Fresh Berry Crumble

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The best part about Summer is the fantastic fresh fruit available. Sure, you can pretty much get anything all year round in your typical supermarket, but nothing beats fresh fruit that is in season, and even better, that is local.

A couple of months ago, I was visiting a farmer's market and came across a nice gentleman selling some raspberry/apple crumble. It was simply delicious, and left me wanting more. I went back to the same market a couple of weeks later, and could not find the same vendor.

I was crushed, and still craving this delicious dessert. Frustrated and seriously upset, I went to my fave recipe spot: allrecipes.com and found a great recipe so I could make my own fruit crumble!

I settled on a recipe that called for 3 berries, but I decided to use blueberries and strawberries. I also loved this particular recipe because it was made with crumble on the top and bottom....yum!

So without further ado, here is the recipe (w/a few tweaks.)

Ingredients:

2 pints of strawberries (sliced)
2 pints of blueberries
1 cup of flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg
1 stick of butter

Directions:

1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. melt butter in a saucepan, remove from the stove & mix in the rest of the ingredients except for the fruit
3. press 1/2 the oat mixture into the bottom of a small cakepan (8" or 9" square,) top with the fruit, then cover with the remaining crumble
4. bake in the oven for 30-40 mins, or until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
5. spoon into small bowls and enjoy (also tastes great w/ice cream!)


ok, a few notes/variations....

1. you can add a few tbsp of regular sugar (or splenda) to the fruit depending on the tartness
2. you can sub peaches, apples, raspberries, or whatever fruit you like best (keep in mind, apples may need a bit longer in the oven)
3. this recipe is really easy to double...just make sure to use a larger pan.
4. be careful, this crumble is a bit addictive. I have bags of fruit in my freezer just waiting for the next opportunity to make some more!

-Nordea
Nordea's Soaperie
Nordea's Soaperie (on etsy)

Gazpacho

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Gazpacho

Recently, I spent one hot and humid week in Paris. During the trip, two Spanish traditions became part of my routine. First, I took siesta during the afternoon's peak. Second, my daily lunch consisted of a bowl of gazpacho, a cold soup from Andalusia, just perfect for the hot summer days. I grew to enjoy it and decided to make my own upon return.

It is easy to make. A sharp knife, fresh vegetables and a blender are all you need.

Ingredients

6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 purple onion, finely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
1 sweet red bell pepper (or green) seeded and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1-2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Cayenne Sauce to taste

Method

Combine all ingredients. Blend slightly, to desired consistency. Place in non-metal, non-reactive storage container, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight, allowing flavors to blend.

Serves 8

Basic Recipe courtesy of Simply Recipes. I added cilantro, replaced the Tabasco sauce with Cayenne Sauce, and omitted the Worcestershire sauce and Tomato juice.

Fresh from the Garden

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I know it's more the exception than the rule, but I've managed to cultivate a bit of a garden out in Brooklyn, and this time of summer is always my favorite because of all the things that come in from my summer garden.

My favorite recipe that is almost completely made from things harvested from my own garden is a type of Eggplant Pasta.

I start with either 1 large or 2 medium eggplants, peeled and sliced vertically into long slices. Lay them out on a wire rack and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt(any coarse grind salt is OK). This helps suck out the extra moisture from the eggplant, and with as much rain as we had this early summer, it's probably a necessary step! Let the eggplant sit for about 30 minutes, while the salt draws out the excess moisture, before you blot the slices with paper towels to remove whatever salt and liquid is on the surface.

Then, it's just a matter of slicing the eggplant into thin, pasta-like strips. That's right, the eggplant is your pasta in this dish!

Coat a medium saute pan with either 2-3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or 2 tbsp EVOO + 1tbsp butter (no margarine!)

Once it gets to medium heat, toss in the eggplant pasta and saute until it just starts to turn translucent around the edges.

Now here is where you start the sauce. I grow cherry or grape tomatoes in my own garden, because they tend to do better -- both in producing and flavor -- in my tiny backyard with only partial sunlight. Gather however many tomatoes from the vines that you can, cut them in half, and toss them into the pan with the eggplant. Keep stirring for about 5 minutes.

I also like to get fresh basil from the garden, cut it into a chiffonade (you can do this by stacking the leaves on top of each other and then rolling them up really tight, then just slicing the roll really thin.) and toss it with the eggplant and tomato as well.

In the end, just add salt, fresh cracked black pepper, and Parmesan cheese to taste. Serve hot and scarf down! From the garden, to your belly, in roughly 30 minutes or less!



-Izile

Izile's Oddities

A {NewNew} Flavor of Ice Cream

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A few months ago, I was invited by a friend to participate in a head-to-head Iron Chef-style ice cream challenge. The curve ball was the secret ingredient: Wine. Naturally this required a fair amount of drinking as I had to get the flavors correct, of course.


Eventually I figured out that the key is to boil off the alcohol, which also intensifies the flavor as the wine is reduced. I was a little worried that it might become grape-y, so I added a little spice -- a few cinnamon sticks, some pepper, and vanilla. Weird, right?

And yet it worked! (And my house smelled great while it was simmering).

I'm so excited about how this came out. It actually tastes like wine, but with a depth of flavor that makes you pause as it melts over your tongue. You know it's wine, but it's also ice cream, and then there are all these other subtle fruit and spice flavors dancing on the margins. A very sophisticated dish and perfect for a grown-up summer party.


Here's the recipe:
2 bottles cabernet sauvignon (though I imagine a shiraz would also be really good)
2-3 cinnamon sticks
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
(you may also want to add other mulling spices like cardamon and clove)
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 cups sugar
9 egg yolks
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Pour wine into a large pot and bring to a simmer. Add cinnamon sticks and peppercorns (plus other spices -- but the wine should be the main flavor, otherwise the ice cream, while still good, becomes less about the wine and more about the spice). Simmer until the wine is reduced to 1 cup, anywhere from 1 - 2 hours.

Depending on how fast your wine is reducing, about half-way into the reduction, bring the milk, cream and half of the sugar to a boil in a large pan and turn off heat.

In a bowl, whisk together yolks and remaining sugar. Temper the yolks into the boiling milk by gradually whisking about 1 cup of warm milk into the yolks and adding this slowly back into the pot with the remaining milk. Stir in the salt and the vanilla. Whisk in the reduced wine. Set pan over a bowl full of ice to cool.

Pour the chilled ice cream liquid through a fine mesh strainer and then into an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Freeze at least 2 hours before serving.


Yes, technically I "won" the challenge (the vote was 5-2 in favor of my dish, just in case you were wondering). But really, doesn't everyone win when there's ice cream involved?

Enjoy!



Susan
-- persuede.etsy.com

Salsa Recipe

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Several years ago, we where invited to a barbecue and that's when I first tried homemade salsa on top of my steak. Since then, there is no barbecue without this great side dish for my family and friends, and even our kids love the veggies boost ;O)
Salsa is great all year round on not only steak, but also chicken or even meatloaf.

Ingredients:
  • half of white onion
  • 2 medium tomatoes
  • 1-2 jalapeno peppers
  • 1-2 lemons (depending on size and amount of juice)
  • cilantro
  • salt to taste

1. Chop all the veggies finely and place them in a mixing bowl.
Use 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers depending on how hot the peppers are, and on your personal preference. It's a good idea to use gloves while chopping the peppers; sometimes they are very hot, and the skin burn afterwards is not very pleasant.

2. Roll a lemon on a flat surface applying pressure to release the juice before cutting it in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl.

3. Add salt to taste. (I personally use quite a bit of salt.)

4. Mix the salsa and leave it for a bit to let the flavors mix.
If your salsa is too spicy for your taste, add finely chopped cucumbers, but allow the flavors to mix first as the salsa becomes milder after a while.

I also make a different version of this recipe without the tomatoes, which we use for steak tacos (great way to reuse leftover steak the next day after grilling). All you will need are some corn tortillas, which will be topped with reheated steak cut into pieces and salsa.

Enjoy!

by Mirela Jazdzewska from Jantar Handcrafted Jewelry


Sumatran Spiced Limeade

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I decided to make this recipe one day when I saw some juicy limes at the supermarket that I couldn't pass up. Tucked into one of my fiance's dusty culinary notebooks was a handwritten recipe that sounded strangely exotic and wonderfully refreshing: Sumatran Spiced Limeade.

The name alone made my mouth water, so I stuck the recipe page on the fridge, and proceeded to check my shelves for all ingredients. Coincidentally, there were stalks of lemongrass hanging out on the shelf. Searched through the pantry and found everything else I needed. Perfect!

Limeade Recipe (doubled here to make a larger brew):
Makes 8 cups

• 9 cups of water
• 2 2-inch pieces fresh of ginger
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 6 whole cloves (or 1/4 tsp. ground cloves)
• 6 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 6 stalks of lemongrass
• 6 tsbp. palm sugar

  1. With the handle of a knife, lightly bruise stalks of lemongrass to release its juices. Cut off tips and ends and tie each stalk into a bundle.
  2. In a large pot, add lemongrass, cinnamon sticks, cloves, palm sugar and ginger. Add water on top and bring to a simmer. Do not boil.
  3. Add palm sugar and stir until completely dissolved.
  4. Turn off heat and add lime juice.
  5. Refrigerate until cold. Serve in glass with ice. Add slice of lime and cinnamon stick for garnish.

A note: the original recipe called for 3 whole cloves, but I substituted ground since I didn't have any.

The combination of tart and sweet is perfect for a hot summer day, and the spiciness of the ginger and cloves provides a slight kick. This has become my favorite drink to make during the summer. I've never been to Sumatra, but after sipping this, I am whisked away to the Indonesian island (if only by the tastebuds)!


-Lisa {Pretty Stationery for Beautiful Souls}
http://www.fubabee.com