Baked Peaches

I've been posting desserts that just take a buncha time. Like this has to chill for like 8 years in the fridge and don't worry, straining all the seeds out of this will take no time at all. No big deal. It's worth ittttt, I say. Blah blah blah. ((Wait listen….totally worth it --- both of them))

I’m just trying to make a point for today’s post. These peaches are the easiest to throw together and you need to make them right now before peaches are gone FOREVER.

You'll soon learn I don't lack for any exaggeration or excitement.

At first I wasn’t totally sold on them, I’m gonna assume because it was like 10 in the morning and it was already sweltering hot out and eating hot fruit first thing in the AM was just not my cup of tea at that moment. It was so hot in my kitchen that my cream wouldn’t even whip. Hence the barely whipped cream in the photos, but I assure you that was not the problem. I’ve been known to just pour cream onto berries just straight from the bottle.

What?

You don’t do that? You ain’t even lived.

Anyways. The point here is. Later on, after dinner, I ate one cold from the fridge (with just straight cream drizzled on top.) And if that wasn’t the most tasty, refreshing, lovely bit of dessert.

So really, these work warm from the oven or cold from the crisper. Will last in a fridge a day or two before topping starts to get soggy, but they probably won’t be there that long, if you know what I’m sayin’.

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Baked Peaches

adapted slightly from this recipe over at smitten kitchen

Ingredients:

4 ripe peaches, halved and pitted

½ cup almond flour

⅓ cup coconut palm sugar

a pinch of salt

a dash of cinnamon

3 tablespoons butter

Whipped cream for garnish, optional

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Mix almond flour, coconut palm sugar, salt, and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Incorporate butter into the mixture with hands until it’s evenly distributed.

Divide mixture equally among peaches, filling each of the peach’s centers and lightly pressing the mixture down to cover the peaches’ surface..

Bake for about an hour or until topping is golden brown and crisped, and peach is soft and tender.

Vegan or strict Paleo option -- I bet you could switch out that butter for coconut oil without issue.

Can serve warm or cold.

Serves 8

Eggplant Parmesan

Man, this recipe seems like a to-do all typed out. I guess anything with multiple cooking steps is going to look a little crazy. Re-inventing the wheel with this one? No, not really. But when you have eggplants, what’s better to do with them than make eggplant parm? Probably many things, but flow with me here.

Truth be told, I am not the biggest eggplant fan. I think it might be it’s skin? At times I find it plasticky. I do best when it’s sliced super thin or cubed into the tiniest of squares that will melt into a sauce. And I am sure I am not alone in the belief that the act of frying makes all things edible.

One change I made here was just to sub out the usual bread crumbs for a mix of almond meal and grated parmesan. Works like a charm. I also find my latest presentation to be just the prettiest. I realize though, that most people probably don’t have a giant circular pan like that. In the instructions I give a few suggestions as to how else you can bake the eggplant.

I’ve done this several times and I’ve almost always had the perfect amount of egg and breading to eggplant slices. But if for some reason you end up with extra eggplant slices, I would just roast them up with a little olive oil and salt and pepper when you throw the parm in the oven.

If you end up with extra breading, since it’s not like it’s getting contaminated by meat or something, just freeze it up to use at a later time. Er, well I guess some egg might get all up in there, but I would probably still freeze it. It works great for chicken parm. Although I did find it a bit heavy for squash blossoms when I was experimenting with them. But usually this is my go-to breading for everything.

Last time I had a bit extra, I had a green tomato hanging out on the counter.

I’m sure you can put together what happened next.

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Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients:

2 medium to large eggplants

salt (for sweating)

2 large eggs

1 cup almond flour

1 cup grated parmesan

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped (or a good pinch of dried)

salt and pepper to taste

approximately ¼ cup olive oil for frying

2 cups of tomato sauce, either Fresh Sauce or a good homemade or jarred red sauce.

8 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced thin or 1 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions:

Using a mandoline or a knife, slice the eggplant into thin ¼ inch disks.

Lay out disks on a flat surface like a cutting board or sheet pan and lightly salt the eggplant. Let sit and sweat for approximately 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare your “breading” station. In a large bowl beat two large eggs together. In a large plate or baking dish combine the almond flour, parmesan, parsley, and salt and pepper.

After 30 minutes, using a paper towel, dry the “sweat” off the eggplant slices and place slices in the bowl with the beaten eggs. Swish around eggplant to cover all slices with egg.

I find it easiest to “bread” all the slices before frying instead of trying to multitask breading and frying at the same time. Something always gets backed up.

One by one take each egg soaked slice and dip each side into the almond flour-parmesan “breading” and lay them down on a flat surface to wait to be fried up.

Once all the slices are breaded, heat about half of the olive oil in a medium to large saute pan over a medium heat. While this is heating, prepare a plate with paper towels to place finished fried slices onto.

When the oil is hot enough (you can dip the end of a wooden spoon into the oil and see if it sizzles) place as many eggplant slices that will fit, into the pan. Fry until golden on the first side and do the same with the second side. Take off heat and place on paper toweled plate to drain. Do this with all the slices. About halfway through frying I like to start with some fresh oil since the almond flour has a tendency to fall off a little more and burn up pretty quick. So I pour off the hot oil into a heat safe container to cool a bit before throwing out and then I carefully wipe out the pan with a paper towel. Then I pour in the remaining olive oil and bring it up to heat and keep on frying.

Once all your eggplant is fried turn on the oven to 350 degrees.

Grab the eggplant, two cups of sauce, and mozzarella cheese.

Depending on the type of baking pan you have available begin layering the eggplant in a way that makes the most sense to you.

As you can see in the pictures, I have a 1-inch deep circular roasting pan, so I overlapped mine in circles, starting with a splash of sauce on the bottom of the pan and then layering the slices one by one around, adding the rest of the sauce and then covering in cheese. If you only have a flat pan, or baking dish you could do all the slices in one layer, with spoonful of sauce on top of each slice and then a piece of cheese on top of that. Or you could layer them up in a baking dish like a lasagna! Whatever works. Just get that sauce and cheese on there!

Bake the eggplant parm for about 40 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

Serves 8

Leek Frittata

When I have no idea what to do with something or have too much of something I always turn to a frittata.

I had three huge leeks from my CSA that I had a.) no idea what to do with and b.) had too many eggs because I get a dozen a week from the CSA as well.

Boom. Done. Frittata.

Frittatas freeze really well so I’ll cut it up and throw it into plastic bags and chuck it into the freezer. Makes for a quick and easy meal when you don’t feel like cooking or have no time to pack a lunch for work. My issue is usually the latter. Love my everyday morning scramble, keeps me on my toes.

I’ve learned my lesson with the broiler one too many a time, as evidenced here. So unless I am literally sitting next to my oven (well, er, laying down, because my broiler is at the bottom, which only makes things more ridiculous) and watching the food broil, it’s always too late. So while this method I use here for the frittata takes longer, it’s completely fool proof. Me being the fool.

P.s. Easy trick for cleaning your leeks, that I think I learned from like Rachel Ray or something, prep up your leeks and then place them in a bowl full of water and sorta swish ‘em around. Let them sit for a few minutes. All the sand and grit will sink down to the bottom of the bowl. See above. Scoop out your leeks and dry.

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Leek Frittata

Ingredients:

3 pieces uncured/nitrite-nitrate free canadian bacon (approximately 1 cup of cooked meat -- diced bacon or ham could work here flawlessly)

1 tablespoon of grassfed butter (plus a bit extra if needed)

3 leeks, white and pale green parts only, washed thoroughly, halved and sliced

7 eggs

¼ cup grassfed heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

⅓ cup shredded white cheddar cheese + extra for sprinkling on top if desired

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a 10-inch cast iron skillet, fry up the three pieces of canadian bacon until golden and crisp. Take cooked meat and dice. Set aside.

Using rendered fat from the bacon, saute the leeks over a medium heat. If it doesn’t seem like there’s enough fat, use an extra bit of butter or other cooking fat. Cook leeks until they are soft and start to develop some caramelization.

While the leeks are cooking, beat together the eggs, heavy cream, and the salt and pepper. Add in the diced bacon and shredded cheddar and stir.

When the leeks are ready, remove them from the skillet and place in a separate bowl from the eggs to allow to cool just slightly. Meanwhile, turn the heat off of the skillet but add 1 tablespoon of butter right away to the hot pan so it begins to melt. Swirl the melted butter around to coat the entire pan.

Add the leeks to the egg mixture and stir to incorporate.

Add the mix to the butter coated skillet, sprinkle extra cheddar on top if desired, and throw into the oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until frittata is puffed and starting to turn golden brown.

Serves 6

Monday Market Haul - 9/1/2014

And here it is. September 1st.

Rejoice in the season of pumpkin spiced lattes?! I think not. It’s been wicked hot the past few days (that’s what I rejoice in.) Summer’s last hurrah! And yet people are still excited about slurping down piping hot chemically flavored syrup. August hadn’t even ended yet and it was already out! I thought that they were at least waiting ‘til September for that!

Anyways, I’ll be away from the city every weekend the month of September, but I'm gonna try and find a way to hit up some different farmer’s markets in the places I’ll be. Even as I was leaving the Union Square Green Market this past Saturday, I doubled back and picked up what I am sure will be my very last pint of strawberries. I’ve been trying my best to budget my farmer’s market trip. At the beginning of the summer I was so overwhelmed and overjoyed at the abundances the summer finally brought that I straight up could drop 50 bucks, no problem. So this past weekend, I was being strict as I have been, and sticking to my list. But I was half way to the subway, under budget I might add, and thinking….those berries….summer’s over...they’ll be gone...THIS IS IT. So I went back and got them. #worthit

I mean blueberries were no where to be found. No where. My heart. It breaks.

Dramatic, I know.

As you can see I did grab blackberries. I couldn’t let summer go without making one last batch of blackberry sauce.

So don’t mind me, I’ll just be over here in denial drinking my black iced coffee.

Nectarine Tart with Hazelnut Crust

Down with the simple recipes I’ve been posting all week! And hear, hear to something a bit more complicated! Check out that ingredient list! Finally more than 5 items needed! Are you with me?!

Honestly this isn’t that complicated at all. But it does look fancy though, huh?

Most of the time it takes is hands off. Refrigeration and cooling time are what take this recipe up a notch, timewise. But that’s what weekends are for, amirite?

I’m sure this would also work with any fruit you have on hand. The custard is very neutral tasting so any summer fruit spread out over top would be both tasty and pretty looking. But that’s not to say the filling isn’t exciting. Just versatile.

I’m also pretty sure for the nut crust any variety of ground nut could work, but don’t hold me to that.

This could also easily become vegan if the honey in the filling is switched out for maple syrup or other sweetener and the butter in the crust is switched out for coconut oil.

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Nectarine Tart with Hazelnut Crust

Ingredients:

Filling

1 can cold full fat coconut milk

¼ cup chia seeds

zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon tapioca starch

Crust

2 cups ground lightly toasted hazelnuts

2 tablespoons maple syrup

dash of cinnamon

3 tablespoons butter

Topping

3 nectarines, halved, pitted, and sliced thinly.

2 to 3 tablespoons of peach preserves, warmed (or whatever you have around - it probably wouldn’t matter much. I used a strawberry-peach jam)

Directions:

In a bowl combine the coconut milk, chia seeds, zest, juice, vanilla, honey and tapioca starch. Whisk well to incorporate and then cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl combine the ground hazelnuts, the maple syrup and the cinnamon. Using your hands get the butter well incorporated into the nut mixture.

Pour nut and butter mixture into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the mixture into the pan to cover the bottom and sides evenly.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until sides the sides become a gorgeous golden brown. If at any point in the baking you see part of the side begin to slump down just press it back into place with the back of a spoon.

Cool crust completely.

Once your filling has properly chilled and thickened (you should be able to run your finger or a spoon through the filling and not have it fall directly back in place) you can fill the cooled crust, spreading it evenly throughout.

Lay the nectarine slices one by one next to each other, overlapping them slightly along the edge of the crust. When that layer is finished, overlap slices in the remaining space in the center of the tart but layer the slices going in the opposite direction of the outside layer.

Take your warmed preserves and using a pastry brush, lightly glaze the nectarine slices.

Cover and chill the tart for another hour before serving.

Tart will keep for about a day in the fridge before the crust starts to get a bit soggy. Still delish.

Yield: 1 ten-inch tart

Corn and Peppers

In continuation of the Mama Lunetta Summer Classic series - here’s yet another childhood mainstay. I happened to have corn in the freezer from my CSA two weeks ago and I got a pepper in last week’s. And that meant that this HAD.TO.HAPPEN.

Since Summer vegetables require little to no anything to be awesome, I do realize that I’ve been posting things that really aren’t all that eventful. Sorry. Are you bored of me yet? These are just the recipes that I think of when we’re in this season. I’ve also been relying greatly on my farm share to inspire my cooking each week.

When I got the corn, I didn’t have time to use it right away and you should use fresh corn within a day or two. So I quickly blanched the cobs and then cut off the kernels and froze them.Then last week I received a beautiful green pepper in my share and I immediately thought of Mom’s Corn and Peppers, a summer comfort food.

Typically when people think comfort foods, we think of winter stews, soups, and casseroles. Things that take a long time and require the warmth of the oven. They warm both home and soul. But when I think back on my mother’s cooking, it’s her summer standbys, that remind me of home and comfort. Her corn and peppers, fresh sauce, blackberry sauce, ratatouille, tabbouleh, and her mint iced tea. Those are my “comfort foods”. Although I have been making slight changes here and there, de-grainifying the stuffed zucchini, using maple syrup instead of sugar in the blackberry sauce. Through and through the recipes still have the same backbone. Super simple dishes that were inspired by what she brought in from her garden each day, similar to how I’m waiting on my farm share each week.

#longlivesummer

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Corn and Peppers

Ingredients:

4 ears fresh corn, shucked and sheared from the cobs** (approximately 2 cups)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large sweet pepper --- my mother always grew Italians but my CSA gave me a green bell pepper so that’s what I used here

1 tablespoon grassfed butter

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Get your butter melting down in a large saute pan or cast iron skillet.

Once melted add in your onions and saute them until soft, translucent, and slightly caramelized.

Add in your corn and peppers next. Saute with onions until soft and tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4 as a side

Blackberry Sauce with Olive Oil Yogurt Cake

I was aiming to post this before a weekend since it’s a dessert and baked things sometimes take a bit more time to produce but I wanted to get this up here before blackberries are but a distant memory of the summer.

The cake itself is super quick and easy. The sauce takes a bit more hands on time but it’s worth every second, at least I think so. Again, this is one of those summer standbys. We have huge blackberry bushes lining the entire length of my mother’s giant garden in Connecticut.

So I grew up eating this sauce all of August on top of Eggo waffles and on ice cream and on a simple yellow round cake that is similar to the cake I made here.

This cake though is gluten-free. It also utilizes yogurt, which for awhile there I was drowning in after having worked on a shoot for a certain big Greek yogurt company. Yay for perks of working on the culinary team! I made out like a damn bandit.

With the sauce I also decided to see if I could use something less refined like maple syrup instead of regular sugar and it worked like a charm. Careful using a wooden spoon with this, it will get stained a lovely shade of magenta.

I think it’s an improvement really.

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Blackberry Sauce

Ingredients:

1 ½ pints blackberries

¼ cup maple syrup (you may need to add more depending on the sweetness of your berries)

squeeze of half a lemon

Directions:

Throw your blackberries, maple syrup, and lemon juice into a small saucepan on a low to medium heat. Stirring occasionally and keeping at a low simmer. It will take the berries about 40 minutes to break down and for the sauce to be the right consistency. It will seem juicier than you think it should. But wait there’s more to come.

After 40 minutes, take your cooked berries off the heat. Gather a medium bowl, a small-medium fine mesh strainer and a spoon.

Place the strainer over the bowl and pour just a bit of the sauce into the strainer. Using the back of the spoon begin to press on the remaining chunky pulp getting as much solid berry as you can through the strainer. You should be left with mainly seeds once you’ve gotten as much as you can out of the pulp. Dump the seeds and start again with another pour of cooked berries. Continue in small batches until your saucepan is empty and your bowl is now full of strained berry puree.

Use this sauce to pour over the below cake, or other cake of your choice. Or ice cream. Or waffles. Or yogurt. Or anything…….should last about 2 weeks in the fridge.

Yield: approximately 2 cups

Olive Oil Yogurt Cake

adapted lightly from this cake from Canelle et Vanille

Yield: 1 nine inch round cake

Ingredients:

small amount of butter for greasing/flouring pan

3 eggs

1 cup raw sugar

1 cup full fat Greek yogurt

1/2 cup olive oil

Zest of 1 lemon

1 cup brown rice flour (mine was sprouted and organic), plus a bit extra to flour pan.

1/2 cup millet flour

2 tablespoons tapioca starch

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Line a round 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Then butter and flour the sides of the pan.

Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, yogurt, olive oil and lemon zest.

Once mixed, add in the brown rice flour, millet flour, tapioca starch, baking powder and salt. Whisk again to thoroughly incorporate.

Pour into the cake pan and spread it out evenly.

Bake cake for 30 to 40 minutes or until it’s edges have turned a lovely golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.

Let cake cool in pan and then run a knife around the edges and flip onto a plate. Remove the parchment paper from the bottom of the cake then take your serving plate or platter and flip cake again so the top is now the top once more.

Serve slices with blackberry sauce drizzled on top and I mean it’s not like ice cream on the side would be out of place either.

Monday Market Haul - 8/25/2014

The beginning of this article at Food52 definitely sums up my current state of mind.

It’s hard not to be sad that the days are getting shorter and cooler. I keep thinking “will this be the last week I see blueberries? strawberries? all the berries? what about tomatoes? do I need to buy them all right now?” I can’t even. My freezer is now packed. There isn’t room for even one more batch of Fresh Sauce.

I’m doing my best to look forward to cardigans and cooking lengthy hearty stews and soups.

Also, while I’m here and my green beans are showing. Can I tell you all about this recipe? I implore you to try it --- at the risk of sounding dramatic, it has changed my life. 

P.s. Those nectarines turned into something very pretty. Can't wait to show you.