Peach & Blackberry Cake with Brown Butter Glaze

I'm back....and I brought cake!

It has been over a year since my last post. I really missed you guys. The past year has been crazy. I spent nine months as the Acting Executive Director of our local animal shelter and worked 70 hour work weeks during that time. It was supposed to be a two-three month assignment but went three times as long. Then, just as the new director was hired, I fell in love with a very shy, scared, formally abused dog that I just had to adopt. (Of course, I fell in love with every dog and cat in the shelter, but this one ripped my heart out.)

The boys watching me get ready. Jax is one the right.

So I have spent most of the summer working to develop a bond with our newest dog (Jax.) It has been a long and sometimes painful process. He is terrified of men, and I am working with the shelter's trainer to establish trust between Jax and my husband. Very slow going, so please keep this sweet boy in your thoughts. The best thing for all of us is to live our lives as normally as possible so he gets used to being part of a family...I am blogging today while both dogs sleep at my side...and my husband watches football. Pure happiness.

Yesterday was Saturday, and there was a hint of Fall's crispness in the air. Our local farmers' market carried beautiful peaches and the sweetest blackberries I have ever tasted. Nothing to do but bake a cake, right? I am always happy when cooking or baking so having the time to hang out in the kitchen for the day was a gift. Cake, homemade pasta, homemade pesto sauce, salad from ingredients grown in our garden...perfect day.

I have baked all of my life but, after moving to Taos, New Mexico with our 7000 ft elevation, I was lost. I didn't know how to make my tried and true recipes work with our higher altitude and needed help from numerous online sources and cookbooks. This cake is an adaptation from one of my favorite bloggers, Mountain Mama Cooks. Her recipes are tailored for cooking in the mountains. I tend to pick something from her blog as a starting point and either make it exactly as is...or try some slight tweaking. I used her Apple-Spice Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Frosting and substituted peaches and blackberries for some of the apple. Delicious. *** BTW, this one is not a high-altitude recipe so it should work for anyone at sea level. AND, I did not need to make any adjustments so higher elevation friends...you are in luck too. Enjoy!

Peach & Blackberry Cake with Brown Butter Glaze
(adapted from the Mountain Mama Cooks blog)

Ingredients:

2 cups white, unbleached flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups diced fresh peaches

1 pint blackberries

1 Granny Smith apple1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 eggs
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Grease a 12-cup bundt pan. Set aside

In a medium size bowl, sift together unbleached flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; set aside. 

In a small bowl toss peaches, blackberries, apple, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; set aside.

In a large bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat together both sugars and oil. Add one egg at a time incorporating each one thoroughly. Mix in vanilla extract and apple cider. Slowly stir in flour mixture into wet batter stirring just to combine. Fold in fruit and any juices that have accumulated. 

Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake in preheated oven on the middle rack for 55-60 minutes or until cake is done. (Mine took exactly 55 minutes.) Test using a cakes tester or thin chopstick. Cake is done when tester comes out clean.  Remove from oven and let cool in pan on a baking rack for 10 minutes before turning out of pan. While cake cools, prepare glaze.

For the Glaze:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 tablespoons milk

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat until light brown in color, 8-10 minutes. (It took me 7 minutes. Maybe my heat was higher?) Remove pan from heat and pour butter into a bowl. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons milk; stir until smooth. If the icing is too thick, add the remaining tablespoon milk, a little at a time, until consistency is spreadable. Let cool 5 minutes. Then use immediately and pour over warm cake. Frosting will harden as cake cools.

Click Here For Printer Friendly Version

Additional peach recipes you may enjoy:

• fresh peach cookies
• fresh peach and coconut cake
• healthy peach crisp smoothie
• kale and rainbow chard salad with peaches, blackberries & pine nuts

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

red or green? 

California Girl in Taos

MoseyLove

napa farmhouse 1885

Promote Your Page Too

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos."  Please visit and let me know what you think.

Heirloom Tomato & Crouton Casserole (Scalloped Tomatoes)

There is something amazing about combining bread and tomatoes. Pizza, bread salad, gazpacho, grilled cheese & tomatoes, the list goes on and on. And, in summer when tomatoes are in season, nothing is easier or more delicious. So a few years ago when I saw this recipe from Ina Garten I knew it would become one of my favorites.

Homemade croutons are tossed in a mixture of chopped in-season tomatoes, garlic, and herbs then piled into a baking dish, topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano and baked. The tomatoes sort of collapse into the croutons, the cheese browns, and melts and the result is a delicious casserole perfect as a side dish with grilled chicken, fish or steak. I love to pair with a big salad and serve as a light summer supper.

tonight we had the tomato casserole with a big salad and roasted salmon

Throughout the years, I have tweaked Ina's recipe a bit. I am posting her exact recipe with my tweaks highlighted in red. I like the addition of sweet onion and thyme leaves. I also add a pinch of dried red pepper flakes for a bit of heat. Feel free to leave this out if spicy is not your thing.  My biggest change is drying out the croutons in the oven. For me, Ina's recipe produces wet, soggy bread...and I am not a fan. My tweak, plus reducing the time the ingredients are sauteed, results in crispy croutons in the finished dish. Try the recipe both ways...and go with the one you like best. Both are delicious!

Scalloped Tomatoes
Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten
Total Time:
55 min
Prep:
20 min
Cook:
35 min

Yield:6 servings

Good olive oil
2 cups (1/2-inch diced) bread from a French boule, crusts removed (I do not remove the crusts)
16 plum tomatoes, cut 1/2-inch dice (about 2 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/4 cup chopped spring onions (or sweet Walla Walla onions)
2 tablespoons sugar (I do not use sugar if the tomatoes are super sweet. If not I use 1 tablespoon coconut sugar. The white sugar makes this dish too sweet for me)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 cup julienned basil leaves, lightly packed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I cut this to 1/2 cup cheese)
Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12 inch) saute pan over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and stir to coat with the oil. Cook over medium to medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the cubes are evenly browned. Place the croutons on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the croutons are very dry..Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, garlic, onion, coconut sugar (if needed), salt, pepper and red pepper flakes) in the used skillet. Add the croutons to the skillet and cook,  stirring often, for 5  2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil and the thyme.

Pour the tomato mixture into a shallow (6 to 8 cup) baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan cheese and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top is browned, and the tomatoes are bubbly. Serve hot or warm.

2009, Ina Garten, All Rights Reserved
Advertisement
© 2015 Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Click Here For Printer Friendly Recipe

Summer means easy, breezy dishes made from fresh, just-picked produce and this week at Food Network's Summer Soiree we are celebrating Summer Tomatoes. Do you have a favorite tomato recipe? Share in the comments section and/or link to your blog if you have one. And be sure to check out the delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network. 

The Heritage Cook: Rice and Cheese Stuffed Roasted Tomatoes (Gluten-Free)
The Lemon Bowl: 5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Beef & Eggplant
Homemade Delish: Sweet Tomato Jam
Healthy Eats: 7 Seasonal Uses for Fresh Tomatoes
Creative Culinary: Warm Tomato and Mozzarella Bruschetta 
Weelicious: Heirloom Tomato Salad
Dishin & Dishes: Cobb Salad with Homemade Roasted Onion Vinaigrette
Domesticate Me: 10 Totally Awesome Tomato Recipes
Swing Eats: Tiny Insalata Caprese
The Wimpy Vegetarian: Tomato and Swiss Tart
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Tomato Pickle
Taste with the Eyes: Quiche with a Black Quinoa Crust, Heirloom Tomatoes, Spinach, Goat Cheese
Red or Green: Summer Pasta With No-Cook Tomato Sauce
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Heirloom Tomato & Crouton Casserole (Scalloped Tomatoes)
The Mom 100: Chopped Salad with Chicken, Tomatoes and Lemon Thyme Dressing
FN Dish: 10 Ways to Be a Tomato Whisperer

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

red or green? 

California Girl in Taos

MoseyLove
please follow me on Facebook

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos."  Please visit and let me know what you think.

Tomato & Mozzarella Sandwich with Basil-Garlic Scape Pesto

It is No-Cook Week at Food Network and my contribution pairs fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes with Buffalo mozzarella and spicy pesto made with basil and garlic scapes. I know we just had Pesto Week a couple of weeks ago, but this version...classic pesto combined with garlic scapes...is so delicious I couldn't wait to share.

garlic scapes

Garlic scapes are a soon-to-flower stalk that grows at the top of the garlic plant from between the leaves. These "flowers" have to be cut off to ensure the bulb receives the necessary energy required to grow the garlic we know and love.  This process is sort of like pinching the flowers off herb plants to aid in their growth. I love the clean, organic look of scapes. They curl into very interesting shapes and make lovely casual floral arrangements that I use for a day or two prior to turning into a delicious treat.

Many people discard the garlic scapes when harvesting. If you grow garlic, do not let this happen. They are an amazingly tasty vegetable that can be used wherever you use garlic, green onions or chives. They taste like a milder version of fresh garlic with a bit less bite while still retaining tons of flavor. They can be chopped up and added to stir-fry, frittata, pasta or sautéed and added as a topping for pizza or bruschetta. You will find many ways to use, but today they are being processed into pesto.

For the sandwiches, I spread a very thick layer of the pesto on a slice of really good, artisan bread. Then I pile ripe, garden grown heirloom tomatoes on top of the pesto, top with fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese and add the second piece of bread. When the temperature is soaring, I eat it just like that. When it is a bit cooler, I grill the sandwich or place in the panini press. Either way...delicious!

Tomato & Mozzarella Sandwich with Basil-Garlic Scape Pesto
(make as many sandwiches as you like)

In-Season heirloom tomatoes. sliced
Buffalo mozzarella, sliced 1/2 inch thick
Basil-Garlic Scape Pesto, recipe follows
Artisan bread, any kind, thickly sliced

For each sandwich, spread pesto on one slice of bread. Top with tomatoes, and cheese and second slice of bread. Cut in half and enjoy!

For non "no-cook" weeks, this sandwich is delicious grilled or placed in a panini press.

Basil-Garlic Scape Pesto
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 oz parmigiano-reggiano cheese, cut into 2 pieces
3 garlic scapes
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
5 cups basil leaves (packed)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional to top
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juicesea salt
freshly cracked black pepper

Toast pine nuts in a skillet until just beginning to brown.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Add cheese to a food processor fitted with the chopping/mixing blade.  Process until the cheese is grated.  Add cooled pine nuts, garlic scapes and red pepper flakes and process until all ingredients are finely grated.  Add half of basil leaves, and 1/4 cup olive oil and process until smooth but with a bit of texture. Add remaining basil, remaining olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Process until well mixed.  Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.


Click Here For Printer-Friendly Recipe

Summer means easy, breezy dishes made from fresh, just-picked produce and this week at Food Network's Summer Soiree we are celebrating No Cook recipes. Do you have a favorite no-cook recipe? Share in the comments section and/or link to your blog if you have one. And be sure to check out the delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network. 

Feed Me Phoebe: 5 Farmer's Market Summer Salad Recipes
Healthy Eats: Ovenless Entertaining
Dishin & Dishes: Coral Snake Salsa (Apricot Tomatillo)
The Mom 100: Simple Raspberry Fool
Domesticate Me: Arugula Salad with Shaved Zucchini, Pistachios and Parmesan
Taste with the Eyes: Santa Barbara Sea Urchin à la Jean-Georges
Homemade Delish: Delicious Ceviche
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Tomato & Mozzarella Sandwich with Basil-Garlic Scape Pesto
Red or Green: Gott's Gazpacho
Swing Eats: Green Grapes, Drunken Goat Cheese, and Jalapenos on a Toothpick
Bacon and Souffle: Scallop Ceviche
FN Dish: A Complete Menu of No-Cook Recipes for the Whole Day

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

red or green? 

California Girl in Taos

MoseyLove
please follow me on Facebook

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos."  Please visit and let me know what you think.

Best Ever Elk Burgers for the 4th of July

My book club (aka salon) is reading Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser this month. If you are familiar with the book you know that it reports an inside look at the history of fast food, the suppliers, the economics of keeping the food inexpensive and the politics of food safety, or lack thereof. I haven't eaten fast food in years...after this book I never will again. Google Books description in part reads:

"Eric Schlosser's myth-shattering survey stretches from the California subdivisions where the business was born to the industrial corridor along the New Jersey Turnpike where many of fast food's flavors are concocted. He hangs out with the teenagers who make the restaurants run and communes with those unlucky enough to hold America's most dangerous job -- meatpacker. He travels to Las Vegas for a giddily surreal franchisers' convention where Mikhail Gorbachev delivers the keynote address. He even ventures to England and Germany to clock the rate at which those countries are becoming fast food nations.
Along the way, Schlosser unearths a trove of fascinating, unsettling truths -- from the unholy alliance between fast food and Hollywood to the seismic changes the industry has wrought in food production, popular culture, and even real estate. He also uncovers the fast food chains' efforts to reel in the youngest, most susceptible consumers even while they hone their institutionalized exploitation of teenagers and minorities. Schlosser then turns a critical eye toward the hot topic of globalization -- a phenomenon launched by fast food.
FAST FOOD NATION is a groundbreaking work of investigation and cultural history that may change the way America thinks about the way it eats."

elk patty

The book supports my belief that eating organic, locally grown food is the best way to promote health, community, safety and economic policy. You won't want to eat low-cost supermarket beef again after reading the book...if you are fortunate enough to be able to purchase grass fed beef...please do so.  Since I spend most of my time in Taos, New Mexico these days, I am also able to easily find beef alternatives such as bison and elk. These choices are purported to be leaner than commercially grown beef with less cholesterol and the animals are treated humanely throughout their lives. My family likes the taste better than beef, and I like the fact that, with each purchase, I am supporting small, local ranchers. 

Today I am sharing my recipe for elk burgers. Due to the lower fat content, I add a bit of minced white onions to add some moisture. I also cook to medium rare. Please do go any further than "medium" when cooking...they will dry out too much with additional heat. Maybe give elk a try for the 4th of July?

Best Ever Elk Burgers
(makes 4)

1 lb ground elk
1/2 cup minced white onions
sea salt
black pepper
extra virgin olive oil (for grill)
4 whole wheat or sourdough hamburger buns
butter or olive oil
your favorite hamburger toppings i.e.
crisp lettuce leaves
sliced red onion
mayo
ketchup
mustard
cheddar cheese, if desired

Combine elk and minced onions in a small bowl. Form meat into four patties. Using your thumb, make a depression in the center of each patty. (This will help prevent shrinkage) Generously season each patty with salt and pepper. Set aside

Prepare coals if using an outdoor grill or heat grill pan until hot. Grease grate or grill pan with olive oil. Grill burgers 3 1/2 to 4 minutes per side. You want medium rare or medium...cooking any longer will result in dry, tough meat. If using cheese, add during the last minute of cooking to allow melting. Remove from heat and allow to rest for a few minutes.

Butter or olive oil insides of each bun. Grill for one minute being careful to not let burn.

Add elk patties to buns and add your favorite toppings. Serve immediately

Click Here For Printer Friendly Recipe

Summer means easy, breezy dishes made from fresh, just-picked produce and this week at Food Network's Summer Soiree we are celebrating the 4th of July. Do you have a favorite 4th of July recipe? Or, if you are not from the state, a favorite summer picnic recipe? Share in the comments section and/or link to your blog if you have one. And be sure to check out the delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network. 

Feed Me Phoebe: Red Beet Hummus Recipe with Lemony Yogurt
The Heritage Cook: Tangy Caprese Salad with Pickled Cherries (Gluten-Free)
Creative Culinary: July 4th Red, White and Blue Patriotic Poke Cake
Weelicious: Blue Corn Chip Crusted Fish Sticks with Red Pepper Coulis
The Lemon Bowl: 3 Steps to Perfectly Cooked Sweet Corn
Bacon and Souffle: Red, White and Blue Bark
Healthy Eats: 5 Frozen Treats for a Sweet Fourth
Taste with the Eyes: Dessert for the 4th of July: Elderflower Berry Pavlova
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Best Ever Elk Burgers For The 4th of July
Red or Green: Roasted Sweet Pepper Salad
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Heirloom Tomato Pie
In Jennie's Kitchen: Summer Raspberry Sorbet
Homemade Delish: 4th of July Cheesecake
FN Dish: Portable Picks to Make and Take on July 4th

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

red or green? 

California Girl in Taos

MoseyLove
please follow me on Facebook

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos."  Please visit and let me know what you think.