tomato tatin with meyer lemon cream

I am currently under the impression that you can “tatin” just about anything and it will be delicious. Since I can’t seem to control my overbuying of cherry tomatoes at the moment, I figured it was time to tatin them up. Yup, it’s delicious.

Thyme Crust
1 cup flour
1/2 t salt
8 T cold butter, cut into small pieces
3 T ice cold water
1 T fresh thyme leaves

Pulse the flour and salt in a food processor to combine. Add the butter and pulse a few times until coarse crumbs appear. Slowly add the water one T at a time, pulsing just until a dough comes together. Transfer to a flour surface and shower with the thyme, kneading once or twice to combine. Wrap in plastic and set in the fridge for 30 minutes. When ready to use, roll out and cut into a 10-inch circle.

Meyer Lemon Cream
1 cup heavy cream
one meyer lemon, strips of zest removed with a peeler
pinch of sugar
1/2 cup sour cream

In a small pot, bring the cream and lemon zest just to a boil. Cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Chill in the fridge or freezer until cooled. Remove the lemon peel. With a electric mixer, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and the sour cream and continue beating until desired consistency.

***Save leftovers of this whip and top peach pie and cake with it.

Tomato Filling

3 T butter
3 T turbinado sugar
2 pints cherry tomatoes
1/2 t Maldon salt
drizzle of balsamic vinegar

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Cut the butter into thin slices and line the bottom of a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Sprinkle evenly with the sugar and layer with the tomatoes. Season with salt. Cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes until the sugars are bubbling and the tomatoes are tender. In the meantime, roll out your dough into a 10-inch circle and reserve in the fridge until you are ready to use; the colder the dough the better.

Remove the skillet from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Quickly lay your dough over the top and tuck the edges down into the skillet using a paring knife. It’s ok if some of the juices seep out. Cut 3 small vents in the dough. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until your crust is golden. Let the tatin sit on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Loosen the edges with a butter knife and lay a large plate over the top of the skillet. Using kitchen towels on either side, flip the skillet and lift it off the plate. Replace any tomatoes that may have stuck to the pan. Season with additional Maldon salt and ground pepper. Serve warm or at room temp with dollops of cream.

roasted summer peach

It’s my go-to summer dessert. When you can’t get enough of farmers market peaches. When you want pie but don’t have the time. Quick, easy, and crazy good.

Halved peaches in a skillet. Topped with maple syrup, a splash of St. Germaine, bits of butter, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Covered with foil and roasted at 350 for 20 minutes or until tender. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and crushed pistachios.

brown butter peach cake

Nothing tastes more like my childhood than peach cake. Of course, my mother was never one to keep a recipe, so the peach cake recipe from my youth is anyone’s guess. But this is a close runner up.

Brown Butter Peach Cake
1 stick unsalted butter
2 cups flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t kosher salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs at room temp
1 cup sour cream at room temp
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
6 small peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 T butter for dotting

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×8 square baking pan. In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium low heat and continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes or so. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With an electric mixer, beat the browned butter and sugar until incorporated. On low, add the eggs one at a time. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix for a minute. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.

In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread half the batter into the prepared pan. Top with half the peaches and all but 3 T of the cinnamon sugar. Top with the remaining batter and evenly spread to the edges. FInish with the remaining peaches and cinnamon sugar. Dot with butter and bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

peach pandowdy

Ok, here’s why I love pandowdy. It’s a bottomless pie. You know that slimy pie bottom that happens when your fruit is super juicy? Well, no longer. Just toss the bottom out entirely and never worry about it again. Pandowdy is all about warm gooey fruit and a thick crusty top.

Crust:
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1 T sugar
1/4 t salt
6 T cold butter, cut into small pieces
3 T ice cold water

Pulse the flours, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the butter and pulse until coarse crumbs appear. Add the water T by T, pulsing just until a dough forms. Form into a disk and wrap in plastic. Chill for 30 minutes or until ready to use.

Filling:
5-6 large peaches
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1 T chopped candied ginger
1 heaping t freshly grated ginger
1 t lemon zest
1/4 t cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 T butter

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath. Score the underside of each peach with a small X. Add the peaches to the boiling water and cook for about 30 seconds until the skins start to peel away from the score mark. Transfer to the ice bath. Using a paring knife, peel away the skins on each peach and cut into 1/4 inch-thick slices. Add the slices to a large bowl and toss with the sugar, gingers, zest, cinnamon, and salt.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Butter a pie plate. Roll out your dough and cut the excess away using your pie plate as a template. Toss the peach mixture into the pie plate, dot with butter, and top with the dough, tucking the edges in a bit. Cut 4 slits in the dough. Brush lightly with heavy cream and dust with a little turbinado sugar. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until your crust is golden. Spoon into bowls and top with vanilla ice cream. 

miso corn

This has got to be my favorite summer dish this year. It’s one of those side dishes that consistently turns into my whole dinner. And it couldn’t be easier.

Shuck 4 ears of corn and cut the kernels off the cob. Thinly slice 2 whole scallions. Grate 1 heaping teaspoon of ginger. Mix 1 tablespoon room temp butter with 2 teaspoons miso to make a paste. (You may want to add more miso depending on the type of miso you use and your taste.) Heat a large skillet over high heat with a drizzle of grapeseed oil. Add your corn, tossing occasionally for 2 minutes. Add the scallions, ginger, and the miso butter. Cook on medium high for another minute or so until it begins to brown on the bottom. You want those little caramelized bits of miso butter; they are the prized bites. Season with s+p as needed. Remove from the heat and toss with your favorite fresh herbs. I like mint and cilantro. When I want to make a meal out of this guy, I add chopped cherry tomatoes, sauteed kale, sliced avocado, and maybe a charred tortilla or two.

charred broccoli

One of the many things that growing edibles has taught me is that you should eat as much of the plant as possible. Broccoli for instance. For years I had been cutting away the little leaves and discarding the stalks. Big mistake. All that stuff is delicious.

Farmers market broccoli in the summer is the best for this dish. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and prepare an ice bath. Cut a head of broccoli in half lengthwise. Peel the bottom inch or so of the stalk. Blanch the broccoli until crisp tender, about 3 minutes. Dunk in the ice bath to keep that vibrant green color. Heat grapeseed oil in large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the broccoli cut side down and cook until almost blackened. Flip and do the same on the other side until cooked through with a nice charry outside. Season with s+p. Serve with a spoonful of yogurt, pesto, and crushed pistachios.

oh kale yeah!

The last thing the world needs is another kale salad. Or does it? I don’t know, this super green seems to be the healthiest thing on the planet. So you and I both should probably be eating more of it. And this iteration is just so damn good. Tuscan kale thinly sliced and tossed with farro, grapefruit slices, crushed pistachios, pecorino, and a citrusy vinaigrette made with grapefruit juice, lemon juice, honey, Dijon, and s+p. I like it when the kale “cooks” a little bit in the vinaigrette, so dress it 5 to 10 minutes before serving.