The Colors of Summer with Tomato Crumble and White Peach, Lychee and Red Berry Pops

As I was saying...

I love summer. But mostly, I love the summers in cooler climates. I long for the crisp morning sun, afternoon naps with the windows wide open, just like I remember. I don't mind the heat, but I do need a break from it.

I am obsessed with all the reds, different ranges of blues, turquoise... The color of crushed berries and the ocean.



I took the day off from work one morning last week. I packed a picnic to take to the beach with the kids. Manchego and membrillo sandwiches, fresh cherries, and slices of olive oil cake. The beach was nearly empty and the skies threatened rain. Perfect really.

But it was also very, very hot. So hot that after an hour, Jon complained about it. "Can we go home now? It's just too hot amatxu!"

I couldn't agree more.



When we arrived home, we decided to just have our picnic under the tree behind our house. A quick one as the midday heat was still menacing.

I pulled out some savory crumble from the freezer and mixed it with black cherry tomatoes and sliced Brillat Savarin. Remember this heirloom tomato and almond crumble tart from last year? Something similar.

In 15 minutes we had tomato crumble, cheese sandwiches, and fresh cherries. As fast as we ate it, we were back inside.



The kids were running around in the kitchen. Restless. Jon chasing after Miren, always trying to get some kind of reaction from her. It was chaos and sometimes the only way I get to keep them quiet is by letting them help me cook.



"Bring your chair Jon" I asked him. He stood next to me as I was peeling the white peaches and the lychees. "I will help you with those red ones" he said. I don't think he had ever seen a lychee until that day and by the look on his face as he tried to peel one, he was not a fan.

"It will be good, I promise" I assured him.

We blended the peaches, lychees and yogurt to make some faux ice cream pops.



I don't think we left the air-conditioned house the rest of the afternoon. Lots of crayons, sheets and sheets of paper, a game or two of Go Fish, and some popsicles.

I suppose we are creating summer memories as is.



On another note, I am super excited to tell you about our feature in the new special summer issue of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine. A party we threw at our friends Lena and Ted's house with lots of food, some fishing, and pool time. I styled it and it was beautifully photographed by the amazing John Kernick. I hope you have a chance to pick it up. It is full of wondeful summer stories.

Thank you!

White Peach, Lychee, and Raspberry Pops

Makes 8 popsicles

1 cup (125 g) raspberries
1/4 cup (50 g) natural cane sugar
2 white peaches, peeled, pit removed, and diced
6 fresh lychees, peeled and pit removed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup (50 g) caster sugar
1 1/2 cups (175 g) full-fat, Greek-style yogurt

Start by placing your molds in the freezer.

Cook the raspberries and cane sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat until it thickens, about 3 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and let it cool completely. Once cooled, pour in the popsicle molds coating the sides. Return molds to freezer.

In a blender, puree the white peaches, lychees, lemon juice, caster sugar, and yogurt. Pour in the popsicle molds and freeze until solid.

To serve, run hot water on the sides of the mold to help release the pops.

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The Colors of Summer with Tomato Crumble and White Peach, Lychee and Red Berry Pops

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Summer Heat

I love summer.

As far as I can remember, it has always been my favorite season (well... maybe right after autumn). I love its colors, the fruit, the long and lazy days, sunshine, water... But Florida is hot. Really hot, which means outdoor activities are kept to a minimum. Instead we try to find ways of staying busy indoors and take abundant trips to the pool.

We also make lots of ice cream.

I will share this recipe with you soon, but in the meantime, I wanted to say hello.

Hope summer is good to you!

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Summer Heat

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How To Stay Cool

Summer approaches and the heat is already getting to me.

This is the time when all I can think about is fresh fruit, chilled soups, salads, and lots and lots of sorbet pops.



I bought the first saturn peaches of the season a few days ago. They are nature's candy, if you ask me. (I seem to say that about all fruit, don't I?). Soft, full of water, and sweet. We have been enjoying them sliced for breakfast every morning.

"Let's make an orange and peach smoothie" Jon asked. It hit the spot after we came back from a swim.




It has been so hot that I barely turn on the oven at home. We grilled outside and I made a few salads with ingredients from the farm.

The kids and I went to pick tomatoes at the farm early in the morning. I guided them on which ones to pick and they quickly got the hang of it. Even as early as nine in the morning, it was unbearable to stand out in the sun, and we left quickly, just after saying hello to the baby goats and chickens.



Back at home, we turned the tomatoes into a mid morning snack. Drizzle of olive oil, squeeze of lemon juice, and a touch of pink salt.

For lunch, a refreshing red lentil, salmon, radish, and fennel salad inspired by a recipe I had seen at Elle à Table.

"No dessert?" C. asked. "It's too hot to bake" I replied.

All I got was a look.



So I pulled out some mulberries from the freezer and made a quick batch of mulberry, millet and poppy seed cakes. And to take advantage that the oven was on, I ended up baking a galette with leftover tart dough from a recipe for the book, saturn peaches,and raspberries.



And summer is almost here.

Mulberry, Millet and Poppy Seed Cakes

Makes 18 cakes

1/2 cup superfine brown rice flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/3 cup almond flour
1/4 cup potato starch
2 Tbs tapioca starch
1 Tbs poppy seeds
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup natural cane sugar
1/3 cup applesauce
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/3 cup melted ghee
1/2 cup mulberries (mine were frozen)

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the first nine ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the rest of wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until incorporated. Fold in the mulberries.

Pour the batter into muffin molds lined with baking papers. bake for 18 to 20 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes out dry.

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Red Lentil, Salmon and Fennel Salad

Serves 4

1 cup red lentils, rinsed several times
8 ounces sockeye salmon
5 Tbs olive oil
1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
6 radishes, thinly sliced
Arugula
Watercress
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Place the lentils in a medium saucepan and cover them with cold water plus 1 inch. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover the pot, and cook the lentils for 8 minutes until they are al dente. Drain them and rinse them in cold water. Reserve.

In a medium saute pan, heat 1 Tbs of live oil over medium heat. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Place the salmon skin side down. Cook for 3 minutes. Turn it over and cook it for 1 to 2 minutes longer depending on the thickness. Turn onto a clean plate and let it cool. When cool enough to handle, flake it with a fork and reserve.

In a large bowl, toss together the red lentils, salmon, fennel, radishes and greens. Make a quick vinaigrette with the dijon, lemon juice and 1/4 cup olive oil. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad. Season with salt and pepper. Toss well and serve in glass jars.

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How To Stay Cool

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Butterscotch Smoked Almond, Raspberry Vanilla and Peach Basil... A Trio of Frozen Treats

Summers are always full of activity and hassle around here. I have been meaning to write about these ice creams and sorbets for days now, but something always seemed to come up. And aren't summers about relaxing and not rushing anyway?

The oven has been turned off for the most part. This heat and humidity deserve nothing but a freezer full of frozen treats and that is what we have been up to. As I mentioned to you in my last post, I spent an entire day in the kitchen making ice cream and sorbet bases. This is when I wish I had a commercial grade ice cream maker or even better, a PacoJet.



There are very different palates in this household so when it's time for ice cream, I must take into account everyone's preferences. The fact that I cannot have any dairy at the moment, certainly limits my choices of ice cream. That is really not that big of a deal as I prefer fresh fruit sorbets in the summer when fruit is so luscious.

These peaches were super ripe and juicy. I love their color once they were blanched and peeled. So bright. I made a simple syrup flavored with some of my own thai basil and lemon thyme and then added the pureed fruit. Once frozen I served it with a little bit of raspberry syrup and fresh raspberries. Amazing.



When we move to C's flavor territory, he wants chocolate, vanilla, nuts, caramel... All those flavors that I reserve for colder months. I had to grant his wish for ice cream sandwiches with gluten free fudge cookies and butterscotch and smoked almond ice cream. For a minute, I almost licked the spoon as I was making the butterscotch anglaise with all that muscovado and vanilla bean. Almost.



J. is always simple. Vanilla ice cream. Not many add-ons or texture contrast. He is a boy of simple needs, but I did sneak in some raspberries in there for these vanilla and raspberry swirl ice cream cones. The cones were also used as bribing mechanism to prolong a modeling shoot I had with miss D. She was a trooper, but once she was done with the ice cream, that was it. She was done, done.



Our sumer travels begin this week with our trip to Seattle where I will be visiting family, friends and teaching a small workshop. The class is full and I hope it doesn't disappoint. I can't wait to get there and smell the rugged Pacific NW sea. It has been too long.

Peach, Basil and Lemon Thyme Sorbet

600 grams fresh peach puree (from about 6-7 peaches)
150 ml water
150 grams sugar
Juice of half a lemon
1-2 Tbs fresh basil and lemon thyme leaves, to taste

Make a syrup with the water and the sugar by bringing them to a boil. When sugar dissolves, turn the heat off, add the herbs and let them steep in the syrup for a couple of minutes. Taste it to see the intensity you like. Strain the syrup and let it cool completely. Refrigerate for an hour or until chilled.

Blanch the peaches in boiling water for a few seconds to peel the skins. Shock them in ice water. The skin will come right off. Cut the flesh and puree it in the food processor. We want about 600 grams of puree.

Mix the peach puree with simple syrup and lemon juice. Churn in ice cream machine. Add a few leaves of lemon thyme at the end if you would like. Freeze.


Butterscotch and Smoked Almond Ice Cream

450 grams heavy cream
250 grams whole milk
1 vanilla bean, scraped and seeded
75 grams butter
150 grams muscovado sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6 egg yolks
125 grams smoked almonds, coarsely chopped

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter with the muscovado. Don't caramelize it or it will turn bitter, only melt them. Add the heavy cream, milk and salt and bring them to a boil.

Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl and temper the liquid into them. Return the custard back to the pot and cook on low heat until it reaches 84C or 183F. Strain the custard through a fine sieve and chill it over an ice bath. When cooled, refrigerate the mixture overnight. Churn it in the ice cream machine and add the chopped smoked almonds at the end. Freeze.


Vanilla and Raspberry Swirl Ice Cream

500 grams whole milk
140 grams heavy cream
150 grams sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
6 egg yolks
175 grams raspberries
40 grams sugar

Place the whole milk, heavy cream, vanilla bean and half of the first amount of sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. In the meantime, whisk together the egg yolk and the other half of sugar in a medium bowl. Temper the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks while whisking. Return this to the pan and cook to 84C or 183F. Strain the ice cream base through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and chill over an ice bath. When cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

In the meantime, macerate the raspberries with the 40 grams of sugar (even mash them a bit) until sugar dissolves and juices come out.

Churn the vanilla ice cream base in the ice cream machine. When finished, add the raspberries, mix and transfer to a container and freeze.

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Butterscotch Smoked Almond, Raspberry Vanilla and Peach Basil... A Trio of Frozen Treats

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Saturn Peach and Pistachio Nougat Ice Cream for the Last Days of Summer

Although we still have a few weeks left before we transition into autumn, it seems for us, summer is over as soon as school starts. It will be a new school year, a new school, new friends and all sorts of new adventures and I am ready for it. I am ready for the routine.

This past weekend we celebrated the end of summer with extra hours at the pool and an ice cream party. We still have many days of heat ahead of us, but it was a good way of making the little ones understand the changes that are ahead for them.



It has been the summer of fruit for me. I can't even remember the last time I made a chocolate recipe in this blog. That has not been one of the cravings during this pregnancy, but fruit... yes, plenty of it.

I waited a long time for saturn peaches this time around. They haven't been as abundant in our markets, but I finally found some beautiful ones this week. I'm not sure if technically this is correct, but saturn peaches seem sweeter to me than any other stone fruit. Could this be true? Or maybe it's just my memories of eating them at the beach during my childhood. Nevertheless, I always get extra excited when I find them and this time was no exception.



As I have mentioned many times before, I have a weakness for pistachios. I thought it would be great to create a chunky ice cream with fruit and pistachios. The ice cream recipe is from David Lebovitz's "The Perfect Scoop" and I love the slight tanginess that the sour cream adds to the entire recipe.

The pistachio nougat recipe is a slightly softer version of the traditional nougat and turns a bit into marshmallow once it has been in the ice cream overnight. Loved the texture of it and so did everyone else.



Pistachio Nougat

Makes half a sheet pan

100 grams egg whites
10 grams powdered sugar
275 grams honey
800 grams sugar
170 grams glucose
300 grams water
650 grams pistachios, lightly roasted

In a medium saucepan, cook the sugar, glucose and water to 144C. This will take a few minutes.

In the meantime, roast the pistachios and keep them warm until ready to use.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer. Start whipping slowly and when they are foamy add the powdered sugar. Continue to whip.

Place the honey in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. When the sugar syrup is at about 130C, add the boiling honey to the whipped egg whites and continue to whip.

When the sugar syrup has reached 144C, remove from heat and start adding it to the egg whites slowly pouring in through the side of the bowl. Keep it close to the edge so the whisk attachment doesn't start spinning the sugar into threads. Add all the syrup and turn it to high speed. Continue whipping until the bowl cools off slightly but it is still warm, about 4 minutes.

At this point, you can do a test of what the consistency of the nougat will be once cooled. Turn machine off and take a small piece of the meringue. Dip it in ice water and see how much it hardens.

When desired consistency has been reached, fold in the warm pistachios and immediately spread on a silpat while it is still warm and pliable. Spread into an even layer. You can dust the top with powdered sugar and use a rolling pin.

Let it cool completely for about 4 hours.

Saturn Peach and Pistachio Nougat Ice Cream

peach ice cream adapted from "The Perfect Scoop" by David Lebovitz

600 grams saturn peaches
125 ml water
150 grams sugar
120 grams sour cream
250 ml heavy cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
A few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice
175 grams pistachio nougat, chopped into small pieces

Peel and dice the peaches. Place them in a medium saucepan with the watr. Cook them for about 10 minutes until soft.

Remove pot from heat and add the sugar. Transfer the peaches to a clean bowl and let them cool completely. Once cooled, puree them in the food processor.

Add the sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla and lemon juice. Mix thoroughly and chill completely. Churn in ice cream machine and when desired consistency is reached, fold in the chopped pistachio nougat. Transfer to container and freeze.

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Saturn Peach and Pistachio Nougat Ice Cream for the Last Days of Summer

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Peach, Pineapple and Kiwi Sorbet Trio and Some Summer Songs

While it has been hot and muggy outside, my little one and I have been on a sorbet making spree these past few days. It all started as a way to distract his attention and keep him away from destroying the furniture. "Let's make ice cream", I told him. His eyes wide open, he smiled... and that's all it took. Everyday after that, we have been making sorbet while listening to music.



It's the strangest thing how kids can enjoy music that seems too adult for them. When he was born, I bought all the children's music albums I could get my hands on and I played them in the car and at home. That's what I thought I was supposed to do. So for the first year or so, I really stopped listening to "my" music.

But as he got a bit older and was able to communicate, he started requesting the oddest songs in my iPod's playlist. It all started with The Beatles' "Get Back". "Get back Jo Jo", he would repeat over and over again. Then on to The Jam's "In the City", TV On The Radio's "Wolf Like Me" or Led Zeppelin's "Rock n' Roll".

So this week, we have been listening to Yo La Tengo's "Summer Sun" while making sorbet. Completely unexpected, but I have to admit that I love sharing music with him.



We had a bunch of fresh peaches, kiwis and a super ripe pineapple and that's what we used to make the fruit purees. The sorbet recipes below use ingredients that might not be readily available, I know, but the resulting sorbet has such great texture that I keep going back to these recipes.

Go here for peach sorbet, pineapple sorbet and kiwi sorbet recipes that use solely water and sugar syrups.



Peach Sorbet

500 grams peach puree
75 grams atomized glucose
110 grams water
65 grams sugar
3 grams sorbet stabilizer

Pineapple Sorbet

500 grams pineapple puree
70 grams water
75 grams atomized glucose
60 grams sugar
1.5 grams sorbet stabilizer

Kiwi Sorbet

500 grams kiwi puree
225 grams water
65 grams atomized glucose
120 grams sugar
2 grams sorbet stabilizer

Method is the same for all of them

Start by making the sugar syrup. Place the water and the atomized glucose in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer. In the meantime, whisk together the sugar and sorbet stabilizer in a separate bowl. When the water comes to a light boil, add the sugar and stabilizer mixture, whisk and bring to a boil. When it starts to boil, pour the syrup into a bowl and let it cool slightly before refrigerating. Refrigerate the sugar syrup overnight.

Add the fruit puree to the sugar syrup, mix really well and churn in ice cream machine. Freeze.

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Peach Crème Caramel, Amama and Summer Memories

One thing I didn't tell you about in my last post is how my trip to Boston also had a bittersweet note to it. The afternoon before I left, my grandmother, my amama Miren passed away in her sleep. It was not a sudden event and in a way, we were expecting it, but having to leave so quickly and being so far away from the rest of my family really didn't allow for me to mourn her passing until I came back home.

As I am writing this, there is some sadness left in me, but mostly, I am simply thankful for having the opportunity to have known her as I did. She was a quiet, hard working woman who endured difficult times in her life, but somehow managed to always have a positive outlook and a smile to share.



As I was thinking about her this morning, many memories of my childhood with her crossed my mind. Endless hours watching her cook and bake at the pastry shop. Simmering milk, kneading brioche late in the evening when everyone else had already left for the day, peeling apples or just simply blowing our noses.

But there is one summer that I remember clearly when we took a day trip to the small town of Sartaguda to visit my uncle who had rented a summer house by a peach orchard. I must have been about 6 or 7 years old. I remember the car ride there and resting my head on her abdomen and how much I liked doing that. She held my hand while we walked and spoke about her garden when she was growing up. I remember how she picked the peaches right off the tree and cracked them open with her hands to feed them to me.



She was a fantastic cook and baker, but if I had to pick a dessert that described her essence, this would be it. Custard, caramel and summer fruit, her favorites. And so this is for her, for my amama Miren who taught me so much more than I could have ever imagined.



Caramel

250 grams sugar
60 grams water

Have an ice bath ready.

Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan and cook until a medium amber caramel forms. Immediately shock the pan in ice water to stop the cooking process.

Pour the caramel amongst six jars. Let the caramel cool and harden before proceeding.

Peach Custard

Note: If peaches are very ripe and juicy, they should be slightly cooked first to eliminate some of the extra water, otherwise the custard might turn too watery.

500 ml heavy cream
500 ml whole milk
200 grams sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
3 eggs
5 egg yolks
3-4 peaches, peeled and diced into small pieces

Place the heavy cream, milk, half of the sugar and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and rest of the sugar. Temper the hot milk mixture into the eggs while whisking. Strain the custard through a fine sieve and let it cool in an ice bath slightly. I like to leave the custard in the refrigerator for a couple of hours so all the foam rises to the top and then it is easy to skim off.

Divide the diced peaches amongst the jars and pour the custard over them. The fruit will rise to the top and that is ok.

Place the jars in a water bath and bake at 300F for about 30-40 minutes or until the center is set. Let them cool completely before serving.



Agur amama. Nire bihotz-bihotzetik.

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Mini Peach and Pistachio Frangipane Tarts

I have been in a mood for tarts lately. In a mood for fruit tarts I should say. It must be Spring and the warm temperatures that make me want to eat fruit and more fruit. Last week I spotted the first peaches of the season at Whole Foods. Well, the first California peaches I should say. They were still a bit small but they were still sweet and soft. I had to get them. I have been craving stone fruits for way too long now.

My friend Jill pointed out the other day that I use a lot of pistachios. Yes, I do, I admit it. It's a habit I developed working for my last chef. We used pistachios in everything and now, I cannot help myself. They add such color, flavor and texture that I always find something to add them to. Here, I am using pistachios once again.

These tarts have a base of sable breton, a layer of pistachio frangipane, fresh peaches and mascarpone cream. Frangipane is traditionally made with almonds but it can be made with any ground up nut. Full of butter and sugar, it just melts in your mouth when served slightly warm.




Sable Breton

Makes 20 4-inch circles

160 grams sugar
160 grams salted organic butter
4 organic egg yolks
zest of half an orange
225 grams unbleached all purpose flour
15 grams aluminum free baking powder

In an electric mixer, cream the butter and the sugar together. Add the egg yolks and the orange zest. Add the flour and baking powder combined until it comes together. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Roll out to about 1/2" thickness and cut 4" circles with a round cutter.

Pistachio Frangipane

100 grams organic unsalted butter, softened
100 grams sugar
1 organic egg
30 grams unbleached all purpose flour
100 grams raw pistachios, ground to a fine meal

Cream the butter and the sugar together. Add the egg. Scrape and mix well. Add the flour and the ground pistachios and mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.

Place the frangipane in a pastry bag. Insert the sable breton disks in your mold and pipe the frangipane on top of the unbaked sable breton (about 1/4 inch thick). Bake the sable and the frangipane in a 350 degree oven until golden brown. Remove from molds when cool.

Mascarpone Cream

100 grams organic heavy cream
50 grams mascarpone cheese
20 grams sugar

Whip all ingredients together until stiff peaks form. Using a spoon dipped in hot water, make quenelles with the cream and place on top of the tart base. Place slices of fresh peach next to it. Sprinkle with some chopped pistachios.



Stone fruits are here and you will see them on this blog!

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