What do you get when you puree a delicious, succulent peach and marry it with a lovely dry Prosecco? A glorious tasting Fresh Peach Bellini, the perfect complement to a warm summer evening. We kept our puree a bit thick (not unlike the consistency of baby food – in fact, the puree itself would make great baby food!) as we wanted to retain all the sweet and juicy flavors of the fruit. The result was an almost smoothie-like beverage (for an adult, that is!). Frothy and refreshing! Just another great way to use all those scrumptious peaches that are now in season.

Other tasty peach recipes to tickle the tongue:

Dana McCauley’s Food Blog: Peach and Tomato Salad
Julie Jam’s Delicious Summer Peach Crisp
Whisk’s Honey-Peach Ice Cream
Cafe Fernando’s Peach Tart With Almonds and Maple Syrup
Patty’s Pantry Peach Salsa

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Right now our farmer’s market is a virtual cornucopia of fresh delights. The smell of just-off-the-vine tomatoes and huge bunches of basil sitting in the sun was beautifully overwhelming! Perfect fava beans  laying in heaps, squashes of all shapes and sizes, potato “marbles” no bigger than the tip of your pinky finger, and Rainier cherries as big as your head (okay, that’s a slight exaggeration, but they were the largest I’ve ever seen).

We were there on a mission: to stock up on cherries and apricots for our canning party the following day. But it was oh so hard to stay focused! Everything looked so divine! Did I mention those tomatoes!?

We stuck to our rule: only two foods were going to be canned in one day and we had collectively chosen cherries and apricots. We bought a case of Bing cherries, about a half case of a mix of cherry varieties, and a case of apricots. Buying in bulk got us some big discounts too.

We arrived at Tracy’s house on Sunday rearing to begin. We pitted all the cherries (now there’s a job!), sterilized all the jars, and started our first recipe: Cherries in Wine. This is such a simple recipe and the result is excellent with both sweet and savory dishes (think roasted duck breast with a nice cherry in wine sauce). Recipe:

While the cherries were processing we moved on to the apricots. We cold packed them (canned them fresh rather than stewing first) and each of us “personalized” our simple syrup. We added lavender to some jars, star anise to others, vanilla bean, hibiscus, and even a version with white pepper corns, mustard seed and coriander. It may sound strange, but I guarantee it’s a scrumptious combination. And come winter, what a wonderful variety of flavors we’ll have!

Next weekend: peaches and tomatoes.

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I love grapefruit. I love it from in the morning to in my salad at night. Throw some fresh squeezed juice in there somewhere and I’m even happier.  But, unlike oranges, I don’t like to eat them peeled in sections. The pith is horribly bitter and they just don’t taste as sweet.

On weekends, when we lazily wake up and have time to prepare breakfast, I like to cut them into sections. It takes time and patience, but is well worth the effort! I recently learned the name when citrus is cut into sections with the pith and membranes neatly removed: supremes.

To do this, cut the top and bottom off of your grapefruit. Slice the peel from the fruit, top to bottom, getting as close to the flesh as possible. Once the peel is removed slice any remaining pieces of pith from the fruit so no white remains. Then, slice closely along the sides of each membrane to neatly remove the sections in between.

And there you have it! Perfectly beautiful and sweet grapefruit supremes.

Enjoy the supremes on their own or place them in a mixed green salad lightly tossed with walnut oil and balsamic vinegar.

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This is a beautiful tart and refreshing relish. Since you use the whole orange, including the rind, it is important to allow the relish to mellow for at least 2 days before serving, so today is the day to make it!

No Cook Cranberry Orange Relish

1, 12-ounce package cranberries
1 orange, unpeeled
1 cup sugar

Pick through the cranberries and remove any bad ones. Cut the orange into eights and remove the seeds. Place half the cranberries and half the orange in a food processor, fitted with the steel blade, and pulse until the mixture is evenly chopped, but not pureed. Transfer to a medium bowl. Repeat with the remaining cranberries and orange.  Combine all ingredients in bowl and stir in the sugar.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 days or up to 2 weeks.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Makes about 2-1/2 cups

Optional: this is also tasty with chopped pecans.

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My grandma’s name is Betty, so this lip-smacking apple treat holds a special place in my heart. And belly. But, as much as I’d like to give my dear sweet granny credit for this traditional dessert, it came about long before her.

No one really knows who the real “Brown Betty” was, as there are a number of stories out there. I like to think of her as a tough and mighty pioneer woman who could wield both knife and saucepan like no other. All while breastfeeding one child, consoling another, cooking supper, laying a table for eight, and building a fire in the corner.

Ah, there’s just something us modern women lack that those tough old gals of yesteryear possessed.

But, thankfully, we have iPhones.

Apple Brown Betty

2 cups coarse day-old bread
6 cups baking apples (e.g. Granny Smith)
½ cup sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup water
2 Tablespoons butter
½ cup raisins, optional

Grease an 11 x 9 baking dish. Sprinkle approximately 1/3 of the breadcrumbs over the bottom of the baking dish. Place ½ of the apples over the bread crumbs.

Mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Sprinkle half of this sugar mixture over the apples. Add 1/3 of the breadcrumbs, another layer of apples, then sprinkle with the rest of the sugar mixture. Top with the final 1/3 of the breadcrumbs (we also sprinkled a it of oatmeal on top. Not traditional, but good texture).

Splash the lemon juice and water over the top of the Apple Brown Betty. Cut the butter up in small chunks and place around on top of the apple casserole.

Bake covered at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven, cover, and bake an additional 15 minutes.

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I grew up in New York and Vermont and have always had the belief that Northeastern apples are better than Washington apples. Now I know that will be offensive to a lot of people in my adopted state of Washington, but fear not Washington Apple Commission, I am hereby declaring that I was WRONG! I’ve been tasting various Washington apples at farmers’ markets and am really enjoying them, but I was still missing my all-time favorite, the Macoun. Never heard of it? Well, that’s a mighty shame.

The Macoun (pronounced MaCowan) is an apple from New York State that was developed as a hybrid in the 1930s. I love it because it is crunchy and juicy with bright white flesh and a beautiful combo of red and green on the skin. Macouns have the perfect balance of sweet and sour for my taste. They are great for cooking, eating sliced with a nice sharp cheddar cheese, or simply biting into and enjoying.

Then it happened last weekend…I found Macouns at the West Seattle Farmer’s Market. Big thanks to Stina Booth and John Richardson, of the Booth Canyon Orchard in Carlton, Washington, for growing these fantastic apples!

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As much as we’d love to spend the afternoons canning, pickling, storing, and preserving, we don’t always have the time to do so, do we? Then comes the moment when you long for that homemade raspberry jam and you say to yourself, “Self, why didn’t I just buck up and make jam that afternoon?”

Don’t beat yourself. You can still make that delicious jam and not spend all afternoon doing it. Two words for you: freezer jam.

Raspberry Freezer Jam

1 3/4 c. crushed raspberries
4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 bottle Certo

Measure fruit and sugar into a large bowl. Mix well. Let set 10 minutes to macerate.

Combine 3/4 cup water and Sure-Jell into small pan. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add to fruit mixture and stir for approximately 3 minutes. Put into jars or plastic containers. Cover. Let set at room temperature for 24 hours, then freeze.

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When I was a kid, like most kids, I was superstitious. Step on a crack, break your mother’s back. Don’t walk under ladders. But eventually I outgrew all of that. I’ve owned black cats. I’ve broken mirrors and chain letters and have lived to talk about it. And my mother’s back, after many stepped upon cracks, is strong and healthy.

Then we discovered Devil’s Fruit at Uwajimaya the other night and all my childhood superstitions came flooding to the surface. Never in my life have I seen anything so strange and, well, frightening! I mean, they’re black and look like tiny horned demons.

Barnaby, excited as a leprechaun who’d finally discovered that pot of gold, was tossing them into a bag, giggling, “I’ve never seen anything like! They’re so cool!” I, on the other hand, was tossing handfuls of garlic into the basket.

“What’s all that for?” he asked.
“I dunno. To…well…ward off something,” I stammered.
“Like what? Vampires?”
“One can’t be too certain!” I said, grabbing the basket and heading to the checkout counter.

I have to say though, these little guys could come in handy at Costco on a busy Saturday afternoon. If I super glued one to the front of my cart I bet that would keep the zombies at bay. You know the zombies. Those shoppers who forget they are in a crowded public place, park their carts right smack in the middle of the aisle and wander around like they’re the living dead. One look at my black horned hood ornament and they’d scatter to the side. Hmmm, there’s a thought…

Anyway, we took our little devil fruits home (also called Ling Gok) and cracked them open. At first I thought my eyes would fall out or I’d grow extra fingers, but instead I found them surprisingly good, not unlike coconut and similar to a water chestnut.

I still think I should leave some sort of offering out just to appease the spirits. Maybe a mandarin and a bottle of sake will do.

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I love when my friend’s mom, Val, comes to town. Her English accent soothes me and, being a fabulous cook, her desserts never fail to make me swoon with delight. Remember her Apple Tart? Yup, perfection. Much to my belly’s chagrin, she was at it again last night with this divine fruit trifle.

First, I have this strange fondness for trifle bowls (and, for trifle for that matter). Perhaps it’s because they are deep, clear and seem to seduce us with, “I’m going to be filled up with creamy sweetness, the likes of which you will be unable to refuse.” I mean, really, what’s better than a big goblet full of liqueur soaked cake, custard and fruit?

Val’s glorious trifle was made with peaches, strawberries and raspberries; cake liberally soaked with Grand Marnier and homemade raspberry syrup (kudos to Tracy!); and custard throughout.

<Sigh> Excuse me, I need a moment to reflect…

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My new favorite thing -thanks to my friend Tracy who made it for us the other night- is herb yogurt. Made with multiple fresh herbs one bite is like a mouthful of your lovely herb garden (minus the dirt, of course).

It makes a wonderful, healthy alternative to sour cream. Just mix plain yogurt with a bunch of whatever herbs suit your fancy. I chose the following:

• Mint
• Basil
• Dill
• Chives
• Italian parsley

I added a clove of minced garlic, kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper for some extra spice.

This is absolutely delicious on tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, lamb…but would be fabulous on about anything. We spooned it over the one precious heirloom tomato our garden produced, then we drizzled it with a bit of white truffle oil.

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