Labor Day Weekend Barbeque

Labor Day Weekend is upon us—time to celebrate the end and the beginning. Like bookends, Memorial Day and Labor Day encase the summer and define our more leisurely life style as opposed to the structured routine. Not everyone follows this seasonal switch but I am guessing just about everyone is affected by it. If you don’t have children starting school, you are probably putting your boat to bed or closing the cabin, or at the very least changing the wardrobe.


What more fitting way to celebrate the end of summer than a holiday established for the laboring classes to relax? Hey, what about the cooks? Aren’t they laborers? Of course. So what easy, leisurely, celebratory meal can we devise to make everyone happy?

First of all, fire up the barbeque. This will signal that the regular, everyday cook at your house (be it guy or gal) is giving someone else the helm and letting him (her) have a starring role. You might even want to invest in a really handsome apron for the stand-in cook. Play it up and get one with Attitude (available on sale at The Galley Room). I’m not above any manipulations to have a day off.

You may have to do the menu plan and the shopping, however. Let’s make it simple so he (she) will do it again next year and delicious so he (she) will get lots of positive feedback, making it a certainty that you will get a repeat performance. And a little out-of-the-ordinary, allowing the chef some oohs and aahs, “how did you make this” and other such shameless pandering. In the interest of labor saving, wonderful bottled barbeque sauces, salsas, rubs, and wood chips (have you tried apple?) are available in gourmet kitchen shops and some supermarkets.

Labor Day Barbeque

Marinated Shrimp on skewers
Barbequed Pork Chops with Black Pepper-onion Sauce
Potato-onion packets
Corn grilled in husks with lime and butter
Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Basil Dressing
Grilled pineapple with Rum Sauce on vanilla ice cream


Marinated Shrimp on skewers

Makes 8-10 appetizer servings

Marinade:

One-half cup olive oil
One-half finely chopped fresh basil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 and one-half tsp. hot pepper sauce
One-half tsp. salt
One-half tsp. pepper
2 # raw shrimp, shelled and deveined

Marinate shrimp for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Prepare grill for medium-high heat

Put shrimp on skewers (soaked if bamboo) and grill for 2 and one-half minutes per side, brushing with extra marinade.


Barbequed Pork Chops with Black Pepper-onion Sauce

Prepare grill

Put 6-8 three-quarter-inch-thick pork chops on grill and brush with bottled black pepper-onion barbeque sauce (I used Cherith Valley Gardens brand available at The Galley Room on Main Street) turning occasionally and brushing with sauce (can use sauce mop) until brown and internal temp is 155F on instant-read thermometer (15-20 minutes, total) . Serve with warm extra sauce on the side.

Potato-Onion Packets

Slice 6 potatoes about one-fourth inch thick and put into large square double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Slice two large sweet onions onto the foil. Top with 1 Tbsp. butter and salt and pepper to taste. Wrap foil securely. Put 6 inches from coils and turn halfway through cooking. Grill for 40 minutes.

Tomato-Cucumber Salad with Basil Dressing

Serves 8

3 large tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks
1 large garden cucumber, peeled, cut into chunks
3 Tbsp. cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. sugar
One-fourth cup chopped fresh basil

Combine vinegar, oil and seasonings. Whisk. Pour over cucumbers and tomatoes. Let marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Corn on the Cob with lime butter

6-8 ears corn, husks stripped down, silks removed, husks returned to cover cobs.
1 stick butter, melted
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
Salt and pepper

Soak ears of corn in water for 10 minutes. Use a piece of husk to tie the husks at the top of the ear. Place on grill and cover; cook, turning, until husks are charred, 10 minutes. Remove and pull husks back. Return corn to grill, keeping husks off heat. Cover; cook, turning, until kernels are charred in spots, 10-15 minutes. Serve with butter and wedges of lime.

Grilled Pineapple with Rum Sauce

1 large, ripe pineapple, peel removed, cored and cut into slices, one-half inch thick.
Three-fourths cup brown sugar (packed)
One-half cup rum
One-third cup butter

Put sugar, rum and butter in saucepan and cook on medium heat until mixture boils; remove from heat. Lay pineapple slices (makes about 8) flat in large Pyrex pan that will accommodate them and pour sauce over pineapple slices. Heat grill. Place pineapple slices on grill, about 6 inches from coals and grill, turning, until pineapple is browned, but not burned. Remove and cut into tidbits. Return tidbits and sauce to sauce pan and reheat to bubbling. Serve on very hard vanilla ice cream.

This menu should keep everyone happy and relaxed, using a minimum of labor for a maximum eating experience—enjoy!

Grandma's Diary and Canning Peaches

The glorious Colorado peaches are in and unlike the iffy peaches from other places, they are really juicy, sweet and taste like the peaches of my childhood memories. If you are old enough you can remember when all the peaches were like that. I love them so that when I had an opportunity to buy in bulk I bought four crates.

What to do with four crates of peaches (and one of pears, I might add)? Well, something had to be done because they don’t last too long—they were pretty close to ripe when I took delivery. Unlike pears, peaches lend themselves very well to freezing, so that was my plan. I froze 2 ½ crates—choosing the ripest ones to process first and leaving the harder ones to ripen for a day or two. No way could I run the inn and freeze four crates of peaches in one day.

Then we took a trip to Minneapolis to visit my 90-year-old Dad. He surprised me with a diary written by his mother (and added to once a week by his dad) of their first year of marriage. The diary was started on January 1, 1917 and led up to their wedding on April 2, 1917. It ended on December 31, 1917. Perhaps the only way I can explain the effect it had on me is to quote from a few passages.

First to set the scene: Grandma lost her mother when she was 9 years old. Her father was an itinerant preacher and musician, so he parked his daughter in the farm home of a family named Mitchell near Dodgeville, Wisconsin. There she grew up as the hired girl for her keep, but ultimately became like a member of the family. I can remember visiting my grandparents and having “Grandma and Grandpa Mitchell” come for a visit. When Harry Dean left Magnolia, Minnesota (down in the southwestern part of the state, near Luverne), to earn his way, he ended up working the Mitchell farm one summer. There he met young Mamie Richards (Grandma). He came back for two more summers to work and also, I gather, to court Mamie. Then he signed on for year-round work on the farm.

January 1, 1917

Weather fine. 16 above. Windy. South wind. Washed clothes and cleaned upstairs. At Baileys for supper. Had roast chicken and spent the evening. Had a fine time. Kissed Harry goodnight and he kissed me and we both kissed together. Time: 10:30.

January 5,

Weather warm. North wind. I ironed today. Harry worked at wood all day. Kissed me before he went to work. I was home alone this afternoon. Harry wrote to his mother tonite. We sat up a little while this evening. Talked about matromoney (sic). Time 10:00.

January 7

Sunday. Weather cold and windy. West wind. We went to Sunday school this morning. No company today. Sat up this eve. Time: 10:00. One of my happiest days.

February 27

Weather warm and clear. Thawed. Harry hauled a load of furnature (sic) for Les Cutler to take up north. I washed clothes and cleaned kitchen floor. We figured up our accounts tonite. Time: 9 o’clock.


March 5

I went to town today and got my wedding garments. Folks all went in too and had their family picture taken. Harry stayed home alone and tended to things. I don’t know how much work he did because I forgot to ask him. We went to Literary practice tonite. Time: 10:20.

April 2 (Harry’s writing)

Big day. Place now Simons Hotel. Time 10 to Nine. Madison. Just got home from picture show. Arrived here about 5, had supper, then found room. We left home about 10 this morning. Was married at 12. Then had dinner at Mrs. Williams. Marie and Lino stood up with us. David was there. Had pictures taken at Fletchers, then walked to Williams. Chas. took us up to train. He and Dave riced us and here we are in our room ready to roost.

Harry, Mamie and Children
Burdette, Richard and Vernon

April 3. (Mamie)

Second day of our marriage. We spent the day roaming around in Madison. Are at Simons Hotel again tonite. Have had just a grand day. We went to movies tonite. They were good, only too sad. Going to bed now. Time 9 o’clock.


From that point on, the diary is a litany of the work they did. A few examples:

April 21

Harry cut and planted potatoes today. I baked cake, pies and bread, scrubbed floor and cement, planted lettuce, radishes and peppercress and helped make chicken pen. Harry and I went up after the mail tonite. Beautiful evening. I took a bath and Harry is taking one now. Time 9 o’clock.

April 24 (Harry)

Cloudy, quite cool with rain this eve. I plowed all day, Chas dragged. Mamie ironed, cleaned floor, ground horseradish. Time: 8:30, retiring. Everything is war. [World War I]

August: (various entries):

Harry threshed again today. I cleaned and scrubbed. Picked over beans,

Washed, baked bread, picked cucumbers and put some corn to dry. Harry soled 3 shoes and threshed today.

It goes on and on in the same way, threshing, baking, cleaning, making fences, cleaning the granary, hoeing, cultivating, scrubbing, and canning.

What does all this have to do with peaches? Well, Grandma was tragically killed in a car accident when she was 62 and I was 13. But I spent many summers of my childhood at their home in Magnolia. And one of the things that I remember best is being sent down cellar to get something for Grandma. First, the cellar was just that—wooden stairs leading down to a cement block and cement floor basement—all painted in gray marine paint—and clean enough to make her German ancestors proud. And shelves and shelves of gleaming jars filled with beans, peas, carrots, beets, cucumber pickles of all kinds, tomatoes, peaches and pears. I am sure there were other things as well.

After reading the diary, I was inspired to start canning peaches. And I discovered that I am my Grandmother’s granddaughter—I loved it! The procedure seems old-fashioned and I guess it is, but it is also rewarding in a way few things are. My rows of pickles (from last week’s column), peaches and pears—then pickled green beans, are lined up on my kitchen counter. I am enjoying looking at them there too much to put them away. Who knows what I will can next?

Here is how it’s done:

Wash sound, ripe, firm peaches. Be careful not to bruise them. Dip in boiling water till skins slip easily, about 1 minute. Or put peaches in large Dutch oven. Cover with water. Set to boil. When water has come to a slow boil, remove from heat and run cold water over all peaches in pan. Slip skins.



Halve peeled peaches (or slice, if you wish), and drop into a large bowl of water to which you have added lemon juice—or, use lemonade mix, adding about 4 Tbsp. per gallon of water.



Pack peaches carefully into hot, sterilized quart jars, using a wooden spoon handle to gently urge them into the jar, sunny-side-up. Leave ½ inch head space at top of each jar.



Make a light syrup: 2 cups sugar to 4 cups water. Yield 5 cups. Cover peaches with hot syrup, but keep the head space at the top. Use a table knife to chase out bubbles. Wipe jar tops with clean, damp cloth. Put lids on jars; screw down with bands.



Lower the jars of peaches into hot water in a large canner. It should come an inch over the jar tops. Cover canner. When water boils, start counting the processing time, 30 minutes for quarts of peaches. When the time is up take out the jars and set them on a folded towel. Let jars cool overnight. Test the seal. Label with the name of the produce and the date. Store the jars of peaches in a cool, dry place. Enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Women Are Wonderful

Women are wonderful! Oh, don’t get me wrong, I like men a lot, too—but there is something about getting together with women friends that is just a treat. Last weekend I went to a lake cabin retreat with seven other women who have played bridge together for about 25 years. We meet once a month in the winter but suspend our monthly meetings in summer and, instead, gather at one woman’s cabin on Ottertail Lake (near Fergus Falls) and have a great time playing cards, swimming, dancing to oldies, drinking a bit, and just enjoying the ambience of old friends. Oh yes, we also eat.


And these gals can cook, too. Boy, can they cook. I so look forward to bringing home at least two or three new recipes for my file and unfortunately, usually two or three extra pounds. But they’re worth it! This year everyone outdid themselves and I have a whole new collection of recipes. But since space is limited, I am going to share a couple that really stood out.

Everyone is taking advantage of the fabulous produce that is available now—our hostess has a garden full of her own. So, along with the main courses and salads, we had plenty of ripe juicy Minnesota-grown tomatoes, fragrant bunches of basil and as many cukes and zucchinis as we could eat or carry away. The salads that accompanied the main dishes were out of this world, but it would be difficult to strike out with the garden’s bounty at your fingertips. Fruit is so good right now—especially the melons and plums, cherries and some late raspberries. We just feasted.

This pasta dish was so good and so beautiful that we all were stuffed after dinner and could hardly get to our chairs to sit and play bridge.

Pasta with Peas, Asparagus and Pancetta (to serve 8) adapted from Bon Appetit magazine May, 2010

1 pound pasta such as rigatoni or penne
6 ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
4 cups frozen peas (do not thaw)
2 bunches green onions, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus additional for serving
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
6 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp finely grated lemon peel
½ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
½ cup thinly sliced fresh basil, divided

Cook pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot. Meanwhile, cook pancetta in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 2 tsp. drippings from skillet. Add asparagus to drippings in skillet; saute 3 minutes. Add peas, green onions and garlic, saute until vegetables are just tender, about two minutes. Remove from heat. Add vegetable mixture, ½ cup pasta cooking liquid, dark green parts of green onions, 1 cup Parmesan, cream, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon peel, half of parsley and half of basil to pasta. Toss, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if needed. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle pancetta, remaining parsley and basil over. Serve, passing additional Parmesan cheese.

The breakfast dish was an old-timer in our group that I had forgotten about; too bad, as I would have been serving it in the inn had I remembered it. Well, now I will and our guests will be the lucky recipients of an easy and delicious dish. Serve this dish with some scones or yummy bread, toasted, cut up fruit and crisp bacon or small sausages.

Egg Chile Stuff

10 eggs
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 16-oz. carton small curd cottage cheese (don’t use light)
1 pound grated Monterey Jack cheese
2 (4-oz) cans green chiles, chopped

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl by hand. Pour into a 9x13” pan, sprayed with vegetable spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. Some of the wonderful Minnesota-grown tomatoes sliced and arranged around the edge of the pan during the last 10 minutes would make it pretty and tasty!

Just a footnote to the women’s weekend: Everybody just takes a turn doing dishes, keeping things in order, taking showers, and in short, taking care of the place and themselves. There is no fuss or dodging or whining or forgetting. It is a time to appreciate the strong points of our female friends.

Right to Vote Day

The 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote, was passed on August 18 in 1920, although it didn’t go into effect until the 26th of August. It takes my breath away to think that there are still women living who were born before women could vote. We really have “come a long way, baby.” I can’t help but think that this “liberation” came about in part because World War I catapulted women into a new age of short skirts, light (almost no) underwear and freedom from slaving over a wood-burning stove, to name a few things. They finally had time to think about politics. World War I had a huge effect on the status of women at home just as World War II would have as large an effect on women in the workplace.


In a 1917 edition of Ladies’ Home Journal, almost all the articles are a call to action for women to help with the war:

What Mr. Hoover Asks Women to Do

Stop, before throwing any food away, and ask “Can it be used?” Order meals so as not to have too much. Have a proper balance of the most nutritious foods. Stop catering to different appetites. No second helpings. Stop all eating between meals. Stop all four-o’clock teas. Stop all refreshments at parties, dances, etc. Stop all eating after the theater. One meatless day a week. One wheatless meal a day. No young lamb; no veal; no young pigs or ducklings; no young meat of any sort. No butter in cooking: use substitutes. Personal marketing instead of by telephone.

Going further in the magazine, it became clear that the birth of the supermarket came directly out of WW I.

While hunting for some interesting food topics connected to women’s rights, I found that Fannie Farmer opened her cooking school on August 23, 1902. On the frontispiece of her new edition, July, 1923, she wrote:

Cookery means the knowledge of Medea and of Circe and of Helen and of the Queen of Sheba. It means the knowledge of all herbs and fruits and balms and spices, and all that is healing and sweet in the fields and groves and savory in meats. It means carefulness and inventiveness and willingness and readiness of appliances. It means the economy of your grandmothers and the science of the modern chemist; it means much testing and no wasting; it means English thoroughness and French art and Arabian hospitality; and, in fine, it means that you are to be perfectly and always ladies—loaf givers. ----Ruskin

With the progress of women’s rights the needs of the human body could not be forgotten.

And it still fell to women, at least in the home, to fulfill those needs. The changes in what she had at her disposal were huge. Before 1920, most women still cooked on wood-burning or coal gas ranges. The electric range and natural gas range emerged at the beginning of the century and were common by the time women had the vote. But even more significantly, the electric refrigerator replaced the ice box and a new array of frozen and refrigerated desserts and dishes was born. Katharine A. Fisher, Director of the Good Housekeeping Institute in June of 1928 wrote: “In making the best use of your refrigerator…plan the marketing so that milk, fruits, vegetables and other perishable foods will not have to be kept in the refrigerator more than a few days at a time. And, if possible, place the refrigerator in the kitchen, as you would any other piece of kitchen equipment. In any case, do not put it on the back porch where it will be exposed to sun and weather.”

Out of a beautifully illustrated volume, “Electric Refrigerator Recipes and Menus, Specially Prepared for the General Electric Refrigerator” comes this delightful dessert:

Coupes

Any ice cream, mousse or parfait served with crushed fruit or other sauce becomes a “coupe.” It is usually served from an ice cream scoop into a stem glass on a doiley on a plate. Fresh or canned fruit sweetened to taste or a sauce, such as the one that follows may be used. They are most attractive if contrasting colors are used for ice cream and sauce.

Strawberry Coupe

Hull and pick over strawberries. Mash, sweeten to taste, and put in the refrigerator to chill. Fill glasses half-full of strawberries, cover with Macaroon Mousse. (4 dry macaroons rolled fine and added to vanilla mousse).

Vanilla Mousse

Soak 1 tsp gelatine in 1 Tbsp. cold water; dissolve by placing cup in boiling water. Add slowly one-fourth cup milk, then add to three-fourths cup milk; add one-half cup sugar and a few grains salt and 2 tsp. vanilla. Strain into refrigerator pan and put in chilling unit. When beginning to stiffen, beat until light. Beat one-half cup heavy cream until stiff and gradually beat in the gelatine mixture. Freeze.

Well, it was a beginning.

Farmer's Market in August

“When the hills are green with spring, we think nothing can be more pleasant and satisfying, but now comes the time of ripening. The hills are brooding beneath the summer sun; most of the wild blossoms have come and gone. The wild fruit are in many stages of ripening…”—Roy Webster, Under a Buttermilk Moon: A Country Memoir.

There is something about the last week in August that fills me with the youthful anticipation of the new school year and at the same time the reluctance to let go of the freedom of summer. Everywhere there is the harbinger of change. In August, the light begins to wane, a golden haze covers the once-green fields and intense daytime heat usually succumbs to the whisper of cool nights forecasting the new season to come.

Now, too begins the season of the continual harvest. Tomatoes and corn, summer squash and cucumbers and peppers and eggplant and tomatoes and corn and corn and tomatoes. Just when you think it’s too hot to cook, you have your dinner at hand—sweet corn slathered with butter and sliced tomatoes. I have never tired of either.

The farmer’s market is the place to pick up your dinner daily—perhaps grill a chicken or steak if you have serious meat eaters in your family—but there is such a variety of vegetables that are so fresh and delicious that it is hard to go wrong. But for me, the meal is just fine with corn and tomatoes—and perhaps some really good homemade bread to wrap, buttered, around the hot ear of corn and—voila—your corn is buttered!

My Dad has a great weakness for corn fritters, which, oddly, my mother didn’t care for. As great a cook as she was, she had to be cajoled to make the corn fritters that Daddy loved. So last week, I took some of the delicious corn sold locally at the farmer’s market and trekked up to Edina to make my Dad some fritters. They were totally delicious! If you have never made them, do try, but be sure to follow these directions precisely.

Quoting from the cookbook where I found the recipe, “Despite the confusing but traditional name, these “corn fritters” are actually flour pancakes. Unlike many cakes, which tend to be associated with cold weather, they are a summer treat, at their peak in flavor when made with corn right out of the garden. As Marion Harland said about an earlier version in Common Sense in the Household (1871), ‘Eaten at dinner or breakfast, these always meet with a cordial welcome.’ At either meal, we like them with a side of another late summer favorite, slices of red-ripe tomatoes.” –A Real American Breakfast by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison.

Fresh Corn Fritters

Kernels and scrapings from 3 ears fresh sweet corn (about 2 cups)
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp. milk or half and half
1 and one-half Tbsp. butter, melted
3 Tbsp flour
1 scant Tbsp. sugar
Three-fourths tsp. salt
One-half tsp. baking powder
Vegetable oil and Bacon drippings
Softened butter

One of the old secrets to success with this and other fresh corn dishes comes from the way you carve the kernels from the cob. With an ear of corn standing upright, slide a medium knife down the ear, slicing off the top half of the kernels. Rotate the ear and repeat the motion until you’ve given the entire ear a trim. Turn the knife over on its dull top side and scrape down the ear again, pressing against the cob to release the thick, custardy milk. Use everything in the recipe except the scalped cob.

Mix the corn kernels and scrapings with the eggs, milk and melted butter in a medium bowl. Sprinkle in the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder and mix just until combined. Warm a griddle or a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Pour a thin film of oil onto the griddle. Add one-half to one teaspoon of bacon drippings to the oil. Pour or spoon out the batter onto the hot griddle, where it should sizzle and hiss. About 2 Tbsp. of batter will make a 3-inch cake. (Anything much larger tends to tear.) Make as many cakes as you can fit without crowding. Cook the pancakes until their top surface is covered with tiny bubbles but before all the bubbles pop, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until the second side is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding to the griddle as needed a bit more oil and bacon drippings. Serve immediately with softened butter.

Variation: Add 3 to 4 slices crumbled crisp bacon and one-fourth pound grated sharp Cheddar (about 1 cup) to the batter with the corn kernels. Serve with Spiced Honey or Maple Butter: Mix one-fourth pound of softened butter with 3 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup. Add one-fourth tsp. freshly grated nutmeg, anise, cinnamon, or a combination and a pinch of cloves or allspice.

Coffee Pecan Ice Cream Pie

Everyone loves ice cream and pie—pie a la mode, if you will—but what about an ice cream pie? August is an ice cream month; nothing sounds better in these sultry dog-days of summer than a big ice cream cone that you have to lick round and round to keep it from dripping. An even better idea is your favorite ice cream flavor scooped into a meringue shell and topped with a decadent sauce—no licking required—the perfect pie for the month of August.

Pies with meringue shells are called angel pies—I’m guessing that meringue shells are the clouds the angels float on. Whatever the reason, it’s a heavenly way to use egg whites and create a spectacular dessert. It’s also a good time to get out your ice cream maker and enlist the kids on one last project before school starts—making your own ice cream filling. It’s fun and s-o-o-o delicious. Here’s my favorite combination of flavors—all in one scrumptious angel pie.

Coffee-Pecan Angel Pie

1 pint purchased or home-made coffee ice cream
1 pint purchased or home-made vanilla ice cream

Coffee Pecan Ice Cream

½ cup hot (not boiling) water
1/3 cup coarsely ground coffee
Pinch of ground allspice
1 ¼ cups half and half
4 large egg yolks
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1 ¼ cups heavy cream

Pour the water over the coffee and let it stand for 5 minutes. Pour coffee into a pan through a strainer and add allspice and the half and half. Heat until almost boiling. Whisk the egg yolks and brown sugar together until pale and thick; add the coffee-flavored cream to the eggs, stirring continuously. Thicken and chill the custard in the refrigerator for two hours. Lightly whip the heavy cream until light and floppy but not stiff; then fold into the chilled custard. Meanwhile, prepare the nuts. Melt the white sugar slowly in a small, heavy pan; bring to a boil and heat until golden brown (being careful not to let it turn too dark or burn). Add the chopped pecans, carefully swirling to coat. Pour mixture onto a lightly oiled baking sheet. Leave until completely cold and hard; chop roughly or finely, as you prefer your ice cream.

Add the partially whipped cream to the coffee custard and freeze in your ice-cream maker according to directions, until thick. Add the chopped caramelized nuts and continue churning until ice cream is of a soft serve consistency. To insure perfect scoops for the pie, transfer ice cream to a container, using a flat-bottomed spoon or scoop to flatten each spoonful (hand packing). Freeze for several hours until hard.

Pie shell

2 egg whites
½ tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cream of tartar
½ cup sugar
½ cup finely chopped pecans

In large mixing bowl of mixer, beat together egg whites, vanilla, salt and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Very gradually beat in the granulated sugar until very stiff peaks form and sugar is completely dissolved. Carefully fold in the nuts. Spread the egg white mixture in a well-buttered 9-inch pie plate, building up the sides with a spoon to form a shell. Bake at 275 degrees for 1 hour. Turn off heat and let dry in oven (door closed) for 1 hour longer. Cool. Pile scoops of coffee pecan ice cream and vanilla ice cream into cooled meringue shell, alternating flavors and making as perfect round scoops as possible; freeze. Let the pie stand for 20 minutes at room temperature before serving. Serve with warm Caramel Sauce drizzled over each scoop of ice cream.

Caramel Sauce

3 Tbsp butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 6-oz. can evaporated milk (2/3 cup)
Dash salt
1 tsp. vanilla

In a small saucepan melt the butter over low heat. Stir in the brown sugar and evaporated milk. Add salt. Cook and stir mixture over medium-low heat until mixture just begins to boil. Remove sauce from heat; stir in vanilla. Cool slightly before drizzling over pie. Makes 1-1/3 cups sauce.

Freezing peaches

Last year I froze 20 quarts of peaches in less than 2 hours. My housekeeper bought a lug of peaches at the same time and had a terrible time with hers—vowing never to buy peaches in bulk again, even though she agreed wholeheartedly that they were much better than the ones you can buy in the supermarket. When I questioned her on the method she used, I understood why she hadn’t enjoyed herself. Then I realized that not everyone has done this dozens of times and may not know the easiest and best way to go about it. So for any of you readers that haven’t ever frozen a whole lot of peaches, but want to—here’s how:

Setting Up:
You will need one quart freezer bags (I like the zip-top), a 4 cup measuring cup or bowl, a giant-sized bowl (such as the Tupperware large plastic round bowl), a large pot with a wide bottom (10-12 inches in diameter), a meat fork, a medium-sized bowl that will hold 12 whole peaches, Countrytime brand lemonade mix (not sugar-free) and a sharp paring knife. At your stove you will need the large pot filled ¾ full of water, the meat fork and the medium-sized bowl. At your sink you will need the giant-sized bowl, the 4-cup measure, the paring knife, a small container to hold waste (I use an empty half-gallon plastic carton with a gallon-size plastic bag lining it) and the freezer bags.

Begin:
Set 12 peaches in the large pot in one layer (or however many will fit in your pot), fill with enough water to cover and an extra inch. Put on stove and bring to boiling. Turn heat to a steady simmer (you can see the water barely moving.) Simmer 1 minute. With the meat fork, transfer peaches to medium-sized bowl and take to the sink. Run cold water over peaches in bowl. Place 12 more peaches in simmering water. Fill giant-sized bowl with water about 2 inches below rim; add 2 scoops of lemonade mix to water. Slip the peach skins off peaches and discard skins in waste container. Place skinned peaches in lemonade bath. Bring second batch of peaches over to sink and run water over them; repeat until water bath has reached rim. Halve peaches with paring knife and discard pit in waste container. Slice peaches into 4-cup measure until you have 4 cups sliced peaches. Slide the peach slices into freezer bag, push out air and zip shut.

Continue:
Continue the sequence, putting new peaches in water and leaving them approximately 2 minutes (or while you slip skins), slicing and filling bags until all the peaches are done. Forty pounds of peaches will yield 19 4-cup bags (approximately.)

Finish: Label your freezer bags with the amount (4 cups per) the date and the product. Put them in your freezer and clean up the kitchen. Voila! You are done and you have a wonderful, delicious reminder of summer that will yield pies, smoothies, cobblers, crisps, fruit medleys, delicious alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks, frosty fruit soups, and topping for ice cream.

Here are a couple of recipes that you can try:

Peach Kuchen

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
½ tsp. salt, divided
½ cup butter
1/3 cup sour cream
4 cups sliced peaches, thawed
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup sugar

Mix 1 ¼ cups of the flour and ¼ tsp. of the salt. Cut in butter until pieces are about the size of peas. Stir in 2 Tbsp. sour cream. Press mixture into a baking pan (9 x 9 inches). Bake in preheated moderate oven (375deg.F.) for 20 minutes. Spread peaches on baked crust. Mix remaining flour, salt, and sour cream, egg yolks, and sugar. Pour over peaches. Bake in preheated moderate oven (375) for 35 to 40 minutes, or until firm. Cool; then chill and serve plain or with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired. Makes 8 servings.

Peach-Blueberry Cobbler

1 Tbsp. cornstarch
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup cold water
2 cups sliced peaches (fresh or frozen)
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup flour
½ cup sugar
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ cup milk
¼ cup soft butter

Mix first 3 ingredients; add fruits. Cook and stir until mixture is thick. Add 1 Tbsp. butter and lemon juice. Pour into 9” round cake pan or 9” square baking pan, sprayed with cooking spray. Put dry ingredients in mixer bowl. Mix on low for 30 seconds. Add soft butter and milk all at once; beat until smooth. Pour or dollop (makes the “cobbles”) over fruit. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. sugar and ¼ tsp. nutmeg over batter. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.