cup sugar

INST RUCTIONS

Process peaches and 1/3 cup sugar in food processor. Place in medium saucepan and cook until thick, stirring and making sure it doesn't scorch.

Process flour, sugar, butter, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until pea-size crumbles form. Add 2 eggs and 1/4 cup ice-cold water; pulse until dough forms. Form into a disk; wrap, and chill for 1 hour.

Heat oven to 37 5°. Cut dough into thirds; roll each into an 11″ × 7 ″ rectangle; line an 11″ × 7 ″ baking dish with a rectangle. Spread over half the apricot spread; sprinkle with one-third walnuts. Top with second rectangle; spread over remaining preserves and half remaining walnuts. Top with last rectangle, and prick with tines of a fork. Brush with remaining egg; sprinkle with remaining walnuts.

Bake until golden, 25–30 minutes.

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The peaches will get nice and thick - just like jam.

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And then you cut them into little squares. And eat a lot of them!

 


Chipotle Peach BBQ Sauce

 

 

When life hands you peaches - make a chipotle peach barbecue sauce.

Peaches have become my favorite summer fruit. It used to be apricots, closely followed by plums, but since moving east, the apricots and plums just don't cut it. The California peaches, on the other hand, have been spectacular.

It's not easy using up 5 pounds of peaches, but I gave it that ol' college try, today!  I started with a sweet and spicy chipotle peach BBQ sauce.

I've made a few peach BBQ sauces over the years... this one, however, is the best, yet! It has the smokey heat of the chipotle powder and the sweetness of the peaches and brown sugar, with the perfect amount of tartness from apple cider vinegar. I done good.

The recipe made about a quart and a half. It will sit in the 'fridge for a goodly amount of time. I don't have to worry about using it up any time soon - especially since we're heading west on Wednesday! Can't wait to see everyone!

We should have a lot of tomatoes out back when we get home... Maybe a batch of this later in the season for canning?!? Hmmmmmmmm.....

Chipotle BBQ Sauce

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp molasses
  • 1 tsp chipotle powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 6 peaches, chopped
  • 3 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 4oz can chopped green chiles
  • pinch black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until peaches are cooked through.

Using an immersion blender, blend sauce thoroughly and completely.

Continue simmering until thick, stirring to keep sauce from scorching.

 

 


July 4th Food Fenzy

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Happy July 4th.  I find it pretty interesting living a mere 2 miles from Valley Forge and less than 20 miles from the building where the Declaration of Independence was written. It's fascinating history.

But history or no, I'm not sure those original signers would be all that happy to see the current state of the government they were fighting to create 237 years ago. The Lofty Ideals vs The Reality. It's kinda scary when you think about it.

But 237 years after the fact, the day means hamburgers and hot dogs more than anything else, so... I made hamburgers and hot dogs. Even my left-leaning liberal self has to take a day off, once in a while.

Burgers and dogs, corn on the cob, baked beans... All the traditional stuff. We ate well, today.

I even served some homemade chipotle mustard. Yum.

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I made my sister, Phoebe's Baked Beans and Mom's Potato Salad, because there's just nothing better than the two of them together.

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And burgers and and dogs and corn on the cob...  Nothing fancy - just the basics with the basic toppings...

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Plus a great big mixed green salad with Victor's homemade goat cheese! The cheese rocks the casbah!

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And, of course, we had some pretty good desserts - because we always have some pretty good desserts.

I started off with a Peach and Apricot Crostata. This really rocked. The crust is like a cookie. Really good!

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Peach and Apricot Crostata

Dough

  • 1 3/4 sticks butter
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tsp vanilla

Filling

  • 1/2 - 3/4 cup gooseberry jam
  • 1 peach, sliced
  • 1 apricot, sliced
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cut butter into chunks. Place flours, sugar, and salt. in a food processor and blend. Add butter and process until coarsely blended. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Process a moment and then turn out on a board and gently knead mixture just until it forms a dough.

Reserve one third of dough for lattice top. Crumble remainder into an 11-inch tart pan pat out dough to evenly cover bottom and up sides. Spread preserves over bottom. Place sliced peaches and apricots over preserves.

Roughly form remaining dough into strips and place on top of fruit. Don't worry about making them perfect - it's supposed to be rustic.

Scatter walnuts over the top and bake in the middle of the oven for about 45 minutes.

Cool and enjoy!

I used gooseberry jam but any flavor you have will work.

And then we had cookies that Marie brought. Totally fabulous.

07-04-13-maries-cookies

Too bad those Founding Fathers weren't around today to share some of this - and to talk some politics.