In A Nutshell

I realize that cobbler recipes are a dime a dozen; I have made many different recipes and find there is some little issue each time: watery filling, stodgy biscuits, dull flavor etc. This time I wed two recipes- the filling from Joanne Chang's book Pastry Love and a really good cobbler biscuit recipe from the NYT Cooking section.  I thought I should note it here for my own sake so that I'm not fishing out two different recipes (and trying to remember which two were the best combo) each time I make cobbler. For the filling: 1000 g (8 cups) blueberries 1 1/2 lbs (680 g) peaches, sliced unpeeled 3/4 cup sugar 4 T cornstarch zest from 1 lemon In a medium saucepan, combine half the blueberries, all the peaches, sugar, zest and cornstarch. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the juice released is nice and purple and looks like a thickened pie filling. Add the remaining blueberries and put it into a 13 x 9 ceramic baking dish. Preheat oven to 350º. For the b...

The recipe for these cakes comes from the NYT cooking section; I used  these precious little pans . The key to getting the cakes out perfectly is to generously spray them with Baker's Joy (and I am very specific about this particular product- trust me, I've tried different sprays). I made a few changes to the recipe (would it be cocky to say improvements?) namely swapping out butter for olive oil and reducing the amount of sugar. If you have leftover peach puree you can use it in cocktails or to make margaritas. Also, I always use weights when possible rather than dry measures as I find you typically get a much better result. Don't be tempted to peel the peaches- the skin adds beautiful colored flecks and texture. My love of alcohol may tempt me to add a bit of peach liqueur or bourbon the next time. 1 cup olive oil (not extra-virgin) 2 1/2 cups (320 grams) all-purpose flour 4 ripe, red-hued peaches (a little more than a pound), pitted 1 T fresh lemon juice 3 la...

This recipe is adapted from Saveur magazine; it makes great use of summer fruit. I won’t give amounts for the salad ingredients— just make however much you need or want. Peaches, sliced Plums, sliced Arugula Sliced red onion (you can marinate these in a small amount of dressing if you want to take out the bite) Feta or Goat cheese crumbles Anything else you fancy: almonds, beets, dried cherries etc. Dressing : 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 t salt freshly ground pepper 1 t honey 1 t Dijon mustard chopped cilantro (optional) 1/2 cup EVOO Whisk together and drizzle a bit over the salad. 

Milo really really wanted to eat that cream..... the longing in those hound eyes is too much! I used some new-fangled apricots that I found in the store called Red Velvet Apricots; they were a bit larger than regular apricots and absolutely delicious. I also used peaches because I didn't have enough apricots. The recipe in F&W included chopped mint in the apricots; I forgot to add that but I think it would be good (or even maybe some chopped basil??). You can make these earlier in the day that you plan to serve them but you don't want them sitting around too long. 2 T brandy 2 T lemon juice 2 T superfine sugar 12 apricots, sliced Combine the brandy, lemon juice and sugar; stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the sliced apricots and let stand at room temperature while preparing the rest of the dessert. 4 oz. mascarpone 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 T powdered sugar 1/2 t vanilla Combine using a mixer until whipped fluffy- don't over mix. 1/2 cup graham cracker c...

This salad is refreshing and delicious-- adapted from Food and Wine. The taste hinges on good garden tomatoes and fresh, ripe peaches. 1 1/2 T red wine vinegar 2 T EVOO 1/4 t coriander kosher salt and pepper 2 peaches or nectarines 2 medium tomatoes 2 T chopped red onion crumbled feta chopped cilantro 1 cup broken pita chips (I prefer Trader Joe's) Combine vinegar, EVOO, coriander, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the chopped red onion and let it marinate while you are preparing the remainder of the salad. Slice the peaches and chop the tomatoes. Add to the onions along with the cilantro; right before serving, gently stir in the pita chips and top with feta crumbles.

I LOVE mini anythings- especially pies!  The great thing about these is that you can form the pies, brush them with the egg wash and then freeze them unbaked. Then you can bake them on an as-needed basis or bake just one if you're alone and really have a hankering for a peach pie but don't want to bake an entire pie. Or in the middle of winter when all hope is gone... 1 1/2 recipes Smitten Kitchen pie crust (or purchased pie crust) For the filling : 2 1/2 lbs peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced into 1/4" pieces (roughly.... you don't have to get out the ruler) 1 6 oz. container raspberries 2/3 cup sugar 2 1/2 T cornstarch pinch of salt squeeze of lemon Mix all the ingredients together and put into a 13X9 inch glass baking dish. Roast at 375º for about 40 minutes or until thick and bubbly, stirring once during the baking. Let the filling cool- this can be made one or two days in advance. For the pies : Roll out 1 disc of pie dough to about 1/4" th...

Cream-filled fresh mozzarella??? It's the stuff dreams are made of.... Layer some sliced ripe, delicious and sweet peaches with sliced (as best you can) burrata cheese (available at Trader Joe's). Drizzle with high quality extra-virgin olive oil; sprinkle with Maldon sea salt, freshly ground pepper and a chiffonade of basil. Serve with grilled baguette slices. I had a glass of vinho verde alongside and thought it went nicely.

There is a nice juxtaposition of bitter and sweet in this simple salad. The recipe is adapted from Rachel Ray magazine; I used fresh mozzarella in this case because I had a few balls of it that needed to be used up. I served the salad with a panini sandwich but I think it would go quite well with grilled pork tenderloin. 2 T extra-virgin olive oil 1 T tangerine balsamic vinegar (any balsamic would be fine-- our local shop has chocolate balsamic vinegar which I bet would be awesome in this salad) good pinch of salt freshly ground pepper 1 peach, thinly sliced 2 T chopped red onion or shallot handful of arugula 1 small head of radicchio, leaves torn into manageable pieces feta cheese (or fresh mozzarella) Whisk the EVOO, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the red onion or shallot and let it sit while prepping the rest of the salad. Add remaining ingredients and toss. 

This is such a delightful starter; I think it would go well with a glass of prosecco. The peaches must be ripe and tasty for a good result. The bread should not be too thick- no thicker than 1/2"; I used the large round sliced Turano Italian bread, which is excellent for crostini and panini as well. I am not giving specific amounts- just make how much you need. sliced Italian bread EVOO for brushing the bread and for drizzling 1 peach, sliced very thinly (one peach goes a long way) prosciutto or serrano ham, very thinly sliced fresh ricotta honey for drizzling flaked salt (such as Maldon) freshly ground pepper Brush the bread slices with EVOO and either grill them until nicely crisp or use a panini maker to grill them. Let them cool for a bit; spread each slice with some ricotta cheese then drape a bit of prosciutto over the cheese. Put a couple thin slices of peach and drizzle the whole thing with some good quality extra-virgin olive oil and a little honey. Sprinkl...

The success of this salad hinges on the sweetness of the peaches; it is crisp and refreshing-- perfect for summer. 1 large ripe peach, cut into cubes 3 Persian cucumbers, sliced 2 T finely chopped red onion 1 T chopped cilantro 1 T lime juice 2 T extra-virgin olive oil 1 t honey 1/4 t salt freshly ground pepper Whisk the lime juice, EVOO, honey, salt and pepper. Add the red onion and let it marinate while preparing the rest of the salad. Cut the peach into cubes and add to the sliced cukes. Toss with dressing to taste and garnish with cilantro and Maldon sea salt.  

This is a great use for bruised peaches; I had a whole bag of them so I made a lot of the peach puree and froze it in smaller containers. This is another delicious Rick Bayless drink adapted by Rachel Ray adapted by me. In the magazine, they salt the rim with a mixture of kosher salt and dried basil but I don't like dried herbs so I did just the salt. The drink hinges on good summer peaches. For the purée : 1 lb ripe peaches (this is about 2 good size peaches), peeled, pitted and sliced into large chunks 1/2 cup sugar 2 T lemon juice 3-6 basil leaves, torn (depending how strong of an herbal flavor you want) 4 1/2 oz. silver tequila (go ahead and round up to 5 oz- I won't judge) 2 oz. triple sec 2 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice 3 oz. fresh peach puree In a food processor, blend the peaches, sugar and lemon juice until smooth.  In a small pitcher or large measuring cup, stir together peach puree, tequila and triple sec. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the basil leav...

 I'm always enthused about upside down cakes but inevitably wind up disappointed... too dry, not fruity enough, bland etc. This summer I was attracted to a recipe from the Good Housekeeping 2002 Annual Cookbook mainly because one of the ingredients was cornmeal. This cake turned out dreamy... moist, fruity, a bit crunchy from the cornmeal- a delightful change of pace from the usual upside down cake. For the topping : 1/2 cup toasted pecans 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar 4 T unsalted butter 3 ripe peaches, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch wedges For the cake : 1 1/3 cup flour 1/4 cup cornmeal 2 t baking powder 1/2 t salt 3/4 cup sugar 1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup), softened 2 eggs 1 t vanilla 1/2 cup milk 1 cup blueberries For the topping: In a 10" cast iron skilled, melt brown sugar with 4 T butter over low heat until sugar melts, about 2 or 3 minutes. Throw the pecans over this (breaking them up a little with your hand) and then arrange the peach sli...