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so has anyone been doing yummy things - with or without recipes - with this summer's bounty?
I baked 3 blueberry peach pies in the last 2 weeks, so as yummy as they are, I was kinda bored to make another for a potluck dinner we went to last night. Instead of combining the fruit I made one ordinary peach double crust pie, and thought up what to do with the blueberries separately. Using some crushed, crisp gingersnap cookies I made a 'graham cracker' crust, then made a half batch of lemon meringue pie filling (without the meringue) and when it was cool, blended it with fresh raw blueberries. I had some lemon quark (slightly sweet cream cheese spread - I bet cream fraiche would work too) that needed using, so I spread that in a layer on top of the crust, and then mounded the blueberry filling over. It was prettier in my head when I thought it up, but there wasn't a crumb left at the end of the evening, so I guess taste matters more. ;-) An old argument here....
I did have trouble spreading the cheese filling on the crust. It didn't set firm, and would just crumble apart when I tried to 'spread'. I ended up dropping it in little bits all over, and trying to cover the surface without disturbing it too much. It didn't serve very smoothly in slices either. The only thing I know of to solidify that type of crust, is add more melted butter, and I didn't want that much fat and calories. Anyone have another trick for that?
Curious to hear about others creations in the kitchen. Successful or not!
I baked 3 blueberry peach pies in the last 2 weeks, so as yummy as they are, I was kinda bored to make another for a potluck dinner we went to last night. Instead of combining the fruit I made one ordinary peach double crust pie, and thought up what to do with the blueberries separately. Using some crushed, crisp gingersnap cookies I made a 'graham cracker' crust, then made a half batch of lemon meringue pie filling (without the meringue) and when it was cool, blended it with fresh raw blueberries. I had some lemon quark (slightly sweet cream cheese spread - I bet cream fraiche would work too) that needed using, so I spread that in a layer on top of the crust, and then mounded the blueberry filling over. It was prettier in my head when I thought it up, but there wasn't a crumb left at the end of the evening, so I guess taste matters more. ;-) An old argument here....
I did have trouble spreading the cheese filling on the crust. It didn't set firm, and would just crumble apart when I tried to 'spread'. I ended up dropping it in little bits all over, and trying to cover the surface without disturbing it too much. It didn't serve very smoothly in slices either. The only thing I know of to solidify that type of crust, is add more melted butter, and I didn't want that much fat and calories. Anyone have another trick for that?
Curious to hear about others creations in the kitchen. Successful or not!
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Sacramento
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Re: Summer creations
Sun, August 23, 2009 - 8:32 PMWent to a BBQ last night and took a panzanella (Tuscan bread salad). With stuff right out of the garden, it was scrumptious. Not a bite left at the end of the evening.
Panzanella
* 3 tablespoons good olive oil
* 1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
* 1 hothouse cucumber, sliced 1/2-inch thick
* 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
* 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
* 1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced
* 20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
* 3 tablespoons capers, drained
For the vinaigrette:
* 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
* 3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
* 1/2 cup good olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.
For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.
In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.
