Two Summer Tomato Recipes

The Ripe Time
Thanks to the recent hot weather, last night we ate the first garden fresh tomatoes of the season. There really is nothing like home grown tomatoes. Of course by the end of the summer I’ll be giving them to anyone and everyone who happens by—but at this point I am savoring the sweetness.

When our tomatoes start to ripen to the tune of one or two a day, I look for recipes that use them fresh, without much alteration. I want to taste the tomatoes, not hide their flavor under a heavy sauce or dressing.

More often than not, I will make some kind of bruschetta or open faced tomato sandwich. They are easy, and perfect for lunch or a light dinner. Add a little sliced fresh mozzarella and/or Prosciutto and you’re good to go. You could even add some good quality tuna in olive oil and some sliced hard boiled egg…whatever suits your fancy.

I found these two recipes on my new favorite blog, Love And Lemons. The first is a Tomato, Peach, and Avocado Bruschetta — tomatoes are at their best right now. The combined flavors are amazing.

The Eggplant and Squash Tian caught my eye because as the tomatoes are ripening, so are the summer squashes and zucchini. This is a great way to use both. I’m on the fence about the eggplant. Not one of my favorites but feel free to take the risk! Read more…

Lemon Curd Trifle with Fresh Berries

A Trifle Sweet…

Over the weekend we had our latest Cookbook Club dinner, and it was tasty as usual. The chef of note was Tyler Florence, and while we found a number of good recipes, the consensus was that Tyler needs a better cookbook editor. Nearly all of our recipes left a lot of room for interpretation—a novice cook might have trouble following his instructions to get the desired result.

That said, we made some really great tasting dishes. I made one of the favorites, Lemon Curd Trifle with Fresh Berries. It is not only a great hot weather dessert, it looks beautiful in the glass bowl with it’s red, white and blue colors. This trifle screams to be a contribution to a 4th of July Potluck.

This recipe for Lemon Curd Trifle with Fresh Berries feeds a crowd, and utilizes the sweet and juicy summer berries that are at their peak right now. I opted for plain pound cake instead of lemon at the request of my daughter who likes lemon but not that much lemon.

One option is to do individual shortcakes if you don’t want to make a big dish. I think I will try that next time.

We had A lot left over…but breakfast the next morning was pretty good 🙂 Read more…

Perfect Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Living the Pie-Life
I believe my family needs to enter a 12 Step program. For the last two months we have been obsessed (Obsessed I tell you!) with strawberry-rhubarb pie. I’m not sure if our addiction has hit rock bottom yet… but the last time we finished a pie I left the kitchen for a minute, and when I came back I caught one of my boys licking the pie remnants from the pie plate—desperate for one last taste. He tried to deny it, but the tell-tale glob of strawberry goodness was still clinging to his face. We’re in pretty deep. (There may even be some hoarding going on…but you didn’t hear that from me.)

We generally don’t eat pie at all. Thanksgiving is the time when we remember that we like it, and indulge. This is one of those sad stories you hear about. It starts with a dime-jar of gateway compote from a friend, and before you know it you’re huddled around the oven impatiently waiting for the crust to brown and the filling to bubble as the timer slowly winds down.

I might understand it better if it were apple or pecan or some other normal pie. But there is something about strawberries and rhubarb that have cast us into our own whacked-out, flaky version of the Hunger Games.

There is no better marriage of ingredients in the culinary world than strawberries and rhubarb. Like Forrest and Jenny, they go together like peas and carrots. I have tried the two in pies, crisps, turnovers and strudels. All are fantastic.

Rhubarb season is in full swing and strawberry season is taking off. Now is the perfect time to start your own obsession…and may the odds be forever in your favor!
Read more…

Grilled Chicken Thighs with Peaches, Mint, and Almonds

Good Things Come To Those Who Wait
Six years ago, when we moved into our current house, one of the first things we did (even before fixing the doors) was plant a fruit orchard on the Front 40 of our lot.

We originally planted 12 trees: 2 Peach, 2 Nectarine, 1 French Prune, 1 Sekel Pear, 2 Cherry, and 4 Apple. It’s been a painful process, often because we think we kinda know what we are doing—but we really don’t. Most of the time we just get lucky.

We lost one of the Peach trees to gophers, and have gone through multiple rounds of peach leaf curl. Last year we had quite a few prunes and apparently they were quite tasty. At least the squirrels thought so—since they ate them all.

This year things are looking up. The trees are bigger, and loaded with early signs of a decent crop: especially the Nectarine. It looks like we might actually get to harvest some of it. (Quick, somebody knock on wood!)

We usually head out to Brentwood to do our peach and nectarine picking this time of year, but I am hoping we can just eat our own crop. I have a feeling we will still end up in Brentwood. Peaches and nectarines do not last long in our house.

In the mean time I am keeping watch on the trees, and anticipating that first juicy, sweet bite. I am looking forward to a summer of recipes like this Grilled Chicken Thighs with Peaches, Mint, and Almonds adapted from Michael Symon’s cookbook Carnivore. The chicken is good, but the real reason I make this is for the peach salad. It’s such a great match for anything grilled. Read more…