The Houndstooth Gourmet

Oh, peaches, how I’ll miss you until next year. Parting is truly such sweet sorrow, but we’ll have another week or two together until we have to say “see you later”.

Aside from eating peaches out of hand and feeling the juices drip down my chin, I adore baking with them. This galette is so darn easy, with a crust that comes together in a minute, with very few ingredients. After chilling in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, it rolls out easily to make a very rustic cradle to hold your favorite fruit. You can fill this galette with your favorite berries and stone fruits. Top with honey and sugar, and it bakes up to a gorgeous golden brown.

I topped this galette with fresh whipped cream laced with ground cardamom and crystalized ginger. What a taste sensation!

Does this look good to you? You can find the recipe from Diana’s Desserts. Thank you Diana-this is a winner!

Tags: baking, dessert, peaches by Ramona
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Clafouti-that delightful French pancake that makes berries and stone fruit shine. Making a good one has been elusive for me. I believe I was first inspired to make clafouti several years ago when watchig Sara Moulton on Sara’s Secrets. You know-back when the Food Network was a television station that could really teach and inspire. Ah, those were the days. Anyway, I soon made my first clafouti. Cherry, I believe. I was impressed that, first, I made something French, and second, that it was easy and really delicious.

Come to think of it, I’m not sure whose recipe I used the first time I made a clafouti. I only know that the second, third and probably fourth time I made it, it didn’t turn out well. My clafoutis were either dry, or very egg-y. I’m talking like eating a sweet omelette or scrambled eggs. Not good. Blech.

Now flash forward to last week’s WaPo Food section, with as you may know, I am seeking inspiration and guidance by making at least one recipe a week, and posting it. Last week, the WaPo featured blogger and cookbook author, David Lebovitz. The “American Blogger in Paris” cooks in his small apartment by the Bastille. While the mere thought of living in Paris, writing a pithy blog and memoir, and cooking, cooking, cooking turns my complexion green with envy, Lebovitz dismisses the notion that his life is all beret-wearing, sidewalk cafe-coffee-sipping and Sartre contemplating while watching star-crossed lovers stroll the avenues. No, there’s dog poop on those streets, and you had better watch your step.

And, like the roads in Paris, you occasionally have to dodge bad recipies, and just plain bad days in the kitchen. Oh, the gritty underbelly.  Sometimes, however, you have a good day, your ingredients shine, and you can’t wait to share what you’ve made or what you’ve discovered. This is such a day. Lebovitz’s clafouti is a perfect intersection of custard and cake. It revels in the oven- getting a bit crunchy on top from caramelizing sugar, while the fruit underneath yields juice and nectar into the egg, butter and flour.While stone fruits and berries are in season, I highly recommend taking the heat while you turn on the oven to bake up this wonderful dessert. Clafouti is easy, yet elegant. You’ll be impressed-and so will your friends. Share!P.S….don’t be afraid to make this in the colder months, as frozen fruit would work just fine.

Apricot* and Raspberry ClafoutiRecipe adapted from David Lebovitz’s The Sweet Life in Paris, courtesy of The Washington PostServes 8**Ingredients:

• • • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the baking dish
  • • 1 pound ripe apricots, pitted and cut into 3/4 inch wedges (may substitute small ripe plums, cut in half and pitted)
  • • 1 cup raspberries, washed
  • • 3 large eggs
  • • 1/2 cup flour
  • • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • • 1 1/3 cups whole milk***

Directions:Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat to 375 degrees.Use butter to liberally grease the bottom and sides of a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Arrange the apricot wedges (cut sides up) and the raspberries in a single layer on the bottom of the dish. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until smooth, then whisk in the 4 tablespoons of melted butter and the flour until completely smooth. Add the vanilla, then whisk in 1/2 cup of the sugar and the milk to form a custard. Pour the custard over the fruit. Bake on the top rack for 30 minutes, then pull out the rack gently, so the crust that is just beginning to form on the claflouti remains intact. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar evenly over the surface, then gently return the rack to its position. Bake the claflouti for 30 minutes, or until it feels slightly firm in the center and its top is a nice golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.**I used peaches from Toigo Orchards. To prepare-briefly blanch in boiling water, and peel skin. Cut in half, remove pit, and slice.** I used a 10 inch non-stick skillet, and felt the serving recommendation was more like 6 generous slices. If you use a casserole dish, simply scoop the clafouti out.*** I did not have whole/4% milk on hand, so I used half 1% milk and half heavy cream for the 1 1/3 cups milk called for in the recipe. Perhaps this contributed to the incredible creamy custard that resulted.

Tags: baking, berries, dessert, fruit, peaches, The Washington Post, WaPo Wednesdays by Ramona
2 Comments »

Hi folks-here’s the recipe that I chose from last week’s Washington Post Food section. It’ Peaches and Cream with Raspberries- a variation on peach melba which they paired with frozen yogurt. I had French Vanilla ice cream on hand, plus some frozen local blackberries, but the basics are the same for making the peach sauce.

What did I think? Well, first, it’s delicious. Really. But while I made it, with my oven on for over 45 minutes, I thought that I could certainly make this sauce on the stove top in a fraction of the time. In the heat of summer-that’s would I would recommend. Simply place all of the ingredients into a sauce pan, and simmer with the lid on for about 10 minutes, until the peaches are completely softened and macerated. Then, uncover the pot, and continue to cook until the liquid is reduced a bit to concentrate the flavors. Finally, blend with a stick blender or stand blender. Serve warm, or cool over frozen yogurt, regular yogurt, or ice cream.

Another tip-I did not have orange liquour around, and in lieu of almond extract, I used a passion fruit vinegar. Yes, vinegar! Now, I know you may not have this type of vinegar (I just had to get this bottle at Di Bruno Bros. in Philadelphia), but keep this idea in mind if you are making any type of berry sauce-balsamic vinegar brings out the best in the flavor-and sweetness!

Taste-I give this sauce a 4/5.  Truly, you could get good canned peaches from the farmers market (Toigo, Quaker Valley) at any time of year, heat them up with spices and flavorings, and blend to make a sauce. Peach Melba sauce compliments ice cream quite well.

Would I entertain with this?- You bet I would- especially because this sauce can be make ahead of time. It looks homemade, and it adds great dimension to store-bought ice cream (I’m also thinking pound cake!. Plus, it’s easy.

Sources- I purchased my peaches from Bigg Riggs Farm (West Virginia) at the Alexandria Farmers Market.

Peaches and Cream with Raspberries

Recipe courtesy of The Washington Post

6 servings

Ingredients:

6 (about 2 pounds) peaches (preferably freestone), peeled, pitted and cut into quarters; see NOTE
1/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons or 3 orange-flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier
3 cups low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt
1/2 pint raspberries

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Have ready a shallow baking dish (about 8 by 11 inches).

Arrange the peach quarters with cut sides up in a single layer in the baking dish, then scatter the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt over them. Add the water to the dish, then cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and return the dish to the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the liquid in the dish has reduced to a syrup.

Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes, then transfer the peaches and syrup to a blender and process until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of the liqueur and blend to incorporate. Taste and add the remaining tablespoon of liqueur as needed.

The sauce can be served warm or refrigerated until ready to use. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Divide the frozen yogurt equally among individual serving bowls. Top each with about 1/4 cup of the sauce and divide the raspberries evenly among the portions. Serve immediately.

NOTE: To peel the peaches, start with ripe fruit. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the whole peaches and parboil for 30 to 60 seconds. Remove from the water, rinse with cold water and peel away the skins.

Tags: dessert, peaches, Recipe by Ramona
7 Comments »

A few weeks ago I needed to use up leftover buttermilk in my refrigerator. What to do? Salad dressing? Mashed potatoes? Soak some chicken before baking? Bake? OK, I settled on none of the above and decided to try something that doesn’t sound all that inviting, initially-ice cream.

There are so many uses for buttermilk-and the best part is that buttermilk is low-fat, or no-fat, and still packs a thick, creamy, taste wallop. What I found when I tasted buttermilk ice cream is that some sugar and vanilla beans takes the sourness of of the end product, but leaves the tang intact. That tang is the perfect foil for other flavors, namely berries of any kind.

For this recipe (adapted from Epicurious), I wanted to lower the fat content (by using half and half vs. heavy cream) and still have a satisfying, creamy product in the end. It worked! You could even omit one egg yolk (use 5 instead of 6) and substitute milk for the half and half. The end product was still tasty, if not creamy. Still, it’s refreshing.

Buttermilk Ice Cream

makes 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup half and half
• 1 vanilla bean, split with seeds scraped*
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup cold buttermilk (2 %)

Directions

Place half and half and scraped vanilla seeds into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar. Slowly (very, very slowly) pour half and half mixture into eggs and sugar, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan and heat over medium until thickened, stiring constantly, about 6-7 minutes. The mixture should coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Strain mixture into a bowl,  and add buttermilk. Allow to cool in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. (Can be prepared up to 5 days ahead. Freeze in covered container.)

*A great way to use that scraped vanilla bean is to make vanilla sugar by placing the bean into a container of sugar and cover tightly. Use for coffee, tea, or as a sweetener for fruits and berries.

Tags: dessert, ice cream by Ramona
3 Comments »

OK. I think that I’m over oatmealpalooza for now, and in the spirit of the venerable Cherry Blossoms soon to bloom here in Washington D.C., I am reaching into my freezer to use a large bunch of sour cherries which I lovingly saved from last season.

Sour and sweet cherries are carried by several farmers markets in D.C., nearby Maryland, and Fairfax County, Virginia. I have had wonderful experiences buying stone fruits of all kinds (including these sour pie cherries) from Allenberg Orchards. They sell at the Kingstowne Market on Fridays, in season. Buying the cherries in bulk saves money, and allows me to store the cherries to enjoy later (Until I learn to can them, I simply store them in a zip-loc baggie in the freezer). The taste of the sour cherries is still very good-tart with a hint of sweetness and intense cherry flavor. The defrosted cherries work particularly well in sauces, compotes and even frozen treats such as gelato.

My first Cherrypalooza entry is adapted from this recipe in Health Magazine, so as you can infer, it’s a good-for-you-no-guilt-dessert that is a wonderful play on ending a meal with fruit and cheese. You can use frozen cherries for this recipe without problem. Or, file this recipe in a tickler to remind you what you can make with fresh cherries this year!

Cherry Compote over Chevre (Goat) Cheese

serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups pitted cherries with juice (sour pie cherries or Bing cherries, fresh or frozen)
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
• 4-5 ounce fresh chevre (goat cheese)

Directions

Add cherries and sugar to a heavy-bottom pot. Cook over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved. Add vinegar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

Serve warm or cooled compote over 1 oz portion of goat cheese.*

*Serve with a dessert wine such as a Sancerre or Riesling.

Tags: cheese, cherries, dessert, Recipe by Ramona
4 Comments »