If you’re not loading your plates with fresh fruits and vegetables in all their glory—shame on you! This time of year there is just no excuse for not eating those colorful, delightful packages of health that you find at the supermarket, the farmer’s market, or the farmstand. And what makes this idea even better is that they are easy to prepare (or even eat out of hand) and economical.
August is the month when the trucks just keep coming from the farms loaded with the goodies that we love. Finally we can eat sweet corn that is crisp and sweet when you bite into it and tastes as if you’d sprinkled it with sugar. Not from our local orchards, but delicious nonetheless, are the peaches and plums and Bing cherries that line up so colorfully in the supermarket produce section. Red onions, green onions, white onions, yellow onions make a rainbow of nutrition powerhouses. Nutritionists tell us that the more colorful our food choices, the healthier our lives.
I find renewed enthusiasm for “cooking” in summertime now that each meal is not only made up of the freshest, most delicious foods, but is a work of art as well. Now for our short but glorious season the fruits and vegetables give us their very best—more nutrition, more beauty and the best taste of the year. The time is fleeting, so take advantage of the open door, for when it closes we must wait a long time for it to open again.
This peach and cherry tart is a show stopper; a favorite at the Candlelight Inn Bed and Breakfast It is simple, delicious and beautiful; and best of all-very, very easy.
Peach and Cherry Tart
Crust:
1 cup flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Tbsp. (about) ice water
Filling:
1 # fresh peaches (preferably freestone, yellow peaches)
10 oz. Bing cherries
1/3 cup sugar
½ cup peach preserves
For crust: Blend flour, sugar and salt in food processor. Add butter; cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Blend in water by tablespoonfuls until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill 30 minutes. Roll out dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper to 11-inch round. Remove top sheet of waxed paper from dough and invert dough onto 9-inch round tart pan with removable bottom. Remove second sheet of paper. Press dough onto bottom and up sides of pan. Fold excess dough in, forming double-thick sides. Pierce dough all over with fork. Freeze 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake crust until set but still pale, about 20 minutes. Cool on rack. Maintain oven temperature.
For Filling: Blanch peaches in pot of boiling water 1 minute. Immediately rinse with cold water and slip skins off. Halve and pit peaches. Cut each peach into 8 wedges and arrange, rounded side down in crust. Arrange halved cherries over and around peaches. Sprinkle sugar over. Bake about 45 minutes until peaches are tender. Transfer to cooling rack. Stir peach preserves in small saucepan over low heat until melted. Pour warm preserves evenly over tart. Remove pan sides from tart. Place on platter. Serve warm or room temperature.
Almost every day it seems that nutritionists come up with more reasons to eat onions. Allium is the component (found in garlic as well) that seems to protect against stomach cancer, contributes to lowering cholesterol levels and increasing good cholesterol, and protects against stomach cancer. They also contain fiber and useful amounts of folate which is especially beneficial for pregnant women. The latest thing I read is that onions (along with some nuts, cabbage and artichokes) can reduce inflammation—a leading cause of many diseases, including arthritis. Here is a delicious and easy homemade pizza that we love!
Onion-topped Pizza
Crust:
1 cup whole wheat flour (preferably white whole wheat)
1 ½ cups white bread flour
¾-1 cup warm water
¼ tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 pkg. dry yeast
Topping:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 ounces prosciutto ham, finely chopped
2 large red onions, thinly sliced
2 green onions, white and green parts, sliced thin
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 ounces Asiago cheese, grated
2 small or 1 large home grown tomatoes, sliced thin
For crust: sprinkle yeast over ¼ cup warm water and a pinch of sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. Put flours in large mixing bowl, add salt and combine. Mix warm water, oil and yeast together and pour all at once into flour mixture. Stir until well combined. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until satin smooth. Place in greased bowl, turning ball to coat; cover and let rise in warm place until double. Punch down; let rest 5 minutes. Roll onto 12” pizza stone.
For topping: Heat 3 Tbsp. olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add prosciutto; saute 3 minutes. Add onions, garlic, lemon juice and fennel seeds; saute until onions begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
Assembly: Pour 2 Tbsp olive oil onto rolled out crust; spread with pastry brush. Spread minced garlic evenly over crust, using same brush. Cover with 1 ounce grated cheese. Place tomato slices evenly over pizza. Spread topping evenly over pizza and finish with second ounce of grated cheese. Place pizza stone in 425 degree oven for 18-20 minutes.
August is the month when the trucks just keep coming from the farms loaded with the goodies that we love. Finally we can eat sweet corn that is crisp and sweet when you bite into it and tastes as if you’d sprinkled it with sugar. Not from our local orchards, but delicious nonetheless, are the peaches and plums and Bing cherries that line up so colorfully in the supermarket produce section. Red onions, green onions, white onions, yellow onions make a rainbow of nutrition powerhouses. Nutritionists tell us that the more colorful our food choices, the healthier our lives.
I find renewed enthusiasm for “cooking” in summertime now that each meal is not only made up of the freshest, most delicious foods, but is a work of art as well. Now for our short but glorious season the fruits and vegetables give us their very best—more nutrition, more beauty and the best taste of the year. The time is fleeting, so take advantage of the open door, for when it closes we must wait a long time for it to open again.
This peach and cherry tart is a show stopper; a favorite at the Candlelight Inn Bed and Breakfast It is simple, delicious and beautiful; and best of all-very, very easy.
Peach and Cherry Tart
Crust:
1 cup flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Tbsp. (about) ice water
Filling:
1 # fresh peaches (preferably freestone, yellow peaches)
10 oz. Bing cherries
1/3 cup sugar
½ cup peach preserves
For crust: Blend flour, sugar and salt in food processor. Add butter; cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Blend in water by tablespoonfuls until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill 30 minutes. Roll out dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper to 11-inch round. Remove top sheet of waxed paper from dough and invert dough onto 9-inch round tart pan with removable bottom. Remove second sheet of paper. Press dough onto bottom and up sides of pan. Fold excess dough in, forming double-thick sides. Pierce dough all over with fork. Freeze 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake crust until set but still pale, about 20 minutes. Cool on rack. Maintain oven temperature.
For Filling: Blanch peaches in pot of boiling water 1 minute. Immediately rinse with cold water and slip skins off. Halve and pit peaches. Cut each peach into 8 wedges and arrange, rounded side down in crust. Arrange halved cherries over and around peaches. Sprinkle sugar over. Bake about 45 minutes until peaches are tender. Transfer to cooling rack. Stir peach preserves in small saucepan over low heat until melted. Pour warm preserves evenly over tart. Remove pan sides from tart. Place on platter. Serve warm or room temperature.
Almost every day it seems that nutritionists come up with more reasons to eat onions. Allium is the component (found in garlic as well) that seems to protect against stomach cancer, contributes to lowering cholesterol levels and increasing good cholesterol, and protects against stomach cancer. They also contain fiber and useful amounts of folate which is especially beneficial for pregnant women. The latest thing I read is that onions (along with some nuts, cabbage and artichokes) can reduce inflammation—a leading cause of many diseases, including arthritis. Here is a delicious and easy homemade pizza that we love!
Onion-topped Pizza
Crust:
1 cup whole wheat flour (preferably white whole wheat)
1 ½ cups white bread flour
¾-1 cup warm water
¼ tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 pkg. dry yeast
Topping:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 ounces prosciutto ham, finely chopped
2 large red onions, thinly sliced
2 green onions, white and green parts, sliced thin
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 ounces Asiago cheese, grated
2 small or 1 large home grown tomatoes, sliced thin
For crust: sprinkle yeast over ¼ cup warm water and a pinch of sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. Put flours in large mixing bowl, add salt and combine. Mix warm water, oil and yeast together and pour all at once into flour mixture. Stir until well combined. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until satin smooth. Place in greased bowl, turning ball to coat; cover and let rise in warm place until double. Punch down; let rest 5 minutes. Roll onto 12” pizza stone.
For topping: Heat 3 Tbsp. olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add prosciutto; saute 3 minutes. Add onions, garlic, lemon juice and fennel seeds; saute until onions begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
Assembly: Pour 2 Tbsp olive oil onto rolled out crust; spread with pastry brush. Spread minced garlic evenly over crust, using same brush. Cover with 1 ounce grated cheese. Place tomato slices evenly over pizza. Spread topping evenly over pizza and finish with second ounce of grated cheese. Place pizza stone in 425 degree oven for 18-20 minutes.
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