Peach Ice Cream

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

5-6 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced

1 1/2 cups white sugar

juice of 1 large lemon

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp almond extract

2 cups whipping cream (don’t use 1/2 & 1/2 or milk)

In a large bowl, mix together peaches, sugar lemon juice and the extracts. Allow to stand for 15 min, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Mash with a potato masher.

Measure out 2 cups mashed peaches. Reserve the remaining peaches in a small bowl and chill until very cold.

Puree the 2 cups peaches in blender, add heavy cream and pour into a clean bowl – cover and chill until VERY cold. I do this in the morning, and allow it to sit in the fridge. If you are in a hurry – put it into the freezer for about 20 minutes, but be sure to stir it occasionally so it doesn’t freeze to the side of the bowl.

Churn the cream/peach mixture according to your manufacturer directions. During the last few minutes of churning, add the remaining chilled peaches.

Put in airtight container in freezer. The ice cream is okay to eat now, as a REAL soft serve, but allowing it to set up in the freezer for a few hours improves both the texture and flavour.

Makes about 1 1/2 quarts.

All ice cream machines are slightly different – with the peach/cream mixture I determine how much more volume I can add with the peaches during the last few moments of churning time.

Zucchini Fritters with Lemon Mustard Aioli

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

2 medium zucchini
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon (1 lemon) freshly grated lemon zest
1/4 cup minced fresh herbs – flat leaf parsley, basil & chives
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Using the large holes of a box grater, grate zucchini into a medium bowl. If you have really juicy zucchini, make sure to drain out liquid by allowing it to rest in strainer, or wrap in a towel and squeeze liquid out. Add salt, lemon zest, chopped herbs, garlic, pepper, and eggs. Mix well to combine. Slowly add flour, stirring so no lumps form.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until oil sizzles when you drop a small amount of zucchini mixture into the pan. Carefully drop about 2 tablespoons zucchini mixture into pan; repeat, spacing fritters a few inches apart.
Cook fritters until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Turn fritters, and continue cooking until golden, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer fritters to a plate; set aside in a warm place. Cook remaining zucchini mixture, adding more oil to pan if necessary. Garnish with parsley sprigs and lemon wedges, if desired.
Serve with lemon/herb/mustard aioli.

Aioli: Combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp grainy dijon mustard, 1 tsp horseradish, juice of 1/2 a lemon, generous amount of freshly chopped herbs. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Fresh Peach Pie

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

Anything you make with these amazing peaches will taste fantastic!

3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup white sugar
1 cup orange juice
1 cup water
1/2 lemon, juiced
10 fresh peaches – peeled, pitted and sliced

Bake prepared pie shell at 450 for 10 minutes – be sure to frick with a fork, and place pie weights in so the shell doesn’t puff up. To guarantee a crispy, flaky pie crust brush lightly with egg white before baking.

Stir together the cornstarch and 1 cup of sugar in a saucepan. Stir in the orange juice, water and lemon juice. Warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally until thickened and clear. Remove from heat, and chill.
To assemble the pie, alternate layers of fresh sliced peaches with the chilled citrus sauce, beginning and ending with the sauce. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Peach Pie

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

One batch of my flaky pie crust

5 cups peeled and sliced peaches
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup unbleached flour or corn starch
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
1/8 tsp almond extract
1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
Milk or cream
1 sprinkle granulated sugar

Line pie shell with one layer of pie crust

Prepare peaches and drizzle with the lemon juice – lightly stir so they all keep that gorgeous color.

Mix dry ingredients, and lightly (very gently) toss with peaches.

Place gently on top of pie crust, dot with the butter and cover with the 2nd pie crust. Cut slits in the top to allow the juice and steam to escape. Brush lightly with the milk or cream and sprinkle sugar over top.

I always find pies take longer than any recipe says to bake them – maybe it is because I use a heavy bottom pie shell….

At any rate, bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 35 and bake for another 40 minutes. If you find the top crust getting too brown, lightly drape a tin foil sheet over top.

I only remove the pie from the oven when I can see the juice bubbling up out of the slits, and starting to look thickened, and the crust golden brown.

Peaches right off the tree can’t be beat!

All peaches have a different water content – if you have very juice peaches, either increase the amount of your thickener (flour/corn starch) or allow the peaches to sit in the lemon for a bit and then drain before tossing with the dry ingredients.

Peach Cream Cake

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

1 cup soft unsalted butter

2 cups white sugar

3 large eggs

2 3/4 cups unbleached flour – divided

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sour crem

1 tbsp vanilla

1 cup diced fresh (or frozen but not defrosted) peaches

1 cup icing sugar

2 tbsp whipping cream

1 tbsp orange juice

Prehat oven to 375

Grease and flour a 10 in Bundt pan

In medium bowl, sift 2 1/2 cups flour, baking soda and salt

In bowl of stand mixer cream butte and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Mix well.

Scrape the bowl, then slowly add the flour mixture to thewet mixture, scape again.

Toss the peaches with the remaining 1/4 cup of flour.

Scoop 1/3 of the batter into bundt pan and scatter 1/3 of the peaches, repeat twice, finishing with the batter.

Put in the oven, and turn the temperature down to 325. Bake for 60-75 minutes, – make sure a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow cake to cool for at least 20 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and allow to finish cooling.

Once cool – blend the icing sugar, whipping cream and orange juice and drizzle over top.

Italian Bread Salad (Panzanella)

Aside

This salad is the perfect way to really enjoy the fresh tomatoes and cucumbers in your garden right now!</h3>

Vinaigrette/Dressing

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic (at least!)
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake well to blend.

I like to at least double this recipe and keep it in the fridge – a really great, simple dressing that tastes fabulous on vegetables, grilled chicken or fish, or just plain greens.

1 cup bread cubes

2 cups roughly chopped vine ripened tomatoes

1 cup roughly cut cucumber

1 tbsp. capers

generous amount of fresh basil – torn into smaller pieces

very thinly sliced red onion

small amount of feta – crumbled

Toss all vegetables together with a small amount of the dressing and allow to rest just so the tomato juices flavor everything right through. I like to wait until just before serving before I add in the bread cubes and a bit more dressing – I love my croutons still crunchy!

For the bread I prefer to make croutons out of slightly stale bread – just chop them into your favorite crouton size piece and toss in a plastic bag with a variety of herbs, salt and Pepper – drizzle with a little olive oil and give it a good shake.

Toast in a toaster oven, or in a fry pan until the bread is really well toasted and crunchy – allow to cool.

Sunshine Morning Muffins

Posted on August 4, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

These muffins are a great start to any day – they are always delicious right out of the oven, but if possible, even better the next day.

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 1/4 cups unbleached flour

1 tbsp. cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut

3/4 cup dried fruit – cranberries, blueberries or raisins

1 large apple, peeled and grated

1 cup minced pineapple (or canned, crushed, if you want to make it easier!)

2 cups grated carrots

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

3 large eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 – bake in the lower 1/3 of the oven

Whisk together: sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in large bowl.

Add coconut, dried fruit, apple, pineapple, carrots and nuts – stir well.

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs with oil and vanilla. Pour into the bowl with dry ingredients and stir until blended.

Spoon batter into muffins tins – either lined with muffin cups or greased well. Fill to the brim.

Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for about 10 min before removing.

Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

Posted on August 4, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

It is really important to taste, taste, taste when you are making this vinaigrette – each different variety of sun dried tomato will give a different flavour. This should be FULL of taste, so if not – make adjustments.

1/4 cup drained, oil packed sun dried tomatoes – finely minced

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1/2 lemon (juice of)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp honey

1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Give all ingredients a good, vigorous shake in a jar and slowly add the olive oil. Taste and adjust for seasonings.

This is great on a tossed salad, and perhaps even better on a pasta salad. If you want a smoother texture, place all ingredients (except oil) in a blender and process for a few moments before slowly adding the oil.

SUSHI – (deconstructed and in a bowl!)

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

On a hot night like this it is hard to think of cooking, or even standing over a grill ….. in fact standing and rolling cold items like sushi seemed a bit of a stretch …. this was just perfect – so cold and refreshing and really hit the spot. Give it a try with any of your favorite sushi ingredients. Great for a family too – serve it the way I did – on a large platter and let each person make their own bowl up as they go.

SUSHI SAUCE

zest 1 lemon and 1 orange, and reserve

juice of each: 1 lemon, 1 orange

1 tbsp. brown sugar

On medium heat cook on a gentle boil for 2 minutes, stir in:

3 tbsp. soy sauce

3 tbsp. rice vinegar

Heat again on a gentle boil for about 3 minutes until it thickens slightly.

Taste!!!! I can’t say this enough …. you need to make sure the flavours are balanced, playing with each of the simple ingredients above. If you think it can stand a bit more citrus, add in the zest. If you like your sushi spicy, add in either wasabi paste or a minced chili pepper.

Toast nori sheets lightly, just until crispy. Slice in thin strips, and again dice if you like small pieces or leave it in strips.

Cook some sushi rice according to directions on rice

Finely slice whatever ingredients you like in your sushi

For us today this included:

imitation crab meat

shrimp

cucumber

carrot

avocado

cabbage

green onions

toasted sesame seeds

But really – use whatever you like! Put a little rice in the bottom of your bowl, assemble a few of each of the ingredients and lightly drizzle with the sushi sauce – have fun – you will love it!

Family Style Indian Curry Chicken

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

I know the title says chicken curry – but the sauce made an awesome Prawn Masala another day!

I don’t know how I have managed to forget about getting this recipe on here! It is a tried and true favorite, and as delicious as it is the first day – even better the 2nd. I always find my curry recipes make more sauce than needed on the first night and so the sauce will show up with a different protein or vegetable a couple days later – tasting amazing.

1/3 cup canola oil (or ghee)

2 cups finely chopped onions

3 inch piece of cinnamon stick

3 tbsp finely chopped garlic

2 tbsp finely chopped ginger

2 cups chopped tomatoes (or 1 large can)

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1 lbs chicken thighs, bone in

1 cup sour cream

1 cup water

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

In large pan, heat oil or ghee on medium heat until shimmering. Add onions and cinnamon – saute for 5-8 minutes until they have reached a rich, golden yellow color. Add garlic and saute for another few minutes. Add ginger, tomatoes, salt, black pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala and cayenne. Cook this over medium heat until the oil separates from the masala.

Wash chicken thighs well and add to the masala. Stir well and cook chicken thighs until they look cooked on the outside (about 10-15 minutes). Add sour cream and water – stir well. Increase heat slightly until it starts to boil,then turn down to gently simmer. Stir occasionally, and continue to cook until chicken is cooked through. (at least 30 minutes depending on the size of the chicken thighs)

Remove and discard cinnamon stick.

Stir in cilantro just at serving time and serve with basmati rice. We also love it served with Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower with Mint Cilantro chutney …. yummmmmmy.

Try this with cooking the masala, and then stirring in a vegetarian option of tofu or vegetables! Also amazing with any number of seafood options – pictured today here with prawns.

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