big beans and tomato vinaigrette.

Two weeks ago I returned from vacation in Portugal.  I want to write about it.  And I will!  At some point!  Mostly because people keep asking me for my itinerary (I think this is a testament to what an epic planner I am)  but I haven’t gone through all my photos and I’m still waiting on film to come back and I figure when I can finally digest everything, I’ll write about it.

Until then,  let’s talk about produce.  Specifically tomatoes. 

Most days I’m dreaming about tomato sandwiches.  Weekends are for making tomato confit in an effort to freeze a little bit of summer.  I’m spending a lot of money on heirloom tomatoes in every shape, size, and color.  There are worse vices you could have.   

I’ve made this dish twice since seeing it in the August issue of Bon Appetit.  I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love it - it can actually be a meal!  Especially if you round it out with some good bread and a couple of nice cheeses.  If you’re fortunate enough to live near a farmers market where you can get fresh beans, use them here. 

Big Beans and Tomato Vinaigrette

Recipe via Bon Appetit

For the Beans

Handful of oregano sprigs

Handful of thyme sprigs

2 bay leaves

8 oz. dried butter beans, rinsed, soaked overnight if possible

1 medium onion, halved

1 large carrot, scrubbed, coarsely chopped

Kosher salt

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

For the Vinaigrette and Assembly

10 oz. cherry tomatoes or 1½ cups chopped heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes

1 garlic clove, smashed

3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Kosher salt

2 lb. assorted heirloom, beefsteak, and/or cherry tomatoes

Freshly ground black pepper

Handful of basil leaves

Mild red pepper flakes (such as Aleppo-style or Maras)

Make the Beans - Tie together oregano, thyme, and bay leaves with kitchen twine. Combine beans, onion, carrot, and herbs in a medium pot. Pour in water to cover beans by about 4" and bring to a very gentle simmer over medium-high heat. Immediately reduce heat and cook at the barest of simmers, stirring hardly at all, until beans are creamy and tender at the center but not falling apart or mushy, about 1½ hours (this could take longer, depending on the beans). The key is to not agitate, which will help the beans maintain their shape. Remove pot from heat; season beans aggressively with salt. Gently stir in oil. Let cool. Drain beans; discard onion, carrot, and herbs.

Do Ahead: Beans can be made 2 days ahead. Keep in liquid; cover and chill.

Vinaigrette and Assembly - Purée cherry tomatoes in a blender. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in garlic, vinegar, and ⅓ cup oil; season with salt. Let sit 15–20 minutes, then pluck out garlic.

Transfer drained beans to a medium bowl and add vinaigrette; toss gently to coat. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Slice, halve, or quarter heirloom tomatoes and arrange on a platter or divide among individual plates. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil. Spoon beans along with plenty of vinaigrette over; top with basil and a few pinches of red pepper flakes.

jam bars.

This past weekend, I spent so much time eating outdoors.  A slice of pizza standing on a NYC street corner.  Salads and asparagus flatbread by the pool.  Focaccia sandwiches of roasted zucchini, kale pesto, and mozzarella in a hidden corner of Liberty State Park.   It was the kind of weather that beacons you outside.    Slight breeze, warm sun, freckled shoulders, bare feet.   

Come summer, I like making food that can travel well.  The kind of cooking that allows for spontaneity and spur of the moment park meet ups or alfresco dinners with friends.  As a natural introvert, I’m trying to set myself up to be more comfortable with asking people to do something on a really nice Sunday afternoon.   If the food can be flexible and adaptable, I like to think it’s possible I can be as well.  

To prepare for all of these impromptu picnics, I plan on having a batch of these bars in the freezer at all times between now and Labor Day weekend.  They are a dream – crispy and kind of cookie-like, filling but not heavy.  The right amount of sweet.  I filled them with a homemade cherry rhubarb jam (I cleaned out the freezer!) but I think they would be amazing with a strawberry jam or apricot jam come late summer.   

Jam Bars 
From Tartine All Day by Elisabeth Prueitt

1/2 cup/110g unsalted butter or coconut oil (vegan!), at room temperature
1/3 cup/85g smooth almond butter
2 Tbsp brown rice syrup or maple syrup
1 1/2 cups/150g rolled oats
1 cup/120g almond flour
1 cup/120g oat flour
6 Tbsp/90g granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp/340g jam 
1 tsp lemon juice
Pinch of sea salt
Sliced almonds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a 9 by 13-inch/23 by 33cm baking pan with parchment paper. Combine the butter or coconut oil, almond butter, and brown rice syrup or maple syrup in a large bowl and, using a wooden spoon, mix well.

Add the rolled oats, almond flour, oat flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla and almond extracts, and cinnamon to the butter mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. Divide the dough into thirds. Press two-thirds of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan and reserve the remaining one-third for the topping.

Stir together the jam, lemon juice, and salt and then spread the mixture evenly over the bottom crust.

Crumble the remaining one-third dough over the jam filling. If desired, scatter slice almonds on-top.   

Bake the jam bars until golden brown around the edges, about 35 minutes (push it a little bit, you don’t want them pale). Let the pastry cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting into bars.

The jam bars will keep, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 4 days (or in the fridge, which is kind of nice too).  Wrapped well, they will last for weeks in the freezer.  

tomatoes with spiced yogurt sauce, feta, and pistachios.

August.  (This is joy, this is summer.  Frank Ocean)

I haven’t been cooking so much as assembling things on a plate and avoiding the oven.  It’s been a fun game of figuring out how many ways you can eat raw corn and tomatoes (the answer is a lot of ways).  Most of my dinner inspiration has come from the Six Seasons cookbook.  If you don’t own it, I highly suggest you rush out to buy it.  It’s by far my most used cookbook and an endless source of ideas.  Joshua McFadden just gets vegetables much in the same way Yotam Ottolenghi does (his vegetable books are also fantastic).   He understands why pairing in-season produce with different textures and flavors will also result in a dish that is exciting.   

In taking inspiration from his cookbook, I’ve been challenging myself to come up with my own hot weather salads.  This dish was born from that challenge.   Sliced heirloom tomatoes are drizzled with a spiced yogurt sauce, pistachios, feta, and herbs.  The whole thing comes together in about 10 minutes and works as a side to sausages or BBQ chicken.  On its own, it also makes an excellent dinner for one on a hot summer night.   

Tomatoes with Spiced Yogurt Sauce, Feta, and Pistachios

3 -4 Medium sized heirloom tomatoes (or a combination of regular tomatoes and cherry tomatoes)

¼ cup yogurt

1 tablespoon olive oil

Juice of ½ a lemon

¼ tsp. Aleppo Pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

2 – 3  tablespoons toasted pistachios, chopped

¼ cup crumbled feta 

Mint leaves for garnish

In a small bowl combine the lemon juice, yogurt, aleppo, salt, and pepper.  Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.  The yogurt should be runny like half and half.  If too thick, add more lemon juice or a little water.   

Slice the tomatoes (or quarter if using cherry tomatoes) and arrange on a platter.  Season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with yogurt sauce and olive oil.  Sprinkle pistachios, feta, and mint leaves over the top.   Serve with bread for sopping up juices.   

blueberry, spelt, and oat scones.

If you are fortunate enough to find yourself invited to someone's house for the weekend, I strongly suggest you bring these.   

These are not cinnamon rolls or doughnuts or the kind of thing small children beg for.  They are not coated in sugar or filled with white flour.   They are instead the kind of scone I've always wanted.  Nutty, dense, and packed full of ingreadients that leave you full but not heavy.   They still taste good on day 3 (especially if you wrap them in tin foil and reheat for about 10 minutes in a 300 degree oven).   They have seasonal fruit and almond butter and can be baked directly from the freezer which is a good thing if you find yourself getting invited to the Hamptons, Jersey Shore, or somewhere else at the very last minute.   



Blueberry, Spelt, and Oat Scones
Recipe from the Violet Bakery Cookbook

2 cups whole grain spelt flour, plus more for rolling
1 1/2 cups oat flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice or lemon juice
1 tablespoon orange zest or lemon zest
4 heaped tablespoons (about 3.5 oz.) almond butter
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. To make the scones, whisk together the spelt flour, oat flour, sea salt, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the agave and maple syrup, the orange juice and zest and the almond butter. Pour in the melted coconut oil and whisk together. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients along with the blueberries. Mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined.

Allow the dough to rest for five minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a rectangle about 1 1/2-inch thick. Cut the rectangle into 12 triangles (I usually cut into 6 "squares" and then cut each square in half on the diagonal).  Chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bake the scones for 15 to 20 minutes until slightly golden. Serve immediately or let cool and freeze.  They are good from the freezer and reheated. 

coconut, almond, and blueberry cake.

The snow will just not stop.   I always imagined that I could live in a place (like Alaska or northern Maine) where winter truly existed for 6 months of the year but I've come to realize after I am not cut out for that life. It takes a truly special kind of person to live there.  Someone who is capable of not wanting to burn their snow jacket by the end of March.   

SO! If you're in need of a little bit of summer sunshine and looking for a remarkably easy cooking project on this snow day, this is the cake for you (especially if you are blessed with a freezer stash of last summer's blueberries).   This cake bakes up with a pudding-like consistency that makes me feel as if I am getting the best of two deserts in one.   The edges of the cake are firm but as you move towards the center it's soft and almost custardy with pockets of jammy blueberries throughout.   The coconut is not a typical addition but it really adds a nice textural punch and flavor to the cake.  I couldn't help but tweak and add some ground ginger because I love nothing more then the combination of lemon+ginger+almonds.   It's not necessary but it adds another flavor dimension that works.   

Here's to spring (hopefully) coming.   

Coconut, Almond, and Blueberry Cake

Recipe from Sweet: Desserts from London's Ottolenghi 

The original recipe called for 1 1/4 cups of sugar which seemed like more sugar then needed.  I dialed it back to about 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons and think I could go to 3/4 cup next time.  I've listed a range below.

I also dialed back the butter to 3/4 of a cup (from 3/4 + 2 tbsp) because I hate having random amounts of butter left.  There didn't seem to be any ill-affects from doing this so feel free to do the same!

12/3 cup /180g ground almonds/ almond flour

2/3 cup / 60g desiccated coconut

3/4 -  1 cup /150 - 200 g granulated sugar  

½ cup plus 1 tbsp/70g all-purpose flour

¾ tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground ginger

4 large eggs

¾ cup/173 g unsalted butter melted and cooled

1½ tsp vanilla extract

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon 

1 1/2 cups/225 grams blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1/4 cup/ 20g flaked almonds

Grease and line a 23cm/9-inch spring form cake pan. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.

In a mixing bowl add he almonds, coconut, sugar, flour, ginger, and salt and whisk to aerate and remove the lumps.

In another bowl add eggs and whisk lightly. Add the melted butter, vanilla extract and lemon zest and whisk again until well combined. Pour this into the dry mix and whisk to combine. Fold in 1 cup of the blueberries.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and then top with rest of the batter.  Scatter the remaining blueberries on top.   

Sprinkle with the flaked almonds and bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Keep a close eye on it towards the end of cooking.

Set aside for 30 minutes before inverting out of the tin, removing the baking parchment and placing the cake the right way up on a serving plate. It can either be served warm with cream or set aside until cool.

This will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container or wrapped in aluminum foil. It also freezes well for up to a month.

blistered green beans with tomato-almond pesto.

I made this dish on a whim earlier this week  and I am very glad I did.   

We buy most of our produce on at the Saturday farmer’s market and during the week before leaving for work, I perform a mental checklist of what’s in the fridge and what needs to be used-up and from there I build dinner.   If I’m feeling un-inspired or particularly bored with whatever I think I should be making I perform a Google search consisting of “NYTIMES or Bon Appetit + INSERT VEGETABLE HERE” and see what pop’s up.  Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t but whatever the outcome it usually helps me to come-up with some kind of game plan.    

This time it worked!

This is my new favorite way to eat green beans.   Cooked in a cast iron skillet until blistered in spots and tossed in a smoked paprika and tomato laced “pesto” that tastes like a combination of Romanesco and gazpacho.   It’s a bright, punchy, and the perfect side for grilled meat or fish.  

Blistered Green Beans With Tomato-Almond Pesto

Recipe from Bon Appetit

2 pints cherry tomatoes

¼ cup unsalted, roasted almonds

1 garlic clove, grated

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

3 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 pounds haricots verts or green beans, trimmed

Preheat oven to 450°. Roast tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet, turning once, until blistered and lightly charred, 15–20 minutes. Let cool slightly. Finely chop almonds in a food processor. Add garlic, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, cayenne, and half of tomatoes; pulse to a coarse pesto consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat 1½ tsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add half of beans; cook, undisturbed, until beginning to blister, about 2 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, tossing occasionally, until tender, 7–9 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Spread beans out on a platter; let cool. Repeat with remaining vegetable oil and beans.

Toss beans with pesto; season with salt and pepper if needed. Add remaining tomatoes and transfer to a platter.

Do Ahead: Dish can be made 3 hours ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature. Toss and adjust seasoning just before serving.

blueberry-buttermilk pie bars.

Now that we are in the throes of summer (and the proud owners of a balcony) we’ve been eating a lot of meals outdoors.  We bring Jackson’s dog bed outside so he can join us.  Jackson sits quietly and watches his surroundings.  As the meal nears the end he gets up to rest his head on my lap; waiting for the opportunity to lick the plate clean or get a some scraps of whatever it is that we are eating.   Being able to eat outdoors makes weekday dinners feel like a mini-vacation.  

Our new surroundings has also encouraged me to prepare meals that feel like picnics.   I’ve always had a fondness for meals composed of assorted things but in the summer it feels all the more appropriate.  Some kind of quick and easy salad with whatever produce is new that week (snap peas with radish and tahini dressing has been our recent favorite), a couple of cheeses from our local cheese shop, a piece of a baguette, and perhaps some sausage, leftover chicken, or prosciutto.   Depending on our mood and the day of week, we round out the meal with a beer or a glass of wine.   Meals like this are how I love to eat.   

We finish these meals with dessert (this is me after all).  The farmer’s market fruit has been out of control good this year and I’ve been eating so much of it – a lot of it by the handful but an equally large amount has been baked in crisps, crumbles, and pie bars (my favorite).   These blueberry-buttermilk pie bars have been a favorite around here.   More tangy they sweet and perfectly portable – they are the dream dessert for lazy July days and nights.     

Blueberry-Buttermilk Pie Bars
Recipe from Dorie's Cookies 

I don't doubt these would be really good with halved cherries instead of blueberries.   

For the Crust

3/4 cup (102 grams) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (67 grams) sugar
1/4 cup (33 grams) cornmeal (not coarse)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons; 4 ounces; 113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

For the Topping

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) buttermilk
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
Pinch of fine sea salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons (1 ounce; 30 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup (150 grams) fresh blueberries (though I nudged this up to 1 1/2 cups)

To make the crust: Have an 8-inch square baking pan at hand.

Put the flour, sugar, cornmeal, cornstarch and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to blend. Drop in the chunks of butter and work in long pulses — about dozen or so — until you have a moist dough that forms curds. Turn the dough out into the baking pan and use your fingertips to press it evenly into the pan. Put the pan in the refrigerator while you preheat the oven (it needs a short chill before baking).

Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F.

Bake the crust for 23 to 25 minutes, until it’s golden brown. Even though the crust will be baked again with the topping, it needs to be thoroughly baked now, so err on the side of more golden rather than less. Transfer the pan to a rack and allow the crust to cool completely.

If you’ve turned off the oven, return it to 350 degrees F.

To make the topping: Spoon the cornstarch into a small bowl and pour over 1/4 cup of the buttermilk. Stir until the cornstarch dissolves; this is a slurry, which will thicken the custard.

Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl until foamy. Add the sugar and immediately start whisking vigorously (you must beat sugar and eggs together quickly, or the sugar will “burn” the yolks and cause a film to form). Whisk in the salt and vanilla, then whisk in the slurry. When the slurry is fully incorporated, stir in the remainder of the buttermilk, followed by the melted butter. Scatter the blueberries over the crust and then pour on the topping. The blueberries will shift — they’ve got nothing to hold on to — so try to even them out by poking them with your fingers or a spoon; but give up if it’s not happening.

Bake the bars for 42 to 45 minutes, until the topping is puffed all the way to the center, brown around the edges and firm everywhere. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 20 minutes. Carefully run a table knife around the edges of the pan, place a piece of parchment paper over the pan and unmold the bar onto a rack. Remove the pan and invert the bar onto another rack to cool to room temperature; chill if you’d like. Just before serving, slide the bar onto a cutting board and, using a long, thin knife, cut 2-inch squares.

Storing: Covered and kept away from foods with strong odors, the bars will keep for a day or two in the refrigerator. However, like “real” pies, these are best the day they are made.

basil vinaigrette.

Despite the fact that we are undergoing a major home renovation that is making my life incredibly stressful, I can't stop myself from cooking.  Or, as has been the case in the last couple of weeks, "assembling" food so it resembles a meal and can be labeled "Dinner".  I've gotten really good at throwing odd bits of things plus whatever is fresh at the farmers market (Tomatoes!  Corn!) onto a plate and describing it as a composed salad.  So far no one is complaining.   

The key to this whole thrown it together meal thing is adding something special to the dish. Sometimes it's fancy cheese (I'm looking at you burrata) but lately its been this basil vinaigrette.  It's the easiest thing in the world and it is so good.  Seriously, we've been putting it on anything and everything including but not limited to - heirloom tomato and feta salads, tri-tip steak, roasted red peppers, roasted eggplant, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.  It just always works and I'm thankful for that.   

Basil Vinaigrette 
Recipe from David Lebovitz 

1/2 cup (125ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 small shallot (25g) peeled and sliced or 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon kosher or flaky sea salt
2 cups loosely packed (25g) fresh basil leaves

Put the olive oil, vinegar, water, shallot, mustard, and salt in a blender. Coarsely chop the basil leaves and immediately put them in the blender.

Cover the blender and mix on high-speed for 15 to 30 seconds until the vinaigrette is smooth. If the sauce is too thick for your liking, add a little more water or olive oil to thin it out.

Serving and storage: The basil vinaigrette can be used right away or will keep for a week in the refrigerator. It’s best served at room temperature.

andalusian gazpacho.

It's f-ing hot.   Not just hot but humid, muggy, and all around awful.  I just want to sit in a pool with an icy cocktail and a good book.    

In this weather, food just isn't appealing which is why I've found myself consuming gazpacho with abandon. Gazpacho is one of those things you either love or hate.  I personally love it.  It's refreshing yet satisfying, the way watermelon and ice cream is when the temperature are nearing 100 degrees.   

This particular gazpacho recipe is my go-to and has been for the last couple of years (it's a good way to use up any tomatoes that are nearing the end of their life).  The addition of smoked paprika, sherry vinegar, and olive oil results in an incredibly flavorful and well-rounded soup that I can't get enough of.   It makes for a perfect summer starter but I have no problem consuming a bowl of it as my meal.  

Andalusian Gazpacho
Recipe adapted from Serious Eats 

The original recipe is a little finiky since it has you freeze the vegetables so thee soup, after being blended, is already chilled and ready to eat.  I omit those steps and just place the soup in the fridge for an hour to chill it (a lazy person's approach and I'm ok with that).   I omit the onion because I loathe the flavor of raw red onion - if you aren't opposed to it, feel free to add it in.  Also I added in a little smoked Spanish paprika because I love that flavor with sherry vinegar and tomatoes.  

3 pounds (about 4 large) very ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into rough 1-inch chunks
1/2 pound (about 1 small) cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into rough 1-inch chunks
1/3 pound (about 1 small) small red onion, peeled and cut into rough 1-inch chunks (optional)
1/3 pound (about 1 medium) green or red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into rough 1-inch chunks
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
4 ounces (about 2 slices) white sandwich, French, or Italian bread, crusts removed, torn into rough 1-inch pieces (see note)
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (spicy or sweet)
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons finely minced chives
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine tomatoes, cucumber, onion (if using), pepper, garlic, salt, and bread in a large bowl and toss to coat thoroughly. Let sit at room temperature for 30 - 45 minutes.

Working in two batches as necessary, blend vegetables, juices, and bread at high speed, slowly drizzling olive oil and sherry vinegar into blender as it blends. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and add the smoked paprika. Place the soup in the fridge until cool.  Serve, drizzling each bowl with olive oil, a few sprinkles of sherry vinegar, extra cracked black pepper, and chives. Gazpacho can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

cheddar black pepper cornbread.

I'm missing.  I know, I'm sad about it.   6 days to close and my life has suddenly turned into a haze of e-mails, phone calls, and more e-mails.  I'm a juggling machine and constantly reminding everyone of what they need to do and when they need to do it and where they need to be.   (My project management skills have come in handy for something other then my day-to-day job.)  I just keep reminding myself to breathe and that the end is in sight for Phase 1.   

And then we start Phase 2.  

As enjoyable as looking at tile and paint colors is, it's stressing me out.  In the age of Pinterest, you tend to second guess yourself.  I have a remarkably good gut instinct but it has begun to feel challenged by the endless options available to me.   I have a vision in my head and I know it will come to life, I just have to be patient and hold-out for what I really want.   

But let's talk about fun things like cornbread.  This cornbread is different then the traditional variety because you treat it more like a scone.  The resulting bread is buttery and crumbly with pockets of cheddar and black pepper.  It begs to be paired with baked beans and broccoli slaw because what's summer without some cornbread?   

Cheddar Black Pepper Cornbread
Recipe from Food 52

3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (166g) sugar - I dialed the sugar back to about 130 grams 
1 cup (144g) cornmeal, preferably coarse
1 tablespoon (12g) baking powder
1 teaspoon (6g) baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons (10g) salt
1 1/2 cups (150g) grated aged white cheddar
8 ounces (240g) butter, cold and cubed
3/4 to 1 cups buttermilk
Heavy cream, cracked black pepper and Maldon (or other flaky) salt for finishing 

Combine the first seven ingredients in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until just combined, with pea-sized chunks. Add buttermilk and pulse until dough forms. Let chill for an hour. 

Heat the oven to 350° F. Press dough evenly into a 9x9-inch baking pan. Brush with cream and sprinkle with Maldon sea salt and cracked black pepper. Bake until the top is golden brown and the sides start to pull away from the pan, about 25 minutes.

bourbon chile sweet and smoky bbq chicken.

BBQ chicken is quintessential summer eating that I have the tendency to avoid.  It's not that I don't love BBQ chicken slathered in a tomato based sauce, it's just that most BBQ sauce is awful.

So awful.

Sauce where the only flavor is sugar (I'll save my sugar for dessert thank you very much).  Most are one dimensional and lack the complexity that I would expect from something that could be loaded with any number of exciting flavors.

Like this sauce which is chock-full of pretty much everything I find delicious in this world - namely bourbon, peaches, and chile.  The chicken gets marinated in part of sauce overnight which helps to tenderize and inject it with flavor.  The next day you cook it and baste it with more sauce.  The resulting chicken is tender, flavorful, and incredibly addicting.  It's BBQ chicken you will actually want to eat.   

Bourbon Chile Sweet and Smoky BBQ Chicken
Recipe from Tasting Table

For the BBQ Sauce

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ small yellow onion, minced
1- 2 red Thai chile—stemmed, seeded and minced
⅔ cup ketchup
¼ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup bourbon
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons peach preserves
1 tablespoon honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Chicken

One 3-to-4-pound chicken, broken down into 8 pieces
1½ cups bourbon-chile barbecue sauce, divided (it will use all the BBQ sauce you make)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Make the BBQ Sauce: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion and chile, and cook until lightly golden, 8 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until thickened, 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely before using to marinate or baste.  Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Marinate the Chicken:  In a plastic bag, combine the chicken and ¾ cup of the barbecue sauce. Seal the bag closed and massage the barbecue sauce onto the chicken. Refrigerate overnight.

Cook the Chicken: The next day, light a grill. Remove the chicken and scrape off any barbecue sauce on the skin. Rub the chicken with the vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken on the grill, skin-side down, and cook, flipping once, until charred, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Brush with the remaining barbecue sauce, then transfer to a cooler spot on the grill. Cook, covered, until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 160º and the barbecue sauce has caramelized, 10 minutes more. Transfer to a platter and let rest 5 minutes, then serve.

Alternatively, if you are not blessed with a grill, this can be made in the oven via the Smitten Kitchen method.   Simply place pieces of chicken on two very large pieces of foil, large enough to fold over chicken and form packets.  Turn the chicken pieces so their meatier sides are down, and tightly fold the foil around them to make two large packets.

Place two cooling racks (which will act as baking racks) on two baking sheets (one on each). Place a chicken packet on each and place one sheet on an upper oven rack and one on a lower. Bake chicken for 1 hour, then rotate baking sheets. Bake for another 30 to 60 minutes, until the internal temperature of the thickest part of each chicken reads 155 degrees.  Finish the chicken by heating the broiler. Carefully open each packet of chicken and discard accumulated juices. Arrange chicken pieces on open foil packets, coat with additional BBQ sauce, and run each tray under the broiler until lightly crisped at edges and cooked through. Place on serving platter.

peach crumble slab pie.

I feel really bad that I don't have a picture of the final product but it's been one of those weeks.  The best I can offer you is this picture which you will hopefully find just as enticing as a photo of the end result.   (UPDATE - I was able to get a picture of the last slice!  See below.)

I've developed somewhat of a love affair with slab pie.  I like that it's portable and capable of feeding a crowd.  It just begs to be consumed on a blanket in the middle of the park.  And a peach pie slab pie? Well that just says August.  

This one is absurdly good.  6 POUNDS OF PEACHES get nestled in a buttery crust and topped with a spiced crumble.  It's an epic pie perfectly capable of feeding the masses and an incredible way to close out the summer.  

Peach Crumble Slab Pie
Recipe from the NYTimes

So!  I halved the recipe (it halves brilliantly).  In the original recipe it stated it serves 12-16 (for a 9x13 pan).  I think I would serve closer to 18 - 24.  I guess I like dainty pie slices?    

For the Crust

2 ½ cups/300 grams all-purpose flour, more as needed

¾ teaspoon/4 grams fine sea salt

2 ½ sticks/10 ounces/285 grams cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

4 to 6 tablespoons ice water, as needed

For the Filling

6 pounds ripe peaches, nectarines or a mix, pitted and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks

1 ¼ cups/135 grams packed light brown sugar, more to taste

⅓ cup/50 grams instant tapioca

Zest of 3 lemons

3 tablespoons/45 milliliters fresh lemon juice

1 ½ teaspoons/5 grams finely grated nutmeg

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped, or 1 teaspoon/5 milliliters vanilla extract

1 teaspoon/6 grams fine sea salt

For the Crumble Topping

1 ½ cups/180 grams all-purpose flour

1 cup/200 grams packed dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons/10 grams ground cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons/3 grams ground ginger

½ teaspoon/3 grams fine sea salt

1 ½ sticks/6 ounces/170 grams unsalted butter, cubed

In a food processor, briefly pulse together flour and salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture forms chickpea-size pieces (6 to 8 1-second pulses). Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time and pulse until mixture is just moist enough to hold together. Form dough into a large ball. Wrap with plastic and flatten into a disk. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Using a lightly floured rolling pin, gently roll out dough to an 11-x-15-inch rectangle, dusting with flour if dough is sticking. Fold dough in half and transfer to a 9-x-13-inch baking dish. Carefully press crust into the bottom of the pan and completely up the edges so it’s flush with the top of the pan (you don’t need to crimp the dough). Return crust to refrigerator while you prepare the filling and crumble topping.

For the Filling: In a large bowl, toss together peaches, sugar, tapioca, lemon zest and juice, nutmeg, vanilla and salt. Let stand 20 to 30 minutes. Taste and add a little more sugar if needed.

Meanwhile, heat oven to 425 degrees. Place a large rimmed baking sheet on the oven floor to preheat. Arrange one oven rack on the lowest position and a second rack in the center position.

For the Crumble Topping: Whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Mix in butter with your fingertips until mixture is uniformly moist and comes together in large clumps.

Spoon filling into crust and top with crumble. Move baking sheet to the lowest rack and place pie on baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Move baking sheet with pie to the center rack. Continue baking until pie is golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 1 hour. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Note: Measurements for dry ingredients are given by metric weight for greater accuracy. The equivalent measurements by volume are approximate.

kale and peach salad.

Besides a pool, the thing I long for most come summertime is central air.  Central air spoiled me because IT IS THE GREATEST THING EVER.  Window air-conditioners just don't satisfy the way air pouring out of a vent from a wall does.  And unless you are one of the lucky ones to have access to such a luxury, you don't turn on the oven during that summer stretch of awful sticky and humid 90-degree days.  Trust me.  There is nothing worse.  

For that reason dinner becomes a series of meals centered around raw and refrigerated food.  It forces you to get creative.  Salad creative that is.  I can't even begin to tell you how many ingredients I have tried throwing into a pile of lettuce.  There have been some misses, but for the most part salads are pretty forgiving. The real fun is when you hit upon a combo that just works.  The salad itself becomes satisfying and you find yourself eating the entire platter.

There is no formal recipe for my new favorite but the beauty of a salad is it shouldn't require you to be precise. This one takes full advantage of the August farmers market bounty and is a nice way to incorporate those crazy good peaches in a savory way.   

Kale and Peach Salad

I'm one of those people who likes a lot of add-ins (this is why I always have a high proportion of toppings to actual Fro-Yo).  Feel free to use the lesser amounts of pistachios and blue cheese if you are not as topping happy as me.  

Serves 2 as a meal  

One small bunch of Dinosaur kale, center ribs removed and thinly sliced (about 4 cups)

1 peach, washed, halved, pitted and thinly sliced

1/3 - 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (the best is Jasper Hill's Bayley Hazen Blue)

1/4 - 1/3 cup pistachios

1 tablespoon pepitas 

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar + additional for drizzling at the end

2 tablespoons olive oil + additional for drizzling at then end

Place the kale in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Toss with the olive oil and sherry vinegar. Let sit for a couple of minutes and then spread on a platter.  Top with the sliced peach, blue cheese, pistachios, and pepitas.  Season with additional salt and pepper and drizzle some extra olive oil and sherry vinegar over the top.  Eat.  

roasted tomatillo salsa.

People with garden's enjoy giving Tyler and I whatever overflow they have (clearly they are aware there is a cook in our home).  So far we've been lucky to receive zucchini, green beans, basil, rhubarb, and most recently habaneros.  Tyler came home with the three habaneros in a zip-lock bag and a warning that they were hot.

Of course I decided there was no way they were going to be as hot as the recipient stated.  Which is why all three went into the tomatillo salsa I made yesterday.   

The resulting salsa was a slow burn kind of salsa.  Not a bad thing but maybe not for everyone (which is why I suggest one or 2 habeneros in the recipe below unless you like a slow burn and then by all means add 3).  The salsa itself is bright and flavorful (in season tomatillos and cilantro will do that).  Perfect on a tortilla chip as an afternoon snack as well as on steak tacos for an epic summer dinner.  

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Recipe adapted from Rick Bayless

Servings:  1 cup

8 – 10 ounces (3 to 4 medium) tomatillos husked and rinsed Fresh hot chiles (1 or 2 serranos or 1 jalapeno or 1 – 2 habaneros), stemmed 2 large garlic cloves, peeled 6 sprigs of fresh cilantro (thick bottom stems cut off), roughly chopped 1 small white onion, finely chopped Juice of ½ a lime Salt

Roast the tomatillos, chile(s), garlic, and onion on a rimmed baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler, until blotchy black and softening (they’ll be turning from lime green to olive), about 5 minutes.

Flip them over and roast the other side. Cool, then transfer everything to a blender, including all the delicious juice the tomatillos have exuded during roasting. Add the cilantro and lime, then blend to a coarse puree. Taste and add salt as necessary.  Eat with abandon.