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!

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!

Coconut & Raspberry Ice Cream (It's Vegan!)

It's hot. Like really, really hot.

Now, I know that I grew up in the hellish desert and some of you that still live in Arizona may think that I have lost my heat resistant skin, but let me tell you, I know that 112 degrees is hot. I get it. It's the desert. But do you know what else is hot? 93 degrees with 40% humidity in a 1940's building with crappy wall unit A.C. when you were born in Canada with sensitive ginger skin. Now, that's hot.

I'm grumpy. Heat waves are definitely the worst. Worse than tidal waves, that wave maker attachment for flat irons, even those waves at baseball games. Especially since I've already colored my hair for fall and I am feeling the itch to start decorating the house with my transitional gourds (these are gourds that are somewhere between summer squash and pumpkins). It should not be over 90 anymore! I want to wear boots and I really want to stop trying to convince myself that being hot and sweaty gives my skin a luminous glow, it just doesn't. It makes me look like that girl who swears she is sober enough to get into the bar...

So, after a night of violently throwing my blankets to every corner of my our bedroom as I tossed and turned without a wink of sleep (Rich slept peacefully, his neuroses confined to his dreams), I woke up all hot and sweaty (in the non-sexy way, did I mention Rich was sleeping?) and went straight for the internet. The only thing on my mind? Popsicles. I came across a recipe from Spoon Fork Bacon and would have started jumping up and down with excitement if it wouldn't have landed me near death with heat exhaustion. I mean, raspberry and coconut.... IN A POPSICLE? I love all of those things. But then it hit me.... popsicles take time. A lot of time. You have to wait for those frozen bitches to freeze and that can take hours... at this point I was pretty much about to burst into flames at any second (let the ginger jokes begin), like Eric suntanning on that mountain in True Blood. My point is... who has time to wait for popsicles to freeze?!

Man, my morning was pretty dramatic....

Once I turned the A.C. on and was able to think clearly, I realized that, while popsicles were not a convenient option for me at this time, there is always a frozen dessert that I can count on. Ice cream.

coconut & raspberry ice cream

Ingredients:
2 cans coconut milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 cup fresh raspberries


Method:
Combine the coconut milk, sugar, vanilla, and coconut. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. While the ice cream is churning, slightly crush some of the raspberries and then a few minutes before you are done churning the ice cream, add the raspberries and let them swirl through the ice cream. Enjoy!

Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

There are some really great things about getting older. You get a new sense of freedom and responsibility, you become more comfortable with yourself (which I think is a good thing, anyways...) and if you really want to- you can eat ice cream for breakfast, lunch, and dinner... which at this point, I am going to have to seriously start considering because our freezer is about to explode.

With this heat wave in LA I have pretty much deemed my oven out of order! It's hot outside.... and when you live in a charming 1940's building- it's even hotter inside, making our oven, stove, and even using hot water completely unacceptable. The good news? This ice cream is also no cook. That's right. So stay full and stay cool...

Ingredients:

1 pint strawberries, washed, hulled and halved

1 2/3 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt 

Method:

Combine everything in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth with just a few small chunks of berries in the mix. Scrape into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Serve right away, soft-serve style, or transfer to a quart-sized container, cover tightly, and freeze until firm.

Watermelon Sorbet

I may be slightly obsessed with making ice cream right now.... I can't stop and I won't stop. The weather in LA has been hellishly brutal and the only way I have been able to deal has been in front of the kitchen AC unit, elbows deep in cream and sugar.

This summer, making ice cream has become to me what pie baking is in the winter. I don't always succeed, but it is an absolute necessity. Also, like pie, the sugary bastard has a way of sticking around a little longer than it is welcome if you know what I mean. If you don't know what I mean.... I mean on my ass. Ugh. So, today, rather than painfully putting the delicious strawberry-buttermilk ice cream that I was about to make directly into the freezer with out any guilty spoonfuls, I decided to try something a little different and lot healthier.

*please note that when I say healthy.... I am talking in relative terms here. There is still sugar in this recipe. I am not God. 

I am not the biggest fan of sorbet. To me it is the less smooth and much less creamy distant cousin to my very close friend, ice cream. But, my ass and I decided that giving sorbet another shot probably wasn't the worst idea for us. Since eating watermelon with a spoon (seriously....cut it in half, grab a spoon, and watch your life change) has recently become one of my favorite past-times, I decided to start there. If I had known sorbet is quite possibly the easiest thing on the planet to make, maybe I would have started getting to know this side of frozen treats a little bit sooner. But, I will live with no regrets and start now!


Watermelon Sorbet

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups of watermelon puree
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
Fresh mint


Method:
Puree the watermelon. Cut watermelon into chunks, put it in a blender and turn the blender on. That is all you do. If you are feeling crazy, make some extra. It's juice and it's delicious. If you're feeling like I usually do on a saturday... make a cocktail with it. Back to the sorbet......

In a small saucepan, bring ½ cup watermelon puree and the sugar to a simmer and remove it from the heat. Add the lime juice and zest and allow the mixture to cool for 20 minutes. Add the 4 cups fresh watermelon puree to the melon-lime mixture, and then freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 

You can also pour the watermelon mixture into a shallow metal pan and freeze until ice crystals form around the edges, about 30 minutes. Stir the ice crystals into the center of the pan and return to the freezer; repeat every 20 minutes until all the liquid is frozen.

**Next time I make this (which will probably be this afternoon because I am a fat kid) I will most definitely add fresh mint into the sorbet, not just on top. When you puree the watermelon in the blender, add a few springs of mint for ann extra refreshing treat!

Peanut Butter & Spelt Cookies

I have been on this sort of "health food" kick lately. Lame, I know. Maybe it's because my birthday is coming up (4 days.... I like presents) and I am starting to become more aware that what you put in your body really does make a difference. Maybe it's the charming few post-wedding pounds that have found a home with me.... or maybe it's because I spend way too much time at Whole Foods and I can't escape it. Who knows. But none the less... there has been kale in our fajitas, flax in our cereal and Rich is probably wondering why the white sugar and flour have suddenly disappeared from our home. 

Now, usually I would rather a full ban on tasty desserts than waste my time with ones that taste like cardboard. I have tried my fair share of "healthy" dessert recipes, whole wheat cookies (what a joke!) and gluten free nightmares.... but these cookies seriously take the cake.... like the full fat, calorie, sugar, diabetes inducing cake. And they have none of that in them! Ok, maybe a few calories..... but they are sugar free, dairy free, and egg free (Cindy Keith- these won't kill you!!) "Everything in moderation" have always been my words to live by...and they still are, but with these cookies you can totally have an extra one when nobody is looking.  I almost didn't want to admit how delicious they are.... but I am. The texture, which is usually the first thing to go with vegan cookies, is spot on. Now, you will have to make a Whole Foods run because even I didn't have spelt flour on hand, but 10 minutes in memorial day traffic is totally worth it! This is a super simple recipe that I feel like just became a staple for me. Delicious!

peanut better & spelt cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups spelt flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup natural peanut butter
1/3 cup tahini
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
Heat your oven to 350 degree. Mix 1 1/2 cups of the spelt flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. 
In a separate bowl, combine peanut butter, tahini, maple syrup, olive oil, and vanilla. Stir until combined. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the flour mixture and fold them together until combined, try not to over work the dough. If it is too loose, you can add some more flour to it. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Press down on each one gently with the back of a fork. 
Bake for 10-12 minutes, don’t over bake or they will be dry. 


This recipe is from Greenkitchenstories.com and is surely not the last one that I will try from them!

Salted Caramel Apple Pie

As you may know, baking is not really a talent that I like brag about. I love baking. I love eating baked goods.... but it is unfortunately not something that I always succeed at. However, on the occasion that my stars are perfectly aligned and I am oozing with good karma- I have been known to whip up a masterpiece. 

This is a pie to make anyone weak in the knees. Salty caramel and perfectly cooked apples baked in a crust that will make you swoon at the very sight of it. It is so pretty, and absolutely delicious!

salted caramel apple pie

Ingredients:
Salted Caramel-
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup white granulated sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon of flaky sea salt (I used Maldon)

Pie-
2 nine-inch pie crusts (homemade or store-bought)
3 Gala Apples (You can use others too)
1 Granny Smith Apples
1 lemon
4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice


Method:
To make the pie crust:
Haha. Ya- go for it... make your own pie crust. Or be like me, buy rolled pie crust, and make your life wayyyy easier. Press one pie crust into a 9 inch pie dish. With the other crust, I actually cut out hearts with a cookie cutter for a fun spin on a lattice top. If you do decide to do the heart shapes (you should) cut them out and then place in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them. Once the pie is ready, place the hearts around the edge of the pie. If there are any holes or gaps in the apples, fill them with chopped up pieces of apple or else your hearts will sink into the holes while the pie is baking. 

To make the salted caramel:

In a medium to large pot, add the sugar and place it over medium heat. Do not stir. Cook the sugar until the bottom starts to turn a light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Stir the sugar, if needed, so all of it gets its turn hitting the bottom of the pan. Cook the sugar until it turns a medium brown, this process will happen fast so be sure not to leave. Once the caramel reaches a medium brown color take it off the heat and whisk it until smooth. You’ll notice that it will still turn a darker color and cook more as you whisk. At this point it should be a dark brown – if it’s not, place it back on the heat in 30 second increments, whisking the entire time, until it reaches that dark caramel color. Turn off the heat and whisk in the 5 tablespoons of butter (it will bubble up!). Keep whisking until the melted butter fully incorporates into the cooked sugar. Next, add the warm cream (it will bubble up!), whisking it in until it’s fully incorporated. You’ll notice that the texture is much thinner than it was earlier – not to worry it will thicken as it cools. Add the salt and whisk. Transfer it to a glass container and set aside.

My biggest tip for making caramel is to have all of your ingredients measured out and ready to pour in so that once you start cooking the caramel you won't have to turn your back to it or stop whisking. 

To make the apple filling:
Juice the lemons into a large mixing bowl. Core, peel, and thinly slice the whole apples. A mandolin works great for producing very thin slices. I used an apple corer and then sliced the apples to get the fun round shape. 

Dredge all the apple slices in the freshly squeezed lemon juice to prevent browning and to add flavor. Set the prepared apples aside.

To make the apple filling seasoning:
In a large measuring cup or small mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Sprinkle this mixture over the apples in the mixing bowl. Use your hands to gently mix and coat the apple slices.

To assemble the pie:
Preheat the oven to 375 to 400 degrees F (depending on the hotness of your oven).

Gather your rolled pie crust, salted caramel, and apple mixture. Begin by layering 1/3 of the apples in the bottom of the crust so that there are minimal gaps. Pour 1/3 of the caramel over the apples. Add 1/3 of the apples and caramel for a second layer, and then add a third layer of apples, and then the caramel again. Save a small portion of the caramel to pour on top once the lattice is assembled.

Assemble the lattice crust and flute the edges of the crust. Pour the last bit of caramel on top. Brush the crust with the beaten egg and lightly sprinkle with raw sugar and sea salt.

Bake the pie on a baking sheet larger than the pie pan for 20 minutes (otherwise the caramel will bubble over and burn on the bottom of your oven). Reduce the oven temperature to 325 to 350 and bake for 25 to 35 minutes. You can test the apples for doneness with a long toothpick or small knife. The apples should be just soft.

When you take it out of the oven, the caramel may look thin – that’s ok. It will thicken after it cools. To cut attractive looking slices, allow the pie to cool (at room temperature) for 5-6 hours. Serve with freshly whipped cream and a drizzle of salted caramel.

Inspiration from Four and Twenty Blackbirds and A Cozy Kitchen

Lavender and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

In honor of last weekend feeling a little like it was the middle of July (holy hell it was HOT!)  And in honor of my ridiculously handsome, Italian brother from another mother......

Lavender and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Now, no part of me is Italian, but I swear there is this little spark inside me that still believes that I am going to grow up to be a cute Italian grandmother that always has a big pot of bolognese simmering on the stove and whose house always smells of lavender ice cream.... Oh my gosh, this recipe makes your house smell so yummy!

The combination of lavender and cream is absolutely divine. Actually.... lavender and anything is amazing. I'm obsessed. 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup 2% milk

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup fresh lavender flowers (you can buy them at whole foods.... or pick them from your garden!)

1 vanilla bean, cut in half and scraped

1/2 cup sugar

pinch of salt

Method:

In a medium saucepan, combine milk, cream, sugar, vanilla bean, pinch of salt, and lavender flowers. 

Gently heat over low heat until warm, but not boiling. 

Remove from heat and let the mixture steep for about 15 minutes. 

Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours until the mixture is chilled. 

Churn the ice cream in an cream maker according to manufacturers instructions. 

Serves 6.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Pots.

I have kind of lost myself lately with what I like to refer to as "wedding brain." This is something that happens when you AND your best friend are both getting married in the next 6 months so the only topic of conversation becomes wedding based. Seriously. Dresses, flowers, parties, airfares, decor, food.... absolutely non-stop. Unfortunately, I hate to consider my self one of "THOSE BRIDES," but it just happened... and let's be honest... I secretly love it.

However, on the downside.....the afternoons that I used to spend in the kitchen making soups and sauces and pastries are now spent cutting out tiny little panty silhouettes for Emily's bridal shower invitations and finalizing guest lists. It's a dirty job and I highly doubt Richard is going to do it.

So, in an effort to preserve my once self proclaimed title of "at home chef...." I woke up this morning with a goal:

One new soup and one new dessert, both to be prepared, photographed, and devoured before noon.
(I also managed to get a 3 cheese and meat lasagna in the oven for dinner during all of this chaos.)

The simplest of ingredients can really knock your socks off. 

For the crust:

1/2 cup of graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons of melted butter

For the filling:

8 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup Nutella (or more to taste)

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method:

Divide graham cracker crumbs and 1/2 tablespoon of melted butter into the bottom of 4 ramekins (or small serving dishes....glasses would work, too) Press down lightly to form a crust. 

In a food processor combine cream cheese, Nutella, brown sugar, and chocolate chips and whip together until smooth and chocolate chips are finely chopped (the chips add a nice texture, but can be left out if you choose.)

Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the ramekins and smooth it out with the back of a spoon. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving. 

Makes 4 Cheesecake Pots.