Blueberry & Lavender "Lumples"

Two years ago, right before Richard and my wedding, I met the most lovely woman named Kathy, who just so happened to be from Virginia. Since my soon to be husband was also from the south, we became fast friends due to her constant insisting that since I was NOT from the south, she  had to teach me how to bake just like a proper southern lady. You see, Kathy is seriously one of the best bakers I have ever met. Not just someone who can follow a recipe and actually remember to include all of the ingredients, a skill that I sadly lack... but she could whip up a perfect pie, decadent brownies, and impressive desserts. You name it, she could bake it!

I immediately started joining Kathy in her home on Saturday mornings for my weekly lady lessons, as we liked to call them. I learned how to properly make pimento cheese, bagels, pies, and my very favorite treat to date, "Lumples." Well, that's what she called them. A sort of scone, muffin, pastry lump-of-a-thing which is stuffed with fresh blueberries and smells of heavenly lavender. Like me, they are slightly hard on the outside, flaky and delicate on the inside, and just slightly, perfectly sweet. And I mustn't forget the glaze. Ah, the glaze. They are drizzled with a light meyer lemon glaze that adds the slightest taste of sour. And there you have it. A lumple. The kind you'd never want to have removed. I love them.

Blueberry & Lavender "Lumples"

Ingredients:
Makes about 8 Lumples

2 cups unbleached King Arthur all purpose flour (Kathy said King Arthur is the ONLY flour to use.)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon dried lavender buds

1 egg 

3/4 cup whole milk

7 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together. 

Cut the chilled butter into small pieces and blend together with your fingers until the mixture resembles course corn meal.

Mix in the dried lavender buds. You can find these in the spice aisle at Whole Foods and other nice grocery stores. 

Add the egg and the milk and mix quickly with a fork until just combined. Do not over mix or the lumples will become dense. 

Drop large spoonfuls of the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, about two inches apart. The dough can be kind of messy. Then, once the lumples are formed, add several blueberries to each lumple by lightly pushing them into the lumple so that they will stay in place while baking. You don't want to mix the blueberries into the mixture before forming the lumples because the berries will get mushy and mix into the dough. 

Bake 15-20 minutes until just slightly golden. 

Meyer lemon glaze:

2/3 cup confectioner's sugar (sifted well)

6 tablespoons of butter at room temperature

Juice of 1 Meyer lemon

Mix well until smooth. If the glaze is too thick to drizzle, add another tablespoon of softened butter.

Drizzle with the Meyer Lemon Glaze onto the lumples immediately after removing them from the oven. The heat will make the glaze melt perfectly over the lumple. 

Enjoy!

Summertime Peach Cobbler

GAHHH, why isn't EVERYTHING made out of peaches?! It's the peak of summer and I cannot think of a single food that I love more.

I love peaches.

SO SO MUCH!

They're a real peach.  I guess that's where that saying comes from.

You can grill them, you can put them in salad, you can make my very favorite desserts out of them.  You can bob for them. You can eat them with a man named Bob. They'd even brighten up some corn on the cob. (Sorry, I momentarily channeled Dr. Seuss there. I'm on a peach sugar high). Anyway, there is really nothing that a peach can't make better. Even RK, who claims that he has always disliked peaches, now loves them. They are perfect. We are in love. WE are a real peach.

I am also in love with this cobbler recipe. It is SO simple. Nothing fancy. It just focuses on the flavor of the peaches and the simplicity of a perfect pastry topping. Just use very ripe, fresh peaches and you will have the perfect summertime dessert! Rich's grandmother's china is optional, but encouraged.

Ingredients:

For the peaches
8 fresh peaches, peeled, and sliced into thin wedges
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

For the pastry
1 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoon chilled butter cut into small cubes
1/4 cup boiling water

For the topping
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Flaky sea salt (optional)

Method:
In a large mixing bowl, combine peeled and sliced peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss everything together until the peaches are coated evenly. Pour into a greased baking dish and bake in an oven preheated to 425 degrees for about 10 minutes.

While the peaches are baking, in another large bowl, combine flour, remaining sugars, baking poser, and salt. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, cut in the chilled butter and blend until the mixture resembles course meal. Stir in the boiling water until just combined.

Remove the peached from the oven and top with spoonfuls of the pastry topping. Sprinkle the entire cobbler with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Bake until the topping is golden and the peaches are bubbling, about 40 minutes.

Remove the cobbler from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. This is totally optional, but I did it and it was delicious.

Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream!

Banana Bread with Fresh Figs

It's very rare for me to meet a carb that I don't thoroughly enjoy. Who am I kidding... I have NEVER met a carb that I don't love! Pasta, breads, baked goods.... bring it. That is why me going on a no carb diet is very very disheartening. But, it is summertime and sometimes these things must be done because bikinis must be worn.

The upside? Lots of healthy carb free recipes coming your way. 

The downside. Well, everything that has to do with me and my own quality of life. 

Sigh. But, since I will not be starting this nonsense until Friday, I figured I would squeeze a couple more mouthwatering, carb filled recipes in!

I loveeeee banana bread. A bread with fruit in it? Love it, love it, love it! I also love figs, though I rarely know what on earth to do with them! This recipe is great because the figs not only compliment the flavor of the bananas, but they also add a great texture to the bread and when paired with the coconut oil, keep it incredibly moist! 

Ingredients:

3 very ripe mashed bananas 

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

4 ripe figs, quartered and mashed

6 ripe figs, chopped

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups all purpose flour

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas, mashed figs, melted coconut oil, brown sugar, and vanilla. Mix well and then beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing until combined. 

In a separate bowl, combine the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour. 

Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture, mixing until just combined. Then, fold in the chopped figs, mixing very gently so that they do not get broken down. 

Pour batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for 45- 50 minutes. 

Let cool before slicing. 

Fudgesicles!

Remember when you were a kid and your mom would strip you down to your undies and send you out into the backyard with a popsicle in one hand, which would of course turn you into a stick mess from head to toe, and a water gun in the other, eventually bringing your brothers to their watery death? Ok, so that was my mom and my childhood, but it was a good one and my brothers DID deserve to die. Growing up in Arizona, we would literally spend every waking hour outside in the pool, running through the sprinklers, and trying to drown each other with the garden hose. Without water, there is no life... especially during an Arizona summer. Or an Arizona winter. Or any time in Arizona. It's a friggin' desert. I am sure that most of us have our most fond childhood memories of summer because being a kid in the summertime is the very best time to be a kid! No school, loose bedtimes and all the icy, sweet treats you can handle! Sounds a lot like my life now.... you know, no school, very loose bedtimes and I usually lose count of how many popsicles I consume in a day when it is hot outside. Seriously, there are popsicle sticks piling up everywhere. And I am a sticky, blonde mess.

I have always been a sucker for fudgesicles (once you go fudge, it's hard to budge), but lemme tell you.... those things are filled with more crappy ingredients than a box of blue box blues (also delicious...) And while they may only be 100 calories, I would rather put 157 calories of pure organic sugar in my body than all of that crap... Because I live in Los Angeles, love Gwyneth Paltrow, and have lots of free time on my hands. Plus, I took the time to read the ingredient label. I'm still sounding out half of the words...

"nonfat milk, sugar, corn syrup, whey, high fructose corn syrup, water, palm oil, cocoa processed with alkali, tricalcium phosphate, mono and diglycerides, cellulose gum, guar gum, malt powder, salt, polysorbate 80, polysorbate 65, carrageenan" 

Yup..... Those are the ingredients in one fudgesicle! Am I crazy or should the ingredients be far more simple? Perhaps "fudge" and "sicle" would do? Since I couldn't find any pre-made sickle's I came up with my own recipe consisting of milk, sugar, chocolate, vanilla, butter, and cornstarch. That's it!

So, break out your popsicle molds! These fudge popsicles are creamy, chocolatey, and made from scratch! NOTE: No brothers were harmed in the making of this recipe.

Fudgesicles!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons unsweetened all natural cocoa powder

2 1/2 cups organic whole milk 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon unsalted butter 

Popsicle mold

Sticks

Method:

Combine chocolate chips, cocoa powder, milk, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until all ingredients are melted and combined. Continue stirring until the mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla extract. 

Let the mixture cool for about 30 minutes. Pour into popsicle molds, insert sticks, and freeze until completely frozen before serving! 

Enjoy!

Cantaloupe Sorbet

Hellllllo Summer!

While most years I feel like I greet summer with a bit of a scowl, I am beyond ready for it this year! I have been missing BBQs and bikinis and ice cream like nobodies business. I have even died my hair blonde to be more like the sun. Yes, that is correct. I am a ginger no more! So, what now? Am I blonde in the kitchen? The answer is no. I am ginger in my soul and in my roots (which are very visible thanks to the super cool dye job from Mary) and therefor, a ginger in the kitchen I shall remain. (Though Rich insists I be blonde everywhere else).

With the heat of summer on its way (who am I kidding... the heat is HERE), I figured there is no better time than now (after a slight 2 month vacay from my blog. Oops...) to start diving into some fun summer recipes! There is nothing that tickles my fancy more than homemade ice cream, but this is the first time I have made sorbet! Shocking, I know. It had just never even crossed my mind, but I am so glad that it did because holy hot weather, this sorbet is AMAZING and makes me so excited to start trying some new flavors. It is so easy to make and requires very few ingredients, so no sweaty trip to the market needed!

Cantaloupe Sorbet

Ingredients:

1 small cantaloupe melon

1/4 cup  sugar

2 tablespoons organic honey

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Method:

Remove the rind and seeds, and chop the melon into 1 inch cubes. Toss with sugar and honey and let sit for about 30 minutes. Place melon and sugar in a blender and blend until very very smooth. Add lemon juice to taste and freeze in an once cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions. Place in the freezer to finish freezing. 

Enjoy!

Olive Oil Cake with Vanilla Gelato and Balsamic Reduction

I'm not going to lie... I have been skeptical for a while on this one. I don't question many italian dishes. In fact, I don't really question anything Italian! My favorite foods, favorite wines, and my favorite men are all italian, which are pretty much the most important things in a girl's life.  Butttt, olive oil? In a cake? Meh.

Then I remembered a stop that Richard and I made while we were traveling through Modena, Italy. We were lucky enough to take a private tour of Villa San Donnino, where we learned about the process of making "Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale." At the end of our tour, we enjoyed a tasting of several different vinegars aged 6, 12, and 25 years. Needless to say, they were absolutely to die for. For our last tasting, we were served the 12 year balsamic drizzled on top of vanilla gelato. (Now you see where I am going with this....)

I have always loved balsamic vinegar, but having it on top of vanilla gelato it is a whole different ball game. This quickly became one of my favorite desserts, so while I was totally knocking this whole olive oil cake thing, I realized the following:

1. Gelato + Balsamic vinegar= delicious.
2. Olive oil + Balsamic vinegar= delicious.

Therefore..... yep. It's all happening.

This cake is not too sweet and perfectly tender. The olive oil contains natural emulsifiers, which improves the cakes moisture and texture. It is absolutely delicious on it's own, or amazing topped with fresh fruit, ice cream, or whipped cream. It can really be the perfect base for just about any topping! My only tip is to be patient, when I say to mix for 10 minutes, mix for the full 10 minutes. You will end up with a deliciously dense and extremely moist cake!

Torta all' Olio di Oliva

Ingredients:

8 tablespoon unsalted butter (1 stick) at room temperature

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or you can use only all purpose flour)

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil

1 cup 2% milk

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

To serve: 

Vanilla gelato 

Balsamic reduction

Method:

Grease an 8 inch cake pan and preheat your oven to 300 degrees with a rack placed in the middle. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar and whisk until light and fluffy,  about 10 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined. With the mixer running on medium speed, add the olive oil in a steady stream and then continue mixing for another 10 minutes. 

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add one third of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix to incorporate the ingredients. Then, add one third of the milk, followed by another third of the flour mixture. Mixing until just combined each time. Repeat this pattern until all ingredients are combined and then mix on medium speed for another 10 minutes. 

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until the top is browned and the edges of the cake are starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. Transfer to a cooing rack and let cool. 

To serve, dust the cake with confectioner's sugar and cut into slices. I topped the cake with vanilla gelato and a balsamic reduction (or a balsamic glaze which can be purchased at most grocery stores if you do not want to make it your self.) This cake is also amazing with fresh fruit and whipped cream!

(Read more about our trip to Modena HERE.)

A Bridal Shower for Rebecca Grace!

Showers are my favorite thing to cater. Bridal showers, baby showers.... if I could take a slice of pizza into the regular old "wash your body" shower, I totally would. I just love them! So, what better thing than to get to cater a beautiful bridal shower for one of my very best friends! 

Rebecca's shower was lingerie themed, with the sweetest details and the yummiest food! I did everything bite sized (as I like to do) with an emphasis on seasonal and vegetarian! 

It was the perfect day for the most lovely of brides!

Cheers to my beautiful friend!!!!