Wish Upon A Chef

 Life is a funny thing.


Wine Syrup
Makes about 1 cup

My weekly produce deliveries from Backyard Produce have allowed me to be a bit more daring than I normally would be on my regular visits.  I'm usually on a mission when I shop - to get in and get out quickly.  I have my list and try not to deviate (too much) from said list. 

A few weeks ago, I made the daring decision to include kumquats in my delivery from Backyard Produce - something I've always been curious about but have never purchased (and most likely wouldn't ever have.)  Kumquats resemble an orange in color and have a similar thick peel but are only about the size of the end of your thumb.  They are native to south Asia and the Asia-Pacific region but have been cultivated in North America for nearly 150 years now (and I'm just now brave enough to try them?!?)  The growing season ranges from January through June for those grown in California and November through mid-March for fruits harvested in Florida. 

I wasn't sure what to expect or do with the kumquats.  Do I peel them?  Are they sweet?  How exactly should I use them?  The answers to the first two questions are no and HECK NO! The skins aren't quite as thick as an orange peel and provide the only bit of sweetness amongst an otherwise extremely tart fruit.  For such a tiny thing, it packs a punch of zing - it took me a few minutes to come back to my senses after popping one into my mouth for taste-testing. 

Preliminary recipe research showed that most people enjoy them sliced and raw on a salad but they were a bit too sour for me to enjoy that way.  Others baked with them but quite frankly, I was too lazy to deseed them, so I opted to turn them into candied kumquats to enjoy spooned over the Hillsborough Farm goat cheese (also from Backyard Produce) and crackers.  I think it would make a fantastic topping for vanilla ice cream as well. 

Dare yourself to try something new by picking up a container of these little jewels on your next shopping trip and if you're interested in receiving fresh organic and natural produce delivered right to your door, check out Backyard Produce's website for how you can get started. 




Candied Kumquats

Printable Recipe

4 cups roughly chopped kumquats (about 1-1-1/2 lbs)
1 cup water
2 cups sugar

With a pairing knife, roughly chop the kumquats.  Discard any seeds that are easy to get too, but they're edible so don't worry if you don't get them all. 

Heat the water and sugar over high heat until boiling.  Reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes.  Add the kumquats and simmer for 10 minutes.

Drain the kumquats through a sieve over a bowl.  Return the syrup to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes to reduce the syrup.  Combine the kumquats and 1/4 cup syrup together.

Serve or jar and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. 

 
Through the combination of my Pinterest addiction making an effort to change my eating habits to be more "real" and the ever present quest of finding make-ahead, easy-to-eat-at-my-desk items for breakfast, I stumbled across a recipe for a Green Monster Spinach Smoothie from Iowa Girl Eats. Under normal circumstances, I would have totally by-passed the recipe because I would have considered it as one of those things that a "health nut" would eat. But on this particular day I was game to investigate further because of the claims that you could not taste the spinach in the smoothie.

Even though this smoothie contains a generous helping of spinach, it is true that you cannot taste it. If you were blindfolded and could not see the green color, you would NEVER know that you were consuming a healthy dose of vitamins A, B₂, B₆, C, E and K along with iron, calcium, potassium, omega-3, protein and a slew of other healthy minerals.


On a whim, I snapped a photo as I whizzed up my green smoothie for breakfast and posted it to my Facebook page. The comments were as I expected...

Yuck!
I don't like that
That's the grossest thing I've ever seen!

I realized that this smoothie is a perfect example of how we, as people who are constantly bombarded with marketing about what we should eat and what our food should look like, are conditioned to think and act in a certain manner just because of what they tell us. The grossest thing you've ever seen...really?? Thanks to spending alot of time around a 13-year old boy, I can think of things waaaaay far grosser than a green smoothie. Is it gross because of the color? Do you think guacamole looks gross because it's green? Of course not because it is supposed to be green.


How about this green drink? How many would slurp it down without giving another thought to the color? We think and accept that it should be green because they present this to us as something we naturally know as being green (lime). Would you be suprised to know that the only thing "lime" about this margarita is the garnish on the side?


Totally discounting the alcohol and assuming this is made with Jose Cuervo premade margarita mix (which is considered a top-shelf product and highly recognizable and used in alot of home bars and restaurants), let's look at the ingredients of this green drink loved by so many:


Now don't get me wrong - I love me a margarita or three and I'm not going to sit here and say shame on anyone for drinking something that is loaded with preservatives and contains absolutely nothing natural because I've done my fair share. But (there's always a but), I'm starting to think more and more about what goes into my body and educating myself on the way things REALLY should be and not just what someone said it should be. So what if the smoothie is green? Would a rose by any other color smell any differently? This tasted like any other fruit smoothie - I tasted the peanut butter and the banana.

Only one of my friends was brave enough to say that she'd like to try the recipe for her and her kids, so this is for you, Tammy, and for anyone else out there brave enough to tackle a green smoothie. Enjoy!

Popeye's Spinach Smoothie
inspired by Iowa Girl Eats

Printable Recipe

1 frozen sliced banana
1-1/2 Tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon honey
1 cup milk
4 cups baby spinach (approximately 1/2 bag)
1 Tablespoon chia seeds (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

It's the time of year when the seasons can't seem to make up their mind - one day it's summer and 70 degrees and the next day is near-winter 47 degrees.  Such conflict it causes!  Summer clothes or warm fuzzy blankets for the bed?  A summer-themed dinner or a hearty casserole served alongside root vegetables?  It's just hard to know which path to travel sometimes.     

My quest for seasonal conflict resolution landed me over at Healthy Living for Life ogling Lauren's recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake Yogurt.  It's perfect for this time of year because it satisfies on a lingering warm holding-on-to-summer kind of day and it uses one of the most popular seasonal food item crazes - pumpkin. 

I tinkered with Lauren's recipe just a wee bit in order to use up what I had on hand and came up with a creamy, spiced pumpkin frozen treat.  I'm sure my end result should technically be considered ice cream instead of yogurt since I monkeyed with the fat and calorie content.  I also had all the components on hand to make my own pumpkin pie spice and have shared that recipe below as well. 

Enjoy the last of these warm days and stay tuned for more yummy pumpkin treats!



Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream
Makes approx. 1 quart

6 to 8 oz  cream cheese, at room temperature (I only had 6 oz on hand leftover from a previous recipe and it worked just fine, but go ahead and use the whole block if you'd like)
1-1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice*  
gingersnap cookie crumbs for garnish, if desired

In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, pumpkin puree, Greek yogurt, and sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat mixture until smooth and well-combined.  If, like me, you have a hard time making the cream cheese smooth, make sure it is softened and add it in small amounts at a time while you are mixing the other ingredients. 

Add in the milk, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt. Beat until smooth and combined.

Pour mixture into your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions.

Transfer yogurt into a freezer-safe air-tight container and freeze until desired consistency is reached.
Once fully frozen, take out of the freezer 15-20 minutes prior to eating for easier scooping.

Garnish with crumbled gingersnap cookies if desired. 

*Pumpkin Pie Spice

1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp ground allspice
3/4 tsp ground cloves

Combine all spices in a small bowl and mix well.

Will you please allow me one more summer-inspired rambling post before you tell me to move on to more seasonally appropriate topics?

I realize mid-September should be all about Fall, football, pumpkins and hoodies, but my land of goodness our temps are still in the 90s! I can't even think about snow boots and parkas without breaking out in a sweat! I promise you won't be sorry that I managed to squeeze this little goodie in just before things cool off.....

My friends and I hosted a cocktail and food pairing social for Goodeats and Meets! Charlotte earlier in the summer and during the menu planning stage we decided to make double duty of one of the cocktails by turning it into a palate cleanser.

Palate cleansers are commonly found in French cuisine and used to cleanse the mouth from lingering tastes and flavors of previous courses so that the next may be enjoyed with a fresh perspective. You'll find lemon, lime or mint sorbets on the list of traditional cleansers but since there are no hard and fast rules as to what should be used, sparkling water with citrus, a spring of fresh parsley or lightly brewed green, mint or black tea may also be served.

By the time I monkeyed around with the standard lime sorbet recipe that I had, I wound up with a lovely combination of rosemary infused lime sorbet with Cruzan Coconut Rum. It's not very often that I'm totally bowled over by one of my wingnut creations but this was THE. BOMB. We almost didn't have enough to serve to the 25 party guests because I kept sneaking off to the freezer for another quality control sample.

The end result was fresh, crisp, tropical and refreshing. In retrospect, I should have garnished it with toasted coconut and a fresh rosemary sprig but when you have hungry guests waiting, you do the best that you can. Keep in mind that alcohol will not freeze solid so don't feel compelled to add more as your sorbet will not freeze to proper consistency. Chilly temperatures or not, this goodness will be coming out of my ice cream maker again very, very soon.


Rosemary-Lime Sorbet with Cruzan Coconut Rum

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
3 cups half-and-half
4 fresh rosemary spears, about 3" long
1/4 cup light corn syrup
Juice of 3 limes
1/3 cup Cruzan Coconut Rum
toasted coconut, for garnish

Preparation

1. Between two pieces of wax paper, lightly crush rosemary with a meat mallet (if you don't have a mallet, use a small saucepan, or the bottom of a glass. This will release the fragrant oils of the herb.

2.In a large saucepan, combine sugar, half-and-half, rosemary spears and corn syrup. Whisk lightly and bring to a boil, making sure mixture does not boil over, then strain into a bowl. Let cool, then chill in refrigerator. (If you want a more intense rosemary flavor, strain AFTER it is cool.) Remove from refrigerator and slowly whisk in lime juice and rum. If mixture shows signs of curdling, whisk harder or transfer to a blender.

3.Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions.

Serve garnished with toasted coconut.

Yields about 1 quart

This time of year not only marks the much anticipated end of the sultry dog days of summer but also the change of seasons for appetites. Menus will soon consist of the warmth of comfort foods and hearty soups and stews. Road-side produce stands and farmers markets will fold up their tents and the bounty of summer will be replaced by root vegetables and produce trucked in from far away warmer climates.

My taste buds mourn the passage of this time, wanting instead to rewind to the time when South Carolina peaches were just gorgeous blooms on a tree. Wanting to relive the eager anticipation of the juicy, sweet fruit. Never wanting summer to end.

It has become a summer ritual to stop for peaches at McLeod Farms in South Carolina on the way home from the beach and last year, I used the peaches to honor my friend. This year, I couldn't decide which direction I wanted to go and luckily I brought home enough peaches for three kitchen projects!

One of my favorite but hardly-ever-used kitchen appliances came out of hiding for the first project ~ peach ice cream. Rich, cool and creamy, it is the perfect way to say goodbye to the few remaining hot and humid summer days. As with most homemade ice creams, it is best served while still in the soft-serve stage but if you need to freeze and serve later, just let it sit out for a bit to soften up. I'm already having luscious visions of using brandied peaches next year for an over-the-top ice cream treat.

It would be a crime to let peach season pass without an old-fashioned peach pie. And let's just get one thing out of the way....I used a pre-fab pie crust because while I may be good at alot of things, making pie crusts is not one of them. I am not ashamed. I am ashamed, however, at how many pieces of this pie I ate. I had aspirations of baking a peach, cranberry, apple pie but that will have to wait until next year.

The third project was a combination peach-strawberry quick bread that was reduced to mere crumbs by my coworkers before I could even entertain taking a picture.

Unfortunately, I can't stop the passage of time or the change of seasons, but I can continue to dream up fabulous creations for next year's peach projects. I hope you'll enjoy the last official week of summer with one of these peachy delights!


Carolina Peach Ice Cream

2 1/2 pounds fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 pint half-and-half cream
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups whole milk, or as needed

Puree peaches with the sugar and half-and-half in batches in a blender or food processor.

In a gallon ice cream freezer container, mix together the peach mixture, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Pour in enough whole milk to fill the container to the fill line, about 2 cups.

Follow the manufacturer's instructions to freeze the ice cream.

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Old-fashioned Peach Pie

1 (15 ounce) package pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
1 egg, beaten
5 cups sliced peeled peaches
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Line the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie plate with one of the pie crusts. Brush with some of the beaten egg to keep the dough from becoming soggy later.

Place the sliced peaches in a large bowl, and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix gently. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Pour over the peaches, and mix gently. Pour into the pie crust, and dot with butter. Cover with the other pie crust, and fold the edges under. Flute the edges to seal or press the edges with the tines of a fork dipped in egg. Brush the remaining egg over the top crust. Cut several slits in the top crust to vent steam.

Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is brown and the juice begins to bubble through the vents. If the edges brown to fast, cover them with strips of aluminum foil about halfway through baking. Serve warm.

It happens every single day.

Unwanted solicitations stuffed into my mail box and newspaper box. I even find them stuck in my front door. Security systems. House painters. Avon products. Lawn care. You name it. Just yesterday I witnessed someone {covertly walking a dog so as not to appear to be soliciting} just ready to stuff yet another enticement destined to be blown about my yard by the wind and when I called out to please not put that in my box, she looked at me like I had some nerve asking her to take her business elsewhere.

As much as I detest unwanted soliciting myself, why do I find myself committing the very same act here today with you, my dear readers? Because POM Wonderful is a fabulous product and I think you should drop everything you're doing right this very minute and run out, buy a bottle, and make yourself some out-of-this-world delicious pomegranate gelato. Or perhaps you'd enjoy a refreshing cocktail. And if neither one of these is enough to tempt your palate, check back in a few days for yet another pomegranate inspired recipe.

I found this recipe on the Epicurious website while trying to find some great uses for my free case of pomegranate juice kindly given to me by the folks at POM Wonderful. Even though pomegranates are fall and winter fruits, the juice makes it easy to be enjoyed year round - perfect for rich and creamy gelato during the warm summer months.

If you see me out canvassing nonchalantly walking my dog in your neighborhood, you're gonna hope and pray that I come to your door and share this delicious treat. In the meantime, check your mailbox because I may have been kind enough to stuff a copy of this recipe in there.


Pomegranate Gelato
Yield: 1 quart

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups bottled pomegranate juice
1/3 cup pomegranate liqueur such as PAMA
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Special equipment: an ice cream maker


Preparation: Whisk together cream, milk, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a 2 1/2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking occasionally, then boil, whisking, 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in remaining ingredients.

Transfer to a bowl and chill, uncovered, until cold, at least 1 hour.

Freeze in ice cream maker, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, at least 2 hours.

Soften gelato slightly in refrigerator, about 20 minutes, before serving.

Cook's notes:
•Cream mixture (before churning) can be chilled, covered, up to 1 day ahead.
•Gelato keeps 1 week.

Well, you know the rest of the story. I ditched work early yesterday to deal with the remaining plums lurking in my laundry room. I managed to squeeze 3 more batches of jam out of the bucket. The original question was what to do with 10 gallons of plums...now the question is what to do with the 40 jars of plum jam. I'm sending a couple of jars to my grandparents and saving some for my parents, took 4 jars to work to share with my staff, and of course one of the jars will hopefully become a blue ribbon winner at the county fair in August. I'm sure Captain Sturm will be asking for buttermilk biscuits for our weekend breakfasts to eat with his fair share of the jam. I've never really been one to eat alot of jam (now is a fine time to figure that out, huh?) but I couldn't resist trying my ruby colored bounty. I heated a couple of spoonsful in the microwave and topped some vanilla ice cream. I think I'll be partaking in some of those buttermilk biscuits with Captain Sturm.

I had about 2 cups of cooked fruit left after making the jam. I got the bright idea to make plum ice cream. I have a nifty little ice cream maker that produces soft-serve consistency ice cream in about 30 minutes. I've always only used it to make strawberry ice cream. It's called a Donvier and has a cylinder that you freeze overnight. I've had the thing for about 15 years - I don't even know if they still make anything like it.



I refrigerated my cooked plums overnight. The ice cream seems to come together much better if everything is chilled really well. The recipe is simple - beat 2 eggs and 2/3 cup of sugar until thick and creamy. Add 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 2 cups of fruit, and 2 cups of heavy cream. Pour everything into the frozen cylinder and turn the handle 3 or 4 times every 10 minutes or so. I like my ice cream a little firmer, so I stuck the whole thing in the freezer for some extra time. I'm sure it's ready to be taste-tested now, but to be completely honest, I'm plum tired of plums! I did sneak a spoonful (or three) of it before plunking it into the freezer and I must say it's pretty darn tasty. I detected just a slight hint of bitterness, so maybe next time I'd strain the fruit and remove the hulls. I'll re-evaluate it tomorrow after it's had a chance to chill out.

Even after all of this, I STILL had plums left! Just enough, though, for one more project but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out about it. I just know the suspense is killin' ya!!