TasteFood

Nectarine, Blueberry and Raspberry Crisp

I confess to being a glutton when it comes to stone fruit. There is a window of time when peaches, nectarines and plums run rampant at the market. Vibrantly hued and mottled in purples, oranges, fuscias and crimson, their flesh is a perfect balance of sweet, tangy, winey, and tart.  I could eat them all day long, but then my stomach would hurt.  At this time when these gifts are abundant, I tend to overshop.  (It's no secret that I have indulgence issues at farmers' markets.)  My kitchen counters are lined with bowls and baskets brimming with fruit.  So, it's no surprise that even in our home, all of this fruit cannot be eaten at the peak of ripeness.  Some start to get a little too ripe, buried at the bottom of the bowl, or even passed over for the newest batch from the market.  As I said, I have indulgence issues.

This is the moment when a crumble or crisp comes in handy.  It's desserts' equivalent to a homey vegetable soup.  Gather up all the ripe, somewhat passed fruit (as you might with vegetables for a soup), cut and chop and pile them in a baking dish.  Garnish with berries and pile on the topping.  The tartness of the berries balances the sweetness of the stone fruit, and with little added sugar the result is a rich, murky, sweet - but not cloying - perfumed stew of summer fruit. It's best served warm, but not piping hot, since that will mask the flavor of the fruit. A dollop of high quality vanilla ice cream or whipped cream adds a cool foil to the warm, more-ish fruit. 
 

Nectarine, Blueberry and Raspberry Crisp

You can use any stone fruit for the crisp. Try any combination of plums, peaches and nectarines. The addition of raspberries and blueberries adds tartness and color.
 
Serves 8

For the topping:
1 1/2 cups (170 g.) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (100 g.) brown sugar
1/4 cup (55 g.) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (170 g.) unsalted butter, cut in small cubes

For the fruit:
2 lbs.(1 kg.) nectarines (or use a combination of nectarines, plums, peaches), halved and pitted, cut in 1" chunks
1 cup (150 g.) raspberries
1 cup (150 g.) blueberries
2 tablespoons sugar

Prepare topping:
Combine dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.  Mix well to combine.  Add butter, and work in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. (Topping can be prepared one day in advance.  Cover and refrigerate until use.)

Prepare crisp: 
Preheat oven to 350 F. (180 C.)
Arrange nectarines in rectangular baking dish.  Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar.  Arrange raspberries and blueberries over nectarines.  Cover fruit evenly with topping. Bake in oven until topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling, 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool briefly.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

If you like this, you might enjoy these fruity recipes from TasteFood:

Blueberry Tart 

Grilled Nectarines with Yogurt, Honey and Thyme

Tarte Tatin    






And more fruit recipes from other foodblogs:
  
       Plum Upside Down Cake from Simply Recipes
       Peach Crostata from Gastronomy 
       Cranberry Apricot Muffins from Karina's Kitchen
       French Pear Tart from Dorie Greenspan

   
    

BlogHer, Rocco DiSpirito, Wine and Chocolate Oblivion Cookies

I am off to the BlogHer Food Conference this weekend in San Francisco, but first I have been invited to share a dinner with a group of foodbloggers at the St. Supery Vineyards in Napa, hosted by Rocco DiSpirito and Bertolli.  What a way to kick off the weekend!  However, this leaves little time to write a new post, so I will tide things over with one of my favorite posts from the TasteFood archives on Chocolate.  I can't think of a better food product to tide anything over, can you?

As we tighten our purse strings, eat out less, purchase fewer perceived must-haves, it is important that we take a moment to focus on the simpler things in our lives that bring us pleasure.  Family and friends: yes, absolutely.  Good health and happy children: mais bien sûr.  Beautiful sunsets and autumn foliage: thank you so much.  However, what I specifically have in mind is chocolate. 

For those of you who have read my previous post on Swiss Chocolate, I apologize if I repeat myself.  Perhaps the increased frequency in my chocolate references is another barometer of the state of the world as we know it.  Whatever the case, it would be a shame not to share this recipe, because it is sinfully good in an intensely chocolate way.  Not only that, and more importantly, it promises to bring a smile to the faces of those who taste it.  And, right now, generating smiles on the faces of people we know and touch is a very good thing. 

Chocolate Oblivion Cookies
Makes approximately 30

14 oz. (400 grams) dark chocolate (70%)
1/4 cup (55 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (340 grams) granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup (60 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 oz. (200 grams) coarsely chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips

Melt 14 oz. chocolate and butter in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring until smooth.  Remove from heat.  Beat sugar and eggs in bowl of electric mixer until thick and very pale in color, 3 minutes.  Add chocolate and vanilla to eggs.  Mix well. 
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.  Stir into chocolate mixture.  Add chopped chocolate.  Stir to combine.  Refrigerate batter 30 minutes, to allow to thicken.  (Do not refrigerate longer, or the batter will begin to harden.  If this happens, allow batter to soften slightly at room temperature before proceeding.)
Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto parchment.  Bake in pre-heated 350 F.(180 C.) oven until tops crack, about 12 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool completely on parchment. 
Cookies can be stored refrigerated in an airtight container up to 4 days. (They also freeze well.) Allow to come to room temperature before serving. 

Zucchini Ribbons with Pecorino Cheese and Truffle Oil

Updated from the TasteFood archives

Abundance is a good thing, and at this time of year when the garden has a seemingly endless supply of late summer squash or courgettes, it helps to have a repertoire of recipes that puts these gifts to good use.  I discovered this amazingly simple salad of Zucchini and Pecorino Cheese with Truffle Oil in Florence last summer.  In true Italian style, this salad has a minimum of ingredients.  The key lies in their quality, since they are the stars of the show.  In this case, end-of-summer zucchini is paired with a nutty, mildly piquant Pecorino Cheese and dressed with high quality extra-virgin olive oil and white truffle oil.  The olive oil will bind the salad, while the truffle oil will seve as garnish.  This is also economically efficient, as truffle oil is pricey - you need only to use it sparingly as the final flourish.  (Keep your truffle oil in the refrigerator, and it should last between 3-6 months before its aroma begins to weaken.)  I bought this bottle directly from the restaurant that served me the salad - my favorite kind of souvenir.

Zucchini Ribbons with Pecorino Cheese and Truffle Oil
Serves 4-6 as a side dish or appetizer

4 medium-sized zucchini, about 2 lbs. (1 kg.)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons white truffle oil
Sea salt, about 1 teaspoon or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup shaved mild pecorino cheese such as Pecorino Sardo or Pecorino Toscana

Trim ends of zucchini.  With a vegetable peeler, peel the zucchini lengthwise in long ribbons, rotating to peel evenly, stopping when you see the seeds. Discard core.
Place zucchini ribbons in a medium-sized bowl.  Add extra-virgin olive oil, truffle oil, sea salt and pepper.  Toss gently to combine. 
Arrange on salad plates or in bowls.  Sprinkle with Pecorino shavings.
Serve immediately.

Tip:
As soon as the zucchini is salted it will begin to sweat.  Therefore, the salad should be prepared immediately before serving.

Still have lots of zucchini?  Try these recipes from other Food Blogs:
Zucchini Fritters at Simply Recipes
Zucchini and Tomato Gratin at Pinch My Salt
Tomato and Zucchini Salad at A Veggie Venture

Skillet Chicken with Rice and Vegetables

"This tastes like chicken soup without the soup," declared my daughter as she tucked into a weeknight dinner of Chicken with Rice and Vegetables.  It was cool and cloudy outside, an unusual event in Northern California, where any rain in September warrants breaking news on the television.  As many of you know, I am a New England girl at heart.  Even when I was living in Europe for nearly 2 decades, I managed to end up in countries and regions where fog, rain, and cold weather featured prominently in the weather report, and I didn't mind at all.  I married a Dane whose country prides itself on its dismal weather 9 months of the year.  Autumn weather brings out the best in my mood.  The finicky, blustery, invigorating climate sends me outdoors for cool fresh air and the spray of rain and then back inside for cozy clothes, warm fires and comfort food.  Inclement weather, to me, is like the proverbial other shoe to drop.  It balances out the sunshine and warmth of summer, and shows off the other side of Mother Nature.

So, now that I find myself living in California, otherwise known as the land of eternally blue skies and incessantly bright sunshine, I must seize my fall moments when I can.  This brings me to Chicken with Rice and Vegetables.  Due to the wild and unexpected display of crazy weather and freakish nature last week in Marin County (a.k.a. sprinkles and clouds) I embraced that other shoe, so to speak.  After taking a brisk run outside in the forest, I lit a fire in our fireplace, donned fluffy houseshoes and a fleece pullover, and proceeded to make a cozy one pot dish for a family dinner.  The result was what I would consider a compliment in the comfort food category by my daughter and an apt description of this homey skillet chicken and rice dish.  The other result was the hot flashes I experienced due to overdressing in fleece and fluff for the 10 F.  temperature drop in the air outside.

Chicken with Rice and Vegetables
Mild and comforting, this is food that will please children and adults alike.  The results will be more dry like a paella, not a stew.

Serves 4-6

4 large chicken breasts, with skin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, cut in 1/4" slices
2 celery ribs, cut in 1/2" slices
1 poblano pepper, or green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, cut in 1/2" pieces
2 vine ripe tomatoes, halved, stem and seeds removed, cut in chunks
1 teaspoon dried thyme, or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 turkish bay leaf
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup shelled peas or frozen peas
Thyme sprigs for garnish

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken skin-side down.  Cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes.  Turn and cook 2 more minutes.  Remove from skillet and set aside on plate.
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet.  Add onion and sauté until tender over medium heat, 2 minutes.  Add garlic and sauté one minute.  Add carrots, celery, pepper.  Sauté until colors brighten and vegetables begin to soften slightly, 2 minutes.  Stir in tomatoes, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.  Add rice and cook, stirring, one minute.  Add stock.  Return chicken to pot and arrange in one layer over rice and vegetables.  Cover, reduce to simmer, and cook until chicken is cooked through, 12-15 minutes.  Remove chicken from skillet.  Place on plate and tent with foil to keep warm. 
Add peas to rice, cover and continue to cook until rice is tender, approximately 5-8 more minutes.  Add additional salt and pepper, to taste.  Fluff rice and vegetables with a fork and return chicken to skillet.  Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs and serve.
 

What to Drink? 
White Wine:  Full bodied white such as Chardonnay
Rosé: Medium-bodied Provençal such as Bandol, Côtes de Provence
Red Wine:  Medium-bodied such as Pinot Noir

Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp and Calamari

Let the ingredients speak for themselves.  This rustic yet elegant pasta dish is light and clean in flavor.  Shrimp and grilled calamari are tossed with sautéed tomatoes and garlic, served with angel hair pasta, olive oil and fresh parsley.  This is the essence of good simple food: what you see is what you get - a satisfying, healthy, comforting dish that is easy to make and delicious to eat.

Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp and Calamari
Serves 4

Extra-virgin olive oil
12-16 large shrimp, shelled, deveined, tails intact
2 calamari steaks
2 large heirloom or vine tomatoes, diced (or 1 14 oz./400 g. can crushed italian tomatoes)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. (500 g.) angel hair pasta (or spaghetti)
1 bunch fresh flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add shrimp in one layer.  Cook turning once until pink and just cooked through, about 2 minutes.  Transfer shrimp to bowl.
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to same skillet.  Add calamari steaks and sauté over medium high heat, until golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Transfer calamari to cutting board.  Slice in 1/4' strips and add to bowl with shrimp.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add pasta and cook until al dente.  Drain and return to pot.  Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil to prevent sticking.
While pasta is cooking, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet.  Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add tomatoes with juices.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes soften and juices nearly evaporate, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add shrimp and calamari to skillet and cook briefly to heat through.  Add shellfish, 2 tablespoons olive oil and parsley to pasta and toss to combine well.  Add additional salt and pepper if necessary.  Serve in large bowl garnished with fresh parsley sprigs.

What to Drink? 
White Wine: Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay
Red Wine: Light-bodied Pinot Noir or Beaujolais-Villages

 

 

  

Easy Late Summer Dinner: Tomato Tart

Early September brings beautiful tomatoes, their sunny colors cheerily keeping autumn at bay, reminding us that summer is not yet finished.  Sweet, juicy, sunkissed heirlooms, early girls, and cherries promise to bring a little sunshine to our dinner plates while the days grow shorter, cooler and crisper. 

This Tomato Tart is an easy, light dinner for a busy weekday night that takes advantage of the kaleidescope of cherry tomatoes falling in our gardens and showcased in the market. The tart's ease of preparation is, in part, due to the usage of store-bought frozen puff pastry dough.  I confess that as much as I try to homemake everything, homemade pastry (unless made well ahead of time and frozen) doesn't conveniently figure into a spontaneous week night meal.  Fortunately, high quality frozen pastry dough is available in many stores.  I buy mine at Whole Foods, and while the price is not cheap, I see it as a break-even when considering the cost of the ingredients and time I would need to make it myself.  However, if you do have time on your side (lucky you!) and would like to make your own pastry, one of my go-to recipes for quick puff pastry is from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Pie and Pastry Bible.   

Tomato Tart
Serves 4 as a light meal or 6-8 as a side dish

1 sheet (11 oz./300 g.) frozen puff-pastry dough, thawed

1 1/2 lbs. (750 g.) cherry tomatoes, multi-colored if possible, halved lengthwise
1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh marjoram

Prepare tart:
Preheat oven to 400 F. (200 C.)

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4" thickness.  Pierce dough all over with a fork, leaving a 1" border in tact.  Transfer dough to a parchment-lined baking tray and refrigerate 15 minutes.
Bake in oven until lightly golden, 12-15 minutes.  Remove from oven, but do not turn off heat.

Arrange tomato halves, cut-side up, on crust, leaving the 1" border clear. Drizzle tart with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Return to oven and bake 15-20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.  Remove tart from oven, and transfer to serving platter.  Garnish with fresh marjoram (or basil) and serve immediately. 

For a complete rustic meal serve with a wedge of soft, runny Camembert or Saint Nectaire cheese, thick slices of pain paysan and a salad of mixed seasonal greens. 

What to Drink? 
A medium-bodied red wine such as Côtes du Rhône, Pinot Noir or Syrah/Shiraz

If you like this tomato recipe, you might also like:

Heirloom Tomato Tartare









Salad of Heirloom Tomatoes, Red Onion, Chard Leaves and Basil

Here are a few more quick and easy tomato recipes from the foodblogs:

Grilled Tomatoes from Simply Recipes
Heirloom Tomato Salad from Food Mayhem
Spaghetti with Arugula and Cherry Tomatoes from La Tartine Gourmande

 

Fried Zucchini Flowers with Three Cheeses

Here is one simple preparation that I will share with you.  To begin with some perspective: I rarely deep fry food, and I don't eat much of it either.  However, I have always been intrigued by the deep fried zucchini blossoms on menus, in cookbooks and prominently featured in Italian cuisine.  So when I discovered these beautiful, delicate, floppy flowers in colors of gold and ochre at the farmers market I had to buy them. 

Once home, I scoured my cookbooks for recipes, all of which required deep frying, ready to give it a go.  As my pantry would have it, the only oil I had on hand was olive oil, which is not the best for deep frying.  So, back to the books I went, and then I saw Mario Batali's recipe for fried zucchini blossoms.  His are not deep fried, but fried in a skillet in olive oil.  Inspired by this recipe, I filled the zucchini flowers with a mixture of three cheeses: creamy goat, nutty Parmigiano-Reggiano, salty Pecorino Romano and a little fresh mint for brightness.  I omitted any other accoutrements, so I could taste the fried blossoms straight up.  Embellishments would wait for another round.

The results, as you can see, are not the tidy plump courgette purses often pictured in recipes for deep fried blossoms.  As my flowers cooked and browned in the pan, some of the filling seeped out, creating a crispy golden crust in the pan.  I took care not to let this crust burn, scraping it up as it browned to serve with the flowers.  (This crunchy goodness is referred to as the religieuse in cheese-fondue terms, and is considered the prized delicacy at the bottom of the pot.) The end result was a rustic dish of golden brown zucchini blossoms with a crispy cheese garnish.  Perfect presentation?  Maybe not. Great taste? Absolutely.

Fried Zucchini Flowers with Three Cheeses
Serves 4 as a starter or side dish

8 zucchini flowers
6 oz. soft mild goat cheese
1 egg
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Gently remove the stamens from the flowers. 
In a small bowl combine goat cheese, egg, grated cheeses and mint.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 
Stuff each blossom with 1-2 tablespoons cheese mixture, taking care not to over stuff.  Twist blossom ends to close flower.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat.  Place 4 flowers in skillet and cook, gently turning, until flowers begin to brown, 2-3 minutes per side.  Transfer to plate.  Keep warm.
As cheese seeps out, allow to cook until golden brown.  Scrape up cheese and transfer to another plate lined with paper towel.
Repeat with remaining flowers.
Serve zucchini flowers with crispy cheese crumbled over as garnish.

 

Fall Market Salad: Figs and Greens with Honey Vinaigrette

It's apparent that autumn is in the air by the colors on display at the farmer's market.  The vibrant hot shades of summertime are gradually being replaced by the muted, woodier hues of fall.  Eye popping reds and yellows are shifting to calmer, cooler purples, greens and nutty browns.  Figs, kale, crucifers, grapes, plums and nuts are moving to to center stage and shifting the direction of our culinary inspiration.

 

This autumnal salad is insired by the fall palette on display at Sundays Farmer's Market.

Figs and Greens with Blue Cheese and Walnuts
Serves 6

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup (80 ml.) extra-virgin olive oil

8 cups mixed greens such as arugula, oak leaf, mâche
1 cup purple basil leaves
One medium fennel bulb with fronds, tips and end removed, thinly sliced
6 purple figs, quartered
1/2 cup halved walnuts
6 oz. (175 g.) blue cheese such as Roquefort or Forme d'Ambert, cut in 1" pieces

Whisk red wine vinegar, honey, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper together in a small bowl.  Slowly whisk in olive oil in steady stream to emulsify.

Combine greens, basil and fennel in a large bowl.  Pour half the vinaigrette over, tossing with hands to combine well.  Arrange greens on serving plates.  Top with figs, walnuts and blue cheese.  Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette to taste.  Serve with baguette or pain paysan.