Thursday, September 20, 2007

End of Summer Peaches

Hi All,
The end of summer has brought a wide array of delicious pecahes to the Farmer's Markets and people ask me what you can do with them for a wonderful dessert.
I have developed two peach desserts for you to try.

Peach and Blueberry Cobbler with Chantilly Cream
Serves 6

Ingredients
3 pounds ripe peaches, peeled, cored and sliced into 1/4 inch slices, about 6 peaches
1 pint blueberries
2/3 cup sugar plus 3 Tb.
2 Tb. lemon juice
½ tsp. vanilla
Topping:
1 ½ cups flour
¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 Tb. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cinnamon
5 Tb. butter, room temperature
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1 Tb. vanilla
¼ tsp. cinnamon, for sprinkling
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
2 Tb. confectioners sugar

Procedure
1.Heat the oven to 400. Combine the peaches, peaches, 2/3 cup sugar, lemon and vanilla in a large bowl and mix well. Transfer to an 11 by 81/2 inch baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.

2.Meanwhile combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Combine the egg, milk and vanilla in a small bowl. Make a well in the center of the bowl and add the milk mixture into the center. Mix the liquid in quickly being careful not to over-mix. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto the warm pears, covering the top completely. Sprinkle with the remaining 3 Tb. of sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.

3.Whip the cream in a cold bowl with the sugar until soft peaks form

4.Allow the cobbler to cool slightly and serve either warm or room temperature with the chantilly cream.



Flambéed Peaches with Honey and Raspberries
Serves 4

Ingredients
4 large ripe peaches, about 1 1/4 pounds
2 pints raspberries, rinsed
3 Tb. confectioner's sugar
1 Tb. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup plus 2 Tb honey
4 Tb. butter
1/3 cup cognac or rum
1 pint vanilla ice cream
Mint sprigs, garnish

Procedure
1 Blanch the peaches in boiling water for 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
2 Peel the peaches and then cut in half. Remove the pits.
3 Process 1/2 of the berries with the confectioner’s sugar, lemon and vanilla until smooth. Strain thru a sieve and then refrigerate.
4 In a large skillet combine the honey and butter and cook over high heat, stirring until smooth. Add the peaches and turn to coat. Cook about 3 to 4 minutes.
5 Heat the cognac in a small skillet until hot and then tilt toward the flame. Shake the pan back and forth and then pour over the peaches, shake the skillet until the flame subsides.
6 Place a scoop of ice cream in a serving bowl, top with a couple of peach halves and spoon some of the puree over. Garnish with the remaining berries and mint.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Summer Tomatoes

We are coming to the end of summer and now is the season for tomatoes grown locally.
Try my fabulous Grilled Shrimp and Heirloom Tomato Salad before summer comes to a close.

Grilled Shrimp Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined
5 Tb. lime juice
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 small jalapeno, seeded, minced
6 Tb. cilantro, chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
3 large Heirloom tomatoes mixed colors, diced
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup basil, chopped
3 Tb. balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
6 cups mixed greens
1 half of a small papaya, peeled, diced

Procedure
1. Combine the shrimp with the lime, olive oil, cumin, jalapeno, cilantro and salt in a medium bowl. Toss, and allow to sit at room temperature for one hour or refrigerate for two hours.
2. Combine the tomatoes, shallot, basil, balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Allow to sit while you grill the shrimp.
3. Heat a grill pan until hot. Remove the shrimp from the marinade and grill until pink and curled, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate.
4. Toss the mixed greens with the tomatoes. Taste for seasoning.
5. Place the greens on serving plates, divide the shrimp between the plates and top each serving with the diced papaya.

Olive Oil- what kind should you buy?

I get many students that ask me what type of olive oil is best, what is the difference between extra virgin and regular olive oil, how much should they spend..

The name extra virgin refers to the first press of the olives which produces the most olive flavored and greenest oil. The more the olives are pressed the lighter the color gets to where it eventually becomes pale yellow. At each stage the oil has less olive flavor.

As far as what is best I recommend having a couple different oils in your pantry. One with real olive flavor for drizzling on cold salads and pastas or for dipping. Other olive oil is nicer for cooking because the flavor is less intrusive. As far as brands go - I recommend Italian, Greek, Spanish and Californian olive oils. The best way to decide what you like is to taste it and try different ones.
The price is similar to anything of quality- the more you spend the better the product. So it is nice to have one very good oil for special dishes and then a medium priced oil for daily cooking.

Enjoy your food and have fun shopping for olive oil!

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Welcome to Amanda's Cooking Blog

Each month you will find new recipes added by me. Please comment on them and let me know what you think.
Thanks for stopping by!
-Amanda